Give a Portion of Thyself- Freelance is like Baseball

"The greatest gift is a portion of thyself. "

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I wish I could send you the pampering perfume of the Enfleurage soy candle by Archipelago Botanicals. A blended bouquet of French Jasmine, Lily of the Valley and Rose will glow for a good 60 hours.  The hand-poured mossy green soy wax is displayed in its own  apothecary-style jar with a lid to turn the flame off without a smokey smudge.


Once the candle is finished, the container will be polished and reused as an elegant container for gift giving. Imagine the lidded jar holding candies or sea shells. Perhaps an elegantly old fashioned label printed proclaiming its new use as a holder of homemade bath salts.

The window was my first stained glass project. My husband bought me the equipment for Christmas and the family paid for a class through Diamond Bar Parks and Recreation.  In turn, their gift to me was returned to them through this window that we have all enjoyed.
My next project is a bass Tiffany style lamp. Pattern by Worden, next week the glass will be hand selected. Not just for color, but for how texture and light reflecting qualities.

More  than task lighting, the glass shade is an artistic statement that reflects our mutual love of the outdoors.  When it is finished, it will be my gift to husband. It will be the statement piece as we transform a long-abandoned bedroom into his new study.

This week it was announced  by Patch.com that freelance writers are still welcome to submit- but we will not be paid. I do not know if this is regional or national. I did expect that for better or worse, Arriana Huffington's 300+ million dollar payday would affect the operations of what is a young start up company. The only questions were how, when and whom. Time will tell if the decision to target assets to her expertise were well advised of not.

Image from Huffington family Christmas card before her then husband's Senate run

I wish the best for Patch.com. As a writer, you were sweet as a summer romance. Lovely while it lasted, and while the breakup may be bittersweet, I will remain glad for our time together.  

I hurt for the editors who got to pass on the change in policy towards freelance compensation. Writers do have an inclination to wonder why such a matter was not covered by some US Civil War 1865 proclamation.  My position is, better to be in my shoes than the editor's. The workload of an editor can be summed up like this

When I was a community editor, I always thanked God.  First for being called to the position. Then that it was to a monthly publication, not a daily one):-

To young aspiring writers everywhere- make peace with the following. Like professional baseball players, the best batting average is below 500. You will not be paid well for being well-rounded.  You will be paid for perhaps how you perform only 1 skill set- but that one thing you do must better than any other living person.

If you are up learning that stumbles are character building events to be thankful for, then go for it. Be a writer. There is nothing more professionally uplifting than falling in love with your topic and then having people remember what you wrote.  

A good story is a gift that keeps on giving.


Local Readers- Bar- the Enfleurage soy candle by Archipelago Botanicals is available at D&D Interiors, 514 N Diamond Bar Blvd # G , Diamond Bar , CA 91765

909-598-1219 for hours or more information