(continued from page 59)

on something difficult was exactly what she needed.

“I think I realized the power of accepting an invitation,” she says. “Sometimes it’s easier to say no than do that uncomfortable thing. When you say yes to the thing that pushes you out of your comfort zone, how much growth can you have?”

That first half marathon in New York City's Central Park in 2009 was difficult and sweltering, with temperatures around 90 degrees. It was also exhilarating.

“I thought I was going to do a half marathon—one and done,” she says. “I didn’t imagine I was going to get the running bug.”

One became another. Seven states in, Christine decided she needed a larger goal to ground her through a period of change. Why not all 50?

She quickly adds, “I didn’t do it by myself.”

A DIFFERENT KIND OF FINISH LINE

Christine didn't know she was collecting material for a book as she crossed the country. The miles, monuments and milestones were filed in her head. Turns out, they needed an exit plan—on to pages.

Writing was another part of herself she has rediscovered.

During a 35-year government career, Christine wrote reports and assessments for senior leaders. She had largely stepped away from personal writing for more than three decades. As retirement approached, she began writing poetry for herself.

Then her father-in-law, Dr. Joseph Palmisano, whom she calls Opa, found out and read her work.

He encouraged her to publish.

“Sometimes people push you because they see something in you that you don’t see in yourself yet,” she says.

She listened, publishing Thoughts From the Heart: Embracing Change and Finding Love in 2025. Then came another idea: Maybe she should tell the story of those 50 states.

Christine dug through race records and old emails, reconstructing a journey she had never planned to document. Finishing Fifty followed a year after her poetry collection.

Now retired and dividing her time between Ocean Pines and The Villages in Florida, Christine sees writing as another opportunity to keep learning, creating and testing what might come next.

It’s not so different from running.

Find your people. Adjust when you need to. Give yourself some grace. And keep moving forward.

The next finish line? Christine answers with a question. “How do I fill my life with creativity and keep growing?” CS