Hello Friends,
I want to share a personal update with you, and explain why it has been a while since you've heard from me.
When you say goodbye, it can be for many reasons.
Some goodbyes are pleasant, while others are much harder.
Sometimes a goodbye feels almost insignificant, like ending a phone call. “Goodbye, friend. Chat with you later,” we say without giving it much thought.
Other times, a goodbye marks the end of a chapter that has shaped our lives. It feels monumental—especially to the person living it.
The last couple of months have been a season of goodbyes for our family.
Some have been joyful.
Some have opened the door to new beginnings.
And one has left an ache in our hearts.
Each has reminded me that every goodbye changes us in some way.
The selfie photo above was taken at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon on June 15, 2026. The University of Oregon Commencement Speaker was Marlee Matlin, a fellow parent of a graduating senior and a personal idol. To see her wonderful speech in American Sign Language, click here.
In June, my two stepsons, Jason and Ryan, each graduated from college.
Watching them walk across the stage (one at University of Oregon, the other at Central Oregon Community College) was a joyful goodbye—one that marked the end of years of hard work and the beginning of exciting new adventures. Their diplomas weren't just the end of a chapter; they were an invitation to turn the page.
I am now experiencing my own goodbye—a goodbye meant to facilitate growth.
On Saturday, July 25, I will teach my final Joy Crazy Daisy Doubles Meetup class.
This is a welcome goodbye, but it isn't without sadness. I'll miss seeing my Joy Crazy “Daisies” each week on the court. Thankfully, I’m a teacher at heart, so I’m not hanging up my paddle. I’ll continue teaching pickleball through Portland Community College’s (PCC) Community Education program at Friendly House.
People have asked me why now.
The answer is simple: the landscape has changed.
When I started Joy Crazy Pickleball in 2022, Meetup was an incredible way to welcome new players into the game. It allowed beginners to find me, build confidence, and discover a community. Over time, however, the platform changed, making it much harder for new players to connect with my classes.
At the same time, Portland’s pickleball scene exploded with wonderful new facilities and more places for people to play close to home.
Running a one-person business means paying for court rentals, software subscriptions, payment platforms, insurance, and all the behind-the-scenes details that most people never see. Eventually, I realized my energy could be better spent growing the next chapter of Joy Crazy®.
And that realization felt right.
Four years ago—almost to the day—I taught my very first pickleball class.
I still remember my then-boyfriend (now husband), Dave, helping me create a taped pickleball court under the pavilion at Llewellyn Elementary School. I remember wondering if anyone would sign up.
Thankfully, they did.
That first class filled.
Then came waiting lists.
In the photo above, taken by Dave, I'm on the far left, instructing players in one of my first pickleball classes. We met in July, 2022, under the outdoor pavilion at Llewellyn Elementary School in SE Porltand. There were no bathrooms or running water!
Soon after, PCC and Friendly House both took a chance on me, and together we helped launch PCC’s Community Education pickleball program while also building the Joy Crazy Pickleball community.
Looking back, I realize pickleball was never the destination.
It was the laboratory where the Joy Crazy Way™ came to life.
Every class became an opportunity to test ideas that have become part of my teaching today: embracing the “I’m Learning” spirit, celebrating progress over perfection, and creating spaces where people felt safe enough to try something new.
Along the way, I discovered something even more important.
While living with ADHD, single-sided hearing, chronic pain, and navigating the aftermath of a serious car accident (in 2024), I had the determination to keep learning and become the teacher I had always hoped to be.
There was one season, however, that taught me a lesson I’ll never forget.
Before my back surgery, I was living with severe sciatica pain. Someone gently pointed out that I didn’t seem like myself. They were right. Pain has a way of clouding our patience, our energy, and sometimes even our joy.
That experience taught me to offer more grace—to others and to myself. When someone is hurting physically, emotionally, or spiritually, we rarely see the whole picture.
It also reinforced something I now believe with all my heart:
Each of us has to become our own Joy Advocate.
No one else can consistently look out for our joy the way we can.
To do that, the Joy Crazy Way™ has become my roadmap:
☀️ Shine by being true to who you are.
📚 Learn with an “I’m Learning” spirit because every challenge has something to teach us.
🤝 Connect with yourself through mindfulness and with others through meaningful relationships that remind us we don’t have to navigate life alone.
Those ideas have become more than teaching principles—they’ve become the way I try to live my life.
"To everything
Turn, turn, turn
there is a season
Turn, turn, turn.And a time
to every purpose
under heaven.A time to be born,
a time to die,
A time to plant,
A time to reap."
- From "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by Pete Seeger
Recently, Dave’s mom, passed away.
Carol loved her cats, loved gathering people around a game of Left Right Center, and had a laugh that could fill a room. If you were struggling, she was ready with a hug, a listening ear, and somehow she always found a way to make you laugh before you left.
We will miss her deeply.
I’ve come to think of grief like an ocean wave.
Sometimes it crashes over you without warning.
Other times it quietly reaches your feet when you least expect it.
Eventually, the wave begins to recede—not because the love is any smaller, but because life gently asks us to keep moving forward.
And in that space, little by little, we find room again for gratitude, celebration, learning, and yes...joy.
This isn’t the kind of growth anyone would ever choose. But grief has a way of deepening our compassion, our gratitude, and our appreciation for the people we love.
As I reflected on this season of goodbyes, I realized they’ve reminded me what the Joy Crazy Way™ has been teaching me all along.
Life is always changing.
Some endings arrive with applause.
Others arrive with tears.
Most arrive with a little of both.
As one chapter closes, another is just beginning.
This fall, I’ll be teaching Organize Your Life: The Joy Crazy Way™, in addition to pickleball, through PCC’s Community Ed program. If pickleball helped me discover the Joy Crazy Way™, this next adventure is where I get to share it more fully.
The truth is, Joy Crazy Pickleball never would have happened without the organizational system I created for my ADHD brain. That system helped me turn an idea into a business, manage the countless details behind the scenes, and keep moving forward even when life felt overwhelming.
I’m ready to share what I’ve learned and hope it helps many others manage difficult projects (and email in-boxes!), and create more clarity, confidence, and joy in their own lives.
I’ll be telling you much more about that soon, and I hope you’ll come along for the journey.
If you’ve been part of my pickleball classes over the past four years, thank you. ❤️
You helped shape not only Joy Crazy®, but me.
Together we created a community where “I’m Learning” wasn’t something to apologize for—it was something to celebrate.
Until then, if life has you saying goodbye to something—or someone—I hope you’ll remember that grief and gratitude can exist together. Some endings bring tears. Others bring celebration. Most bring a little of both. And somehow, with time, they make room for the next chapter.
Thank you for being part of mine.
With gratitude,
Shannon Paul, M.Ed.
Chief Daisy 🌼
Joy Crazy®
P.S. Tomorrow morning (Saturday, July 25) I’ll teach my final two Joy Crazy Daisy Doubles classes. My 10:45 a.m. 3.0 class is already full, but there are still spots available in the 12:30 p.m. 2.0–2.75 class. If you’re a seasoned player who wouldn’t mind helping some wonderful “newbies” feel welcome, I’d love to see you there as we celebrate one final morning together on the court.
P.P.S. I truly love hearing from you. If something in this newsletter resonated, feel free to share your thoughts by hitting "reply" or online in the comment section.
P.P.P.S. Keep attaching those daisies to your hats or pickleball gear so you can find one another. I look forward to seeing you out on the courts!
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To contact Shannon Paul, M.Ed., please click here.
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