Like the old saying goes about winning and losing... life is an ongoing set of challenges and obstacles but we persevere. It has been another emotional week in the news, hate crimes and other atrocities both near and far, it makes it seem wrong to focus on other things. I have many friends that are gay, and many that are Muslim. To see either attacked causes me pain and I fear for the way things seem to be going. I finally had the privilege of meeting one of the Syrian families who were sponsored by a church in my small town, and was almost overwhelmed with emotion; these people are intent on making a good impression and smile in every photo in spite of all they have been through. Once again, it humbles me and makes my own problems small.
My boyfriend has finally arrived too! Here to make a life with me on the farm, the only stumbling block at the moment is the stress of establishing himself as a contractor in a new market, which I know will take time, but we all have financial obligations that refuse to go away, don't we? I would love to focus on my permaculture adventures full-time, and have little to give by the end of the day and week at the office. But it is my good fortune that these are the issues I'm dealing with, and not tragedy.
Our gardens are coming along, but the tomatoes and potatoes seem to have been frostbitten in last weeks windy, cooler temperatures. I think they have time to come back but it is disappointing to take steps backwards when all we want to do is forge ahead. My herbs are not doing well either, but I suspect there is a learning curve there :) I shall carry on.
Two old friends reconnected with me this week out of the blue - sometimes life's surprises are welcome. It is heart-warming to know you have made an impression on someone, isn't it? Small pieces of connection between life's chapters... it is nice to feel a little less fragmented, as I seem to have the habit of leaving almost everyone and everything behind once I move on. I am thankful.
Health-wise it has been a difficult few weeks; lots of pain in the form of headaches and body aches. I'm not sure if this is part of adjusting to the kefir and kombucha, as my stomach issues are acting up as well, but I still believe I am doing healthful things by working on my gut flora. Due to my bloating, I have added an interesting ayurvedic supplement to my current regime - it is called Triphala, which is a mix of three Indian fruits including amla (which first came to my attention more than 10 years ago when I was dealing with the worst of my sinus infections). It is intended to balance the doshas and has multiple intended health effects - google it to find out more, it is rather interesting.
Speaking of sinuses, although mine are many times better than they used to be (and in spite of the doctor who told me I don't have sinus issues) I also picked up a nasal spray called Nasol for allergy and sinus relief which contains capsaicin (another of the ingredients that has surfaced before in my quest for better health). This one is thought to aid with migraines as well. I think I may have tried a similar spray once before (aimed at reducing snoring). Any of the above conditions are ones for which I would welcome some added relief any day of the week! The results have been promising so far.
An update on making money online: it has been slow going. I have actually failed to receive payment from either of the transcription clients I've done work for on Upwork. The first one was my fault for not being diligent enough about demanding a proper work agreement; the second was more confusing when the client ceased corresponding with me. In spite of the many hours I'd spent on several documents I'd only earned 20-some dollars, so I was not in that big a hurry to chase them down for it - but the website has a policy of cancelling contracts after a 3-month period of inactivity, and I was similarly not eager to just let the money I'd earned go! I finally got back in touch with the client, who was apologetic and willing to send me payment via paypal (as the contract had been cancelled by then), but the website support team said this was a breach of their rules, and they sent me cut-and-paste replies when I tried to explain the situation. I am therefore not inclined to look for work there at the moment.
On my affiliate programs, I've lost one of my favourites as they have moved to Commission Junction, and affiliates were supposed to be able to transfer over, but when I tried it did not work. CJ also prefers "bigger" affiliates than me and I've not had much success with them in the past as a result. So, I think I'm going to let that one go. I had actually never received payment from the client anyways (oh dear, do you detect a theme here?), in spite of earning a few small commission cheques - in that case the cheques had supposedly been mailed, and when I realized they had gone to my old address (where my previous roommate still lived) I took responsibility - although my roommate could find no trace of them in the other mail she kept for me - and it would have been nice if the company could have actually looked up the cheques to see if they had been cashed or not. Again, the amounts of money involved did not make it worth a huge amount of effort, but it is kind of disappointing.
What do you think about all of it on an existential level? Am I supposed to think bigger, expect better? Is it an unworthy pursuit to participate in affiliate programs on my website? I still believe that by conducting myself honorably and staying true to my beliefs and trying to live authentically that things should work out in the end. Well, it continues to be a work in progress, and I do actually love my website. It would be great - truly- if it could help me make a little money, but in the meantime I also truly hope someone out there finds some information on here that helps them, makes their life a little bit easier, or that my experience lends hope to another soul dealing with chronic health issues.
