Marketing 101

I had an old 27" JVC TV, weighing about 100 lbs, that I decided I'd leave out on the sidewalk for someone to use, since I didn't need it any longer.

About 3 hours after leaving it outside in broad daylight, I was perturbed by the fact that no one had stopped to pick it up. I went outside to take a look, and saw that J had posted a sign on it that read "Works OK :-)"

I laughed out loud. "I think the same marketing principles apply even when you are giving something away for free. Let's try something a little more enticing", I said to J with a teasing smile. 

I returned to the street, masking tape and marker in hand. I flipped over the sign and wrote in bold letters "Works Perfectly & Free!"

15 minutes later, we watched as a couple stopped their car, shoved the TV in their backseat, and drove off.

I guess it is all about the marketing. 

caretaker

I had an incredibly powerful dream last night. It was filled with oceans and beach bungalows. Apart from the sunshine and the water, and feeling both on my naked skin, I was surrounded by people that I love.

In my dream, I would walk or wade to a hut, and would visit with the people inside. Sometimes they would share their troubles with me (fertility questions, career aspirations, emotional pain), sometimes I would physically repair some aspect of the hut that needed to be fixed (a roof, a door, or a part of the floor), and sometimes I would just quietly hold them. Let them feel a gentle touch and the love that was present. Once I felt that I could leave them in a place that was better than when I arrived, I would move on to the next hut.

I realized after a few huts that I was a caretaker. A caretaker of the souls of my friends and family. Someone charged with the purpose of making their lives just a little bit more peaceful. Someone who felt free and comfortable tending to their emotions and their lives. Someone who walked away feeling energized and content after being in contact with them.

withdrawal

I'm finding it to be a challenge to be here today:

Re-establishing myself on social media after spending so much time listening to the ocean

Re-integrating myself in my cluttered home after living off a couple articles of clothing and a pair of sandals for a week

Remembering all the lists of things I thought I had to do after reading my eyelids as I dozed in the sunshine

Re-acquainting myself with the frown in the middle of my forehead after laughing so hard that tears coursed down my nose

Re-connecting with friends and family after socializing with people from all over the world

Recharging my batteries after feeling like I could live on a week with no sleep just the constant buzz that comes from people and fun and laughter

Respecting the changes and the differences and reminding myself not to quiet the yearning that I feel

itchy feet

I love vacations. I love traveling. I love mixing the two together. 

I love using my time off to see new places. To experience things that I've never tasted, tried, touched, or taken in before. When I have these opportunities, I also get to experience myself in new ways. I learn what I am challenged by and what makes me uncomfortable. I learn where my soul loves to sing and what feels good to my spirit. I learn about where I can spread my wings and where my fears are triggered. 

By being away from my routine and my comfort zone, I remember to open myself up to people, I find my smile widen, I feel connected to the universe, I try to learn a few phrases in a new language to spark new life in old, rusty parts of my brain, I let go of my known and try to jump into the unknown to unearth the gifts and treasures that travel brings me. I also feel like I have an opportunity to break down prejudices and expectations, that tartar buildup that happens when we live privileged lives, and meet new people, one person at a time, and learn from them. 

Life is good. It amazes me. It fills me with so much happiness. And I intend to seize every opportunity I get to learn from it! 

So off I go, on another vacation adventure. I'll be back before you know it, and maybe I'll have a story or two to tell. 

bravery

I saw this posted today and thought it would be the right kind of message for me. For no other reason then as a reminder of where inner strength comes from.

"Many people believe that cynicism is the height of courage. Actually, cynicism is the height of cowardice. It is innocence and open-heartedness that requires the true courage; however often we are hurt as a result of it."

~Erica Jong

25 things

This exercise was circulating on Facebook and I actually completed it. : )

1. I feel overwhelmed with lists that describe myself because I truly believe I'm not all that interesting. What's interesting about me is that I enjoy listening to people to find out why and how they are interesting.

2. I love challenges - especially when it involves confronting my fears and things that make me feel uncomfortable. (See #1 and #10)

3. I love people and I get so much energy when I am around them. A smile, a laugh, a shared joke, a long involved story, a lot of emotion.. when people share themselves with me, I walk away feeling peaceful and rewarded.

4. I raced mountain and road bikes competitively for 11 years. I was never good at it because I didn't really like it.

5. I wish I could sing. I wish I could be that person on the stage that moves people to tears with their voice.

6. My favorite thing to do is walk the streets of a city at night - when sound is muffled, familiar shapes look different in the shadows and the world sleeps. I do this less now because it freaks people out (they worry about my safety) but I did it a lot when I had a big dog who used to walk with me.

7. I have never been in a physical fight before and a part of me wishes I could experience what it would feel like. Mostly because I wonder how much of a fighter I really am, and how scared I really might be.

8. I have lived an incredibly fortunate life for which I am very grateful for. I feel very guilty about why I was given such a life and other people have lived with so much pain. It doesn't seem fair to me.

9. I love to laugh and I laugh like an idiot. There is nothing graceful, beautiful, quiet or elegant about how I laugh, but I love to do it!

10. I have a short attention span at times, and am feeling that coming up with 25 things is going to challenge me....

11. See #2.

12. I am a very tactile person. My friends and family members know that I love to touch them, hug them, be connected to them physically. (And I'm sure it also drives them crazy.)

13. I give excellent massages and thought about going back to school for massage therapy. Thankfully, I can give people massages and satisfy my desire to touch AND make them feel comfortable and relaxed at the same time.

14. I'm a happy drunk.

15. I wish I could learn how to dance. I have "white" hips and I can't seem to move them rhythmically, at all.

16. I've just discovered how much I love little people and I've also discovered how few little people there actually are in my life that I am close to. I need to change this.

17. I strive to be honest about how I feel. I'm learning that some people feel alienated by it and others gravitate to it.

18. I believe in so many aspects of the Buddhist philosophy. It resonates very deeply in my soul.

19. I have a terrible memory. I don't remember places or events, movies, lyrics, or timeframes. I have very few childhood memories. I can remember numbers and birthdays, but that's about all. It disturbs me that I have no memories, but I seem to fill myself up with experiences on a day to day basis, and then I just let them go. Maybe that's why Buddhism speaks to me.

20. I have incredible dreams. I dream every night and dream in color. My dreams are sexual, playful, adventurous, exciting, and sometimes very scary.

21. I smile when I write emails as I believe that my good vibes get sent along with the words that I type.

22. 22 is my favorite number!

23. I love cigars.

24. I have amazing friends. I don't know how I've managed to find them over the years but they are, indeed, my chosen family.

25. I know that I need to do more in this world - to help make people's live just a little bit easier - I just haven't figured out where to begin.