Phenix JiRa is an idea that came to life during a time when writing became important enough to share with others. I started writing long before the Internet came to be however it has given me the ability to reach people I would not have met under previous conditions. It allows me to share writing in ways I never imagined and, due to the knowledge I've gained from sharing my writing online, I am more comfortable sharing it off line.
I have had a fascination with the mythical fire bird for as long as I can remember. The idea of living a full life without the worry of burning out before one's time, has great appeal. Fire is very beautiful and powerful even in something as simple as a candle flame. Watching the flame can be hypnotic and help focus the mind to solve problems by pushing away distractions. Finding something as captivating as the phoenix which encompasses this focused freedom, has brought me great enjoyment.
It might seem obvious when I tell you that my son took up fire spinning. It’s actually a big coincidence because I never shared my like of fire with him while he was growing up. That seemed like a bad idea when he was a child. Today, he spins nunchakus and sometimes, if I’m lucky, they are on fire! He also owns a parkour gym where he teaches students the art of parkour. But more on that later.
I have lived in four states during the last twenty years and have gained experiences in several different fields. Some experiences were gained by choice and some were gained because we moved. Some of the fields in which I have worked are health care, construction, trucking, auto insurance, real estate, legal, finance, and retail. I have been a communications team leader, account receivable trainer, managed a contracting department, call monitored an attorney network, helped establish a new territorial agency, trained office coordinators in several states, volunteered for my HOA, and organized myself within new assignments in short order.
In school I was never able to answer the question "what do you want to do with your life". Back then, it was my lack of self-esteem and the assumption I was never going to amount to anything that held me back. Due to this ridiculous notion, I never believed I could control the answer to that question. I hid behind the wall of the outcast and buried myself into studies even if I didn't care about the subject. I was determined to improve my grades and had a 4.0 the last semester of high school. One would think that achievement would convince me of my intelligence but never underestimate the power of self-talk; good or bad. I simply didn't believe it at that time.
As the years progressed, life took me to places I never dreamed of going. I spent time in different cities and gained experiences in various industries. Much of that was situational but one must not ignore the purposeful way life takes you on a journey, whether you're paying attention or not.
Today I have much higher self-esteem and know I'm worthy of answering the question "what do you want to do with your life". It seems the best way to take advantage of the life-journey experiences I've gained is to do what I've always wanted to do and what I truly love.
Write!
My writing consists of articles for other blog owners, short stories, poetry, emails (lots of work emails), agendas, newsletters, lists for the sake of lists, more emails and more poetry. The running joke in my life is "when are you going to finish that novel?"
Well, let’s be honest, there are LOTS of people who are working on a novel; whether just starting today, finishing up the last page, or somewhere in between. I stopped writing my novel several years ago and the reason is very simple; it wasn't important enough to me. Writing a novel must be a passion; such a huge passion that no event in life can stop it from happening.
Truth be told, not everyone can write a novel.
That isn’t a mean or unfair statement, it’s simply fact. Not everyone has a super amazing story burning a hole in their skull until they get it on paper. That's not to say it couldn't happen to me (or you) sometime in the future, but there are no fires burning in my head at the moment.
When it comes to poetry, that's another story. There are times when I simply have to stop what I'm doing in order to write down thoughts. Those thoughts may turn into an article, a rambling blog post, or a poem.
Let’s be honest once again!
A poem is a story, just much shorter, a little more fluid, and with a lot more grammatical freedom.
It's quite fun!
The newest adventure in the life of Phenix JiRa is the addition of chickens and the adventure in raising them. Hence another channel for many videos on the subject of chickens; success and failure.
More fun, more challenges, more of life.
