I was judging a literary contest and had twenty books to read. They actually started sending the hooks to me last fall, but did I get those books read then? Of course not!
My judging scores and summaries of my top three books were due March 31 – Easter. That meant March was crazy! But I got it done – my results were even e-mailed at 8:45 p.m. I had figured it would be 11:59.
I also had to interview a musician for a local magazine and they also asked me to write an article on my recent trip to the United Kingdom. I love to share about my travels, so was happy to do that. The editor said it will be in the May edition because he didn’t want to cut the words or the pictures. A nice compliment!
Oh, and I interviewed for and immediately got an offer for a fall open enrollment job. This is where I counsel people on their employee benefits. I love doing it, but wanted to find a new company to work with.
The company I worked with in the past required I signef a one-sided contract – I pledged to give them first dibs on my time from September through November and they promised me – nothing. Don’t ever do this. Make sure they respect you as they want you to respect them.
The new job will be sending me a contract out soon with the promise of the minimum amount of time I can expect to work for them. If they don’t use me, they’ll pay me for that minimum. Plus they decided to pay me an additional $5 an hour based on the interview. I will wait to make a complete assessment after I read the contract, but I feel good about it.
After that crazy month, I am starting this one off well. A friend invited me to stay in her beach condo on North Myrtle Beach. I got here about 5 this evening, after a great drive (I love a road trip) and the first order of business was a beach walk. It was gorgeous. Some rain is supposed to pass through tomorrow, but it should be gone by late afternoon.
Knowing I won’t work until fall, unless some fun temp stuff cones up, I am going to plan a summer vacation. Where will I go? I have no idea. Right now a drive up to Quebec City is winning, but a great deal could change that. So many possibilities!
Oh, and I did get to experience some great music in March. A friend invited me to the Bryan Adams concert in Charlotte and we had a ball. The Eurythmics, without Annie Lennox, opened up and I was pleasantly surprised. Dave Stewart put together an all female band, with three lead singers, and while it wasn’t the same it was still good.
My friend got the opportunity to get her CD signed by Bryan Adams and I got to tag along (no pictures allowed). The line took forever, but it was one of those great times when the people in line were great entertainment. It seemed as though they were old friends by time we got to the front, and I can tell you so much about them all. One couple knew each other since junior high, both married others, then re-connected at a reunion platonically (she was divorced, he married) and when his marriage ended they got together. Lots more to their very funny story, and especially in the delivery.
Then our local music. I still went out when I should have been reading and it was totally worth it. I love our local musicians and those who pass through. One favorite, Bing Futch, came and did a school program in the day and a “normal show” that night. Both were great, but the middle school kids asked so many great questions. I suspect the musical community here will continue for a long time to come.
Hope you are well and happy. If not, move in that direction. There’s so much pain and frustration in the world, we need to make a choice to lean into the good – because there is a lot of good.
In the Box, Out of the Box 