Marriage Therapy and Tanning Salon

    Floridas reputation for being "the retirement State" is quickly being replaced by being known as "the shopping State".  Shopping Centers, Malls, Designer Outlet Stores, all sprouting up overnight like weeds!  Within 2 minutes of traveling North, South, East or West of me, I will find at least one Starbucks.....meaning, in less than 10 mins I can hit 4 Starbucks! No one can accuse us Floridians of not having enough caffiene handy!

    This morning while driving into work I was passing by  another new strip shopping center and I could see that the first sign was in place announcing a new store coming soon! "What else could we possibly need in this neighborhood?"  I asked myself. I took a fast glance to soothe my curious nature. "WHAT?"  I said to myself in disbelief. I slowed the car and looked again. "NO WAY, Can't Be!..I never heard of such a place!" The big white sign with red lettering read "MARRIAGE THERAPY and TANNING SALON".....From that moment on, my day was flipped into overdrive with puzzlement!

     The voice in the back of my mind woke up.... "who in the world would open such a place?"  I lowered the radio station (which happens to be Dr. Joy Brown, who is a marvelous psychologist that hosts a great radio program) in order to think. I immediately began to imagine situations.....My wife and I sitting in that office....."Well Dr. we are having problems in our marriage, she goes to bed in Flannel, and I'm dreaming of her in some satin".    "Hold it right there" I imagine the Dr.  saying...."No wonder the two of you have trouble with your sex life, you are both white as ghosts! I am prescribing 3 tanning sessions immediately...once you have your tans on, you can come back and talk!".

     The entire day my mind entertained me with the business variables of this bizzare storefront combination. I could see a woman coming home from a  MarriageTherapy session...her hubby asking.."how did your session go tonight?"......"well, I'm not sure if I made much progress with my anxieties of you cheating on me, but look at my Boobies now....No tan lines!"..........and my mind wandered.....does the psychologist use a tanning bed instead of couch?...... I could see the ads for this place...."Give your Marriage a check up and get a tan on  us!".......   

    I promised myself that on the way home, I would stop in at this new strip center and get a close up of this storefront that was under construction. 

    The day came to its close, I had scripted enough "situations" to write five seasons of a sit-com! I could not wait to re-visit this place which had captivated my imagination for the entire day.

   As I neared the intersection oif this new shopping center, I began grinning, replaying my day of thoughts. It was dark and no lights were up yet. I pulled up to the storefront and looked up at the sign......A 120 mph wind raced through my ears screaming "idiot!".......The sign read  "Massage Therapy and Tanning Salon"......... "oh" I said to myself..."I guess that does make sense".

   I scratched my head, and went back into my car......"too bad..I had all these great ideas and images.....now what will I do with them?".....the voice in my head chuckled..."put them in your journal...what else would you do with them"!

  Next time, before I read any more signs, I'm stopping at a Starbucks!

Make it a double expresso!     Marc :)

SAMSON & DELILAH

My deepest thank you to the many who left comments & suggestions about my adventure in Bloomies.....I am even more delighted that many you saw the innocence that was woven in my moments ...and not the image of a voyeur.......and so, allow me to add this statement for even further clarification........

                                SAMSON & DELILAH

    Samson, the symbol of strength and courage. A model of muscle that all men hope to obtain.

    Indeed man is consumed by challenge of competition. Anything that challenges his grasp on the "throttle" will have him alarmed. Man is willing to train and torture himself endlessly, just to be victorious in that challange. He trains his muscles to react, to be swift and overpowering.

    But deep within, man senses his vulnerablity and is fearful of it. How ironic that mans greatest desire would also be be his largest fear to conquer. This unique double edged sword that I speak of is the scent of a woman.....not a fragrence, but her smile, the look in her eyes, the softness of her skin.

    Samson knew that with just one look into Delilah's eyes, he would not only reveal the secret of his strength,but he would reveal to the subsequent generations, the weakness of man!

    I confess to having this inheritance!

Marc :)

Breathless In Bloomies

  Thank the good Lord for the Bloomingdales Annual After Christmas Lingerie Sale! This is the one time of the year I  get an excuse to enter that wonderful dept! It's the only time the "wife" is motivated to go and allows me to become a witness to passion that most women have...dressing up for their man!
    On this particular occaison, we entered the dept and she made a straight
path to the racks that I have dubbed, "The Taliban Section". Garments so heavy they should be sold as a beach blanket. I casually drifted over to where the more provacative racks were!

