Damn, I can’t believe we are moving again, downsizing even further.

The upside is that we are both very excited about traveling until we are “full,” so this smaller apartment will be used as a home-base. Then we will buy our perfect-for-us  motor-home, and we’ve already planned our First Big Trip. But I’ll save the details as a surprise for later.

My wrist has healed well enough to begin packing, (double-damn) and as I was going through paperwork and notebooks I came across a letter from a very dear friend written on the occasion of my short-lived transition into real estate eleven years ago.  Her words ring more true today than they did then:

“…in the salon you had instant gratification, instant money, and instant affirmations of your worth on a daily basis. What you will not have now are the daily affirmations as your projects will be longer term. You will have to replace client’s affirmations and kudos by affirming yourself. Give yourself pats on the back daily, for the qualities that brought you success as a hairstylist will also bring you success in your new career.”

I highly recommend that everyone give themselves pats on the back daily. Since retiring, sitting at my computer every day, I’d be lying if I didn’t say it got rather lonely. I’m a people-person, and this was the first time in my entire life I hadn’t been around people all day. With good instructions, and inspiration from successful writers, I’ve developed a new set of skills, and they light me up when I sit down to write. End result: my book Sick and Tired & Sexy, Living Beautifully with Chronic Illness will be available in just a couple of weeks!

I believe what Tom Robbins said at the end of Another Roadside Attraction, “It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.”  I already had one very happy childhood, but being a writer, living in my own boxcar (I was way ahead of this trend)  and having cowboy adventures was what I dreamed of back then. Now I am realizing all of my childhood dreams. Second childhood, indeed.

I urge you to dig out that childhood dream of yours, dust it off, and see if you can breathe some life back into it. Maybe just an updated, sexier version of it.

XO Donna