I am fine...

I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am always fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
Air is free. Breathe.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
In nose. Out mouth.
In nose. Out mouth.
In nose. Out mouth.
I am fine.
I am always fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I don’t want to think anymore.
I am fine.
I am fine.
Air is free. Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe.
I am fine.
Breathe.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am always fine.
If you say it, it is so.
If you think it, it is so.
If you believe it, it is so.
If you know it, it is so.
I know it. So why does it hurt to breathe?
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am really, really fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
I am fine.
Ahhhh... Sleep.
I am fine.

Would it Help...

Would it help if I said that I loved you
If I said that I was scared
If perhaps there was a part of me that thought that things were too good to be true
And so I really might have been sabotaging after all
If you know me better than I know myself at times
If you could take it all away with just your words
Or a hug
Or even just a flash of your smile
That the phantom you brings me more joy than the real of so many others
That I miss you more than sunshine
Or rain
Or stars in the sky that have landed upon the earth and dance before my eyes like happy little pixies with bubbles for hats

Would it make a difference if I said that I only make promises that I can keep
And that I would promise you the moon if I could bring it down from the distance and offer it to you in my hand
I would promise you the world
That I promise you my heart

Would it help if I said you are dearer to me than the air
Or the flowers
Or the singing of those birds that we forget to hear
Or any of the simple joys that I embrace each day
Because you are my joy
My smile my laugher
And gigglegasms
The twinkle in my eye
The mischief in my mind
And the filling of my heart

Would it make things better if I said that with you I could do anything
Move mountains
Or move to foreign lands
I can conquer anything with enough time
Even my own doubts and fears
Because you love me as I am

Would it explain enough if I said that love is not enough
But also sometimes too much
That trust was the balance
And that I cherish you more than you know
That there are not the right words to describe how I really feel
So I keep looking
And I squeeze you until the twelfth of never
Because that is what I am offering to you
My heart
My hopes
My dreams
And even those pesky fears
Because you are my truest friend and I embrace you for that my Love

Happy Ending... Really...

Dear Friends;

Usually I LOVE to fly… I still do. But… I managed to survive the worst flight experience I have ever had. The air was turned off on a fully packed flight. It was stuffy and cramped and way too early. (It was the first flight out of the airport in the morning.) There was waaay too much turbulence…

As I sat there with the other cramped individuals sucking in air that was too hot and too sparse waiting on the runway for the winds to die down enough so that it was safe enough to take off, I started to feel queasy and the lack of sleep over the past day and a half started to get to me. Rivulets of sweat started to pour down various body parts. And unfortunately, I was not alone in my misery. Everywhere I looked, people were uncomfortably shifting and attempting to adjust their clothes.

Finally, we took off. The plane swayed this way and that, fighting the pilot every second of the ascent into the wild blue. And as the very first flight out of the airport that morning, I really do mean wild blue. (A great name for a car, not for a condition of the sky when flying.) We bumped merrily along, if groans and moans can be merry, and finally they put on the lights and air.

Gulping long deep breaths and instantly feeling better, I was able to joke to my new seatmates. (I had changed from the isle to the center seat a few rows up so that a pair of teenage girls could sit together. I hate the center, but I was rewarded by a guy with a great sense of humor that kept those about us laughing with our little quips… Love that Karma thing…)

And then the plane dropped. And lurched. And the lights went out. And off went the air… Hot plane, cramped plane, bumpety, bumpety, bump plane. Lean to the left, lean to the right… Lurching, lurching, fight, fight, fight…

I have never suffered from airsickness… Until now… I survived, but I needed several hours to get my land legs back. And that would be the payback for all the times that I went “WEEEEEEEEEEEEE- Do it AGAIN!!!!” while everyone else on the plane is praying for land…

Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Maybe it was the lack of cool air. Maybe it was the lack of food. (I did forget breakfast.) Maybe it was just the odds finally evening out… Regardless… I was likely the most grateful person in the cramped cabin that the plane finally landed. It took hours for that to wear off…

Really what it took was love… Lots and lots of love from very small children. Four of them. Throwing themselves down the stairs and into my arms. Well… Three of them did. The youngest is only five months old. But I could tell by the giggles that she was trying to do it. And she did lurch out of the arms that were holding her.

