Author Archives: A Star on the Forehead

Part II, yea or nay

22 Thursday Oct 2020

Posted by in Daily Life, Dating, Finding Me

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

“The truth is that the universe has been answering you all of your life, but you cannot receive the answers unless you are awake.” Rhonda Birne

Part II

Thank you to everyone that wrote to me with concerns about this trip.  I so appreciate the care and support of everyone!  Blessings All! ♥♥

As I mentioned I asked the Universe for a sign and I believe I got one.  Well, I took something that happened as a sign. I will get to that in a little bit.

The truth is I already knew what to do.  The idea of this trip, even though it was extremely exciting, wasn’t feeling right, not because of COVID, even though that should be a consideration, but because of him.  I was trying to make his lack of communication okay, but in the end it was not.

He eventually called.  I was completely honest with him, well, I am never not completely honest.  My problem is being too honest with some jerks that don’t deserve my honesty.  I mentioned that I had a problem with his lack of communication.  I said that questions had come up when I was excitedly planning for this dream vacation and he never bothered to text me back to at least see what I wanted.  I felt ignored.

I told him that the excitement of this romantic tropical vacation combined with finally meeting him blinded me to how crazy this was.  The resort may be amazing but I can certainly pay for trips and don’t need to act as if this is the last trip in the world. (Between you and I there is no way I am willing to pay $700.00 a day to stay anywhere, but he didn’t need to know that).  He agreed and mentioned that he has another timeshare to another expensive resort in Aruba. Gosh, who cares at this point?

In the end I cannot recall exactly what he added to the conversation that night as I believe that I did all the talking.  I hung up with the idea that the trip is off but that we are still on track to continue communicating and eventually meeting if he ever moves to NY.

Then he went silent.

****

“You will never follow your own inner voice until you clear up the doubts in your mind.” – Roy T. Bennett

The sign:

That morning. right after I asked for a sign I received a message from a guy on Match.  His profile didn’t have much information but he wrote me in perfect Portuguese which drew my attention. Right away he gave me his LinkedIn and phone number. I quickly did my Google research and found out a lot information on him.  This man is impressive.

There is so much I could say about him, but I always want to err on the side of not giving away too much information about anybody here.  He seems too perfect to be true.  He is 47 years old is very accomplished in the financial industry.  He speaks multiple languages, extremely well educated, and the best part, very spiritual. He has been to multiple retreats in different parts of the world, spent time with Indians in Brazil and healers in Hawaii.  He sent me videos and pictures from those experiences.  That is some of the stuff I love.  And he seems to have a sense of humor too.

Things developed very quickly.  I did all that I never do. I gave him my phone number right away. We connected on LinkedIn. On the first day we texted from 2pm to midnight.  By the time midnight was rolling around the conversation had gone from spiritual retreats to more spicy topics.  I take full blame for that.  Give me chemistry and a willing participant and I can be very free with my words.  In my defense, it had been ages, so it felt good.

. “I believe instinct’s the iron skeleton under all our ideas of free will. Unless you’re willing to take the pipe or eat the gun or take a long walk off a short dock, you can’t say no to some things. You can’t refuse to pick up your option because there is no option.”― Stephen King

Let me point out 2 things:

  • It has been fun with this new guy. I will call him The Swiss.  We will probably end up meeting at some point but I don’t think he will be the One in the long run.  We already had some miscommunications over texts because he was under the impression that I didn’t want to meet in person.  I have no idea how he came up with that.  Some of the smartest men make the dumbest assumptions out of nothing. The worst part is not asking questions to understand the situation correctly. That point has been addressed though.

Now we need to figure out when and where to meet.  He lives in NJ, it can take anywhere from over 1 hr to 2 hrs to get to.  And then there is COVID, which seems be getting worst again in some.  We shall see what we come up with.

For some reason I am not too concerned about meeting him at this point.  We have slowed the texting down to only a couple a day, and I prefer that for now.

