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Some writing news
Dec. 20th, 2014 12:57 pm First up, Portal to Gaming is now available on NOOK. :) Hoorah for that, and here be the link.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/portal-to-gaming-elise-k-rasha/1120942910?ean=2940150257382
The King and Queen of Wands will be available on NOOK soon.
Second, my time in Washington is almost up. I knew when I came out here it wasn't going to be a long-term fix to anything. The moment I decided to come out here was beautiful, beautiful indeed, and I'm so very glad for each and every moment I've been out here, including the heartbreaking moments where I realized I was so much better and stronger than what I gave myself credit for.
My time is up for a couple of reasons.
1 - The women's shelter I'm staying in only allows 90 bed nights. That means, come January 9th/10th, I need to find another place to stay. There is no room for argument or negotiation on this.
2 - I've applied to 58 locations (some were mutliple for the same company), interviewed for 3, but haven't landed a job. Competition is tough out here, and it's very hard to survive when you don't have the means to pay rent or scrounge up bus fare. Sounds like I'm giving up the fight on this end, and I concede that it does.
3 - I'm not home. I feel like I've landed in a much larger, more diverse version of the small town I left behind.
4 - I knew I wasn't going to be out here for long anyway. I figured 2-3 years at the most. Three months is now my max.
5 - I'm ready to go home. I'm ready to be in Philadelphia so I can continue the good fight there.
The decision to leave next month is not being done lightly. There were a lot of concerns I had about finding a place, about buying things like pots and pans and storage containers for food and transporting them to Philadelphia that are no longer there.
How I'm leaving Washington is a bit of a mystery right this moment. I do have a gofundme campaign going to raise bus fare money, but a one-way ticket from Seattle to Philadelphia costs over $100, and I've not raised near enough for that nor to transport what belongings I did bring with me to Philadelphia.
However, despite the lack of money at this moment, I do not leave this state empty-handed. I have gained a valuable perspective, spiritual enrichment, and something very, very important. Allow me to tell a little tale.
As most people know, I've lived with family for my entire life. I've always had a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food on the table. The basics.
What most people don't know is how stressful living with family had become. I had "rules" I had to follow that seemed to apply to only me. I'd grown lazy and complacent and . . . a robot. I didn't dare argue over things because I was the one who was always wrong and it just wasn't worth standing up for myself. The anger and dischord wasn't worth it, and I admit I was afraid of being homeless, of not being able to stay safe.
I was losing a very vital piece of me in this process, and that was my empathy and compassion for others. I actually feared this earlier this year, expressed it to myself on a piece of paper, and, lo, I am here in Washington. I am homeless, and I'm not afraid of what's to come next. I have met many wonderful people in the short time I've been here, people who have had no reason to show me kindness and compassion but have. I thank the Gods above for these lessons, for helping me to gain the strength I needed to start taking care of me the way that I've needed to take care of me, and for helping me to gain back the things that were important to me.
Now mind you, this hasn't come without some kind of cost. I am on the outs with my family for my haste to get here and for my refusal to move to Tulsa for a short while before heading to Philadelphia. It's coming at a horrible time - the holiday season - so it's been a tad bit depressing and given me one or two anxiety fits, but I'm okay. I really am okay. My homelessness has been a positive and rewarding experience, one of the best experiences in my life. It may sound odd to say, but, in one of his parting shots at me about my situation, my uncle said something that's very true. He said that we reap what we sow. Mind you, he hasn't been one of the most charitable people about this, taking at least three opportunities to say how he lived in a tent for some time, never asked for help, never once complained, but the truth is there all the same. We do reap what we sow, and my life is one about love, charity, kindness, compassion, and empathy. I'm homeless, and I wish there was more that I could do for the homeless, be it buying a meal or some warmer clothes. All I can do right now is offer a smile, warm wishes for the holidays, and conversation. All I can hope is that it's enough.