The healing powers of love are remarkable… So is a nap… And as my Nephew keeps exclaiming… TWO WHOLE WEEKS Aunt LaLa! You get to stay for two WHOLE weeks!!

I would fly again and again just for that…

Who needs sleep? There are hugs to be had!

I am too excited to sleep.
I am too tired to think.
I am feeling silly and giddy and happy.

In just hours I am going to be wearing my Aunt LaLa hat again. Yea me!

Good thing that presents and hugs make up for missing brain cells...
Good thing that kids don't care if I have bigger luggage under my eyes than I checked on the plane...

Did I mention that I am HAPPY?
I am really, really happy.
I am loved.
I have been missed.
It has been far too long.
It is better than Christmas and Hanukkah and my Birthday all rolled into one.

Is it any wonder I am still up?
I am too excited to sleep...

I'll take another piece please...

Dear Friends;

I am off again for the spring in a matter of hours and change… And for the first time ever, I have packed everything in one suitcase. All folded neatly, but really rather haphazard. I am not even sure what I packed. I don’t even care. I have socks and panties, something nice (I think), sweaters and play clothes. I have no idea if anything matches, or if I will want to wear it while I am there.

And for the first time, there are bigger things on my mind than what is going onto my body… (Who knew?)

I feel as if I am in a countdown limbo…
Wait for it…
Wait for it…
Way too much waiting for it…
Tell me again why I am waiting?
Oh yeah… I remember…
Wait for it…
Ugghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

A Dear Friend of mine said that he feels as if he is waiting in the wings to go onto the Stage that is life… (I think I am paraphrasing, but the idea is right…) I know how he feels… I am right there with him… I don’t want to rush on forward and miss what is going on here in the “now”… But honestly, I am so preoccupied with the “not right now but soon” of things that I am just too restless to really settle down.

So I flit from this to that…
And I eat sugary things that I would not normally consume…
And I fidget during conversations…
And I forget questions that have just been asked…
And I feel as if I could not be bothered to take the time needed for properly completing the tasks at hand…
And…
And…
And…

And for the first time, there are bigger things on my mind than what is going onto my body… (And that is saying quite a lot.)

Can you make the hands of a clock move faster than the slow tick, tick, tick?
Can you click fast forward and stop when you reach a month from now?
Can you predict the future and tell me it will all work out fine?
Better than fine?
Fantastic perhaps?
Can you flip to the back of the book and tell me how the story ends?
Can you tell me if the Hero gets the Villain?
If the Lovers live happily ever after?
If the Adventurer returns home safely?
If…
If…
If…
Can you?

And for the first time, there are bigger things on my mind than what is going onto my body… (So I am not going to unpack my bag, like I usually do. I am just going to shove in my tennies after training, and check the bag at the airport as it is.)

In the meantime...

What I really want is another huge slice of chocolate cake...

This laugh brought to you by Barbie…

Dear Friends;

A Dear Friend sent me an e-mail listing of the Barbies that come from Oregon, one of the top contenders for my long-term place of residence. It was a cute list. Something that was forwarded to him from someone else…

However…

As we all know, if something is to be done to the extreme, it will be done in California. I have already read the press release that was posted about the net over a year ago for the Barbies that were going into production for my own area of Southern California. (That list I am including below, for you pleasure.) At this time I am happy to announce a new Barbie for Release; Grand Traveling Muse Barbie. (Modeled a bit after Moi perhaps…)

I look forward to hearing about the Barbies in your areas… As well as the Barbie that might have been modeled a bit after you…

Cheers, My Dear Friends!
May you all have safe travels and happy Barbie-esque adventures, whatever they may be…





Announcing Mattel’s latest Barbie in their wildly popular Limited-Edition U.S. City and Town Barbie series:

Grand Traveling Muse Barbie-
This Barbie has a matching five piece suite of luggage that consistently goes over weight restriction allotted by all airlines. Each piece comes fully packed with an entire wardrobe to fit any occasion or type of weather. She has a beige SUV she rarely drives due to her preference of air transportation. She comes with Long-distance Ken, a map, guidebook, and several muni/BART/subway passes in multiple cities for when she is feeling adventurous. She has a beautiful room that her mail is sent to in sunny, Southern California, but prefers to visit locales where she can wear a scarf, coat and carry a matching handbag because it's cuter. She likes to maintain her golden color by artificial methods and knows where every good yoga studio is in every town. She never drinks Starbucks, organic gourmet coffee only thank you... This Barbie comes standard with long brown hair, dressed in jeans that do that butt thing, a fitted camisole and sweater set, bright silly socks, a digital camera for her thousands of photographs, a laptop for her Blogging pleasure, and a cell phone she uses to send copious amounts of text messages to her loved ones. Optional Travel Itinerary available, but highly difficult to come by. Note: Travel Itinerary is considerably inaccurate due to constant changes in Barbie’s plans.


