Thursday, March 5, 2009

March thoughts of October

As day 4 of the 5 day work week, tonight I finally didn't have anything I HAD to do, mostly, I didn't have any obligations at Town Hall. I worked until about 5:30 and came home and fed and watered my rosebushes. Several new buds on several bushes. (I'm excited!! ) I fixed a martini and sat down and put on the national news.
Now I know why I so rarely put on the national news. I switched the channel, surfing past all sorts of undersirable programning. I turned off the TV. It was most soothing, sitting on my sofa, with my beautiful dog at my side, without a sound, without another person, without another distraction. {soak it in!}
I listened to the latino music coming from a few houses down. Party on. My mind was the thought thoroughfare for the period of half an hour. I'd pull over and give one thought some attention, log that that'll be an item for discussion, and move on. Finally my monkey mind said, "Sit.! down at your computer, and .....write. "

OCTOBER and other thoughts

I moved from Hallandale Beach, Florida to Fort Myers Beach, Florida in October, 1981. I had my new 1980 red Subaru 3 door hatchback, that Joe Lamb sold me at Sullivan Street Motors.
The day I signed the papers, after all was said and done, Joe spread out lines of cocaine and we partied on. 6 months later, Joe's body was found in a Fort Lauderdale canal with a bullet in the head.

I moved to Fort Myers Beach at the encouragement of my sister, Debbie. She owned a home on the beach with extra room, and after having visited me in Hallandale Beach (in my hole-in-the-wall apartment), offered to put me up 'til I could get established. The day I moved, was a Saturday in mid October. I remember stopping at the Goodwill Store and leaving stuff - I especially remember leaving a brown corduroy blanket with orange trim. Brother Robert was following behind me hauling more of my stuff. (Cute little Subaru only held so much).

Back then Alligator Alley was a two lane road. One lane east and one lane west. There were no lights, no "comfort facilities" no emergency call boxes, no wildlife retention fences. The speed limit signs were doubled, with a day time and a night time speed limit. Accidents were few, but serious. For me, it was a gloriously clear Saturday morning in October. I was driving a hot little red car and going to a new life. I had my hand out the window and pointed it to dip into the wind, up and down, back and forth. I was on a high.

I got pulled over by a FL Highway Patrol Officer. He asked me if I knew how many cars I'd passed? I said "no" and he told me. WTF. I signed the ticket and moved on. I wasn't looking for any hassles. I had a quarter pound of weed under my seat, and joints in the ashtray. We sure were stupid, back then.

Two years after moving to the Beach, I shared an apartment with another girl, in an apartment complex. I was 28 yrs old and this complex rented to a lot of singles. I made friends. One evening I went out to the 'clubs' with a couple of girlfriends. There, at the Top O'Mast on Fort Myers Beach, I met Pete. It was the third week in October. 1983.

The third week of October 1985, we were married. The first week of October 2005 we were divorced. In October 2006 I almost lost my job. In Otober 2007 I did something stupid enough to almost cost me my job. In October 2008 I had some really bad news about my career development,. In October 2008 my mother passed away.

I've always been fond of October, for it's flaming foliage, the smell of apples, the cooling chilling temperature changes. How could October turn to betray my life by repeatedly affording me so many societal down turns?!

1 comment:

Roderick said...

I often refer to October as my blackest month - my father died in October, as did my grandfather. One of the worst car accidents I went to as a cop was in October - three dead instantly (including an infant) and another eight in various stages of the consequences of the terrible and unforgiving laws of physics. I relate to October in many ways there.