Life As We Know It....

Boy oh boy has it been a long time. Since I last posted, a lot has changed. My divorce was finalized in May. I got a promotion at work, but I also lost my 12 year old furbaby writing companion. Sweet Miscellaneous, aka Mizzy passed away in February. It was the hardest thing I've ever dealt with, staying by her side until her last breath left her and the light went out in her eyes. I still can't much talk about it, or even think about it to imagine she's gone, without tearing up. It took me months to even consider a new furbaby. And then about a month and a half ago I guess..maybe a little longer, a close friend mentioned she had kittens who needed homes. And something about it clicked. I felt it was time now to open my home and my heart again to a fuzzy little hell-raiser.

This little punk nugget is Pyewacket. Affectionately named for the Siamese cat from the old Kim Novak and James Stewart movie, Bell, Book and Candle, which was a favorite of my aunt Debbie's and in turn a favorite of mine.

We battle it out on a daily basis, getting swatted at as you walk by, but then later nuzzled and all purrs when he wants to knead on you and slobber before he settles down for sleep. Poor baby's had fleas and we've been fighting that as well. Not a lot of fun bathing a cat...I'll tell you that right now.

Writing is still always on my mind, but not always something I have time for yet. I haven't forgotten. The heart won't allow that anyway... In the meantime, I'm adjusting to a new furbaby under foot and all over me when I'm not working that thing that pays the bills. As for Pye, he should have been named "Now you can never go to the bathroom alone." LOL

 And he's quite talented and acrobatic on the pole. Some days I worry I'll come home from work to find a neon "Live Nudes" sign hanging outside my front door. Is there a cat version of Chippendales? I'm sure he'd fit right in, shaking his furry money maker. He's got all the moves.

Hopefully now I'll have more opportunity to post more often and I most certainly plan to spend more time reconnecting with my writing world. Boy have I missed it! Have a blessed evening and enjoy every moment.

Starting the New Year Off With a New Me #LifeChanges

I haven't posted in a very long time, I know. Life has a funny way of changing...sometimes those changes come without our say-so, but in my case, I made some choices that altered my own path. Writing has had to take a back-burner for the past few months, so that's why I haven't posted any new blogs or been around. My sincerest apologies to any who have been following along on my writing journey here on my blog.

I don't want to get into the nitty gritty of my personal life, but I will say that, my alter ego had to make decisions for herself to find her way and that meant I had to take a step back and let her do what needed to be done. It doesn't mean that I don't bug the hell out of her about why we're not writing though, or editing, or revising, or publishing. I'm pretty sure she thinks about it every single day, how little time she has to concentrate on that thing we love- the words, the stories, the happily ever afters.

Last summer I moved back to my hometown with my daughter. It's been a rough road, indeed, seeking work outside the home after nearly 13 years of being a stay at home mom and writer. Seeking a home for myself and my daughter and striking out on my own has offered me a lot of things: a redefined view of who I am as a woman, a mother, a person. I think I got lost somewhere along the way, but as that little quote up top states, sometimes a different path, doesn't mean you're lost. It means you are finding your own way, your own destination, even if that means the road is more difficult, challenging, complicated. And it has been, but sometimes life needs to be shook up. Unhappiness can make us the sickest we've ever been and stagnation kills.

So no bowl of cherries by any means. There has been battles of wills with my daughter, the loss of friendships, the difficulty of finding balance in a time of great changes, but at the same time, I wouldn't go back and alter my decision. I am happier, even with the amount of differences I now face, I don't feel stagnant anymore... I feel alive and useful, for the most part. There are plenty of days that I'm so dog-dead tired that I don't know if I have the strength to keep going, but I do. I somehow manage these things and I feel productive again.

And having said that, I also feel myself finding my place, finding my ability to balance and finding my way back to a place where I can also fit my dream back into my reality. Life changes, but sometimes that is for the best, for we find out who we truly are and how to dig our strength up from deep inside and use it toward making our lives more fulfilling and happy. I am coming back to my writing, so I hope if you happen to see this post, please keep a lookout for me, keep me in your thoughts and prayers that I find that balance, that joy, and that I find enough hours in the day to make all my dreams a reality.

Happy New Year friends! I hope to see a lot more of you all in this coming year!