Plan, Finally a Plan

I have not been reading blogs, even on my reader, and that is so out of character for me. Why have I not?

As an introvert, I need to go inward occasionally to regroup and reenergize. Often I can do it while still blogging by writing poem after poem after poem. But this time, I had too much else occupying my mind and time to allow myself that opportunity, I wrote a few poems on MeeAugraphie, but not enough to allow my mind to quiet and reenergize, especially with all the everyday life decisions bouncing around my already complicated mind.

• We needed (and still do need) to find a new place to live sooner than later and that has become a harder decision than it probably should be because of other factors involved, but it just became a tad easier. Key word is “tad”.
• We needed to decide on an alternative full time or part time job for Leon should Florida be lucky enough to go another year without a Hurricane or damaging Tropical Storm. Since he is a Florida Public Adjuster who works primarily Catastrophe claims, he has to have a way to earn additional money if there are not enough small claims to feed us. Now, I/we refuse, absolutely refuse, to hope for a hurricane or any other kind of catastrophe so we can make money. Refuse.

Although it is most likely inevitable one day there WILL be a catastrophe somewhere, there is enough negative energy floating around without our wanting or planning on one. So, we are both hoping (for all of us) there won’t be a storm — and — assuming there will be none. Based on that assumption, we needed a new plan to hopefully keep us off our son’s doorstep.

And that is where much of our energy has been directed. We were struggling to come up with other opportunities (besides his former career) that Leon could do well and I could still assist him in, yet make enough to live on. Last night, after weeks of nothing, we realized that an idea Leon had twenty years ago was the right idea for our future career, should their be no new storms and he feels the need for a change.

I spent the morning writing down a long (LOL) list of strengths/skills we each have to work with and a quick list of readily available entrepreneurship guidance at free or low cost:

• SCORE: free counselors who are available both by email and in person, paid seminars, low cost pubication
• our CPA, who is one who actually listens to what we are saying and responds
• classes at community college and schools
• and, of course, the internet and other human beings

And, last, but by no means least, we are in the process of better organizing our schedules so Leon can make a voice over tape and an audition tape (film) and get back into acting later in the year, whether paid or on the community stage. For Leon, acting is acting, wherever it is, for free or not. He misses it terribly: it was not only fun, filled with personal satisfaction, and interesting or fun people, but he had more energy when he acted than any other time in his life. He is an extrovert and that was his way of reenergizing.

So, though we have not made a final decision on where or in what to live and we will have many more frustrating days to face, we have a firm grasp on a business idea, and we had to do that to clarify the in what and for how long issue of living where. (I loved writing that last phrase, was actually fun. Yes, I’m amused easily, when I allow myself.)

I’ve listed our combined skills, sources of support, classes desired, and started a draft of a business plan. I have also created the beginning of a plan for Leon to tweak to get him back on the stage eventually.

Lots of work ahead, but it is work we will both be only too happy to do. The journey is the key, not the end results, we both agree on that, and whether we stray from the plan or not, having it has both calmed and energized us!

You know what that means, don’t you? No, not that! It means I can now relax and both work on my blogs and read and comment on yours again, at least a little bit while we are still house (?) hunting. You see, last night again, I had to slam my windows shut before any MORE cigar smoke wafted inside. (Too late, the headache had set in.) We have to move away from people who smoke in parking lots. Is there such a place?

I’m back out of myself and looking forward into seeing what y’all have been up to. I know it is something. And, I have memes to respond to, and that means memes sent on. A plan, I love plans. Do you?