Life Moves On

As I sit here looking out the window I wonder sometimes about how fast my life goes by. Thoughts are going through my mind as fast as the train is moving.

How much have I missed out on? Can I say woulda, coulda, shoulda? Not really. I feel I have accomplished quite a bit in my time. Do I have any regrets? Perhaps one or two but not to where I let it bother me anymore.

I can say thank you in many ways because my regrets and or experiences have taught me much. When I come to my destination I will enjoy my stay and allow those around me to continue teaching me more of life and love.

60 Miles

Walking, sneakersOh no here we go again sighed the Sketchers as the owner pushed her feet in and tied the laces tight. How many miles today the shoes wondered. I know we have completed over forty-five already and the ground is hot. I am one of the top selling sneakers, but these miles are killing me, and I wonder what it is doing to her.

I hear them talking and saying this is the last day and they are quite happy as in my owner. What she needs to know is I am quite happy about that also. As we start walking I hear once more my owner. “We have at least fifteen more miles to go and its going to take quite a bit of time and energy.” Upon hearing this information, you can hear my soles squeaking just thinking about the travel time and distance.

Half the day has passed as I see it there is no consideration giving to me at all. We have walked on more hot pavements and now we are crashing through wooded area’s surrounded by many hills. The sun has gone down, and the air is cooler. I am enjoying the coolness, but the hills are another story.

On we go and out of nowhere I hear everyone cheering and screaming. My owner falls to the ground and hugs her legs. She then unties my laces, pulls her feet out and sits me to the side…. it is over, it is done. We walked sixty miles she says. One thing for sure having walked sixty miles I am still in great shape. She picks me up and says well done. You are worth the price I paid.

A Bat Circling In The Sky

I was asleep in bed and I could hear every one scrambling around and I sat up to see what was going on. My aunt and my grandmother were running in circles. My grandmother was being very loud as she yelled get the umbrella and then get Bernie.

Bernie was my uncle and he was dead asleep in the next room. What is going on I asked? My aunt answered me by saying don’t move Janet just stay right there.  I could hear the fear in her voice and I huddled closer to my pillow. I did not move. There was more noise as my uncle came out of his room.

Once more I asked what is going on? My aunt finally answered me. We saw a bat circling in the sky earlier and it came thru the attic window. Someone had left it open and there was going to be a price to pay. I knew it wasn’t me so I snuggled into my pillow once more.

There was so much commotion going on I couldn’t stand too much more I thought as I sat up in bed. Finally I heard we got it, we actually got it my uncle Bernie yelled. You could hear him running down the stairs. The front door opened and you could hear him yelling at the bat as he opened up the umbrella and let it loose.

I laid there and listened, kind of laughed and then rolled over and went back to sleep.

All Alone But Free

The beauty of what I see puts me at ease with my day. The river is quiet as I sit here in the cabin and watch. It will calm me down I’m sure. So much always goes on around me, but I was able to escape. I hear myself say the word ‘escape’, but it is how I feel. I listen once more to the calmness of the water, and I take a breath in. I have only been here one day, but in that time frame I have slowed down and yes once more I escaped. Then I say to myself what seems so bad that I need to leave or run away from.

Pressure all around. Family manages to get into my life and thoughts. I concern myself quite a bit with my only daughter. She is my heartbeat as are her two children, my only grandchildren. Not that I don’t love my two sons my daughter is another story a different lifetime. I am having to step back, and I can say step way back but emotionally it’s a challenge. I will let her have her own life no matter what. Her ideas are different so I must allow. Now I am looking at the mountain and they are so massive, and I could say so strong. It makes me feel good to look at them and I think, I am strong, she is strong so I will step back and allow.

Challenge

Powerlifting“Monday morning came early for me, and I don’t see my trainer’s car outside the gym. Strange, I think, because Victor usually arrives before me. Just as I strolled through the door I heard him slipping up behind me and I whirled to throw him a cheery “Good morning.” He throws his arm around me as if to reaffirm the mutual respect and friendship we’ve forged over the last fourteen years.  We often joke about him being the only man that can tell me what to do.

I got started with my warmup as Victor lined up my weights. The routine we do is very different on different days. Every now and then he will change my workout to help me gain more strength. Halfway through my routine I look at him and say, “I need a challenge.” His answer back to me was “You need a challenge, Marie?  I don’t understand.  You don’t feel the workouts we do are challenging enough after all these years?”  He looks at me with anger as he throws a ten pound weight on the floor.

“My intentions have been to keep you toned and healthy, not muscle bound. If you feel you need a challenge I will see what I can do.” After he said that we finished our workout.

I looked at him going out the door, “I don’t mean to insult you. I just need something different.

His reply back was “I said I will see what I can do, Marie.  I will let you know Wednesday.” He then walked away.

I walk into the gym Wednesday morning only to see Victor has beat me there this time. Heading in his direction, I say “Good morning, how are you today.”  His face expression was calm this morning as he looks at me. Then I relaxed.

