I was just wondering the other day where you'd gotten to..hadn't seen around, lately.

I've been mostly hanging out with my other group of friends in Doctor Who fandom, building up contacts and support in preparation for attending a DW convention in Los Angeles in February of 2004... Not quite sure of how I'm going to get there, yet... But it seems that this is the "now or never" time for breaking out of my shell and turning cyber friendships into flesh and blood ones... as the time for travel gets closer (depending on the mode of transportation I choose), I may post a thread on Mudcat so I can meet other friends along the way...

It's funny how the Universe calls our bluff. I do a lot of *healing* work over the telephone, always offered as a gift, it's just what I do, then last year I received a letter of thanks with a $100 check for my "telephone ministry!"

That does not surprise me.   You are valuable and valued.

Indeed. This started back in January, when an internet friend of mine (one of those I hope to meet in February) was feeling isolated, alone, and depressed. I couldn't go to her physically, or help her out in a material way. So I gave her what I had to give: I wrote a story for her, with the intent of adressing the issue at the forefront of her stress at the time. It was a pure gift.

Less than four months later, a long-time friend and mentor asks me to do the exact same thing for pay -- asking me to set my own price. Money isn't everything. But it is one of the ways that energy is made tangible, and when arrives unexpectedly, I see it as kind of a flashing light drawing my attention to the issue or idea behind it -- like a big sign with an arrow saying:

This Way

I've known for a long time that storytelling and storylistening are central to my being, and I've struggled for the past several years over how best to use that in my life to the service of others. I think this oportunity shows one way to live that out...