S7EP12: Another Season Over, A New One Just Begun

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.

DOC: Velcum To My Life ees a prochect, un experiment in Life unt ART. A living storyboard, if you will. Its premise ees zat life ees experiential, unt zat you can, unt do, experience ze life you choose. It ees based on Ze Veel of Life unt Ze ARTs for Ze New Millennium as life building tools. Ja, it’s true!

WALT: 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 oft-times unknowing, inspiration and support:

Princess Cuddlebug

Princess Sunshine

Company

The Shaman

The Pillar

F’n Bob

The Entire Putt-Putt-Putter Clan

The Warden

FaeriePrincess

Professor Siggy Chong

Sparky Wentz-eclaus

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

The Messengers of The Galactic Federation

Looch

The Bassett Hound

Bert-On

The Baker of the Cornbread

Andy Pandy

The Mudder

Zason

St. Diane & You (3)

Brother John

Spooky Queen

Boom-Boom Snuffbox

The Nameless One

Tim-Bo

The Cousins

The Rox

PDT

Sir Richard Slouch

The Wix-ians

The Socialite

The Village of Idiots

Piz-Niffer

Dancing Queen

Downtown Encyclopedia Brown

Chicken Witch

Dick Pointer

Soup, the Son

The Legendary Pink Elephants

Baby-Mama Rabbit

Wisconsin Belle

The Babes

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

It is…Sunday, October, 30, Two-Thousand and Twenty-New. Time...Divergent

Theme – Finish What You Started

I really have no clue. I mean, the statement itself is rather obvious. I just don’t know to what, specifically, it is referencing. The statement popped out at me several times this week from different billboards. It stuck with me. The truth of the matter is – pretty much anything I have ever started I have left unfinished. There are scripts and crafts and projects and business plans…a damn book. I’ve never finished a damn thing. That sounds terrible and it makes me feel like shit. But it’s not quite what it seems. It’s been timing…and funds…and racing around to keep my life afloat at the very least. All of those things are still with me – swirling around my mind. Which one, exactly, am I supposed to finish? Go ahead. Dealer’s Choice.

Lesson – Give Up

This is not a defeatist statement. Not in any way, I promise you. I am not trying to tell you that there is no hope in life. Quite the opposite actually. I am telling you that life is full of hope. We just don’t always know where to find it. We toil, and stress, and maneuver so much every day. We do it thinking, believing, that we are doing what we must to accomplish what we want. But that is not always the case. We don’t always know best. When we come across hurdles and obstacles, sometimes the best thing we can do is just Give Up trying and allow ourselves to be led. G-d has a Plan. The Universe is constantly in motion and we often fail to realize that it is always moving in the direction that we need. Only when we Give Up and stop trying to push or force things can we see the path that is before us.

Observation – Sometimes You Have to Let the Voices in Your Head Run Free

I think this is an important little tidbit. For creatives, it is those voices that lead to inspiration. For spiritualists, they act as guides for meditating and healing. There is always a reason for the thoughts that we have. They may not make sense at the time. It may be hard to listen and follow. But, if you do, you can often find that they were giving you precisely what you needed.

The Post

Here we are, once again, at a point when I missed a post and am trying to cover two weeks in one. That wouldn’t be so bad, perhaps, except that I cannot remember last week at all. This past week has been so intense that last week has become Once Upon Ago. And that is the truth. I would have to sit down with a calendar and really think about it in order to know anything about last week. [I know because I am sitting here struggling in my mind right now to get even just a glimpse.]

So, I suppose we will work with what we have – which is this week.

WALT: So really it’s like any other post.

Well, yeah. I guess.

WALT: You took an awful lot of words to say that.

Enough!

To tell the tale of this past week, I think we need to start with Sunday. I feel like that’s where the magic starts. Not that I could tell you how or when. So, let’s begin and see if we can figure it out.

Sunday I worked in the morning. I drove for several hours. In the afternoon, The Princesses and I took Big ‘D’ to lunch for her birthday. [Which was then on Thursday.] After lunch we trekked back to The Original Brother John’s. We hung out for a bit. Big ‘D’ left. The Princesses and I hung out for a bit. I took them home.

Doesn’t seem very magickal does it? I didn’t think so either. But I’m tellin’ ya, something fucked up my week.

Let me get a bit more detailed about Sunday.

Needless to say, there was some level of magick involved. After all, I was taking Big ‘D’ to lunch. I know people like to make a big deal over such a moment, and it is kind of a big deal. Yet, it’s also not so much. It’s just another moment.

I believe we are at the end of an Era, Fellow Travelers. The post title is rather triple-faced. We are at the end of a season. Samhain is upon us and The Wheel of The Year turns once more. On Tuesday morning, we enter The Dark Season. [I was going to say The Cold Season, but ‘Dark’ is just so intriguingly ominous.]

