In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Choose Your Adventure.”
When she bought the farm she had no idea how much land she actually owned. She knew the little church in her pueblo was on her land. There was a legend often repeated by towns folk. They said there was gold buried by the Indians on her land. Sometimes at night when all was quiet she would hear strange sounds like a door opening, or knocking, but she dismissed it as the wind and an overactive imagination. She liked the mystery that surrounded her home.
One night it was really stormy, the basement entry was left open and she could hear the door blow open and creak from the rusty hinges. She heard her dogs howling. The wind was making the curtains blow in her bedroom. She got up to close the windows, as the rain really started coming down in torrents. She saw a shadow run across the land. She knew it was nothing, probably an opossum, but with the dogs growling and whining she needed to investigate. Flashlight in hand she went out into the night. She felt no fear as life on the farm included storms, power outages, and sometimes storms that came out of nowhere. She just wanted to shut that creaking entrance-way to the basement and go back to bed.
She could hear that door moving as she approached the basement. The dogs were all around her, and there was no reason for fear…her dogs were her mighty protectors. She entered the basement and flipped the light switch. Nothing happened. Now, there was no electricity and the storm grew stronger. She entered the basement although she just needed to close the door. The flashlight led her and she saw an opening she had never seen before. There was a passageway that looked like stairs going down. She put the light from her flashlight on this space. She knew better, but she had to descend. She found herself in a tunnel. She knew she was crazy but kept walking along a dark pathway. Her dogs were behind her. She started to ascend. She was at a trap door; which she pushed and it opened! She shown her light around and she was inside the church that was on her land! The opening was the storage area of the church, and a key was plainly visible. “Where does this key fit?” she wondered. She grabbed the key and ran back down the passageway as she now felt frightened. The key clutched in her hand. She re-entered the basement. There in front of her was a sight that was unexpected…it was like the basement had shifted. It was no longer storage for her suitcases and old clothes. It was a city that was from a time past, a place that looked nothing like the world she lived in. There was a church with an old wooden door, the door was incredible with inlaid carvings. There was a keyhole. She wondered if the key she held tightly in her hand would fit. She walked over and put the key in the door: it turned and clicked. She pushed the wood slightly, and she watched as the door opened to a magnificent room filled with light. Her being felt lighter, her heart pumped rapidly. She saw sights she never thought she could see in her life. “Was this a dream, or did she enter Paradise?” She saw people from her past, some dead, some still alive, but they were in front of her at this moment. She wondered how she became entwined inside this time warp. There were her parents, her daughter, a friend she knew had died too young. There also were people from her present world, they were still alive. They all were smiling and trying to talk to her. The sounds came out as melodic, like a choir of angels singing, but she couldn’t really hear what they were saying to her. Then she was given a letter, she was able to understand every voice at once: “Burn this after you read it!” She took the letter and all the glorious sounds disappeared. She was standing in the basement once again surrounded by suitcases. The letter was in her hand.
Month: June 2015
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “In a Crisis.”
I know I react well in emergencies, I trained for over thirty years to do just that. It is something the flying public does not take seriously, although they should. We flight attendants know a lot about safety, first aid, terrorism, hijacking, disagreements between passengers, complaining, and most of all being nice to even the worse of the worst. Everyone should read this post, share it and take it seriously if you fly for travel or business. I might be retired but I can still act quickly if I need to. When I fly now I am a passenger, but I am an aware passenger that takes in everything around me. I am ready to help in an emergency. I thank my training every year for thirty years for that! Flight attendants are not on the plane to serve drinks and food, they are there for safety. Over the span of my thirty years of flying I had to prepare for an emergency a few times, luckily we always landed safely. Not to mention the medical emergencies I encountered many times. These emergencies are more common and your flight attendant knows CPR, how to check symptoms, they have at their fingertips difibulators, also emergency supplies for most illnesses. We even have the ability to call a medical person to talk us through all situations that could arise.