Happy holidays to all of my writerly friends and to my readers. May your days truly be merry and bright and filled with love and laughter.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/portal-to-gaming-elise-k-rasha/1120942910?ean=2940150257382
The King and Queen of Wands will be available on NOOK soon.
Second, my time in Washington is almost up. I knew when I came out here it wasn't going to be a long-term fix to anything. The moment I decided to come out here was beautiful, beautiful indeed, and I'm so very glad for each and every moment I've been out here, including the heartbreaking moments where I realized I was so much better and stronger than what I gave myself credit for.
My time is up for a couple of reasons.
1 - The women's shelter I'm staying in only allows 90 bed nights. That means, come January 9th/10th, I need to find another place to stay. There is no room for argument or negotiation on this.
2 - I've applied to 58 locations (some were mutliple for the same company), interviewed for 3, but haven't landed a job. Competition is tough out here, and it's very hard to survive when you don't have the means to pay rent or scrounge up bus fare. Sounds like I'm giving up the fight on this end, and I concede that it does.
3 - I'm not home. I feel like I've landed in a much larger, more diverse version of the small town I left behind.
4 - I knew I wasn't going to be out here for long anyway. I figured 2-3 years at the most. Three months is now my max.
5 - I'm ready to go home. I'm ready to be in Philadelphia so I can continue the good fight there.
The decision to leave next month is not being done lightly. There were a lot of concerns I had about finding a place, about buying things like pots and pans and storage containers for food and transporting them to Philadelphia that are no longer there.
How I'm leaving Washington is a bit of a mystery right this moment. I do have a gofundme campaign going to raise bus fare money, but a one-way ticket from Seattle to Philadelphia costs over $100, and I've not raised near enough for that nor to transport what belongings I did bring with me to Philadelphia.
However, despite the lack of money at this moment, I do not leave this state empty-handed. I have gained a valuable perspective, spiritual enrichment, and something very, very important. Allow me to tell a little tale.
As most people know, I've lived with family for my entire life. I've always had a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food on the table. The basics.
What most people don't know is how stressful living with family had become. I had "rules" I had to follow that seemed to apply to only me. I'd grown lazy and complacent and . . . a robot. I didn't dare argue over things because I was the one who was always wrong and it just wasn't worth standing up for myself. The anger and dischord wasn't worth it, and I admit I was afraid of being homeless, of not being able to stay safe.
I was losing a very vital piece of me in this process, and that was my empathy and compassion for others. I actually feared this earlier this year, expressed it to myself on a piece of paper, and, lo, I am here in Washington. I am homeless, and I'm not afraid of what's to come next. I have met many wonderful people in the short time I've been here, people who have had no reason to show me kindness and compassion but have. I thank the Gods above for these lessons, for helping me to gain the strength I needed to start taking care of me the way that I've needed to take care of me, and for helping me to gain back the things that were important to me.
Now mind you, this hasn't come without some kind of cost. I am on the outs with my family for my haste to get here and for my refusal to move to Tulsa for a short while before heading to Philadelphia. It's coming at a horrible time - the holiday season - so it's been a tad bit depressing and given me one or two anxiety fits, but I'm okay. I really am okay. My homelessness has been a positive and rewarding experience, one of the best experiences in my life. It may sound odd to say, but, in one of his parting shots at me about my situation, my uncle said something that's very true. He said that we reap what we sow. Mind you, he hasn't been one of the most charitable people about this, taking at least three opportunities to say how he lived in a tent for some time, never asked for help, never once complained, but the truth is there all the same. We do reap what we sow, and my life is one about love, charity, kindness, compassion, and empathy. I'm homeless, and I wish there was more that I could do for the homeless, be it buying a meal or some warmer clothes. All I can do right now is offer a smile, warm wishes for the holidays, and conversation. All I can hope is that it's enough.
Happy holidays to all of my writerly friends and to my readers. May your days truly be merry and bright and filled with love and laughter.
