More Jump

This morning, attempted to jump out of my bed, however when there are a neighborhood of cats glued to your legs--well, the circulation ain't what it should be! Nonetheless, finally made it up and ran a bit late to a planning meeting from the writers' conference I'm associated with. Great ideas and great gab. To think June 26th will be here before you know it!

Then I headed to see a chum of mine in a play "Song for Coretta"--about five women in line to pay their respects to the late Lady of Civil Rights. My chum, as well as the entire cast were great! So much talent my chum has. After the performance, the cast was in the lobby to meet and greet, and my chum told some folks there I was a writer--and my jaw dropped. I told them alittle bit about a one act play I wrote, then got the attention back to my chum. Nice, unexpected moment tho.

As I dallied thru some store, I heard a song I'd not heard in awhile. Got on YouTube and found the video, which I remembered. Makes me smile as I recall going out, dancin' and partyin' until the bar closed--now THAT would be novel! :)

September 29, 1998 was Tuesday

...and I was out with a guy at a sports bar. I'd brought him a baked potato from Jason's Deli because the sports bar only served peanuts. We'd just had this phone chat how we wanted to know each other better. How he thought I was attractive. I'd recently decided to be more open and let the last two relationship slip out my memory banks---One was a married man and the other became a crossdresser. Yes, another post for another time. And the Texas Rangers were in the play offs for the first time in about ever.

It was also the time I first met Bear. He told how I intrigued him and bought me a couple drinks. I tried to eat my potato from Jason's Deli as I wondered how one man could hit on me while I was supposedly there to be with another. I guess, cause the man I was there to be supposedly with felt his buds were more interesting to talk to than me. Used me for the Jason's Deli potato, I'm sure! Bear did ask for my number, yet I hum and ha'd. Let me just say, we had our first (and kinda last date) 10 days later. OK, all that's another post too.

However, that main reason Bear and I began to chat was because of my book. Yes, you read right. My book. I'd self published and on this day, in 1998, I'd received my first shipment of 30 books. The publisher had made a a mistake and duplicated a couple pages and asked me what I wanted to do. One option was to still take delivery of these 30, while they worked on rest of my order. You see, my goal was to have my books by this date in 1998, because it was the anniversary of my mom's death. The book is primarily the story of a mother-daughter relationship. This book was a tribute to her.

Self publishing my book was an adventure in itself. The internet was far from what it is now. All samples I received from publishers was done through snail mail. Did I get rich? Did Hollywood come callin'? Did I get Whoopi Goldberg to play the mom--in fact, I thought of her playing BOTH parts, then I thought Queen Latifah could be the daughter...anyway, those dreams still float in my head today.

September 29, 1998 was one of those days you remember and still smile about.

Now, on this day in 2009, I've rediscovered my love for writing. Because of my book and the happenings after it, I didn't write anything but e-mail for three years. Felt like a failure. God sends me to Habakkuk 2:2 many times. He's shown me what words can do, even tho at times I may be hesitant to write them.

Stay tuned.

Get By

Did lunch with my best friend, Bingo today. Known each other since we were 12. Yea--she'll tell you in a minute how many years that is. I usually decline. Chowed on tasty Chinese Cuisine. Settled in for a good long over due girl chat. Which may or may not be such a good thing.

Naw. It was all good. Our journey has been long, so being blunt is --well--part of us. She got on me about my writing. Like why am I not doing more of it? Why don't have more of it out there? And the you should be making money from it! Bingo said the last story she read was one of my best, even tho there any dead people, Jesus or cats in it. :)

OK--you can laugh. Even tho Bingo says my last story about Jesus moved her, it's OK to write something else, because He's OK with it. The dead people are my parents--and she says it's great I want to write about them, yet they really understand too. And cats? Bingo loves cats too, yet we can let cats cat nap awhile.

The last short story Bingo spoke of had a shape shifter in it. A woman morphed in a honey colored grizzly. Nobody died. Jesus didn't show up (well, as far as we know!) and no cat anywhere near. Bingo actually gave me the story idea from a movie we saw, so back in the 70's, which had a killer grizzly in it. We laughed alot at that movie--I digress.

So Bingo says: What is your problem? Why do you get so far and just stop? Why do you talk great stuff, tweak too much and still just stop? Then start up with something else but stop with that? Fear of Failure? Fear of Success? You have a gift, why aren't you using it? What is it?

I had no response, except to say she's right--- again. Then Bingo cuts to the quick even more-- friends DO that--the real ones anyway--says, "Why are you depriving others from your writing? You don't know who you've touched or who you may touch!"

Bingo gave me that look.

I get by with a little help from my friends.


I am blessed.