FROM 'THERE' TO 'HERE'
NOT DONE YET--NOT EVEN CLOSE...
Many people subscribe to the: ‘when a door closes somewhere a window opens’ philosophy of life.
Having lived to my present ‘ripe-old-age’ I’m convinced there is just one more ‘door’ after another. And behind each new door is another opportunity to grow or mess up - then the Universe presents us with yet another ‘door’…
A friend and former colleague from my time with Syncrude Canada [Tar Sands] called to ask if I was interested in an opening with Canadian Hunter Exploration [Oil & Gas]. Once again to the detriment of my writing future, circumstances seemed to push aside what my creative side wanted to do - for those who tugged at my heart.
I’m not being a martyr here – it was habit. I grew up the oldest of four siblings always responsible for ‘others’. So, a lifetime of waiting my turn was deeply ingrained - while steadily slipping bye without my even realizing what I was doing was my own dream.
**Sharing this with others on Substack who also have dreams - will be a testament to the fact that I finally woke up and stopped ‘waiting’ for my turn! I stepped up and finally ‘took’ my turn…
***Life Lesson: without being hurtfully-selfish - what I learned is…don’t wait as long as I did [three decades] to be counted. Carve out consistent, regular time for your dream and keep a steady watch on its progress.
Door #1—Though Oilweek Publisher, Jim Lyons was loath to lose me he still wanted me to write and liked my style of humor from my Mirror columns. Since their Drillsite Magazine was floundering he asked if I could write a freelance column that could somehow mix humor with a business and industry slant. The result was Petro Playhouse Presents…
DRILLSITE MAGAZINE - Petro Playhouse Presents…
Drilling For A Legacy Of The Dinosaur
Crucial to our provincial economy is the oil industry which is primarily kept busy punching holes down through the topsoil.
Every year, oil executives with decades of experience and expertise – after careful deliberation – decide exactly where to drill by throwing darts at a provincial township and range survey map. As you can see the entire process is very scientific…
Okay, so what you need first for the business of drilling is some terra-firma on which to plant a drilling rig. To get that plot of land represented by that all important throw of the dart, one must hire a Landman who goes around to an auction to bid for land – against about 700 other Landmen who all want the same piece of dirt.
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DRILLSITE MAGAZINE - Petro Playhouse Presents…
Legacy Of The Lending Hand
Once upon a time on a distant planet in a galaxy far, far away – and it matters not if you subscribe to the theory of reincarnation or Darwin – bankers evolved. And so, the universe has yet to unfold as it should, let alone recover.
The fact is early bankers and financiers were little more than well-dressed rogues, rascals and pirates who made the first boat load of ‘colonists’ deposited on the shores of Australia look like the who’s-who of British cream. But nothing our bankers have done is more impressive than the image they have managed to stamp on our minds of their own unsullied history. A history supposedly steeped in tradition, integrity and stability.
With the appearance of the British merchant cum banker Sir Thomas Gresham in the mid-16th Century came the beginning of banking doubletalk: “Bad money drives out good…” Translation: The shaky stuff generally outnumbers currency based on a standard. And if you don’t believe that’s true then compare how many [paper] dollar bills you have with how many [gold] Krugerrands you have.
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Door #2—Those [partial] posts, above are two examples of what I continued to write for Drillsite that amazingly increased that smaller magazines readership and delayed its cut by MacLean Publishing, for several more months. Regardless, I had fun writing those columns though the research took me well into some late nights after the kids were in bed. Coincidently, soon those columns caught the attention of the CEO who was one of the founders of Canadian Hunter as well as the editor of the Forum Canadian Hunter’s monthly, company publication. As editor Audrey’s recruitment pitch to me was not an either-or option. She sat in front of my desk with an assignment and a deadline and a clear expectation that I [already] was a contributing writer.
DON’T EVER GIVE UP… I was tempted to put a miniaturized version of the cartoon below on a business card, but I have used it at seminars over the years. No matter your ‘dream’ [unless perhaps it’s to be king of England] keep it alive every - single - day. "‘Do’ something each week to move your goal closer like; join a group, make a phone call, write a letter... Years may pass with friends and family questioning your grasp on reality. And, it’s true we always need to continually evaluate the results we get for the effort we expend, but reaching your goal may not be so unattainable—if—you modify, change or reorganize your methods of reaching it….
Door #3— Following the bewildering experience at The Sun/Mirror then another professional detour away from Oil Week Magazine I settled in to face my next big [personal] life change. Several months dissolved rather quickly. I was a single working mom, a social statistic—something I had never factored into either my short or long-term plans. However, amazingly my writing went right along with me, though once again it took a slightly different turn.