“I had deceived myself. I will not deceive myself again. I have worn many masks and will wear them no more.”― David Rae,  Crowman

  • I saw his message as a sign, not because I think he is the One. On the contrary, I took this guy showing up as a sign that there are plenty of potential Ones right there.  I think it was the Universe showing me that I don’t need to get stuck on any one, no matter how amazing they seem to be. There are tons of even more amazing guys out there.

If he is not right for me, he is not right for me period.  I need to stop trying to make  some men into the perfect vision I have of them.  I need to stop trying to turn cubic zirconia into a diamond.

The right one for me needs to feel great all around right.   He needs to… oops I just realized that I was going to start to describing the perfect person for me. I don’t want to do that now, but I think it will be fun for a future post.  It will be fun to see how completely opposite the person I end up with really is. 🙂

And, just today some other interesting guy just showed up. I am not going to give him my phone number yet, but I am curious.

“Never stop dreaming,
never stop believing,
never give up,
never stop trying, and
never stop learning.”
― Roy T. Bennett

Reality or Illusion? Sometimes only time can tell

21 Wednesday Oct 2020

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message, Dating, Finding Me

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

I am not sure where this cartoon is from but it hit home so I wanted to share.

For the non-Portuguese speakers,  the heart is telling the brain: You are wrong! It is chocolate ice-cream.

Have you noticed that the heart has band-aids on from being hurt before. And the fake ice cream has flies buzzing around to warn us to its true identity.  And still we fall for it.  We ignore our hurts. We dismiss the red flags: oh, those are not flies, they are bees flying around because he is so sweet, we tell ourselves and whoever try to warn us.

How true is that?  I have been guilty of seeing more than what it is very often.  Some people come in such nice shining packages that it takes awhile to get to the rotten core.

“Here too it’s masquerade, I find:
As everywhere, the dance of mind.
I grasped a lovely masked procession,
And caught things from a horror show…
I’d gladly settle for a false impression,
If it would last a little longer, though.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I often don’t see the person I see the potential.

Case in point:  

A.-The Renter . The last I mentioned to you guys was that we were making plans to meet. At the moment I wrote that I was giddy with joy.

Let me remind you of who he is.   He works for a Federal Government Department.  He is single with a daughter in college. He is polite, smart, accomplished, funny, etc.  Prior to COVID he got a big promotion that has him moving from California to NY. 

I was able to confirm all of that has said to me, even the promotion since is a matter of public record.

“There is an optical illusion about every person we meet.”― Ralph Waldo Emerson

We have been exchanging messages and calls for months.  I probably didn’t speak much about him here because I didn’t want to jinx it, but he seemed so perfect for me.

In the beginning we were communicating daily.  He would call me to get my opinion about the apartments that he was looking to rent, neighborhoods in Manhattan, about how much rent to offer, should he buy vs rent, etc.

I felt included in the process.  Meeting him and getting along seemed like a done deal, just a matter of time.  He felt the same way.  For the record he wanted to do video calls, but I had no interest in that in the beginning, so we never did.

Then I noticed a spacing out in calls and texts. The heart, the gut knows.   I asked him about it.  I asked if he had perhaps found someone else to keep him busy.  “You are the only one” he said.   He added that he was very busy with this new position as he has to oversee various teams, give presentations, among other time demanding functions. 

“That’s the whole burden of this novel – the loss of those illusions that give such color to the world that you don’t care whether things are true or false as long as they partake of the magical glory.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald

After that conversation things got a tad better but not much.  Then one day he mentioned that he had a trip scheduled to Cabo San Lucas that had been planned many months in advance.  He has a time share there at Solaz, a very expensive resort. He went on and on on how amazing this place is. It would be for November 2 thought the 9th.  

He asked me if I wanted to join him.  

COVID, what COVID? I said yes!  I didn’t even think about it.  I wanted to meet him already, and if that is done in a paradise location even better.