And for those who missed this press release last year:

Mattel recently announced the release of Limited-Edition Barbie dolls for the San Diego, California area market:

Chula Vista Barbie -
This Spanish-speaking-only Barbie comes with a 1984 Toyota with expired temporary plates and three baby Barbies in the back seat, but no car seats. The optional Ken doll comes with a pickup truck loaded 10 feet high with mattresses. Green cards are not available for Chula Vista Barbie or Ken.

National City Barbie -
This Barbie now comes with a stroller and an infant doll. Optional accessories include a GED and bus/trolley pass. Gangsta Ken and his 79 Caddy (with switches) were available, but are now very difficult to find since the addition of the infant.

Rancho Bernardo Barbie -
This modern-day homemaker Barbie is available with a Ford Windstar minivan and matching gym outfit. She gets lost easily and has no full-time occupation or secondary education. Traffic-jamming cell phone included, headset sold separately.

Oceanside Barbie -
This recently paroled, tattooed & nose pierced Barbie comes with a 9 mm handgun, a ready lifted desert/river Chevy truck with dark tinted windows, and a methlab kit. This model is only available after dark and can only be paid for in cash - preferably in small, untraceable bills. Unless you are a cop, then we don't know what you're talking about.

Del Mar Barbie -
This yuppie Barbie comes with her own Starbucks cup, credit card, and country club membership.

Rancho San Diego Barbie-
Comes with a towel for her head. Is co-owner of a liquor store, along with Ken. Nose job already done, and Ken comes with his own bottle of hennessy and a cigar.

Santee Barbie -
This pale model comes dressed in a shirt, and a Tweety Bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Coors Light and a Hank Williams, Jr. CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken's back side when she is drunk. Purchase her pickup truck separately and get a confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free.

La Jolla Barbie -
This collagen injected, rhinoplastic Barbie wears a leopard-print bikini outfit and drinks cosmopolitans while entertaining friends at the beach house. Percocet prescription available.

Lakeside Barbie -
This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased Beer-Gut Ken out of Lemon Grove Barbie's house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, and a see-through halter top. Also available with a mobile home.

Leucadia Barbie -
This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long,straight brown hair, archless feet, hairy armpits, no makeup, and Birkenstocks with white socks. She smokes good sinsemilla buds and prefers that you call her " Willow ". She does not want or need a Ken doll, but if you purchase two Leucadia Barbie's and the optional Volvo wagon, you get a coupon for a free wheat-grass smoothie at any Whole Food's Market.

Poway Barbie -
She's perfect in every way. We don't know who Ken is because he's always away working.

Hillcrest Barbie/Ken -
This versatile doll can be easily converted from Barbie to Ken by simply adding or subtracting the multiple "snap-on" parts. Bonus: free rainbow flag sticker with proof of purchase, along with valuable discount coupons to all "F" street bookstores.

Pacific Beach Barbie -
This Barbie is always bitching that she can't find a good man in Pacific Beach .

Carlsbad Barbie -
This princess Barbie is only sold at the brand new La Costa Forum. She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade handbags, a Lexus SUV, a long-haired dog named Honey, and a cookie-cutter house. Available with or without tummy tuck and face lift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with "augmented" version.

Southeast Barbie -
This Ghetto Queen comes with optional 'baby-daddy' car and pop-out baby seats. This barbie comes standard with a set of press-on nails and ponytails in various lengths. Don't mess with the breezie. She has a strong attitude and a mouth to prove it. This Barbie also comes with optional girlfriends to help you do drive-by's to find out if Ken is out with some other ho.

