Welcome to The Juniverse

My name is June Iljana – I’m a mother, daughter, granddaughter, friend, employee, boss, bureaucrat, student and teacher. I'm a writer, reader, volunteer, hiker, biker, artist and fixer upper. I'm a stuff-maker, emergency medical technician, former soldier, skydiver, former magazine publisher, homemaker, homewrecker, girl, chick, woman, girlfriend,  former wife, and perhaps future wife someday. Most of those identifiers come and go and change over time, but the one title I own and wear most securely now and forever is “Center of the Juniverse.”

As a kid in the 80s, June was a rotten name to live with. It officially meant “old woman” in those days, though it’s becoming more popular now just as I have realized the full potential of the name. The Universe of June – the Juniverse – defined, is my life. I both rule and am ruled by the Juniverse. It’s my life experiences, activities, friends, enemies, acquaintances and all the possibilities that have ever existed for me. My thoughts and even the thoughts other people have about me are all within the depth and breadth of the Juniverse. Whoever thinks its fun to move my trash can three houses down each week is part of the Juniverse. Packed with my almost 40 years of life experience, plus all of the family and world history that came before that impacts me. The Juniverse is vast and growing. Every experience, person or idea that crosses into the Juniverse instantly expands its borders whether it’s life-altering or I barely notice it. It may be cherished temporarily or long-term, or discarded. Or forgotten… Unfortunately, even though the Juniverse is infinite, there’s really not a lot of storage space.

There are laws of the Juniverse, much like gravity and polarity, which even I cannot overcome. They help govern the Juniverse. One of those stubborn rules is that people who visit the Juniverse often have a completely different perspective than mine. For simplicity’s sake, I like to follow Einstein’s “Cosmological Principle” which holds that the universe looks the same to all observers at all times and in any place. So, when it suits me, I can just assume that everyone sees the Juniverse the way I do.

Before you start to think I am terribly self-centered you should know that as much as I believe I am the center of the Juniverse, I also believe you are the center of the You-niverse. All of the experiences and thoughts you have had and will have are stars and planets and specks of dust in the You-niverse and you are the center of it all. Call it whatever you want – we can’t all be fortunate enough to be named June. You can call it the Dougiverse or the Pattiverse or whatever. Or Daniel-land. That’s ok, too. Just own it, rule it and make it be whatever you want it to be.