A Visit To The Winchester Mystery House

Sarah Winchester's bedroom

I just returned home, after touring the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California.  It was enchanting.  I am exhausted from the long drive, but will write more about it tomorrow.  It is such a special place.

Sarah Winchester's bed

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Having Something To Look Forward To

a three day cruise on NCL  from Barcelona to Rome

A big part of our mental heath is having things to look forward to in life. I learn a lot from Lula, my carefree Labrdoodle. She joyfully anticipates the simplest things each day: having a treat, going for a bike ride or a walk, and riding in the car.

We don't have to spend a lot of money on things that bring us happiness. We just need to be aware and to make time for them. For me, that means using the numerous bike trails that are available to us in Santa Clarita. It's so much fun to get up early, hop on the bus, load the bike on the bike rack, and to explore!

approaching Napoli: view from my balcony

I get together with my dancing friends once a year.  Often it's just a short trip, one or two nights, but I greatly enjoy seeing people that I have known for thirty years.  We have wonderful memories and a strong connection.   I will drive to the location to see them, if it's on the West Coast. Last year I took a road trip to Reno.  This year it will be Las Vegas.  If the reunion is in New York, I book a cheap flight in advance, and fly.

You can look forward to a favorite cup of tea, a delicious coffee, or a dessert. You might anticipate taking a wonderful ballet or yoga class. Whatever it is, if it lights you up, it's a positive for your state of mind. I even find that making a favorite recipe makes me look forward to relishing a delicious dinner. Planning a trip in advance enables you to find inexpensive flights and to save the money you will need for meals, tips, and touring.  You can research everything online and find what it is that you would prefer. Reading the reviews and seeing the photos is very helpful, too.

What do you look forward to in life? Has it changed as you've gotten older?

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An Inspiring Podcast by Suze Orman

Each Thursday and Sunday I look forward to listening to Suze Orman's podcast. It's called Women and Money.  Today's episode is about having faith that everything happens for the best. Suze has been a real inspiration to me for many years. I have followed her advice carefully, and it has always worked.  I hope you enjoy it.  https://www.suzeorman.com/podcast

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Norwegian Epic: Barcelona to Rome/Disembartion Day/ Solo Travel

The fourth day of my cruise was disembarkation day. I woke up really early and made coffee. The balcony rooms on NCL come with coffeemakers.  My backpack had been collected the night before, so all I had to do was organize my carry on bag. Once again, I enjoyed my coffee with cream and sugar out on the balcony. It was perfectly quiet and peaceful.  I was  glad that I had packed wool socks, cashmere leggings, and an alpaca turtleneck. My soft, cozy knits came in handy for the early morning hours, and for wearing on the plane.  I also put on my tennis shoes. I knew that they would be comfortable for the long travel day. You do a lot of walking in airports.  I had debated whether or not to bring them, but I needed  them at the gym, as well. I packed my sandals and a pair of black tango shoes. (which I wore at night to see the shows.)  

I went down to O'Sheehans and had breakfast. There were some other early risers there, as well. It was still dark outside. We were now docked in Rome, but I wouldn't be seeing it this time. I worked there when I was 26, and toured with the European Tour of "42nd Street". It is one of my favorite cities.  We performed at Teatra Sistina. (near the Sistine Chapel.)

I got in line early, with several other passengers. We disembarked very quickly. Right away I found my bus parked right in front of the pier. There were uniformed agents there to help us and to answer our questions. My name was on the list of passengers headed to the airport. I had arranged my transportation through NCL for my flight home, and to ride their airport bus.  It was a relief to have it all organized, and to not have to spend money on a taxi, or worry about pickpockets. It's quite a ways to the airport. The drive takes about an hour and a half.

I found my backpack in the red group after the luggage was delivered. Everything was so well organized. The bus driver offered to put it in the trunk for me. He was very kind, and really took pride in his work. I love that about the Italians that I met. It was a very comfortable bus, and  was only about half full.

When we arrived at our terminal, the NCL agent provided  luggage carts for us. I was so appreciative. They normally cost $5.00. I always use them; it really makes a difference when you have an older dancer's body and two replaced hips.

I sat next to a young man and his wife from Alabama. She had her headphones on, but he and I had an animated conversation about Capri, Sorrento, and the love of travel. He was so enthusiastic! His photographs were gorgeous. He sells them. He is in the business of wine, and was excited about a bottle  that he had purchased  for a third of what it would have cost him at home. I really enjoyed conversing with him.  He told me that he is determined to do a lot more traveling. So am I. It really expands your mental horizons.

On my connecting flight, I sat next to a  man who was on his way to join the Marines. He offered me one of his headphones, and also some of the snack he had brought on board with him. I thought that was so cute. I politely declined; I had packed my own headphones and snack. We talked about diet, discipline, and his future plans. He was a very sweet man. I watched some television and a movie, and that was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Since I don't have t.v. at home, it was exciting and entertaining. The film was about Mary Queen of Scotts.  The actors were fantastic.