So, another season over and a new one just begun.

Keeping true to the new formatting/styling/whatever rules of play here in the blog, the end of the calendar season also brings a close to this season of WTML. We are in the finale post, if you will.

Another season over and a new one just begun.

But, I feel like it is all so much more than that. I feel changes within and I have been seeing so many shifts in the world around me. It seems as though a chapter of my life, an era, is coming to close.

And so…Another season over and new one just begun.

I can actually mark my life in 25 year cycles. There was all of life up until 1997. That was the year I dedicated myself to Spirit. I was 25 and life changed drastically after that. It became something very different. Now, here we are 25 years later and I feel like that cycle, too, is coming to a close and life shall be different once more.

It’s kinda weird for me. In the Cycle of my year Samhain is always the ‘cut-off.’ I noticed many years ago that wherever I am come Samhain, whatever it is I am doing, that is how things tend to remain until about Imbolc in February.

What I am doing is fairly straight forward. I’m delivering food. That is the bulk of my existence. But, recently, a few other things have been placed on the board. I am getting back to some work at The College. [For as long as I can manipulate tolerance for the colder weather.] I am on the books to lend a hand at The Theatre through Christmas. I don’t really know how often that will be, but a bit here and there.

Both of those things I am going to try to keep off of my personal books. I mean, obviously, I will track the income for tax purposes. However, I want to keep it out of my own weekly plannings with the hopes that when those pays arrive I can consider it extra money. Likewise, I am poised to get back to some retail merchandising work. I would like to keep that on the extra side of the tally line as well.

My quandary is that all of those things, except for the deliveries, are hinging on where I am. That’s where things get complicated. I am at The Original Brother John’s, but that is technically temporary – only until they can officially sell the house. As long as I am here, I can manage all of those things. The minute I leave, they all have to stop. I just can’t do it living out of a vehicle. Not anymore. After almost 4 years of this, it has all finally taken it’s toll and I just can’t bear the weight of all those things at once. Not living out of a vehicle. That, in and of itself, is hard enough.

I would like to get back to putting some money aside. Once upon ago, I was doing it regularly. Of course, it took me decades to even start, but once I did, I stayed fairly true to it. The problem was that finances were so tight that inevitably – every several weeks or few months – I would have to tap that money for something – bills, cars, Princesses. It frustrated me but someone reminded me, “matt, that’s why you put money aside. So you have it for those things when you need it.”

So, I’d like to get back to it. I haven’t quite figured out the system for it yet. Once upon ago, I was able to keep that money in a very separate account. I tried to do the same thing not long ago with an extra Paypal account I have. Every day I would stick 10% of whatever my driving was into Paypal. However, they flagged all of those daily, miniscule deposits as suspicious activity. That plan wasn’t going to work for me and I needed to get my money out of there fast. I have CashApp and Venmo [which is run by Paypal] so I have options I just haven’t figured out how to manage transfers yet. Daily is best for my own sake. I mean, just get it out of there and it’s done. Weekly, has always been a problem because that is a large chunk taken out all at once.

In any case, this week does not seem practical for such a program to begin but, spiritually, I couldn’t choose a better time.

So…let’s get back to my week.

I had it all planned and mapped out. I knew what I was doing this week. Sunday was working and the luncheon. Monday I would work most of the day but be home in the evening to begin my ‘day off’ for The New Moon on Tuesday. Wednesday I would return to life as normal and then eventually reach today.

It was oh so much more than that…and that all began on Sunday.

I was out driving on Sunday morning, making my deliveries. I came down this one road and all of a sudden I spotted this beautiful used leather chair sitting at the end of a driveway. I was on my way for another pick up and didn’t have time to really inspect it, but I did make a mental note because I wanted that chair.

Of course, I knew at the time that the house was under contract with a closing on November 5th. And, I knew when that time came I would have to leave. I didn’t care. I wanted the chair and, if you saw it, you’d have wanted it too. I knew I couldn’t take it with me, but I figured fuck it. Let the new owner get rid of it if he doesn’t want it.

At lunch I hatched a plan with The Princesses and Big ‘D.’ Cuddlebug would come with me to get the chair. Because I knew I couldn’t carry all three of us and the chair, Sunshine would ride with Big ‘D’ who would bring her back to the house. All seemed pretty simple.

Well, it wasn’t quite.

The chair was definitely too big for the back of The Lil Red Rocket – but only a bit. We wrestled and flipped and pulled things out. We just couldn’t get the damn thing in more than just a tad over halfway. It was slightly too tall and slightly too wide no matter what we tried.