I realize the craziness of it all but I am dying for a vacation, anywhere.  And I would finally meet him and see if we had chemistry.  We seemed to have but he seemed to be shy and reserved so even after months on the phone I couldn’t tell either way.  Our conversations never turned too flirty. I could picture him blushing anytime time I said anything flirty.

Then he went one step ahead and said my sister was welcome to come as there was plenty of room in this suite and perhaps I would feel more comfortable.  I loved that he said that.

“It is far harder to kill a phantom than a reality.”― Virginia Woolf

The following day, as I am in full vacation planning mood, I realized that my passport is going to expire April 1, 2021.   Some countries and some airlines don’t allow you to fly with less than 6 months left on the passport. After I Googled like crazy, I decided to chance it because there is no way I would get my passport back in time if I sent it to be renewed.

Next was the airline ticket.  I fly Delta whenever possible, especially in this case because I was afraid of the passport issue I wanted to make sure to fly Delta.  There was no direct flight and prices were going up rapidly.  I needed to coordinate with him to make sure timing to get, etc.

“A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.” ― Saul Bellow

I sent him a message to let me know when he was free to speak. He ignored it.  That is also after ignoring a text I sent the day before mentioning my sister couldn’t go.  Later I opened Match and he is there.  For the record, I don’t have a problem with him being on the app, I have a problem with him having the time to be there and ignoring my text.  I sent him a message there.  He gave me some bs that he would call me the next day because his phone was dead and the iPad was not that great.  I said ok.

The next day I woke up conflicted.  I so wanted to believe in all I thought he could be. I wanted to hold on to the potential. I wanted him to be chocolate ice-cream.  I asked God, the Universe, the Light, my heart, to send me a sign, anything. 

What do I do? Do I go or do I pass this up?  I knew I was going to need an answer by the time I talked to him.  That is, if he called… 

“Again I see you, But me I don’t see!, The magical mirror in which I saw myself has been broken, And only a piece of me I see in each fatal fragment – Only a piece of you and me!…” ― Fernando Pessoa

To be continued on the next post…

Superwoman has a shiner and is ready to shine

17 Saturday Oct 2020

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message, Finding Me, Food

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

“My past is everything I failed to be.” ― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

This morning I woke up with a shiner.  I am a star,  so I shine, but that is not the type of shining I am talking about.  And no, I didn’t wake up next to someone that was so amazing that he shined, or is it shone? 

Anyway, I am talking about the shiner that you get when someone punches you on the eye.  There is no pain or itching, just redness below the eye.

I Googled and found out I have an allergy shiner.  I had never heard of such a thing. The most common cause is nasal congestion due to some kind of allergen, which remains to be identified.    

It could be anything.  It could be the new rug that I got one week ago today. I never got my floors finished. It was getting me so stressed that I put all the flooring material in my storage for now and got this rug that covers the entire floor.   

“I take pleasure in my transformations. I look quiet and consistent, but few know how many women there are in me.”― Anais Nin

A doctor mentioned that nasal congestion could also be the cause for my vertigo, so perhaps I do have a real nasal congestion issue, even though I don’t feel it. 

Coincidently this week I started a regimen to detoxify my liver as I though it was the culprit.  This new routine has been hardcore for me.  I am looking to detoxify my body and create better eating habits.    

The worst part has been changing my eating habits.  I mostly eat whatever I wanted when I wanted, always with moderation.  Food has always been a source of pleasure and a show of love in my family. Sugar, a forever pacifier.

“A self is not something static, tied up in a pretty parcel and handed to the child, finished and complete. A self is always becoming.” ― Madeleine L’Engle, A Circle of Quiet

That way of eating may have been fine when I was 24, and perhaps 34 and 44 also, but now at 54 I realize I need a serious change. Now my metabolism is slower and certain foods affect me differently.

Now it is time to finally look at food as fuel.  As I struggled with vertigo in the recent past, and hives forever, among other ailments, how I treat my body has become increasingly important. I need to be nice to my body so my body in turn can be nice to me for many years to come. Not to mention that in my small immediate family of 5, my parents and my brother are diabetics.  Diabetes seems like a certainty if I don’t change things now.

