Pilgrim in the Trailer Park

 Burn the backpack and break the crystal. I like the alliteration there. But I’m not writing a poem. Thats the advice my neighbor gave me about some  objects I own that could be harboring bad energy. What am I talking about? I have a backpack I’ve had (and have recently been using in lieu of a purse, because I have so much junk) that was a gift from an old boyfriend. If you didn’t know, which I didn’t, you shouldn’t keep stuff like that from old relationships, especially if you’re trying to purge yourself of the memories, move on, etc.  And the best way to get rid of that s***? Burn it. This is what my neighbor told me, a man of faith and learned knowledge. “Fire is the best cleanser.” So I’ve been walking around with this backpack, literally carrying baggage from this relationship. Could we get any more ironic?… And I’ve been carrying this amethyst crystal around, hoping it would imbue me with some good power. I also wear an amethyst ring my grandmother gave me; she told...

 “It’s a hot one.” You can say that again.  Remember when the model Ts came in any color as long as it was black? Well, you can get the summer in any color as long as it’s hot. You can get extra hot, too. And if you live in Florida like me, you can’t escape it, unless you’re an air conditioning Gypsie. well then you’re missing out on all the fun! But summer fun can turn into summer heat stroke…so please drink your beverages!  I didn’t move down here because I love Florida and love summer and love the heat. Actually, I don’t know why I came here. I’m not an athlete or a beach bum: you won’t find me surfing or biking. I’m one of the those gypsies but without the ac (okay I do sleep in ac, I just don’t live in it). So I tolerate the heat and am grateful when I can break out a sweat, which is the best cooling device there is, and it’s natural and free. But if you’re like my sister, you think sweat is just plain gross. That’s too bad. Summer in Florida is not the end of the wo...

 Was I excited to come back to Florida?  Well, no. Coming back to the real world after Vacationland is so uninspiring. Like the saying, putting a brown paper bag over your head. That’s what I did.  Is it just me? Florida is the place you’re supossed  to vacation (although John swears we were never on vacation (and I did forget my bathing suit)), and not the other way around. No wonder I’m so…backwards? And maybe that’s why I’m having a hard time getting work, cause the sun makes my body think I’m retired, but my mind is, again, wheeling around the International Speedway (I knew I had a death wish).  I’m kind of in a funk, if you couldn’t tell. This is probably stuff I should write in my journal (but I want to share it with…yooou! (That’s an inside joke)). The silver lining of returning to the land of sun and sand: I found a new devotional at the thrift store. A sobriety devotional, in fact. It’s called A Woman’s Spirit. It’s a small simple book with a lot of wis...

 Well, I’m going to give this a shot and see how it goes. Or as lieutenant Dan would say, going to try out my sea legs :/  I don’t know if laughter is the best medicine, and I don’t even know how I would describe laughter (a spontaneous physical response to humor, kind of like a funny sneeze…?) but it is a silver lining in this shitty situation (life). My family hasn’t had the best luck, and if the whole ship sinks one day I will say at least we had a good laugh. My dad had a sense of humor that I can’t put into words (struggling to do that lately) but i believe it has enriched every member of my family. My dad made us laugh a lot.  My dad passed away Saturday May 16 at advent hospital in Ormond beach. Although it was slightly expected and almost unavoidable, as his health had drastically declined (he was “only” 61), this was very heartbreaking to me and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody…yet we all will lose our parents, unless we die before them, like my sister, which we sho...