Such is Life?: Framing a Positive "Next" Mindset in the Wake of Life's Setbacks

Life doesn’t come with a map, but it does come with lessons. In Such is Life?, Bobby Steffens takes readers on a heartfelt journey through his personal triumphs and trials. From his adventurous youth in Oregon’s wild landscapes to his impactful career in the military and aerospace industries, and finally to the quieter reflections of his later years, Bobby shares a life story filled with hope, loss, and the resolve to keep moving forward.

Through his relationships with his first partner, Roberta, and now with his second partner, Gail, Bobby reflects on love, grief, and the resilience required to embrace life’s transitions. Inspired by Native American customs and principles of “survivance”—the celebration of life’s stories even in adversity—Bobby shows how to turn setbacks into growth opportunities.

Key Themes:

  • Overcoming grief and embracing life’s next chapter
  • Finding strength and resilience in the face of adversity
  • Learning from nature’s wonders and wisdom
  • Celebrating the joys and navigating the struggles of meaningful relationships
  • Adopting a positive mindset through all seasons of life

Whether you’ve faced loss, struggled with change, or simply need a reminder of life’s beauty, Such is Life? offers a heartfelt guide to navigating life’s most challenging moments.

Such is Life? tells you in its Preface that the author is easily distracted. Nature floods Bob’s awareness nearly constantly, causing serious concentration problems with matters-at-hand as he strolls whimsically through the here and now. The desert passages in Such is Life? interject more serious thoughts that relate to the memoir’s central themes, but Bob poses amusing, quizzical, and provoking digressions throughout the memoir that touch on personal, political, and societal peculiarities – some nonsensical, some avaricious, some unacceptable … at least, to Bob.