Greetings! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Tracy Lynn a 58-year-old recent and happily retired utility Manager. I reside in the southwest suburbs of Chicago with my wonderful husband of 23 years. Having been employed in various positions at a few businesses since I was 16 years old, I often fascinate people with how young I am to be a retiree. At the utility company, my career spanned 23 years working as a Customer Service Rep, Construction & Maintenance Work Planner, Project Management Assistant, and Project Manager.
Since 1980, I worked in positions as a Teacher’s Aide, Cashier / Cook, Secretary, Clerical and Administrative Assistants. In 2021, I discovered other interests that both fascinated me and demanded my full attention. These eventually led to retirement. For example, my mother’s fast-declining health became a primary focus as now I am suddenly a Caregiver. In addition, my desire to dabble in my favorite past-time of writing as well as try my hand at coordinating and planning real estate transactions. Home remodeling projects, self-improvement, and traveling are also high on the exploration list!
Due to my life-long desire to write non-fiction novels and being an avid reader, I have always had the vision to create a book club. Fortunately, I discovered and bonded with other women to possess these same interests. Eleven years ago, I had the vision to create a book club where today, I am the President and Founder of The Sister Circle Book Club of 10 members. The club keeps me busy and provides an abundance of joy and happiness. I love the phenomenal female members, books we read and discuss, and the activities we accomplish such as volunteering and donating to various charities, and of course, eating delicious food and drinking plenty of good wine!
In the 1970s, it was a bit of a safety challenge growing up on Chicago’s gang and crime-ridden South Side in a single-parent household. Our mother was hard-working, loving, and strict while raising two young girls. We were the victim of having a curfew of “be home by the time the street lights come on”! My younger sister and I often encountered being robbed while on the way to the grocery store and of our personal belongings. One year we received the bicycles we always dreamed of and they got stolen only 2 weeks after riding them. In spite of these setbacks, we enjoyed our modest life of growing up in the ‘hood. As long as we had each other, my mother, sister, and I maintained a very loving and respectful relationship. Our bond is extremely close even to this day.
I attended Chicago Public Schools from headstart to high school graduation. While employed as a Teacher’s Aide during the Summer School Program, the teachers often admired my work and encouraged me to pursue an Elementary Teacher’s job. Unfortunately, due to the numerous and ongoing teacher strikes throughout the years, I got easily discouraged to apply. I enjoyed attending school where I often excelled in all subjects and was considered a good student.
In the sixth grade, I met one of my very best friends to this day. We had a lot in common and found Richard Pryor to be our favorite comedian to imitate. We absolutely had no business listening to these X-rated albums but couldn’t help ourselves. This dude was hilarious! We also discovered that we enjoyed other thrilling activities such as gymnastics, listening to music, dancing, going to the movies, clothes shopping, and writing short stories. We would swap our stories with each other for entertainment purposes and critique.
Today, I still love to attend and enjoy watching comedy shows with my husband. Laughing is therapeutic and is good for your health. With all of life’s pressures and challenges of growing old gracefully while managing and caring for an elderly parent I highly recommend daily laughter, meditation, and prayer. Live, laugh, and love. It’s the three keys to mastering and navigating this thing called
Ask me anything!
