The Doggy Diaries... gone to the dogs!

Thank You

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been so kind as to leave comments about the upcoming layoffs at my work. I really feel that your sympathy, and in at least one case, empathy, for the wildly swing emotions that I'm going through will send me the positive energy and good vibes I need to get through this. No, I have not been laid off. We won't hear until sometime in February which individuals will be feeling the sting of the pink slip. I am mentally and emotionally trying to prepare myself for the possibility that it could happen to me.

The strange thing is that I'm really not so worried about it anymore. I know this will probably sound a bit odd, and perhaps quite strange, but I have had a lot of things happen to me quite recently that have given me quite a different view on life.

** Warning: This is a very long blog post.

Coincidence #1 -- Beautiful Wedding Weather
The first strange thing that happened occurred on my wedding day. Prior to getting married, I had heard about the terrible weather going on in Kalispell, Montana where we were to get married. Travis and I were getting married outside, and we had absolutely no backup plans for inclement weather. I had asked on my blog for my readers to please send a kind thought and positive energy -- good juju, as I call it -- my way to bring me a beautiful wedding day. And you know what? My wedding day was spectacularly beautiful. It had been raining for almost three straight weeks up until our wedding; then, miraculously, the rain stopped two days before the ceremony. Although it wasn't very warm those two days, it was enough to dry up the land, and the field we were married in was beautiful, dry and full of fresh, green grass. Then, to top it all, the day of our wedding had the best weather of the entire two weeks we stayed in Montana. There was not a cloud in the sky, the sun shone with a brilliance that is hard to describe, it was warm -- 76 degrees -- and there was a light breeze in the air. In a word, the day was PERFECT.

I can only attribute such a wonderfully memorable wedding day to all of you who took the time to say a prayer, send good thoughts, encourage me, etc. I know it was you who did it.

Coincidence #2 -- Relaxing Christmas Vacation
The next series of events happened while on Christmas vacation. I had two weeks off work. The first week, Travis still had to work, so I was at home by myself. The weather was beautiful, and I found myself happy and looking forward to getting out of bed in the morning for the first time in years. I cleaned the house, read books from the library, watched a lot of public television (they were airing the best shows because they were in the middle of their year-end pledge drive), and got a lot of tasks done that had been plaguing me for months. I was a real little housewife, baking bread, making homemade apple fritters and pudding for my husband because I know he loves them. I felt a tremendous sense of peace and began to reconnect to the parts of me that I've had to ignore because I'm a working woman and can't do those things unless I'm on vacation. I just really began to feel a sense of contributing, of doing something for our little family that I would love to do on a regular basis but don't normally have the time to do.

Travis had the last week of vacation off with me. We also had our best friend here visiting from Montana. Bob is always doing whatever he can to help Travis and I take positive action that will bring us one step closer to realizing our dreams. During the three weeks that Bob stayed with us, we had quite a few deep conversations; one such conversation actually had us using a computer spreadsheet to calculate the financials required to leave California. To our surprise, we are not as far away from that goal as we had originally thought. But sometimes, it takes another person to help you see things from a different perspective. Bob helped us to look at our dilemma from a different angle, and using a big of creativity, we found that it might actually be possible for us to be out of here by the year's end.

Coincidence #3 -- Public Television and Library Books
As I mentioned before, I spent a lot of time during my Christmas vacation reading books from the library and watching public television. One of the shows I watched was called The Power of Intention. I was so struck with the show, that I checked out the audio book from the library. It was four CDs in all, and I listened to them all two times in a row, really letting the message sink in.

Part of the message was about approaching life from a positive outlook, believing/knowing that you are part of something much larger and trusting that your life will take on the shape you want for it, if only you are willing to take the steps to connect/reconnect to the larger source from which you come. Now, for those of you who are deeply religious, this may sound "new age," but I can assure you that it's not about creating your own religion. The author fully believes in the presence of God, and when he talks about the source, he is speaking about God. He goes on to say that those who are connected to the source have the full power of intention at their disposal, and that the source is always there to give you whatever you need/want, if only you will take it.

While at the library, I also picked up a book called The Circle. Ironically, the main theme of this book is very, very similar to that in The Power of Intention. Each book has a different author's take on the subject of using universal energy to improve your life and reach your dreams, but they both delivered the same basic message.

Not one day after listening to the first CD of The Power of Intention, I heard about the stock trading software that I'm currently learning to use. The intense passion I feel, the drive and motivation that I have to learn the software and be very good at it is a clue to me that I am going to be successful. It has been a long time since I've felt this drive, conviction, and passion for something. But every time I've experienced these feelings, I've done very well which leads me to believe that I am to be good at this.

So in all, there have been what seem to be a lot of related coincidences in my life that are pointing me in a particular direction. Call me or think me crazy if you wish, but I honestly believe that I am being told that my life path is moving in the direction of being a work-for-myself stock trader, which will allow me to quit the job that brings me only money but no pride or respect for myself. Furthermore, by being a work-for-myself stock trader, I can trade from anywhere, which means that there is one less thing to worry about when we move -- at least one of us will have an income which takes less stress and pressure off us as compared to both of us looking for work. It all just seems too coincidental to me that I would learn about this new opportunity, have a passion and drive for it, and then discover two or three weeks later that some people at my work will be laid off. During this same time, I am reconnecting with my spiritual side, and developing a more positive attitude towards life. I can honestly say that I am becoming a happier individual. So, call me nuts if you want, but I am going to seize this opportunity with all that I can. If I am laid off, I plan on seeing it as just one more sign that a new side of my life is being unveiled to me. As the saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens. I can see the next door is already slightly ajar, and I plan on sticking my foot into it to hold it open until I'm fully ready to make the transition (or I'm forced to do so by at the hands of a lay-off).

Well, it looks like I've written what amounts to a short story. If you've made it this far, I thank you for presence. I also welcome any comments, suggestions, and advice you might offer.