Day ONE
Will Smith smacked Chris Rock in the face on Sunday at the Oscars. I saw it on Twitter the next day. And I was like, I need someone to smack me in the face to wake me up and get me to fix my life! (Okay, not literally, but you know what I mean!)
Beyond needing a smack, my life is not bad. I have SO much to be grateful for--- no, not an Academy Award, or a Grammy Award, or a sugar daddy, or a healthy/stable bank account, or property ownership, or a record deal, or travel plans, or a nice car, or, or, or.....
BUT, I am healthy-- I have brilliant children--I have beautiful animals--I have a roof over my head (at least today though rent is so expensive)--I have talents from the man up above-- I have family members who love me-- I have incredible friends--I have wonderful students--I have amazing fans--I have a guitar (or two)-- I have exciting projects to work on--and I have my anger and imagination to fuel me, constantly!
So what's wrong? Can I still say EVERYTHING?! Yes, that's exaggerating. Okay. I know. And I know it's "okay" to be unhappy with things even though I have so much-- I do feel guilty complaining when I think of the poverty in our own back yard, the terror in Ukraine, the plight of so many people to survive. I am really worried about all of that too! But the point is, I want to do more with my life so I can HELP others more! I'm tired of feeling so limited by things, particularly, finances!
I am not looking to be political here, so if you are into that, this blog will disappoint you....I am simply looking at how I can FIX my life-- make my life as successful as it can be-- SO I can be more capable of HELPING others as much as possible-- What can I do to be a better person, a better producer of art, a better mom, a better friend, more financially stable, more focused on my goals, and ultimately more generous -- able to GIVE to causes I believe in?
That's what this blog will be about! Making myself better in my effort to do better for the world. And if my journey can help you, perhaps I'm already making a difference.
I'll be sharing current and past struggles here to offer my experience, insights, successes, and failures (other times I've been smacked!)....and probably, I'll be sharing feelings and complaints-- sometimes just knowing someone else feels as we do does make all the difference. (Note: If you are looking to follow more of my artistic journey-- writing/songwriting/illustrating- please visit my Patreon! )
Today's Struggle: Today, I'm struggling to manipulate my money to take my pug, Hugo, to the vet for a UTI. He just had dental surgery which has me strapped! Apparently UTI's are a side effect of surgery. Ugh! And the current state of the economy has ruined so many money making opportunities, and Geez! We all know that just gas and groceries alone are killing everyone's budget. We are ALL feeling it! But my savings are gone. And I did have savings prior to January of this year. Sigh...
And this has me angry! So first, in order to be better for the world, I NEED TO FIX MY LIFE. I'll be seeking help!! No, I am not begging for money-- I'm looking at (and hopefully sharing) resources to make more money; I'll be exploring and trying out budgeting skills; I'll be looking at organizing my home and my mind in order to simplify my world so I can focus! And always, I'll be creating art because at least for me, art comes from pain! I know this is a one step at a time type of process to fix my life, despite wanting it all fixed IMMEDIATELY, so I'm trying to embrace the adventure positively with this blog (and soon to be Vlog)!
FIRST, I need to fix this feeling of instability - the feeling the bottom could drop out at any time. If you're still reading this, you likely know or currently feel that feeling too. Maybe in sharing my own journey, I can help you too, and together, we can figure this life stuff out.
I'll end here today with my favorite Martin Luther King, Jr. quote that I hope inspires you as it always has me:
"If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward."
I hope you'll subscribe to follow this journey! I'll be posting at least weekly on Tuesdays, maybe more often. And here's my Link Tree so you can find and follow other things I am doing.
Cheers,
Jeannie
Quick Aside: "The Smack":
Despite my initial romantic reaction that Will Smith was acting chivalrously, I don't condone what Will Smith did. I wish his logical brain had allowed him to use that fierce emotional side to more craftily smack Chris Rock with words. (Stop, think, breathe-- always a good strategy when feeling such rage.) Chris Rock, like most comedians, makes fun of everything and everyone because that's what comedians are supposed to do: Use humor to help us understand, heal, appreciate, grieve, oh, and laugh! etc. etc. I will say, I fear for the life of humor in our current era. And being the jaded, skeptical soul that I am, I'm still not even sure the smack was real- both Chris and Will are getting tons of media attention and the Oscars are still in the news days after the show. Hmmm, interesting.