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Mindful Living & Personal Growth
Wisdom, aging, identity, purpose, resilience.
Cleansing your life with Sage! The things we do for love!
When a friend’s girlfriend insists on cleansing your house with sage and salt, manners meet madness—and Mr. Peabody the cat bears silent witness.
gmaylone
Oct 30, 20255 min read
Rethinking the Next Chapter: Mid-Career and Beyond
Mid-career isn’t the end—it’s the pivot point. This is the time to reflect, realign, and choose what the second half of your life will look like with purpose and clarity.
gmaylone
Oct 18, 20255 min read
Our Aging Parents, the Unwinnable Battle with Time.
Watching our parents grow older is one of life’s hardest truths. Their steady hands once guided us, and now we steady them. This reflection from Getting Older: Field Notes explores time, perspective, love, and the responsibility to cherish every moment with those who matter most.
gmaylone
Sep 24, 20253 min read
Second Chances, Finding a Lost Joy Again.
Because that’s the trick of aging. Freedom doesn’t disappear with age, and you don’t always need something new.
Sometimes it’s just two wheels waiting at the end of the driveway, and you just need to dust it off, oil the chain, and take it for another spin.
gmaylone
Sep 22, 20255 min read
Bowling Alleys, and Rekindling Fun from the past:
Bowling won’t turn back the clock, but it does remind me: staying active isn’t about being perfect, it’s about showing up, laughing at the gutters, and rolling again.
gmaylone
Sep 21, 20254 min read
Gratitude & Disingenuous Complaining. Growing Older, Gratitude and Complaining.
I complain more than I used to—about my knees, traffic, and the way everything cracks in the morning. But the truth is, most of my complaints are disingenuous. They’re noise layered over a life that’s been deeply blessed.
gmaylone
Sep 21, 20253 min read
Garage Days: Where Grease, Aqua Net, and Forever Collided
A look back at a time now gone, when hands crafted machines, and we thought life would last forever.
gmaylone
Aug 28, 20258 min read
The 90-Second Test: Nailing First Impressions when interviewing
“Every interview has a silent clock. You’ve got 90 seconds to win the room — or spend the rest of the hour trying to climb out of a hole.”
Whether we like it or not, every interview starts with a silent clock. Within the first minute and a half, the panel has already decided if you look like someone they want to hire — or someone they want to move past.
gmaylone
Aug 25, 20255 min read
Hornet Wars: The Battle for Hornet Gate – Final Dispatch
"For weeks, the Hornet Hordes controlled the only direct access between the grape harbors, blueberry groves, and raspberry fields. They held the chokepoint like Spartans at Thermopylae — fanatical, relentless, and perfectly positioned. It took fire, precision chemical strikes, and a final siege to break their grip. Now the gate is free… but for how long?"
gmaylone
Aug 15, 20254 min read
Operation Maple/Congo: The Family Invasion of 2025
Amusing Details of how the annual visit of my wife's Congolese family from Canada is managed as they descend upon our household.
gmaylone
Aug 11, 20253 min read
Over a Beer at "The Sink Bar and Grill" in Boulder, CO.
It was a hot, sunny afternoon in Boulder, July 2025. My other half was tied up in a work meeting, so I had time to kill.
I wandered the historic downtown—old brick buildings, summer air thick with pine and pavement, the kind of day that makes you slow down.
gmaylone
Aug 5, 20255 min read
Tales from the HOA Crypt, Vol. 2: The Forbidden Corn
They say if you touch the stove once and get burned, you won’t touch it again. Apparently, I’m the guy who tries the second burner.
OK, technically, it was more like my employer forcing my hand on the burner. Not me willingly reaching out. Same burn.
gmaylone
Aug 5, 20256 min read
HOA Chronicles, Vol. 1: The Driveway Inquisition
My first encounter living under the iron grip of a Homeowners Association. The absurdity of it all.
gmaylone
Aug 4, 20255 min read
The Magic of the Mountains! Pain-Free in the High Desert!
Somewhere between the crisp air, blue skies, and the first morning I wake up without my hands screaming at me, I realize: I am hopelessly, pathetically, gloriously addicted to dry air—and some altitude.
gmaylone
Jul 31, 20253 min read
Coffee Bean Battle: Rediscovering the Dark Roast Coffee That Both Saved and Cursed Me!
"I thought I escaped coffee… until the dark roast pulled me back in. A story of Army nights, hard work, and one powerful cup."
gmaylone
Jul 19, 20254 min read
Amtrak Nightmare: The Legend of Uncle Baconstein!
A man smelling of bacon grease and Bengay boards the train in Jersey and turns an ordinary ride into an unforgettable sensory event. Meet Uncle Baconstein — a legend of snacks, soda, and haunting scent memory.
gmaylone
Jul 17, 20255 min read
Just Waiting for the train (Got a Lifetime Movie Instead)
It was 7:45 a.m. on the AMTRAK platform in New London, Connecticut.
Trust me, I was looking at my clock, not wanting to miss the train, wondering when it was coming, and wishing I was still snoozing in bed.
A thin morning fog still clung to the bay, slowly burning off as the sun made its way up. Quite a beautiful scene actually, I was just wandering off mentally enjoying it.
gmaylone
Jul 17, 20255 min read
Off the Clock, On the Mark™ – Why I Left, What I’m Building, and Why You’re Invited
In case nobody told you today:
It’s okay to want more. More time. More peace. More you.
If you're still setting alarms just to sit in traffic, answering emails that should’ve never been sent, or nodding through meetings that suck the marrow out of your bones — you’re not broken. You’re awake. And you’re not alone.
gmaylone
Jul 16, 20253 min read
Exploring Personal Growth as a Federal Employee: Your Path to Freedom:
A real, honest look at growing inside federal service—how to reclaim your identity, build momentum, and grow past the system instead of getting trapped in it.
gmaylone
Jul 15, 20254 min read
From Federal Desk Job to Freedom: A Career Transformation
In a world where people feel trapped by their jobs — chained to their desks, restrained by the golden handcuffs of stability and benefits — the idea of breaking free can seem like a fantasy.
gmaylone
Jul 15, 20256 min read
🦅 Welcome to Fed to Freedom
This is where my next chapter begins—and maybe yours, too.
✍️ Writing My Story
After years in federal service, I’m building something new. Fed to Freedom is part journal, part resource hub, part blueprint for reinvention. Whether you're a retiree, still in the grind, or dreaming of what's next—you’re in the right place.
📰 The Blog
Read. Laugh. Think. Repeat.
🔗 Resources & Links
Looking for help transitioning out of federal service?
I’ve curated guides, official links, and must-know content:
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OPM tools
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SES & ECQ guidance
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Acquisition, FAR/DFAR resources
🤝 Services
Need help with your ECQs, resume, interviewing skills. or just want to talk shop?
I offer:
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Writing & editing support
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SES coaching & federal consulting
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Speaking or collaboration for events
🎯 Join the Journey
No hype. No hustle. Just honest stories, shared lessons, and real work.
Follow along as I figure out what freedom looks like—one cup of coffee, one story, and one step at a time.
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