Paula Fargo, Author at Paula's Point

January 19, 2026

IYKYK: What Owning a Business Really Feels Like

Time has a funny way of giving you perspective — especially once you’ve stepped out of the blender. For years, owning my small business felt like living inside a whirling appliance: loud, chaotic, exhilarating, exhausting. You don’t really see how crazy it all is while you’re in it. You’re just trying not to lose a finger. Now, nearly two years after selling my business, I finally have enough distance to look back and truly see what that life was really like. And I’m in awe. Owning a business is a little like Stockholm Syndrome. You convince yourself that your life…

January 13, 2026

Retirement Is Just Kindergarten with Better Snacks

We’ve come full circle: playground to workplace, back to playground. Having sold my business last year—one I owned for most of my adult life—and being theoretically “young” enough to fully enjoy the years ahead, I’ve been thinking a lot about the snowbird phenomenon. Once upon a time, I viewed snowbirds with thinly veiled scorn. These unfaithful fleers of their hometowns who skedaddled to warmer climes at the first sign of winter? Wimps, I thought. In the Mid-Atlantic, we’re talking about a couple of months of discomfort and the occasional snowfall. This isn’t Minnesota, for Pete’s sake. Toughen up. Then I…

December 28, 2025

When Your Imagination Runs Away

Or maybe not. I read a lot of murder mysteries, crime stories, and even the occasional supernatural thriller. I admire writers who can dream up elaborate plots full of twists, turns, and dark motives lurking just beneath the surface. Which is probably why, when I had a slightly inexplicable experience during a four‑night hotel stay, my imagination didn’t just wander — it sprinted. My husband has hunting friends in Iowa, and we decided to stay in a small town for four nights so he could join in the fun. No Airbnbs were available, and once you added “pet‑friendly” to the…