But What Do I Get from It?

Being one of the helpers, knowing others will pay it forward

Miranda of Cali is hoping to get help building a business that will support other businesses, including those that are home-based, by offering her skills, knowledge, kindness, and concerns about the environment.

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I know how hard it is to start, then manage, a business.

After about 15 challenging years, keeping up with technology, raising children, moving out of the Pacific Northwest Metro area, I added single parent to the list of hurdles that could impact it. Divorce cost me a lot, including relationships with many people I considered to be friends. I took a second job, then lost my home as my oldest daughter worked her way through college.

After over 20 years, my business collapsed, and I lost touch with a lot of people I had known through my business connections. I took a part-time job at a retail business and tried not to think of myself as a failure.

After a year, I switched to a job in Asset Protection. It didn’t allow me to be friends with the rest of the employees, but it was full-time, with health insurance.

For years I had developed a passion for writing. It’s a mostly solitary endeavor, but I’ve come to realize I’m introverted, maybe even autistic. I just know how difficult it has always been for me to engage with people, while trying to do all I can for my children.

My daughters are brilliant. They both became mechanical engineers. I thought, We’ve got it made.

I thought things had changed. But they…