Money, Get Away, Get a Good Job With More Pay and You're O.K.

I had the grandkids over for the weekend, not all of them, just two, so I got zero packing done while they were here, and, in fact, ended up repacking a donation box because the smaller of the two is a land-dwelling octopus who is into everything. Monday morning I drove them back over for Halloween trick-or-treating, with the intention of just staying until the next morning so I could get some errands done (like procuring a home for the next six months), and I ended up running all over town getting money orders and giving jump starts and picking up kids from school and looking at rentals, and didn't make it home until nearly midnight. Driving in Fresno is insane. A far cry from the way driving is over here. On the main streets here, everything is posted at 25mph, and it still takes about 10 minutes from my house to the bank and back. Or my house and pretty much anywhere and back if the stop is just to grab something quick and head back home. In Fresno, not so easy. The two mile trip to the bank from where I was staying took almost 30 minutes, the drive back was almost the same amount of time, just a tad faster. Driving over to give my son a jump start on his truck, roughly 2.5 miles, took 35 minutes to get there and then -- well, you get the picture. Traffic in Fresno compared to A-Town is beyond the scope of comprehension. I spent the majority of my day in the car going from one place to another in bumper to bumper traffic running errands that had I been on Atascadero's roads would have taken maybe an hour. That traffic is going to take some getting used to. Hopefully, if the house deal goes through, we'll be on the very edge of town and won't need to venture too far in to get things done.

I'm just now gathering up stuff for the free class this weekend, and in the middle of it decided I'm taking it all. I'm indecisive on what kinds of incense to make, so I thought I'd choose a few and then do a class made batch or two where we all kind of put our heads together and choose the elements. I'm hoping that within the chaos of this move and all the anxiety it's bringing to the fore (not entirely mine, either) that this class serves as a balm. Great things are happening business-wise and I feel like I've finally hit my stride. I don't want to lose that momentum or enthusiasm because of a relocation. I just refuse to fall into that pit again. I could have been where I am now a long time ago if I had been stronger and understood that I'm important too. What I do is important, even if it's only important to me. The fact that no one in my immediate family respects or understands what I do no longer shadows my work. I don't care what they think. It's working for me, I'm paying bills, saving money (because that's all they care about, the $$$), and working in a very spiritual and creative way. I love it. Perhaps what they are really feeling is jealousy. Know thyself, right? I know me. This is me. And this is me releasing energy, fulfilling my creativity, lifting my spirit, and making the all important cash. I say that last bit with a smidge of bitterness. Don't get me wrong, I love cash, but for me, cash is just a means to an end and not the goal itself. Cash means I can continue. Cash means kilos of resins and herbs and oils that I can then turn into something beautiful. Cash means I can keep a roof over my head, food on my table, and socks on my feet WHILE I create the things I love best. Continuation of the creation is the goal. And hot soup.