When I”m involved in a serious edit of a book I find it challenging to get sidetracked and don’t do much multi-tasking like writing a blog post, posting on social media, submitting my previous books to appropriate venues so people can find them. While in the writing-mode I do what I can, and let go of what I can’t comfortably take on. I have to make “space and time” in my daily work to write a random thought, as I indulge in here.

But … so many times I’ve WISHED I could have time to share here. What are some of the ideas I’ve had that didn’t get written about, just because of time limitations on my part? I’m going to list a few here, and we’ll see how much time I can spare to explore them.

• Time, of itself, is an interesting topic with many aspects

There are only so many hours in each day, week, month, year, and in our lifetime. Every minute counts for me these days, because I have certain goals that are time-oriented. My consort Carter and I, for instance, want to travel a lot now that he’s retired, and plan on taking off for extended periods of time, so I have to finish these TWO BOOKS that I’m working on; one at a time, don’t worry!

I heard a spiritual teacher talk about “Time” the other day. It was a very deep, very esoteric approach to, what essentially the teacher claimed, was the falsehood of time. I couldn’t disagree more! (Some spiritual teachers are so FULL of themselves! Really!)

Simply put, I believe time is a “tool” by which we can measure ourselves (and others, other things), our progress, our growth, and our civilization’s, the multiverse’s own evolution.

I used to wonder why I was born into such a strange, user-unfriendly-to-me family as I found myself in. But as I grew more awake and aware, I realized this so-strange family of mine was actually a very good “tool” by which I could see how far I was advancing along the path of higher understanding. I stopped judging them, in other words, and saw “their worth” in terms of time and space. With that view (using my family as a metaphysical “yardstick”) I could more easily accept my “weird family” and even be thankful for having been born into that particular one. By this method, I could see, at last, how fortunate I was to be born to them, and stopped comparing myself to them. Time-measuring like this helped me realize I’d come a long way. It helped me feel more accepting of them, and me, just the way we all are.

T.I.M.E. — in my recovery from negative addictions, this acronym was taught to me, right at the beginning of my journey to sobriety, to mean: T.his I. M.ust E.arn. To have “time” in spiritual recovery means, simply, a measurement of how long we haven’t put any mood-altering substances in our body. Period. A simple, easy, good “tool” by which a person like myself (formerly addicted to self-loathing) can start to feel good about ourselves, by beginning to accrue “time” in recovery. Today I have 34 years.

Another measurement of time that pleases me, helps my self-esteem grow exponentially, are the 27 years we’re celebrating next week, in which I’ve been blessed to be married to my beloved husband, Carter Lord. Together, we raised his two small children who today are healthy and happy and well-balanced adults of 31 and 34.

If it wasn’t for me having learned to use time more wisely, I’d not be where I am today. I’ve published two books already in the last two years, and I have two more in the works. Without setting goals, using time periods as aids in which to achieve these important goals, I’d never have been able to do what I’ve done. It’s hard work to put a book together!

I can’t reiterate enough how important it is to me, having learned to “prioritize” my time. I often feel overwhelmed, as I’m sure many of you do, too. But what helps me eliminate this feeling of can’t do it all! is to write out what I have on my plate, whether for that day, week, month, or year — and then make a clear list prioritizing those items, as many times as it takes to get ’em all done. For me there’s a big difference between wanting to and needing to do something. That’s been my biggest help, in learning how to use my time well. What do I really need to do? The “wants” can wait, unless of course it’s that bit of chocolate I’m willing to do a few more rounds of hot yoga to work off the extra calories!

With all the demands of an author (after all, who’s going to market the work if the author doesn’t?) I’ve had to prioritize that writing the next book means more to me than making more sales with the previous two. My plan in this area, is to take an entire year to learn how, and then do the marketing side of authorship … AFTER the next two books are published. Arriving at this clear goal of mine meant I had to be clear about what my priorities are, as an artist/author. I’m more interested in creating really great books than in who knows about them; that can come organically … in time. Hopefully, I’ll be able to be a super marketing person, when I get to that part of my years-ahead plan.

