Plethora of Everything

This morning I trotted down the stairs, out the door of my boyfriend's studio to make the 4 block trek back to my apartment. I stopped on the corner of 9th and Washington and looked directly behind me as the dogs peed. What I saw was Ocean Drive, and the short path to the beach. Staring for a minute I quickly recalled my own voice saying, "If I lived near the beach I'd go every day, just to sit there, look at the ocean and enjoy it." Well, now I live 5 blocks from the beach and I do not go every day. I go weekly, at least, but not daily. And that's not a big deal but it reminds me, as humans we always tend to take for granted that which we have, which is disposable or near to us. -Just last year I was swimming in the ocean in November! I was still so excited to be living here, so close to the beach that the cold water didn't faze me, I was child-like in the water. This winter I have not swam in the ocean once because it's "too cold." -And it w...

Do you know someone who is constantly given seemingly golden opportunities only to throw them away? At first the person may be thrilled with the job offer, the lease, the smart, witty, attractive partner but within a short time he or she does something to sabotage the relationship, get fired or just 'have to leave' the great job... barely misses the lease deadline, etc. This may even sound like you. I don't know. Then there are those individuals who aren't even the brightest, cutest or even most likable, but they seem to succeed in all their endeavors. -When there is an underlying belief that you don't 'deserve' what life is offering you, there's no way for you to keep it. Oftentimes a person doesn't even know he bears this psychological burden. It can be quite cunning and complex. I was reminded of this just yesterday. -I have been making and selling candles for approx. 6 months; this is a new business and typically it's not easy to sell ...

Originally written and published on my blog 2/12/12... I'm writing about Love,  in honor of Valentine's day. One may question, "What could anyone possibly say about   Love that hasn't already been said a million times, in a million different ways?" The answer is- nothing. I cannot say a single thing new or original about  Love .  Reason being: it existed long before you and me. It is the original . Every amazing, loving feeling I've ever felt, and you've ever felt, whether it be for our pets, a tree, our Moms, our kids, our partners- has been felt by eons of people and animals before us, and will be felt by eons of people and animals after us. -That recognition alone puts Love into perspective and makes it more perplexing all at once.  Love has been around since the beginning of time, and if you really want to delve,  Love began time as we know it- all creation is of good and of Love . Now, once "it's" created and grows , that...

    Miami is a city where many residents oppose spaying and neutering their dogs.      Trust me, I know. I worked and volunteered at the municipal shelter there.      During my tenure at the shelter I conducted Volunteer Orientation weekly. I had to get across to new volunteers (and customers) what an unaltered pet goes through. The best analogy I came up with was- what a drug addict goes though.     The intact male dog... let's make it a well-trained, loving, family pet for example's sake: This is a dog that plays fetch with the kids, sits and shakes on command, is docile, kind with everyone, even strangers. This is a great dog , that still has his balls. This dog, Fido, we'll say, stays in the yard while his family is at work, around 8 hrs/day. That's a normal scenario for many American (at least many Miami dogs) dogs right? A very sweet dog, Raleigh, that belongs to a friend of mine.     Most days Fido sleeps, ...