“I’m good Marie, what about you? Are you ready for a challenge?”

“Are we doing something different this morning?”

“No, not really. I’ve spoken to a friend of mine, and she’s made a suggestion.”

“I’m listening.”

“Do you know what powerlifting is?”

“No”

“Well, it seems you can go to USF University and sign up with the seniors.”

“Doing what?”

“You’ll be doing squats, bench and dead lift.”

I listen to what he is saying to me, but I do not understand. He looks at me and continues to tell me to just go sign up. Then we can take it from there. The good thing was he was calm when speaking to me, so I knew he was no longer upset with me. When we finished working out he gave me the address to the other gym then let me know we can finish talking about it on Friday. I felt good when we left.

I swing into the parking lot of USF the next morning. The sun shines in my face as I walk toward the front door. As I stand in the hallway I look all around.  It looked identical to my gym except for it was much smaller. I do mean much smaller. I introduce myself to the trainer, Will. I ask, “Would you please explain power lifting to me.  I need to know the do’s and don’ts.”

I felt the conversation was quite intense but then so was Will. He was very thorough with me. Some I understood and some I didn’t. A thought stuck with me while he was talking, that being stance and form. Form when doing these workouts is most important. If done incorrectly sprained or broken bones could result. Broken bones is where I don’t want to go.

The classes were at 9am Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I didn’t have a problem with that. In fact, it was a great time for me to work out. That is my usual time at present. I paid for the month with the intention to start the next Monday.  As I walked outside I saw three ospreys flying high over my head. To me that means Father, Son, Holy Spirit. I took it as a good omen. I felt I was doing the right thing.

One day falls into another and I push my body to increase my weightlifting. When I asked for a challenge I got one. This power lifting is not for sissies. I often wondered where all this began as in power lifting. Wikipedia let me know Greece was where it all started. The men picked up heavy rocks which created competition amongst the men. The dead lift alone is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts.

Working with my trainer Will is not easy for me. When you do something wrong he makes you do it over till you do it correctly. He reminded me of my aunt who raised me. I had to iron a shirt over four times till it was perfect. She would stand and watch me till it was right. Will, does the same thing. I understand it’s to my benefit, so I always listen without speaking.

My love is the bench. My body is lying on a bench to which I take a loaded bar at arm’s length and lower it to my chest. Once this is done I push that bar with all my strength. It releases so much stress due to the adrenaline pumping as you push up. I then do what they call “rack it.” That’s returning the bar to the rack.

The one I don’t like is the “squat.” It starts to where I stand erect. The bar is loaded with weights as it rests on my shoulder. I then walk out spreading my feet apart. I create a break in my hips, bend knees then squat. I push up to stand erect. Going down is easy coming back up with heavy weights on your shoulders is the challenge.

I am now four years into power lifting. I truly love the workouts. I have come a long way competing while learning quite a bit in the process.  In a conversation with a power lifting friend, she let me know it was the year 2000 before women were finally invited to participate in power lifting. Not only that it was the 1950’s and early 1960’s that various odd lifting events gradually developed into the specific lifts. Those lifts being, bench press, squat then dead lift. In competition they were lifted in exactly that order.

Quite a few powerlifting federations have been formed over the years, each with their own rules and standards. The International Powerlifting Federation is the world’s largest most cohesive Powerlifting Federation. There are thousands of members and they have been recognized by the International Olympic Committee via their inclusion in the world games. This transpired in the year 2017.

What makes my group different is that we are considered Senior Powerlifters. That’s right, our age range start at the early 60s to 99 years of age. Trudy, our 90-year-old, has retired. Due to the 2019 Pandemic Edith, our 99-year-old, stayed home. The good news is she has come back but only to bench press. It’s been understood that she has a certain weight goal that she would like to reach by August. Her birthday is that month, she will be 100 years old. Imagine that.  

Can powerlifting be healthy? That has been asked many times to me. My answer is, “If your goal is to build muscle, strength and improve your physical plus mental appearance, then yes.” Just know powerlifting can be a healthy way to do so.

Questions are also asked about our backs, including the spine. I have been told research proves the dead-lift can be very effective for strengthening our low back muscles. It can also decrease your back pain while improving our functions.

It’s essential to make sure you are in the proper mindset. Yes, you’re getting older, but everyone does. Please, don’t let that stop you from achieving a strong, muscular physique. You just might need to pay more attention to recovery and preventative measures.

I would like to say one more time, “Your stance and form are important, but more important is your coach.” Just listen to what he tells you no matter what. I can thank Victor many times because I listened. He made me strong. Will, my new coach has made me stronger. Power-lifting can’t be too bad if our 99-year-old Edith has come back. I have so much respect for her. It makes me wonder, “What will I be doing at 99?”

