No doubt people must have wondered about this lone woman who was sitting out in the dark by herself. Everyone else was with at least one other person or was part of a group.
She'd gone out to one of the patios to admire the beautiful full moon and enjoy the cool breeze after a very long day. This time she had remembered to bring a flashlight with her. The last night she'd come out to this quiet spot to make a call, she hadn't seen the ants that were covering the table where she had placed her snack.
That night, there was very little light and only a handful of people were quietly talking by the firepit a distance away. She hadn't noticed the ants until they were crawling up her arm. This night she didn't want to be surprised again.
Tonight, though it was lovely out, it wasn't nearly as peaceful as it had been on other nights. There were a lot of revelers flowing out of the bar area. Some kind of sporting event in town. The hotel was full up.
A staggering young man came up to her and asked for a cigarette. She told him that she was sorry but she didn't smoke. He stood there for a while and seemed to be considering what to do next. At that moment, she realized how very vulnerable she actually was in that lonely spot. But she'd had to dig deep into her courage a lot these days, so she didn't break her gaze.
Then she straightened her spine, sat up a little straighter and continued to look directly into the young man's eyes. She said again that she was sorry she couldn't help him out.
The young man was the one who was the first to look down, then he stepped away and went out the gate. Sometimes we forget that within each of us, exists a level of strength and power of will that can serve us when needed.
After the young man had left, she got up and walked into the lobby. It was filled with other drunken young men, who were slurring their words, and yet who were working nevertheless to try to speak in a precise manner, then laughing uproariously at what must have seemed to them was brilliant wit. She thought that no doubt they thought they were being quite witty as people do when they are in their cups or high on pot.
No, tonight it wasn't very peaceful down here at all, and the frivolity wasn't the healthy enlivening sort. No happy energy here, just a kind of yucky and sad inebriated noise.
Though she really had wanted to sit out and enjoy the beautiful night, and didn't yet want to go up to her lonely room, she did. She turned on the TV. The silly movie, Meteor Man, was on. A welcome distraction. She sat down and watched till the heroes won out.
If things weren't bad enough, a few minutes ago, the toilet in my hotel room bathroom broke and wouldn't flush. So after 1:30 AM, I had to call the front desk to report it. To their credit, within moments an "engineer" was up here and fixed the broken chain.
If I were at home, I would simply have used a different bathroom and would have worried about the problem in the morning. Just one more reminder of how much abundance I've been used to having. Even in difficult times, there is always something to feel grateful for. Actually, when you think of it there is so very much to appreciate.
Today I had more than enough to eat. Though this certainly isn't home, I am blessed with shelter. This evening, I sat on a comfortable bench under a beautiful sky and a very large moon, and talked with a very dear friend in another city on my mobile phone, which didn't run out of power.
I later found something I'd lost while carrying up my bags. I went back out to the place I had been sitting (with the flashlight I'd remember to pack) and found the lost item on the very bench where I'd been sitting. After writing this post, I shall lie down on a very comfortabe bed. I have drinkable water by my bedside.
How many people in the world don't even enjoy the basic necessities of life? There are people who go to bed hungry every night, and those who don't even expect shelter. There are those who have no access to safe clean water. ...There are those in the world who have little or no access to any transportation except by the power of their own feet. People around the world who are enslaved, imprisoned, in constant pain or completely unable to move.
Taken into proper perspective, my 'problems' seem small in comparison. And so, before I shut my eyes, I wanted to add to my "Gratefulness List".
God bless you all. May each and every one of you have all your basic needs met. May you always find much for which to be grateful. And for myself, may I always recognize the many blessings in my life, and always remember to look for the gifts that come with both the good and the bad. May I always remember that every experience that comes my way is an opportunity for spiritual growth and evolution.
Now I'll go to sleep. Good Night!
If you love Shakespeare and the many adaptations of his work, you may find the 1996 movie Romeo and Juliet worthwhile seeing. This version is set in modern times in a place called "Verona Beach" and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.
I saw it in a hotel room, and wasn't paying close attention until the last half. The movie is an abridged version of the famous play, but in my opinion the last half, at least, was brilliant.
From what I read, this film came out to mixed reviews, with one devastating review by Larry Ebert. Personally, I think Larry Ebert got it dead wrong with this one. Shakespeare’s plays are eminently adaptable, and the many variations of the themes make his works timeless. The sheer poetry, cadence and language of his words are absolutely gorgeous.
I love Shakespeare and I loved what I saw of this film. I hope you do too. Here's the trailer:
Enthusiasm
Enthuse
Enchant
Enamoured
Encircle
Encompass
Encounter
Enter
Enable
Enjoin
Enslaved
Conceal
Conceive
Concentric
Concent
Curiosity
Hidden
Holy
Heal
So what do these words have in common?
You tell me.
These days with things so hard, life so disrupted, relationships so strained, sometimes she just wants to fade away.
She imagines going down to the ocean, lying down on the warm soft sand, spreading her arms like Leonardo da Vinci's Viitruvian Man and resting.
As the sun warmth spreads over and moves through her body like a comforting blanket, the mind relaxes and stills. In time, all that she is just dissolves and becomes one with the sand.
Tired these days.
These days with things so hard, life so disrupted, relationships so strained, sometimes she just wants to fade away.
She imagines going down to the ocean, lying down on the warm soft sand, spreading her arms like Leonardo da Vinci's Viitruvian Man and resting.
As the sun warmth spreads over and moves through her body like a comforting blanket, her mind relaxes and stills. In time, all that she is, just dissolves and becomes one with the sand.
To me that's a simply beautiful image. Tired these days.
These days with things so hard,
life so disrupted,
relationships so strained,
sometimes I just want to fade away.
I imagine going down to the ocean,
lying down on the warm soft sand,
spreading my arms
like Leonardo da Vinci's Viitruvian Man
and resting.
As the sun warmth spreads over me
and moves through my body like a comforting blanket,
the mind stills and relaxes.
In time, all that she is just dissolves
and becomes one with the sand.
Tired these days.
Sent from my iPhone
It was only when I was preparing for bed tonight that I noticed that the pages for Saturday, Sunday and Monday on my "Words of The Day" desk calendar had not been pulled off to reveal the current word..
That is when I discovered that the word for today was "Succor".
How fitting; I thought!
Today, I called two people for help.
The second person I called did.
noun:
1. Help, aid, relief, assistance ; especially when in need.
2. One who provides aid or assistance
verb (used with object)
3. to help or relieve.
It's always a good thing to have someone to offer help when you need it. On this Sacred Journey of of Life that we are traveling, the road can get rough and extremely bumpy. Sometimes we feel as though we are about to fall off a cliff. It is always good when a fellow traveler reaches out a hand to steady you.
Thank You, Dear Friend.