I would say, " You just wait and see! You, we, are in for a huge surprise!"

I don't do New Year's Resolutions. That is not to say that I do not reflect and create some sort of plan for the coming time. My birthday is near the end of the year and that is when I usually contemplate time passed and time coming. It is the middle of January and I still have not done this.  Sure, I have given it thought, mentally written it down, but this past year has been very different from any other and it has lead up to a time for which I have no past points of reference.  At some point, sooner rather than later, I shall create and commit to a personal manifesto.  That will be the touchstone for this unknown road which I have embarked upon.

It was a year ago tonight that my funny, sarcastic, dear Gramma passed away. That was the beginning of this current journey. A funny side note, her funeral was on January 22, the same day that Heath Ledger died.  We were at the cemetary waiting for the service to begin. Reaching into my purse to turn off my cell, I saw that I had a text message from the store. I was being text messaged at a funeral (my own grandmother's no less!) because a customer was angry about returning a hairbrush? Oy gevalt. Then later that afternoon, back at Gramma's, I got another text telling me Heath Ledger had died. It was sent by the same person texting me about hairbrushes earlier. I must have looked upset. Fast forward to this past December, dinner at my cousin's and her gf house.  Kim and Terri gave me movie tickets and a DVD of some movie called "Candy" starring Heathe Ledger.  When Terri saw the puzzled look on my face she said that she and Kim assumed I liked Heath Ledger because I was so upset when I got the text telling me he had died. I cracked up laughing! Then they looked confused. I explained, "I wasn't upset because Heath Ledger died, I was upset because my fricking job would not leave me alone at my grandmother's funeral!" Good times were had by all and I KNOW Gramma was very very amused.

In addition to this week being the anniversary of Gramma's passing, another person has taken her leave of this planet.  I was informed that Janet, my boss and mentor at Neimam Marcus, died this past weekend.  This news hit me hard.  Janet truly was a mentor to me and although I know I am a smart capable person my career would not have been nearly the same without her.  As her assistant she taught me EVERYTHING she could.  My job at Wilshire Beauty (and all jobs) often found me asking, "What would Janet do?" That job tested me in many ways and it gave me an arena in which to polish my skills.  All the while, in the back of my head a little voice would remind me of her.  I think alot of that is because now that I am in my early 40's I am the age she was when I first went to work for her.  There is also an aspect of timing in that she passed right as I am making concentrated efforts to transition into another field of opportunity. 

Next week is the inauguration. Bush is O.U.T.! I know that politics is all a game. I am fully aware that Obama is merely a pawn in this ages old game. Yet, I am hopeful. The upliftment of the attitude in this country that happened when he was elected gives me hope. If people are willing to work a little harder, be more positive, carry their share of the weight, then maybe we can make some much needed changes. If the election of Obama makes people feel stronger then I pray, chant, meditate, dance naked in the rain, that that strength will be used productively and proactively.  I see alot of people pinning mighty big hopes and dreams onto him.  I see alot of pressure being put onto him.  Yes, it is his job and he did sign up for it, however, we cannot sit back and expect him or others to do all the work.  There is much that needs to change, much that transcends what any one person playing in an outdated game can accomplish.  This is a time for creativity and free thinkers.  I do not yet know what my part in the big picture is.  I can work on my place in the smaller picture.  Live what I believe. Do not get sucked in by fear. Be the cahnge. Hold space.

Well that is all for now.  Maybe next time I will be moved to ponder about more fun things like extra terrestrials.

The AlcheMystic Has Spoken!

Time is flying...AGAIN. This weekend I arrived at the point where I can confidently say that I give a damn good massage! I have been hearing this from Brian and the friends who I have worked on, and their feedback means the world to me. However, this past Saturday I worked on two total strangers and they gave me great feedback. I am taking the Advanced Skills Program and we do massages for the public on Saturday. This was my first clinic and I was extremely nervous going in. Once I started working on the first client the nerves melted away. It was a great day. After the clinic I went home to prepare for my sister. Irene was coming over to hang out and have a massage. I worked on her for 90 minutes doing a combination of massage and energy work. It went very well and she will be back in two weeks for more.

Sunday was Trigger Point class...lots learned! I went home from that class and incorporated what I learned into Brian's massage that evening. Since I have been working on Brian he has not been needing to go to the chiropractor...I MUST be doing something right?

I am participating in teacher training at the school. I still don't know a whole lot about the program, Andrea said there would be a meeting soon. Since day one I knew I wanted to be involved with the school and opportunity knocked. So here I go following my nose as Brian would say. Taking one day at a time step by step.

The inauguration choked me up. I am not necessarily an Obama-maniac as much as I am a Change-maniac. The old guard had become way old way long ago. So now we have the new guy in office. So now maybe everyone can stop holding their breath. So now maybe we can all move on. Spend some money for the right things for the right reasons. Shake the fear. Step out of it and step into a realm of possibilities. It's so much more satisfying to operate from our innate wisdom and allow our hearts to guide us. So anyway, as I was watching the CNN coverage this morning, U2's "Its a Beautiful Day" kept running through my head. I have written before (ad nauseum perhaps) about how The Universe used this song back in the day to move me out of fear. It was an unstable time in my life and when I was caught in the grip of fear that song would come on the radio. "What you don't have you don't need it now. What you don't know you can feel it somehow." Those lines in particular would reassure me. Luckily I don't do fear very often, however, when it does pay me a visit, this song STILL shows up and I decided to put it on my MySpace page.

Everything we need is within us. There is no lack. So here is to moving through the gunk and finding our way home to the wisdom, love, and power that lies within.