I want to be and become the best I can be in all senses.  I am capable of more. I am starting with my body.  There is not much I can control, but I can choose how I treat my body and what I eat.

“I have laughed, in bitterness and agony of heart, at the contrast between what I seem and what I am!” ― Nathaniel Hawthorne

I figure that this detox may improve not only my health but the body I see when I look in the mirror.  At this moment I see a body that it is not where it should be.  My body is amazing and I am so grateful for it, but I am not being kind to it.  I do plan on getting naked in front of someone again some day 🙂 hopefully very soon…

All I did this week and plan on doing for a total of 3 weeks is a lot for me and not sustainable for a long period of time.  I plan on finding a more doable routine and keep it as a way of life.  It is not reasonable for me to think that I can totally give up certain foods and follow certain routines on daily basis. 

My plan is to follow this plan for 3 weeks Mon-Fri and on weekends relax a little and have a little bread.  Then slowly develop a more sustainable forever plan for me.  

Even though it is hard to recognize that I need to change, it feels good to embark on this road of betterment.

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” ― Carl R. Rogers

This is what I have been doing for the past 5 days:

  1. No sugar, no carbs.  This is a huge one for me.  I love sweets and baked goods so much. No to have my daily bread and butter is torture. I am incredibly  proud of following through with it.  
  2. More water. I often forget about liquids. I set the alarm on my phone for every hour as a reminder to get up from my desk for a walk and a glass of water.
  3. Less salt. I am learning that I don’t need to always add that extra pinch of salt.
  4. More physical activity.  The gym in my building is closed and I am still not comfortable going to the Planet Fitness,  so I am trying to walk more and do more exercises at home.  I cannot decide on the perfect elliptical to buy.  The perfect one would be a combination of quiet, small and affordable. Until then I bought a Stamina InMotion Elliptical trainer to put under my desk at work.  It is arriving this week.  
  5. Sauna.  Since I cannot go to a sauna because of COVID, the sauna came to me.  I got a sauna blanket.  I have the HigherDose one. 
  6. Meditate.  I struggle with quieting my mind. For now I do it while in my sauna blanket.  I put some meditation music on,  close my eyes and tell my body to ignore that “too hot” sensation.  I often recite the Ho’opnopono prayer. It goes like this: “I’m sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I love you.”
  7. Coffee Enema. I realize this one is controversial but my research tells me that it will help, so I need to try.  I also have spoken about this with my friend that is a naturopathy doctor and he agrees with me. 
  8. Getting more sleep.  I am trying to go to bed earlier. (I did everyday except one, that I was texting with one guy until midnight – I am going to write about it)
  9. Take Milk Thistle Dandelion.  On the bottle of this supplement it reads “Love for your liver”.  I am also taking other supplements and vitamins, as I mentioned on prior posts.
  10. Dry Brushing skin. It is for exfoliation and stimulation.  Before every shower I brush my entire body starting with the feet. I apply less force to sensitive areas such as the face.
  11. Oil Pulling.  Switching oil around in my mouth for at least 10 minutes.  I use coconut oil.  I have been doing this on and off for awhile. I think that has improved my gums.  My dentist agrees.  Well, what he said was: ” keep doing whatever you are doing – it is working”. For now, a surgery that the dentist was sure I needed has been postponed indefinitely and hopefully I will be able to avoid it altogether. 
  12. Tongue scraping.  In the past I used it a couple of times at night to remove bacteria.  Now I do it every morning when I get up to also remove toxins deposited on the tongue during the night. Now I am using a spoon until a new tongue scraper I bought arrives.

“The sky is not my limit…I am.” ― T.F. Hodge, From Within I Rise  

Disclaimer: ” Please note that all that I am doing is not in any way a recommendation or suggestion for you to do it.  These are things I wanted to try and carefully researched them.  Please do your research and consult your doctor, specially if you have any kind of health issue.”

