Maybe more accurately "Postponed Affair" ~ Originally posted in the Powerful Intentions Online Community where I was first mused to blog, this piece gives a little more insight as to why I'm still mused to write. I joined that online community shortly after watching the video "The Secret." Fusing some wires and vibes with new friends who paved my path to other social networks, I finally decided to get my own "box." With some little tweaks and updates, I'm republishing here for its "appreciated value" still held in my life today.
He wanted me ~ I know he did, and although there was a time
in this life of mine when I might have considered a date with him, last
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008, was simply not a good day to have an
affair. I had more important affairs to attend to that day…like making
breakfast for my 11-year-old daughter, cleaning the house, making a wholesome
dinner for my family, sorting through 118 e-mails, e-mailing family and friends,
and riding my bike completely around
the lake.
Well, apparently Grim Reaper Agent #7E02809 didn’t check in
with me before he came to pick me up. I imagine that when he didn’t find me at
home, he raced around the lake to find me on my bike. He was in such a hurry to
get to me that he knocked over a 45-mile speed sign, ripping its wooden post
right from its hole in the shoulder of the road I was riding on. When he
realized what he had done, he screeched and swerved around the sign, coming
only two inches away from knocking my handle bars out of commission, not to
mention the whole right side of my body…!
By the time I was able to fully process what nearly hit me I only caught the tail end
of a dark green truck, speeding towards the horizon. I heard voices from across
the street, yelling for me to call the police…"He almost killed you…! Call
9-1-1…!” I saw the lady on the phone and assumed that she was already on it,
but the man standing next to her kept yelling for me to call 9-1-1.
How did he even know I happened to have a cell phone in my right
pocket? Who knows? This is Lake Elsinore… We can have anything from brain-dead
speed freaks to phony psychics lining the more antiquated side of the lake
where I was riding that day. Anyway, this man was on it ~ he told me to alert
the police to look for a truck with a dented-in front bumper heading east on
Grand Avenue.
My first irrational
thought was that I would catch up to that maniac myself and let him have a
close encounter of the only kind with this “psycho-lady” who only two and a
half years earlier survived another near-fatal collision… Let’s put that story
on hold for now.
My first rational
thought was that the chances of ever seeing this speed demon again were next to
none, judging from the way he took off like a bullet… but then again, whenever
I have “affairs” like this one, they can never be described as quite ordinary.
In hindsight, my most irrational
thoughts have made me become even more highly aware of some sort of invisible
shield around me that has been there my whole life. Years before my over-active
imagination could possibly partner up with any encouragement from Star Wars and
the “Force,” I had become more highly aware of my intuitive nature, always
after the fact… In other words, being intuitive has never kicked in “on command”…but
it does get eerie sometimes…
After phoning 9-1-1 and reporting the incident to an officer,
I exchanged a few more words with the eye-witness neighbors and then stayed on
the “wrong” side of the track, no longer trusting anyone to surprise me from
behind ~ on the “right” side of the road. I had already mapped out my route to
my friend Angela’s house. She had been waiting for me to pay her a visit, and I
knew which street I had intended to turn down. However, as implied earlier, my
intuitive nature often takes over without forewarning. As I approached a side
street, I thought, I might as well turn in here and get off this main drag… All
of these streets connect anyway… I’ll take the side streets to Angela’s…
No sooner I turned onto that side street, a few houses down
on the left my eyes caught sight of an unoccupied, dark green, open bed truck…
No way! The first thing I went to examine, of course, was the front bumper… No
double way! I never thought the sight of a smashed-in bumper could give me giddy
goose bumps, but on that particular day, every dent and ripple on that bumper
was a beautiful sight for my rational
mind to behold.
There were a couple of neighbors working in their front yard
just across the street from the parked vehicle. I coupled a calm demeanor with
a rational voice ~ needing help from
my theatrical persona ~ and asked
the lady if she knew the owner of the vehicle. I told her what went down ~ literally ~ just a couple of miles down the road. She said she hadn’t noticed
when the truck first pulled up to its parking spot, but that it did not belong
to the homeowner and she had never seen it there before.
