Only you can decide which star shines brightest
Which pair of angel wings you’ll wear
Only your heart can hold the gift of forgiveness for all who’s lives you’ve shared
Only your voice can break through the silence and be heard
So trust each choice you make to bring your heaven to your earth

Honor who you are
Honor who you are becoming
Trust life in it’s brilliant unfolding
Change will take you fast and far
Honor who you are

Only your life can be the gift you intended to give so graciously
Grace opens our eyes, our hearts and our voices, allowing us to see
The brightest star is yours to find
Deep in your heart for you to shine
The wings that have the power to carry you home
Are the angel wings you call your own

Honor who you are
Honor who you are becoming
Trust life in it’s brilliant unfolding
Change will take you fast and far
Honor who you are

Honor your deepest knowing
Embrace your sweet unfolding
And reach for the dream that is growing inside
Awaken your heart to the gift of your life

Honor who you are
Honor who you are becoming
Trust life in it’s brilliant unfolding
Keep following the brightest star
Changes will take you far
Honor who you are

One of the really cool things about The Villages is the many Veterans who live here and who proudly wear their caps.   I’m reminded every day of the service the men and women, throughout the years and continuing today, have given so that I could live the American dream…every facet of it.

THANK YOU.

He’s done what I “want to do”…

Saw this guy on a news program this evening…and want to say MORE POWER TO HIM…he actually did what I’ve talked about…he wrote a book about his experiences since leaving corporate America.   Granted he was fired, but the end result is the same.   Cutting back, living on less, starting over.

And, doing at Starbucks!!

ALMOST as good as living in The Villages.

Life throws some curve balls.   Sometimes you get knocked out of the game…and sometimes you get to keep playing.    Donald Trump has been there,  more than once.   He’s just one example.

When the corporate job was taken and given to another country…and when Plan B, C and D ended up crashing and burning…when the economy followed the way of Plan B, C and D…when there were no jobs to be had, even by someone with a college degree in technology, emphasis on computers…well…I guess it isn’t too far fetched to come to the conclusion that filing bankruptcy is one of the better options.

No money for an attorney, a trip to the computer and to Google to find NOLO…books to help “the rest of us” find our way through the legal system…I bought the 2010 Chapter 7 book and began working on filling out all the forms about 2-3 months BEFORE I was finally ready to file.   Then it was just a matter of waiting for the 341 meeting (today).   None of the creditors showed up…and now it’s just more waiting.  Just a couple of months and the whole thing is wrapped up and a new financial beginning will be mine.

Years of working and steady paychecks…no need for bankruptcy…mid 700’s credit score maintained…”no worries,” as they say.   And then, a somewhat forced early retirement (in order to keep medical benefits!!!), and a couple of failed business attempts, a stab at trading options (loved most of that experience…till the rude awakening), and a blindfolded attempt to be a real estate investor…all of the stability I’d known…GONE.

But it’s been exhilarating, a wild, wild roller coaster ride.   And, if the “prize” is to be living here in The Villages…I have no regrets.   None.  I’ve got two part-time contract jobs that are keeping me fed, insured, on the road and somewhat comfortable.   I’ve been blessed with a living situation that I nearly walked out on the very first month…heck…wasn’t sure I was even going to move in.   Time passes, stability is achieved…and then disrupted again…but all in all…no regrets.

Would I do it all again, make the same choices, the same decisions, take the same risks?   For the MOST part…yeah.

And that’s another story for another day…

The 89 GT Ford Mustang convertible is sporting a new front license plate…it’s customized…I picked it up tonight at Lake Sumter Landing Market Square….in colors matching the Stang…the plate says The Villages across the top…and the center simply states “Street Legal”.

You see, there are street legal golf carts…and the street legal carts are usually identifiable as street legal because they have a tag indicating the same.   It means they can legally drive on the highway…out where the “real” cars drive.

When I brought the Mustang down last November, not knowing if it would make the trip, or knowing how many miles were left on her…not knowing how the Village residents would accept the 21 year old muffler with holes (and noise, lots of noise)…anyway, when I brought the Mustang down, I was afraid that we’d be turned in as a nuisance.

I had planned to get the Street Legal tag some time ago, but finances weren’t sufficient to waste on that kind of nonsense…   But last week, on Tuesday, I checked to find out how much it would cost…$17…doable.  I ordered the plate…and then had plans to go and pick it up last Thursday…but, as has been the case with my BELOVED living situation (I AM LIVING IN THE VILLAGES…nothing else matters), my plans to retrieve it were postponed.  First by my responsibilities to a 47 year old, about to become 48 year old…and then, once I had permission to move forward and no longer wait on him to show up…a blinding rain sent all the vendors scrambling for cover.  By the time I arrived…it was too late.

But, finally today…I have the plate, it’s on the car and I can’t wait to drive it and see the reactions!   When I showed it to people tonight, everyone got a kick out it!!