OCTOBER IS A BEAUTIFUL MONTH TO VOTE

 

Lantana in October Bloom 

 

Fall is beautiful where I live.  It was chilly the other day but today warm enough to swim.  Oh my, how I love that luxury.  Never as a child as I hiked to the neighborhood pool, did I think I would have my own.  The first 15 minutes were getting the leaves out of the pool.  But then, back and forth, back and forth, counting my strokes, counting the laps, feeling free and large. Good for my sub-par back.  The leaves made me think of wild swimming.  It could have been a pond.  The lantana are vibrant this time of year.  Butterflies abound, fluttering this way and that.  Goldenrod line the roadside, enough to pick bouquets, short-lived as they are. 

Goldenrod Gathered by my Mailbox

I know that winter is next, but today it didn't feel like it.  We reached 82 degrees.  The rest of the week will be rain.  

I read about personal blogs, personal essays. People who write without a niche or a monetary goal.  Writers not influencers.  I never recognized that that is what I have been doing since 2017.  No paid subscribers, no "buy me a coffee" (I drink tea).  None is superior, just preferences I suppose, or necessities. 

Some of the posts I most enjoy, here or elsewhere, are by writers whose vlogs/blogs/posts cause them a bit of stress, they say.  Paid subscribers, they feel, are owed so many posts a week or month.  What if there's nothing to say?  Or no time this month?  Or full-time work gets in the way?  Or illness?  Some of the most creative people seem to bite off more than they can chew.  I always respond with something like, "Remember, your readers have lives too.  We don't have time to read constantly.  Don't worry.  We're not waiting for a post.  We're happy when they come."  I mean that.

I hope that everyone who's reading this reaches retirement age.  It's such a blessing.  A blessing to have time to post thoughts and hope that they are helpful in some way.  A blessing to be self-sufficient in late life.  A blessing to have time to do what feels good, valuable.  To swim or pick Goldenrod or grow lantana.  

And most of all, remember that we are close to the midterm elections.  Vote.  Vote for those who care about workers, retirees, moms and dads, the environment, gas prices, grocery prices, good schools for all, civil rights.  Make this month beautiful.  

In peace, Nina Naomi