Monday, February 7, 2011

VISUALIZATIONS....STRONGER, BETTER, UNCUT.....

Okay, my last post was about wanting to move. Guess what...yes...we're moving. This post is dedicated to the art of visualizing. I know, I know...people poo poo that stuff, but it has worked for me over and over and over and over. My kids can stop reading now because I'm going to talk about the grapefruit. They've heard this story virtually their entire adult lives and they can recite it verbatim. But I'm going to tell it now so that it will explain how I got my house that we're moving into.

Back in the late 1970's, a friend that my bro and I have adopted as our "other bro" since we were 14 (he is referred to as "Boz") recommended I read a book called, "Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah", by Richard Bach. I enjoyed the book. It was way ahead of its time. Anyway, it spoke, loosely, about visualizing things into existence and the message went straight into my heart. I had no religious affiliation at the time and didn't understand the concept of faith so I was a spiritual blank page, so to speak. I wanted to try an experiment using visualization, but I wanted to keep it pure. I didn't want to visualize money, though I was dirt poor at the time. I also didn't want to visualize something that would naturally or routinely appear in my life either through something I would do or someone would buy for me, like a gallon of milk or gas for my car. So, I settled on a grapefruit. I didn't like grapefruit. No one was going to buy one for me because it was the dead of winter in Columbus, Ohio and back in those days, if something was out of season, it was off the shelf, so there was no way in the world it was going to be purchased for me. I was really setting the bar high on this experiment.

So I visualized a grapefruit. I really "saw" that grapefruit. I saw the roundness of its shape. I saw the pores on its skin. I saw its yellowness turn to shades of pink. I really really saw that grapefruit. Less than 3 weeks later, a CRATE of grapefruits were delivered to my door...YES...in the dead of winter no less and delivered TO MY DOOR. How? A friend of my mother-in-law's was wintering in Florida and thought we could use some "Florida sunshine" and he felt compelled to purchase some in the form of grapefruit and and have them shipped to us. I had never spoken to that man personally (never did). I didn't ask for them. I didn't know how to contact him (why would I)? How's that for visualizing something into existence from nothing? I was hooked. And the funny thing is, I find myself with grapefruits all the time now. In fact, in 2001, I moved to Southern California....I can't go anywhere without smelling or seeing grapefruit trees or bags of grapefruits being given away!!!!! Two of my homes here had several grapefruit trees growing in the yards!!! It's been 30 years and grapefruits have only become more prevalent in my life. I still don't eat them.

Which brings me to the previous post. I really felt the need to move. So I visualized a home. I enjoy the 55+ communities here. They're really nice and neat and I need that orderliness to finish this doctorate. Therefore, I visualized some peculiar standards that one doesn't typically find in modular/mobile home communities here. I visualized wood flooring (because of our pets), I visualized plaster walls versus paneling, and I wanted 2 bedrooms with two baths and I wanted the appliances to be there (we have our own washer/dryer). I also wanted it to have a bit of a yard and pretty views. I also wanted it to be dirt cheap. THAT is a LOT to ask for on the surface, but when one considers the vastness of God's creations and depth of one's faith-it's really a drop in the bucket.

Guess what presented itself to me in less than 2 weeks! A home with wood floors, appliances, 2 beds, 2 baths, a 55+ community, an adorable little yard for the dogs, a place to grow hydroponic plants, scenic views, PLUS a two-car garage with a work station and overhead fluorescent lights, as well as a stucco exterior with a long front porch. We are at the top of a huge hill (little mountain). We are not in a floor zone OR a quake zone....tho everywhere in SoCal is technically a quake zone in my opinion-but this really works in terms of homeowners insurance. I got exactly what I wanted AND MORE. Plus the cost is so low, it'll be paid off in one year. Visualization works!!!!!

