During the last few weeks we have gone through many emotions, a time in which one begins to remember the good times in one’s life as well as how blessed we are in this earth. November is a hard month for me, too many things happened in this month, some good some sad. In November 7th last year I lost my best
friend and companion – Hershey, a chocolate cocker spaniel who at age 15 passed from an internal tumor. He was my lifetime friend, my pet, my child. The one who licked my tears in time of sorrow, the one who was there for me whether I had a good or bad day at work. So many years together since he was a puppy and I brought him home. So many memories about him that makes me laugh. He was so smart, so soft and loving. Animals love you no matter what! It was a very difficult time for me and still is, I miss him like if it was yesterday. I often look at his picture and touch it and wish he was here with me. I did a video click here to watch in his honor and we played it during a memorial service we had when he died. To this day one year later I still cannot watch the video.
The job has been hard. Many hours at work with difficult people to deal with and try to understand. Just trying to make things happen with very little resources. It can become stressful but that is healthcare today … one must do more with less.
Then we had an election!!! How disappointing and sad it was that the hope and wish to direct this Country to respect women didn’t happen. Women in many cases have to work harder to be able to achieve a promotion or get a raise. I know because I have endured many years of excelling at what I do but there is always someone who does less and raises quicker. So many years of work and seeing how no matter how hard ones tries it is always have the same outcome; less money more work. I now live just one day at a time keeping in mind that the end is soon to come and no matter how much is required the day will come when I no longer will have to get up early in the morning to go to work and endure the same hardships. Now I find myself very often mentally reviewing the things I must accomplish before I can retire. One thing for sure I will not wait until I reach 63 to say enough is enough. I have seen many of my friends and acquaintances working until they reach retirement age and when they do they become ill and end up dying without enjoying their retirement. Too many people I know have been in good health today and two months later are gone. Just like that!!
On the other hand happy things have also happened. Perhaps this is why there are so many
emotions as one thinks if so much good happens it can be scary. But I must need to seat back and begin to understand that the blessing that come our way are because of the blessings we share with the people we know. In one of my blogs, “In search of a New House” I told you of our experience with a realtor going to view houses in West Virginia. We saw a few and it was hard to decide which one would be the home for our retirement. There was one that we liked but it was already in contract and they were getting ready to close on the house. I saw how Lori loved that house and how excited she was but unfortunately it was already being purchased. I thought to myself, she wants the house and I know there are divine powers one just have to speak it. While we were at the house, in a moment in which she and mountain man’s wife went to the back of the house I stayed in the front porch and meditated. I placed my hands on the porch post and began to speak to the house and claimed it. I told the house “it doesn’t matter that there is someone already in contract, if you want us to be here and we are meant to take care of you, make this happen.” I had a good feeling about the house and I knew that if that was our destiny we would be there. Occasionally I would text the realtor and he would text back “all good closing is on track.” But one Saturday morning I checked my e-mail and there was a message from the realtor “call me today please.” Before we called him we discussed the message and I said “are you ready because he is going to tell us the house is ours.” And yes indeed, that was the message. The contract fell through and the seller had decided to move on with another buyer: us. In a matter of a few days we had acquired a wonderful cabin in the mountains of West Virginia. It was not an easy decision but it was done and new experiences began to happen.
The mountain man’s wife introduced us to “Big Lots” and what a trip. I had occasionally passed this store near our home in NY but never went in. I thought it was another “5 and 10” store and truthfully I had no time for it. So we needed furniture for the new house and I wanted to go to a name store … and we did. We had not 
purchased furniture in years we have no kids and is just the two of us so our furniture is 20 years old and it still looking new!! LOL. So we had no clue of what furniture prices were these days. What a surprise! A bedroom set can cost as much as a mini cooper. The last thing we purchased was a TV stand a couple of years back at Walmart and I had to put it together. I sworn it was the last time we were purchasing anything that needed to be put together. WRONG!!! (did that sound familiar?) We went into Big Lots, Morgantown, WV and saw beautiful furniture. I looked inside the drawers to see if it was well-built with groove and tongue and it was – at least some of them. The mattresses were new, bed frame, night tables, etc. The price was right but a lot of the items you must put it together like a puzzle. So we bought a bedroom set. We figured – I figured – we would purchase this now and by the time we move there permanently we will purchase a “good” bedroom set. We took it home and BINGO it had to be put together! Since the mountain man’s wife knew this, she graciously arranged for her nephew and son to help assembling the furniture. I walked away from the bedroom because it gave me anxiety to see that many pieces. When they completed the job and we went in to see the final product I was amazingly astonished to see how beautiful and the quality of the product. The wooden bed was so heavy it required a few people to re position it where we wanted it. Luckily the only thing that had to be put together was the bed as the dresser and night tables came assembled. The reason is less expensive is because of the work that has to be invested to assemble the items. We still had to assemble the TV stand and it was late so the boys had to leave but promised to come back and do it. I was encouraged by how beautiful the bedroom look and that evening I got braved and assembled TV stand myself. When I finished once again I was totally amazed at how beautiful and steady the TV stand was and the price was fantastic.
Life has a way to teach us lessons and sometimes can be very funny. The divine powers will place people in your life who will teach you to look at things differently. Life brought the mountain man and his wife into my life to teach me those life lessons that at this late stage in life I still need to learn. Living simple doesn’t require to have the most expensive item to be happy. It doesn’t require to have a household full of material things that are just there collecting dust or the most expensive items. The most essential possession is to have someone to love and be loved, to be able to hug and be hugged, to wake up healthy and smile, to be accepted for who you are and to have family and friends who appreciate you and are there for you no matter what. Too many things can happen in a NY minute and you can find yourself with a life changing event like having a life threatening disease. I wish everyone would take a moment to think about those around you who no matter what will be standing for you. Take a moment, admire it, say “I love you” and give a hug. Foremost don’t leave any moment without creating a memory and an adventure that will be in your heart forever and always look because there is “fun around the corner” you just have to find it.