Happy Birthday to Me!

Thanks to all the folks who have been sending snail mail and e-mail birthday cards the past few days. With my life as up in the air as it is at the moment, I may have forgotten all about today being The Day if not for the sweet reminders!

On Saturday I moved out of my condo so the Realtor can stage it and see if it sells that way. I'm living with my sister; the cats are cozy in her garage with a heat lamp, rugs, a recliner, a lamp and a radio tuned to my usual station (SPIRIT 1053 in Seattle). They seem to have settled in well but can't understand why I won't allow them into the rest of the house. (Jackie is allergic, is why.) My grandnieces visit them briefly every day before I drive them to school (five minutes away), so they're getting lots of attention in addition to the attention they get from me.

The good news is that I was awarded unemployment compensation. It took six weeks to get it but I won the day and all is well now... I'm looking daily for new opportunities at several employment websites, but so far nothing has happened.

Being unemployed can wreak havoc on one's sense of worth. It shouldn't, but it does. I want to find something that not only pays the bills but is a creative, enthusiastic contribution to the world at the same time. For me, that has always involved writing. (Big surprise there, huh?!)

I need to start again on the enthusiasm book. It might re-ignite my enthusiasm! Having just read A NEW EARTH, Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Tolle, there's a lot in there that spotlights why enthusiasm is such a necessary part of awakening to one's purpose. And enthusiasm is what I have been lacking these past two months. It seems most of the air has been sucked out of me. That's because I'm facing two major stressors at the moment:

No home to call my own; I feel displaced! (Most of my stuff is stored...)
No job; and no immediate prospect of one

Any one of these stressors is enough to make a person feel off-balance -- both of them together make for a very strange feeling!

But God is in control. I choose to rest in the knowledge that He has a plan. I am to wait until I feel confident that I know what His plan is. My plans are wildly inferior to the ones he has. He sees the big picture; I see only a part of it.

I need to get back to exercising. That always helps me connect with God's spirit. The weather hasn't been very conducive to it the past few days, and I've been congested, but today and tomorrow look good.

I may drive over the Chambers Bay and walk again today and tomorrow. But not until later this afternoon because the air is arctic right now -- there was thick frost on the windshields this morning -- and icy air in my recovering lungs would probably not be a good thing.

Hilary did well in Ohio and Texas last night, so the race for the Democratic nomination continues. I think if Obama and Clinton will agree to combine forces and run together, theirs will be an unbeatable team. I hope they will reach that conclusion sooner rather than later so that they have as much time to "get it together" and present a united effort as Senator McCain will have, now that Huckabee is out of the race...

This is a crucial time on our planet. I hope every voter will take the time necessary to go over the issues that affect all of us and determine what it will take -- and who it will take -- to move forward and make the changes necessary to give us a better chance at surviving as a species and as a global community.

We can do better. On all sides. I think we can all agree on that!

Whether you're presently for Obama/Clinton or McCain, keep an open mind as you study all aspects of both campaigns and party platforms. All those running are patriots. Don't fall into the trap of "them vs. us." Vilification is not the way ahead.
Honorable people disagree. So please disagree kindly.

I don't agree with the entire Democratic platform; I don't agree with the entire Republican platform. I don't agree entirely with any of the three candidates, not being a clone of any of them.

There's a lot we can all agree on. Let's head for those areas where we agree and see what we can do in the next four, eight, twelve, sixteen years to help as many people as we can.

"And the glow from that fire will truly light the world." John F Kennedy