I wasn’t really concerned about it falling out. It was actually jammed in there pretty tight. However, this left the hatch up all the way and I wasn’t quite comfortable with that. It was really more about appearances than anything. So, eventually, I knocked on the door and when the woman answered I asked a bout a rope to maybe tie it down.

She came outside and was on the phone. It turns out the place is her boyfriend’s. She just moved in. [hence the chair on the curb] and he didn’t have any rope. She hung out with us for a bit and interjected thoughts and suggestions as we tried to manipulate the chair in different ways. She even pointed out that the feet would come off, so we tried that. All to no avail. It just would not go in any further. [Honestly, we even stripped the back down to the spare compartment to see if we could use the depth to tweak it better.]

We were back to having it jammed in and the hatch open fully. Again, I wasn’t concerned about the chair falling out. Not in the slightest. I was just uneasy with that hatch. Now, we weren’t going far. It was like a ten minute drive and fairly straight forward. So, I asked if perhaps they had a small bungee cord I could use. They did. I bungeed it the best that I could and even tied a white rag to it. [Technically, I think it’s supposed to be a yellow or orange flag for that situation.]

It's kinda funny. We got there and Cuddlebug looked at the chair and said, “Dad…I can’t lift my 22 lb baby brother. How am I going to help you with that?” [She’s been having some medical issues.]

“Ugh.”

So the whole time we would work it so that all she really did was guide it and I did all the lifting. We get back to the house and I say to sunshine – my little percussionist and softball player, “You’re gonna have to help me getting it to the basement. Your sister can’t lift the chair.”

“Dad…I can barely lift my arm.”

“Double ugh.”

We ended up sort of dancing it across the little bit of yard and sidewalk to the outside steps. Then we basically rolled it down the steps and into the basement. The whole time Big ‘D’ is shaking her head thining we’re nuts and we’re never gonna do this. She thought we wouldn’t manage getting the chair here without even seeing the chair.

This is one of those reasons Big ‘D’ and I clash. Once upon ago I would have told her to keep that negativity to herself. [And I probably wouldn’t have been that polite about it.] I’ve learned to ignore it and let it roll. It has no power here. That kind of thinking had power at Olde Geistopia. But, here, we are in my world – where anything is possible and nothing is as it seems.

In the end, the chair was well worth the craziness and hassle. It looks like it was made for the space it is in and it is so very comfortable.

Monday, I had planned to work breakfast and lunch and then be home a little earlier to begin my time off for Tuesday. I had a lot I wanted done in that time – clean the house and the rocket, meditate, ritual soak. A whole list. Monday did not go that way.

First, on Sunday night, Mudder had texted me and asked for a ride to work. He works down the line in the next city. I drove him several times over the summer hen his car was out of commission. So, of course I would. I could make that run and be back in time to do most of breakfast. I only needed like $7 to keep myself on pace without any glitches. The rest was just supposed to be for buffer.

As I got closer to The Valley I opened all my apps and as I got even closer I turned them on. I wanted to get work as soon as I was close enough to my region to pick it up. The plan worked. I got a ding when I was still about 10-15 minutes out from my usual spot. It would not have normally fit all of my parameters for deliveries but I figured I was driving in that direction anyway and now I would just get paid for the drive.

When I got to the restaurant for pick-up they were closed. I had thought of this as I was pulling in the lot – before I turned the corner to see. I thought they were closed on Mondays, but I had an order so maybe that changed. It did not. Whatever. I still got paid $2.54 for the whole thing and I had plenty of time to do better for myself.

It wasn’t long before the second ding came. Off I went. I arrived and waited near the counter as they pushed out a large catering order. Eventually the manager asked what I was picking up. She disappeared for a few moments and came back asking again for the name. An associate hears the name and says, “That was already picked up.” [This has been known to happen with this particular app.]

Sigh.

This becomes one of those moments that could be controversial in my life. Many would call what I decide next laziness or lack of motivation, irresponsibility. It was not. You see, I got to the car and acknowledged that this day was not working out and the time was ticking away. I decided it was time to return to the house. You see, after 25 years of doing this, I have learned to discern when life is trying to push me in a different direction. I have also learned [the hard way] it is best to just not push back.

In the end, I’m glad it went the way it did. I ended up doing the house cleaning. It took about as long as I had anticipated, but it was also more intensive on me than I would have expected. Had I gone with my original plan I would have had to do that on Tuesday and it would have wiped me out and other things wouldn’t have gotten the focus they needed and I would have ended up very frustrated.

As it was, everything got the attention required. Tuesday was precisely the day I was looking for. I cleaned my Lil Red Rocket. I meditated. I had my soak. It was pretty much the prefect day. I felt inspired and empowered.