Mira Mesa Barbie -
This Barbie is skinny and asian who thinks she knows how to drive. She comes standard with a s00ped up Honda Civic that can only drive 15mph in the city but 90mph on the freeway. Available with a big six bedroom house, 5 grandparents and 20 kids who can run around screaming. Ken comes with a garage so he can s00p up all his friends Hondas too. He can be seen between 12am - 2am zipping up Kearny Villa Road or Mira Mesa Blvd by the 5/805 split

I Hate Wait...

Dear Friends;

I hate wait. I always have. Patience is a virtue that I struggle with. I want things to go faster than the speed of light. I want to know it now, feel it now, experience it now, have it now.

Today I want to have it now…

I am waiting for a pair of jeans to arrive. Mailed by quick UPS post. Quick. Hah! I am waiting and waiting and waiting…

I am (admittedly) like a spoiled child that is waiting for a prized gift to be opened and tried and enjoyed… But ooohhh… It is difficult to be patient.

It is just a pair of jeans…

But…

I really…

REALLY…

Really, want to have them now…

Ugh…

I hate wait…

My Playa Puzzle Box...

Dear Friends;

Today I went with a Dear Friend to check out a new possible treasure trove. I has pleased with the contents of this untried store, though it is not going to be a frequented place of consumerism with either of us.

What I walked away with was something a little unexpected. A vintage train case with a leather shoulder strap. Tweed and very masculine, it looks like something from the 1940’s possibly. It has one of those three number combination locks. 0-9 with 999 possible combinations. And… The case is LOCKED! There is no combination. But for $3.50 I could not resist the challenge of discerning the secret and discovering what may be hidden away inside. And once opened, it will be a delightful carryall for the Playa.

I am calling it my Playa Puzzle Box.

Now to figure out how to open it. My Dear Friend fiddled with it for twenty minutes. My Father tried his hand at it for fifteen. And I keep walking by it, picking it up, shaking it vigorously as if the barrels will somehow magically slip into place, and setting it back down.

This is better than a Rubik’s Cube when they first came out. I foresee hours of endless entertainment for all who venture into the realm of the puzzles and challenges and unknown solutions. Hours and hours of enjoyment for mere pennies.

This is fun.

But really… Any suggestions on how to open the darn thing?

Thanks...

... and have a fantabulous week!

… In Bed… Between the Sheets…

Dear Friends;

Last night I had Chinese take out. Happily, after the meal I opened the little cellophane wrapper that held my cookie and fortune. I love fortune cookies. More than horoscopes, I think.

I opened the wrapper, broke open the cookie, pulled out the fortune and crammed what I thought was the empty half of the cookie into my salivating mouth.

Pfffffttttt… Paper. I pushed out the tiny bit with my tongue and looked to see what was printed on it. “People”. Just that one word. “People”.

I looked at the rest of the fortune in my other hand as I consumed the rest of the cookie. “Enjoy your company”. Uh- huh. I am sure they do. Especially when I eat people with such relish and gleeful abandon.

And, if you add one of the wonderful phrases that we all know so well onto the end, it becomes even better.

Referbishing me...

Dear Friends;

I am deep in dust and grit. I am covered in bits of sanded stain and worn out sandpaper. I am decorated in paint and primer. I look like a work of art gone wrong. But when I am done I will have another piece of furniture that matches my slowly growing collection. It is one more way that I am attempting to set down some roots. Even though I know that in a handful of days I will be gone again until spring is all but over.

The neighbors just shake their heads as to why I would possibly want to remove the different dark stains on the various pieces of furniture. Cherry, mahogany, black walnut, all dark and dim like the pieces of my past. The wood is solid, as I am. The construction sturdy, as I have become. The paint is white, some gloss, some satin and finished to show the imperfections. Imperfections that I do not consider to be flaws, only another view of beauty peeking out from the coverings. Hints of gold and antique hardware on each piece to display the ties to those that came before me and faced greater challenges than I have. The lines are mostly simple, some are more curved, some a little more detailed, but they have a flow, a connection. Just as the pieces of myself do. And if they get banged up a bit more in the wear and tear of life and change, they will only show the new scars as part of the growing character. These pieces are humble and quiet, but when placed against the right backdrop, they can be breezy or bold or even overwhelming.

