It's been nearly two years....

....since I posted "One More Voice in Heaven"
and today I got an e-mail informing me of a comment left by Kurt's daughter.

Back then I was working for just a year on my own as an independent contractor, "gun for hire," in PR. I had recently had my gall bladder removed. I was dealing with a pet who had a chromic illness that later killed him. Our country was dealing with just over 2,000 dead in Iraq and I think we started to forget about our, and our allied countries', fatalities in Afghanistan.

Since then there have been many personal and some professional experiences in my life; some that I've dared to write about in this space, most that I've kept inside.

I suppose I suffer from being "inside the beltway" syndrome. One dare not share too much with the universe, at least not without the non de plume of "anonymous," lest it get dredged up from the muck of forgotten history and used against you in a dreadful way.

But, it's not just politicians who shoot back to you things you wish you hadn't written, be they e-mails, letters, blog posts, newspaper articles. It's business associates, and friends, who when they think they're being exploited or hurt wish to remind you of your words, search their archives and then with italices rub your nose in your own prose.

Now, don't get me wrong. I've had to search my e-mail to remind a former employer of his remarks that "we are true to our word," in regards to him rolling over 401K plan money that I didn't even realize that I was entitled to. Six months later I still haven't seen that money in my self-employed retirement account. I'm ok with using his own words to remind him of his commitments to me. However, he still hasn't acknowledged my voice mail and the e-mail that I sent him about this matter of a few hundred dollars. I suppose he's been very, very busy .

But, when you get your words back from people whom you think you've had cordial relations with, who you think trust you and even like you enough to ask you to work on a project it's a little bit disturbing. Oh, all is forgiven on my end. I understand that business is stressful and that managers have to hold their charges feet to the fire. Still, a burning toe hurts!

Well, let me send out another message to the world---Hey! I know you're out there reading this. By now you might have gotten that I'm a gentle soul, hard working, in need of more work that actually pays me money. I'm pleasant enough that everybody wants me to volunteer my time for their special cause. But, unfortunately my bank, credit cards, mortgage and grocer won't let me volunteer instead of paying them with legal and tender currency. We all need to earn a buck or a few thousand of them a month.

Hey world? Care to send some work in the direction of this gentle muser? And, perhaps you can actually pay me within 30 days of getting my bill?

And, oh, world? With the state of the U.S. dollar these days, think that my friends overseas will want to hire me?

Well, as Kurt Henschen might share with me, this downturn, too, shall pass.

Meantime, I'll use my extra time to take care to see a dentist, enjoy the gentler days of the waning winter in my part of the world, and to finally post another blog.

RR