  It was then I saw her.....a young, gorgeous blond going through a rack of the
finest, sheerest lingerie that one could possibly imagine! I positioned myself
to be able to observe, without being overly conspicuos. She lifted off the rack
a garment that was completely lace! She held it up in front of her face....I
could see her smile right through the garment! "oh my" I thought to
myself.."imagine coming home to her...dressed in that!
  She placed the garment over her feminely formed arm.....I mused at her
complete gracefullness.
    She continued to fan through the garments on the rack..she lifted up another one....just a tangled bunch of strings on a hanger. She pulled them apart...it looked like floss to me..smiling she draped them on her arm with the other garment. "What is she planning? She will kill that poor man!"
    At that moment I could recognize the music playing over the stores sound
system. Enrique Iglesias, "Hero".....his voice filled in the backround, "if I could be your hero baby"....Oh my, my heart began to race.
  Then she exumed a third article..a pink satin see through teddy! I imagined
her wearing it and appearing before me..."if I could be your hero baby..I would stand by you forever"My knees weakened. Satisfied with her find..she glided over to the cashier. Now, in my younger days...I would have intercepted adamsel such as that..I would have placed my hand on the garments and said "excuse me, but you must allow me to buy these for you!"
....Just then a hard tap on my shoulder shook me...flannel and burlap was in my face. "Here, hold these" my wife commanded. I felt like I was holding a bag of textbooks. From the corner of my eyes I could see the angelic blond clasping her Bloomie Bag and begine her exit from the dept. "Well?" queried my wife, "you gonna stand there with far off look or are you going to pay for these?" I smiled, realizing the need to quickly return to reality. "Certainly, did you find everything you were looking for?" I asked.....smiling back she stated, "why yes, and everything was on sale!"

  "On sale!" I exclaimed, infusing a more joyful tone..... "why I can't imagine what else could possibly take my breath away!"

May all your "Day After Christmas sales" take your breaths away too!

Marc :)

In The Name Of Love

      In a recent dialogue with my 19 year old son, he asked, "how will I know the right girl when she comes along?"   I smiled, I remember asking that question to myself a long time ago.       "your name" I answered.     "what?" he replied..."what about my name?"     "You will know by the way she says your name"  I answered      I knew he did not  fully understand what I was imparting so I explained.....   "when you were two years old and beginning to utter words and make short sentences, they were so cute and precious to listen to. Of all the words you uttered, the one that elevated my spirit was "Daddy"........ I remember coming home from a difficult day at work...and I would  walk in the house and hear your chirp "daddy!".. The pain of day was erased, a new light of joy would come rushing in from just hearing you say my name."     My son smiled, "really?"   "yes...for sure.....So, when your name is spoken, and its mention makes you feel special, the sound of your name on her lips elevates your spirit to its highest point, you will know, she is the one."     "wow....thanks  Dad"   ......I just smiled.....and mused......even at 19 when he says "Dad"....it just makes my day!   May you all feel that special love when you hear your name!  Peace & Warmth....Marc :)

Lovely and Amazing

Dedicated to women who look in the mirror and second guess what they see.       Thanks to modern medicine women can now have their tummies tucked, their breasts augmented, their lips puffed and their wrinkles erased.  Add a splash of hair color, a new hairdo and an application of makeup and you gals look gorgeous!       Perhaps the greatest imperfection we have is the way that we see each other!       While stopped at traffic light this morning, I glanced over the the car next to mine. I noticed the female driver staring in her mirror, applying a layer of makeup, painting her her lips, and fixing her hair. In that 30 second interval she made a complete transformation. The light turned green and she gave herself one last look in the mirror and smiled with approval.       Little did she realize that she was facing the East. The first morning rays of light were streaming in. In that pure light that only our Creator could have provided, I could see the softness of her feminine skin, the sensousness of her lips illuminated, and the silkyness of hair, highlighted. In that pure stream of light, she looked so lovely and amazing!       The next time you second guess yourself, I urge you step outside beneath a moonlight night and allow the moonbeams to circle your head and imagine this secret admiration that has been made just for you!   Yes, you are, so lovely and amazing!~~~~~~~~~~~Marc :)

Our Essence: Sometimes it leads us, Sometimes it follows

    I just stepped outside into the cold night. The distant cry of a kitten dislodges my heart from its restful state. A pulse of a distant memory races through my mind.

    As a young boy in N.Y., it would be on a cold day such as this that I would pick up a stray kitten and bring it to the basement of my apartment building. Like a faithful servant I would bring it milk, food and give it attention.

    I did not tell my friends, my parents, nor did I  invite an audience in to see what I was doing. It was my simple love of humanity that would have me do this again and again.

    The way a person acts when no one is watching shows their true essence. As I look back, I smile at my age of innocence and know it was a time well spent.

    Our Essence, sometimes it leads us, sometimes it follows us, especially on a night like this!

