Lawrence woman learns it's never too late to change your path
4:14 p.m. Monday, August 25, 2008
Lawrence — Eleven years ago, Kassie Edwards' world was strictly corporate, working 8 to 5 in human resources management in the Washington D.C.-area in job she really didn't like. Then, her older brother died suddenly, and everything changed.
"So, his death was like, 'oh, why am I doing this? Am I doing this because I think it's what my dad wants me to do, what my mom wants me to do, what I'm supposed to doing,' and I didn't know what I wanted to do," Edwards said.
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So, she called upon some principles she learned from an American Youth Foundation summer camp she attended way back in high school.
"And they teach four-fold living. It's striving for balance in four areas: mental, physical, social and spiritual," she said. "And I thought, well that's a plan, I need to have a goal or something set. So I decided I would give myself a year to strive for balance in my life."
Her year-long quest took her to Berkley, Calif., where she lived with seven roommates, did temp work, traveled and developed a love for hiking and camping. Eventually, she returned home to study massage therapy, her current career.
Edwards says her new life isn't only about the job.
"It's still beyond that. How do I spend my time? I don't have children. I love kids, so I'm a Girl Scout leader," she said. "I want to be an active community member, and so I volunteer for Altrusa and the River City Reading Festival and doing things that are more than just my job. It's the whole package."
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