The BIG Life Turnaround

092718- UPDATE: It’s been quite a process, settling in to my new abode. When I left Hawaii, I gave away, sold or threw away almost everything I had. I stashed a good bit in storage – mostly artwork – but let go of more things than I knew I had. It surprised me how much >stuff< I had in such a tiny space.

Now I’m here in a 2BR apartment, and it seems gigantic in comparison! I could put my entire office, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom from my place in Hawaii into one of the bedrooms here. To have to actually walk from my office space in one of the bedrooms to the other bedroom is such a new thing! All I had to do before was stand up and walk half a step. I think I like this new roominess!

This was my tiny little house in Hawaii.

hawaii teahouse

Tiny meaning the bedroom/office space was 8′ x 10′ – how I lived in that for 16 years is beyond me. There was another little teahouse behind it which held my kitchen and bathroom. I carved right where the bald spots are in the lawn, and painted in a patio to the left of the house (behind the tree).

This is the entrance to my wonderful 2 BR place here in California.

entrance to my new placeThe spiral was already there, and knocked out of place a bit. I straightened it out on the day I moved in – figured it was a sign it was my place!

STUFF!

I didn’t ship much – I wanted a clean start. I didn’t want anything that would remind me of how I felt in the last couple years in that place. I have a mug, some minimal silverware and cooking utensils, a small skillet and lid; a bed and an office chair a friend gave me; and a table I got from another gal in this complex who is moving away.

She told me you can get office stuff on amazon, so I went there and was surprised to find a decent desk (including keyboard rolly-outy thing!) and shelves, all for under $150! I won’t go on about the rest – what’s important is that, every time I look at my list of gotta-haves, somehow it appears in my space within a day or week at most. And that’s such a cool thing.

LETTING GO

Before I left Hawaii, before my landlady died, even, I did a little ritual. I was so tired of being treated by her as a non-entity who was there to simply do her bidding. I was tired of working so very hard with very little return. I was tired of being fat and sick….

So in this ritual, I included listing all the things I didn’t like or want in my life, and declared being free from them, including my landlady. I declared freedom from poverty on any level, freedom from victimhood, seeing myself as less-than or not-having, from pain, from dis-ease, from being stuck there.

OPPOSITES

After I released all the things I didn’t want, I injected their opposites, one by one, carefully. Like, freedom from poverty on any level became the essence of prospering. And the landlady – I cut the cords and released her from whatever karmic bonds we had going. In place of that, I inserted mutual respect and freedom from interference.

I won’t go into the details of how I did it, but suffice to say, at the end of it, I had a completely new and thrilling and amazing feeling of freedom, health and abundance. I knew things would work out. I knew it would be completely different from now on. I knew it with all of my being.

NEW JOY!

So now I’m experiencing the ease of that as I have watched my vehicle come to me, my house, my things, people – it’s been such a joy!

The car – there was a glitch with the title, so I texted the previous owner about it. It had briefly entered my mind that maybe she would play games and not co-operate, but she was the exact opposite – she not only came through with the right papers, she went to the DMV with me to make sure it was all taken care of! Who does that????

My wonderful new car! Well, new old car – it’s a 2004.

new old carSpeaking of the car and driving – Chico isn’t all that big, but being a college town, the youth is very evident, and the pace is crazy-fast compared to Oahu! I’ll get used to it!

OLD FRIENDS

Seeing and meeting up with old friends here has been so precious – it’s as if the 35 years since I was here last happened in a blink – although we are all old and grey and grizzly and pretty funny looking compared to the beautiful 35-year olds we were when I was here last, we still pack a wallop and laugh as hard as we did then. I’m loving it.

COLD NIGHTS!

I’m also loving the colder, crispier air – the last couple months on Oahu I thought I’d die of heat stroke. Especially that last 2 weeks, running around packing and storing and all – it was brutal. I know it gets hot here in summer, but I’m happy to be out of the humidity.

SNAGGING THE APARTMENT

I am so pleased to have this apartment! I saw it when I first got here, but someone said, no, there are Bad People living there, so I forgot about it. When I checked to see if I could find it again, it was off the listings.

2 weeks later, with 4 or 5 almosts, I was beginning to feel pretty disappointed. The free place I had for a week turned into 125 a week – only fair, but if I was going to pay rent I wanted it to be for my own place!

So out of curiosity, I went back online to see if I could find this place again, and sure enough, they had only that morning re-listed it! I came by for a look-see, and after securing the details, it was mine!

And some of the people I’ve talked to in this little community said, yeah, there were Bad People, but things have changed radically in the last 2 months. Hah!

What is so amazing to me is that it’s a 2-BR place – for only 895!!! If I tried to rent that on Oahu, I’d have to add another couple thousand dollars! Happy dance!

NEXT?

So now the next step is to build up my biz again. Yes, I do need chairs and a couch and a work table – but so? I have my desk and my kitchen table – those other things will come.

Yesterday my buddy from way back came over with an awesome drafting table (huge!) and a cabinet where I could store tool and such – things are just coming to me!

PAINTING – BOOK DESIGN – SCULPTURE

Getting word out that I’m painting again, and that I’m available for book design and publishing, and for little sculptures. At some point before the holidays I want to go down to Grass Valley and pick up some stone to carve.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

I’m even looking for jobs! I’ve been calling magazines and newspapers, and cruising the want ads and online sources for graphic design jobs. So far, nothing. I know the Universe will send me exactly what both I and the other person will need and want.

Anyone need a poster or biz cards? Illustrations for your website or book or programs? A book cover? A book designed and published? I’m open!

MINDSET CLASSES ONLINE

And I’m getting back into coaching again. I can’t seem to keep my toes out of that pond, so why not do my part in it? So I’ll be teaching a couple Breakthrough and Turnaround classes soon, so I can teach the tools and tactics I used to bring in all this magic. Stay tuned!

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!

I can’t begin to express how happy I have felt – it’s like a new fire inside me has been kindled and set aflame, and grows bigger every day. I’m down another ten pounds, too – it’s like the old heavy, unhappy crust is melting away, revealing the fun, strong, creative, joyful person I really am.

NEW PORTFOLIO

I decided to put together a new portfolio of the illustrations I’ve been doing over the last few years. If you’d like a copy (free) let me know.

illustrations by Angela Treat Lyon

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