The Good, the Bad and the Mess

What do you think of these?

Mess.

Clutter.

Dirt.

Advertising.

Achieving Your Dream

 

My aching liver, I exclaimed after receiving a newsletter from a Real Estate Agency with an article on How to Clean up Clutter. Everybody and their dog is writing about clutter and giving us advice on how to clean it up. Not my Peaches the Pink Party Poodle for Peace. She's in heaven talking about joy and fun, how it is with the other animals, and how she will kiss us when we get there. I will not write an article using guilt as a motivator. (If I do, come and smack me.)

Back to clutter. It prayed on my mind until last weekend when I finally cleaned the garage. At least I got it walk-throughable.

As I was driving to the dump with our junk, I thought that we have clutter in our homes, our computers, and our minds. And then I  paused, remembering something Wayne Dryer said, "You'll See It When You Believe it."

What? The point is that we react to what we see with our physical eyes and respond to that instead of how we want it to be. Horse trainer Pat Parelli said, "Watch what everyone else is doing and do the opposite."  

I know personal clutter is real, computer junk mail is real, computer hacks are real, and so are thoughts and how they affect our daily lives. And all require some action on our part.

So when Dryer said, "You'll see it when you believe it," I don't think he was saying that the garage will clean itself, but to place your thoughts on what you want instead of what is.

Please allow me to wax nostalgic and retell an old story. My best cleanup came when I had horses. (If you've heard this, close your ears for two seconds) Every morning two excited fillies came running to meet me. I held the grain containers on the one-log bar that made their gate and kissed the tops of their heads while they smacked and licked up the grain. After that, I pushed my hay-filled wheelbarrow under that log gate and scooted under with it. Both horses politely followed me to the barn, where I dumped their hay.

Our "barn" was a 12 x 24 feet three-sided metal and wood horse house. It had a light gravel base covered by rubber stall mats. It was an easy cleanup, yet people talk about mucking out barns—like with straw or wood shavings. No, put down rubber mats, and it's an easy scoop up, and presto, clean barn. My two mares were incredibly fastidious. They used one side for a bathroom. The other side, they kept clean. I then moved outside and cleaned the yard. I was doing what I wanted to do. I cleaned, and it was easy. The magic came from being with gentle, calming creatures. It was a meditative experience and set me up for the day. It didn't take long, I enjoyed it, and as people who have read me know, it was in that space that I got the hit to move to Hawaii.

That brings me to my next chapter. I got my dream. We moved to Hawaii, and as a result, I got a book published. The bad news is the book didn't sell well. The publisher thought I didn't promote it sufficiently—they didn't make any money off me and don't like me anymore. (How sad.)

Advertising oneself is another story—oh, it's called marketing. I like to show up and hope to find others of similar minds. But I know that's too simple. 

Steven Pressfield, who wrote "Put Your Ass where Your Heart Wants to Be," is now into The Wilderness. The wilderness is that place we wander before we find our true calling.
But I have found that finding your calling and making a living off it are two different things. You know the adage that if it was easy, everyone would do it.

I'm curious about your take on this subject.

A few readers have asked me how to make money on the internet. Well, kiddos, thanks for asking, and I'm honored that you think I might know, but you are barking up the wrong tree.

I'm a writer who would love to make a living writing but doesn't. Now I'm a fledgling Real Estate agent with no "sphere of influence regarding the buying and selling of homes." What am I doing?

I'm talking to you, that's what. For I believe you have a take on the subject.

Do you have any solutions you are willing to share? What are your hopes or wishes? Have you found your true calling, and how's it working? Do you feel sad or glad?

Maybe I have post-Covid kookiness.
Love,
Jo

https://dogblogbypeaches.blogspot.com

To contact me directly use travelswithjo@gmail.com

Book, The Frog's Song, see https://thefrogssong.com (For a moment of calm and peace listen to Israel "IZ" sing "Over the Rainbow."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm Clearing Off My Desk

Quick before I throw them away, the quotes on paper, not the flowers. The flowers are the reason I'm clearing my space. They were a Birthday gift from Daughter Darling.

 

 From Bill Murphy Jr.

”Want to know what my favorite kind of problem is? The kind that solves itself if you leave it alone.”

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From Kelsey McKinney:

“In case you haven’t heard, we’re in a recession. Actually we’re not, but we’ve spent the last year talking about how we will be, which has the effect of altering behavior as if we were. Even if you’ve come to terms with the fundamental irrationality of the stock market, it’s still difficult to fight the feeling that CEOs are willing this recession into existence to create a justifying narrative for layoffs. Not because they necessarily want to save money, or even redirect the company, but to press reset on what they view as out-of-control compensation packages and worker demands.”

 

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From Arwa Mahdawi, columnist for The Guardian US:

“Obviously I have no idea what the world is going to look like in a decade. But here’s one prediction I feel very confident making: without a free and fearless press the future will be bleak. Without independent journalism, democracy is doomed. Without journalists who hold power to account, the future will be entirely shaped by the whims and wants of the 1%.

A lot of the 1% are not big fans of the Guardian, by the way. Donald Trump once praised a Montana congressman who body-slammed a Guardian reporter. Musk, meanwhile, has described the Guardian as “the most insufferable newspaper on planet Earth.” I’m not sure there is any greater compliment.

“I am proud to write for the Guardian. …Only with your help can we continue to get on Elon Musk’s nerves.

 

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 From Anne Helen Petersen:

 This round of layoffs in particular feels clear that this isn't about a recession or profit or even worker quality. It's about fear induction. Lay off a bunch of people, and you grab a bit of power back out of the fear among the remaining. It is easier to exploit them.

 

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 From Betty White—aka Rose from The Golden Girls.

“You know what they say: You can lead a herring to water, but you have to walk really fast or he’ll die.”
— Rose (Betty White)

 

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From our website https:vibrancerealestate.com

A Gathering of Flamingos is Called A Flamboyance

“If you called us the Pink Flamingos, could we also be called a Flamboyance? I suppose not, as we are only two.

“However, we liked the outrageous aspect of a Pink Flamingo in the yard, so in honor of a Flamboyance, and lawn ornaments we named the Brokerage Vibrance.

“We have a long history and love of houses which dropped us into being Real Estate agents. (Called Brokers in Oregon.) I know, it's confusing.

“We're here to attempt to help you unravel some complexities that come with buying and selling houses. And with Pink, add a little fun into the mix.”