October 30th, 2008
I first heard this story on the radio and thought it was so sweet, I should share it with all of you… I’m not sure I would have the faith in someone I don’t know to do the same. That’s what makes this such a great act of kindness.
On a Whim, Woman buys Foreclosed Home and Gives it Back to Owner
Associated Press
DALLAS — A Texas woman went to a housing auction distraught about the prospect of watching strangers bid on her foreclosed home.
Then one of those strangers bought it back for her.
Now Tracy Orr can return to her Pottsboro home, making payments to the woman who unexpectedly and impulsively bought it for her.
“It means so much to all of us,” Orr told Dallas television station WFAA. “It’s not just a house.”
Marilyn Mock said she was acting on instinct on Saturday when she decided to buy a house she had never seen for a woman she had never met. Mock was at the foreclosure auction to help her 27-year-old son bid on a house when she struck up a conversation with Orr, who was crying about losing her home.
Orr had bought the house for $80,000 in 2004 but fell behind on the payments. She lost her job a month after taking out the loan, and earlier this year she lost the house. On the spot, Mock decided to buy it, eventually bidding $30,000.
“She didn’t even know if I had a job or was a nut case,” Orr said in a story for Wednesday’s online edition of The Dallas Morning News. “She didn’t even see a picture of the house.”
Mock told a crying Orr she could stay in the house, making payments to her instead of a bank.
“She needed help. That was it,” Mock told the newspaper. “I just happened to be there and anybody else would have done the same thing.”
Orr said she hopes others will do as Mock did.
“More than my house, she gave me something inside, and that’s more important than material or financial things,” she said.
The two are waiting on final approval from Fannie Mae before visiting the home.
Mock’s son also got a home at the auction.
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October 17th, 2008
I’m going to be trying some new things out on this blog over the next few weeks so bear with me. I am going to see what it would be like to make this a more focused site. Something more utilitarian. I’m not sure what angle I’m going to take quite yet, but whatever it is, it’s gonna be awesome. 
Stay tuned… new stuff arriving soon.
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September 6th, 2008
I’m home sick tonight. Michael went to a friend’s house to do guy stuff like watch “the fight” and play poker. I was going to go, but then thought about the fact that I may be contagious and asked him to turn around and take me home. So here I am, watching Kevin James’ standup (very funny, btw) and doing some random surfing online. I decided to look for some green home ideas. Here is what I found…
Pool…
Living Room…
Kitchen…
Bathroom…
Bedroom…
Patio…
Thoughts?
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September 2nd, 2008
I decided tonight to start journaling again. I was at Barnes and Noble looking for a book when I wandered over to the blank notebook section. Journal books are my weakness. I would own a hundred if I could justify it to my checkbook. They’re magical and so pretty. Covered in pictures of birds and butterflies and neat asian prints. Instead of buying this really great one with a cool Indian design and elastic page holder, I came home and wrote in one of the many that have been languishing unused.
That’s right, I said “languishing”.
So, anyhow, I’m in the middle of an entry right now and needed a distraction because I started thinking too much, over analyzing what I was writing. I’m gonna go look at my fish now, see if I can catch my mind off guard again.
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August 26th, 2008
When I was a little girl, my best friend and I used to pretend that we lived in a make-believe world where we were elves. We lived in the forest and hunted for our food. We drank from rivers and had way more drama in our little lives than anyone could ever hope for. Someone was always being kidnapped or dying or running away, sometimes all in one day. We lived for that stuff. It was quite fun, actually. I think what I liked most about our little game, though was the fact that almost all of it had to be played outside. During the daytime that meant we swam in the “lake” all day in her backyard pool and at night we prowled around the neighborhood having all kinds of adventures. We would scale block walls to escape our captors or run through the park dodging this way and that as to avoid the arrows being fired our way. Poisoned arrows, mind you.
We played that game for a long long time. And even now, when I’m outside on a night like tonight I can remember how it felt to let my imagination run away with me. It was so freeing and giddy. I loved creating my character, deciding what she looked like and peppering her life story with little bits of mystery and scandal. You know, it’s strange because I look at the character that I created for myself when I was 8 years old and she’s almost exactly opposite who I’ve become as an adult. I’m sure my therapist could go on for hours on that one. Oh well, I suppose that alter ego is still somewhere inside me. I chose her for very specific reasons, some part of my subconscious was clued in even at age 8 to know what kind of person I was at my core and so she created this alternate view of who I was to allow me to venture out a little bit. I was more daring while playing make-believe that I ever was in real life. I suppose that’s something to think about even now.
P.S. Oh and if Heather is reading this, yes, that is what I’m talking about.
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August 21st, 2008
I don’t consider what I do for a living to be a “career”. To me, it’s a “job”. And a short term one at that. I’m not quitting tomorrow or anything, I’ve just decided to not delude myself into thinking this is going to be more than it already is. I have no real expectations at this point and I hope I can keep it that way. I did have expectations. A few weeks ago, I was thinking it would turn into something I could do for a while and hey, it might still, but I’m not going to expect it.
