Cruise celebration of being NED

I know most of you have seen these, but I wanted to put them on my blog as a celebration!

FINALLY!


After taking a week to get my land legs back and another week dealing with a nasty head cold - and gathering pictures from my fellow traveler, Diane, I can now share pictures of our cruise.

Diane and I left our respective cities early Saturday morning and landed in warm and sunny Miami. After a quick ride to the ship terminal, with a stop off at CVS so we could pick up bottles of bubbly, one for each of us, we board the ship and found our cabin.

We then went up on deck to start soaking in the warm Miami weather and get our first drinks - with those little umbrellas of course and we waiting to put to sea

Sunday was a day at sea. We spent the morning sunbathing with lots of SPF on, reading and watching people. In the afternoon we went to an art auction where Diane bought some lovely pieces and both of us bid on and won a spa treatment. That evening we got dressed up for dinner and then did some dancing. We did have some rough seas in the evening. Diane put on her acupressure bands. The boat rocking didn’t bother me other then it being a little bit of a challenge walking straight – but then for a New Yorker that is nothing new.

The next morning we arrived in Ocho Rios, Jamaica

First we went to the Enchanted Gardens and Falls

Then we visited an aviary with lots of lovely parrots including a gorgeous Macaw

Then we went off to Dunns River Falls. We climbed the Falls and got soaked.

After the Falls we did a little shopping. I got a Tortuga Rum Cake that was absolutely delicious – I wish I got a few more. We also sampled some rum. Then is was back to the ship for lunch and a nap before getting ready for dinner.

The next day we were in Grand Cayman. We did snorkeling and a little shopping. I got myself a pair of Swaworski pink heart earrings that I will remember the trip.
After floating in the water and taking all kinds of pictures we headed back to the ship for lunch and more relaxation.

The next day was a day at sea, for us it was a day at the spa. We had massages and the facial treatments. I took some time to sit in the sauna and watched the sea go by. We had a wonderful meal and these are the girls who served us and made us feel so welcomed. They all thought that Diane and I were sisters!

Here we are disembarking, back in Miami. By evening we were back in the cold North of New York City and Boston. Both of us had a wonderful time.

A poem - Precious quiet

It comes by surprise
After the radio shuts off automatically
Usually when I am in the shower
And I emerge into a quiet home
Quiet filled with cloud filtered morning light
Gives loving space to the day
A meditation before the business sets in
To hear the birds outside my window
Snuggle with my cat
Her soft coat and rumbling purr
Sometimes to just sit in the quiet
And quiet me
Turning me to happy thoughts for the day
Or to let my soul open
To secrets beyond the quiet
That centers me
In the is precious quiet

Spring time and two poems

Spring’s first rain
Coyly hid the tops of the skyscrapers
In grey mist and cloud
And now I too want to be
In the mist and clouds
In the rain
It’s quiet buzz
On sidewalk and pavement
That leads me
To pianos, books
And warm purring cats


Putting away thoughts
That no longer help me
Or make me happy
But hurt me
By leading me into
Angry frustrated places
That lead me depressions
Spiral down staircase
Let them go
To think on good things
Being happy now
Loving myself just as I am
On hopeful goals
And positive ideas
Let me change
Dreary rainy Mondays
Into sunshine
For me

Loving even when life is boring

Dearest Friends -
After get past my 1 year anniversary and a wonderful cruise this week has felt like a downer. I worked so hard to get through February, preparing and doing the scan and then to have a wonderful cruise - now I feel a little lost.

Which leads me to another form of loving me. I have been thinking about this all week - how we give space and time to ourselves, or to me, to love ourselves/me. After all the work over the last month and year it feels time to put things down. Having gotten past a big milestone and made personal progress in life, I am now feeling I am on the other side of it. It feels like this milestone was more subtle especially psychically. Now I have a year to the next scan - so cancer is pushing my life as it has - so what pushes it now?

So this leads me to loving me - as much as I love to push myself, I also need to know when to rest and let things be quiet for a while - allowing time, space, even silence to create the window where the new energy will come. Maybe this is a time to just enjoy life - and then I hit a stubbling block - life all of a sudden seems so dull - how to enjoy dull? or work that seems - honestly - boring?

I keep trying to come back to what I am doing to love myself through this time. First - keeping positive - do positive things - in other words, don't let myself get down by this situation. Now - keep focused on the projects I am working on - Red Tent Temple and Vagina Monologues. Keep reaching out to friends and planning to do things with them. Being creative - poems - photography - starting to working on my paintings or hand died silk. There is one more element - the spiritual - doing my daily meditation - giving time and space to silence - doing personal rituals of care - like nice baths and naps - aromatherapy. Loving myself isn't just about doing but it is also about being - to be in a loving place within me - to keep telling myself "I love me" - forgiving myself, trying to re"talk" negative thoughts. Keeping true to myself - even if it goes against the grain of convention.

I guess I need to reaffirm these things to myself - remind myself of my postitive direction - no matter how subtle - to get me through some of the more quieter or boring days of this time right now.

Getting back in the NYC swing

My vacation was great but now I am getting back into the NYC swing. When I get pictures downloaded I will share them and my vacation story more then. It took me a few days to get used to walk on dry land again and I have had minor sinus issues since coming home. Right now I keep remembering the 80 degree sunny weather and the snorkeling. More to come soon.......