The price of a vacation

Posted on March 11, 2015 by simplygiselle

To sit on the balcony drinking a cup of coffee early in the morning

To feel the warm breeze and watch it blow through the palm trees as they sway

To listen to the birds chirping and flittering about the grounds finding their breakfast

To spot lizards that walk through the grass or come down from the trees as their bodies slowly warm

To spy on the vacationers from my personal ‘crows nest’ and watch them stake their claim on a chair by the pool or on in the sand on the beach

To watch the sun slowly starts to make its way up and over the room just for me

To take a picture of the ball of pink, yellow, gold, purple, lighting up the sky as it sets

And to take a long deep breath of the wonderful day that lay behind

And look forward to another amazingly beautiful new day that awaits me…

There is no price tag too high to cement the spectacularly happy memories I will have from that day… and forever more

Happiness is a dirty smiling face

Posted on March 3, 2015 by simplygiselle

In response to today’s prompt question, this is what happiness means to me:

They say the first thing that pops into your head is usually the correct answer and this was it. Happiness is a dirty smiling face.

One of the many adventures Goose and I have had together, destination: Aruba. The endeavor that was in store for us on this particular day involved several broken down ATVs, a swim in the Natural Pool, stepping on a sea urchin (and therefore having them stick 4 inches out of her foot), and the guide forgetting his wallet at the beach and having to wait until dusk until he arrived back to guide us to the garage. Although Goose was in pain from the sea urchin, she didn’t complain, still drove the ATV back, and then dealt with the ER wait and doctor’s remedy of, ‘sorry there is nothing we can do, it has to work itself out’….

Yup she is a trooper, amazing, my daughter, my Goose, and my travel partner until the end.

Happiness is indeed a dirty smiling face….through the good times and bad….love you more

The Scarlet Snowflake

Posted on February 22, 2015 by simplygiselle

I fear I am branded with the ‘Scarlet Snowflake’ because of my love of Snow.

I hear the whispering behind my back, the looks of utter disgust when I share my secrets of stolen moments watching Snow quietly fall during the day or through the streetlight’s glow at night. How could I possibly be in love with Snow – he is so selfish and has no care for anyone and their driveway! He laughs at how many layers of clothing you must endure to step outside for just a moments time…yet I know he loves me back, with the frozen smiles I have daily, listening to the Cardinals that only sing their melodious song in the winter or the small animal tracks that I find across the freshly powdered path…

He has not been so timid in his love for me, sharing well over 5 feet of his fluffy dandruff and still looking as clean cut and magnificent as the first time I lay eyes on him. And as the wind blows it is hard not to be reminded of Fabio on his most romantic novel cover…swirling long locks of tiny flakes in all directions and just a hint of a crooked smile.

YES I LOVE SNOW! – There I said it for all to hear !

I cannot contain my feelings any longer!

I am a traitor and outcast, and ready to endure the pitchforks (shovels, ice-filled snowballs…) of the village people! You cannot break true love!

(picture credit: unknown)

Love is in the air and in your soul

Posted on February 15, 2015 by simplygiselle

“For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.” – Judy Garland

After all it is Valentine’s Day so why not throw a little love out there. Even if you are not in a relationship at the moment, some point in your life you probably could relate to what Ms. Garland had to say.

That moment…that fleeting moment of a whisper or kiss truly does stir in your core and not even Father Time can erase that feeling. All you have to do is close your eyes and it comes flooding back to you, it may even propel you into another dimension (at least it seems that way) it is just that powerful.

There are so many layers to love it cannot be broken down, sorted out, or analyzed.

Maybe that is why it never leaves us, even when our heart is broken, there is still a sliver of it left behind.

(picture credit: http://flikie.s3.amazonaws.com/ImageStorage/d8/d86d6070173f46edab259e790120da28.jpg)

I alone

Posted on January 23, 2015 by simplygiselle

I alone love you

I alone tempt you

I alone love you

Fear is not the end of this

From the moment I heard Ed Kowalczyk sing these intense lyrics, I was just blown away. My interpretation is that fear is not the end of this (life implied) but fear can most definitely paralyze you and as many cultures and religions will tell you, death is only the beginning.

Although money is required for existence, love truly is the power behind all that we are. It guides us to support others, to have the strength to move forward when it seems all is lost, it is found in hope, and trust, and would have us throw ourselves in front of a train if it meant saving the ones that we love most from getting hurt. Hmm I guess I have to add that love is also blinding, both in a good and bad way.

“The greatest teachers will not hesitate to leave you there by yourself chained to fate” = what better way to make ourselves stronger than by the strength in love and in ourselves. Who makes it happen? You make it happen. If you decide to give up, the situation hasn’t changed, it is still there taunting you, poking you with a stick until you get back up and knock it on its butt. So you can’t give up, you just can’t….

This song ebbs and flows in a very powerful way and bring me through a series of emotions; love, a smidge of sadness, longing, but in the end, I always seem to feel more powerful and resilient and more courageous for hearing it.

Weekly Writing Challenge: Music – – As a writer I have many inspiration cues. A smell, a color, a photo from the past can all be a good launching place to write from. But today I want you to think about music as your guide. Let it flow and take you somewhere else today as you dance with your fingertips and write from your soul.

Embrace the rain

Posted on November 10, 2014 by simplygiselle

Fill in the blank: “Life is too short to _____.” Now, write a post telling us how you’ve come to that conclusion.

Today’s prompt question seems to have such a negative connotation to it so I had to tweak a bit:

Life is too short NOT to….. enjoy it, embrace it, think of at least one thing every morning that makes you smile, to travel and meet as many people as you can and listen to all of their amazing stories, to simply say yes…because who knows where it will lead you, who you will meet, what incredible adventures and memories it will leave to you.

I am far from being that ‘turn that frown upside down’ person but I also recognize that being negative doesn’t get you anywhere and is completely unproductive. It wastes so much energy and you haven’t gotten anywhere; you are still in the same exact spot…only miserable.

Is it easy to see the silver lining on the dark cloud? Not at all, but if you can…be patient and try really hard… the silver lining seems to sparkle a little shinier and the rain seems to taste a little sweeter as you stand in it…let it wash over you and cleanse you, rather than run from it while looking for a dry place to stand.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/no-time-to-waste/

You are my sunshine…

Posted on November 5, 2014 by simplygiselle

You are my sunshine, my only Sunshine

You make me happy, when skies are grey

You’ll never know dear, how much I love you,

Please don’t take my Sunshine away.

–There are several more verses to the song, this is just the refrain but sticks in my mind and most importantly, in my heart. It was sung to me as a child and I sang it to my daughter. Some day I know she will pass along the memory of comfort, the happy dreams it affords you as you drift off to sleep, the safety of being in the arms of that person as you are rocked, who will make you feel better, and be by your side no matter what.

By Heart – Daily Prompt

You’re asked to recite a poem (or song lyrics) from memory — what’s the first one that comes to mind? Does it have a special meaning, or is there another reason it has stayed, intact, in your mind?