I realize I've been cranky on social media lately, so it's time to come clean. Something has happened to cause my malcontent, and I'm finally ready to tell you about it.
I said goodbye to a friend recently. This friend was frustrated with life, and decided it would be best to start over in a new city. They had been lied to, mistreated, had watched other significant relationships move on, and they were sick of always coming out on the short end of the stick. There were also personal factors, which caused them to become overwhelmed, angry, confused, and in the end, they said to hell with it all and left. They felt stuck in a life that no longer fit. Before leaving, they said they were surprised I could put up with so much crap. I told them that I've seen much worse, and that while I completely understood their situation and was sorry for it, I'm experiencing a different reality that's actually pretty good. Some things that were "deal breakers" to them were minor frustrations to me. Funny how two people can be in the same place, but experience it differently. But that's how it is. The situation went beyond redemption for them, and now it's over. They're gone, and life goes on.
I don't begrudge this friend the pursuit of their happiness, and I don't blame them. People were jerks to this person, and some of the things they dealt with were inexcusable. I'm sure an argument could be made about whether they adequately stood up for themself - that, I don't know. I've sensed their discontentment for several months, but by then it was already at a point where I'm not sure if there was much that could be done - there was certainly nothing I could do to help, except listen. People have to do what's right for them, and what's right wasn't here anymore. It's a shame, and I'll miss them. But I understand and pray their new life is all that one they left behind didn't live up to.
One of my greatest griefs when my job moved me in 2010 was leaving behind two good friends. I don't connect with people easily, so to have two people who I "clicked" with so well was a blessing (even if not much else there was, except sub sandwich days on Tuesdays and Fridays). I was excited for the opportunity the move provided and it really was best overall, but to this day I still miss those two friends. One I have reconnected with on Facebook. The other isn't into social media, and sadly we've drifted apart. But I still see and hear things that remind me of them. Of course, I know more people and have made other friends, but they aren't like these two special people, and I haven't bonded with anybody else the way I did with them. You can't replace people by making new friends, because each person is unique. I know that while I'll meet other people in the future, it won't be the same. You can't quantify relationships.
It's also kind of soon for this to happen after Chloe passed away a couple of months ago. No, it isn't as deeply painful, but it's a disappointment and another empty space to deal with. But this is life. People come, and people go. I've seen it countless times, and I'll see it again, through death or divergent life circumstances, until the day I pass from this world. And so it goes.
I did have some notice on this, but not much. I didn't realize how it would hit me until all was said and done and I saw their reasons justified in the lackluster "goodbyes" offered. I felt sorry for them, because people clearly had more important things to do than bid this person farewell. Simply stated, people being jerks drove a good person away, and now my patience for this kind of thing is pretty much sitting at zero. I'm not going to be very gracious in dealing with people popping attitude or being asinine these days. My "granting grace" mechanism was definitely broken by this, and is in need of repair.
So that's why I've been snippy of late. I realize some of my blog and social media posts have been confrontational, and now you know why. I've been addressing issues that were rubbing me the wrong way and I felt needing addressing, but perhaps there were better ways to put things. Or not. But now you know.
And now, I'm going to give you a chance that was denied to some a couple of weeks ago when I released The Earthside Trilogy. I ran several sales, but they were "secret sales" to specific audiences before the general announcement went out. Well, I'm doing another one tomorrow. It's actually a KDP Select free day. Monday only, you can get the full volume set of The Earthside Trilogy for free. That's right, free. I've scheduled some Hootsuite posts for Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ to remind you. So this is it. No shame, but no excuses either. If you don't have time to read it fine, you can get it in your library and read it later. And if you don't have a Kindle, you can swing by the Apple Store (for Mac) or Google Play (for Andriod) and get it for free on your phone or tablet. Seriously, you should get that app. It's how I got hooked on ebooks, and you might find you like it. So go get it now.
I also made The Tanger Falls Mystery Set and Joy on the Journey Amazon exclusives, mostly because that's the only place they're selling. This allows me to enroll them in KDP Select, and to offer free days and other exclusive sales and specials on those titles. So watch for more on these books in the future.