So! There's a bit of a rambly post for you. Carry on, keep doing your best :)
p.s. Upon hitting "publish" this post disappeared lol... I thought it was gone for good, but managed to recover it. Seems the universe is playing a few tricks on this theme...
My boyfriend has finally arrived too! Here to make a life with me on the farm, the only stumbling block at the moment is the stress of establishing himself as a contractor in a new market, which I know will take time, but we all have financial obligations that refuse to go away, don't we? I would love to focus on my permaculture adventures full-time, and have little to give by the end of the day and week at the office. But it is my good fortune that these are the issues I'm dealing with, and not tragedy.
Our gardens are coming along, but the tomatoes and potatoes seem to have been frostbitten in last weeks windy, cooler temperatures. I think they have time to come back but it is disappointing to take steps backwards when all we want to do is forge ahead. My herbs are not doing well either, but I suspect there is a learning curve there :) I shall carry on.
Two old friends reconnected with me this week out of the blue - sometimes life's surprises are welcome. It is heart-warming to know you have made an impression on someone, isn't it? Small pieces of connection between life's chapters... it is nice to feel a little less fragmented, as I seem to have the habit of leaving almost everyone and everything behind once I move on. I am thankful.
Health-wise it has been a difficult few weeks; lots of pain in the form of headaches and body aches. I'm not sure if this is part of adjusting to the kefir and kombucha, as my stomach issues are acting up as well, but I still believe I am doing healthful things by working on my gut flora. Due to my bloating, I have added an interesting ayurvedic supplement to my current regime - it is called Triphala, which is a mix of three Indian fruits including amla (which first came to my attention more than 10 years ago when I was dealing with the worst of my sinus infections). It is intended to balance the doshas and has multiple intended health effects - google it to find out more, it is rather interesting.
Speaking of sinuses, although mine are many times better than they used to be (and in spite of the doctor who told me I don't have sinus issues) I also picked up a nasal spray called Nasol for allergy and sinus relief which contains capsaicin (another of the ingredients that has surfaced before in my quest for better health). This one is thought to aid with migraines as well. I think I may have tried a similar spray once before (aimed at reducing snoring). Any of the above conditions are ones for which I would welcome some added relief any day of the week! The results have been promising so far.
An update on making money online: it has been slow going. I have actually failed to receive payment from either of the transcription clients I've done work for on Upwork. The first one was my fault for not being diligent enough about demanding a proper work agreement; the second was more confusing when the client ceased corresponding with me. In spite of the many hours I'd spent on several documents I'd only earned 20-some dollars, so I was not in that big a hurry to chase them down for it - but the website has a policy of cancelling contracts after a 3-month period of inactivity, and I was similarly not eager to just let the money I'd earned go! I finally got back in touch with the client, who was apologetic and willing to send me payment via paypal (as the contract had been cancelled by then), but the website support team said this was a breach of their rules, and they sent me cut-and-paste replies when I tried to explain the situation. I am therefore not inclined to look for work there at the moment.
On my affiliate programs, I've lost one of my favourites as they have moved to Commission Junction, and affiliates were supposed to be able to transfer over, but when I tried it did not work. CJ also prefers "bigger" affiliates than me and I've not had much success with them in the past as a result. So, I think I'm going to let that one go. I had actually never received payment from the client anyways (oh dear, do you detect a theme here?), in spite of earning a few small commission cheques - in that case the cheques had supposedly been mailed, and when I realized they had gone to my old address (where my previous roommate still lived) I took responsibility - although my roommate could find no trace of them in the other mail she kept for me - and it would have been nice if the company could have actually looked up the cheques to see if they had been cashed or not. Again, the amounts of money involved did not make it worth a huge amount of effort, but it is kind of disappointing.
What do you think about all of it on an existential level? Am I supposed to think bigger, expect better? Is it an unworthy pursuit to participate in affiliate programs on my website? I still believe that by conducting myself honorably and staying true to my beliefs and trying to live authentically that things should work out in the end. Well, it continues to be a work in progress, and I do actually love my website. It would be great - truly- if it could help me make a little money, but in the meantime I also truly hope someone out there finds some information on here that helps them, makes their life a little bit easier, or that my experience lends hope to another soul dealing with chronic health issues.
So! There's a bit of a rambly post for you. Carry on, keep doing your best :)
p.s. Upon hitting "publish" this post disappeared lol... I thought it was gone for good, but managed to recover it. Seems the universe is playing a few tricks on this theme...
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