Our house is starting to return to normal.  Bill has spent four full days in the basement replacing and repairing pipes.  We finally have heat and water!  My job has been to sort through the tons of junk we seem to have accumulated in the basement over the past 24 years!  Amazing what a person keeps!  Much I have been able to part with but there are a few things that even I wonder why I feel the need to hang on.  Specifically my horse equipment.  I have not owned a horse in 40 years!  I do not think I will ever own another horse!  However, having said that I cannot bring myself to get rid of my bridles, my horse blanket and assorted other horse "stuff".  Don't ask me why!  Even I don't know.  Guess I still feel a need to keep a little piece of "Mars Bar" near. (Mars Bar was the name of my horse).  Found some old photos of my first Labrador, Thumper!  I swear that Boomer is the reincarnated form of Thumper.  You would swear from the pictures that Boomer and Thumper were the same dog!  Amazing resemblance!!!

So what I have been up to this weekend besides sorting through junk and trying to clear clutter.   Well...I did have a very interesting experience.  My friend Amy is a Reiki Master.  Up until yesterday I had no idea what Reiki was but Amy extended the offer to me that she would be happy to introduce me to Reiki.  She told me she doesn't cook, she doesn't bake but she does do Reiki and if I was interested she would be happy to do a session with me.  I went to her house not knowing what to expect.  We had a great visit and then she explained Reiki to me and how she had become interested in it.  Basically it is a Japanese technique used for stress reduction and relaxation that promotes healing.  It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive.  If one's life force energy is low then one is more likely to get sick or feel stress and if it is high  we are capable of being happy and healthy.  When she started the session with me I had negative energy coming from six of seven "eyes".  At the end I had positive energy in seven of seven.  I must confess it was very relaxing and I felt really good at the end of it.  I will certainly take Amy up on her offer to try another session.  There was a time when I was rather suspect of any alternative health practices but I have found that over time I have become much more open to the possibilities these practices can offer.

Reiki is based on the five commandments of Buddhist philosophy and goes like this:

"At least for today
Do not be angry
Do not worry
Be grateful
Work with diligence
Be kind to people
Every morning and evening
join your hands in meditation
and pray with your heart.
State in your mind and chant with your mouth
For improvement of mind and body."
-Usui Reiki Ryohu

Thank you Amy for sharing your gifts and talents with me!

Today I had coffee with my friend Lisa.  Lisa was the music teacher at my school up until a couple of years ago and we worked together for many years. She always makes me laugh, laugh, laugh.  We share a similar warped sense of humour.  A few years ago the principal at my school decided the staff were not connecting on an emotional level and he brought in a fellow who did personality typing on us.  Each personality type was assigned a colour.  Once we had completed our personality inventory and had been assigned our colour personality we were asked to go sit with others on the staff who were the same colour (personality type) as ourselves.  If I remember correctly there were four different groups.  There was the emotional, sensitive group (this was the largest group as might be expected in a group of teachers) which was assigned the colour "blue", there was the analytical concrete sequential group which was assigned the colour "green", there was a "yellow" group and I can't remember what their personality type was and there was the "orange" group which was the fun loving, get it done group.  There were only two people in the orange group, Lisa and I!!!  We still like to remind each other of this!!

Not a lot planned for tomorrow.  Poor Bill is scheduled for his colonoscopy on Tuesday so will be enjoying a "Colyte" cocktail tomorrow!  I have told him how delicious this drink is...HMMMHMMM Good.  Those of you who have endured this experience will totally appreciate the truth of this.  Colyte is the most vial, nasty, foul tasting beverage I have ever drunk.  If I had to describe what drinking it was like I would say it is like "drinking snot!".....Horrible stuff and you have to drink a full four litres of it! They recommend you chill it and drink it rapidly!  I am gagging just thinking about it!  OH the joys of being over 50!  The things they want to do to you!  So on Tuesday I get to be the designated caregiver.  It will be a nice change of role for me!

Hope all of you are enjoying a great Family Day Weekend!