I'm staying Monday to Friday of Christmas week in East Spokane, Washington, with a family I've known since Kayle's and my 2006 to 2010 Moscow, Idaho, years. Caitlin, her two kids, and her second husband are the sort of friends I see on occasions months or years apart, and then we enjoy one another's company in a low-key sort of way, with snatches of catching-up conversation mixed with together activities like meals and Scrabble games, and much of the time with each of us engaging in individual pastimes. For me this week, that means frequent 30 minute spurts of creative writing. These visits have always been quite pleasant for me.
I stayed at Caitlin's and Dean's place last Christmas, too.
Here are highlights of my past year, 2019:
In February, I published my article "How to Price Used Books as a Dealer" on the HubPages niche website ToughNickel.
In March, I met for the first time with a social worker at Bainbridge Island's Helpline House. She has helped me get on and stay on two government programs that help a little with my food and my health insurance expenses.
On June 3, I posted on Medium my essay "An Appreciation of HISTORY OF MYSTICISM by S. Abhayananda".
On June 14, I created a blog, "Life of Brian", on my website. If interested in reading my blog posts, consider putting onto your appointments and events calendar a monthly reminder to have a look at http://brianleekley.weebly.com/biblog. (If that link doesn't work for you, try this link to my homepage http://brianleekley.weebly.com/ and there click "Life of Brian blog".)
June 18 to 23, going and returning by Greyhound bus, I stayed at Caitlin's and Dean's place while I attended the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations 2019 General Assembly. I attended workshops on white fragility, on dismantling white supremacy culture, on coping with destructive behavior in a congregation in the context of white supremacy culture, and on electrifying the entire US passenger and freight railroads system.
On July 9, 2019, a dentist in a sliding scale clinic extracted 5 of my teeth, all infected at the root. That was a victory over more than a year of procrastination.
On August 13, a neighbor took my grandnephew Andrew and me on a sailboat ride in Puget Sound. It was my first and so far only sailboat ride ever.
On August 26, Kayle requested by email that we get divorced. I emailed back that I would not oppose it.
October 1 to 6, Kayle and I vacationed together in Albuquerque.
October 6-9, I visited Avon and Michael in Los Angeles and ate out with my nephew Mark Leekley and with my grandniece Lauren Leekley.
December 2, a court in Kalamazoo finalized Kayle's and my divorce. We've stayed pals and in touch.
During the year, I got started on several writing projects; made new friends and acquaintances; got closer to a keto diet; got active in Cedars Unitarian Universalist Church, and started attending Kitsap Showing Up for Racial Justice meetings.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good year!
How was your 2019? What plans and aspirations for 2020?
Love,
Brian