It's that scary time of year again

If you like scary houses and aren’t faint of heart then you should check out your local theme parks for their Halloween Haunted Houses! We went early this year, first weekend in October, to attend the Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens, Tampa. This years’ theme was the Dark Side of the Gardens. They have a Thrills and Chills package, which gives you all day access to the park from Thursday to Friday. We arrived Friday but were too wiped out to stay on Sunday (blame it on the homemade jello shots) and hit a craft show, instead. The Fiends show with Dr Freakenstein and his naughty nurses show was great which we watched while eating our Fright Feast. Then we got early access to the haunted houses.

After dinner on Friday, we went straight to the Zombie Mortuary where at a funeral home you have to witness a funeral in process, only it the funeral was for you. Zombies lived there and feed on fresh flesh and brains of the attendants. Dare to escape! Then we headed down to the circus of Superstition, which in 3-D you experience, first hand, the thirteen superstitions. Go ahead; I dare you to name them all. After escaping with nary a hair missing, we stepped into the Nightshade Toy Factory where the toys you’ve loved and mutilated as a child come alive to do the same to you! You can try your luck at the old Ultimate Gamble Casino but will only find that it was renamed Vampire condemned and if you make it out of its dark tunnels alive, you will have counted your lucky day. Finally take a trip through the Manor of Lenore, Nevermore, and experience a revival of Poe’s famous tales.

In addition, as a last-minute plan we decided to visit Universal Studios, Orlando Halloween Horror Nights, 22, The Walking Dead. In Gothic, the gargoyles come alive in an old church. The costumer and masks were excellent, you couldn’t tell if they were live or store. An elaborate setting of a church, complete with mosaic glass windows and a twenty foot illusionary drop overlooking pews and altar will surely scare the non-practitioner and devout, alike. In Dead End, lightening reveals terrifying faces as you walk through the Hurtford Mansion in which a curse will kill anyone who dare enters. In Silent Hill, fans and non-fans of the television program will enjoy gross psyche-ward scenes, eerie wheelchairs and baby carriage whose occupants have surely turned mad. Alice Cooper’s Welcome to my Nightmare turns goth rocker into a sure nightmare with its inner chambers filled with loud Cooper music and haunted figures, including Alice. The Universal House of Horrors’ showcased classic monsters we grew up with, only with a new twist, for Frankenstein, Dracula, Creature of the Black Lagoons and the Wolf man, In Penn and Teller, Las Vegas is under a nuclear attack for you to witness in 3D.

Much to my regret we did not attend the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach, which I heard, was good.

Hope you liked the review and have a creepy, scary Halloween!

Ode to Don ... Embrace Life

Don is on the left, he's my fiancé’s (Randy on the right) best friend in the whole wide world. Don passed, unexpectedly, after an outpatient procedure, on his way home. Don was the kind of guy that was so "there", so real. He loved his family, Randy's family and me, to no end. A caregiver for his elderly mother and recently married to a woman he thought of, endlessly. Only God understands why his senseless death occurred.

But one thing that's been a grave lesson in all of this, for me, is that you have to embrace the moment and cherish the people who are in your life. Also, if there's someone you've been meaning to see, meaning to do something with... do it. Don't postpone.

That's not to say you will experience the thoughts like you wanted more time, more chances to be with that person you've lost, because, invariably you will. But, maybe, you can hold that person who is dear to you and tell them, a little more, now, how much you love, appreciate, and value them.

Life is precious. We remind ourselves of this whenever we lose someone dear to us. However, if we can wake up every day and thank our higher power, mean it, we have done the best we can to cherish the moment. Namaste.

Don't Give Up

 ...A Baby Sunflower Bloomed Amidst the Weeds


 You can't give up on your dreams. The intention to have what you want, a job, a career, a promotion, a published book ... whatever it is, is within your grasp. Intention is comprised of three components: desire, self-belief and willingness to accept. Desire is the easy one. You can be specific for example. I want to be an internationally published New York Times bestselling author.

