Soul Travel per Fiona

So elated tonight...my little girl, on her very own, came up with a unique version of soul travel.  She incorporated the 'traditional' idea about the soul traveling as we sleep.  I've heard that one before.  However, she expanded upon that by asking, "What if it inhabited another body?"  (Hmm, not sure if she used the word 'inhabited', but that was the gist.)  She suggested that perhaps time stops here as our souls travel there, and vice versa.  Anyhow, it's been a while since I've considered these kinds of ideas, but I got very excited and launched into that idea of Stephen Hawking's about time not being linear.  I could explain it better than I can actually conceive of it, as my mind simply refuses to wrap itself around the notion of anything but a linear timeline.  However, I can totally groove with Fiona's time-stop and space-jumping ideas!  

You know, Hawking is brilliant, but even he might not have it quite right.  However, if he is right, then current events can influence past events to a certain extent, which is a pretty wild idea...

Just considering these ideas brought me back to the realization that we are all connected.  What happens to one of us effects everyone else to a certain extent--and the closer the person, the more it effects us.  I might not be a mind-reader like some folks, but I swear I do sometimes channel right into emotions (and I have had straight-up intuitively accurate dreams at times).  My sister says I'm like a conduit--and I sometimes find it too painful to be around folks with intense emotions, honestly!  So, yep, I'm a believer in that whole 'we're connected' idea.  Sometimes I think we're TOO connected!

The Chinese have this idea about the 'wei qi' (sp?), which is a protective aura of energy around us.  You know, in the Twilight books, Bella has this amazing mind-shield, protective 'wei qi' sort of thing.  I correlated those as soon as I read the books, and I'm thinking I ought to look into how to build up that wei qi.  It's great to be one with the universe and all, but I think that can wait until I'm done with this body.  Hmm...didn't mean to go into that, and I do love the idea of sending positive energy to folks and such.  I just think we need to have a certain amount of protection as well.  Which brings us to the idea of balance--that Taoist idea.  

Maybe I'm all excited about Chinese ideas tonight because I sat down with Michael and went over the uses of about a zillion teapills in our medicine cabinet.  It's so silly to have things with names like "Bi Zan Pi Wan" (not a real name, to my knowledge) taking up all that space and never being used, so we'll see if all my Sharpie notes on the bottles do any good.  We have probably 10 different herbs for the common cold alone.  It's ridiculous--but perhaps useful.  We'll see!

Okay, so my thoughts have certainly gone off on a tangent...but I mainly wanted to share about Fiona's interesting concept.  If time is not linear, then might it not stand still at times, too?  Could it be engaging in some body-hopping activity?  She was referring to a body in a parallel universe, not in this world.  Pretty advanced notions for a child not yet ten!  And, to take that a step further, there is the idea that it could also skip time zones in this universe as well, as the time 'stops'.  Perhaps where Hawking's time train intersects with the past tracks?  That wormhole concept?  

I don't know, but it's pretty intriguing.  Anyhow, just as I really can't comprehend nonlinear time, I actually can't quite believe our souls really detach from these bodies during our lifetimes.  Not often, anyhow, and certainly not to fully inhabit another body.  But perhaps a 'bit' of our soul does travel through time and space--an extension or connection or thought wave, perhaps.  That I think I might be able to grasp.  It's a notion, anyhow.

    

Smart and Sensible. Oh, and pretty, too!

Yesterday, in the pool, my little girl was practicing her backstroke.  She had the entire section of the pool to herself, as Alex and his friend were clear on the other side, and a few folks were in the deep end, but no one was remotely near to her.  Eyes squeezed shut tightly, Fiona is splashing with each stroke as she propels herself backwards.  Out of the blue, she commands authoritatively, "Stop!"
What?
"Stop!  Stop Splashing Me!"
"Fiona, no one's splashing you!"
"Stop spraying that water gun at me."
Look around.  No one is spraying a water gun or even looking at her.  "Fiona, no one's spraying you!  You're splashing yourself."
"Stop it, NOW!"
When Fiona gets back, I'm shaking my head and trying to soothe her.  She actually isn't terribly upset--she's a very self-possessed person, but there was no convincing her that someone wasn't spraying her, and she's annoyed.
"I felt it."
"No, honey."  Oh Lord, she's paranoid like me.

Moments later, Alex's friend comes up with a big grin.  "Fiona, it was me.  I was spraying you."
I peer at him, almost disbelieving.  I didn't see this, even though I was looking.  "Did you really?"
"Yes!"
Sure enough, he has a water gun in his hand, and Fiona's not at all angry with him--she's giving me an 'I told you so' look.

Me?  Huge relief.  I'd been horrified for a couple of minutes that my girl was paranoid.  I've been accused of that trait more than once, and even though the online and phone harassment keeps happening, my friends don't see it directly and thus try to reassure me, "No, honey."
And, even after all that personal experience, what was my reaction to hearing my perfectly sane little girl's accusation?  It was "No, honey."
I'm glad this happened, actually.  I hope I've learned my lesson about trusting my daughter (and friends) in their reports, and I'm feeling a bit more validated about my own experiences.  I've never had any other reason to doubt my grip on reality, but the ongoing, continuous issues do make one wonder--especially when your nearest and dearest repeat over and over, "No, honey."
Most of all, I'm glad it happened because I've been so very hurt at them not trusting me.  Now that I've been that way with my own daughter, I have a little more sympathy for their position.  They don't see anything, and it seems easier to think just random glitches and errors and all such are creating the problems.  It's just easier to think there's not 'really' a problem.  The most important thing, though, is to realize that their lack of faith in my reports does not mean that they don't love me--because there is no one in all the world that I love more than my beautiful, wonderful, fantastic daughter.  I can't believe I doubted her.  Not that I doubted her truthfulness--just her perception.  But of course she was right.  She's not stupid or in any way out-of-touch with reality.  There's a girl with her head on her shoulders--and what a pretty, sensible, and smart head it is!

