Former longtime Southlake resident Isabel Bolt knows a thing or two about starting over. She's done it more than once—and usually not by choice. But along the way, she has turned every detour into a destination and recently stitched those experiences into her first book, "The Secret To Happiness Is Low Expectations: Living With A Funny Bone, A Wishbone, And A Backbone," a heartfelt patchwork of humor, heartbreak and unexpected grace. From breast cancer and divorce to lake house dreams and online dating, this resilient Dragon mom has navigated it all with vulnerability and humor. At 67, she is embracing her next act as an author, proving it's never too late to turn the chaos of everyday life into a story worth telling.
THE BOOK BEGAN... as a scrapbook. I'd jot things down on Post-its, napkins, scraps of paper—things the boys said, funny moments, little scenes from life. Eventually, I realized I was keeping a kind of ad hoc journal. The hardest part was figuring out what the book should be about. But then I landed on the idea that so many of the expectations I had were never realized—and often, something better did.
IF HUMOR ISN'T A LOVE LANGUAGE... it should be. It bonds people like nothing else. Everyone is so serious these days, so if I can help someone see the magic in everyday life, I've done what I set out to do.
THE SUBTITLE CAME FROM... a birthday gift. My friend Karen gave me a giant gold wishbone years ago. The card said, "Every woman needs a funny bone, a backbone and a wishbone." And it stuck with me. The funny bone is for humor, the wishbone is for dreams, and the backbone is for courage. That became the book's whole message.
I THINK A LOT ABOUT... what success is supposed to look like. The truth is, it rarely resembles the vision you had at 25. But sometimes, the detours are where you find the real treasure. There's a quote in the book that says you find the extraordinary in the ordinary—and I believe that is the carbonation of life. Too often, you only see it when you look in the rearview mirror.
WHAT I LOVED ABOUT SOUTHLAKE... was being part of its golden era in the mid-1990s. We moved here by accident, really—we were looking in North Dallas and just took a drive one Sunday. But something about it felt right. It wasn't about the big houses; it was about the people, the community, the sense that we were all building something together. I made lifelong friends here. The football program was the hub of everything for us moms, and White's Chapel was a big part of our lives, too.
I USED TO SAY... life would be perfect if I could arrange people, places and situations in a particular order and then keep it all together. But the truth is that the real pearls look more like a patchwork quilt that's not sewn together yet.
SOME OF THE BOOK'S BEST MOMENTS... are just about regular life. It's like "Seinfeld," really - stories about nothing, yet everything. Life's richest stuff is often the mundane. The chapter titles say it all. Such as "The Labor Comes After The Delivery" (having kids), "If I Can Just Make It Through This Week" (juggling career), and "Playing With Matches" (online dating).
I ALMOST DIDN'T PUBLISH IT... because I thought maybe it was too personal or that nobody would care. I figured I'd just give it to my kids as a keepsake. But then my old boss called and said, "Isabel, you always want to know how the story ends before you've lived it. Just let go." And I did. I took a chance, and it's been a joyride. I can only tell the truth and hope [people] laugh a little along the way.
AT 67, I'M STILL... learning, still writing, still laughing. The scrapbook isn't finished. And who knows? Maybe there aremore chapters still to come.