Monday I start seeing a counselor again. A therapist, if you will. I’m stressed. Beyond stressed and I need some guidance. You’d think I would find a life coach since that’s what I used to think they were for, but I don’t think a life coach could even help me now. I don’t need someone to ask me questions to help me find my own answer. I need someone to carry me for a little while. Someone who will say “Here, come sit on my couch. Let’s talk for a while and I’ll tell you what I think.” I found someone close to home and she’s really quite nice. She has evening hours, too. It was meant to be.
This will be the 4th therapist I’ve seen in as many years. That used to bug me, but now I think it’s kind of funny. I’ve met just the right counselors at just the right time to help me get through whatever I’m dealing with. Each one was perfectly suited to the struggle I was facing. And each and every one, different as they were, gave me something I could take away and keep forever.
Patricia, the first one I saw way back in 2004 was very sweet, but loved to challenge me too. She introduced me to “The Four Agreements”. Even now, I am looking at that book on my desk top. I pick it up and re-read specific chapters every so often to help reinforce it’s four lessons:
- Be Impeccable with your Word
- Don’t Take Anything Personally
- Don’t Make Assumptions
- Always Do Your Best
Everyone should read this book and I’m not exaggerating. It’s a life altering experience - so long as you’re willing to really get into it and accept what Mr. Ruiz is teaching. Patricia also taught me in a very sweet way to be grateful and thankful for everything in my life. When I saw her she was slowly going blind due to a degenerative condition. I believe she has since had surgery to reverse it, but man, did I ever look up to her. She was facing such hardship and yet, she was thankful and so focused on me at every visit! I’ll never forget that.
Maria, the second therapist that I crossed paths with was truly a gift from heaven. She taught me so much and was the first person to introduce me to principles like The Law of Attraction, Meditation, True Self, and she really encouraged me to look into my more spiritual nature instead of relying on “religion” to get me through things. She got me to look at faith, at learning to be quiet and allowing God to speak to me and move me. It was something that I had never dared to consider, but man, did it ever feel like home. I talked to her not too long ago. She has a practice now specializing in this kind of therapy. Unfortunately, she doesn’t take insurance, but I’m working on seeing her again, anyhow. Just because I feel like we’ve got unfinished business.
Janet, the last one I saw was such a treat. She was sweet, kind, quiet, and so wise. She also did EMDR which I took too like a fish to water. That worked some wonders. What I loved about Janet was her practical nature. If something didn’t fit into the picture, she taught me to take it out, simple as that. It’s as easy as deciding to give it up or go about that thing differently. It was hard to argue with her because she was so matter of fact. She also created a very safe place for me to reveal some of the pain from very deep inside me. EMDR helped too. It’s so much easier to share scary feelings when you can express them accurately. You feel less crazy, quite honestly.
Now, Monday I start with Terri and I have to admit, I’m curious and a bit anxious to see what I’ll learn from her. I’m at such an odd place in my life right now. I never expected to ever feel the way I do right now. I’m 5 months from turning 30 and I feel like at a crossroads and I’m staring up at the signs, one pointing left and the other pointing right. Only, the names of the two towns that I can travel to are written in a language I don’t yet understand. Notice, I said “yet”. The answer is out there, maybe Monday it’ll start to make sense.
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July 14th, 2008
I’m up way too late seeing as I need to be up in less than 6 hours, but I started stressing about work (again) and it got me so worked up, I couldn’t sleep. I tried to relax. Michael had me focus on my breathing so I would stop thinking and it worked, bless his heart, but soon my mind was spinning again.
The only thing that finally calmed me was to get up, find a resolution for the issue that was stressing me out, and make a plan for putting it into action tomorrow. Once that was done, the adrenaline stopped, my mind quieted and I’m getting sleepy now.
I can’t keep this up, at this job or any other. I’ve got to find a way to stop these anxiety attacks, or whatever you’d call them.
Suggestions, anyone?
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July 8th, 2008
Last year, in my old career path, I met a lot of people who were suspected to have Lyme Disease. Most of them, actually, all but one of them, confirmed this through rigorous (and expensive) testing. Even though I don’t do that work any longer, I still worry about them and I worry about other people out there suffering from this mysterious disease. The CDC has declared Lyme Disease a “non-event” for the most part and claims that 2 weeks of antibiotic therapy will cure you. I cry bullshit. And I mean to use such a harsh term. They’re killing people by not reporting the truth. Go to Google News and look up Lyme Disease, you’ll find hundreds of stories of people struggling for years being misdiagnosed and treated for everything from Fibromyalgia to Bipolar to an insatiable need for attention. Here is a story I read two days ago on www.cnn.com…
10-year battle with pain highlights Lyme disease debate
It was on the front page then, now I had to do a search for it. It’s been buried on the cnn page in the last two days which sucks. People need to hear about this, hence why I’m posting it here. I know not many people read my blog and that’s fine, just please, if you’re touched by this story (or enraged like I was and am) share it with someone. You never know who is out there, suffering silently, needing inspiration to keep searching because an answer is out there.
I did some research last year on Lyme and I have a few very helpful books so if you would like to know more, just email me. Or comment here and I’ll try to answer the best I can or find a resource for you.
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