About Something Priceless A little about Something Priceless’ purpose and mission: To create a place… where people can go… to genuinely learn… to believe in their own worthiness… and trust in their unique roles… to positively impact humanity. My dream has always been to build an online community with relatable and informative articles people can access when standing on the threshold of the frightening unknown. I know this threshold all too well. I’ve been paralyzed by it countless times throughout my 50 years on Earth. Now, as my bathroom mirror reflects an image I hardly recognize, my heart aches from the realization I’ve let my fears of the unknown imprison the hopes and dreams I had for my life. That’s why I created SomethingPriceless.com. I don’t want anyone else to feel the kind of regret I feel. As a former teacher, researching and creating original learning materials have always been my specialties; qualities that will come in handy as I reinvent and rebuild my life. Although I can’t reclaim the years I’ve lost, I can offer tools to help make getting over the unknown thresholds and prospects of change less frightening. Together, you and I, will use these informative tools to create a reflection of our lives we recognize and love. (S. Verrall, 2023) Are you with me? Let’s do this! Connect with me at @insta.priceless.gram so we can change our lives together. #SomethingPriceless About S. Verrall (SomethingPriceless.com’s creator): Born and raised in a small town in Washington State (USA), S. Verrall dreamed of making a positive impact on the world. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to accomplish the vague, yet vast desire she felt in her heart. As an extremely shy child, S. Verrall often faded into invisibility wherever she went. Art and writing became her only voices. Despite dreaming of an art and writing career, her community would ultimately push her in a different direction. “Art and writing are nice hobbies,” she’d often hear. “But you need a real job if you ever want to support yourself.” Growing up in a time before internet and/or easy access to information, S. Verrall didn’t have the resources needed to convince herself an artistic career might be possible for her life. Instead, her lack of knowing produced a small list of possible careers for her to choose from. She’d eventually earn a Bachelor of Education degree from Washington State University. It seemed like the most obvious choice. After all, the school setting was familiar to her, so becoming a teacher seemed like the most obvious path for making an impact on the world. Although she enjoyed watching her students blossom and grow, one of S. Verrall’s favorite aspects of teaching was taking her knowledge of a particular subject and designing original learning materials to help learners understand the material more deeply. When the thought entered her mind that she could take this skill she acquired while teaching and put it to work outside of the classroom (in the form of journals, worksheets and other downloadables), she jumped at the chance to make it happen. About Something Priceless’ Origin Story (as told by S. Verrall): Picture it: It’s 1983 and the Scholastic Book Fair has taken over my elementary school library. I’ve got a couple wrinkled dollar bills clutched in my hand. Despite not being much of a reader, my childhood self is on a serious mission to find the ultimate paperback purchase. Eventually, my eyes are caught by the book covers of my dreams: Serendipity Books. Serendipity books are beautifully illustrated stories of adorable animals overcoming relatable obstacles. As an animal lover and extremely shy child battling her own life obstacles, it was as if fate pulled me through the sea of Scholastic Books that day to the Serendipity series. Or maybe it wasn’t fate? Maybe it was serendipity? Serendipity means accidentally stumbling upon something wonderful or encountering unexpected good fortune. It’s been my favorite word since 1983. That’s why when the sport of accumulating domain names in the early 2000’s was the popular thing to do, I desperately wanted to acquire Serendipity.com. I wanted to create an online experience for others like the Serendipity books had created for me as a child: A place… where people can go… to genuinely learn… to believe in their own worthiness… and trust in their unique roles… to positively impact humanity. Unfortunately, Serendipity.com was already taken. However, SomethingPriceless.com was still available and seemed closely related to the serendipity word family. After all, a serendipitous experience could be described as something unexpected and something joyful. Or something needed and something life changing. In essence, serendipity could loosely be described as Something Priceless. So here we are at SomethingPriceless.com. Consider it an unexpected, yet wonderful stop on your journey through the internet.