Realignments: How to Get Here From Here

After many, many months away from this site, I've realized that, since I've started writing again, I need to keep on writing, even when I'm not being paid for the privilege. And that's what writing is -- a privilege to express myself and share what I'm thinking and doing with others. If I've also earned the privilege of inspiring others to read what I've written, then perhaps I'm doing it right.

Certain things fell into place today, forcing the point I'd already known, that between one moment and the next, your life can turn in an unexpected direction. So, what's going on?

I'm writing marketing-style content for a shopping comparison site, plus a daily shopper's blog that has accidentally poured me into a new role as a social media manager as I juggle Facebook, Twitter and another site or two, trying to encourage my readers to bring along still more readers, working and hoping for that golden moment when the readers reciprocate, filling out the articles with responses, going beyond, "I like your column" or "Too long, didn't read". It's marketing, not the next great American novel, something a former coworker and very inspiring gal mentioned she'd like to see me do next. Well, maybe down the road... I'll get there sooner or later. Until then, I'm writing this, and I really love what I'm doing.

That's the key, isn't it? As I've mentioned before, finding a healthy balance is what it's all about, perhaps the only thing that matters. In my case, a passion for writing always lurked back there, so any opportunity to pull the words out and shuffle them around like Scrabble tiles is a good opportunity to me.

The Elements of Life

The Elements of Spirit began several years ago on Yahoo Groups -- before there was a Groups feature; in fact, I think they were Clubs then -- as a predominantly spiritual discussion forum, open to people of all faiths and of none, of any belief systems, with the understanding that all views were welcome, as long as a sense of mutual respect was maintained. And so it went, with wonderful, insightful, intelligent, and spiritual people from a variety of backgrounds, discussing everything from specific religious topics to general philosophy, from the fun to the poignant, and as is a natural extension of a foundation like that, there was also a sense of personal connection.

That group gave me more than a way to share my thoughts; I had the opportunity to peer into the minds of others and offer whatever research I found, either for their questions or my own curiosity. I went a long way in exploring my own perspective because of that group, and found a strong sense of balance as a result. Then, as often happens, my mind wandered.

A forceful, creative gust blew through me and I found myself doing image manipulation, creating email stationery and browser backgrounds, and creating websites to go with them. One became a sideline, appealing to the child in me -- and we all have one, who likes to come out and play once in a while -- and devoted to Eeyore. I've shown it to very few people, but I'm still pleased with the little site, and it'll probably get a proper mention here, later on.

Throughout all of this, one thing remained steady. I'd always held a deep love for music, some types more than others. I became involved with the official forum for one of my favorite musicians (you'll have to wait to learn about that, too), soon joining a huge fan site and eventually doing more image manipulation for the site, creating signature banners, assisting with page design, and making emoticons for the forum. That turned into a moderator spot, which I greatly enjoyed but couldn't continue for long. I was beginning to lose that sense of balance as I wandered away from the Elements of Spirit group, and I became very focused on earning money. I lost at least a year to playing an MMO (online multi-player game), though it was a lot of fun for a while. That was when I lost touch with a lot of things: music, friends, real calm, and my personal priorities. Now, I know what I had put behind me. Then, I couldn't see beyond my own vague dissatisfaction.

Around the beginning of this year, many things shifted. My health had gradually deteriorated until I developed hypertension and high cholesterol levels, and well as an extreme sensitivity to sodium. I adjusted my diet to reduce my meats substantially, raising my fruits and vegetables to 5-9 servings, every day. Nevertheless, we still cooked roasts and baked chicken, and my blood pressure level didn't change.

In March, the Big Thing happened, and this is the first time I've said anything about it, online. My husband had heart attack warning symptoms, and to be certain he wasn't having an attack, we went to the hospital. In fact, he had not had a heart attack, but it was imminent. His arteries were blocked, between 70-99%, in several places, and from what I saw of them, I was in complete agreement with the cardiologist; stents would have been a waste of time, and the only way out from this point was surgery. My husband had a five-point arterial bypass in mid-March. We are both 38.

Greater Than the Sum of One

A little of this, a little of that; how does it all come together, coherently? What are the Elements of Spirit, and what in the world do I mean by, "Greater than the sum of one?"

This bundle of virtual pages is the sum -- everything we were doing right, where we went wrong, and how we pull ourselves (each other) out of the ditch we'd dug ourselves into in the first place. The Elements of Spirit are no longer (and never really were) just spiritual meanderings; they are all of the elements which make up a healthy sense of being, from the things that make you think, and make you laugh, and make you healthy, to those things which make you right for those brief, eternal, perfect moments, when life IS greater than the sum of its varied elements, and you know balance isn't just another noun.