I arose on a cold winter day and walked in the warmth of the sunshine and falling snow.
On the day before my birthday, this part of Richmond, Virginia got a nice dumping of soft, powdery snow. Obviously, it was my dream come true. My spirit lifted and I felt young again which inevitably led me to think about my daughter’s wish a few years ago.
“Mom, let’s move. Please let’s move. I want to live in Colorado and you love snow or maybe we could move to Utah.”
My response was, “Alyssa, I have to support us and I have a really good job. I can’t just leave it because I have a future there that will help me support myself through old age.”
As I stood in the silence with the snow falling around me, I realized that I relied on my “good job” to get me through “old age” and gave up the opportunity to pack up for a move to a snowy western state. Since I was just laid off from my “good job” and still haven’t found another one, I wonder why I am supposed to be in Richmond, Virginia. Of course, my family lives here and that is a good reason, but is that the only reason?
A birthday is the first day of the consecutive 365 day period set aside to keep track of the time spent living at your fullest potential…for the rest of your life.
Last year on my birthday I went all out because it was one of those monumental ages. Yeah, it was the big 50th birthday. It was the best birthday filled with a vacation day off of work and total pampering. I went to bed in exhausted happiness.
This year I am not shooting fireworks. The day has come in more softly and contemplative probably due in a large part to the snow yesterday and my unemployed state.
One of the most life changing events happened to me this year…I was “healed” of the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that has plagued me since May 18, 2010. From May 18,2010 through October 21, 2013 is a total of 1252 days or 178 Weeks, 6 Days or 30048 hours. I think the clearest and most accurate way of measuring how long I suffered, and I did suffer, from the effects of PTSD is to measure it by how I had to live most of the time – by the minute. So there has been 1,802,880 minutes of my life spent suffering and trying to cope with PTSD in a manner that would get me “cured” and able to live a normal life again. One million, eight hundred and two thousand, eight hundred and eighty minutes of struggling.
Another very life changing event also happened to me this year…I was laid off of my job. It was such a shock. Such a terrible, terrible shock and I was not prepared for it at all. My time is now spent looking for an equitable job that can utilize at least a portion of my skills to the betterment of the business and society. Nothing has happened yet, so I guess that is going to be one of the adventures of the coming year.
What does the future offer me and where am I going to end up? I don’t know.
When it had just stopped snowing yesterday, I took a short two minute video. I was up early and drove around taking lots of pictures. When I got to a dead end, instead of immediately turning around, I stopped the car, leaped out and videoed all the way around me with the radio blasting through the open car door. While looking at the video this morning, I thought the song had some very appropriate lines of lyrics for some of my thoughts today.
What’s the greatest chapter in your book?
Are there pages where it hurts to look?
What’s the one regret you can’t work through?
I hope the next year will hold many exciting chapters in my book of life with very few hurts and regrets.
I didn’t intend to share it, but I hope you enjoy the view of my snow. The song had to be deleted because of copyright stuff, but I’ve attached the lyrics to the whole song below.
Mine Would Be You Lyrics
What’s your all time high, your good as it gets?
Your hands down best ever make-up sex?
What’s your guilty pleasure, your old go to?
Well if you ask me, mine would be youWhat’s your worst hangover, your best night yet?
Your 90 proof, your Marlboro Red?
The best damn thing you lucked in to
That’s easy girl, mine would be youMine would be you
Sun keeps shinin’, back road flyin’
Singing like crazy fools
Makin’ up our own words
Laughin’ ’til it hurts
Baby, if I had to choose
My best day ever
My finest hour, my wildest dream come true
Mine would be youWhat’s your double dare, your go all in?
The craziest thing you ever did?
Plain as your name in this tattoo
Look on my arm, mine would be youMine would be you
Sun keeps shinin’, back road flyin’
Singing like crazy fools
Makin’ up our own words
Laughin’ ’til it hurts
Baby, if I had to choose
My best day ever
My finest hour, my wildest dream come true
Mine would be youWhat’s the greatest chapter in your book?
Are there pages where it hurts to look?
What’s the one regret you can’t work through?
You got it baby, mine would be you
Yeah you got it baby, mine would be youMine would be you
Taillights fadin’
Daylight breakin’
Standin’ there like a fool
When I should’ve been runnin’
Yellin’ out somethin’
To make you wanna hold onto
The best love ever
Girl, can you tell me
The one thing you’d rather die than lose?