Robert Mitchum, Living Legend (or not!)

Yesterday, I was telling Alex about Robert Mitchum, the famous actor.  He was actually born two years earlier than my granddaddy, who passed away last year, though Mitchum has been dead for over 20 years.  I had read up on Robert Mitchum, and so I was well-versed.  "Yes, he's a Living Legend!"  

Alex says, "He's still alive?"  

Oops...I can really be a bit of a ditz.  He had received an 'actor of the year' award and was designated a 'living legend' at one point, but that hardly applies now!  

Anyhow, that's just a little fun thing for me.  I've never gotten into the branches of my family tree, as I'm far more interested in delving into my roots and direct ancestors.  I mean, we have countless cousins, and my existence is not contingent upon theirs.  However, I can't deny a certain level of fascination with being presented with a family photo of a reunion in which Robert Mitchum, at his acting peak, is sandwiched by a bunch of his relatives.  Granted, they aren't close relatives to me--but his aunt lived right in the house that my parents now live in.  In fact, we always called it the 'Mary Ellen' house, after her.  Dad wanted to change the name, so we haven't called it that for a while, but I think I'm going to have to revert!

The really fun part is that I've heard from both my mother's and my father's families that we're related to Robert Mitchum.  I could have cared less--and I figured that it was wishful thinking more than actual fact.  Now, however, I'm finding it exciting for the reason that it links the two families.  I haven't actually yet found any direct links between my parents' families, but I think it'll be fun when I do, and I do have the Mitchum name on each side--my grandma on Mom's, and my ggg-grandma on Dad's.  So, I will give you the update if and when I find out exactly how my parents are related to each other--and it will be distantly, so chill out with thinking I'm twisted! :)

Anyhow, how fun is it if the famous actor provides me that link?  And, you know, since I aspire to become a world-famous author, I do like to think I have 'it' on both sides of the family (via only one person!  In the past century, anyhow.  How funny!)  Oh, you know, I was also given an article about his grandson, who was a struggling actor years ago.  Wouldn't it be fun if my book were made into a movie and cast him in a role?  I'd love that!

While I'm prattling about Robert Mitchum, I can't help but remark on his big chin dimple.  Awesome (for my book readers, you'll know what I'm talking about)!  And this fabulous photo that I downloaded has him at his most handsome--face unlined except a couple of deep horizontal lines in his forehead, like me (and yes, I was looking for family resemblance, however silly that might be).  So I don't mind at all finding an awesome pic of him with my same 'fault'--makes me not mind those, well, let's call them 'grooves', nearly so much!  

Now that I've gone on about him so very much, perhaps I should actually sit down and watch one of his movies soon!  Not sure that I've ever sat through an entire one--though it is funny that only a couple of months ago my folks had one on in his aunt's house!  (And they didn't know about that connection.)

Oh, something you might find even more interesting is that I learned about all this from a 93-year-old wonderful old lady who turns out to have been Amarintha's cousin (my book reference, again).  Love that!  That lady deserves her own blog entry, really, but I'll say that she is feisty and funny and mentally sharp still, even if she's a bit wasted away.  Oh, and I have to mention that she still lives, alone, in the run-down house (that has remnants of its former charm) in which she was born--ninety-three years ago.  Love that.  I hope to visit her again, and maybe I'll write a blog dedicated entirely to her soon!

Not So Very Fancy

So, I have come to a nominal juncture in my plans.  Almost from the moment we inherited my grandparents' place, I have had big plans for their parlour.   It was a wasted room for them, as they shut it up and NEVER once used it in all my memory, except to pile more stuff into.  I loved that room--probably partly for the reason that I was not allowed in there--and so, within hours of receiving the house, I had a scheme to make that off-limits room my very own writing parlour.  Anyhow, I had images of a fancy desk and a rather ornate, gilded look to the room, but it's turned out, partly as a matter of practicality, to be a more functional room.  Though I started well enough with my gorgeous hardwood floor (now refinished) and Oriental rug, my big, plain desk, black-framed art, big black reclining chair, and fun World Market curtains have nearly completed the room at this point, and I am finally admitting that it calls for a name change.  That room is not a fancy writing parlour.  Instead, it is a totally awesome, practical study--provided I get some bookshelves in there, which Michael says is an essential requirement for that room title, regardless of Nooks and Kindles!  It's pretty, slightly funky, and totally my own--as all of the art on the walls has my personal touch.  Big posters of my book covers, a gorgeous poster of my daughter (in a dress made by her), and a collage of those Hanoverian royalty folks--I didn't do the actual art for those, but it's like a storybook in itself, and there is great meaning behind my arrangement and placement of the painting copies, an entirely original setup which has entailed many a long-winded narration thus far!  To paint your own walls and refinish your floors and pick out every element of a room's decor--largely your self-created artwork--generates quite a feeling of satisfaction, you know?  Talk about 'owning' it.  Anyhow, my study is not all that fancy, but it is so nice to be in there.  Comfortable and right.  

Did I mention that I had my first few days in there recently?  Yes, I had been at the kitchen table for some time before that, and, as awesome as that table is, it's fantastic to get into the study.  I am not a super-contained, neat sort of person, so the big room, huge desk and all are PERFECT for me.  And getting the study furniture out of the living room simultaneously opened that room back up for business, too, so the house seems absolutely huge now.  

Have you ever dealt with the mess of a remodel?  I'm definitely thinking about waiting just a little bit before starting the next room remodel, though I'm jonesing to start that bedroom demolition project!  Just so happy about having things cleared up for a moment...