Blue hydrangeas. They are my favorite flower and have been as far back as I can remember. I’m not sure if it was because I saw them in Martha’s Vineyard and they were so plentiful near the water, but the image of seeing them as the ferry neared the island has always stuck with me. Read more
We finally have a fully staffed department at work so I don’t feel as much like a chicken with my head cut off at work these days as I did last year. Thinking about that craziness makes me shiver. Read more 
Sorry for the crappy quality of the photos above – the lighting in my apartment is not great.
A huge focus of mine over the past year or so has been reducing those blasted balances of mine. You saw in my last post on debt what those balances are. However, I have a question I’ve been trying to mull over.
Understatement of the year, I know. But it kind of describes my whole weekend. I felt lonely and really sad. Stuck in place. Knowing I have some things to work through and wondering if the feelings I am experiencing are normal or from hormones or related to the depression I usually think I have beaten. Read more
Writing this post as the week goes along really does make me sit up and take notice of more around me. Writing really is healing.
As I was getting my bike ready for my commute home tonight, I saw a little boy who couldn’t have been more than 2 or 3 at the oldest, riding his bike with training wheels, accompanied by his parents. He sounded so happy and proud, riding his bike and staying upright. He kept saying “sooo Cooo-woollll!” (That is my best phonetic spelling of his cute little voice and kid talk. You get the idea.) He had on a green shirt and green pants, and I think his bike was green too!
I’m not sure why but the sound of his voice and the joy it contained stuck with me. Enough that I thought to myself, I need to write about this. Hopefully it will help someone to smile when they read it. Too many times as adults, we forget what it’s like to take so much pleasure in something so small and elementary as riding a bike and realizing how much faster you can go on a big-boy bike rather than a tricycle. I know I’m guilty of that too, and I wish it wasn’t the case.
In my writing class today, we were told to think about mentors for writing–who do we think of as one, either formal or informal? I’m not sure why, but rather than thinking of writing mentors, I started thinking about people who are mentors in my life for other reasons. I have so many, and they probably don’t even know it. I think of mentors as being role models who also support you in your growth and endeavors.
It won’t be surprising to many of you that my younger brother is a mentor to me in many ways. He’s a great runner but really, he is a mentor to me because of his positive attitude and his unwavering support and encouragement. He’s also a mentor because of his ability to inspire me to reach out beyond my comfort zone, even if I don’t always do it on the same scale as him. There are so many examples I could give about him, I could go on forever.
Another mentor is someone that I met in my online digital photography class, and we have never met in person. Yet, she is completely supportive and I have found myself sharing some personal experiences with her (about my grandmother, etc.) and she doesn’t make me feel like I am over sharing. She doesn’t make me feel weird for saying I want to move to the west coast and start up a job in a completely different field from which I’m currently employed.  She also takes amazing photos of a gorgeous coastline and recognizes beauty in the ordinary. I don’t know why, but with the  mention of the word “mentor,” she immediately came to mind.
Another mentor of mine is a friend to whom I turn for support in my financial goals (and others as well.) She keeps me on the straight and narrow and is like an extra conscience because when she gives me advice or we’re just talking, she always gives it to me straight. And, we cheer  for each other as we reach milestones.
Finally, a friend of mine who lives across the country on the west coast constantly amazes me with his ability to do little thoughtful things for others. When my ex-boyfriend broke up with me, he immediately wrote me a quick note and put it in the mail. Yes, the actual mail. It’s an amazingly warm and fuzzy feeling to receive something like that. That is just one example of his heart and caring attitude. I aspire to be as thoughtful as him.
I just felt the need to write this, to thank these people for helping me to achieve my dreams, in big and little ways.  Do any of you have someone who you consider a mentor, even if they don’t know it? If so, tell them, because that wold be soooo Cooo-wow wooolllll! 🙂
When I wrote my earlier post about fear, my friend Kate said maybe I should turn my fears on the side and take a look at how far I’ve come. I definitely want to do that. But for tonight, I’m going too take a look at how far I’ve come in getting rid of my debt in about 6 weeks. It helps me to see it in perspective like this. It is working. Just not as fast as I might like it to move.
Here is a picture of my overall debt as of Sept. 3rd of this year (just click on the photo to enlarge):
And here is a picture of my debt as of October 14th ((just click on the photo to enlarge):
I think this is good considering it’s only been about 6 weeks. The difference amounts to $2,026.38!! And yes, I really have nicknamed one of my loans, Big Daddy. And yes, that’s a fixed interest rate of 7.5%. I know….sigh….
You might wonder how I don’t paralyze myself by looking at these numbers. Well, I try to not look at them as a whole. I try to focus on the little gains I am making in them month to month. Â My LAL loan has a variable interest rate that can go as high as 9%, so it’s my next area of focus after my personal loan is gone. Â That and establishing more of an emergency fund than what I currently have. Then, Big Daddy and then finally the Simmons loan. (My financial advisor suggested this order.)
There is a line in one of my favorite YouTube videos where Logan Smith makes the point that people always think that they need to earn more money, but they forget that “they can always spend less.” He emphasizes the word “less.” That made a big impact on me. It’s part of why I sold my car. It’s why I don’t eat out much, especially for lunch at work like many of my colleagues. I can eat healthier if I bring my own from home. The few times that I have bought lunch at work is when someone is quitting and it’s a good-bye lunch. And dinners, I usually eat at home also. And all those books that discuss the “latte factor?” Yeah. Those don’t apply to me either.
While i have taken Logan’s words to heart, I am also looking for ways to increase my income. A friend of mine, whose husband is out of work, told me about mystery shopping. I just signed up with a few companies over the weekend and have already received some emails about “shops” in my area. I’m excited to try it out, and hope that there are opportunities to do more than pose as a buyer at a car dealership (what i have already seen posted.)
One thing I like about the concept of mystery shopping is the freedom you have in scheduling your shop. You get a date range during which the shop should be done but the actual scheduling ultimately works on your own schedule. I’m hoping I can make a little bit of extra money to out aside for my tiny house (or just pay off debt faster), but I need to make sure I still have time for studying and writing, as well as my furballs. I don’t want to lose sight of my priorities in addition to getting rid of my debt.
This doesn’t take into account any money I am trying to save. It’s hard to do both – save and drastically pay down debt simultaneously. But I’m trying! (That’s for another post — I’ll keep this one short.)
Stay tuned, I will let you know how it goes, on both the debt reducing and the mystery shopping fronts!
As part of my writing class, I’m part of a private Facebook group that has been asked about our ideal reader. Â What does our ideal reader or our audience look like, etc.? I’ll be honest, I don’t have a particular type of person in mind. I’m just grateful that someone out there is reading this, and that some have taken the time to leave comments. Read more
Maybe it’s the stress of the craziness of the fall semester weighing down on me, but I feel like my mind is all a jumble some days. So, I’m writing this post today in the hopes that it will help me to sort things out. The more I write or blog, the more I want to do of the same. That’s a good thing in my mind. Read more
Can I be honest? I’m so thankful this week is almost finally over! There, I said it!
As you can tell, I haven’t been able to do much writing or posting this week. But, this is my favorite post to write, so here it goes…. Read more
Chasing Simple Dreams 