Cause mine would be you
Mine would be youSung by Blake Shelton
Songwriters Deric Ruttan, Connie Harrington, Jessie Leigh Alexander
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., EMI Music Publishing
An unbirthday is any of the days that is not your birthday. It was started by Lewis Carroll in his Through the Looking-Glass which started “The Unbirthday Song” found in the 1951 Disney movie, Alice in Wonderland.
So for those of you who do not celebrate your birthday on January 17th, Happy UnBirthday to you all!!!
Thank you all for the well wishes for my birthday on Twitter, Facebook, in emails and by visiting my blog to read this post.
{{{hugsss}}} and redhead kisses to you all!
Hey Riter! Have a great Birthday and an even better year. You seem to be doing just fine, so keep on keeping on. Believe me, the better years are coming!
Skip
Thank you so much!!! {{{hugsss}}}
What’s the greatest chapter in your book? Well, they all would be great chapters if you wrote your book! 🙂
You wrote, “What does the future offer me and where am I going to end up? I don’t know.” Sherry, the future could REALLY open up for you if you wrote your book? Why you could end up a bestselling author!” 🙂
Think about it, Sherry. Your book a bestseller on The New York Times Best-Seller Lists! 🙂
Are you thinking about that? 🙂
I’m thinking about it! 🙂
In fact, I’m thinking about both our books being bestsellers on The New York Times Best-Seller Lists! 🙂
But I’m more than thinking about it. I’m working on my memoir A Bad Marriage Is Fattening right now. I’m going have it finished this year!
Is your book going to be written this year? (Nothing like putting a little pressure on you. LOL) 🙂
My book will get finished as long as I find a new job. 😀
But sometimes pressure is a good motivator. It gets one moving! 🙂
Sometimes.
Let’s see what else might get you motivated to write your book? Oh, I know. The thought of going to your grave with your book still unwritten inside of you.
I can visualize it now. You arrive at the pearly gates of heaven and God says, “Well, if it isn’t The Redhead Riter. Tell me, Red, did you accomplish everything you wanted to accomplish in your time on earth?”
“Well, not exactly everything,” you will answer.
“Tell me what you didn’t accomplish.”
“I didn’t write my book,” you will answer.
“What? You didn’t write your book? You must return back to earth and write your book.”
“But I’m dead,” you will say.
God turns to one of his angels and instructs the angel to accompany you back to earth. Then God gives you strict instructions. “Redhead Riter, you are not to return to the gates of heaven until you have written your book!”
WOW, REDHEAD RITER! You might be the one person in the world who will live forever. 🙂
Ha! Joan! I am NOT going to take forever to write the book! 😛
But why talk about death when today is your birthday and a day to celebrate you! 🙂
LOL yeah! LOL
Actually, it’s a day to celebrate your beautiful and talented mother, Teresa, who gave birth to you! (I always think birthdays should be a day to celebrate our mothers who gave birth to us.)
HAPPY BIRTH DAY, TERESA! 🙂
Yep! She worked hard to get me here 😀
Happy Birthday to my favorite Redhead! I hope your future holds a rewarding position getting paid to write. You are so good at it. 🙂
Thank you so much Teresha {{{hugsss}}}
Do I have to celebrate your father too? Well, he did have something to do with it. 😉
Verrrrrry little to do with it! 😛
And last, but not least, I celebrate you, Redhead Riter!
Happy Birthday, dear Sherry!
If dreams were wishes, I would wish everything good that life has to offer to happen to you. Good health, love, happiness, a new job and success – but most of all I wish to see your book topping The New York Times Best-Seller Lists! 🙂
Thank you so much Joan. 😀 I hope my book does hit The New York Times Best-Seller Lists. That would surely be a dream come true. 😀
Happy birthday Sherry, (((HUGS))) times ten.
{{{hugsss}}} Thank you so much Philip!!! 😀
Dear Sherry Riter, Have a blessed birthday! Your video is magical, even without a sound track. I too live in the snowy East. Although likely no consolation, I have been placed on layoff at least three times in my career; and have had to be the bad guy in HR that places people on layoff. ‘Not a picnic in either event. I would encourage you to join Linkedin (the free version) and network there for employment opportunities. DM me on Twitter @RobC_Johnson and I will gladly assist you in your search. Peace and blessings.
Thank you so much Robert. I will connect with you soon! I do have a LinkedIn page 😀