On Fate and Destiny....and Things Working Out......
Well, it's taken forever, but it's finally happened.....I'm adjusted to my new home in Georgia, my new routine, and life in general.....
I complain a lot because living in an "investment property" (ie: a fixer-upper) hasn't been the easiest adjustment, but I'm coming to realize that this place isn't so bad after all. It's bigger than my last home, has more space (um, 5 acres more space), is extremely private (more naked time), and has SO much potential. Yes, the kitchen is old and needs an update.......and OK the floors are tile and aren't my preference. Big deal. Things could be much worse. I've done the important stuff, and I have my priorities straight. I mean, I've actually pulled this off. I was very apprehensive about starting over and moving down here. I picked up this place strictly as an investment, as I bought it nearly half-priced, and a month later I left my life as I knew it in Ohio, and moved to The South.....again. Moving back to the south was something I said I wouldn't do again. However, Atlanta has its own crowd of individuals, and I'm really liking the city. Not many people would have just jumped up and moved because they got a good deal on a property. Spontaneity is my middle name, and life is an adventure for me. Plus, I live for the memories I create.
Within a month of moving, I sold the extranneous car I no longer had a use for (needed the SUV, and wasn't driving the car anymore). I rented my property in Ohio the first of January. Got pretty close to what I wanted for it (rent-wise), and this month I rented my barn! I'm actually MAKING MONEY by owning two properties. Not only are my mortgages paid, but a lot of my bills are paid too! And once again, I spent an excessive amount of time worrying if this would work out.....
I've fixed all the damaged pasture fencing, made the kitchen cabinets "livable", painted the bathrooms and bedrooms, cleaned the place up, replaced the front door, and am working on the floors. Not bad for someone who travels every week to a different state. That's right. I'm still showing my cats all over the friggin' place every week. And I'm loving it. Why, just this month, I've been to Tampa, Toledo, Raleigh, and I'm off to Chicago this weekend. I'll probably earn the Delta Platinum Medallion level for the 2007 year, and I came damned close to earning it in 2006. Travelling in and out of Atlanta is awesome- Delta has direct flights virtually everywhere. Come March, I'll be out on the West Coast a bit- Palm Springs, then Vancouver, and maybe Denver. I'm just loving this. It really gets quite exhausting after a while, but I'm grateful for the experiences.
I clerked for a judge 2 weeks ago in Toledo. I'd never clerked for her before, but knew her from other shows. I didn't even realize she knew my name, but when I walked up to her ring to begin my clerking duties, she said "Hello, Marion! You're my clerk today?" And at the end of the day she told me I was welcome to clerk for her anytime and she would like to see me advance....into the judging program. That's like the third person who's said that lately. I don't understand where this is coming from, but it's very flattering nonetheless. And a couple of months ago, I decided to finally introduce myself to someone whom I see all the time at shows but didn't know her name. When she introduced herself, she said "and YOU'RE Marion Yates". This is pretty cool stuff. I guess when you've been to 20-something shows in a year, people start to know you. I really like this cat fancy stuff. I mean, I've met a lot of cool people and it's fun travelling the world with the same group of friends. This is my first full year of showing, and I'm hoping to finish with three regional wins: Cat (Liza), Kitten (Gus), and Alter (Arnold). I was aiming for an International Win with Liza but unfortunately she has started coming into heat very often and is now losing weight because of her heat cycle. I've heard too many horror stories about people keeping their cats unbred for too long and not ever being able to breed them when it comes time. So, I pulled Liza from the rest of the show season. It's the best thing for her. The only thing worse than not getting an IW would be losing her as a breeding female and risking her health. So I'm showing Gus (kitten) and Arnold (alter) for the remainder of the season. And hey, I've still got the 3rd Best Sphynx cat Internationally. And she has a guaranteed VERY high regional win (like 2nd or 3rd). Not too shabby.
So, all in all, I'm feeling very accomplished and happy. I've made a lot of friends here, which is amazing because I'm never in town. I also have a wide variety of friends (all sorts, ages, races, etc) all over the world.
Lady just gave birth to three beautiful torbies, and Shadow delivered five healthy babies on Valentine's Day. They're doing great! I've lost over 50 pounds in the last year, which still amazes me. I can't believe I did it, and what a difference it's made in how I feel. I didn't realize what an impact on my self-esteem it had. Not to mention, my feet always hurt and I couldn't cross my legs!
I'm thinking about finally having shoulder replacement surgery. It's about time. I've only been putting this off for 10 years.
I guess the point is (and I know I tend to ramble) enjoy the good moments while you can. You never know what's around the corner. Sounds a little pessimistic, but there are times I get to the other side of an "obstacle" and think back on the amount of time I spent worrying how things were going to ever work themselves out. It's funny the amount of time we spend worrying on what inevitably seems to be in the hands of fate. And we create our own fate and destiny. Life is what we make of it. Bottom line is, I'm doing what I can WHILE I can, because we're never guaranteed tomorrow.....and I'm discovering myself in the process. While I've undoubtedly made my share of mistakes in this life, if I had it to do all over again, I would live my life the same way. Sophia Loren put it best when she said, "After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life". That is all....