Ep. 13 - NEXT!!

Hey, gang! Welcome to my life – where anything is possible and nothing is as it seems. I’m Freedom and I’ll be your host, coming at you from within the depths of Geistopia.

Welcome To My Life is a project, an experiment in Life and ART. A living storyboard, if you will. Its premise is that life is experiential, and that you can, and do, experience the life you choose. It is based on The Wheel of Life and The ARTs for The New Millennium as life building tools.

Welcome to my Life is an I T.V. Studios/Geist…House Players Production, in association with the Center for Creative Inspirationalism. JustUs Productions, the parent company, would like to give a ‘Shout-Out’ to the following for their ongoing, and sometimes unknowing, inspiration and support:

Princess Cuddlebug

Princess Sunshine

Craze & Co.

The Shaman

The Pillar

The Entire Putt-Putt-Putter Clan

Professor Siggy Chong

The VanMan and General Ralph Glossop (may they R.I.P.)

‘Blue 326’

The Original KLT

The Looch

The Baker

Bert-on

Andy Pandy

The Mudder

Hoagie

The Prodigy

The Wix-ians

Piz-Niffer

Dancing Queen

Downtown Encyclopedia Brown

Mama Rabbit

And, of course, a very generous sponsor who (not-so-much) wishes to remain anonymous.

It is…Sunday, June 3, 2018. Time...Awakening.

Theme of the Week – That Same 14 yo Boy

Lesson of the Week – Take It As It Comes

Observation of the Week – Opinion Is Tainted By Perception

Totems – Cardinal; Spider; Sparrow; Goldfinch

It was a very interesting week for me. In seemed to go by, in a blur, but then that is nothing new. But there was just so much activity and energy. It’s hard to believe that all of it is part of the exact same week. It just seems like…a lot.

So, my week starts with Monday, as my weeks often do. But this was a different kind of Monday. You see, for some time now, Monday has been my Sunday. Or, at least, what my Sunday used to be. Monday is the day for me. Everyone needs one and everyone should have one each week. (I suppose you could call it a Day of Rest.) I’m not sure if ‘rest’ is an appropriate term. One never actually rests on a Day of Rest. One merely takes a break from the hustle and bustle of everyone, and everything, else. But, there are still things to do -things for you. It is more like a Day of Rejuvenation. (Or, Re-You-venation.)

Monday is always my day to catch my breath, get my bearings. I check the old lists and make new ones. I pick directions and make a plan. Along the way, I tidy this and tweak that. I catch up on the week past and prepare for the one ahead.

Not this past Monday [nor, the one tomorrow – entirely.] This past Monday was Memorial Day. It was a holiday, not quite a holy-day. Nonetheless, it was my holiday to have the Princesses. Also, Craze had a show, which the Princesses were not about to miss – especially considering their great-grandmother was going to be there. So, this threw my day all off. And, to top it off, I had a second session with Hoagie. He has one more to go and I am almost…intrigued.

The sessions have been very potent. There’s something different about them. I’ve had intense sessions before. I’ve had visions and whispers and all sorts of other fun shamanic things take place. That’s not new. But, something about these sessions is just very intense. The energy is strong, but very soft and mellow. Each time he has been here I have very clearly felt myself moving in and out of The Trance. Monday especially. Soon after he left I was suddenly like, “Whoa. I’m back.” I felt everything shift, become different.

I don’t know what it is about these sessions. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I’ve been over it time and again and the only differential I can see – the only factor separate from all other sessions, and yet identical in these two – is that they took place here on Geistopia and in The Cave.

Anyway, these three things put my Monday, and therefore my week, very off kilter.

Tuesday brought, perhaps, the most interesting ‘Trip’ of my week. I worked at The Big Box in the morning. Nothing unusual there. [Not on Tuesday, anyway.] But, that night, I went with Big ‘D’, Craze and his older brother to the minor league game in town. This is actually interesting in so many ways. First, this is an odd grouping. Not only do I not really go anywhere with them, but when it comes to the minor league games, that is a Boom-Dee-Ay thing. She is the one that goes with them. Always. And, she is the one that usually gets the tickets. This time, I had gotten the tickets and I would be going. Still, I was like the odd man out.

How I got the tickets is interesting as well. It is one of those stories that reminds me that, despite anything else, my life truly is filled with blessings, and sometimes it is a pleasure and an honor to be me. [Only sometimes, lol.] They were a gift from a dear old friend.

That, in and of itself is interesting. Truly, of all of ‘The Old Gang,’ never would I have thought he would be the one I would still be in contact with today. Downtown Encyclopedia Brown sure. Brother Love, perhaps. But, I would have never guessed that Looch would be the one to bring a long standing friendship. Nor, could I have ever known just how often I would be moved by that friendship.

Tuesday is one of those times. Not only did he gift me the tickets, but they were hella good seats!!!

Bet.

Four seats, directly behind home plate. It absolutely was one of the most enjoyable games I have seen in that stadium. I said it on Facebook and I will say it again here –

Looch be da man!!!

