At age 45, Gwen McGeorge had an epiphany.
The busy married mother of three realized life is short. She had balanced work and family with community involvement, including Relay for Life and United Way. She and her husband, Eric, frequented Kansas City when their twin girls were on traveling basketball teams.
But something was missing.
"Sometimes you forget about yourself," she said. So when one of her daughter's friends asked her to join in a flash mob that would dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," she jumped at the chance.
It was the beginning of a new chapter in her life that, so far, has included traveling, dancing, cooking and throwing parties. She also draws and paints and listens to music, especially the blues.
Her biography mentions: "She loves Irish Whiskey. 2 fingers. Neat."
All this is when she's not writing her next romance novel or getting inked.
She got her first tattoo at age 45, after her epiphany.
As McGeorge approaches retirement next year, she seems to be winding up, not down.
She worked in medical and legal jobs before landing a full-time position as executive secretary of the Prenger Family Center, Cole County's juvenile detention and residential center.
"My family many, many moons ago had some interaction with Prenger Center and always just held them in high esteem what they do for families and kids," she said.
She loves interacting with the youths at the center. When she's able to help one or connect them with a community resource, "it's kind of soul-fulfilling," she said.
Two years ago, the lifelong poet finally published her first novel, "Volumes," under the pen name G.M. McGeorge. It's a story she had in her head since age 15.
"I love it. I'm proud of it," she said of the novel, which has all five-star reviews on Amazon.com. She had traditional publishing offers but decided to self-publish to keep the rights to her characters.
She has another book finished and two more in the works. She writes adult romance, which she said is the No. 1 genre right now. Her books feature women no younger than 45.
"As a woman in my 60s, I don't want to read about women in their 20s and 30s," she said.
The 2019 tornado claimed McGeorge's home but didn't put a damper on her spirit. Likewise, age doesn't seem to be slowing her down.
Her excitable, perhaps even eccentric, personality is still intact. She loves to laugh, but don't expect a fluff answer. She'll tell it the way it is.
"Life is too short, I'm not mean," she said.
And she'll laugh - or give you that straight answer - with her hair colored differently each month (orange in October for Halloween).
Dancing is another of McGeorge's passions. Her dance teacher, Larinda McRaven, is a national champion. They're involved in the Capital Thrillers, a flash mob that's under the umbrella of the nonprofit Capital Dance and Movement.
While she got her first tattoo at 45, she finished a sleeve - a collection of smaller tattoos that filled her whole arm and shoulder - at age 63. Each one has meaning, representing life events.
She continues to live life to the fullest. It's those life experiences that spread ink across her pages and her body. Her next tattoo is set for December, and her next book will be out not long after that.