Wapakoneta Daily News

Adams wants to help you live a more joyful, fulfilling life

- BY ALEX GUERRERO STAFF WRITER

Wapakoneta native Aadam Adkins is returning to share his steps for a better life Saturday, March 6 at the YMCA. His presentati­on will be from 2-3 p.m.

"As we live our life, what we're doing is we're telling stories," he said. "So what I've covered in my life's experience is some keys, some tips, some tricks - what I'm calling secrets - that will allow us to live a more joy-filled life, a more fulfilling experience."

By expressing ourselves, he believes we're changing everything happening within and around us.

Those attending won't just be learning, they'll be given tools to help apply those secrets to their everyday lives.

"You're coming away with more than just new knowledge," he said. "You're coming away with tools that you can practicall­y apply into your lives to help you consciousl­y construct the life experience that you would like to have."

According to Adkins, these tools are already accessible.

"Each of us individual­ly has access to maximizing our life's experience, to creating more joy, to taking hold of fulfillmen­t in our lives," he said. "We all own and possess that key, and it lives within each of us."

He also wants to talk about ways to further improve life situations.

Adkins said he gets excited whenever speaking to an audience

"The ability to connect with the audience energetica­lly is something that's just always allowed me to thrive," Adkins said.

And although he's only been speaking as a coach for a few years,

he's been speaking for many years, including in college and profession­ally as a marketeer for eight years.

"In that role specifical­ly I did a lot of speaking and teaching and training," Adkins said.

Because of health restrictio­ns only 75 people can attend, and Adkins expects seats to fill-up quickly. To reserve a seat, you can stop by the YMCA or call them at 419-739-9622. Registrati­on is $5, with proceeds going towards the Y's 2021 campaign fund. An anonymous donor has offered to pay for up to 20 high school students wishing to attend.

Besides being a speaker, Adkins describes himself as a transforma­tional life coach.

Dear Annie: My husband and I separated two years ago. Ultimately, we divorced about a year ago due to his rising alcohol and drug abuse, which led to him being violent. I did what I could for years to get him help, offering counseling together, rehabs and anything else that would be beneficial to him to deal with his addictions.

Once the kids became the target and witnessed one incident of abuse where he attacked me, I called his parents for support and help. They agreed to have him move in with his mom, so she could oversee his visitation with the kids to ensure their safety.

This past weekend, when it was time for me to drop the kids off, I called and found that he was at the bar, obviously intoxicate­d, and he started yelling obscenitie­s at me through the phone because I told him it was not acceptable for him to be doing this when he knew he was supposed to have the kids. Long story short, he apologized the next day and when he was sober, I brought them over. When I went to tuck in my daughter that night, it came out that his mother was questionin­g her about my personal relationsh­ips and telling her not to tell me. My daughter, who is 5, was very conflicted and upset because she felt like she’s been asked to keep secrets from me, but she doesn’t want to break the confidence of her grandmothe­r.

This is not the first occasion that my ex’s mom has done this to the children. I warned her that if she had adult questions and adult conversati­on, then she should come to me directly and not put my children in the awkward situation that she had. When I called her to see if she would be there that Friday -- when my ex was intoxicate­d -- in order to ensure their safety, she told me, effectivel­y, that she doesn’t want to be bothered with my kids. Essentiall­y, she told me they aren’t good enough.

Since my ex lives with his mother and does not have the financial or emotional stability to be on his own, I don’t know what to do. I’m not comfortabl­e with him coming to my home considerin­g the past. I don’t want to withhold my children from him, but I also don’t want them to be manipulate­d by his mother. As a side note, my former brother-in-law also stopped letting his children communicat­e with their grandmothe­r because she was being manipulati­ve.

What should I do? -- Miffed by the Manipulati­on

Dear Miffed: Trust your instincts as a mama. You’ve tried so hard to make it work with your ex, and I commend that. You’re clearly a compassion­ate person. But as long as he’s actively drinking and/or using other drugs, it’s not safe to entrust your children to his care. His mother’s presence can’t make up for that fact, clearly.

Begin documentin­g these incidents as well as you can, saving any relevant text message conversati­ons and emails. Talk to your lawyer about options for adjusting the terms of custody and visitation, perhaps with an understand­ing that you will revisit the issue if your ex-husband seeks treatment for alcoholism. I also encourage you to check out a support group such as Al-anon Family Groups or SMART Recovery Family & Friends, if you haven’t already. Meetings are available online and over the telephone.

“Ask Me Anything: A Year of Advice From Dear Annie” is out now! Annie Lane’s debut book -- featuring favorite columns on love, friendship, family and etiquette -- is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspu­blishing.com for more informatio­n. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

© 2021 CREATORS.COM

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 ??  ?? Members of the Ohio National Guard as well as volunteers from St. Paul United Church of Christ were on hand Friday morning at the Auglaize County Engineer's Garage to help distribute food to families in need. The West Ohio Food Bank has been making monthly trips to Wapakoneta during the pandemic to provide area residents with food items to help those impacted by the pandemic.
Members of the Ohio National Guard as well as volunteers from St. Paul United Church of Christ were on hand Friday morning at the Auglaize County Engineer's Garage to help distribute food to families in need. The West Ohio Food Bank has been making monthly trips to Wapakoneta during the pandemic to provide area residents with food items to help those impacted by the pandemic.
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