It is hard to explain to the guy at the paint counter that I want to cover solid oak with paint. That I want to leave my mark on the things that surround me and make up the sum of me. Even though these pieces are just things and can be gone in an instant, while they are here, they define a part of the me that expressed to the world. The part of me that says I was, I am and I will be.

It is difficult to explain to my family why I would prefer to take something old and worn and long used and make it beautiful. Why I would want to take hours upon hours to refurbish something not quite right when I could just purchase something new that was not quite right.

These pieces tell a story as I do. Some not so beautifully as others. But there is still a story. The brass filigree drawer pulls on my dresser came from Egypt. My Nona brought them to Ethiopia when the family left Cairo. She packed them into her one suitcase when they moved from Addis Abeba to San Diego. And she placed them onto an old dresser until they became so tarnished that no one gave them any thought. These bits of tarnished brass were thought so little of that when the dresser was moved into the garage and used to store tools and fishing reels, no one thought anything about it. Out with the old. The old that had been carried from country to country to country to rest in the recesses of the family garage. When my Nona passed away, my Father took the dresser and placed it in his garage to use for his tools. And there it sat. Peeling green paint and crusted brass waiting until one day, decades later, I came along and asked if I could have it. It was going to be thrown out, and I had no dresser. So off came the hardware to be soaked and scrubbed to a quiet semi tarnished patina. Off came most of the old green paint to be repainted in a satiny white and daubs of gold. I chose to let parts of the green and wood show through, I liked the faded memories that they stirred within the childhood spaces in my brain. And my Dad just shook his head. He helped me to paint, in fact he did much of the work, but he could never understand why I would want it that way. He still cant.

No one knows how my Nona chose to bring this thing while choosing to leave that one. No one knows why she chose to hide away six filigree brass drawer pulls in her suitcase. But she did. For a wealthy woman to walk away from everything she ever knew and to travel from one foreign land to another, taking only what she could fit into one suitcase, those drawer pulls must have meant a great deal to her. And now having known my Grandmother to be the most loving person that I could ever possibly know, those drawer pulls mean something to me. They mean strength. They mean holding onto that small piece of whimsy, even when reality and common sense dictates that it be left behind or forgotten. They mean that beauty can be passed by or handed down, depending on who is looking or choosing not to see.

So I am back to sanding and scraping and painting and bickering with my Dad as he tells me for the fiftieth time that I am doing it wrong. Back to the endless explanations as to why I want to let a little of the old show through or why I want to paint the inside of the drawers as well. And of course back to repeating over and over that I really do want lived in white furniture that can still be livable rather than glossy cherry pieces that we were not allowed to use as children, that still sit in the same places in the “Museum” room, rather than the “living” room.

Held Hostage or Good Humor??

Dear Friends;

I was just going to blog about being held hostage for the second week, but then I read the blog of a Dear Friend who was asking for liberation or death. While I do not feel quite that strongly, (yet) I do feel a connectedness with the sentiment.

My words to my Dear Friend:

Only we can liberate ourselves. (And) To not let it get to us… (And I did mention that thing about pots and kettles, of which I am one… Seems like we might be having a party starting here. I also mentioned that I was going to try to listen to my own advice… So…Yeah…)

The sun is glorious, my head is pounding to the point that I cannot see straight and I have a list that is being waived in my face that is days worth long. Blunder and conquer. The bathroom does not care if I can focus to clean it properly, so that I will do. Besides it does need to be done. I have not been home in a week to use it, but somehow the little house elves always seem to come over and mess it all up in my absence. Bad house elves… Stealing socks and vilifying the shower tiles…

Look! My humor has returned. I think the guy driving the pink and white truck with the ice cream and tinkly music must have dropped off another helping for me. Yea!




Artist Credit: Triple Take by Jennifer Sosik

Restless...

Dear Friends:

Almost a week since I last blogged. I have been like the energizer bunny… Going and going and going. And now that I have a down time day, I am restless. I am too beat to really DO anything but fidget in the sunshine. I feel like a guilty bum for taking the time to recharge.

Tons of friends that I have been neglecting…
Piles of things to do that I have put off…
Endless back up on my “to do” list…

And here I languish in the sun, too jello-headed to do more than this and feel the grass shift in the breeze…




Artist Credit: A Dog's Life by Jack Tinney

Gottan Love Nina...