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” ― Jim Rohn

Todays is only my 6th day, but here is what I noticed so far:

  1. I already lost a few pounds.  I am trying not to focus on the scale, but seeing the numbers go down is an incentive.  
  2. I haven’t slept well the last couple of nights, but that could have something to do with the allergy issues.
  3. No change in my skin, but I was blessed with good skin anyway.
  4. I have more energy.
  5. Emotionally wise I am feeling like a million dollars. 

“Beyond myself, somewhere,
I wait for my arrival.” ― Octavio Paz

 

 

 

A tray in a sea of tables and other pursuits

15 Thursday Oct 2020

Posted by in Daily Life, Finding Me, Mosaic and other crafts, travels

≈ 36 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

“Do not think of todays failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow.” ― Helen Keller

To prove I am not a mosaic one-trick-pony, here is a tray I just finished 🙂

I forgot to take pictures from the beginning.  I was too engrossed into already planning my next table (truth).

I am really getting into a good routine with mosaics.  I go to the studio every Saturday or Sunday for a couple of hours.  It feels great to pursue one of my passions, and not just do it once in a blue moon.  

“We can do anything we want as long as we stick to it long enough.” ― Hellen Keller

Now I need to tackle learning French and skiing.

French – I start teaching myself every few months.  I guess what I really need is to make sure to stay the course.  Every time is like starting over when I really should be fluent by now.  

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going” ― Helen Keller

Skiing – This one requires more effort.  Not only it requires more money and planning it requires me to let go of the fear of speed.  The moment I pick up any speed I panic.  I need many more miles under my skis to hopefully get more comfortable.

Now with Covid everything became even more difficult.  Who knows when I will have a chance to go again.  I want to book a trip but all is so uncertain that I think I will wait awhile longer.

But I am not giving up.  I will be perfectly comfortable skiing blues one day.  Mark my words! 🙂

“Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them; but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight.”― Helen Keller

Second Date? What second date?

13 Tuesday Oct 2020

Posted by in Daily Life, Dating, Finding Me

≈ 31 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

“Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.”― Rumi

The Saturday night dinner never happened.

Why?
Your guess is as good as mine.

He never called or texted. On Friday night I sent him a text. He never replied. Not an excuse or explanation. Nothing. Just silence.

I cannot say I am shocked. When it comes to dating nothing shocks me anymore.

I am baffled and perplexed. I am also curious. And sad, happy and grateful.

Why would he ask me out if he had no intention of following through with it. He went on and on about taking me to dinner Saturday night. Why?

Why ignore my text? Why not reply something like: I am busy or I have to work, or I changed my mind, anything…

What should I learn from this? According to Rumi everything is a lesson and everyone is a teacher. What is the lesson here? Perhaps in this case there was no lesson, there was only a grapefruit martini that was divine and I hope to have it again.

“This being human is a guest house. Every morning is a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor…Welcome and entertain them all. Treat each guest honorably. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”― Rumi

If he changed his mind, which I have been often guilty of, why not say so? Why act like an immature person and hide? I have zero respect for ghosts. This is ghosting, right? This disappearing act.

I am sad that people behave in such way when there is absolutely no reason for it. On the first date we talked about being respectful and preserving other’s feelings. We talked about honesty and integrity.  All talk I guess.

I am happy that I no longer need to know the reasons behind people’s actions. I just accept and move on. He acted like a jerk. End of story.

“Be like the sun for grace and mercy. Be like the night to cover others’ faults. Be like running water for generosity. Be like death for rage and anger. Be like the Earth for modesty. Appear as you are. Be as you appear.” ― Rumi

I am grateful! Grateful that he showed me who he is right away. No energy was wasted.

Any time something like this happens I always think that is the work of my always alert guardian angels. This person was not for me, not even as a friend and my very efficient angels quickly removed him from my life. How much more blessed can a person be?

