Category Archives: Blogging

So, I forgot how much I loved rainstorms until now…

Posted on by
Reply

So, I read a chapter of Harry Potter to my daughter along with a Psalm and she went to bed after 11 which is way too late. But it was perfect timing. I fixed myself and kale stir-fry snack with almonds, and as soon as I sat down to watch Gilmore Girls, the thunderstorm started. People that are from the midwest and out west, often freak out when there are major thunderstorms, but us East Coasters can relate to them and some of us even feel at ease when they start up.

Rain is one of my favorite things ever. Besides, chocolate and Sound of Music and my kid and love and Seinfeld and cats (do not worry, I will not start singing Favorite Things). For me, rain is a chilling out period. The soothing sound makes me want to grab a book out of the large stack of books to read and read all day. When it is hot, it nourishes everything and refreshes. At night, it is so nice to open the patio door and have the ceiling fans on and just listen and snuggle up under a summer throw. It is almost the same effect for me as it is when I listen to waves crash. Nothing can replace the feeling I get when I hear the sounds of the beach, but rain is a close 2nd. Once I ran around half-dressed with a boyfriend late at night as a joke/dare. I have stamped in it, and splashed in it and danced in it. The rain is cathartic for me on an uneventful Saturday night, or at any time.

Maybe I am in the minority in being a lover of precipitation, but if you don’t light up when the wet stuff drops out of the sky, give it another chance. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, pray or meditate and soak it up (not literally-haha). Take out a journal, or a recorder or your laptop and write or speak your thoughts or just be still. Take time to realize what a blessing and a gift it is, rather than a slippery hindrance. It is all about perspective my friends.

Simply~

Dee

Cover photo courtesy of picjumbo.com

Why does a place with hissing and whirring sounds calm me and keep me more focused than I am at home?

Posted on by
Reply

So, Starbucks is one of those magical places that keeps us wanting more and more and more and more.:) Or, at least me and millions of other people. I had lunch at a neighborhood supermarket with my daughter and then we walked around in the snow a bit more and then we hopped into the car and drove to Starbucks. We were at home and I could have sat on my bed to make a call to the insurance company. But instead, I drove a mile and a half to our favorite Starbucks (there are 10 in a 10 mile radius) to do what I could have done more comfortably at home.

Then I spent over 3 dollars on my drink. And then I spent almost 4 dollars on a breakfast sandwich for my daughter and I to share. Then she read a book and I checked some emails. All things I could have done at home. But something about the dark wood, and the nice and subtle lighting, and the pleasing tunes wafting ever so softly in the background mesmerizes me. It is like an addiction of sorts.

People could say it is the caffeine, or the taste of the coffee, or the trendiness of it all. But I think it is the whole package. I could drink caffeine/coffee at home. It is not hard to make a bacon, egg and gouda sandwich at home. I actually drink faux coffee. So, I think it is a type of voodoo they have over the masses.

The same kind of voodoo that Disney puts on people when visiting their parks. That is why we are going back again this year. Despite the cost, the travel aggravation, the lines, there is no place like Disney. We do believe it is the happiest place on earth, except for of course our little abode. Even the people that go to Disney are less annoying than they are at other places. Or, is it part of the trance Disney puts me under?:)

Funnily enough, as much as I love those places, I love being at home too. The familiarity of surroundings,my cat, the material items and mementos that take me back to certain experiences that mean something to me. I guess now that I think about it, Sbux and Disney have captured the magic of the home away from home experience but in a grand way. But when it comes down to it,home, Disney and Starbucks hold something in common: Beauty,comfort, memories, happiness, and sharing precious time with people that we love. Those things are more important than the aesthetics or psychology in the advertisements. A price can’t be put on experiences and memories…

Simply~

Dee