That's all today. Take care. Have a great rest of the weekend and a wonderful week.
Bye!
I said goodbye to a friend recently. This friend was frustrated with life, and decided it would be best to start over in a new city. They had been lied to, mistreated, had watched other significant relationships move on, and they were sick of always coming out on the short end of the stick. There were also personal factors, which caused them to become overwhelmed, angry, confused, and in the end, they said to hell with it all and left. They felt stuck in a life that no longer fit. Before leaving, they said they were surprised I could put up with so much crap. I told them that I've seen much worse, and that while I completely understood their situation and was sorry for it, I'm experiencing a different reality that's actually pretty good. Some things that were "deal breakers" to them were minor frustrations to me. Funny how two people can be in the same place, but experience it differently. But that's how it is. The situation went beyond redemption for them, and now it's over. They're gone, and life goes on.
I don't begrudge this friend the pursuit of their happiness, and I don't blame them. People were jerks to this person, and some of the things they dealt with were inexcusable. I'm sure an argument could be made about whether they adequately stood up for themself - that, I don't know. I've sensed their discontentment for several months, but by then it was already at a point where I'm not sure if there was much that could be done - there was certainly nothing I could do to help, except listen. People have to do what's right for them, and what's right wasn't here anymore. It's a shame, and I'll miss them. But I understand and pray their new life is all that one they left behind didn't live up to.
One of my greatest griefs when my job moved me in 2010 was leaving behind two good friends. I don't connect with people easily, so to have two people who I "clicked" with so well was a blessing (even if not much else there was, except sub sandwich days on Tuesdays and Fridays). I was excited for the opportunity the move provided and it really was best overall, but to this day I still miss those two friends. One I have reconnected with on Facebook. The other isn't into social media, and sadly we've drifted apart. But I still see and hear things that remind me of them. Of course, I know more people and have made other friends, but they aren't like these two special people, and I haven't bonded with anybody else the way I did with them. You can't replace people by making new friends, because each person is unique. I know that while I'll meet other people in the future, it won't be the same. You can't quantify relationships.
It's also kind of soon for this to happen after Chloe passed away a couple of months ago. No, it isn't as deeply painful, but it's a disappointment and another empty space to deal with. But this is life. People come, and people go. I've seen it countless times, and I'll see it again, through death or divergent life circumstances, until the day I pass from this world. And so it goes.
I did have some notice on this, but not much. I didn't realize how it would hit me until all was said and done and I saw their reasons justified in the lackluster "goodbyes" offered. I felt sorry for them, because people clearly had more important things to do than bid this person farewell. Simply stated, people being jerks drove a good person away, and now my patience for this kind of thing is pretty much sitting at zero. I'm not going to be very gracious in dealing with people popping attitude or being asinine these days. My "granting grace" mechanism was definitely broken by this, and is in need of repair.
So that's why I've been snippy of late. I realize some of my blog and social media posts have been confrontational, and now you know why. I've been addressing issues that were rubbing me the wrong way and I felt needing addressing, but perhaps there were better ways to put things. Or not. But now you know.
And now, I'm going to give you a chance that was denied to some a couple of weeks ago when I released The Earthside Trilogy. I ran several sales, but they were "secret sales" to specific audiences before the general announcement went out. Well, I'm doing another one tomorrow. It's actually a KDP Select free day. Monday only, you can get the full volume set of The Earthside Trilogy for free. That's right, free. I've scheduled some Hootsuite posts for Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ to remind you. So this is it. No shame, but no excuses either. If you don't have time to read it fine, you can get it in your library and read it later. And if you don't have a Kindle, you can swing by the Apple Store (for Mac) or Google Play (for Andriod) and get it for free on your phone or tablet. Seriously, you should get that app. It's how I got hooked on ebooks, and you might find you like it. So go get it now.
I also made The Tanger Falls Mystery Set and Joy on the Journey Amazon exclusives, mostly because that's the only place they're selling. This allows me to enroll them in KDP Select, and to offer free days and other exclusive sales and specials on those titles. So watch for more on these books in the future.
That's all today. Take care. Have a great rest of the weekend and a wonderful week.
Bye!
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