No harm done. There will always be jerks and I can’t always spot them.  Still, I am not discouraged.  I am still going to get excited about dates and potential dates.

And on that note, A.-The Renter and I are back on track. I had ignored his last text because I was not happy with his lack of communication. On Saturday, about the time I would have been on that date that didn’t happened, he called.

He again explained how busy he is because of the promotion. I don’t think he will ever be the communicator I want but at this point I am still excited about the potential. I want to meet face to face before I make any decision. We are making plans to meet in 3 weeks. I will say more when the time comes.

“Ignore those that make you fearful and sad, that degrade you back towards disease and death.”― Rumi

Date Report

10 Saturday Oct 2020

Posted by in Daily Life, Dating

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

, ,

“When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.” ― Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

Last night’s date was very short. It was a quick drink that almost didn’t happen.

Early in the day we had decided to meet at 7pm. Later on I told him that perhaps 7:30 would be better for me. I had a guy coming over to my apartment to dismantle my bed frame and throw it out so I was dependent on that guy’s timing. I told my date that I would confirm the time later.

Later on I texted confirming 7:30. Unfortunately I texted somebody else. I texted the bed guy. It was not until he was done with the job and was saying bye that he said: “by the way I got the 7:30 text”.

I checked my cell and confirmed I had texted the wrong person. I often do that. I need to pay more attention when texting. Actually when doing anything.

When I realized what I had done I texted him and explained. It was already 7 pm. He called me right away and said that it would take him 40 minutes to drive to my city and asked if it was still okay. I said yes.

Later he said he thought he was being stood up when I didn’t text earlier.

We met at 7:45pm in front of Modern Restaurant. He had forgotten his mask so he went back to the car to get it and asked me to wait. Instead of waiting I followed him. There were some bars near where his car was parked so I figure he didn’t have to walk back, we could just go to one of those.

I joked that I was afraid he was going to run so I followed him. Later at the bar when he got up to go to the bathroom he jokingly pointed out that he was leaving the car keys at the table so I didn’t have to worry that he would try to escape. I appreciate humor.

We went to New Roc Social Bar. We sat outside. It was chilly but I was dressed warmly so I was fine. He clearly didn’t know that it would be that cold, towards the end of the date he started shivering.

He had a Corona, I had a grapefruit martini that was so delicious. I think it was made with grapefruit vodka, Aperol, St. German and lemon.

The conversation flowed. We both like to joke so there was a lot laughs. We also talked about our families, work, future plans, etc.

When we finished our drinks he asked what I would be doing on the weekend and said: I would like to take you to dinner Saturday if you are free? I said yes.

When we said good night he said he would get in touch so we can plan Saturday’s dinner. It is now Friday afternoon and I haven’t heard anything yet.

I think the whole date lasted a little over 1 hour. It was long enough to decide that it would fun to see him again.

I went in with zero expectations and was pleasantly surprised. Well, it is impossible to have zero expectations. I went in expecting a tough bike guy and met a sensitive funny one.

I am looking forward to the second date.

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” ― Isaac Asimov

Dates, friends and possibilities

08 Thursday Oct 2020

Posted by in Daily Life

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,



“Take advantage of it now, while you are young, and suffer all you can, because these things don’t last your whole life.” ― Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera

Dating, as it can be expected, has been slow going.  Still I have managed to go on 3 dates with a 62 year old attorney.  He thinks he looks younger so he set his date range on his profile to 40 to 54 years old.  I barely made it. 😊

Upon meeting him I thought he looked and carried himself a bit older than 62 .  I asked his age again to make sure.  He said he thinks he looks younger because he is active. I didn’t have the heart to tell him what I thought. I am glad he didn’t ask.

It got me thinking about what it means to be young.  My date thought that because he walks every evening and plays golf Saturday and Sunday that he looks younger.  It is awesome that he feels that way but it is not what I saw and felt.  (but really who cares what I think.  Good for him for feeling that way)

He didn’t have the characteristics that make me think of someone as being young.  It has nothing to do with a number or how they look.  It is how they carry and present themselves.  It is their attitude.