That's right be daring - put it out there. No one is going to take it from you. The universal law of prosperity dictates that there's more than enough to go around for everyone.

Did you ever read Rhonda Burns, The Secret that was so hot no so long ago? In it, we learn that not everyone wants exactly what we want. We are unique, so different people want different things.

Next self-belief. You have to believe that you can have it that you deserve it. That you're capable of it. In professions where we are subject to a high degree of rejection or criticism, that can be difficult. However, sometimes, the negativity that comes your way can be a motivating factor that propels you forward, more determined than ever to no stop.

Never stop. Never give up on yourself. Others can, but who needs them? They don't do the work. They're not in your body, dancing to your soul's desire. They don't breathe your breath or feel your pain. You do.

Lastly be willing to accept it. That's right, some of us are all for the journey but are fearful of the destination. Why? That's difficult to speculate. I think it has more to do with feeling of unworthiness. Alternatively, maybe we aren't clear on the exact thing we want.

Find out what's holding you back, acknowledge it and let it go. Then you can allow your goal to be accomplished.

Allow your vision to incubate in the Universe and It will bring it to you, in the perfect time/space sequence. You can't command when it will come, you have to trust the Universe to bring it to you. Just don't give up.

Namaste.

What Are You Missing?

Nothing. That's right. Nothing. Everything in your life is there because it's supposed to be. The purpose of this week's blog is to demonstrate, at least in this writer's mind, a valuable lesson. I've heard it before. I've read it before. But, it never resonated as it did for me this week.

Something didn't go my way. The way I thought, I wanted it. However, did you ever want something so bad, yet realize it wasn't for you in the end?

For example, a relationship or job that really wasn't working out?

If the answer to that question is yes, for you, then I think this week's message will mean something. If not, then probably the rest of this piece won't serve you.

In short, everything works out the way it's supposed to be. God, the Universe, the Angelic Realm, Fate ... whatever you believe in, works hand-in-hand with your utmost desire. That which is in true affinity with your being, comes to you, when it's supposed to.

This isn't a bunch of new-agey nonsense. But, it has to resonate with you, for you own individual mind. Sometimes it means letting go of that project, that job, that course of study. And even if you tried as hard as you could to make it work, you have to stop resisting and let go.

That which you resist, persists.

So, if the job continues to haunt your dreams, if the investment continues to give poor returns, if the partner continues to disappoint you, what else can you do but change course and then trust the Universe to present the path you're supposed to take.

I'm not suggesting that you abandon ship the first time you hit a storm. But, trust your higher self, your spirit guide, your intuition, to lead you to take the correct course.

Look at nature for example. Take a scrap of untouched landscape, like the attached photo. Now observe that scrap of land. It changes with the seasons, with storms, with climate changes. However, one thing doesn't change: it. It remains. So, then do we. We change, but we still are and we continue throughout lifetimes. Why not, then, love ourselves for who we are and be joyful with what we already have?

As for me ...well, I'm still sticking to my story and I know it's going to be a hit! ... stay tuned on that one.
 
 As for today, I feel peace and happiness. That's all in the world one can expect. Joy in life is the ultimate goal. Today -grasp it.

Namaste!

Your Sanctuary

My desk, my sanctuary

Is there a place that is yours, just yours, where you can think, alone, and be in peace? This could be a place where you are free to dream, contemplate the upcoming day, work, meditate ... it's yours and yours alone. Wherever that place is, spend fifteen minutes in it, uninterrupted, preferably at the start of your day. There you can be in quiet reflection. Think of all the things you are grateful for, do your daily affirmations, plan your day or simply relax and enjoy a moment's peace.

The above is my sanctuary as well as my place of work. Many things I treasure including a fresh flower or two from my garden surrounds it.

I am a writer and I write in my sanctuary. It supports me with the things I treasure: my favorite books, my resource books, art and pictures.

Where is your sanctuary?