So, now I have these four tickets and only one of me. I wouldn’t be able to take the Princesses, that was certain. I would have loved to share that with them, but it was just not possible. Instead, I shared it with my family. This is also such a rare treat. I got to give my family something. I don’t get to do that often and certainly not often enough to pay respect to all they have given me.

The night was beautiful. It wasn’t too hot, nor did it get chilly. We had a great view of not only the game but also of the ballpark itself. It was truly splendid. I was just so into the moment. I was reveling in the experience. [I don’t get out often.]

This truly was a blessing of the highest order. Thanks again, Looch!!

Wednesday brought another moment of tension with The Big Box. My relationship with this place, and its purpose in my life, just has me so intrigued. So many parts of me detest this job. It is so not my thing. Yet, through all of the ridiculousness of the past several weeks it still remains. So, I will remain committed to it. [As committed as need be.]

Anyway, it brought me into a direct confrontation with the store manager. It was not a big one. It passed rather quickly but it was there. It was a trifle…or was it?

Everyone’s schedule has been cut back to 4-4.5 hour shifts. Now this doesn’t affect me so much as it does others who were working 6 to 8 hours – sometimes more. They took quite a hit and ‘just have to deal with it.’ On Wednesday we were informed that because our shifts were under 5 hours we would not be getting breaks. We had breaks on Tuesday for the same shift, but it was determined by Wednesday that we were no longer eligible for them. When I began to protest, my supervisor told me to see the store manager. Which I did…immediately.

I rapped lightly on the metal frame of the doorway to his office.

“Yes,” he asked, barely lifting his eyes to me for but a moment.

“She says that we don’t get a break under five hours…”

Continuing to patter away at his computer vaguely acknowledging my presence, “That’s my understanding.”

“Well…I believe the handbook says 4 hours…”

“I’ll look into it for you.”

I went back out on the floor and continued on with my day, waiting to see what would come of this. As the whole crew worked at a task the whole crew must do every morning, he called the supervisor aside. They talked. About what, no one knows. The task was finished and I headed into the back, returning to what I was doing before the group activity. I was barely in the back when the supervisor came in and announced that we would now be taking our break. We had our break on Friday as well, with no issues whatsoever. It flowed as naturally as before. But something else of interest happened on Friday. My supervisor asked me if I wanted to pick up extra hours tomorrow. Not everyone was asked. It interests me that I was one of a handful.

Wednesday was a challenge from beginning to end. I finished at The Big Box and raced off to The Theatre, stopping at some drive-thru or another on the way. I headed in and did dishes for almost two hours then changed my shirt and headed backstage to run the show. I left there and went to the Princesses’ dance studio, waited for them, then home to Geistopia for dinner. [Thankfully, it wasn’t a meeting night as well.]

Thursday was fairly normal. The keyword is fairly.

I awoke and went about my business, preparing to go to The Theatre for a matinee performance. All was moving along smoothly and then it happened. The Pillar reared his curious head calling me hither and then yon. Along with him was Good Sir Wentz-eslas, who I also happened to have seen at the ballpark.

Challenge complete I headed off for The Theatre, ran the show and headed home.

Friday was a challenging day. I did The Big Box in the morning and that brought some interesting exchanges. I have been making friends with one of the younger guys on the crew. He’s a good kid and I like him. I believe he deserves to do well in life. Perhaps even better than he has taken the time to think about. He’s a good soul – almost innocent. Almost.

I came home from work, took a moment’s breath and then headed outside to do some weeding. With the weather and my schedule, things have gotten way out of control. Of course, it doesn’t help that I started the season behind, with work left from the end of last season. This is all part of The Cycle. It happens every year, no matter how much I tell myself that it won’t.

Well, this year…it will not. I have already talked to the Princesses about how we need to get things done and that may be how we spend our August vacation. We are not planting this year. This year is all about completing projects, doing cosmetic and foundation work, so that we can move forward and thrive in seasons to come. When the Princesses came Friday night, they helped me finish up the weeding.

Saturday Sunshine had a softball tournament and then there was work at night.

This week has been different in another way as well. At the end of last week, I received my refund check. Now, I had plans for all that money, but we all know how my plans tend to go. I did get to stick to some of the original plan. I got some past due debt settled. That was a good thing. Anything else I had planned was merely for fun and enjoyment. I don’t get to spend money n those areas too often. For instance, I would like to get an Xbox One. I am always a generation behind in game systems and I would like to feel current for a change. I like my gaming. So, I wanted to treat myself. I have since decided that anything I was going to spend on me I would save for vacation. We have had things planned for us and now I must be sure that we can make the most of it all.

In the meantime, I have been working at Taking It As It Comes. Financially speaking anyway. It’s just been a day by day thing. If I need it or I want it and it is right there available to me. I have been making the purchase. Sometimes I talk myself out of it, but this just means I didn’t really need it nor want it.

