Friday, June 27, 2014

Remodeling My Vacation

Working at a luxury day spa, I am often privy to wealthy people's conversations. While most are happy, wonderful people, there are those who, well, like to complain. And the two most common complaints I hear are about their home remodeling job, and how this year's tropical vacation was NOT as good as last years.

Well, I can sympathize.

First off, when I do my own remodeling job at home, such as put a chair back in the dining room or replace a broken piece of tile, the job is just not that great. The chair either tiptoes back to its original place in the middle of the room, or the tile is cross-eyed backwards (don't ask me to explain what this means--you get the gist of it). Or, last year when I tried to paint over the rust in the bathroom sink, the white color didn't match anything the human eye has ever seen. And forget about the new futon in the living room. The cats have taken it over and won't share a single paw space.

And don't get me started on that last stay-cation.  Can you believe I had to park two blocks away from the beach and walk! Where is the free valet beach service in San Diego? Where are my tax dollars going? Then at the dog park when Sydney pooped on the grass, the people there looked at me like I was supposed to pick up her mess. What is this country coming to when I have to take responsibility for my own dog? Please, people, please.

Okay, and can we talk about house cleaning? Years ago, I sent my maid on vacation to Hawaii and she never came back. There is just no respect for employers anymore. But don't worry, when she comes back she will learn her lesson. I have not dusted or cleaned a single window since she left. I am letting the gunk build up for her to clean. That will teach her!

I have to leave now to get my son. While I'm gone, Sydney has agreed to clean things up a bit here. It's only fair after that dog park incident.  She said she is going to rearrange the trash onto the kitchen floor and put my bedspread into a new format. At least I can count on my dog to help me on remodeling and decorating. Now maybe the cats will start licking the walls clean like they do their fur. Oh, what a beautiful home we shall have!

Heather Leigh

Monday, June 16, 2014

Ego Bashing the Therapist

Today I am happy to report that I had my judgemental ego handed to me on a plate with a side of relish.  As somebody reading this may already know, my day job is Massage Therapist, working at a fancy day spa. In case there are those among you who have never fallen into the blissful trappings of a day spa, I will give a brief run-down of how things are done.

When you make an appointment for a massage, the time given is carved in stone. If you show up late, it is your time that is grabbed away from the minutes spent under the loving hands of a therapist. This has to do with scheduling and efficiency.

So, when clients makes an appointment for a 25 minute massage and waltz in 15 minutes late, well, you see where the complications arise.

When this happened today with a couple who my co-worker and I were to work on, we decided to relent and give way to going past the pre-set time. BUT, then the couple walked in slowly, ignored us therapists on the way to the massage room in order to discuss business, and gave an overall feeling of a lack of appreciation for our services and us as people.

My co-worker and I judged them to be inconsiderate and rude monsters.

But, we are in a giving, serving profession and gave the best massages in the 15 minutes we had available.

At the end of the massage, I escorted them to the relaxation lounge and got to chatting with them. Turns out they have seven girls and one boy ranging from ages two to seventeen years old. After a bit of freaking out on my part, the husband went on to joyously convey to me how much they loved their family life, how wonderful their children are, and how much love is shown between the siblings.

Gracious, how I had misjudged them. From just one sliver of information about two people who had a whole lifetime of personality outside of the 30 minutes that I had known them, I was excruciatingly quick in defining their character.

They were the world's nicest family! Right up there with Andy Griffith and the Brady Bunch. This is one of the few times that receiving an ego bashing was done peacefully. I got the message and was thankful.

Heather Leigh

Friday, June 6, 2014

Proud To Be Rotating The Earth

Our normally peaceful, on the verge of boring, home has been quite the busy place this month. My youngest son has been preparing his eighth grade portfolio, memorizing his scarecrow lines for the school's version of 'Dorothy In Wonderland', getting ready for the 8th grade end of the school year white water rafting trip, and competing in a ballroom dance competition. Wow! Did we really do all of that in one month? No wonder I'm tired.

The older one went to his girlfriend's prom, tonight his prom, finished up the end of the school year exhibition night projects, applied for summer jobs, is getting ready for college, and applied for a summer internship at the huge Aquarium center at at nearby university.

Whew! And they still have another week of school.

Doesn't it seem like nothing too crazy or much has happened in your life until you look back and think about what has been accomplished in your past few weeks? Does to me quite often. I like to look back at every day and reflect on what I did. Then the rushing around, or pure laziness, shines out as actual things taking place that our family was a part of. Takes away any guilt of having snuck in Mahjong on the computer when I should have been attending to this blog. Or watching 'The English Patient' for the umpteenth time with a mountain of laundry tumbling from my room straight into the hallway--blocking the way to the bathroom, for gosh sakes.

I rambled too long on what the boys did, so I will hold back from boring you with what things were crossed off my Forever Present, never quite done, LIST OF THINGS TO DO.

Not to get off this flowery yet in-depth subject of our family's May accomplishments, but I wonder what will happen to my LIST when I die? Surely, the world will stop spinning--or at the very least, wobble a bit. My list must be holding together something in this perfectly turning globe. Doesn't your list help the world spin more peacefully on its axis? Can't you feel the gentle hum of the rotating earth being moved along with more efficiency every time you cross something off of it. I sure do.

But now here is the really weird thing about that rotating earth and our connection with it through our lists...

No one, I mean, not one single person on this crowded planet, has ever thanked me for keeping their world in spinning harmony by ticking off another item on the LIST. How about you? Ever been thanked? Yeah, weird, huh? Its like they don't even know.

Well, that was enough time away from my list. If I don't get the vacuuming done, there may be a significant jolt in the planetary cycle just as people are sitting down to dinner. List crossing off may be a thankless job but some one has to do it. Might as well be us.

And thank goodness that the next generation is being trained on getting things done. Makes me feel a deep, unabashed part of the universal scheme of rotation to have produced two contributors to the revolving of the earth. Spin on, earth! I will get the dog washed and finish writing another chapter this weekend.

Heather Leigh