If I won a million dollars

I think about this every time I play the lottery when mega bucks are up for grabs.My question to myself is always, "Do I really need a million dollars?" The answer is always NO!

A little extra money would be nice to finish the upgrades on my house that will simply have to wait until I have saved enough to pay for them. Even if I had a million dollars I would not move. This has been my house for twenty years and I am the only one who has made it a home.

If I did win a million dollars, the very first thing I would do is set up some kind of an account that would guarantee an income for the remainder of my life. I never ever want to depend on another soul to survive.

As far as giving money away, the only place I would consider giving it to is our local family center. I have lived in Grants, NM since 1980 and I believe it is the best thing that ever happened to my little town. It keeps kids, from elementary school to mid school age, off the streets after school and provides a safe place for them during the summer. It also provides jobs for teens who desire to earn their own money. The facility also benefits senior citizens, offering a free gym for walking and a fitness room, for the unreal sum of $25 a year. Giving Future Foundations Family Center a big chunk of money, so they wouldn't have to beg anyone for it, would be my pleasure.

I probably won't ever win a million dollars, but if I did this is what I would do with it.

What's new?

My writing group "Write On" seemed to be dragging a bit. I knew it needed something to jazz it up, but what I wondered? It was actually getting a bit boring.Then I remembered a fun activity I used when I had a writing camp for children. I copied a bunch of funny animal pictures and asked them to caption them. They loved it!

Yesterday I checked my photos and found this one. I knew I had saved it for a reason!

This was one of three I selected to choose from. I thought it was just funny enough to get the attention of the group. The captions that have been shared so far are:
Now what?
Where am I?
Are you my mother?
Put me back
Morning already?

I am also thinking, I'm cold, I changed my mind and no way Jose!

The day is still young and I am sure the group will come up with more before it is over. In looking at the captions I realized that if a new born baby could talk, he/she just might ask these questions or make these statements.

I further realized the whole idea is a great one for a humorous story. Writers need to grab whatever is out there to add color to their chosen field.

A message

Every once in a while I see something that I know is meant for me. This happened a couple of days ago when an unexpected message made itself known to me. The message was:

You don't have to be positive all the time. It is perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared and anxious. Having feelings doesn't make you a negative person; it makes you human.

I have a couple of friends who think I shouldn't make waves. No matter what happens I should remain the positive person they think I should be. I might add here that both of these dear souls are quite a bit younger than I am and therefore have not had nearly the number of experiences that I have had.

Recently I have been watching new episodes of Grace and Frankie. I love the show because I can relate to the situations that are portrayed, especially those about family relationships. They are not always perfect with loads of love for all generations. Sometimes the relationships just suck! I love the new mantra Grace and Frankie seem to have adopted this season, fuck it! I have been seriously thinking about using it myself.

There comes a time when "nice" just doesn't fit anymore. Seriously, one can take just so much shit before rebellion sets in. Being frustrated and angry becomes quite understandable. 

Rethinking

Thinking about my latest property challenge has caused me to allow negative energy into my life. I knew it was time for a new roof. That didn't come as a shock. It just caused some readjustments in my plans to pay for it. My roofer came yesterday and is going to put a temporary fix on the current problem. The nice man said he isn't going to charge me because in about three weeks they will be putting on a new roof. At least it will keep any further damage from occurring in my bathroom. He  acknowledged my quick action in propping up the ceiling. He said, "You saved it!"

Thinking about how I can add to my income to replace the expense caused a lot of pros and cons. I began thinking about the things I do well or have had experience doing. The first thing that came to mind is an after school aide at our family center. My thoughts went back to 2013 when I did that for a semester. I remember when the job ended I vowed that I would never do that again. I had very little support from the then administrator, who always took the side of the child when there was a problem. Many of the kids were just plain rude and I don't need that in my life, even if I get paid for putting myself in the path of abuse.

I spent seven years as a product demonstrator for a marketing company. Although I did like the job I cannot stand for six hours straight on Walmart floors now.

Between 2001 and 2004 I was a columnist for our local paper, which doesn't even exist anymore. Looks as if I outlasted the paper!

Along those lines I have submitted several items to writing sites which pay, but have not so far received an answer or money. Patience is not my biggest fan!

I suppose I could do babysitting, I certainly have enough experience along those lines! Future Foundations already does that for free. Too bad the parents don't appreciate the services they offer. I could perhaps, offer babysitting on weekends. It would keep week days free to do whatever I wanted to do. That is an option I could consider, possibly for this summer.

Since I do have the money in my possession to pay for the roof there really is no need to rush into anything right now. I am just looking for options to replace the money I need to use. I have learned from experience to pay up front whenever possible.