Here’s the next topic that’s been on my mind:

• The Uproar over Kavanaugh

I hesitate to make any comment on LordFlea that might be interpreted as political, because I’m a nonpartisan, independent person who didn’t vote for a thousand years, and have only come back into the voting-American tribe since marrying and becoming a righteous-acting stepmother. I thought being responsible for raising someone else’s kids (the bio-mom’s I mean, who had very restricted parenting rights) warranted having an opinion about how our government ought to be. So yes, I do vote, but no, I don’t engage in controversy. Everyone ought to vote, but after elections it’s important in my mind, mostly spiritually important, to accept whatever candidate got voted in. I’m not saying “the majority voted” because as we all know, the presidential-vote political system in the USA does not rely on that method but rather the “electoral college.” If you don’t know what that is I urge you to google it or watch a YouTube explanation. It’s fascinating. And I heartily agree with its constitutional use, for the official record.

So, how do I feel about Judge Brett Kavanaugh? Supposedly the vote is being called by the Senate either today, or tomorrow. Notwithstanding, I’m going to state anyway, right now, how I feel, without putting any bet on whether he’s going to be or not granted this high privilege of serving as a Supreme Court Justice in the United States of America.

What I am going to affirm is this: we in America are all innocent until we’re proven guilty. I speak as a person who once was thrown into jail (yes, little ol’ me) in a country that did not operate by those standards, a country in which a person is guilty until proven innocent. This happened in the Dominican Republic, folks, part of my unusually rambunctious past. To be called guilty when one knows otherwise, is a horrible thing.

But … I must be perfectly honest, as a recovering alcoholic, who was also a teenage imbiber of great measure (as Kavanaugh supposedly was) I can attest to the fact that anything, repeat anything! can happen when a true alcoholic drinks to excess. We suffer blackouts, most of us alchies do. It’s considered one of the “official symptoms” or “signs” of a true alchie as opposed to someone who “just likes to drink a lot.” I was a teenage blackout drinker, starting from fifteen on. Whatever Kavanaugh was accused of, I can easily believe really happened. But, I can also see how he might not remember, truly. If a person once suffered blackout(s) they actually don’t know what happened during that time-warp (an alcohol-soaked brain going on the blink) blackout unless someone either tells them, or shows them a video tape or they hear a recording (which happened to me, and led to my getting help, finally, in my mid-thirties).

Another time aspect of Kavanaugh’s situation is the huge time and energy wasted on people being so unforgiving, so pissy, so viciously uptight, so mean, so cruel, and other un-compassionate un-spiritual ways they’ve been over this teenage knuckleheadedness (guilty! I am, too!) that I’ve been sickened by the whole time-consuming lion-roaring circus. Of course the showman sensationalism surrounding the Supreme Court vacant seat-fiasco taking place in the Senate goes hand-in-hand with this challenging time of bizarre carnival-esque behavior emanating from the highest office of our glorious land. I easily understand this is a time in our American society of people feeling mixed, betrayed, confused and so let down … that I’m left with feeling for both sides of the fight.

All I know is that I’ve doubled up on my prayers, directing my spiritual energies toward  the peaceful, harmonious sorting-out of all chaotic strings and strands of these hard times we’re living through.We are being tested, all of humankind, in many realms.

Together, as a family of humans, all I know to be True is this: Our humanity will see us through anything. We will get through these times. The tests that our current challenging times bring, will be met, one by one, event by event, crisis by crisis. We will survive, we will grow, we will all become better people … once we’re through the hard times.

We are evolving. Our entire race is transforming as a result of all the many challenges we’ve been through. This simple statement is true, and has been so since the beginning of recorded history. True for our species, true for each individual’s life as well. These times we’re going through now are no different than earlier times in human evolution. People want to control each other. Nothing’s changed. But we as a family of humankind, are changing. Yes we are! We are learning from our mistakes. We are growing, getting better as human beings, because we’re learning to choose better. We are becoming better spiritual beings in our human incarnations. One crisis at a time, one person’s heart and mind is opening, one of us at a time.

This, by the way, happens to be the subject of the current book I’ve been working on, to which I’ve been devoting my creative time for these past months, and why you’ve not seen a blog post from LordFlea lately. Today I’m taking a break from the end of my 3rd major edit, and … as soon as I press “publish” for this post I’m jumping back into the next stage of writing. I hope to get this new book out (it’s about Love in all its many forms, that’s all I’m saying about my latest book for now) … in the next few months.

Wish me well! As I send wishes of harmony, peace, and happy times to all of you!

Your pal who loves you, LordFlea, aka teZa Lord