I was so impressed with the flight crew on Delta. The women were so pretty, upbeat, patient, and mature. I like that their company hires ladies over forty. They seemed so happy in their work. One of them said to me, "You are always smiling, you should be a flight attendant." After observing them, I had actually been thinking about applying.  I don't think I could handle the fourteen hour days with my replaced hips, though.  Plus, at my age the jet lag knocks me out like a zombie. I really connected with the vibe of our international crew. The food was excellent, too. They even served us Starbucks coffee!  Delta definitely felt like a  luxurious airline to me. It was more comfortable, and had more leg room.

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An Excellent Book

Yesterday I downloaded an incredible story on  my Kindle. It's called, Nine Years Among The Indians 1870-1979, by Herman Lehmann. This is a gripping tale about a man who was captured by Native Americans as a young boy.  His parents had come to America from Germany.

It is difficult to read, due to the violence, cruelty, and abuse that he suffered. He became a respected warrior with the tribe, but it was a grueling process. I had always romanticized the lifestyle of the native people, being fascinated by their beauty, dress, culture, and spirituality. I even lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico for three years, being drawn to the history, landscape,  and blue skies.  I visited historical areas, and attended a couple of pow wows. They were nothing like the tales in this book. It gave me quite an education.

Reading Herman's detailed account opened up an entirely different reality than what I had ever known. The lifestyle of daily murder, theft, and brutality  was pretty horrifying to digest, but also very educational. What I didn't realize was how much the tribes fought against each other. The antagonism and feuding was constant.  I saw many parallels between the behavior of these  people and the problems that we still have today.  He developed an intense hatred of whites, even though he was white. It was fascinating. He had to completely change his ways, in order to survive.


He was returned to his family as an adult, and later married and had children. It is a remarkable life story. I took a long hike today, imagining those times, when all of those pioneers and Indians were intent upon heading West, and felt thankful for my blessings. 

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Following Your Soul's Plan

When I was a little girl, my dream was to be a professional dancer. I longed to perform on stage and in television and movies. I loved the Rockettes, and would eagerly watch them whenever they were on television. I imagined how exciting it would be to join their kick line. I wanted it so badly, I could taste it. I put my total and complete focus on achieving that goal.

As I spent my life training in the dance studio, I visualized my vision of being a professional dancer every night. I had a poster above my bed that read, "If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it." I would repeat those words to myself, consistently, before I went to sleep. It gave me the strength and creativity to overcome any obstacles. When I needed money to pay for all of the classes that were required to become an advanced dancer, I got work. Whether it was assisting my dance teachers, babysitting, and working as a mother's helper, I offered.  I would do anything: wash windows, walk dogs, clean ovens, fold laundry, you name it.  I found lots of jobs that I could do right in our own neighborhood.

When my mom couldn't drive me to the studio anymore, I saved up my money from working and bought myself a Yamahopper. Because it was technically a motorcycle, I had to get a motorcycle license, at age fifteen. I did well on the driving part of the test, but I failed the written section. (Three times.) I was mortified. I just couldn't visualize the situations that they described on paper, probably because I was so young. I had no driving experience. My need was to get from home to the dance studio, which was just several blocks. The fourth time I retook the test, I scored 100%. I was elated. The real reason I finally passed was that there were only three tests. I had memorized my mistakes on all of them. Thankfully, I could now drive legally.. .my transportation problem was solved. I also no longer had to walk to school. I was the only girl in high school who carried around a bright yellow motorcycle helmet, and rode a moped.

I believe that  determination is the main factor in realizing your dreams. Now, when I want to achieve something, I always visualize the end result. "Press on, Baby, press on," my dance partner Fred Boothe used to tell me. I always went after what I wanted,  career wise. I felt something inside of me that I couldn't deny. I loved the people that I met in dance class. I felt such a strong connection to them. We had the same passion, and it gave us the same joy.  I admired the stars, the directors, and the choreographers. They were doing what I wanted to do, and I never lost sight of that vision.

 I was watching a show with Oprah Winfrey and Gary Zukov on Youtube recently. They were explaining that when the personality aligns with the soul, you become unstoppable. We all see this when people's careers seem to take off, and they achieve enormous success. What we don't see is the years of training, discipline, and preparation that led up to it.       

Planting Seeds For Your Future

When we are working towards achieving our goals, our intuition always knows the most direct path. Sometimes we won't understand why we are being led to do something. On the surface, it may seem unrelated. If we proceed anyway, we will probably understand the sequence of events later. Often our subconscious mind will give us signposts along the way. You may notice a business or street sign that you never bothered to look at before. Or, it could be a number that you always liked. You might feel a nudging to take a class or track down an inspiring teacher. Maybe you will decide to call up an old friend or coworker who has just the lead you need! If we write down our goals, and then let go of them, we can start taking small steps each day to move towards our desired outcome. It's important not to have an "all or nothing" attitude. Success takes time, patience, perseverance, and dedication. If you love what you are doing, putting a lot of time and energy into something will be enjoyable. The ego will try to thwart you. It will want to quit, make excuses, get lazy, and sabotage your dreams. People with committment issues often double book their time. If you proceed anyway, with discipline, keeping your eye on the prize, it is very likely that you will achieve or surpass your dreams.