Welcome to Living Life by the Seat of Your Pants!

Now, I don’t want to overwhelm you right from the start, but you need a bit of an overview to understand what “Living Life by the Seat of Your Pants” is all about & where it started…

Below is where this all began…4 years ago….Actually, it started before that - almost 45 years ago.

As you will see (because it’s what you are currently reading)….I’ve decided to write a Blog…not a book. For Now.

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A “Day” in the Life of a Forty-Something Single
Full of humor. It’s raw, open & real.
June 22, 2008

I’ve said for years I’m going to write a book…I’ve now officially started.

Today. Here. Now.

I've read lots of books over the past few years…it’s one of the greatest gifts I’ve given myself & I’ve had the power all along, although I never used it. Use it.

In the past decade, we’ve seen a borage of Chick Lit books….and I’ve read a bunch. I want to thank Helen Fielding, Meg Cabot, Candace Bushnell, Madeline Wickham, Jackie Collins, Charlaine Harris, Jennifer Weiner, Janet Evanovich, Patricia Cornwell, Stephanie Meyer, and a host of others for writing women with true, powerful qualities like intelligence, humor, sexiness, confidence, silliness, passion, sympathy, boldness, strength & compassion. But, in the in end of most of these books…the heroine finds "Her Prince"…it’s not so much in real life.

In real life (at least in my real life), you move to Sunny So-Cal hoping to find yourself & grow…which I did, unfortunately it was to a size 20.

Of course it couldn’t have anything to do with being laid off several times in our "growing economy” – mergers, acquisitions, “reorganizations”, downsizing…I think I’ve seen it all – been through it all. It does a number on ones' self esteem. Neither does gaining 50 pounds, steadily going grey & realizing what a Nasty Bitch gravity is.

But I digress (I do that often, especially in real conversations – as EVERYONE who knows me would say)…Anyway, here’s my basic message to all those gals out there who just think that you can sit back & wait for your life to happen. It won't. You’ve got to be proactive & search for what YOU want & what will fulfill YOU. Your life may not turn out to be what you expect it to be. It’s not a bad thing…just be prepared. I wasn’t.

Tomorrow I’ll be 41 + 2 months; at my present job for 2 years, 1 month & a few days– only 2 more years & I’ll pass my job longevity record; I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been; up to my eyeballs in debt and my gumball machine is running out of gumballs (Great analogy from a chick lit book, apologies for not rememebering).

I thought that I’d be married, with children by the time I was in my early thirties – at the latest. That was the only plan I had…although it wasn’t so much a plan as just a given in my mind.

You may think after all this that I’m ready to find the nearest skyscraper (they keep building up San Diego, so I have plenty to choose from)…but no, I have a few things going for me….hope & optimism.

So, here’s my story. At the time of its birth, it’s 10:54 p.m. on a Sunday night…I can’t guarantee that when I do finish I won’t have found my purpose in life, my soul mate or lost some weight, but as of right now – my stats: 41+, single -not dating and not a single prospect, 218 lbs, got my period, bad back, in debt, smoker, drinker (not heavily…well, not often, heavily when I actually do drink), living in a cute Cottage that is disorganized, cluttered and has been for the 2 ½ years I’ve lived here, and dreading going to work tomorrow.

Ok. So I started reading, “The Artist’s Way” – over 2 years ago. I pulled it out, dusted it off & reread the first few chapters…that was about 3 weeks ago. I’m at the section where I need to make a decision to actually start the program – for the next 12 weeks….the problem is, The Morning Pages.

I think I started The Morning Pages when I first got the book and I did them…for about 3 days. Therein lies the problem – I’m NOT a morning person. So…before I go to bed tonight, I think I need to make a decision (since this is the first time I’ve actually thought about the program in the past 3 weeks) – do I get up early tomorrow & write my 3 pages and see if it gets me going on a creative streak so I can actually start writing this book that I’ve started…or sleep in like I usually do.

It’s now 11:08 p.m. on the evening of June 22, 2008. I’m afraid that if I start the morning pages tomorrow then I’ll come up with some creative flow that just has me writing & writing about things I was to say in this “book”, but I think one of the things about the morning pages is that you don’t read them…ever. You just write to get the ideas flowing…the thought process flowing…I think I may miss something if I do them.

But, I may gain something – like the impetus to not stop what I’ve started here & to keep on going no matter which direction it takes me in…

I think it’s time for bed…let’s see what tomorrow brings.

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4/14/2010– 4/15/2010

Since last time I wrote…. my stats: 42 years, 8 months & 356 days, single - not dating and not a single prospect, 220 lbs, STILL got a bad back, STILL in debt, smoker, drinker (not heavily…well, not often, heavy when I actually do drink – as is the case tonight), living in a cute Cottage that is (STILL) disorganized & has way too much “stuff”, and has been for the 4 ¼ years I’ve lived here, and NOT dreading going to work tomorrow because I’m unemployed (yet, again – just over a year now)….can’t believe it’s been this long since I’ve read this...or have read it to anyone – 2 people today.

Question for the day: “Am I the only one who is experiencing this – right here, right now?”

And I have said this twice today and that has been quoted to me recently & it still holds the same truths….

Whatever changes, remains the same.

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April 22, 2010, 6:40 p.m. PST

Forty-two years, 364 days and 8 hours (if I’m right & I was the one who was born at 11:40 a.m.)

Reflection time is a good time to write. After all, this “book” is all about reflection and changes and moving on and standing still sometimes.
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March 8, 2012 at 6:14 p.m.
SO…you see where I have been & what I’ve been doing. Not much has changed, but today is as good a day as any to start…

I have tons of Notes from my book ideas & my Blog ideas about different categories & chapters & actual names of posts that I'll be writing about. I hope you join me & I encourage you to contribute & comment.

The only promise I can make is that this Blog will definitely be a few things: shorter, genuine, upbeat, positive, open, honest and passionate.

And hopefully be others: insightful, humorous, encouraging, bold, intelligent, and inspirational.

Enjoy & thanks for joining me on the maiden voyage of Living Life by the Seat of Your Pants!