~~~~~I'm Not Bragging-Just The Facts~~~~~
Long Story Short...
It took awhile, a long & arduous while, until 1997 but I persevered in
going from being paid $4+/hr. to making $40+/hr.+commissions+tips, before my body gave out & it became necessary
for me to take Sabbatical from a Career I found both Rewarding & Demanding.
As an Adult Student in my 30's I Obtained the Following Educational Credentials:
L.M.T.- Licensed Massage Therapist-Suncoast School of Natural Health-Tampa, FL
Medical Secretary/Exam. Rm. Asst./ Dermatology Practicum-Technical Certificate,
Pasco Hernando Comm. College-New Port Richey, FL
Licensed Clinical Skin Care Specialist-Elite Academy of Skin Care-Dunedin, FL
If it weren't for "Weird Happenings" I may have toiled on & on for years in my
chosen field...but weird things do & did happen. After having dealt with a series of Personal, Stressful
Challenges to both my Health & Sanity, among other things--being a working Single Mother of a Teenager will do that
to a person!--The one that eventually stopped me in my tracks, forcing me to take the time necessary for reflection &
which ultimately led me to contemplate a radically different lifestyle, is that in Spring of 2000, I was bitten by an
Itty Bitty Spider, which made me quite ill--for a long time. It was a Brown Recluse Spider #3)Items of Interest & it wrought havoc upon, my already over-stressed, over-worked immune system. *
I was down for the count & was forced to stop working in the lucrative career
I had aspired to, all too briefly. My stamina was so adversely affected, I just couldn't keep up the pace that was required
for me to maintain both my position at the Prestigious Plastic Surgery/ Medical-Spa where I was employed & with my
own Private Clientele. (As an Independent Contractor-which, in essence means NO BENEFITS)!
Lucky for me, though, that I did work for a Plastic Surgeon at the time, because
they treated the Spider Bite daily, for weeks--that surely saved me a substantial sum of $$$ & disfiguring scars which are typical with this type of Spider Bite. So, within a few short months
from being bitten I went from the enviable position of living off my tips, to living on Un-employment Ins.
for the standard 16 wk. time period in Fall/Winter of 2000.
* There is a concept I became familiar with
in the late 80's while living in Atlanta, fighting my way out of the destructively Codependent Relationship I was stuck in.
I used my last $40 to attend a seminar led by Sharon Wegsheider-Cruise a Leader in the ACOA (Adult Children of Alcoholics)
Movement, & one thing I remember from that seminar is her stating:
"What We Will Not Accept Responsibility For--Our Bodies
Will"...
(This Info. Could Change Your Life...)
~~~~I Admit it---My Lifestyle is Killing Me~~~~
During this time of forced R&R I'd been desperately brainstorming different
ideas & scenarios:
1) Once & for all, how could I go
about moving out of Florida?
2) How to afford it?
3) What Living the type of lifestyle
I truly desired--meant?
4) In a place I wanted to be--where was this?
Having lost sight of what all this even consisted of--while
caught up in the Rat Race, leading to a painfully inadvertent detour to the sidelines--that had
left me feeling frazzled, unfullfilled & depressed.
~~~~~~~~~~Simple Pleasures~~~~~~~~~~
Less Is More
I'd lost touch with the Simple pleasures that I longed for & what it was that brought me happiness:
A less hectic pace of Life-
In a less populated area
With much less traffic.
A different Climate & Geography so I could:
Experience a change of seasons,
especially Autumn-My Favorite.
Go Hiking in the Mountains on a regular basis.
Hiking is something I've
done throughout
my life that has always brought me
Immeasurable Enjoyment, Peace &
Satisfaction beyond words...
Then a Radical & Scary thought ran through my mind one day, I'll never
forget it--I was rocking back & forth in Thee Rocking Chair, the one that had been in my family since
all 4 of us kids were babies--& I experienced what Oprah refers to as a "Lightbulb Moment", the first
time the idea crossed my mind to sell the house full of stuff I'd acquired--some inherited, some I'd purchased myself--Stuff
which I'd been
carting around for decades, all
over the place, in & out of apartments, storage units & houses across several state lines.
I mean---tell me--what did I really need with my Liddle Kiddles, anyway???
I even recall questioning myself outloud, as the thought was so incredulous, for
someone coming from a family of emotional hoarders & packrats--as I skewed my eyebrows---
"Maybe, I could---sell my stuff"???!!!
It felt like family treason...Just as quickly as it had occurred, I disregarded this momentary lapse
of conscience...
