I am sitting here writing in the moment as the week sort of sped by and I realized last night I had not prepped or drafted a post for today.
Monday started with an interesting phone consult with a Literary Agent in New York City about my memoir that is continually in progress. If you are in the writing trenches you understand that obtaining literary representation, or a reputable publisher, is no easy task. The rejection rate is phenomenal. This agent, and I, had a great talk and it encouraged me to forge ahead. I will be sending her some requested material as soon as I feel it’s “ready to read”.
I’ve worked with agents in the past, and I’ve had some promising leads that never materialized. I think in my post-widowed state, I realize while it’s an important accomplishment to achieve success in my chosen field, I take things in stride, now, doing my best each step of the way until I get it “write”. I’ve learned to be more realistic about goals, priorities, and expectations.
Later in the week, real estate matters occupied my mind. As the executrix for my parent’s estate, I’m negotiating the sale of a rental house in New Jersey from a distance. If sold, I will need to fly north to handle some property clean-out and enjoy a visit to my home town, a bittersweet milestone.
Closer to home is a matter concerning my place in Georgia. Without going into too many details as it is an ongoing ever-developing situation, I learned during a sudden and unprofessional phone call, that the fence that was installed along my backyard by the original owner, was encroaching on land newly purchased by Raydient-St. Marys. Due to a series of errors and missteps, I now am left to pick up the pieces alone and deal with a matter I’d rather not. I’m in talks with their attorney as to how best to go “Forward”.
The message I received from this event is that it’s time to let go. The house that Rich and I worked on so lovingly is still beautiful and even with that “21 Feet Victory” on the part of a major corporation, it will still make someone a restful sanctuary, especially if it will back up to a new golf course as I’m told. They may have to name it the “Lisa Kruysman Links” as part of the “negotiations”.
On my way up to deal with those matters last week, I passed the body of a small dog lying on the side of the road. I made a U-turn to see if there was anything I could do. As I was facing a two-hour ride up to Georgia for an appointment, all I could do was place his lifeless body with his blue collar up on the grass. I took some photos and posted them on the city’s Facebook Page hoping someone could identify his owner, or come and give him a proper burial.
Unfortunately, Crescent City, Florida, does not have its own police department. A call to the Putnam County Sheriff’s department had me transferred to Animal Control where the best I could do was to leave a message. By day’s end I saw a post where someone had claimed the dog’s body and had buried him. Stray dogs are a huge problem here. Many allow their dogs to roam causing problems for both animals and humans. That will be an issue I’ll address in a future post.
Right now I’m weary. Between all these events, and volunteering as a writer and community outreach contact has taken a bit of a toll. But, I will keep on going because maybe something I write will help someone else get through their own days and challenges. It’s the best I can do in this moment. I think Rich would be proud.
