CAFE CONVERSATION

CHAPTER 1

I had an hour before I needed to be at work, so I decided to pop into the corner cafe for a quick bite to eat. Wow, the place was busy for this time of day.  Thankfully there was one table left open so I grabbed it.  I was so glad to have a few minutes to think before work. I was just getting inside my head, when I was startled to hear the voice of a woman standing in front of me.  She was asking if she could share my table. Before I knew it, she sat down and started talking.  Ugh, I really was not in the mood for small talk.

She started to rattle on about some guy that she thought she was in love with but was just now figuring out that he is a jerk.  I was barely listening but then she said something that shook me out of my head. The more she talked about this guy the more I had the feeling that I knew him.  I started to ask some questions to try and figure out who this guy was.  Then she mentioned where he worked and I knew in an instant that she was talking about my boss.

I had the utmost respect for my boss.  I liked him.  I respected him.  How could he be the jerk that she was describing? She went into embarrassing details about their relationship.  I did not want to hear this.  I couldn’t take it any more so I excused myself and left for work.  As I walked to my job I did not know how I was supposed to work and not have everything she said affect what I thought about my boss.  I got more nervous with each step. Maybe I should just call in sick.

ITALIAN KISSES

I awaken to something subtly tickling my arm. It has to be his breath on my skin.

 After all these years, I can sense when he is near without even opening my eyes. 

I take a deep breath and let the warmth of the sun awaken me fully. I open my 

eyes and am surprised to see that I’m outside on the veranda, alone. My eyes 

focus on the distant hills of pale green and the lush dark green valley below. 

I am overwhelmed by a feeling of calm for a moment then my mind starts to make

sense of it all. Where is he? He should be with me here in this moment, but he is not.

I close my eyes and try to remember his face but it blurs. I try to remember his 

voice but it is distant and I can’t make out what he is saying. I try to reach out 

and touch him but I can’t quite reach him. Then I remember his kisses. 

Oh those kisses! That is one thing about him I will never forget. So soft and 

gentle but passionate at the same time. Oh those kisses!

Before I allow the sadness to over take me, I look again out at the beautiful 

rolling hills and the green valley with the wide stream running through it. 

I remember the walks and the talks, the laughs and the tears, the future and the fears. 

But mostly I choose to remember the kisses. Oh those kisses!

The Hot Zone

I just finished reading "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston.  It is a true account of the first discovery of the Ebola virus in Africa.  I wanted to read this book because of the current outbreak in Africa and because it is the first time a case was diagnosed here on American soil.  The first man diagnosed in Texas, came here from Africa knowing that he had the virus.  He came here purposefully to get better medical treatment.  He did not tell anyone at the hospital what he had and he then infected 2 nurses who cared for him.  If he had not died, he would have been facing criminal charges for knowingly spreading a deadly virus.

Before reading this book, I was beginning to fear the spread of the virus in America, but after finishing it, I am no longer afraid of that happening.  You do have to have some direct contact with bodily fluids in order to get infected.  There was one case of a different strain of the virus that broke out in Maryland, just outside Washington D.C. in a group of monkeys that were brought here to be sold for medical research.  All the monkeys died and at least 4 humans had direct exposure to the virus but they did not get sick.  Their blood tested positive but it did not have any affect on them.

The problem with viruses is that they mutate.  We won't know what the Ebola virus will turn into the next time it rears its ugly head but I do feel better that I have read this book and understand more about it.

Good morning Colorado!

I have always wanted to be a morning person but no matter how hard I try, I still hate getting out of bed.  Recently, my kittens have decided that I need to be up by 6:30, so I have had to change my schedule.  I have actually found that getting up before the sun has some rewards.  Today was one of the most beautiful sunrises I've seen in a long time.  I can actually thank them for waking me today because I was able to capture some amazing photos.  Enjoy!

Change

I do not understand why some people are afraid of change.  I listen as people tell me their woes and I try to give positive feedback with ideas of how they could improve their situation, but they all say the same thing, "no, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing."  Why?  Why stay in circumstances that are making you unhappy when you have the power to take charge of your life and change them?  The answer is that what they have, even though it is not good, is what they know.  To change means going into the unknown and they fear being in the unknown.  I say that is not a good way to live your life.  Take charge!  Make changes for yourself!  You have the control to make your life what you want it to be.

"Mind Over Medicine"

I just finished reading "Mind Over Medicine" by Lisa Rankin, MD.  I think this book will change my life more than any other book I have ever read.  She has done extensive research into how our body works and how we can live our lives in such a way that we can maintain health, live longer and even heal ourselves from illness and disease.

The first and most important thing is that we must BELIEVE we can do this.  If we don't believe then it won't work.  There are physical things like eating healthy, getting enough sleep, exercise and meditation that work very well.  However, the most important thing that affects our health is our own personal happiness.  A person can do all the right things in the physical realm but if we live a life that does not make us happy, we will not be living a healing life.  Our emotions can either heal us or make us sick.  They are not benign.  They have actual physical effects on our body.

We can see all the doctors we want, take all the medicine they give us, but if we are holding on to hurt or anger we will not be well.  The first step in being well is to look at our lives.  Am I in my ideal loving relationship with a partner that loves me the way I need to be loved?  Am I in positive friendships where people are loving and supporting me the way I need them to?  These are questions that I must ask myself and resolve before I can be well.  Next is evaluating my thought life.  Do I talk negative about myself to myself?  Do I repeat negative things my parents or others have told me about myself?  Do I put myself down?  My thought life controls my body and I must change my thoughts to be positive if I want to be well and live longer.

I would encourage everyone to read this book.  We all need to be aware of our minds and bodies so we can make positive changes for ourselves.

Conditional Love

I believe that only God can give truly, completely, 100% unconditional love.  We fall short of that every day.  But I hope that we would at least try to get as close to that 100% mark as we can.  Every person has the right to live their life as they please.  It is not our job to judge another person's actions.  That is God's job.  It is our job to love one another.  That means that even if we disagree with another person's choices, we still must show them love. God never said "love your neighbor as yourself as long as they are living their life the way you think they should" he said "love your neighbor as yourself".  If a person is not living their life the way God wants them to, he will deal with them.  We are only commanded to love.