Wednesday morning broke and I was off and ready to go. The breakfast shift was running a lil slow and I was trying to determine how to make the most of my time. I can’t remember now exactly what it was, but I decided that I needed to pick something up and some store or another. So, off I went. I get to the store and look around the Rocket and I don’t see my wallet. It’s not in either of its usual places. I mean, I did clean out the car so maybe I left it laying in the house. However, I knew I couldn’t get through the day without it.

As I drove back to the house, I was thinking about the wallet and realized that I didn’t recall seeing it all morning. But then, I wasn’t necessarily looking for it so maybe I just overlooked it. I get back to the house, and again, I look in the two usual spots and no wallet to be found. I don’t know how long I wasted looking around for it. Then it hit me. Out to the Rocket I went and sure enough – at some point in the process – I had decided to put it up in the compartment in the dash.

I’ll be honest. It was at that point I gave up. Whatever I thought my day was going to be, it obviously was not. At this point, Wednesday is once upon ago. I can’t really tell you anything about that day.

Though, I can tell you one more interesting thing about Tuesday night. There was an extra gathering at The Meeting Place on Tuesday night. I do like to go for the purpose of support and encouragement. But I just wasn’t feeling it that night. Still, I got myself together to attend – mostly because Brother John was going also. He was the one that brought the meeting to my attention. So I thought it was respectful to show up.

I waled outside to put stuff in the car and get ready to go when I was just hit with something. There was such an energy in the air. It froze me in my place. It practically enveloped and absorbed me. Eventually, I was able to go back in and grab the video camera just to try to capture the moment. I ended up just being stuck outside for a while. I knew I wasn’t leaving.

As it turns out, I finally get back inside to find a message from Brother John that he wasn’t going to be able to make the gathering.

Interesting.

Come Thursday morning I was more than pumped up to get back to work. I had a lot of funds to make. That list kept growing. Several – what I would call challenges – were added to my list along the way. First, I was to just get to the store and buy whatever it was I needed. No cutting back. No skimping. No worrying. Second, I had a performance at The College that I was instructed to go see. Finally, 3 donations to be made.

As my week went on and I tried to meet all my goals, I stressed and worried about all of these things. I just kept pushing, trying to be sure I had it all covered in the end. I can’t say it went well but I can’t call it a struggle either. Little things happened to make it all seem to come together.

More than once in the last day or two, I had order on which I was tipped quite a bit more than what was originally quoted. The Rox got me my ticket for the show. Things just fell into place. In the end, I think I actually finished at about -$20. That may not sound like a win or an accomplishment, but I’ll own it. It was certainly better than I had seen it ending. Plus, I ended up getting a tank of gas that I wasn’t budgeted for.

It may not seem like much and it may not all make sense, but I must say that this week was very transformative for me. All these little things falling into place and coming together. None of it was the way I planned but all of it went so perfectly.

Looking forward, I have a few markers. Tomorrow is one, obviously. It is Samhain. It is my 25th anniversary and I will be spending time with The Princesses. After that it is basically every 2 weeks for a while. [Well except the first time.] Next week is the Full Moon and I am going to be focusing on things that day. Then the new moon comes on Thanksgiving Eve, which is perfect because I am trying to spend that night with The Princesses. Then two weeks to the next Full Moon. The final marker I have now is Christmas Eve. The New Moon is actually the day before. But I will not be taking that one off because I will be taking off on Christmas Day.

I do not know what is in store for WTML at the moment. As I have pointed out, this concludes one season – one cycle of storytelling. I have honestly been experiencing a bit of trouble in keeping up lately. Also, I have some side projects – such as video – that need to be put together and posted. So, for now, we will just see.

And that is how I feel about everything at the moment. We will just see. We will just see where I come to settle for the winter. We will just see how I manage the work ahead of me and grow the income. We will just see what it is The Universe has in store.

Another season over and a new one just begun.

If you’re not already there, go to the Welcome to my Life Facebook page – WTML. Or the YouTube channel – WelcomeToMyLife08. You can also find me on Facebook under Rev. Matt.

Wherever you are and whenever you are – Like, Comment, and Share – we’re on a Journey and it takes you to get there.

So, without hesitation, for now and for always, from here in Geistopia, this is your beloved Rev…

WALT: And Walt…

DOC: Unt Doc…

JOHNNY: Aaaaand Johnny…

And those guys, saying, “Stay Tuned-In, Fellow Travelers,” and wishing you Peace, Love, Light…

WALT: And Freakishness, Baby.

The Totems & Archetypes

**from Ted Andrews’ Animal Speak**

I don’t have Totems this week. Not because they weren’t there but because I just can’t recall. The week was so intense and everything is just a blur.