2009 Is Mine

Every year at this time it has become my habit to reassess my year and decide what I want for next year. My belief is that we must actively think about what we want; how possible it might be and the best way to make it happen.
My observation had been that even number years were easier for me. But more recently it seems to have switched to odd number years being better. So it has followed that this year 2008 had been a difficult year. My life it seems has turned to trouble shooting and putting out fires. The real estate investments, I was so sure the Universe had brought me to Arizona to make and hopefully bring me security for my retirement, have turned sour. During this year I have had two bad tenants in my two rental properties, fees and home owners Association dues have been raised and on the personal front I have hired and fired three women who were supposed to remake my website which included taking pictures of my work. I haven't really described my work yet on this blog, so without much description I will say I design beaded jewelry and teach how to design jewelry, a subject I have written two books about and traveled and lectured across the country during the last twenty years. All of these ladies disappointed me and my website never got updated. My thought is to resurrect my business. This is some of the bad news.
Some of the good news is that various people and things came to my rescue and that I made some new friends. Most of my new friends are women, though I would enjoy having a "good" man in my life that may be an oxymoron. I like women, I understand women and mostly I have been able to count on them. Two good men did come into my life, both in regard to financial dealings, both named Mike and they both helped me. The first Mike introduced me to the second Mike. The second Mike got me a reverse mortgage on my home, which in the end saved me in terms of being able to support my real estate while securing my own house and knowing I can stay here forever if need be. The second Mike's wife is a computer person and a photographer and we hit it off immediately. She is showing me all sorts of new computer tricks and sights while she takes wonderful pictures of my work and now I have a blog, a page of Facebook and shortly my new website will be finished and out in the world. I also have some of my jewelry on ETSY.com, a website for handmade art.
Back to the bad news which happened in the last two months. I had a physical yet non life threatening, health problem and two of my largest investments may have well died, at least as of now. There is some chance I will retrieve my investment and the lost interest, but if I do it may take a good long time. I face the challenge of living on a monthly budget of two-thirds less than what I was getting so I will have to dip into my savings just to keep my bills paid.
Back to good news, I did not need surgery to cure the health problem, I got a nice, new doctor, and I have some very special invitations to look forward to during the holidays and I have gotten some good gifts and nice cards. My health is good and I still enjoy doing my work.
My new slogan is "2009 is mine." I borrowed that from a friend with her permission. On the opposite side of money that is possibly gone, I accept the challenge of living on an austere budget for the moment, but I also am asking the Universe to return what is owed to me soon. I am prepared to do the work to resurrect my career, which has only faltered because of the economy and I have an important, prestigious teaching assignment for Swarovski Crystal in Tucson in early February that will be very successful. I plan to do more work to sell or rent the two homes that I own with my sister, though that as well is dependent on the economy. I think I am very clever at finding ways to save money and still entertain myself. I make a great pot of soup and enjoy eating it. I have a sweet cat to keep me company. I will survive and prosper. I plan to laugh as much as possible and have some fun.
It is an interesting time to be alive and though the world is troubled it will be fascinating to see what might be coming next how we will right ourselves.

Castles

When I was back in the Midwest two months ago I stayed with a woman who has been my friend for over thirty years. Before I moved to Arizona we worked together on some of my poetry for a possible book. While she herself is also a jeweler and loves my jewelry she is sure I should have some of my poetry published. Just after I left she called me with data about a free poetry contest she wanted me to enter. It limitation was one of the number of lines in the poem which excluded a good number of my poems as I never think about things like that, but rather just hold onto the pen as the poems write themselves like automatic writing. My main subjects are love and nature, so here is the poem that I sent off to the contest:


CASTLES


We are castles,
You and I.

You an ice castle
Impenetrable,
Transfixed in crystals.
Your windows frozen,
Refracting the light outwards;
I cannot see within.

I am a sand castle
Fashioned at low tide.
The wind whistles through my
Openness;
Playing a siren's song.
All within plain view.

We are poised and landlocked.
Derived of a common element,
Erect and contained.
Bound by water,
We await
High tide
And the thaw.



Let me know what you think….