When Now was Then

1) I was at the Tompkins Square Park Riot on the Lower East Side in New York City, 1988.
2) As an adult, I have not had any pets of my own, but have had many pets vicariously through roommates and pet sitting gigs.
3) Though I love children, I have made the decision to not have any myself.
4) The first time I performed at CBGBs I was 16.
5) The last time I performed at CBGBs I was 33.
6) I have never had my teeth bleached.
7) My patron Goddess is Saraswati.
8. I believe that most illness stems from stress and poor nutrition.
9) When I was 18, through a contest on WFMU, I won a bag of William Berger’s hair by (eventually) guessing his middle name.
10) I still have not met William Berger in person.
11) I have a degree in Creative Writing and Art (concentration – etching and painting).
12) I dislike donuts.
13) I want to learn how to play the harmonium and the hurdy gurdy.
14) I came home from the hospital where i was born in a Christmas stocking.
15) I have lived in three major cities – New York, San Francisco and Tucson.
16) I would like to tour Ireland by bicycle.
17) I have never been outside of North America except for a cruise to the Bahamas that I went on with my parents when I was 20 years-old.
18) I am certified to teach yoga and to practice and teach reiki.
19) I love that my boyfriend is handy with a light switch.
20) I would like to travel the Amazon River.
21) I am consistently amazed at the joy and wonder that life is.
22) I would like to hike the Pacific Coast Trail.
23) I have never bought a television set in my life.
24) I love knitting and being crafty – and even more than being crafty, I love the company of my crafty girlfriends while being crafty (or sporty, or just hanging out)
25) Although nothing is certain in life except change, it still feels strange to wonder day-by-day if my job at the university will be cut due to the budget crisis. That being said – I would like to make a living teaching yoga, writing, painting, making music — and helping people find ways to honor and nurture their own creativity and highest health.

First published April 28th, 2009. 
Flagstaff, Arizona

Message from my future self – August 13, 2024 – Woodstock, NY:

• I have come to believe my guardian angel is my future self encouraging my past self to keep on going.
• I still pet sit – I am pet sitting this very moment.
• I have no children.
• I still have not had my teeth bleached.
• I never met William Berger, RIP.
• I play neither the harmonium nor hurdy gurdy, though I am now performing in a band that uses a harmonium and I may learn. It looks like more likely I will be playing drums.
• The fourth major city where I lived – Phoenix, Arizona. I think Flagstaff, Arizona might be considered a city now, too – and it is becoming major.
• I have now been to Peru and the Amazon jungle.
• I no longer have the handy boyfriend – though I myself am handier than I used to be.
• I have traveled the Amazon River.
• I left the university in 2019.
• I paint, teach workshops, read tarot, and make music for a living.
• I am grateful.
• I trust the future informs the present.

~ ~ ~

August 13, 2024
Mercury Retrograde
Woodstock, NY

Image: rust © Holly Troy 2023