Dear Friends;

This is how I am… Humming a song under my breath as I take on the everyday, the normal, the mundane… I am happy. I am calm. I am bliss…

I had forgotten just how much I like Nina Simone. How much I love her slow, sultry voice… How her music rolls over me like the waves of the ocean…

Today… I feel goooooood…




Feeling Good
Nina Simone

Birds flyin' high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by you know how I feel
Its a new dawn, its a new day, its a new life for me
yeah, its a new dawn its a new day its a new life for me ooooooooh
AND I'M FEELING GOOD

Fish in the sea, you know how I feel
River runnin' free you know how I feel
Blossom on the tree you know how I feel
Its a new dawn, its a new day, its a new life for me
And I'm feelin good

Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean don’t you know
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
Sleepin' peace when day is done that's what I mean
And this old world is a new world and a bold world for me

Stars when you shine you know how I feel
Scent of the crime you know how I feel
Your freedom is mine, and I know how I feel
Its a new dawn, its a new day, its a new life for me
(Free styling)
OH I'M FEELING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD




Artist Credit: Blues Club by Steve Underwood

For the Sister of my Heart, in her time of need…

Dear Friends;

My oldest and dearest of Dear Friends is having a difficult time of things these days. And things are bound to be getting harder for her before they get better. Having gone through something that was totally different, yet left me feeling a similar disillusionment and pain, I hurt for the sister of my heart. I ache that I cannot fix things or tell her enough that she is the most incredible person I have ever known. I, who aspire to inspire those I care for, am inspired by her. Her beauty, grace, kindness and goodness are like a beacon in the dimness of the ordinary world that surrounds us.

As I sat up with her until the wee hours I wished that there were some way that I could ease her pain. But I also know that all emotions are a part of growth, and that we are never given more than we can handle. We are incredible. And she is one of the best.

I have known this amazing woman since we were teenagers. More than half our lives have passed in the blink of an eye. And since the very beginning she was remarkable. Touching the lives of those around her for the better. She and I shared a mutual best friend. One that we shared crushes on and eventually found space for in our lives. This great man, who was at the time a mere boy of seventeen, shared something with me that I included in a novella assignment for a long forgotten English assignment. While going through some boxes that were hidden away in the rafters of my father’s garage, I came across his words. Words that he shared from the depths of his young heart about this courageously unique girl we both loved in our own ways.

I am including his words below.

“What would I do without A.? At first glance she is not what one would call beautiful. But her unconventional good looks and inner beauty rival that of any prom queen or high fashion model. She has an incredible way with people, she’s always saying, “Be patient with people M”. I would find it hard to believe if I found out someone didn’t like her. However opposite we may be there’s something between us that is hard to comprehend. Like the corny old songs, “we started out as friends”. I think that’s why we are so close. She’s my “girlfriend” but it goes much deeper than that. She makes me feel like I’ve never felt before. To answer the question, I’d have a very empty place in my heart without her.”

There is nothing more I could tell my Dear Friend that this insightful boy, this person who was becoming the wonderful man he is today, has not said already, more than fifteen years ago. His words are still true. And we would all have a very empty place in our hearts without her…

The Hills are Alive…

Dear Friends;

Have you ever known yourself better than you thought that you did? Have you ever made a choice or a decision knowing that it was the right one to make but you were not sure exactly why? Have you chosen a path filled with great things? Great difficulty, great joy, great patience, great learning, great love? Have you ever wanted to rush things, but really knew deep down that taking the long way was really the best way for this path chosen?

This is where I am.

Sherpa, Yak, hiking boots and an over-sized canteen of hydration. I am on this path. Firmly planted and trekking into the wild blue yonder towards the most beautiful mountain scape ever to behold. I am leaping along to tunes from the Sound of Music and picking pretty flowers along the way, but I am climbing ever upward into the glorious hills. So if you see me twirling along in my skirt and boots or dancing a polka with the Sherpa, if you hum a few bars of “The Hills are Alive”, you will know the tempo of the song in my heart these days.

This is not to say that my road is without perils. Merely that I am facing them with peace and joy. Which brings even more joy as I spring past, tiptoe through, and prance beside them.

I can do this!

And in those times when I am overwhelmed, I have a Guide that arrives at doorstep to help me through the worst of the current snow-filled in pass.