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When you come to a fork...can you take both paths?

It's been a while. That's because I've been standing at this stupid fork in the road trying to decide which path I should take. See, I've been a writer for over 25 years. Maybe it's thirty. And of course I'm still writing as this blog attests. But...this is a big and painful but...I haven't had a book published in "paper" form for several years. And not for want of trying.

Rejection is a hard pill to swallow, especially after years of happily "eating sweet success."Oh, a couple of publishers have put older books up as ebooks and I've put up a few I wasn't able to get published the traditional way. (My grown kids tell me I have to wake up to the reality that "the traditional way" is not today's way. And I'm having a hard time grappling with this reality).

One of the joys of writing, for me, has always been the solitary nature of the work. Now, to be successful one big component is marketing myself. It's not that I don't know lots of stuff to do...it's more the idea and actuality of doing it. So as I walk along this path I'm walking very slowly.

And here's this other path. I've actually been strolling along it for a couple of years but telling myself that all it was was a stroll. A fun outing. A fun outing that became many fun outings. A hobby that became something that grabbed my interest more and more. I'm not ready to call it "another career" yet, but there's no question I feel a new vibrancy and excitement.

It began innocently enough. A friend asked me to help her sell a bunch of "stuff" for the daughter of a relative who'd passed away. The relative was a hoarder, but a hoarder of very fine items-clothes, collectibles, fine books, etc.

I was joined in the task by a friend who was suffering from stage 4 breast cancer and needed something to occupy her. We were occupied a-plenty, joining eBay as partners and selling just about everything. We took a percentage and sent the daughter quite a bit of money. But then it was over. Or was it? We began going through our basements, friends' basements, unearthing little treasures and selling them on eBay. We even had a few clients who asked us to sell items for them.

And then K. passed away. I was bereft. We had spent so many days, weeks, months "working" together. I felt lost. And then I realized I didn't want to stop doing something I had really loved doing. But where to get things to sell? And then it came to me...something from the past I had always loved...auctions! Funky country auctions. Many of them list their highlighted items ahead of time.

I began to do research on everything I could. And I've been learning so much and loving it. Best of all, I'm really getting good at it. Recently I bought a painting for a couple hundred dollars at a country auction that's been shipped to Bonhams in Edinborough with a $9,000-13,000 estimate! I'll keep you posted. The auction is on Dec. 6th...

So, here is the answer to my own question. I can take both paths. I can take pleasure in the different landscapes each path offers. I can learn so much from my journey on both paths. So visit me at either or both: elisetitle.com  and/or sellitgetit, my store on eBay! I love visitors. Oh yeah, and I love buyers!!

Now I'm left wondering what will happen when I come to  a 4-way crossing?

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