Happy Places

September 1-You know when you have to do something you really don’t want to, like getting a shot or a procedure and to make it through you go to a really happy place or event-well, today I gotta go to this treatment and I have been waiting for it to start, but now that it is here, I gotta find a few of my happiest places and decided I would share them with you guys.

Even though I didn’t make it up for the sunrise today, when we go camping and for years and years, I would wake up Brian and Tommy and we would go climb just a little hill and watch the sunrise.  This is a happy , magical, spiritual moment that I can picture almost without even trying.  So Brian and Tommy know I will have you in my sights today on the little ridge above Bow Willow campground.  Love you guys more than I tell you and you make me one proud Momma every freakin second 🙂

Another great happy place is when Randy took me to New York City the first time, OMG , we were so young! We had the absolute most fabulous time, we found a bar, not just any bar, because there ARE SO MANY bars in NYC, we found a Reggae Sushi Bar, now I remind you this is in the early 80’s and sushi is not quite the rage it is now….so to be chumming on some great sushi, listening to Bob Marley and watching NYC as you do it was spectacular!!  And afterwards we went to CBGB’s and that in itself was another totally memorable experience—but I like pulling up the Reggae Sushi Bar, hanging with my man and people watching in New York City.  Randy has shown me the world and I have loved to travel and explore, whether it be Japan, Spain, Italy , France, England or Tahiti….And many spots beyond. But New York City (BT-Before Tom) so eye-opening and totally out of my comfort zone, it has made me try and stretch out of my bubble whenever we travel and I learned it from the master and am eternally grateful.

In the last three years I have done many trips on catamaran boats with Trade Winds, our good friends Joyce and Dave introduced us to this adventure, and I have loved going ever since.   I have gone to many, many Carribbean islands, loving the lazy days, many bars and gnoshing with the other guests, my sister Ann has shared some great times on these adventures too, and she didn’t even like sailing on boats prior. But the happiest spot for me is nestled in the dolphin chair, riding the waves, whale watching with Jeanine, with our own little sign language as we put back some beers-unforgettable!  So, I have a wealth of awesome happy spots to draw my strength from today.  Know I will be thinking of them all.

I am laughing as I am typing, cause I am thinking decades ago, when I was with my old besties-the Ferocious Five, dressed as the Coneheads for Halloween, Which way to we go? Which way do we go-Cheri, Mary, Dottie Karen and I —still not quite sure how we made it to our final destination!!  Did I mentioned, fully dressed with 2 foot cones on our head in a monster green Vega…5 people..hehehe what a sight!  Yes I am that scrappy girl from Sharonville who has seen some of the world, but from my bucket list you can see that I am not quite finished with my travels yet, and am more than amazed at all that my life has experienced and grateful for the people, places and events that I have crossed paths with.

And just know this is chemo #1-my happy places are many and if by chance you did not get mentioned here, be forewarned your time may be coming!!

So know that I will conjure up my Happy Places today, because this 55 year old woman is shakin’ in her boots just a bit.  My path has veered to a new adventure and dammit I am meeting it head on with pink and purple hair no less-THE F U CHEMO Hair will guide me forward and take me thru it and of course my family and friends will hold me up when this path seems impossible—not impossible, just little harder than my scrappy, pallet building  DIY self thought it would be-I am ready for a challenge and remember “It’s all good”

FYI-The GO PINK FOR PEGGY Challenge is on!!