I read so much stuff about the airlines all the time, but the one thing I never read enough of is how we the flight attendants are the FIRST to respond in any given situation. We are the ones who alert the pilots. We are the ones on the frontline while providing vital information to the cockpit. We are the ones who look for passengers that might be able to help and we are the ones trained to safely seat you in an emergency landing. We also serve you and act professional while doing so. Next time you get on a plane that has been delayed for whatever reason, remember when you are taking your frustration out on these savvy stews, they are NOT there to stow your luggage, or to re-book your flight. They are there to make sure you can exit the plane in an emergency. They are there to help you if you have a heart attack or any medical emergency, they are there to get you safely from point A to point B. They give the flying public good customer service, and this is part of the job description, but the sole reason you have a trained professional and not just a person off the street who can make a cocktail is for one reason only. We can save your life if we need to.
The Flight Attendant Decree: We Respond Well in a Crisis
Success is a Patient Journey
Patience; we all need more of it in our lives. With patience comes wisdom, with wisdom comes enlightenment, with enlightenment comes acknowledgement, and with acknowledgement you will be on the road to success. I’ve been patiently building my dream for five years now. It started out as a dream in my mind before I found my Villa and started renovating it. While I was living here, I realized I wanted others to see my place of peace and exquisite beauty undiscovered by tourists, a place people who like nature would enjoy. I started talking about my dream to others, and then working at fulfilling my dream. I knew it might take me a while to get attention and interest. Colombia has long-held an undeserved reputation as “bad”, a country where people think cartels roam the streets fighting drug wars. A fallacy so ridiculous and undeserved that it made me want to show the truth about Colombia, and how this country has turned around with persistent efforts. I understand Colombia’s predicament; I also have turned my life around with persistent effort. Success in not only monetary, success is also a place where you can feel proud of your achievements.
So how does one decide they are successful? Success is a process, a direction, a way of living. Let’s start with the process first. I decided I needed to change my life due to an unhappy marriage. Once divorced I needed a direction because I had flourished a long time in nowhere land. I knew I needed certain things in my life that were non-negotiable; my animals, a place to live with them comfortably, I needed health insurance, and I needed peace. When in the midst of life’s chaos this is the time you really need to listen to that inner voice and make decisions based on what you want, only you can prepare your road to success. You need forgo the worry of what others might think, and just follow your own guidance based on your wants. People will probably make fun of you, laugh at you and talk behind your back. I had all of that happen, but I kept on track and now I’m seeing results.
Once I started the process I proceeded to the direction part of my journey. I started talking and talking about my dream. Yes, I needed to talk about it! I realized I had to go slow and take my time but I still felt very confident I would succeed. Talking about my vision made it more real. To succeed is to live your truth and do what makes you feel alive. I just focused on what was important to me. If you have a dream write it down. Start visualizing it in your mind. Try to keep it simple. I did. I kept my thoughts on what I envisioned. Keep it to two or three things you need to do to start your journey. Maybe you hate your job. Then start looking for a new one. Write down what you want. Then act on those written words. Send resumes, go to job interviews, but most of all believe in yourself!
The last step is to live the way you want your life to be. I can say unequivocally I am living the life I want. I want peace, freedom, nature, and no negativity. Sometimes, it is hard to distance oneself from the negative. It is all around us because of social media. However, we don’t need to let that ruin our personal space. I have not unfriended people but I ‘hide’ posts from sources that are negative. No one knows, just you. Also, try to just live as you want. Say NO to people who ask you to do something you are not interested in. Remember you are your own best friend. What other’s think is their own business. Believe me when I say they talk about everyone those negative people! No worries, hide them if you won’t delete them. YOU are the most important thing when you are looking for success. Nothing else. BE who you are. I am. I show myself to the world. Do I get negativity still? Of course. Does it bother me? No. I KNOW who I am. I am a woman on a journey to success. A person who worked for years for a company as an employee. I appreciate what I learned while being a flight attendant. I am a master in public relations. Thirty years of flying the skies made me that way. I now have started my business. If it is successful, it will be because I did what I needed to do. I followed my path and instincts. No one influenced me. That is why with success you need to be patient. It is not an overnight thing. It is a journey. One I am enjoying.
In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Vivid.”
Birds surround my Villa, they embrace my trees with a gratitude of one that has plenty to eat. There is no lack of food for any living thing that enters my Paradise.
Hummings from Paradise 