So excited for you! And the fact that you @goldmatters hit 70 on the same day is doubly cool!! So much love & light to you! I've loved watching your posts since my first time replying to your post way back when - when you were asking about songwriting to you recent interviews, like the one with @larrymorrison. I love learning more new things about you and you just continue to shine and impress-rather to coruscate. :-)
Anyway, a tidbit about me, I feel like I've been blessed to live so many different lives within this one. In a "former life" I was a bank manager, who loved city life and travelling, who also sang in a rock band on the weekends, but got a gun held to my head in a crazy bank robbery which led me to leave that life and teach music to elementary kids. I got married & became the total typical suburban soccer mom until we made the crazy decision to homestead and move out of state and now live in the wilderness with 4 kids! Whew! I love this crazy life!
I know what you mean about multiple lifetimes in one. It is hard to believe we've seen and done all we have! I consider it one of the best and most enriching aspects of a person. Micro-specialization and a 30 year career is cool, but I like being a jack of all trades.
I often call myself a jack of all trades, master of few. I often joke that I have too many interests. I can't help it! There is so much out there to experience! I entirely agree!!
😱OMG, you had a gun held to your head?!!! I'm so sorry to hear that. How long ago was that? Oh my, I was wanting to say I didn't know you are a bank manager but when I read about your robbery experience, I literally got stunned. how did you get over that trauma, @crowbarmama?
I had an experience of robbery too when two men came in with long knives into our church to rob us too. I was not the girl who got the knife held to her throat. Even that got me traumatize for days.
@happycrazycon, that was in 2002. It was strange because being in the position of manager, I felt it was my duty to look out for those around me, so I remained calm and in control even when grabbed out of my chair and thrown to the ground, even when the other gunman (there were 2) accidentally discharged his weapon, even when they'd left the building and the elderly woman who had been at the counter grabbed me in a panic and wouldn't let go while I tried to lock the doors, even as my employee, whom I thought was not injured because she had remained standing lifted her arm to reveal blood dripping down her arm... Turns out the gun had been pointed downward and a small piece of the flooring when shot, burst upward striking her hand. I didn't"feel" anything for weeks. I was like a shell, no tears, no anger, just flashbacks until one day, months later, the floodgates of tears opened and I started to heal. Didn't step foot in a bank for years after that though!
The positive out of this was that I had wanted to leave banking, but couldn't see how to leave the money and position. This gave me the excuse I needed, so I'm actually very grateful for the experience. 😉
Perhaps that's the silver lining in this case. You were very brave as a manager. I too burst into tears and crying out loud after weeks later one night, while I tried to calm the others down right after the incident in the police station so I figured you may have "burst" at one point or another. I guess we had our closure much later but much needed. Thank goodness you are out from there too.
How terrifying to be attacked in your place of worship! Being attacked anywhere is scary, but to have it occur in your place of safety & sanctity is all the more injurious! The only thing I felt at first was anger that my sense of security had been taken. I'm so glad you escaped without physical injury and hope the emotional scars are healing well. 💕
Wow!!! you have really lived the big life. Singing in a band has to be sooo much fun. I am sure you would have more than enough stories to tell to your children and grand children.
keep steeming mama 😍,
soorefunmi
We didn't make it big, but we did get to independently produce a couple CDs and videos, which was so much fun! And yes, lots of stories, although many will only be shared once they're older! 😉
How interesting to move from one model of life to another, totally opposite. How did you feel about that? Do you miss your old lifestyle? If you had the opportunity, would you change your current way of life for another? Or do you think it was the best decision of your life? I'm a practicing professional, and I've often thought about going home, but it's a difficult decision.
Greetings
That's a great question. I don't regret anything I've done. I am actually grateful even for the bank robbery because it gave me a reason to leave the industry when I didn't have the courage to leave simply for my own personal benefit. As for my life now, we have had quite the adventure over the last few years, moving out of state, selling our home and living in a travel trailer for 18 months while looking for a property to buy and eventually building our home. If I had known then that we would have spent that long in a travel trailer ( we have 4 kids) I would have said no. It would have terrified me, but having lived it, I'm so grateful for the experience and do not regret any of it. Have you read Atlas Shrugged? I'm in the midst of it right now and I think it shines an important light on the idea of making oneself happy and doing things for your own enjoyment rather than for others or for what others might think. I highly recommend it.