I was discussing changes last time and I left off with the move to the Osky radio station.
I hated radio sales. I vowed to never do something like that again because I hated having to depend on that kind of daily appointment schedule. By the end, I wasn’t really selling anything and I wanted to leave even before I was forced to resign.
Before that however, I joined the American Taekwondo Association and wow, talk about changes. I excelled and advanced and thoroughly enjoyed every change of rank and certification. ATA has been a constant throughout all the years of changes. The friendships I’ve made are priceless.
A series of jobs took me up to 1996 when I gained employment at the local newspaper. The stint lasted all but three years and when it was through, I regretted the change and still do to this day. I won’t go into details, except to say, if I had to do it over…
So, my night position has been a constant now for eleven long years. Nothing much changes here. I worked the night shift in Osky until the motel was sold, then just shifted fifteen miles west to the same position.
During this time, I’ve watched family members experience change. In careers, in marital status, in children.
I changed apartments in 2002 and found myself watching the revolving door of tenants, all of whom have been very interesting. Refer back to previous blogs about my neighbors for details.
In regards to my writing, I had written stories for many years, during the boring hours at the Kewanee radio station, off and on throughout the succeeding years and have spent countless hours during the nights shift scribbling untold numbers of pages of words. When I met Mike Manno, another change occurred. I became involved in writers’ critique groups. Refining and honing my writing skills, learning from mistakes, being hampered by rejection after rejection from agents and publishing houses, including, ahem, Echelon Press. But part of the wonderful changes was I met so many interesting people and started new friendships.
2009 brought another marvelous change as, after the Killer Nashville conference, Echelon Press accepted two of my books and after ten months, I have release dates for them both. Night Shadows is due out January 15, 2011 and Beta is scheduled for July 15, 2011. The upcoming changes are more travel time and appointments and speaking engagements and promotion and promotion and marketing and more marketing. These changes are anticipated, being planned, and I’m aching to get to them.
No change on the job front and that worries me a bit.
The location change for the taekwondo club was forced upon me and, once again, I wasn’t able to control the outcome. In one sense, I was, but in reality, the change had to come sooner or later.
Yes, I’m scared. I don’t know what to expect and I really don’t know what to do. There are several possibilities and I need to make time to think them through. I’m not as scared as I would be if I were to suddenly pack up and move to another city or state. I’ve been scared because for awhile, I didn’t have another place to go. I had a deadline that was fast approaching and I faced rejection after rejection on possible locations. Even though I managed to procure some space, I still have options out there waiting, and like I mentioned in the last post, with a little luck…
I do not like change. I’m set in my ways and I take awhile before I do something different. I don’t enjoy change being forced upon me.
I just try to make the best of it when it inevitably happens.
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