Blog
SEPTEMBER
Sunday 3rd September 2017
September—the month of autumn and all my favorite colors—is frequently the time when I check my compass bearing and make sure I'm headed in a direction I want to go. Often correcting my course means making a move—which I've done several times from coast to coast and in between! Which brings me to Mary Tyler Moore. (For readers not familiar with Mary Tyler Moore, she was the star of a popular sitcom in the U.S.)
I obtained my undergraduate degree in the 1970's during a pretty severe recession. There were few jobs in Portland, Maine and I didn't know what I wanted to do anyhow, so I packed up my VW Bug and moved to Portland, Oregon. After a few weeks of living very frugally and realizing the job situation wasn't much better, I headed east, but this time with no clear destination in mind. I stopped in Sheridan, Wyoming for the night, and for the first time ever I watched The Mary Tyler Moore show.
I saw Mary striding through a rather exciting-looking city in a state I'd never visited before. When with great enthusiasm she tossed her hat into the air I knew I needed to go there. Mary was young, single, energetic, independent, and career-oriented. In my simple way of looking at life, I wanted to be Mary.
The next morning I pointed my VW to Minneapolis, (it took me two more days). Within a few days I found a job and an apartment. After a few months I was hired by Northwestern Bell, part of AT&T, as a telephone operator on an old-fashioned 'cord board'. This was such a fun job. I made lots of great friends and felt I was really providing a service to people. There was room to move 'up the ladder' and I did. I had a career. I had a comfortable life. And now that I was settled (although I did move from Minneapolis to Seattle!) I had time to think in creative terms. I bought a typewriter and I began to write.
So it's September once again. I'm back in the U.K. I'm writing almost full time (yeah!!) I'm checking in with myself- and so far, so good.
