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Posted: February 9th, 2007 at 1:26am By: Anita Revel
It was about my third twirl on the pulsating dance floor that I tripped over my stiletto heel and landed, laughing, at the feet of hundreds of party animals. All right, I'm exaggerating, there were only 10 people on the dance floor, and I wasn't laughing as much as saying "Wheeeeeeeee!" on the way down — everything seems so much funnier when you add "Wheeeeeeee."
But seeing as we were at a masquerade ball at an elite Margaret River winery, there should have been hundreds of bodies shaking their booty on the dance floor. Where were they? It's not like we were dancing the Mashed Potato and Moonwalk or anything, although the Chicken Dance and Nut Bush were proving to be remarkably resilient.
I should have invoked Greek goddess Artemis and her gift strength to overcome forces that inhibit or bind you. Just imagine her energy whipping a hundred people in a Funky-Dory dance frenzy, yelling at their partners, "I don't know what came over me — suddenly I'm dancing and having FUN!" And the partners yelling back, "Oh! I thought you just had ants in your pants!"
Thanks to Artemis, I make it my goal to live every single minute of every single day with intention. That way, if I don't get the courtesy forewarning that my Non-Judgment Day is near, then I can have my last few moments cherishing the fun I had, not crying over the regrets of what I did not do.
Waking up every morning with the thought that there must be a better way to start each day than waking up, I banish negative thoughts by planning ways to add sparkle to the lives of people I encounter.
For example, I might squirt a spray of my favorite perfume (ahem, now stored on a separate shelf from the bathroom deodorizer to avoid confusion). Or I might put a rosebud from my neighbor's garden in my hair (liberated under the cover of darkness to escape my neighbor's wrath). Or sometimes I write a complimentary note to my son's handsome teacher. (Note to self: Don't sign the letters "From my son" — it's a dead giveaway.)
Lately I've taken to dressing in a stylish fashion, with an iron-crease down the front of my jeans. Not so that I can look like an aspirational accountant, but so that I can present the image that I care. Matching my razor-sharp jeans with my "good" jacket puts me in the frame of mind that I am prosperous and $45 will seem like a bargain for the selection of cheeses I purchase at the market. Putting cushions on my outdoor furniture is extravagant, but it's a pleasure to invite to friends over to salute the setting sun with a glass of Chardonnay in one hand and (thanks to Margaret River's volatile weather patterns), an umbrella in the other.
I use my best china, and serve the best wine I can afford. I chew my food and take care of how my words will affect those around me. I listen to open fires. I taste the stories that travel across the Indian Ocean on the sea breezes. I see and read what people are really trying to say through body language. In short, I do anything to turn life into a pattern of experiences to be savored rather than endured.
It's amazing the number of people I meet who act as though life is nothing but a sexually transmitted terminal disease. They are always planning for the days when they'll be old and running over people's toes with their rocking chairs, instead of standing still occasionally and smelling whatever roses might be left in their neighbors' gardens.
I was the same until I stopped wearing a watch — now when people ask me for the time, I can say, "The time is Now." Sometimes it means I'm a little late for meetings, but I figure that being first to a meeting is a waste of time anyway — no one is there to appreciate my punctuality.
Silver screen icon and fearless female Ingrid Bergman described happiness as having good health and a bad memory. But I would much rather remember regrets for what I did than for what I didn't. So if falling over on that dance floor is my punishment for taking a bite out of life, well, that's the price I'm prepared to pay. And hey, life may not be the party you hoped for, but while you're here, you may as well dance.
— — —
Anita Ryan-Revel is the creatrix of the info-packed ChakraGoddess.com, and is due to unleash her Chakra Goddess workshops during her USA tour in March 2007. © copyright 2007 by Anita Ryan-Revel.
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It was about my third twirl on the pulsating dance floor that I tripped over my stiletto heel and landed, laughing, at the feet of hundreds of party animals. All right, I'm exaggerating, there were only 10 people on the dance floor, and I wasn't laughing as much as saying "Wheeeeeeeee!" on the way down — everything seems so much funnier when you add "Wheeeeeeee."
But seeing as we were at a masquerade ball at an elite Margaret River winery, there should have been hundreds of bodies shaking their booty on the dance floor. Where were they? It's not like we were dancing the Mashed Potato and Moonwalk or anything, although the Chicken Dance and Nut Bush were proving to be remarkably resilient.
I should have invoked Greek goddess Artemis and her gift strength to overcome forces that inhibit or bind you. Just imagine her energy whipping a hundred people in a Funky-Dory dance frenzy, yelling at their partners, "I don't know what came over me — suddenly I'm dancing and having FUN!" And the partners yelling back, "Oh! I thought you just had ants in your pants!"
Thanks to Artemis, I make it my goal to live every single minute of every single day with intention. That way, if I don't get the courtesy forewarning that my Non-Judgment Day is near, then I can have my last few moments cherishing the fun I had, not crying over the regrets of what I did not do.
Waking up every morning with the thought that there must be a better way to start each day than waking up, I banish negative thoughts by planning ways to add sparkle to the lives of people I encounter.
For example, I might squirt a spray of my favorite perfume (ahem, now stored on a separate shelf from the bathroom deodorizer to avoid confusion). Or I might put a rosebud from my neighbor's garden in my hair (liberated under the cover of darkness to escape my neighbor's wrath). Or sometimes I write a complimentary note to my son's handsome teacher. (Note to self: Don't sign the letters "From my son" — it's a dead giveaway.)
Lately I've taken to dressing in a stylish fashion, with an iron-crease down the front of my jeans. Not so that I can look like an aspirational accountant, but so that I can present the image that I care. Matching my razor-sharp jeans with my "good" jacket puts me in the frame of mind that I am prosperous and $45 will seem like a bargain for the selection of cheeses I purchase at the market. Putting cushions on my outdoor furniture is extravagant, but it's a pleasure to invite to friends over to salute the setting sun with a glass of Chardonnay in one hand and (thanks to Margaret River's volatile weather patterns), an umbrella in the other.
I use my best china, and serve the best wine I can afford. I chew my food and take care of how my words will affect those around me. I listen to open fires. I taste the stories that travel across the Indian Ocean on the sea breezes. I see and read what people are really trying to say through body language. In short, I do anything to turn life into a pattern of experiences to be savored rather than endured.
It's amazing the number of people I meet who act as though life is nothing but a sexually transmitted terminal disease. They are always planning for the days when they'll be old and running over people's toes with their rocking chairs, instead of standing still occasionally and smelling whatever roses might be left in their neighbors' gardens.
I was the same until I stopped wearing a watch — now when people ask me for the time, I can say, "The time is Now." Sometimes it means I'm a little late for meetings, but I figure that being first to a meeting is a waste of time anyway — no one is there to appreciate my punctuality.
Silver screen icon and fearless female Ingrid Bergman described happiness as having good health and a bad memory. But I would much rather remember regrets for what I did than for what I didn't. So if falling over on that dance floor is my punishment for taking a bite out of life, well, that's the price I'm prepared to pay. And hey, life may not be the party you hoped for, but while you're here, you may as well dance.
— — —
Anita Ryan-Revel is the creatrix of the info-packed ChakraGoddess.com, and is due to unleash her Chakra Goddess workshops during her USA tour in March 2007. © copyright 2007 by Anita Ryan-Revel.
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