To me being young is never losing the sense of adventure. Being young is being eternally curious and always wanting and willing to learn. Being young is not being set on my ways, being capable of changing and to adapting.  Being young is being hungry.  Hungry for life.

What is important is how somebody feels, so great for him for feeling younger.   I just don’t think he is being realistic wanting to date someone as young as 40 years old. 

“All I want to be is very young always and very irresponsible and to feel that my life is my own-to live and be happy and die in my own way to please myself” ― Zelda Fitzgerald

Still I went on 3 dates with him.  After the third date I was sure that there was zero romantic chemistry.  I actually knew that after the first date.   Looking back, I guess I just wanted to get out of the house and he was a nice person, so why not.  At the time I thought I was being open-minded and taking a chance.

On paper he seemed like a great match for me. He was a gentleman, smart and successful.  I realized after those 3 dates that not only there was no chemistry, there was not much of meaningful conversation either.  I asked and he answered.  I asked about his profession, family, etc.  He didn’t ask about mine. 

I feel I know a lot about him, but he knows nothing about me. Whatever he knows about me is because I volunteered.  I enjoy the give and take conversation when someone is interested in finding out about me as much as I am about him.

I was relieved when, days later, he wrote me a message saying that we should be friends.  I agreed.  I thought I was never going to hear from him again, but he called over the weekend to say hi.  I was shocked he even asked about my sister. Go figure!

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” – ― Anais Nin, The Diary of Anais Nin

****
Then there is A.-The Renter. I mentioned him in a prior post. He is moving to NY from California maybe this month. We have been communicating for 2 months.  In the beginning there was a lot texting and phone calls.  I was very excited about him as it seemed that he could be the perfect match, but at this point it is hot and cold.

He texts me a lot one day then goes silent for many days, then starts texting again.  I am not happy about that and talked to him about it.  He mentioned he is very busy with his new position and that is why the infrequent texting.  He also mentioned that he is still very interested and nothing has changed as far as that. AS he mentioned: “I am the only one”.

It takes a second to send a text, so I don’t accept not having a second to send a text in as many as 5 days.  A few days ago he texted “Good morning” and I just didn’t have it in me to reply just to have him disappear again.  I ignored it.

I want to be open-minded, understanding and accommodating, but I am not willing to accept scraps, I want to be important in somebody’s life.  

If he ever moves here I am willing to meet.  That is, if he ever texts again.  Either way I am ok.  The earth will not stop moving.

****

I have a date tonight with a guy that is not really my type but he seems nice and I am curious.  He likes classic cars and has a motorcycle, not normally the guys that I go for, but when all else fails…

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” ― Isaac Asimov


Another table

05 Monday Oct 2020

Posted by in Daily Life, Mosaic and other crafts

≈ 57 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

“We’ve taken the world apart but we have no idea what to do with the pieces.” ― Chuck Palahniuk

I love doing mosaic on tables.

Here is the latest.

When I broke the plates to use, I realized that it was not ceramic but glass covering paper. Instead of breaking as intended, it shattered.

I decided to use it anyway, even though it was not as I had originally planned.

I swear all my projects look much better in person than in pictures 🙂

The secret to attracting butterflies – Borboletas – Mario Quintana

29 Tuesday Sep 2020

Posted by in Daily Life

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

This is a text that I like.  I think it was written by Brazilian Writer Mario Quintana but I am not 100% sure.

“Quando depositamos muita confiança ou expectativas em uma pessoa, o risco de se decepcionar é grande. As pessoas não estão neste mundo para satisfazer as nossas expectativas, assim como não estamos aqui, para satisfazer as dela.

Temos que nos bastar… nos bastar sempre e quando procuramos estar com alguém, temos que nos conscientizar de que estamos juntos porque gostamos, porque queremos e nos sentimos bem, nunca por precisar de alguém.

