Today I am thankful for home.
I visit my hometown twice a month.
Whenever I am there, I usually wind up talking to homeless people. They basically live in the courtyard of my first hypnosis practice.
When I was a teenager, my former office was a pharmacy. My first boyfriend and I would hang out in the area. We'd buy each other soda and coffee. He bought me stuffed animals and cards at the pharmacy.
When I had the chance to get an office there, I jumped all over it. My office used to be the place the pharmacist filled prescriptions. I still had the sliding window that had been there all those years!
My intention was to keep that office and rent an apartment across the street. I did not intend to get the house in the divorce.
When my in-laws started stalking me at the office and hassling the other tenants, I gave up my dream office.
It was lovely. We had leather furniture and jazz motifs.
It was perfect.
There was a rabble rousing lawyer across the street. He'd pick on the TSA in the press.
There was a Pagan shop one block away.
There is an acoustic guitar shop around the corner. There is a gun shop. Live music plays on the weekends.
It's home.
My cousin and his wife owned the dress shop next door. I'd watch my uncle faint when he would catch a glimpse of me through the window.
I look exactly like his long-lost sister. She died when I was a child.
Once in a while, I'd hear him say......Carol.
That was her name. I grew up to look just like her.
He'd say my name as I'd rush outside to steady his walk.
I miss those days.
Those were days before the homeless crisis....before the little church across the street took in the people who were priced out of their apartments.
I have a lot of respect for that congregation. They took in the homeless BEFORE they got approval from the City Council.
I'm proud of the people in my hometown. They're so down to earth. We are to do the right thing and bow to the higher authority before bowing to the government. I'm pretty sure that's where I learned to challenge authority!
Don't get me started on the Bible and Romans. That chapter basically states that we are to cow down to the government because God put them in power. Yeah....right.....I'm pretty sure ancient government officials wrote that chapter and inserted it into the Bible to justify their control.
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My cousin died three years ago. He ran for city council the same year I ran for mayor.
He was a statist. A statist is someone who thinks that people should bow to the government.
His heart was in the right place -but- you can't fight for freedom by taking away the rights of private property holders. His cronies wanted my landlord to gut our offices and put in a restaurant. We would have to find other digs during the construction process. When she balked because she'd lose revenue, they had code enforcement ticket her for having a rip in a curtain.
That pissed me off.
I love freedom. I think the government is too bossy and impinges upon freedom by over-regulation and threatening small businesses who don't follow their dictates (e.g. gut your offices and put in a restaurant or else we'll fine ya.....geesh!)
We didn't agree.
He was 35 when he died. He died of skin cancer.
It's not fair.
He was adopted. We would joke that he was the best looking member of our family because he was adopted.
His four children are gorgeous! Yes, he adopted two of them. They're family.
They were too young to lose their father.
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I received a call today from an aunt.
Rumor had it that I'd been fired.
I wasn't fired. My company couldn't afford to do business in Denver and sold the outfit to a company in another state. They moved my job to an area near Wyoming and cut the pay drastically.
I'm still working, just not as much as I like to work.
I was offered a job today. I don't want it. It's door to door sales for a construction company. They're sure I'll do well. I balked when I was told they wanted to hire me because of my appearance.
Um.....maybe they didn't see me close up. I don't always look like this. In fact, today I'm not wearing foundation.
I'm wearing spackle.
It fills in the wrinkles.
I have days where my make-up smears and I'm bloated.
I don't like how I look. I certainly don't want to get a job based on my appearance.
Ugh..... I know younger women who are prettier. These younger women are experienced in selling construction services. I'm going to send them to this company.
My aunt and I spoke about other job opportunities I have.
I told her that I was offered a chance to interview for a job working with the homeless. My pay would be dependent upon tax dollars and, as a libertarian, this offended my sensibilities.
I've always had the ability to talk to the homeless. I think it goes back to spending time with them when I was a fearless teenager. Long story......I was too young to be on my own. I lived in a scary part of Denver. The homeless people looked out for me. I let them use my shower and gave them food.
Some of them would take the bus to visit me when I moved to the south side of town. They would visit the fourth of each month, after receiving their social security money.
The homeless and I had adventures, too. Maybe someday I'll write about those.
I told her what I found in my home town. That I go to the square to talk to the homeless and that the City Council in this city is out of touch. The City Council blame Denver and Aurora claiming that the homeless are refugees forced out of these two towns.
That's not what I hear when I talk to these people. When I talk to these folks, they've lived in Arvada a long time and were forced out due to rising rents.
I wanted to know what Justin would do.
It's his city.
My political adventures take place on the other side of town.
She didn't know.
Perhaps I could find inspiration if I meditated to a monument erected in Justin's honor.
She asked me if I saw Justin's clock.
What clock?
The clock in the square by my old office.
There is a clock in the square where the homeless people hang out?
I'm there quite a bit. I've never noticed a clock.
Apparently it's been there about a year.
I think I'm too engrossed in the conversations to pay attention to my surroundings.
I'm going to have to go home to pay my respects.
I just have to go at a time no one will guess -or- I could take an escort.
My stalkerish in-laws live a few blocks away from the area.
I always have to vary my routine, so I'm not discovered.
It's annoying.
I don't think it's over quite yet.
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I just got an email from my ex-husband.
He's been fired from his fourth job in 18 months.
That means....he'll have a lot more time on his hands.
Sigh....
I have no clue what to say.
I hope he's joking. It may be an excuse. He's not paying child support and I received a college tuition bill. I asked for some of the past due child support so I could pay it.
Maybe he just told me a story so I have to find an alternative to asking for his help.
I'll find a way to get the money. It was a surprise bill. It had to do with a financial aid mistake. It's just a little bit more than the amount I'm supposed to receive per month for child support.
I'll never see any of that. I should just let it go.
I should know better than to ask for his help. I've known the man over 25 years. He's not reliable.
It's up to me.
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In the end, we are the only ones responsible for our lives. We are the only ones we can hold accountable for making the world a better place.
May you be the change you want to see in the world.
If you're the praying type, pray for the homeless. Colorado lawmakers are criminalizing homelessness. In Denver, they can't sleep in public places (even in their cars). The only place they are untouchable in Denver is private property. Many of them are now squatting on private property so the cops don't beat and rob them.
We needed the right to rest law. People misunderstood it so it was voted down.
I've got to get money to send to the bill's author so he can clarify what he's trying to do and run the bill next year. This bill will keep homeless people from squatting on private property.
This politician will make a great governor. He's probably one of two Democrats I'll ever vote for.
If you know me, that's saying a lot!
There has to be an answer that protects the rights of private property owners and allow the use of public property by people who paid taxes once upon a time.
Love ya lots,
S.