Day 27: Saturday Afternoon

I was supposed to be working until 5 or 6pm today but by about noon my 3 o'clock client canceled. Though I would prefer the income, getting to enjoy an unexpected Saturday afternoon at home is almost just as good. Saturday afternoon feels kinda like Monday morning in that it has so much potential, but in almost the opposite way. The potential is more of relaxation than production.  It makes me feel like I have plenty of time to still enjoy today and more to look forward to tomorrow. Even though my schedule varies from the typical M-F 9-5, weekends still have a weekend feel.  And when weekends get to be enjoyed as weekends, the feeling is oh so good.

Day 26: This Breath

Today was a little more emotional than usual. First off, over the past week my grandmother has been slipping farther into her transition from this earth. At least that's how I am thinking of it. Another interpretation is to say her dementia is getting worse and she has shown that she needs more care than we thought last week. This is the first time I have witnessed something like this and there is a range of emotion that goes with it. Even though this would have been a true statement before it has more weight now: My grandmother as I knew her is fading away.  This realization just sort of hit me last night.

Maybe that had something to do with the crazy-ass dream I had last night? I woke up realizing that I had dreamed all night.  It was like a very long movie in which I was starring as one of the victims in a very sick psychological thriller. I won't go into the details, but I will say I was creeped out most of the morning.

What got my through my day was simple: my breath. Being able to just return back to my present moment through tuning into one of my most essential actions, breathing, was all I needed to get me out of that hectic head space.  When I look around at what's in front of me, instead of wallow in the mind-stuff, I see the wonderfulness that is my life and am able to focus at my tasks at hand.

I know that it is also important to take some time out for the things that deeply affect me. Breathing is getting me through that too.

Day 25: The Tea Lounge

I think it was back in 2006 that I starting to come to this new tea lounge on Fletcher Ave. My roommate at the time introduced me to Kaleisia and I was hooked. Even after my first few times in the tea-ristas knew my name and what I had already decided was my favorite (rose black tea with jasmine green, iced, if you were wondering...).  I didn't know it then but this place would become central to my Tampa life.

The original mission of the owners, Kim and Lan, was to create a place of community.  I think it is fair to say mission completed. I know for a fact many friendships have started here, groups have formed, ideas have been shared, and there has probably been a few who have fallen in love over quality tea. But it is not the tea that's the best part, although they do this very well. Its the space they create.

In fact, they create space so well, they've recently kicked it up a notch. About a month ago, they unveiled their new location with more space including a larger and more private patio and a Japanese tea room.

And it really isn't the space itself that is so great, it's what it is filled with. In everything that kaleisia does, first and formost, is consideration of the community and how they can enrich it. They aren't in this business to make money. Their in it to make the world a better place and they do, one cup at a time.

Day 24: My Unfolding Journey

Yesterday I got a taste of my own medicine.

Long story short, there is more to cranial work than what I learned in SET training. The unwinding of the spiral pattern in the body is crucial to our SET treatments and the way we've been taught to unwind the cranium is effective, but I see now there is more to the story.

My teacher, Don McCann, learned his cranial work from Dallas Hancock. Don did an incredible job at integrating the cranial work with releases in the soft tissues as well as awareness of the emotional components; all SET therapists are indebted to him for this contribution.  But now several SET therapists have gone on to learn the cranial work by Dallas, our teacher's teacher, and I am lucky enough to get to work with one of them.

Dallas's main contribution to cranial releases is what he calls the Master Release.  This release is very similar to what every client that come to me for SET receives on their first treatment, but there is more to it.  In our sessions we spend about 30 minutes on the cranium and 60 on the body; Dallas spends the entire 90 minutes on the cranium.  It makes me wonder what we are missing.

So yesterday it was my turn to be worked on in our office trades and I wanted to experience this complete Master Release.  My therapist released sutures on my head, face and mouth that I hadn't experienced before and I could feel my body letting go in new ways.  After the session I felt both lighter and more grounded, though a bit wobbly as I felt the spiraling energy release out of me.

I feel that this is a turning point in my life.  I am ready to be fully in the world, share all that I have to share.  My focus now is on embodying my own potential and travel this upward spiral that I keep talking about.  In just the past 24 hours since the cranial session, I feel like I am more confident in who I am and feel more free to be just who I am.

