The tail end of 2018 saw a slew of surprises, leading me to believe that 2019 is bound to bring in more of The Unexpected. AND I EXPECT IT TO BE AWESOME.
Surprise #1
I got my friend Janeen a “1-hour medicine healing ceremony” session for her birthday because she’s even kookier than I am. On a lovely Saturday in mid-December, we headed into New York City to get our crystal-woo-woo on. The shop was located on the 5th floor of a building in Greenwich Village.
We spent the first five minutes ringing the bell and asking the construction workers next door how to get in. Eventually, they pointed to a creepy stairwell and we ascended 8,000 flights to our destination.
Once inside a small, fragrant room, an attractive woman began ‘reading the collective energy’ of the 12 ladies forming a circle around her. (“Ma’am, I think you’re picking up ‘sweat’ and ‘confusion.'”) We then laid down on heated mats, nestled under blankets, while she chanted and waved incense, carefully stepping between our legs. Just as I was starting to relax, eyes closed and breathing deeply, she whacked my chest with a large, dried palm leaf.
Surprise Takeaway: Never assume you understand the definition of the word “healing.”
Surprise #2
The following weekend, my sister drove me over to Babs’ (mom’s), anticipating our “surprise early Christmas present” from Babs.
“What do you think it’ll be?” my sister asked.
“It’s either strippers or a vegan cooking class,” I replied. “Not that I’ve given this any thought. And you know what I just realized yesterday?” I paused before blurting, “Mom and Pop didn’t really do anything to celebrate me just getting the Masters. I feel like a jerk saying this, but I would have thought they’d want to go out to dinner or something...”
My sister and I were still talking about this as I opened my parents’ front door.
“SURPRISE!!!!!!!!”
I was suddenly surrounded by friends and family, champagne, and gobs of gifts.
Surprise Takeway: You are always loved so much more than you think you are.
Surprise #3
I wasn’t going to blog about this since the idea is to stay anonymous, but this was so much fun that I feel like I have to tell you to try it, too (especially if you can rope in some kiddos)…
To round out the end of 2018, I actually won money from one of the scratch-offs that my family loves to give each Christmas. Chyeahhh!
I took my big, fat $50 winnings, got a bunch of $5 bills, and then my nephew and I wrote encouraging note cards and left each $5 bill and a card all around town for people to find [in Ziploc bags lest Mother Nature not cooperate].
We’re definitely going to make it a new tradition. Here’s one of my 15-year-old nephew’s cards – can you see why I couldn’t keep this to myself?!
Surprise Takeway: It’s really, really fun to give away money, even when you’re worried about never having enough of it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Go Jules Go 
I think getting whacked in the chest with a dried palm leaf is how I’m going to start every morning to make 2019 THE YEAR.
DITTO!
*rubbing eyes* Speaker, do my chipmunk eyes deceive me?? Is that you?? Oh happy day! I would take 10,000 dried palm leaf lashings to know you’re back in the blogosphere!
I am back. My plan is to Make WordPress Great Again. I’m thinking of getting hats made up.
That is such a cool idea! It’s the little things, small acts of kindness that make a big impact. Congrats again on the degree!! You are very blessed to have a family that loves you and celebrates you. (how could they not?!)
Thank you, DP!! I felt like SUCH a turd within three seconds of walking in. I wasn’t using memoir-writer-dramatic-license above. I was feeling sorry for myself, and telling my sister all about it, ON THE WAY TO MY OWN SURPRISE PARTY (and dang she deserves an Oscar, by the way). I deserve so many palm leaf swattings…
Did you know everyone in Bend finishes workouts with palm leaf smacks? You east-coasters are SO behind the times. As for the $50 giveaway, that’s fun! Random joy in someone’s life is fun to contemplate, even if they blow that on little baggies of heroin…I mean, I’m sure it’ll get passed along waaaahaha.
I’m sorry for the delayed response. I was busy booking the fastest ticket to Bend I could find. I had no idea your heroin was so cheap.
If the bell wasn’t being answered and there was a creepy stairwell to climb in the village, I think I might have passed…:)
Do you now see the flights, er, lengths to which I will go for a potential blog post, George?!
You’re a brave soul..:)
Congratulations on your degree 🙂 And I love the $50 give away! I’m getting the tingles just imagining how (*does the math*) the ten people would have felt with the unexpected little surprise. Such a kind gesture.
Also also-did the palm leaf whacking achieve anything?
Thank you so much!!! Apparently the leaf-whacking made me want to start tossing dollar bills around town…do you think that means it worked, or that it DIDN’T work? 😉
Awesome post!!
Thank you so much!
I have lost my worry (well, 98% of it) about money. I use the Law of Attraction and always have enough money for what I need. I have just learned to spend what I need to spend and to be willing to freely give what I have (after I make certain I can do what I need to do).
Good for you,
Scott
Hi Scott! You have no idea how synchronistic and perfect both of your comments were last night. I’m right in the midst of a book called, “The 4 Spiritual Laws of Prosperity,” and the first law the author, Edwene Gaines, talks about is tithing (giving 10% of any money you receive to any source of “spiritual nourishment”).