Austin soon outgrew me, so I moved way out to the country in Bastrop County where I still live. When I moved where I am now, I was very isolated in the woods. The rare visitor would always ask, "You live here by yourself?" and "Your not afraid?" People still ask these questions, although there are now neighbors within screaming distance. "Yes, I have lived here for years by myself," and "Yes, I am sometimes afraid," are still my answers. The occasional fear is worth the surrounding peace, nature and solitude that I love.
Bastrop is now outgrowing me, but I'm not sure that I have any place left to move. I love the natural world, which is quickly becoming lost to us. I love to travel and see what I can of it, and record it with my camera for my future family. If my only child, Steven, ever gives me any grandchildren, I hope to leave an adventure-travel book staring "Grandma!" I can just hear my grandchild say," Can you believe Nana did all of those things?" I still create art, write poetry, seek the truth, and enjoy adventure and the outdoors-- whenever I can. Oh Yeah, I still play like I'm a hippie sometimes, too.
FUTURE:
I hope to write a few books, fiction and non-fiction. I want to travel much more, and much farther. Time is the most precious thing to me now, and money has never been a priority, but it finally has dawned on me that the more money I have-- the more time is mine for what I want to do. I guess I have to figure out a way to make lots of money at Motorola so that I can travel and have adventures, write my books and create more art. All of this while I'm seeking the truth and sometimes playing like I'm still a hippie.
If I could write my own
EPITAPH:
She was a giving person-- in her own unique way. She truly wanted to inspire people to be-- all of the things that she also tried to nurture in herself-- independent, spiritual, artistic and adventurous. Last word: She really never was a hippie.
I was a mischievous child in a redneck family. Rebelling as a teenager, I became a hippie-want-a-be--giving birth to yet another mischievous, rebellious child. My son, Steven, grew up and joined the army, so he could go to college, where he now is studying to be an engineer.
I have been a waitress, bus driver, business owner, plant grower, carpenter's helper, belly dancer, store manager, window dresser and Motorola machine operator to name most of my occupations. (I have recently received a promotion at Motorola as Coordinator of Communications in Bat-1) Although, what I do to earn my money is not how I define myself. I have always been a poet and an artist and a seeker of truth. I enjoy the outdoors and adventure. I grew up in the Houston area, but moved to Austin when I was about 20, where I continued to play like I was a hippie.
Well...I didn't figure out a way to make lots of money at Motorola. In May, exactly one year after I started the job as Coordinator of Communications, I accepted a severance package and moved from my little secluded cabin in Bastrop to a secluded house in the East Texas pines. I am living with my mother for a little while, or longer. 2001 was not a good year for me. I had a series of life changing events happen, including but not limited to: my house burning down to the ground, loosing my good credit, totaling my car, leaving my dream job and my father dying. This all happened before September 11th. I am now pulling myself back together and seeking to discover my personal lessons in all of this.
VCW
January 2002
Portrait of Me
by Barbara Hampton
My only Son, Steven
My mama dog, Shadow, decided to get back to nature too. Instead of having the pups under the house as have my other dogs, she dug herself a den.
My Cabin in Bastrop Before the Fire
Wagon Wheels in the Woods Nearby
Pups in Den
Leader of the Pack
Below is the article about me by me as it appeared in the May, 2000 BAT-1 Newsletter at Motorola. We, the communications team, tried to feature people each month from different areas. When we had no volunteers we offered our selves. This portrait appeared along with some photos of my art that are displayed elsewhere on this site.
Following this article are several updates, which I will add to periodically, that give short explanations of the ongoing changes in my life.
It is now 2005 and my mother has passed to the other side a couple of years ago on Feburary 3, 2003. I stayed with her and cared for her to the best of my ability until she died. I am still struggling through the last of the depression illness, since I opted not to take the antidepressants that were suggested, prescribed and tried. I am about one half to three quarters through writing my first novel. It will be one of the greater accomplishments of my life when it is completed. Whether or not it is ever published will not define my success. I have many novels inside me waiting to get out, once the hurtle of the first is completed.
It would be very nice if I did make some money from the publication of this book, because I then could have the time to let the rest of my novels loose. As the situation is now, all of my time is consumed by a nice, comfortable, no-future job that gives me enough money to pay my bills - at least the necessary ones. I have still not corrected my credit issues, and I admit that I have fallen more into the hole that would have put me in debtor's prison, if such a thing existed today. It is a different kind of prison in which I find myself.
On the brighter side, my only son has given me a whole other family to hold dear now. Within this short span of time, I now have a lovely daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren. Lovely Mickey came to my son with an absolutely wonderful daughter Niji. Steven and Mickey (Navjot Kaur Singh) have added to Niji (Navjeet Kaur Singh) two more grandchildren for me - first Bruce (Nicholas Rajvir Singh Mahr) and then Jazveen (Nichole Jazveen Kaur Mahr). Now I have grandchildren to read my books in the future even if no one else does. This will not inhibit me, since they will not be allowed to read my work until they are at an appropriate age. "Can you believe Nana did all of those things? She must have made some of it up." Of course I will make some of it up to fill in the details and round out the stories, but most of my work will be based on my true life. That is the plan now. Things change.