I asked her for a paper and pen to write down the plate
number. While she went in to get them, I was dialing 9-1-1 and perhaps by
chance again ~ who knows? ~ I happened to get the same officer who took the original report. He knew me by name at
that point. I told him that I had never expected to see the truck again… So, I
was stunned to be calling him back so soon. I was able to give a more detailed
description ~ Dodge Ram with a passenger cab. I read him the license number and
said that I certainly hoped it would be tracked down and addressed, even if
they could not prove who the driver was.
Since they were not able to send a local officer immediately,
they said it would be a while before someone would get there from a neighboring
city. At that point, all I could think of was visiting with an old friend.
Angela was only two minutes away. I told them to call me on my cell phone once
the officer got to the address where the truck was parked and I would meet him
back there to make my report.
Maybe I had ignored my intuition ~ otherwise I might have
had a chance to address the driver myself ~ had I stayed with the truck. Or maybe
that date with Grim Reaper Agent #7E02809 would have been kept after all ~ had
I stayed to tempt (or greet) my fate… Again, who knows?
I do know that no
matter how ready I think I may be at any given moment “The Force” is still with
me and will continue to surround me until I have completed my earthly mission ~
whatever that may be… I’m sure hindsight will reveal that to me, too… and I do know that I need to write… I need to
express my gratitude for the simplest things
that have made me smile and for the most
complex issues that have made me think. I need to write these things down
or forever hold my peace…
I am so thankful
for the daily chores that are often regarded as unending drudgeries ~ I have
come to appreciate the sensory experience of warm sudsy water while cleaning
scummy plates and utensils, as I have learned to transform “drudgerous” duties into
momentous Zen experiences. Not only producing clean and shiny dishes, I now possess
a mental library of blueprints for creative projects, anywhere from holistic
gourmet recipes prepared from leftover meals to accessories made from fabric remnants
and recycled jeans. These Zen moments also afford me the time to reflect on the
home I’ve created with my loved ones in mind.
I am so thankful
for my loved ones ~ the very same loved ones who have trouble “getting me” at
times, as seen by accusations that describe someone I don’t see when I look in the mirror…yet, those very same loved ones
who have only reacted out of their
own need to express themselves and be heard, are now recognized and valued for
their major contributions to my life goals ~ one of which includes
unconditional love.
I reflect on ways I have been misunderstood and how I might
have foreseen and avoided some of those misperceptions ~ had I understood more
deeply the needs of others. I reflect on ways that I might listen more intently
and make others feel like a valued part of my life ~ because they are… I
reflect on a line from the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi ~ in essence, that I
seek not to be understood so much as to understand.
I am so thankful
for my home ~ the very same home I had left just two years ago and came back to
this past summer with new resolve. I am so
thankful for every door knob that needs fixing, every cracked wall that can use
a patch and a fresh coat of paint, and even the out-dated popcorn ceiling that
will eventually be scraped for the “greater good” of the whole ~ house décor,
that is… (Well, it's now 2013, and my gratitude for that home allowed me to move on to the new home I'm in now, leaving
me with much less maintenance and more time to enjoy life and write).
For it has been through these minor eye sores that I have
come to realize that just like an old home that demands regular maintenance and
repairs, every lifelong-term relationship has need of its own regular
maintenance, and when left unattended, often demands major repairs ~ that is,
if the desired outcome is to update and evolve the hidden potential of the home
and the relationships that reside within (and now in 2013, hindsight leaves me with absolutely no regret ~ because I did the best I
knew how and had to relocate for my own growth and evolution to take place.
And not to mix too many metaphors, but the lesson here is that you can't dance smoothly
with a partner who has two left feet and always thinks one is right).
I am so thankful
for my health and for the energy I still have at (nearly) 52, still feeling
like I’m in the prime of my life (56 at the time of this publication with even more energy than at the
"prime" of my life). However,
if not for the agonies of stress-generated maladies and diagnosed dis-ease driving me crazy, I might never
have been “crazy” enough to examine holistic and time-honored remedies that
have served to regenerate the parts of me that have warranted repair. I wish to
share my health “secrets” with everyone who struggles needlessly… Yet, I choose
not to tread where my wisdom and intent are unsolicited… I hope to model it instead ~ a life and lifestyle
worth imitating ~ for producing satisfying results in optimal health and
well-being… Yes, our physical bodies did
come with a warranty… It’s in our DNA…!
And I am so thankful for a mind that never quits
~ “I think, therefore, I AM…” and I AM STILL ALIVE…!
Light, Life, Laughter & Love ~
Joanne of Frank
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