This is where I'm at

Ginger Mama's Cousins

We drove a Red Mustang.  It had a horse on the front window just above the rearview mirror.  Just as we were completing the final stretch into Boone, we got passed by a Ram. Tee hee!!!

I believe the Universe communicates with me in signs.    Animal signs are the best!!!  The Horse totem is about riding in new directions and discovering our freedom.   The Ram totem is a sign of CHANGE and new beginnings.  Both WSM Noah and I were a little nervous about hanging with Soul Mama for a weekend.  In the past, our relationship had been a little rocky .  She has a completely different way of looking at life, however when she gets real

Right between Boone and Blowing Rock, that is where Soul Mama resides - in a beautiful golf community at the edge of a mountain, we stopped and bought some flowers.  

And there is where I was reunited with two of my little Peeps, Charlie and Ellie Mae.  These are Soul Mama's babies.  Charlie first came to stay with us for two weeks in 2005.  We taught him how to swim and took him for long walks and brushed his hair and let him sleep on the bed with us and the Meows.  And he introduced us to our neighbors.  Walking with Charlie all sorts of people would come up and talk to us and get to know this cute face.

Ellie Mae joined the family a few years ago so Charlie would have someone else in the house his size and who spoke his language.  Although we have spent many cherished moments together *see Thanksgiving We haven't had the pleasure of private time with her yet but are looking forward to the privilege.

Being an early riser, I would get these Dog-God and Doggess-Goddess peeps to myself.  We would walk on the golf course and go through the early morning fog as we searched for good places to mark and pee.  We trotted down the hill and followed the beautifully manicured lawns as we walked for our morning meal.

I am looking forward to Ginger Mama meeting her cousins when they return to Florida, tee hee!!!

Las Montanas

What a fabulous weekend!!!

We finally arrived in Greensboro, North Carolina.  We picked up our car at the Hertz Counter where WSM Noah was told to "please remain calm" (reminded us of the scene from Anger Management).  Tee hee!!! We took a deep breath, let go of being tired and late and enjoyed the moment.  We were blessed with a Red Mustang with SIRIUS satellite radio.  We drove eight miles into town and to the  Proximity Hotel.  

I always book a special evening for us before engaging with family.  This place was AWEsome. A boutique hotel in every sense of the word - our King Loft Room was divine.  The bathtub was big, inviting and fabulous.  And the fantastic windows and the IPOD hookup into a stereo system so I could mellow out to my tunes.  And the big beautiful bed with yummy linens.  And flat screen TV. Tee hee!!!  WSM Noah and I were happy campers.

For those of you who don't know, I have no bathtub in my house.  One of the criteria for hotels and homes I visit is a bathtub.  It's important after an airplane ride to be able to detox and change my water.    This faucet let the water gush down like a waterfall into the tub and it had two mirror doors to look at or to open onto the rest of the room.  Tres cool!!!

We even left our room to check out the attached restaurant, PrintWorks Bistro, and am I glad we did.  We were the only ones in the dining room and we ate heirloom tomatoes garnished with basil, sea salt and a splash of EVO, and a bowl of roasted corn chowder and a fruit tart of local peaches and blueberries with a smashing design of raspberry coulis and vanilla bean sauce.  Yummy!!!

The next morning after bathing and donning bathrobes provided by the hotel, I checked my email and did some yoga and we packed and hit the road.  We stopped at Cafe Carolina to fill up our bellies with the most scrumptious confections.  They have a great bakery with all sorts of wraps and sandwiches and salads.  And the coolest and comfortable booth seating.

We filled up some gas, bought some water and hit the road.  2+ hours on the road, in the car, on our way to Soul Mama.

I had forgotten how important ROAD TRIPs are in a relationship.  I mean, two people, in a moving box traveling about the country.  I had forgotten how much Noah enjoys driving - and how much I enjoy driving through nature, albeit in a box called the car.

