Phew!

Took on another home care client on Thursday: a 52-year-old alcoholic who bathes once a week, whether or not he needs it. Vomit, alcohol and stale urine filled his dark, hot-with-windows-closed apartment.

From there on to take care of A Man, who is clean, but of course smells like a 94-year-old man smells when he's farting around.

From there on to the homeless shelter. Sweat and alcoholic breath.

By 9 PM, I thought I would keel over if I smelled one more breath of alcohol or room of stale urine.

The life of a hypnotherapist! I think I need a session to change my olfactory perception.

The Emperor Has No Clothes

This is worth clicking and waiting for the download.

Or, you can read the transcript.

"Focus, Focus, Focus"

My 6-year-old client is using a wonderful imaginary forest of birds to tap into her subconscious mind. There is a talking purple bird that gives her advice...and the advice is always right on target. She has also adapted a self-induction using a pendulum and the phrase "Focus. Focus. Focus." to help diminish the effects of her Attention Deficit Disorder.

Those words are also the intention that I have for my own work.

The countless jobs seem necessary to pay bills, but I am eagerly awaiting the day when I have enough clients or savings to focus solely on hypnotherapy.

We just got wireless connection at my office, so perhaps I can post with more frequency again.

For those curious...
about the recent post posing the question about what is an Australian Ballot, click here for the answer.

Heeee's Back!

So my veil of 7 jobs has been lifted--slightly. For a while there, I was leaving the house by 7 AM and not returning until 9:30 PM. Very long days.

The hours have lessened this past week--more along the lines of 8-10 hour days--but my DSL connection is on the blink. Thus the lack of posting. In fact, right now, I'm sitting on the back porch of my landlord's place and filtching their wireless connection. Hopefully, more regular posts again.

I had a great hypnotherapy session with a 6-year old today. Also continued meeting this week with an insomnia client and a birthing client. Am recording a CD for weight management for another client. Hope to see more and more new faces so that I can cut back on all of the other jobs. The shelter work is fulfilling. And today I took A Man to the zoo. He said, "I can't tell you how much I love you for thinking of doing this. There must be no place else like this on earth!"

Catch you soon.

Liquid Days

Have you noticed that soft drinks are getting larger while the amount of potato chips in a bag is decreasing? Now you can get a 32 oz. or even 74 oz. "Quick Gulp" (imagine gulping 74 oz. quickly!). But the "Big Grab" potato chips contain about the same number that a small lunch snack size used to contain. It's a conspiracy.

Get Wynote bonus points:
Name the composer from whose album "Songs from Liquid Days" I got the title for this post.

What the #(*!@?

Does anyone know (off the top of your head...without doing a Google search) what is an "Australian Ballot"?

Please post your responses and comments. I'll let you in on the big secret afterwards.

(Hint: it is a real type of voting ballot used today in the United States of America.)

What To Do If You're Dead

A Man and I were comparing our pulses today. He said if I ever felt for my pulse and there wasn't one, I should go to the doctor to have it checked out.

The Bugs Are Always Greener

This morning I watched as our frustrated chickens marched in protest around my newly fenced in pennyroyal-like ground cover. One chicken stared longingly into the fenced area and clucked with disapproval. The chickens have the entire yard to scratch and peck in, but you'd think this one little area was a national conservation area protecting the plumpest and juiciest bugs known to mankind. Or, more precisely, to chickenkind.

I say "pennyroyal-like" because I don't think it is a true pennyroyal plant. That kind can be made into tea and is known to be a natural repellent of fleas.

Work-wise, I have added "Distributor of Home Flyers" to my resume. I have 1,000 flyers to hang on doors over the Easter weekend. It is 90 bucks in my pocket, but a not-so-fantastic way to observe the holiday. I do plan to use the walking as a meditation, nonetheless.

My fractured and packed time has kept me busy, but left me a little scattered and looking for a breather. I ran out of dish soap and tried to wash dishes without it. It left a greasy film on everything so I have let the dirty dishes pile up. Since I'm only using my home as a quick nap stopover these days, dirty laundry is lying all around the floor. Desktops are covered with overdue bills, notes from mystery shopping, CDs waiting to be burned and sold...I'm starting to live like a dirty old recluse without the reclusiveness!

At least there are no fleas.

Holy Rabbit!

Just in time for Holy Week, it's a Were-Rabbit! Londeners are locking up the doors and taking the kids off of the streets. And, by all reports, it's true.

Good Night

The past three days have involved 7 mystery shops, one home care job, one mock jury trial, one evening at the shelter, one in-store demonstration and one hypnotherapy session. I'm sleepy. I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Good night.

For President Bush and VP Cheney: Good Night and Good Luck.

The next three days hold for me two evenings at the shelter, one shelter meeting, selling CDs, coaching one hypnosis class at the hospital, two private client session, three home care sessions, turning in 12 pages of home care training, and one Dylan concert. Ironically, or not, all of the activity lends a sense of control.

One More

The wind was still blowing strongly today and A Man gave another cool example of how a mind with Alzheimers works around its mental blocks.

Here is the "typical" phrase you or I might use: "You can't do anything about the weather."

A Man's version:
"The weather doesn't have anything to do with voting."

Look What the Wind Blew In

The winds were blowing exceptionally strong yesterday. A Man noticed this and laughed.

"Maybe I'll get a new head!" he exclaimed.

Goodbye, Norah

I think that I must have an internal "purge" button regarding possessions in life.

My hike after college required a high degree of downsizing. Then my decision to become a monk meant ridding myself of all possessions. Moving to NM was not a total purge, but another considerable downsize.

Now I find myself selling off much of my massive 800+ CD collection (keeping at least the Dylan collection and some others that won't sell). I am burning them to my laptop to keep the music, but will miss the liner notes and cover art.

As in the past, it is a bit painful to let go of things. Especially things that are important to me. But I have also found that such a purge also gives some unique clarity to life. The exercise always brings a lightness with it. Perhaps that is more the point now than the money. To lighten up. To refocus. To evaluate priorities.

It's not just a spiritual practice. Like most disciplines, it has practical motivations and outcomes. Even if I don't experience nirvana or an euphoria, moving the music along will, at a minimum, pay bills so that I can continue to establish a successful hypnotherapy practice.

Tired

Completed a 6-hour mystery shop yesterday at an amusement center. It was very fun. However, I'm not accustomed to so much stimulus in one day.

Me and my 10-year old companion ran bumper boats, raced in go-karts, played laser tag, battled in virtual reality, putted 18 holes of miniature golf, crashed each other in bumper cars, fought off zombies, scooped up prize tickets from the Bumble Bee snag and Skee ball games, ate pizza and dressed and undressed from paint ball suits after deciding against participating in that attraction.

Whew. I'm still wired today. But I'll probably go back for some more laser tag.

Demonstrating

While thousands continue to be involved in the national conversation regarding immigration, I'm off to my own demonstration. A little less meaningful and glamourous, perhaps, but a demonstation nonetheless.

I'm an authorized Whirlpool representative for the day. From 10-3 I will be standing in Costco by the washers and dryers, answering the inquiries of passersby. Even if they don't have questions, I will lunge out at them and snag their attention--and their wallets--extolling the virtues of Whirlpool.

How are you spending this Saturday?