Welcome to both of you! My first husband was and still is an alcoholic so I understand the pain. Have you tried AlAnon?

Arizona...my old stomping grounds. I was pretty much raised in Prescott and Phoenix. My three oldest kids still live in AZ.

Hi Dotsie! Yes, you are definitely accomplishing your mission. As I read through the forum, it's easy to see that, in spite our many different walks of life, we all have so much in common. It's great to have a place to go when you need to pour your heart out without being judged. Many of us are trying to balance so many responsibilities, often in the midst of difficult circumstances. Sometimes, we just need to vent, or we need to hear from someone else, "Hey, hang in there babe, you're gonna make it." I think women definitely understand that about each other.

Hello gerrbeck. I am sure that you will find many interesting topics to explore. Looking forward to learning more online.

Wow! Hello Jenny and Gerri...welcome...ya'll sneaked in on me. I know you'll love it here!

gerrbeck, yup, boomer women are certainly multi-taskers. We're holding lots of balls in the air.

Okay... I'm dredging up this line of conversation again.... and I'm pretty sure I won't drift away again. I've got a little more time on my hands now since I left my job.

So.. the redefining... I don't know that I'm necessarily re-defining, but I'm letting things in my life change their position of importance maybe. There's definately a shift. When I was younger I knew I needed to work for many reasons. I needed to be the bread winner... and I still do, but when I was younger I was probably less confident in myself and thus, felt like I could only do what was defined FOR me, and then I let it define me. Now that I'm way older, I'm trying to let things that I'm passionate about define me, and guide me into areas that I know that I've loved, but was too afraid to put much weight on it. I didn't think those things could carry me. Now... I just want to try - because if I don't try, I will always wonder.

I mean, really, why CAN'T I be sustained, mentally, physically, and emotionally, and on some level spiritually, by doing the things I love? Certainly my God would love that for me, right?

That's my story, and I'm stickin to it.

Kate

Redefining Kate...
think what you liked doing age 8..
was it creative...in an eight years old way.
I believe we return to what our passion was.Of course its easy when the art materials are there in the household.Were there paints etc at home or school.
I use the word
Reconstructing where you say redefining. Just because it was used at a class I took.
Then we can add on...choose what we want to bring into our lives.
what do you think.?
Mountain ash

Well, hmmm, I don't know about 'reconstructing' for ME... and I guess I don't even know that much about redefining... I guess I'm just taking the same stuff I had and shuffling it.

Yes! I had paints when I was growing up. But not because anyone else did anything creative in my immediate household. I do remember this older couple that lived in the apartments we did, gave me this 100 color watercolor set for Christmas one year. I don't remember having another Christmas like that one. It was the year I was nine years old and I got the cardboard, fold-out Barbie doll house... I think it was the first year that Mattel ever made one, and my mom had worked her fingers to the bone sewing a complete wardrobe of Barbie clothes that were tiny and perfect.... and except for my alcoholic step-father, my life was near perfect. I could paint, play with my Barbie's, or play canasta with some other old neighbors in the building.

Mr. and Mrs. Postell, I think they were in their 60s then... they loved me. They thought I was irrevrant. Ha. They had NO idea that that might come to be my calling card of sorts.

So, yes, after all of that little bit of rambling ...I completely agree with you, I believe we go back to what gifts were intrinsically given to us. I don't usually even like to muddy it up by going to classes to define it for me.... somewhere along the line I've gotten a very heavy "go with your gut" message... I think from God... and I'm only stepping out in more faith now.

So what do YOU think?

Kate

Miss Merry~

Yep, life has evened out now. Some of my worst fears came upon me, and whaddya know, I survived, and learned and am the better for it. I've even learned not to be afraid of some of the scary stuff life throws at you because once you ride through some of those things, you come out with more confidence, even when you've gotten a complete ass whippin.

So... off with the structured job and on with the complete fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants mode of life. I've been working on my potting wheel for a while now, I'm glazing like mad, and plan on doing some local shows, and putting my things up on Etsy to sell. I'm trying to keep the basic pots fairly inexpensive and then do some more intricate fine art pieces that may fetch a bit more.

Kept the husband, who turned out to be a winning horse, not one I was going to have to shoot after all. LOVED my job at The Bee, but left when they started to downsize and I was offered a severance and a crack at the free money of unemployment. So now, I've just arranged to swap time worked in the classroom (at my junior college, ceramics studio) for kiln space and access to stains and glazes and the crack at creating my own glaze recipes. I just talked to my art professor this morning and he must be like other teachers... when a student loves what you're teaching, glom onto them!) I start next week. I cannot wait.

I want to make a living doing this.... like a for real living, wages, plus health and life insurance...that's what I want, so now I have to see if I can do it. So if you have tips, or things to sidestep....TELL ME!

And tell me what's been going on with you!

Kate
www.dreamrkate.com