Road trips, for me, are about being in PROXIMITY - to another being, to other boxes traveling the road with you, to nature - the trees, the mountains, the clouds - the open expanse.  It's about communicating well.  When we roadtrip, WSM Noah is the pilot and I am the co-pilot.  I read the maps and guide the way, he drives the road.  It's a precise art we have mastered together to get us from Point A to Point B.

Once we are settled in for the drive, I started flipping through the Sirius Radio channels.  And this is when the fun began.  We found a '60s, '70s and an '80s channel with limited commercial interruptions.  Woo-hoo!!!  We sang and danced our way from Winston-Salem to Boone.

There is something about being in the mountains - the energy, the wisdom, the grounding.  The higher elevation and the air, the smell of pine trees and firs.    I am looking forward to a little hiking.  Very good.  Very good.  Yay!!!

Traveling Again

Traveling again - this time we are going to the mountains - time to get wisdom from the Elders.

GingerMama is adjusting quite well - no signs of separation anxiety - she KNOWS she is a welcome member of the family. Yesterday, in preparation for visits from her Auntie Goddesses - we removed the red cover off the couch and cleaned it. We cleaned her blanket too. And then GingerMama herself had a shower. And once I set her sacred space - toys and all, she grabbed her new bone and settled into her space.

I am going to visit my SoulMama Goddess today, Noah's mom somewhere between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Will share when I return....

Sunday Scribbling #125 - How I met MEself

The prompt today was how did you meet your significant other, your best friend, your dog, your nemesis?


I thought about it for a long time. And what came up for me is that I am my significant other, I am my BestFriend, I am my Doggess/Goddess mirror animal nature and my own NEMESIS (my own Greek Goddess of retributive justice - thank you Merriam Webster).


I met "me" not too long ago. I mean "me" was living within this body for a long time. However, "me" was always reacting to what others wanted and thought. "me" was living unconsciously, not fully awake, not choosing, not KNOWING. - just trying to get by, live and let live. Living for my parents, my husband, my country, society.... reacting, not creating.


And one day, "me" hit rock bottom. A very sad and deep place to which I thought there was no way out. Of course there always is. It's just hard to see it from the bottom and through the tears and doubts. "me" was not fulfilling her life's purpose. "me" was not happy, not having fun, not living, surviving but not thriving. So, I stopped. I took a look around at my life - the things that are within my power to change - I and me - and got serious about living.



Now "me" - is a little PEEP - the one who lives within and has been hidden away. "me" is a small and sensitive old soul in a small body. "Me" is the three or four year old within who decided what we needed to do in order to survive. From this decision, this belief about how the world is, most of my fears and self-limitations grow. "Me" is the inner child that psychologists keep talking about.

I met "Me"self in photos - pictures I had tucked away in a box - afraid to look again with that critical voice and recriminating memories of a childhood gone wrong. And funny, upon going back and re"ME"mbering my childhood, my perspective and attitude changed. I was grateful for all the events that had shaped I into being - including those that happened to "me". I was no longer Afraid of the past - it had already happened. I am here now. Me is here now too.

I met MEself in the process of discovering the Goddess - in books, in stories, in HER-stories - this sense of something missing, a yearning fulfilled, a piece of the puzzle found. Me was ready to come out and play, provided it was safe (and I had created a sacred and safe space for many years meow). Me longed for nurturing (I have learned to do that; find pleasure and share Joy in my pursuits of life and liberty). And it is mandatory to have DISCIPLINE (this tells the little PEEP that you are looking out for her and your combined interests). This one I am still learning, although the muscle I have built gets stronger and stronger.

Learning my PRIORITIES really helped in coaxing ME out. For it helped me realize what was truly important and what was just fluff. And from this space of knowing - my little PEEP comes out to play and INspire and offer her clear and innocent view of the world.

For you see, the Goddess within emerges when the inner child (the "me") meets and merges with the Feminine Energy, the Adi Shakti.

Turtle Run

On Friday night of the last full moon, Noah and I went to the beach for a turtle run - or more accurately, a release of baby turtles back to the ocean. What a glorious evening.

