Diamonds Hovering in the Trees

Ending 2006 with the blindsiding episode of being laid-off, I began a furtive search for anything beautiful, shiny, glistening with potential, endowed with some gently hidden meaning just for me.
Opening my front door on a rare sunny late morning, I turned automatically into the warm glare from the south, and there were the dancing diamonds in the tree branches, glittering in waves like fish flicking away all at once. Unbelievably, a veil burned off and the sun strengthened, blinding me in mid-breath on the step, no time no time no time to waste anymore. I stood there for so long.

I'd had an intuitive flash of my next move even while still on the phone with the director giving me the bad news, but you keep your own counsel for a while, console them and be the good sport just to give yourself some more room and a pause (beat beat heart keep going) to finish the phone call, anyway.
'Take the money offer' has been the constant reassuring comment in my head, and after 10 days of pretending to consider my other options with the Company (there aren't any, really) I've begun planning the first few weeks of my Brave New Shoots life as a non-employee. I have so many tools, interests, a few connections, some ideas, big dreams and great stores of time ahead of me in this new Spring. Lists and budgets lie next to re-potted staghorn ferns and budding orchids.
Bare branches reveal the West Hills' lights at night and Mt. Tabor's shoulder in the early morning. I do not want to miss any of this anymore. I'm smart enough to figure out how to make this amazing opportunity work out for me, and know how much strength I derive from this oasis in the Southeast neighborhood.

This blog is about my absolutely sincere love of living in Portland, Oregon, amongst the urban tribes and various quadrant nations of all kinds, and how life evolves for those around and about who recklessly pursue themselves and their passionate whims of all hours. 47th Page & Light is the generating loft for my next stage of projects, including writing, web-pub-ing, art & trade, photography, travel & artifacts, reinvention, and collecting more ephemeral wonders of this river town.