Chatting with John, Work.

posted by Patty James @ 9:23pm, Wednesday 21 July 2010.

I am here in the Applegate Valley with my friend's John and Nancy in beautiful southern Oregon. We have become very close these past almost 2 years since we first met. I was staying here in Oregon at the ranch that I thought I owned (long story and who cares now) when I first chatted with John and Nancy. They lived in Sausalito, a sweet little town looking out at the San Francisco bay, but wanted to move here. Well, I moved back to Sonoma County and we got together all the time for dinner. We always had a wonderful time together. Since I left on this journey, their home sold and they bought this gorgeous property. Full circle. I thought it might be a little odd being back here, but it hasn't been at all. All healed!

The view from the back of their home. It really is a gorgeous valley.



Nancy is a nurse and has had to work, so I have been making dinner for John and I. We eat and chat, then he goes and paints fences and I clean up the dinner and then write. It works out great. John's business is training people how to use various programs on their computers. It's a very successful business and interesting. Over dinner tonight, he and I were chatting about ways I can potentially make money to pay my bills and keep Shine the Light going. It was a long conversation, but basically he feels I should be writing articles and talking about the key points of this journey. Talking points, so to speak. I don't even have to think about what they are. If you put me in front of a TV camera right now, I could summarize the key points of what the kids have said to me on video and off; there have been lots of conversations off camera as well. On the personal interest side of it, I could do the same. My personal relationships are so clear to me now. I have learned so much.

Part of me is thinking right now, who the heck cares what I'm thinking? This seems a little odd to even be putting out there because so many people are facing many of the same challenges that I am. When someone asks me, how are you doing? I say fine. What a relative question that is! Fine compared to who and what circumstances? Compared to much of the world my financial issues are small potatoes. I have water to drink, unlike the people in the Sioux nation. I don't have murders going on around me unlike the people in South Chicago. On and on. If I am not being relative, I have spent all my money on this non-profit and need to find work the minute I get home. The thing is I am now uniquely qualified to chat about kids all cross our country. I've heard it and seen it. What I thought about kids is true; they are a wealth of knowledge and we need to listen to them. I have listened, we have been listening, and together we will, absolutely, develop incredible programs for them. The entire vision is in my head. I can actually see it all happening.

First things first however. As of tomorrow I head into Talent and visit with my sister and help/visit with my Mom who had another stroke 10 days ago. I will do as much as I can to help while I'm here.

On August 6th, I head back to Sonoma county and will hopefully get to work. I have one catering job lined up in November at The Commonwealth Club (I am co-chair of the Health and Medicine Committee). I can't work full time as I have a book to write and programs to develop. I could do personal chef work, develop wellness programs, teach cooking and/or nutrition classes, etc. Please help me find something if you can. John suggested I go to various web sites-companies that sell food as an example-to see it they need a "ask the expert" section or if they need someone to develop recipes for their products. Great idea. With enough of those, bills get paid. Meanwhile Sonoma State finishes the data, which will take a bit. When the data is in, grant applications are written, funds received and programs are put into place. A year from now we will all be looking back thinking ..whew that was tough, but we did it. Right now I am in the thick of some of the biggest challenges of my life, but everything in me tells me it's going to work out. Everything. Meanwhile, please help to steer me to someone who might need my services.

Can you see the coyote behind the fence post?



Patch and Wilma really, really, really want at the coyote. Patch more than Wilma was going nuts...



John, beer in hand, about to sand and paint fences. Tomorrow Nancy doesn't work, so I can take some photos of her to post. We are making home made pizza dough in the morning, will visit while the dough rises, and then we'll make our pizzas. I head into Talent after that.