As pessoas não se precisam, elas se completam… não por serem metades, mas por serem inteiras, dispostas a dividir objetivos comuns, alegrias e vida.

Com o tempo, você vai percebendo que para ser feliz com a outra pessoa, você precisa em primeiro lugar, não precisar dela. Percebe também que aquela pessoa que você ama (ou acha que ama) e que não quer nada com você, definitivamente, não é o homem ou a mulher de sua vida. Você aprende a gostar de você, a cuidar de você, e principalmente a gostar de quem gosta de você.

O segredo é não cuidar das borboletas e sim cuidar do jardim para que elas venham até você. No final das contas, você vai achar não quem você estava procurando, mas quem estava procurando por você!”

Here is my loose translation:

“When we place a lot of trust or expectations in a person, the risk of being disappointed is great. People are not in this world to meet our expectations, just as we are not here, to meet theirs.

We have to be enough …  we alone have to be enough. And when we try to be with someone else, we have to become aware that we are together because we like to, because we want to and because it feels good, never because we need someone.

People do not need each other, they complete each other … not because they are halves, but because they are whole, willing to share common goals, joys and life.

Over time, you will realize that in order to be happy with the other person, you need not to need them. You will also realize that the person you love (or think you love) and want nothing to do with you is definitely not the man or woman for you.  You will learn to like yourself, to take care of yourself, and especially to like those who like you.

The secret is not to run after the butterflies, but to take care of your garden so that they come to you. Ultimately, you will find not who you were looking for, but who was looking for you!”

 

 

 

My ever loving sweet enemy: Sugar

24 Thursday Sep 2020

Posted by in Daily Life, Dating, Finding Me

≈ 36 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

The vertigo came back again.  I spent a couple of days last week barely functioning.  I started taking Claritin and Cocculus Indicus again.  Happily, most of the symptoms were gone in 2 days. 

I discovered a couple of things:

  1. Sleeping on my left side helps immensely to alleviate the symptoms.  So, no more sleeping on my back or on my right side.

2. Sugar exacerbates or perhaps even causes the vertigo.  The last 2 times I woke up with vertigo I remember having had lots of sugar the night before, in the form of ice cream and cake. 

No surprise discovery here.  Sugar doesn’t help anything.  Sugar feeds any kind of body inflammation and only wreaks havoc on the body.

Sugar and I have a long love/hate relationship.  I love it and it hates me.  Not only sugar, but carbs.  I am not talking about the naturally occurring sugar.  I am talking about all the refined ones that do not add anything good to my body.  But it tastes so good!

Back in 2012 I was already writing about this dysfunctional relationship.  https://atomic-temporary-33385295.wpcomstaging.com/2012/07/21/is-sugar-my-new-ex-am-i-looking-for-love-in-desserts/

12 years have gone by and I still have not done anything about it.  That is embarrassing. Why can’t I stop going to sugar on every occasion, happy, sad, indifferent…

At times I think that sugar and I can co-exist in peace.  I think I can just have a little bit on the weekends.  That peaceful existence lasts awhile, but then one day, out of the blue I just give in.  All of a sudden sugar has me again.

What is up with this emotional hunger? 

Baby steps… recognizing I have a problem, yet again, is the first step.  That is all I have.  No solutions.

 

I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl – Nina Simone

I want a little sugar in my bowl
I want a little sweetness down in my soul
I could stand some lovin’, oh so bad
Feel so funny, I feel so sad
I want a little steam on my clothes
Maybe I could fix things up so they’ll go
What’s the matter daddy, come on, save my soul
I need some sugar in my bowl, I ain’t foolin’
I want some sugar in my bowl
You been acting different I’ve been told
Soothe me, I want some sugar in my bowl
I want a little steam on my clothes
Maybe I can fix things up so they’ll go
What’s the matter daddy, come on, save my soul
I want some sugar in my bowl, I ain’t foolin’
I want some sugar
In my bowl