Sunday, April 22, 2012

You can't always get what you want ~

Mick said it, our Mothers said it, maybe even our best friend said it, but we still didn't think it to be true.  First of all, if you can't always get what you want, then who is it that gets to decide what you need? God, the angels, the universe, maybe PitBull (I know you want me, I know you need me)?  There are two sides to every story, two sides to every coin, one side tells us that we are in control of our destiny, that we make these decisions.  While the other reminds us that the future is not ours to see, that fate has the upper hand.  Is this a mind fork in the road of life?  You need to believe one way or the other.


There are some rules for setting intentions, since intentions are believed to get you what you "want" ~ the three main elements needed are to know exactly what you want, visualize the desired result, and expect the result to happen.  They say intention is that magical combination of will, motivation and desire.  But there is one small caveat, one little disclaimer when it comes to working with intentions, it goes like this;  All that you desire can be yours if your heart is pure, your intentions clear and your goals are in your best interest. 



Hmmm ~ pure heart, I think so, intentions clear, I believe so, in my best interest, well, I thought so, so I am going to go with a yes on this one.  So, if all that I am working towards, putting my energy into, is not in my best interest according to some universal wise man who has decided to keep it a secret until much later, how do you know?  How do you ever know if something is in your best interest?  It makes me wonder, all of the things, the experiences that I have received in my life, the things that really weren't that wonderful, was it just the lessons learned then that were in my best interest?  It seems there is always someway around this stuff.  I don't know.  I thought my intentions were clear, my heart pure but apparently the things that I think I want, like love, money, stability, and happiness aren't necessarily in my best interest right now according to what the "master know it all" has in mind for me.


Life is full of lessons, items bought and sold, no guarantees, and when it comes to time there is definitely a no return policy.  You live with all you've accumulated, good and bad.  There are always those few constants in life and I've realized that those are the things I need to focus on, pure heart, clear intentions and in my best interest.  Those things of course include my family and dear friends.  I guess it might contain unconditional love.  And along with the people I love, there are other areas that feel they are always in my best interest; there is the sun, the moon, the ocean, nature in general, highways, BMW's (even when they are behaving badly) and my one daily reminder that life is good ~ my morning cup of coffee.  Sometimes that might be all we need to start another day, to roll out of bed, put one foot in front of the other, breathe.  Yes, Folgers, you got it right, coffee, the best part of waking up.  Joni Mitchell had the dilemma, "love or money", mine right now seems to be love or coffee.  Think I'm going to go with the coffee ~ Starbucks, Peets, Coffee Bean, Stumptown, my loves, you never seem to fail me.


Monday, April 2, 2012

No Virginia, there isn't a tooth fairy


Anyone who knows me, really knows me, is aware of my love of rice pudding and Lays Baked Ruffles Potato Chips. Not necessarily at the same time. My previous blog was actually titled "Rice Pudding and Baked Lays." That's how much I love them.

I have pretty much given up the chips. They are, strike that, were, my addiction. But I think I've kicked the habit and only treat myself to them rarely, when others are buying. I wouldn't dream of actually purchasing them at the store myself. They wouldn't last through the unpacking of the grocery bags. And that, I will blame on the small amount that is actually disguised as a large amount by the deceitful packaging that is now common practice. I mean really, I don't think there is much more than one serving in the entire bag!

So, on to the rice pudding. I love pudding. Rice, tapioca chocolate, butterscotch. But one day it hit me, there may come a day in my not too far off future where this will be the only food that my mouth and body will dictate that I eat, along with Jello, Cream of Wheat and other easy on the mouth and digestive tract types of food. Maybe I should save this treat for a later time and indulge myself in Snickers Bars or toffee. I don't want to get burnt out on it just in case.

Speaking of case, in point, my best friend Virginia had to have a tooth extracted last week. She was kind enough to send me this lovely photo of said tooth. Now, since this was a back molar,
I don't know the number since I don't work in the dental field, but I know it is the last one in the back of your mouth, her dentist told her they would just pull it out, she didn't need it anymore. What? Didn't need it anymore? She was okay with that diagnosis until the morning after, when the realization of what had just happened sunk it. Why didn't she need it? It was like being told, "hey, you don't have that much time left, not that many years left of chewing, no need to replace it." She was actually saddened by the loss, like a snake shedding it's skin, not needing that coat anymore. But it isn't the shedding part, it is the part where there will be no further coats needed! End of the line. End of story.

I tried to cheer her up. It could be worse, it could be a front tooth. I thought the tooth looked like some exotic animal tusk, maybe we could make an exquisite piece of jewelry with it. She could wear it around her neck. Like Angelina Jolie and her vile of blood. Virginia could just wear the tooth. Or sell the gold. I mean, that's a plus, right? She needed to be compensated somehow for this loss. By the way, that is not her below, but I just liked the picture, and she seems happy enough.

But truly, it is a bit disturbing when parts of your body leave you, tossed aside like any other item that has gone beyond it's shelf life. Appendix? Don't need these, don't even know what they do. One kidney, goodbye, can survive with one. Uterus, goodbye girl, you are now rendered useless, and teeth, who needs them? There are liquid diets you know. Little by little you see yourself come apart, like the game Operation, or like a cinnamon pecan pull apart. Okay, I know, the pull apart might seem like a bit of a stretch here but it just sounded good to me in the moment. But damn, the only problem is that I think you would need teeth to enjoy it.


The Cilantro Between Us