Which 3 things are you actively working for?

A dear friend, Byron Ballard, has talked for years about the crisis that we are living through these days...she calls it Tower Time after the Tarot card of The Tower.  It depicts a storm, lightening, a tower falling into the sea, people panicking, and people watching it happen. Yes, these are the times we were made for.

But we can't stand up for all the wrongs in the world.  She suggests (wisely) that we pick 3 things that really matter to us, and then put our actions into those 3 things. That gives us a possibility of fighting, and making a difference where we want to, and surviving to fight another day.

Women's rights?
Voting rights?
Race relations?
Hunger in the world?
Immigrant rights?
Affordable housing?
Domestic abuse survival?
Politicians we don't agree with?
Politicians we do agree with?
Environmental issues (list could continue to infinity here)
Clean water.
Floods, forest fires?
Veterans problems?
Home safety?
Health issues?
Medical care availability?
Drug costs?
Mental Health issues?
Organic food?
Air quality issues?
Children's rights?
Free speech?
Gun control?
2nd Amendment rights?
School shootings?
Electoral college issues?
Abortion issues?
College loans issues?
Opioid crisis?
Addiction treatments?
Advertising infringement on privacy?
Animal rights?

Well, I only thought for a few minutes. I'm sure you can add a few more dozen issues that demand someone help them be resolved.  I intentionally left off world peace, which is one of my lifetime values.

Which are the 3 I'm actively working on? You probably guessed if you've read my bog very long.  Actually it's rather hard these days to focus on just 3, as you may feel as well.

Today's Quote:
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Flowery One had troubling events

The Flowery One has been an Activity Director, while her husband, The Quiet One was a manager, of a senior apartment complex in Washington state.  She and her husband had been authors of a book about activities when they were working many years ago in the field.  They moved from North Carolina to Washington to be near their adult children and their families several years ago.

Of course there's a lot more background that you can see on my post "High School Friends" but this might bring you up to date enough to understand the email I received from the Flowery One a few weeks after I turned 69 years old.

The Flowery One

First sign of difficulty was this email.  I've deleted some of the details, but you can imagine how my friend and her husband felt...

Saturday, September 17, 2011 10:07 AM

      The Quiet One was given a terribly big blow yesterday. He's been demoted from manager to assistant manager with me! Seems that after corporate didn't give him very much training on the re-certifications on tenants he has to do for each one every year, and then them putting in a new computer system that didn't work half the time, they're blaming The Quiet One for not getting the recertifications in on time. They said he's doing an "outstanding job" on everything else, like keeping the place full and handling maintenance and other matters well, and that I am too with activities.

As it is now, we don't know what's going to happen. So far they haven't fired us.  We just don't know if The Quiet One will get a cut or no pay at all other than the apartment. 

It's scary, but that's what we're up against and have to wait until Monday, or later, to find out how it will all work out. We might be on the streets by next week for all we know. The Quiet One is taking it pretty bad. I'm a Pollyanna and think there's always a way and worrying doesn't help anything. I'm mad as heck for The Quiet One's sake though. 

Monday, Sept. 19, 2:27 AM

Hi again. I'm up late after trying to stay asleep with The Quiet One tossing and turning. He finally got up. Now he's back asleep on the couch. He's taking this job thing hard, worrying so much about it before we even know how it's going to play out. In his mind he has us living in our car. It's depressing. I sure hope we hear something about it tomorrow so he can stop worrying and I can get some sleep!


And on

Monday, September 19, 2011 11:05 AM

Hi sisters,

We don't know what today will bring, but it's a good start to the day to find a message from S. in my e-mail. I wrote back but didn't say anything about our recent troubles since I don't know most of the details of what's going to happen.
 Whatever happens, we'll get through it somehow.


S. is The Flowery One's adult son who's working in Afghanistan presently.

Then an email with the title
"Worse Troubles"

Monday, September 19, 2011 5:45 PM

I'm really worried about The Quiet One.  He got an e-mail from corporate this morning telling him that he's not even going to be assistant manager but just key holder. 

  While we were in a tenant's apartment who we've become friends with, telling her about our recent troubles, The Quiet One just got up and left, didn't say where he was going. I followed him 10 minutes later and found that his car is gone. It's been almost 3 hours now. His cell phone is turned off and I can't even leave a message because he never set up his voice mail when he got his new phone last time. I'm worried sick!

I looked for him in town when I had to walk to the pharmacy to get a prescription refilled. I thought maybe he'd gone to the post office or bank for the company...well, guess that's a laugh and I was just trying to feel better about him up and taking off like that. So here I sit, worried as anything. I hope he doesn't do anything foolish.

Just had to talk with you about it. I'll let you know what happens.


This was the beginning of a major episode in my friend's life.  It happened just a week after the death of The Enlightened One, my close friend for whom I'd been one of the caregivers.  Her story is posted separately, here.

More of these emails will be continued in my next posting.