Peace & Blessings to All ~~ Marc :)

John Lennon.....The Artists Lament

    The Anniversary of John's passing, only adds another ring of sadness to the wonder of his potental lost.

     The sketch shown here was drawn by John Charles Mertz, who has captured the essence of man who carries the weight of being expected to "create universally accepted songs". All too often we focus on the glitter of being in the spotlight, but rarely give thought to the pressures it brings upon the artist.   

   We hear your words John ..they are the call of every Artist....and thus become, The Artists Lament.

         Whether the art form is painting color onto a canvas, or arranging words on paper, or forming clay with hands, or a song from his heart, the artist expresses the energies that are locked within.
  His final product, an indulgence of his desire to reach into a world that will connect what is real to what he hopes his art will express.
   The artist (painter, writer, musician, sculpter) engages brutal harshness of pain, or immaculate rays of hope, and ultimately creates a world of illusion that resemble the truth. Art is supposed to set the artist free as art is a freedom to express.

"Living is easy with closed, misunderstanding all you see

It's getting hard to be someone, but it all works out

it doesn't matter much to me."     Strawberry Fields Forever

  And as I write, with all this freedom flowing from my heart through my pen, I am no more free than a slave, a slave to my senses, a slave to my secret passions, a slave for the kiss that eludes my lips.
  There is no greater prisioner than the one who lives in a world filled with dreams...and yet without dreams, there would be no art to paint this world the way is wishes to be seen.

    It was another day without you, John......but your music and its world of images play on and on and on......... Rest in Peace~~~~~Marc

TAGGED...TEN LEVELS OF HAPPINESS

WHOA! I've been tagged twice about the same topic! "TEN THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY"

 Now, you must know that there are so many things that make me happy....I mean, a good cup of morning coffee makes me happy!..... So, instead of listing Ten Things..I have decided to list things that bring through the TEN LEVELS OF HAPPINESS!

THINGS THAT MAKE ME

VERY HAPPY..... Complimenting others

ECSTATIC HAPPY.... Knowing that I have made someone smile or feel better.

SILLY HAPPY...A womans smile

CRYING HAPPY... Puppies, Kittens, Hugs from sons

TONGUE IN CHEEK HAPPY.. When the wife says "yes"

SASSY HAPPY... while waiting on a long long line, a cashier, one aisle over calls out to me..."you, you're next over here"

SO DAMN HAPPY.... an unexpected refund, or dicount

DELERIOUSLY HAPPY... A sensous woman comes up to me and places her hand on my crotch and says "let's get to know each other better". While this has not happened to me < I know it would make me DELERIOUSLY HAPPY!

INSANELY HAPPY.... Feeling the chemistry between me and Nature

HALLELULAH HAPPY....  Ending a day...no aches, no pains and knowing that I have spent the day with purpose.

..........................................Happiness to all!.......................................

 

 

 

LOVE FOR DUMMIES

   
  Just returned from Barnes & Noble. These black and yellow instructional books have taken over every subject and clutter up every aisle....and so I muse

                                 "LOVE FOR DUMMIES"
  Take a walk through any major bookstore and you will see those black and yellow books in every aisle! "Photography for Dummies" "Auto Repair for Dummies" "Decorating For Dummies". Yes, every topic imaginable all there,completely explained! The first of these all knowing books was written at the dawn of man, and named, "Love For Dummies".

         Imagine you are home alone, and there is a knock at your door. You open the door to find an 8 year old, freckled faced, red headed girl standing there. "May I help you?" you ask. "Sure!" She says in a cheery note,  "My name is Melissa, and I am your new daughter!" She walks past you and asks "which room is mine? and I hope it has a T.V.!" Before you can begin to figure this out, a middle aged balding man shows up at your door and says "Hi, I'm Miguel,your brother" and as he walks into your house he says.."I'm hungry, have anything to eat?"
  Imagine if we did not give birth, but our children, our next of kin, were assigned to us! At any moment there could be a knock at your door and "poof"...another member to your family!
  Our creator had great insight. He knew how difficult it would be to unconditionally love a complete stranger. So we were constructed to give birth to our own. Love would be so easy, so very natural! To make sure this plan would be foolproof, our creator made certain that act of creating another would be so very pleasurable, so very intimate with our inner core, that we could not resist!
  All we needed to do was to learn how to sustain this simple love ...and by giving us eyes to see each others beauty,and a heart to feel it, he felt the plan was perfect...a plan that only a dummie could mess up!
___________________________________

.....Somehow, it was a marvelous plan, too bad there are still so many dummies amongst us!(some of us just skimmed through the book!).....Peace & Warmth, Marc :)