I thought I was already fairly good at this but it just goes to show that there is always more to the story. I must continue on my own healing journey if I want to help more people. There's no turning back now.

Day 23: A Supportive Workplace

When I go into work in the morning, I don't have much to complain about. I mean, I get to do a job that I love in a beautiful space with other people that also love what they do.  A year ago, I moved from one beautiful space shared with someone else who loves what they do (if you don't know about Living Harmony Healing Center, check it out!) to the place I am at now.  I had an opportunity to share space with my mentor in an office that had room for classes and future growth so I took it. We shared the space with two other therapists and had our ears open for another health care professional that would like the remaining room in the office.  We didn't actively look for anyone and good thing! A few months ago three mental health therapists visited the complex looking for a space to rent. As soon as they walked in the door, we knew they were the perfect fit.

The energy has gotten brighter in the office.  We were excited about the possibilities of our growth as therapists before but now its amplified. I get to go into work knowing that there are others there also following their passion.  That is good company.

Day 22: Roommates!

I have been blessed with some wonderful roommates over the years.  I've previously expressed my joy in living with my roommate of three years.  We've recently added a third roommate who I think will fit in with us just fine.

Tonight I had my first dinner with the roommates. Our newest roommate moved in a week ago, but this was the first night that we were all together.  We discussed our goals for the rest of the year with the intention that we will help keep each other more accountable. We are creating a supportive space for us all to grow and I'm excited to see what will emerge.

Day 21: Old Friends

I am so thankful for all those friends that I've known for a long time.  All the people that knew me "back then."  Before degrees and a career, before I could drink or drive.  I'm getting older so that's becoming some time ago.  It's still surprising to realize I graduated high school almost 10 years ago.

Old friends help keep those good times alive. I love how even if we don't spend time together often, when we do it is like returning home.  Though they may have grown in who they are, there's always that spark of familiarity, and often also great joy in seeing how they've become more of themselves.

Day 20: Beach Time!

When my cousin Julia got married on the beach in Cocoa my parents and I stayed in a hotel on the beach for a few days.  It was such a great vacation for us we decided we should make it a regular trip. That was back in 1997 and we've visited Cocoa Beach at least once a year since then.

A few years into our annual vacation, my parents ended up spending a rainy afternoon listening to a sales pitch for a timeshare on the beach. We had gone out to breakfast that morning at Denny's and there was a rep there offering $100 for anyone who would come listen to their presentation. Well it must have been a good pitch because my dad decided to make the investment.

We've now had the timeshare for over 10 years and it is one of my favorite places to be. I am thankful for that rainy day that set the fate for my annual beach vacations to come. You never know how the weather may change your life.

Day 19: My East Coast Family

My mom is youngest in a family with three brothers, two of which are over 10 years older.  So my mom became an aunt at age 10 to Jimmy (my cousin). His dad, my Uncle Ken, followed the same pattern of his parents and had a girl, Julia, when Jimmy was 10 (another cousin). Though they are a decade apart, my cousins both had kids around the same time, when I was about 10. The oldest of those, Mae, had a baby, Devin, a year and a half ago.  Devin would essentially be my third-cousin, but at this point no one keeps count. All we know is we all love each other.

I've started to call this part of my clan the "East Coast Family" because they all live in the Melbourne/Cocoa area.  My East Coast Family is bigger than the relatives I've mentioned. My family includes my cousins' spouses, their family and friends.

Take Uncle Tony for example.  He's always at family gatherings, it wouldn't be a party without him, but I still don't understand how or if we are related.  But that doesn't matter, everyone calls him Uncle Tony. My kind of family.

Day 18: Waves of the Ocean

One of my favorite things in the world is the feeling of being engulfed by the waves of the ocean. That's one of the reasons why I prefer the beaches of Florida's east coast compared to our gulf beaches. The waves are bigger in the Atlantic.

And I love the brief sensation of a loss of control. When I'm swallowed by a big wave there is a moment where I don't know up from down, left from right. Or if I time it just right, and head in the right direction, I'll be taken to shore.

When I'm in the ocean, I can't help but remember that it's is where I came from. Its always like returning home.