Through this, the girls and I had a nice lunch on Saturday between games. Yesterday I made some purchases at work with my discount. I bought myself some ‘gourmet’ coffee and a hat to wear while working out in the sun. I also got new clippers for working in the yard and I got the girls a light-up neon unicorn for their room. It’s not easy for me to spend like this. I usually put things off and calculate them out. I usually have to do it that way. Usually, any dollar I spend is just taking money from someplace else. My whole life is like stealing from Peter to pay Paul. I know this won’t really last, but I am hoping that it will work to shift my energies, even if only ever so slightly, so that I can manifest more and better as I move forward.

I wanted to talk about the Theme/Lesson/Observation. I thought about putting some paragraphs under each one. Then I thought maybe I would see if they came through in the stories and telling of this week. They did not, really.

Take It As It Comes is fairly simple to explain. For several months now I have been overly aware of the fact that absolutely nothing happens the way I think it is going to happen. This isn’t just plans I make either. Its activities with/for the Princesses Its schedules at work Its yard and house work, finances, days, weeks, moments.

Absolutely nothing in my life plays out the way it is anticipated – long term. I mean there will be days at work that are exactly what they were meant to be. Certain bills are paid on time all the time. But as a whole and for duration, it just doesn’t happen.

Take The Big Box for example. At the outset of this, I was expecting 20-25 hours a week. It was never going to be a lot, but I was led to believe that it would be spread out over the week in such a way that I could really make use of the rest of each day, and still have my weekends with the Princesses. I knew I would need at least one more income (but was thinking about more) but, again, it was expected to be easy to work out.

None of this has been the case, since Day 1. In the beginning, they wanted 30 hours and six days a week. It wasn’t so much that I minded the extra hours, but it wasn’t what I had planned for. Other things were now in play that made that schedule very…inconvenient.

In the weeks that followed, we would be asked to do more hours a day, then less days a week, and then less hours…and then even less. Until, finally, we are down to about 13 hours and 3 days a week. This is very far from the original “plan.” In fact, it’s about half. Along the way, there were days with an extra hour here or there. There were days I lost hours or the entire day altogether – be it the weather, my back, or them calling the crew off because there was no truck or there weren’t enough hours to use.

However, there is The Theatre. This was expected to be a 6-week gig. I have worked every week they have run since then. If not backstage, then washing dishes. Lately, it has been a little bit of both.

At home, it has been a lot of the same. I get things scheduled and planned out and then plans change. The weather screws things up. Equipment won’t run.

The same thing has happened financially. I had a plan, a direction. There have been so many deviations from that plan since the beginning. Again, there has been lost work (and then this or that to make up for it.) There have been a slew of unexpected and/or untimely expenses. It’s just been one thing after another, every single week.

Nothing ever goes as planned. Things happen – some good, some not so much. But, things happen. SO all I can do is Take It As It Comes with no real attachment to anything. Simply go with the flow and make the most of each moment as it comes. There is no sense in worrying about how something will play out or in getting too far ahead of myself. Just one moment at a time. Each in its own. No matter what happens, no matter how it goes down, sooner or later, somewhere along the way it all goes right.

That Same 14 yo Boy was a very difficult one for me. So much of my life goes back to 14. Life stopped and started at 14. 14 touched my life on many levels and would change them all for a very long time. To this day there is just the slightest scent of 14 lingering in Geistopia. But, until this week I would have never thought that I was that same boy all these years later. Am I really?

I guess I can see it. I still have the ability to imagine and dream of a future that is better. I can still have fun and joke around – on an almost immature level. I even had someone ask me last week if I would ever grow up. Probably not, my friend. Probably not. I still dream of love. It’s not all the time. It’s not even really a hopeful kind of dreaming. Perhaps it is more of a yearning. A longing, deep down in some sliver of my soul.

But, it’s not just the wide-eyed and dreamy innocence of 14 that I still carry. 14 was when I was labeled, “An individual with an above average I.Q., who just needs ways to express himself.” I suppose my I.Q. is still high, though I have gone to great pains to dumb it down over the years. And, I am definitely still looking for the right avenues of expression. Not as much to show myself, but more to free myself.

I suppose, if I’m being honest, I still have many of the same doubts, fears and insecurities. And the anger. That’s still there too. It is much more under control, but every so often it rears its ugly head. Where it comes from, what it stems from, I do not know. Perhaps from the hurt.

But most interesting is the back injury. It is the same. It is in the same spot as it was way back then. I’d ask if there may be a connection, but of course there is. Metaphysically speaking, where my back is injured relates to everything that is askew in my life. It is abundance and self-worth.

I think the Observation of the Week is fairly self-evident. We feel how we feel about things because of how we see them or relate to them. But all of this is influenced by our perception - the angle at which we are looking at things. The problem is that we all think our opinion is right or the best.

But…what would happen if we looked at things from another angle. Or, all angles even.

Well, I think that is all the news that is the news in and around Geistopia this week.

So, without hesitation…

For now and for always, from here in Geistopia this is your beloved Rev wishing you Peace, Love, Light and Freakishness, baby!

Please feel free to leave comments, questions, and concerns. I don’t know you are there if you don’t say, “Hi.” Also, you’re experience of WTML is just as important as mine. So, let me know what you think. Secondly, if you would like to connect, or find out more about me, you can find WTML on Facebook @TheNewWTML or myself at @rev.mgeist.