Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Yes, it's time for the annual display of my mad Photoshop skills

It's hard to believe that 2020 is already upon us. In the past, I've always dealt with a case of the blues at the new year, usually stemming from all of the things I didn't accomplish the previous year. Much to my surprise, that hasn't happened this year and I'm okay with that. I'm looking forward to a new year full of possibilities.

I love calendars and usually start the year with more than I can possibly use. I did better this year and only bought one wall calendar and one planner. (Yay me!) I began my planner journey last year but didn't fully utilize my new tool - I only used it to track bill due dates. I've decided that this year, in addition to the bills, I'm  also going to keep track of the books I read and my word count. I also love inspirational quotes and will use my planner to jot down the ones that speak to my heart. And stickers! A planner is the perfect excuse to play with stickers as an adult.

I struggle with the marketing aspect of writing. I'm both shy and an introvert so the whole "look at me" thing is a struggle for me. But, I have decided that 2020 is the year I'm going to try to start trying to get a handle on this gig. Wish me luck!

What are you looking forward to in 2020?

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A New Phase of Life

May 2019 marks the beginning of a new phase of my life: retirement!


April 30th marked the end of an almost 34-year career with the same company. I have an IT batchelor's degree. My original plan was to be a programmer but that didn't pan out due to the problem of not being able to get a job in my chosen field due to lack of experience but I couldn't get any experience without a job. *facepalm* I began my career as a secretary, took a detour through the contracting department - definitely not the job for me - before finally landing a position in the IT department. Over time I found that I was good at helping people with their computer problems without making them feel like an idiot in the process. I had accidentally found my calling. The last 31 years of my career all involved some form of IT customer support.

I made the decision to retire last year but the countdown to the actual date has been far more emotional than I expected it to be. Although, when I really think about it, this is a major life change. I've been working, at least part-time, since I was 16 years old. Why wouldn't a change of this magnitude be emotional? I've shed a few tears, had a few anxiety attacks and doubts but I have run the numbers and I know that financially, we will be fine.

Over the years with my former company, I have known many other employees who have retired and they all seemed to fall firmly into two camps: those excited about retirement and those who dreaded it. It seemed that those dreading retirement were also those whose jobs defined them. They seemed a bit lost as to how to even begin to enjoy life without their job. I am in the group of those excited about this change. I can finally devote more time to my writing without trying to squeeze it all into an hour or two in the evenings. There are several other hobbies I'm interested in trying, not to mention that I'm looking forward to traveling with my husband.

Image courtesy of www.depositphotos.com

In short, there's a whole new life waiting for me and I can't wait to see what it holds!

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I slept and dreamt - Michael E. Gonzales

I slept and dreamt I was in a spell, and fell into darkening well.

Or did I float and rise into that inky ether where the stars reside?

In a ship with billowing sails I rode

Past the Moon, and stars, beyond the wheel within which they strode.

A land unknown was shown to me, a land of beauty, but hard as stone.

Here great evil’s trumpet did resound, I ran until I fell to ground.

Flight or fight? I took my stand. Would I live or die? I could not tell.

The painful battle was a bloody hell, that pushed me to a darkening well.

Into the pit I fell, and fell, sure that I was soon to die.

At length I rose into a star filled sky.

Where a single dove was passing by.

Upon her wings of velvet snow, she led me to a land where naught but love did grow.

My hurts healed, by fever calmed, by lips as soft as the light of dawn.

From my dreaming I awoke, at the light of the accursed sun did I look.

Now, my tears stained the pages, as I closed my book.

--MG

OLD FRIENDS, by Mollie Hunt

Last night I dreamed about old friends. It happens occasionally; at 64, there is more behind me than ahead, and my past covers a lot of ground. This dream was different though. Where usually I get caught up in the color and romance of a life left behind, in this dream I stood back from the misty used-to-bes, then said goodbye. I don’t know what it means. 

I know what prompted the dream, however: a few weeks ago I was contacted through Facebook by someone I haven’t seen for nearly 40 years. I met him when I was 18. The gap between then and now is virtually unfathomable. Still, he was a friend for many years so I confirmed the request without (too much) reservation. 

That was the beginning. As I read through his posts, followed links to other long ago familiar names, I discovered myself immersed in a rabbit hole of memory. Fearsome yet compelling, I moved deeper, touching, tasting, remembering things I hadn’t thought of for a long, long time. 

As I read on, however, the landscape began to change. The golden-lit past morphed into a present I didn’t understand. A new labyrinth emerged: A daughter who had recently died, a son who had taken a dark path, a dear friend who was off the grid and his kids were worried. Trying to read lives from Facebook is like seeing the ocean floor through the rolling layers of the oncoming waves: the words were there, but I could not comprehend the pictures. 

I didn’t pursue it, deciding to wait and let the stories unfold on their own. I’m not ready to embrace this long lost life just yet, so divergent from the one I’ve built for myself, brick by brick. Time to say goodbye to fantasy and greet old friends where they are now.

Maybe that’s why my dream was so mundane, bereft of all the usual passion and nostalgia. I’m 40 years past my beautiful, dramatic youth. I don’t miss it; I’m at home where I am.

Check out more blogs by Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer at:

MollieHunt: Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries and more

Happy reading!