People in Our Lives

Lately quite a few interesting people have been showing up in my life. It is amazing the life moments we accumulate. I have met an Olympic Gold Medalist (1984), Matt Dryke. And I have met an Elk Whisperer. I have met motivational speakers. One has a saying, "There are no victims, only volunteers." that will stay with me for quite a while.

I have a train buddy that I've been chatting with most mornings. Some mornings we all stay in our separate corners - often it is safer that way at 5:45 a.m. My train buddy was gone for a week. I'm sorry I didn't ask about her until Wednesday that week. I was informed she is working up at the Oso Mudslide. Isn't it interesting that someone can wear every day a Red Cross jacket, every day, but I don't connect the dots until life is happening around me?

When my train buddy returned the next week, and we've chatted on and off these last two weeks, I learned that this is what she does for vacation. Tracy was there for Hurricane Sandy too. She saves up her vacation pay for times like these.

Me: This is what you do for vacation?

Her: If I took a real vacation my kids would want to come too.

Of course she is a mom, why hadn't I considered that in the mix?

I take people at face value. If there is something I need to know about anyone I hope someone pipes up and tells me. My imagination isn't big enough for all this reality.

Raining and stuff and exercise

It is raining again. I actually live just outside a rain forest here in the Great NorthWet. Regardless of my proximity it certainly feels that there has been a torrential amount of rain this year. I expect rain. I have no issue with that. Having moved here from the midwest I absolutely appreciate that one does not need to shovel rain as one does for snow. Rain has the other advantage of reminding me that if it is rain it is too warm outside right now for snow or hail or frost or any other of the cold indicators. It is raining again. I have set up an office here at the house. I am sitting at my desk even now to type this blather. On the other side of the room is the sewing area. Every afternoon a little more gets done in this office. A little more gets me closer to being able to work on those projects I have set aside. Last night I opened a box to find projects I have not worked on in over six years. That was dismaying as well as exciting. I stopped at the storage unit today to bring home two more crafting/sewing boxes. I am ready to unpack a few more goodies. It feels good. I already know my manuscript is sitting in the box at the bottom (only three deep) I'm not ready to work on that yet. I've been feeling a different kind of creativity than the book. I need something more tactile. The sewing projects will fill the bill nicely. We actually went to the storage unit today to drop off an entire pick-up truck of stuff we will be selling this spring at a yard sale. There is just too much stuff to house in the garage while we wait for better weather. Too much stuff. We are stacking all this unwanted stuff in the storage unit to take on the musky scent of neglect before we sell it. I'm hoping this sad musty smell reminds us to not bring any of this stuff back in the house. Thing is there is some good stuff in these boxes of things to sell. The ice skates are practically brand new. The silk flowers are still chic. The home decor is still in style. We just have too much stuff. I hung photos on the walls of my office last weekend. I lined the room at 27 1/2" from the ceiling. There is a line of framed photos running all the way around the walls of my office. For all the photos that I hung I still have twice that many I don't know where to hang. I have considered filling in the walls with photos. Some photos are people I love. Some are people I know. Some are places I have been. And then I have my clock collection. I did not mean to have a clock collection. It just became that way. I was given clocks, or I bought ones I liked, and now I have many clocks and I like all of them. When they are put together it looks as if I sought out clocks intentionally. I wish my intentions had been so chic. I am of the stumble chic variety. I stumble upon it and it works for a short time. We did bring my exercise bike back from storage. I have been missing it. We have the treadmill already. I have been using this treadmill. I miss my bike. So the bike is now sitting in the garage. I don't mind going out there to use it. I like to get out of the house. Maybe I can open a box to find my old CD player so that I may hook that up out there too and have the work-out room I have been dreaming of lately. I wouldn't mind stumbling onto that too.

Finding the Time

As I attempted to complete thirty minutes of writing this morning I was interrupted twice. I was interrupted to the point of having to get up from my desk and attend a meeting, and the second time to witness events in the office. Both interruptions were required of me. These were work interruptions. At home I don't even get thirty minutes in any one chunk of time to attempt to write in an unbroken segment of thought.

It's great to be wanted.

I came across an old blog about 30 minutes for 30 days. It refers to writing - almost speed writing - but just writing for 30 minutes straight every day for 30 days. It might be time to try it again.

In the Last Five Years

In the last five years I have had the opportunity to do some amazing things. I moved to Washington State 5 years ago this week and today is a great day to mark the anniversary of my arrival.

In the last 5 years I -

Ran a half-Marathon.

Went to Paradise (and had a snowball fight while I was there).

Wrote 2 novels - one 50,000+ words, the second 100,000+ words (edits are NOT complete yet).

Got a job.

Got a promotion.

Married off a daughter.

Launched another daughter.

Changed cell phone plans (harder than it sounds.)

Changed cell phone plans again (I got it down this time. I have no FEAR)

Dealt with and defeated the Wicked Witch of Stupid Office Politics and Power Mongering (and I got a better job out of defeating that witch...damn I'm good)

Furnished an apartment exactly as I wanted.

Bought a car for $100 - and I've been driving it for 2+ years now.

Sold my truck for good money while it was still a working vehicle.

I have visited my family every year that I have been here. Sometimes they come to me. And sometimes I go to them.

I was named Women's Division Leader at my "house of worship". That was cool.

Broke my ankle.

Took up skiing again (in that order).

I caught a HUGE salmon!

I pulled clams out of the sand.

I held a starfish and tiptoed through Sand Dollar beds.

I went to a parade of Naked Bicylists (three years in a row - I have photos to prove it).

Went to a professional baseball game.

Went to a professional Football game.

I've let Green Frogs sing me to sleep and wake me up in the morning.

I sang to Calliope music.

I rode a Ferry across the Sound.

I drove over the pass in late winter.

I'm going to keep thinking on this. Maybe add to the list. I've done a lot in the last five years. And in remembering all that has occurred lies a happiness that I cannot deny.

Life is good.

The Sound and the Mountain

I've moved lately. In one friend's point of view, I've moved finally. It may have taken a long time from the decision to the execution but I was in no particular hurry to change up the scenery. I liked my apartment. Some of you may remember the day I posted a photo of doing cartwheels in my own new apartment back in 2009. I was happy. For goodness sake, I was thrilled.

I am still thrilled for myself for that move. Thrilled for that WHOLE move - from Wisconsin to Washington - without benefit of a job - with a truck and a 4x8 trailer. That, my friends, was thrilling.

This newest move is thrilling for a whole new and opposite set of reasons. I have traded the wide, fulfilling expanse of the waters of the Puget Sound for the majestic, humbling and empowering force of Mt Rainier. And I have moved in with someone.

I have traded the thrill of knowing for myself, knowing my self, the thrill of proving that I can do it, that I am capable, that I am not a nitwit. I have traded the empowering self-ness that I gained in living by myself with the thrill of bringing my self to this table, the thrill of sharing my self with another person who is fully capable of self-ness as well. I have two feet now, and I know how to use them.

I am living with someone. (Note to self: Cartwheel pictures?).

When will there ever be time for my collection?

I miss writing here. There was a time in my life when I felt there was never enough money. Somehow I just couldn't come up with the funds to do the things I thought I really wanted to do. Now I am finding money has no place in the equation. Now I am finding that I'm just not able to carve out the time to do all the things I think I really want to do. It's not that I make more or less money than before. It seems that the days fly by so much faster and I have collected far too many interests to be able to fully enjoy any of them. I love my collection of interests. I hoard them close to my heart and spend small moments each day saddened that I cannot spend any time with any particular one. These small moments of regret invariably occur as I am racing along to the next new and shiny interest. And the days fly by...