A thank you and a update....
One week ago my life was in a kind turmoil, a constant state of stress, wondering how we would do without the electric and the water that is tied into it. This was a more worrying stress than the normal, " Do I eat today or tomorrow?" or "How do I hide the fact my Lyme is flaring up today at the job interview or the food pantry".
I have never been one to ask for help. I tend to hide such things, often hoping to just blend in and move along my way without too much fuss. Increasingly over the last few years of unemployment, I have lost my laid back nature and am often nervous and tend to deal with life with sarcasm and jadedness. I had lost my mechinism to deal with such worries with my usual flair of a good dose of yoga and a larger dose of laughter. Sometimes it's hard to laugh when all you see is gloom due to a clearly unimproving circumstance.
And then I decided to vent on DU....I was amazed at the support I recieved. The donations kept my lights on and has allowed me to eat a few real meals in the last few days. What is more important was the fact that my faith in my fellow humans has been restored. My whole outlook has changed. I notice a pronouced bounce to my step when I go to work in the garden or cook my Mom a meal. I catch myself smiling at silly things again and I often laugh for no reason. And that huge bit of kindness and generosity has started a windfall in my life in many regards....
A friend of my Mom's, hearing I used to sew regularly making medieval and renaissance clothing for sale, asked why I no longer did that. "I sold my sewing machine and fabric sometime ago", I told. She promptly gave me and old, but working sewing maching and two boxes of fabric. So I know have the means to restart an old business that will allow me to work out of my home while taking care of Mom. My only real obstacle at this point is my pain in the butt computer though only works when it wants. But even DU may be helping that regard - I had a wonderful offer from a person here who offered my an older but well working Mac. I just have to find some shipping money...I figure I can do that with the first piece I have been commisioned to work on, a Viking era tunic. I even broke out my old inlke loom to make homemade trim for the piece.
And all this just because I knew I could safely vent on DU without the ridicule and derision that often greets this country's poor nowdays. And I think that venting started a windfall for me in many ways. It changed my outlook and brought me out of a deepening dispair that had begun to permeate every inch of my soul. The generousity and words of support changed my attitude in ways that are really tangible to the people around me. I often hear them say that how I seem to be more my old self. I really missed that person...And I want to thank every last one of you for helping me find my way back.
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THAT. IS. BEAUTIFUL.
One act of kindness can change the trajectory of someone's life. Thank you for sharing how your life has shifted recently, along with your outlook.
Hope is a beautiful, beautiful thing.
Hopefully we can work on that computer issue. If we could find someone in Ohio to deliver it from point A to point B, that would be WONDEFUL!!!
I greatly, greatly appreciate it, and the mention of Wishadoo.
And do we get to see pics of that Viking costume when it's done? 
That is great news, when you get the chance pass that along to help someone else out.
edit to add- (I did get a PM from a DUer near Columbus who's daughter lives near me. He was hoping she would meet up with me and pick it up, then he would get it from her and deliver to you, but haven't heard back yet.) Something like this would be good because we would not have to worry about damage from shipping (we sent a computer to someone before and they received it in pieces)
Sunwyn!
and other events that use such costumes. If you want to contact me privately, I would love to give them your contact info. Also, I would totally start a FB page with pics of your work so DUs could then share with their friends.
for you! Thank you for sharing; DU is a special place, and I'm glad you were helped.
Yes, that sounds good. Most of us are extremely inexperienced or flat out incompetent at this craft, so here's hoping YOU can capitalize on that.
It says a lot about your fine character that you're there for your mom, by the way.