One good thing that just happened, thanks to my son, is I am getting a tax refund from the State of New Mexico, which should help the situation. Apparently it is helpful to be a Senior Citizen after all!

Who do you call?

As the saying goes, "if it isn't one thing it's another". I think my relationship with my 43 year old manufactured home proves that. There is also another saying that fits,"be careful what you ask for, you just might get it".

It's a good thing I have learned to accept what is and do the best that I can to adjust. It's also a good thing that I live in a small town and am on a first name basis with a plumber and repairman. Demetrio Chavez of Chavez Plumbing and Sammy Garcia of Garcia Services are my local go to people when something happens that I can't fix.

Back in 1999 my husband and I mutually divorced. I wanted the house and I got it. Had I known then what it would cost in repairs and renovations over the years I might have opted for an apartment and let him have the house. Too late now. It is not much fun being a senior citizen on a Social Security income when major things happen.

Over the last few years I have spent a ton of money on plumbing repairs, which seem to have stopped. Every time Demetrio fixes a leak he says, "We will get to the end sometime". Added to the water pipes was the major expense of a new leach line last summer. Just what I needed! Hopefully, that takes care of the below for awhile at least.

Out of the blue yesterday I noticed the master bathroom ceiling was leaking water all over the place. No!! I already knew I have to have a new roof put on next spring, but I had hoped that nothing bad would happen before then. Well it did! At the moment I have the ceiling propped up so it won't collapse. I know nothing cam be done about it until the roof dries out. I called Sammy and he will see what he can do about a temporary fix this afternoon.

This morning I am feeling kind of proud of myself. I did what I could do last night to keep the problem from getting worse and learning from experience I knew exactly who to call this morning.

A snow day

Schools do it why can't I do it? I woke this morning with the intention of having breakfast and going to the family center to exercise. I then looked out my window and saw that it was snowing again. Change of plans.

I decided it was a good day to update some of my files. I had recently made some minor changes in my will, but after reading the obituary I had on file, I also made some changes in that document. I am aware that people don't always keep these things updated, but I know from personal experience how important it is. Family members have not left wills or kept insurance policies etc.up to date and it can cause some serious misunderstandings. I'm not doing that to my family. I intend for my intentions, when I leave my body behind, to be perfectly clear to everyone involved. 

Last night a good friend decided to allow me to add her as an administrator on my writing site, "Write On". I had been waiting for her to agree. Sometimes I get discouraged because so few people are actually participating and the addition of a co-administrator who has a very positive spirit will be a great help. I sincerely believe we have similar goals for the group.

While checking on the writing group I noticed there was a discrepancy as to the total number of members. I went down the member list and checked off names. As far as I know only one member has left the group in the three months of its existence. This person had the courtesy to let me know she was leaving and why. I understood where she was coming from and we are still friends.

One of the other things I looked at this morning was what I call my time line. It is a list of important changes in my life since my birth in 1937 to the present. I see that my surgeries occurred in 1942, 1989, 2011 and 2015. I think that is quite enough thank you! My marriages were in 1959 and 1972. Although divorced twice, both husbands are now deceased. I didn't do it, although...never mind.

The other thing I noted was the birth of my three children in 1960, 1966 and 1979. At least one of them was not planned. Any guesses which one? You could be wrong!

As I look out my window I see the snow has stopped, but since I already declared it a snow day I am going to continue on the path I decided on this morning. There are many more files to go through.

  

Why do I write?

Several years ago someone asked me, “Who do you write for?” Without hesitation I replied, myself. Although true at the time I’m not sure it is still true. I think I was born creative and writing is one of the ways I use to express that gift. I have a clear memory of an experience from grade school that still makes me smile. I rewrote a comic book story I had read and made it come to life.

My first published work was an article I wrote for a contest offered by our local college. It was a tribute to my mother-in-law who was a victim of Alzheimer’s. About this time a friend loaned me his copy of Richard Bach’s, “Illusions”. I fell in love with his writing style. I suppose in a way he became my mentor.

Then came my life as a columnist, featuring stories I wrote as the result of personal interviews. I loved being able to share the life stories of local residents. I think it was practice for what came next. 

Realizing how important and freeing it is to write, I published two inspirational books, now out of print, started a blog in 2009 and currently have three E-books offered on Amazon. Along the way, I created two local writing groups, one for adults and one for children, for the same purpose; to inspire others to get what is inside outside. It is also the reason I created this writing site.  

To answer the question, why do I write? the simple answer is it is my purpose and my passion.  

Also, years ago someone told me that if I find my passion I will realize my purpose. She was right, I found both!