A lot of people don’t like changes.  They keep their living room furniture in the same pattern for years, never even thinking of moving a table, or, God forbid, a couch, to give the room a different feng shui.  Many people would never try foods that they can’t pronounce, nor would they ever think of vacation in a land that does not know what a McFlurry is.  I was raised in such a household, as were many of my peers in the 50’s and 60’s.  Our living room never changed, neither did our menu or our vacation destinations.  I was raised on a diet consisting of meat, starch and some over-cooked vegetable smothered in butter.  Soups were thick, pies were sweet and dense and when I was about 10 years old and my parents changed my bedroom, I couldn’t sleep for weeks. Our summers were spent in Wisconsin, staying with my grandmother in the north woods, an absolutely idyllic setting that I never was able to appreciate until it was gone.

But I have grown to accept, even embrace the many changes in my life.  I have traveled extensively, moved from my hometown of Chicago to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  I absolutely love going to exotic restaurants and will excitedly tell the waitperson to bring me the most ethnic items on the menu.  Right now I am attending different churches, just for the experience.  My dear friend, Eleanor, loves to experience “alternative” practices and this has allowed me to be introduced to persons like shamans, people who channel, reiki masters, visionaries, holistic practitioners of every kind, and even those who have alien alliances.  I find all these experiences to be part of my ever broadening path through this short window of life on this planet.

But those are changes I chose to make.  When I lost my profession in laboratory medicine after 25 years, due to my active addiction, it was not a change I initiated (well, I guess I technically did initiate it by my behavior).  So after 25 years, there I was, looking for a “job.”  Even the term “job” was distasteful to me.  After all, I was a health care professional.  I was reduced to finding something that would pay the mortgage…and fast.  But, when I look back on the last 10 years, my “jobs” have opened doors that I would have never even seen if I had stayed in my little laboratory.  I have worked as an aide/editor for a blind lawyer.  I have been a Section 8 housing counselor; I helped to turn a small independent business into a large corporation, and for the last 3 years I have been the general manager on This Second Road.  I have been in situations I would have never, ever have imagined 10 years ago, met an amazing number of very interesting individuals and have learned so much about different types of businesses, organizations and communities.  My horizons have been expanded and I have welcomed each new experience as a gift to learn, grow and absorb all that has been placed in my path.

And now I am once again at the precipice of change.  The Second Road, being a small non-profit organization depending on contributions/donations for its survival, is experiencing the economic difficulties that have plagued our country and its population in recent times.  As a result, our operating expenses have had to come to a halt, at least temporarily.  So, while I continue to put my energy into this place that I have helped build and which has become my home, I once again have the opportunity to see what other adventures The Universe has to offer.  I’ll still be here at TSR every day - but there’s another change waiting for me and I can’t wait to see what it will be…..

Don’t worry, fellow road warriors…..you’ll be the first to know….

Till Next Time -

Your Humble Road Warrior