We met with our turtle tribe - about 100 + people (and lots of little PEEPS) who found their way to the Hollywood Beach on Perry Street to commune with nature and see baby turtles and help guide them on their way. At least one set of twins, tee hee, and a gorgeous Goddess with an 11 day old baby GIRL (Goddess in Real Life) called Gabriella. And, of course, a little help from Mother Earth, a full moon rising out of the Ocean.

We met at 7:30 p.m. and saw a dramatic sunset. The tide was coming in. The turtles were revealed, most of them squirming and ready to go. The kids were so excited. So was I!!!

Turtles lay 100-200 eggs in nests dug in the sand. On our beaches, these areas are protected and residents are asked to keep their lights off at night so that when the babies hatch, they can find their way back to the sea. Usually, the hatchlings (baby turtles who have left their eggs) get out of the sand and head towards the sea. What I learned on Friday, is that in about 30 years, these female baby turtles will return to the beach from which they hatched, their sacred space, to nest and lay eggs and make babies.

I have always loved turtles. They seem to come to me at the most wonderful moments in my life, reminding me to take things slowly and live for the moment and ground myself in my GODDESS energy. I return to a post I wrote earlier. And confirm I am ready for the Faery world, right here, right Meow.

NO INTERFERENCE

One of the hardest parts of a relationship is COMMUNICATION.

Lately, Noah and I are learning how to communicate about PARENTING - the art of being response-able for another soul. Not that Ginger Mama needs PARENTING. However, in our household she is still considered a LITTLE PEEP - a soul that needs response-ability in order to survive & thrive in our home.

The communication with GingerMama is divine.  Having read and related to so many things in Cesar Millan's book, my Doggess/Goddess and I are vibing at a new level.   We have transcended, for the most part, verbal directions and prompts.  I am paying attention to her signals and what she needs.  Focusing on what I do want to happen and visualizing it and sending out the energy.  Power vs. Force.  And redirection. Clearly communicating what needs to happen instead of what I don't want.  GingerMama is responding to my calm assertive energy.   It takes a great deal of observation and patience.  However, the rewards of this connection are so AWEsome. 

We've managed to get bathing down to a science. Being that GingerMama's core temperature is so hot, she sweats a lot. And summer here in Florida is not always a treat - fleas, mosquitoes, little green things in the grass that attach to her fur. Once a week, GingerMama likes to be bathed, soaped up with coconut/neem shampoo and brushed down.

We walk four times a day - a major walk in the early morning - 4:44 a.m. - we are out doing "sadhana" with the stars. This is our longest walk of the day. In the stillness and quiet of the world, we explore and sniff together the wonderful scents of the grass, the trees and the streets.  And then we have two shorter walks during the hottest part of the days, some visiting with the neighbors, a little bit of hide and go seek running and plenty of naps.  Ginger Mama also likes to coach me when I swim.  She runs up and down the pool while I do laps, making sure she is at whatever end I am to give me kisses and encouragement.

Yesterday, Noah took over the bathing routine. I was inside swaying to music and washing dishes. And then he knocked on the door. And out of my soapy, yummy, smelly and wet experience I left and entered his world.  And GingerMama and him were not seeing eye to eye and there was some pulling and force applied. And I said something - an unsolicited comment, advice, tips, blah, blah, blah.  And Noah looked me in the eye and said: NO INTERFERENCE.

And he's right. 

I cannot tell him how to do things with GingerMama. She will tell him. He will learn to communicate energetically with him when he is ready and in his own way. In his own style. And yet, I find the comments are so fast on my lips and ready to escape.   So, I take a deep breath. And another one. And one more, for good luck. Tee hee!!!   

There is really NO THING that I need to say. I know he can do it. I know GingerMama will show him the way.  My job is to sit back and let HIM do it for himself, his way, in his own time, in his own manner.   NO INTERFERENCE.

I am so blessed to learn this lesson Meow.   This will be most helpful when we have BABIEs.