My Passion

When I go to my networking groups, I have 35 seconds and sometimes a minute to explain who I am. I always say I am “your psychic of the day” and then I explain that I am a spirit medium. I try to put humor into my line of work. Not everyone agrees to psychic and or spirit medium. My business card states intuitive counselor, spirit medium and that is what I like to believe. Yes, I have the capability of receiving messages or memories from what I call the ‘spirit world’ or I could say from those that are deceased.

Symbols, words and gut instinct are typically how I receive the information that I share during a reading. How does this ability help others you might ask? With all readings, I am tuned into the present of today. I do this with the help of my spirit guide Blue Feather. He is strong and was a good warrior. Together we offer information that is exceptionally helpful to the individual; confirmation and insight to what is going on around them at that time. We relate to NOW and into the future. Symbols are often given at times to create more awareness during the reading. We concern ourselves with how we explain our thoughts and articulate this to each person. Questions can be asked, and answers found.

Trust is crucial in the line of counseling. When I hear words or see symbols, I need to trust what I see or hear from Spirit. Sometimes people’s facial expressions tell me a lot especially if I say something out of the ordinary. Should someone respond – no, they don’t think so – I offer the message for them to contemplate knowing that time will always tell. The information in the messages do not always happen immediately. It is best to give yourself or Spirit time. Many clients have shared that the insights from a reading can manifest in a day or one year later.

As a spirit medium, I enjoy and appreciate the symbols and words given to me by the deceased with support from Spirit which in my case is Blue Feather, my guide. He is my gate keeper, protector and the one that allows impressions and words to flow to me. They are memories or words of love and encouragement. I have been taught to forget but sometimes it can be a significant experience, so I ask permission from my client to remember and speak it.

One memorable vision that I had was with a client’s husband sitting on a back patio blowing bubbles as a child does. I asked her why. She shared with me that when he was on the earth plane, he blew bubbles for his grandchildren when they were small. The other part of that memory was he was a policeman. I thought that was very special because I don’t see or know of many policemen who do that. The other good part of this story is that my client left happy, knowing her husband was at peace and the message was his way of comforting her from the other side.

We are all psychic or intuitive in many ways. All we need to do is listen but most of all TRUST. Understand we have guides, angels, family and friends hanging around us to help get us to the next level of life. Most of all believe and enjoy because life is an adventure.

My Christmas Spirit 2020

I sImage by Jill Wellington from Pixabayit on the couch with my back to the dining room. If I don’t look, I can’t see it. I’m not in the mood, I say.  I haven’t been in the mood. The box has been sitting there for four days now. I know I need to open it, but once more I’m not in the mood.

It’s now Sunday morning so where do I go from here? I once more look at the box and say, “Ok, here I come.”

It’s December so Christmas is on the way. The box is loaded with Christmas ornaments, my kids stockings that are as old as they are, and a beautiful Angel for the top of a tree. When I look into the box, I see all of the old ornaments that once decorated the tree when I had one. I do need to decorate. It’s Christmas, but I need to change my attitude first. I’m working on it but it’s a slow process. The fact of the matter is I’m making it a slow process. One thing for sure- I am not getting a tree. I just decided that I will decorate the fireplace only. I love the fireplace so I will put all my energy into creating a beautiful Christmas space.

The Covid19 virus has changed the whole world. The separation of friends, family, and associates is unrealistic.  This is the way that I am seeing it. The deaths are worse; I sometimes can’t believe what all these changes are doing to our emotions and feelings. I could say what they are especially doing to my emotions and feelings: for me they are creating havoc within. I do get depressed from all of it, but I try hard to shake it off. The separation of friends, especially now being Christmas, is the hardest. I’m not alone in this situation I’m sure. What are others doing, saying, or feeling?

I speak to many because of my line of work; I am an Intuitive Counselor or Psychic Medium. I am quite aware of what the virus is doing to others, we speak of it often. I do everything I can to encourage others to stay calm.  Meditation is a great way of calming the mind. It can put you in a positive frame of mind. Just to do fifteen minutes a day can create calmness. I balance my chakras every day now, which is a form of meditation to stay calm and not get depressed. When you tell your ego to go away it will change your thinking pattern.

I finally pull everything out of the box with love and care. Looking at my fireplace I smile. I can do this. I pick my first son’s stocking up and nail it to the top of the fireplace, then continue to place the rest of them in order. I finish by putting blue garnet around the fireplace, leaving room to hang the Christmas cards that come in. I stand back to look- beautiful! I start a fire, pour myself a glass of wine, then smile. I am very grateful that I have good health with much more. I salute everyone and wish them a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I know 2021 is going to be a better year because we all will make it that way.

An Opportunity For You

newBookCoverSince Transform Your Life! Expert Advice, Practical Tools, and Personal Stories has been published, I’ve gotten so much positive feedback from my friends and clients.

Thank you.

I really enjoyed contributing to this wonderful collection of uplifting stories. I know that those who have read the book have been truly blessed.

And the blessings keep on coming.

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This is truly a good book to have and to share.

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