Set Yourself Free - Break From Reality

Spa Day.  A Day At The Spa.  Don't you love the way that sounds?  A few months ago I house, dog, cat and sheep sat (try to say that fast) for my daughter Rochelle and her family.  As a thank you, she gifted me with a day at the spa.  In that post, Can a Day at the Spa Remove the Smell of Sheep?   I shared this out-of-the-ordinary spa.  It is the Grotto Spa at Tigh-Na-Mara, 25,000 square feet of insane bliss.

Here I am again -- but this time GOATS have been added to the list.  Rochelle does not treat these animals as livestock -- to her, they are family!  They have names and she is teaching them tricks.  I don't know if that is what she expects me to do when she is gone -- but I feed 'em and scoop up the poop.  End of story.  Yet, she scheduled a day at the spa for me.  A little bit of heaven.

Walking in, you feel like royalty and any memories of your real world start to fade.  The way the floor plan is laid out you see very few other guests.  There are twenty-five treatment rooms for massage alone!  The mineral pool is a place where you can literally drown your sorrows.  

Image Over Substance - It's A Matter of Roots

I'm not much of a gardener.  In fact, I know very little about gardening but I do know that it is wonderful therapy for many people.  I don't understand gardening, yet I have learned a valuable lesson from a tree. Years ago, we lived on a large acreage and over the course of any summer, trees seemed to spring up out of nowhere.  It was as if they had some special magic like the seeds in the story, Jack and the Beanstalk.  In a matter of weeks, these trees would grow tall and if we didn't get rid of them, they would easily take over the road.

It was not difficult to get rid of them as they had a little root system.  The tree would be several feet high with roots that were only a few inches deep.  You could lean on them and they would uproot.

What I did not understand was why some trees took so long to grow and these grew so quickly.  I asked an avid gardener friend and her response was, "Real trees know better than to go up until their roots have gone down.  Trees that last," he said, "have as many roots underground as they have branches above."

BAM!  That hit me hard.  It rang true when thinking about life and what matters.

Do You Welcome The Bumpy Roads And What They Teach You?

BUMPY ROADS.  All of us have times in our lives when we travel roads that are not smooth.  Often, it is a very unpleasant experience but we become stronger and wiser for going down those paths.  Brian Wilson has written a compilation of short stories about people whose journey may have  been bumpy, but they have faced the challenges and are better people for it. 

I connected with Brian Wilson on Linkedin and had the opportunity to interview him here. His website is Hidden Treasure Books, Where you find great books.   He has authored two books, Moments in Time and Bumpy Roads. Both of these are collections of short stories to entertain you and provoke thought.









Brian, what made you want to become a writer?

I have always been interested in short story writing and saw an opportunity on February 22, 2011 when Christchurch City, New Zealand was leveled by a 6.3 earthquake.  Across the road from where I worked, a six story building collapsed entombing all 113 occupants and 185 died that day.  This was considered one of the worst earthquakes to hit a modern city.  Based on these events, I wrote a number of short stories and told them in my first book, Moments in Time, along with other stories of my experiences in other countries.

Would You Be Offended If Someone Forgot Your Birthday?

I don't get the whole birthday thing.  Maybe you can explain it to me.  My birthday is coming up in a couple weeks and sometimes I don't even remember unless I look at the calendar that day.

I know how important it is to a lot of people that their families remember them in a special way - usually with gifts, cards and dinner.  Maybe even a party.  Some people enjoy telling everyone it's their birthday and expect special treatment.

I ask you - WHY?  You were born.  You are still alive.  The way I look at it, we should celebrate

Dear Prodigal Son

Dear Son:

Today is your birthday.  I believe every mother remembers the birth day of her child on their special day.  It does not matter how many years go by.  Wasn't it only yesterday I held your tiny body in my arms and welcomed you into this world?

You looked at me.  No, you stared.  In fact, you stared so long I was concerned.  Aren't newborns supposed to sleep more?  But, you just looked at me, for hours.  You were three days old.  Although the adoption seemed to take forever, nine months after we applied, we got the call.

"You have a son.  He is perfect.  You can pick him up in three days."

There were no words to describe the impact those words had on me.  I was now a mother.  Your mother.  No child was ever loved more.

And no mother could possibly grieve more.  Just after your 31st birthday two years ago,  you left us. You walked away.  You tossed our love away.  You broke our hearts.  I thought I would die.  If we knew how to fix it, we would.  Only God knows.   I will never.......ever.....give up hope.  We long for the day of your return.  This mother needs to feel her arms around her son, to hold him again.

Happy Birthday, dear son.  We love you.  We have always loved you.  We will love you forever.

Mommy

In the past two years many women have shared this same scenario with me.  We need each other.  Do you know anyone who has lived this nightmare?

Photo courtesy of mypeyronios.com

The Cops Called and Left A Message

"This is Officer Colt and I would appreciate it if you would contact me as soon as possible."  That was the message left on a Friday afternoon.  What is the first thing that runs through your mind when a cop calls and leaves a message? 

"What's wrong?"  "Who's in trouble?"  "Who is in the hospital?"  Of course I called right back but I would have to speak directly with Officer Colt and he was out of the office until Tuesday.  Every negative scenario I could think of terrified me.  At dinner I asked my husband, "Do you have a bunch of parking tickets you threw away?"  "NO!" That's good...... I guess.  I still didn't know what was wrong and it drove me nuts all weekend.

6 Tips on How To Stop Cleaning Your House

Every Saturday, I mean EVERY Saturday.....housework came first.  It mattered not what I had planned for the day, or how much my friends wanted me to join them for a trip to the mall, Mother always said "After the housework is done, you can go out." End of conversation.

Mondays were reserved for doing the laundry.  Tuesdays were for ironing.  Wednesdays for baking. Thursdays for gardening. I don't remember what Fridays were for but..... SATURDAYS were for cleaning house.  This was usually a full day of work.

Dusting.  Sweeping.  Shaking (or beating) the big rugs outside.  Mopping the floors.  Spot washing the walls, window sills and whatever.  Scrubbing the bathroom.  Polishing the furniture. Polishing the silverware.  It's amazing I survived!

How Can You Leave Me? I Love You Too Much

"TAKE THAT BACK!"  I screamed to myself but it was too late to recant.  What was said, was said.  What's done is done.  I knew how much the words had hurt.  Why did I say them?  Why hadn't I bit my tongue?

It was autumn, my favorite time of year.  I don't appreciate the heat of summer so taking long hikes were reserved for summer's end.  My closest friend and I would often make a day of it.  I would pack a lunch and we would head up the mountain.  We were both a bit too old to walk that far, but would drive as far as we safely could and then hike a bit farther.