The ending of a bad week for the country and a good weekend for me

The  past two days have been busy but fun. I worked at our booth at the Festival on the Square in Hayesville Saturday and Sunday. 

I wish I understood why I can sit for hours talking to strangers and meeting new people with no pain in my back or my feet or anywhere although my doctor tells me not to  sit for more than an hour at the time. I thrive on meeting and talking with people. If anyone is a People-Person, I guess I am. It is a  joy for me to discuss writing and get to know individuals who are interested in writing and in books. 

Joan Gage took the major part of the work off me this year. She and her husband Rob set up the tent,  the tables and brought all of it back to my house today when the festival closed.

It was a special joy to help a woman who recently lost her husband, buy a book on widowhood that will help her deal with her grief. It is On Our Own, Widowhood for Smarties, and I have two poems in it. She came by today and told me she had been reading the book. 

I got a kick out of selling a couple of books for someone who sat there and basked in the buyers' appreciation of  the author's military service. 

Marsha Barnes surprised me with her beautiful children's book, but more so with her sales ability. She  told me she worked on the floor selling furniture at one time. Then  I understood.

If I  did nothing else this weekend, I hope I helped the  other writers see that  it is not hard to invite passersby to come in and sign up for a free book, then open a  conversation with  them. The purpose is not to sell them a book, but to engage them in conversation, and if they seem interested in the books, talk about the books. Most of the time, the passersby will  take a book with them when they leave.

Dispensing information about our writing group and making our literature available for those who might want to know more was our goal this weekend and we did that. Would-be writers  now know where to go for classes and for more information from professionals who are willing to help them.

This week I'll teach a poetry class, promote classes by others who will teach at my Writers Circle studio, and  hopefully find time to  swim a couple of times. I hope to go to  a critique group and have lunch with a friend. This week will be full and will pass too soon as all the days of my life seem to  do now. 

I will try not to  listen to the news because I can't fix anything and worrying about it makes me ill. I will live my life in a way that I hope is an example to those who fail to see that divisiveness could be the downfall of  our country. Reaching  out to  help others in whatever way you can might seem a small thing, but when we all do that, it is a large thing. 

Have a good week, my friends. 

Something for my Gratitude Journal

Tonight I am grateful and must show my appreciation for a man who has worked all week around my house.  

This week the rain held off for a few days. My friend and handyman, John, had time to come and take care of all the things on my “to do” list. I told him he is worth his weight in gold. I can’t pay him what he is worth, however, but I know his bill will be reasonable. Since my husband passed away in 2009, John has been the person I turn to for help when I can’t do it myself. He is good at so many things, but I appreciate that he will clean my deck from top to bottom and take the time to find a non-toxic cleaner that won’t trigger my asthma.

He took my blower that I was about to toss because it won’t work anymore and tested it to find that only my battery needs replacing. Spiders had wrapped my house in their sparkling webs and had taken up residence in every crack or cranny. Tonight no spiders hide under the tall eaves of my deck. My outside lights come on now when anything moves in my yard. Thanks to John. My grill is cleaned from top to bottom and he gave me good advice for the future. Barry was the one who used the gas grill, but I plan to make use of it now.

One afternoon recently I stuck my hand into a wasp nest that was hidden under the railing of my steps. I called John who came, found the spray in the garage and took care of the wasps. Today he discovered a huge nest under the table on my upper deck. I am surprised I haven’t been stung, and thankful John wasn't stung. Besides his willingness to help me with such chores, John always has a smile on his face.

This is not what John does to make a living. He has a construction business. He laid the floors in my house and they are done beautifully. He added a room off my kitchen so I could move my washing machine and dryer upstairs when the stairs became too much of a chore for me. He is one of the most talented people I know. I can count on him when I have a problem. If he can’t fix it, he knows who to call. I love that John never says, “it can’t be done.” When I wanted a shower in my basement bathroom everyone I talked to said it couldn't be done. But when I talked to John he told me how it could be done, and now I have a shower in my downstairs bathroom.

I won’t give his name in this post because I haven’t asked his permission, but if anyone in the Hayesville NC area needs a hardworking man who can do almost anything, call me and I’ll put you in touch with John.