Now.....my next goal is a check with a specific number on it and a scooter.... :)

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

DIRTY HOUSE, TIME TO MOVE

So I returned home and what to my wondering eyes do appear, but 2 miniature dogs and some tiny reindeer...wait. Those aren't reindeer! Those are squeak toys. Destroyed squeak toys. The cushions of the couch have been manipulated and flipped over to keep the "kids" from jumping up there and...what?...what do they do up there? Lay on them? I guess that would be bad because THEY SMELL!!! No baths, no brushing...basically, I've returned to the movie "ANIMAL HOUSE". In the truest sense of the word...nice.

True, there was a huge vase of flowers in the middle of the dining room table. That was cute. The sheets had been laundered the night before...good thing. There was a piece of furniture in the living room that had previously been in the boy's room and that will be going BACK into the boy's room, now that the boy is gone...so that will change the look of the living room. Lots to throw away...lots to put away...lots to wade through...but more than anything, lots to DE-FUNK AND DE-SMELL. What the heck!!!!!

I know exactly how to solve this problem.

We're moving.

Soon.

Word.

Here's my serious look...
And then here's the "real" look I'll be using....

Saturday, January 8, 2011

FEELIN' KICKED, ON ROUTE 66


I am driving the famously historic Route 66 all by myself. So...at the end of my trip, I'll have driven through Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas (stayed in Amarillo), New Mexico, Arizona (staying in Flagstaff tonight), and then home to California. Cool! I'm wiping that off the bucket list. It wasn't intentionally ON the bucket list, but it's a cool thing to scratch off. Today I drove a little over 600 miles and feeling fine. If my gluteus minimus hadn't complained, I could have driven more, but such is life.

Also, I listened to an entire book today by James Patterson. By forensic evidence AND by paintings on the tomb wall, combined with cultural traditions, and full body CT scans, he figured out who killed King Tut. Very sad and intriguing story. I think there was a LOT of 'splaining in that after world they all ended up in.

I do NOT like this Motel 6...If I had enough nerve, I would go to my car and get the knife I bought for my hubs and sleep with it under my pillow...ick.

Last thought before I drift off to sleep at 5:30 p.m. While taking xanax, do NOT pluck any remaining eyebrows that you may have left. Just sayin'...

Friday, January 7, 2011

DAY TWO OF JOURNEY: OKLAHOMA

One my 2nd day of traveling. This is what I've come to realize. States are pretty competitive for bragging rights. Oklahoma was the first state to install a parking meter. Also, it is the home of the largest antique collection in the world. I'm going to submit my dental work. Oklahoma is proud of its famous citizens: Garth Brooks, Will Rogers & Brad Pitt and astronaut Thomas P. Stafford. I don't know how a state can take credit for the random coupling of genetic pooling, but this one did. I think they all do. Also, Oklahoma was the setting for the movie "Twister". When I crossed the border into Texas, and I am NOT making this up, there was an electric sign saying this: KEEP YOUR BUTTS...*wait for second part of sign* IN YOUR CARS. I felt warm and welcomed. I'm in Amarillo now. My butt speedily went from my car to my room. Will map out tomorrow's journey now. I know it will be through New Mexico and most of Arizona. Love to all.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

THEY'RE CALLED FRECKLES!!!!!!

Ages 10-30, they're called "freckles"

Ages 31-50, they're called "age spots"

Ages 50-plus, they're back to being called "freckles" again.

THEY'RE CALLED FRECKLES!!!!!!

*cough*

Thank you.

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

I've shared this photo with lots of friends, but this is the final spot. It was taken at midnight on New Year's Eve. At about 11:45 pm, my 90 year old mother shouted out from her bedroom, "Hey! At midnight, grab your camera and jump into bed with me so we can hug at midnight." So...being obedient, I grabbed my camera and ran into her room 15 minutes later. She threw her duvet back and I climbed in. We took three great photos but this last one took on a life of its own. The lighting changed on its own and the even spirit of the photograph changed. There is a tenderness that emerged that blew me away.

This is how we brought in 2011. May it ever be so...