Today is Monday. And I am pooped! I am taking it easy today and recovering from one of the most action-packed weekends I can remember. Saturday was spent touring embassies during the annual Passport DC event. Eric and I walked to (and through) and embassies of Mexico, Ecuador, Congo, Kazakhstan, The Philippines, Peru, and Botswana. And then we ran out of steam and walked home. I am still sore.
Yesterday was spent the Wonderland Ballroom's annual Sundress Fest. Eric and I were there from 12 PM until 7 PM. We ate brunch, drank beer, sang karaoke, and participated in a beauty pageant (ok, so Eric didn't do the last four things on that list, but I did). I love the Wonderland Ballroom, I love my neighborhood, and I love that all of my DC friends live here. It's the most I've ever felt like part of a real community. We had a fabulous day!
Oh, but I am sore and exhausted today. So I'm just going to tell a quick story about my chocolate-and-tea tour of DC on Friday. Last week was rainy, dark, and gloomy. It rained all day last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So Friday was the first time I had ventured out in days. I was craving chocolate-covered strawberries, so I got up in the morning, got dressed, and took the bus all the way down 16th Street to M Street. I was looking for the Edible Arrangements store. I was sure that they would have chocolate-covered strawberries. But they didn't have any ready for spontaneous purchase (the only make them once they've been ordered).
So I thought I would just keep strolling down M Street and tour the neighborhood. I came to Connecticut Ave. and found the Godiva store. Oh, sweet mercy! They were hand-dipping their chocolate-covered strawberries when I walked in. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be ready to sell for another 30 minutes. But that was for the best, because, at $42 per box (each box containing just 6 strawberries), they were seriously out of my prince-range. But, oh, it was a joy to simply stroll through the Godiva store.
I crossed Connecticut Ave. and found another treasure - a store called Chocolate Chocolate. I couldn't believe my luck. I couldn't believe that I had stumbled upon two different chocolate shops on the same block! This place was beautiful, and a free sample of the toffee-bacon chocolate sent me to another universe! Here's a peak at their selection.
But as I wasn't actually hungry at the moment, I got away without spending any money. But one need not spend any money to have fun at the chocolate store. One need only the joy of the sights and smells to feel fulfilled (and a free sample helps, too).
I walked north along Connecticut Ave. and stopped in Dupont Circle to read a newspaper near the fountain. I got up after 20 minutes and kept walking north until I ran into Capital Teas. My friend Laura had told me how amazing this shop was, so I stepped in to have a look.
This place was even cooler than I had imaged. There were 50 different tea selections all along the wall, all available for smelling. Above the teas was a sign that said, "Stop and smell the teas." And that's exactly what I did. Because it was only noon on a Friday, there weren't many customers at that moment, so the store manager personally described each and every tea for me. He took each jar off of the wall, one at a time, let me smell it, and described the origin of the tea, it's health benefits, and how much caffeine it contained. Talk about customer service!
In the end, I bought a 4 oz. container of the chocolate mint tea. It's so yummy! It tastes like a Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie!!! I thanked the manager for teaching me so much about tea. I left the shop and kept walking north until I made it home.
When I got home, I did something silly. I watched the movie The Secret on Netflix. I know, I know, it's hoaky and silly, but I kinda needed it at that moment. I had been experiencing inexplicable and unnecessary anxiety lately. I was feeling nervous for no good reason whatsoever! And I couldn't shake it. It was the reason why I had had no appetite in the chocolate shops. I just felt nervous.
So I watched The Secret to remind myself about some basic principles that I had forgotten. I needed to be reminded that my thoughts create my reality. I needed to be reminded that what I focus on expands, so I better return to focusing on what do I want (peace, calmness, contentment), rather than focusing on what I don't want (anxiety, stress, nervousness). The movie reminded me to focus on contentment, and it also made me realize that I want to make a visualization board. I see things in newspapers and magazines all of the time that inspire me and give me ideas. But then I recycle the newspaper and forgot about the idea. So I'm going to start cutting out articles and pictures that give me ideas, and I'm going to glue them on cardboard and make visualization boards. Yay!
But here's the moment that I became a firm believer in the laws of intention, attraction, and visualization.
On Saturday night, Eric and I drove out to Gaithersburg to pick-up his coffee machine that he was having serviced. On the way back, we drove down Connecticut Ave. (wow, that street keeps coming back into my stories) through the neighborhood of Chevy Chase. We passed by a video store called Potomac Video. I had read online recently that this video store was going out of business, so they were selling all of their inventory.
Back-up for a minute. Remember how I'd been watching all of those Steve Jobs documentaries and movies on Netflix recently? Well, Eric reminded me about a made-for-TV movie called Pirates of Silicon Valley, that came out in 1999, starring Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs and Anthony Michael Hall as Bill Gates.
So I really wanted to watch this movie! But we couldn't find anywhere to order it online! It's not on Netflix, not on iTunes, and we couldn't even buy it from Amazon! I could just watch a couple of clips from YouTube. But I really wanted to see that movie again!!!
So as Eric and I were roaming around Potomac Video, we thought about how cool it would be to find Pirates of Silicon Valley in that store. We couldn't find the DVD in the drama section, but Eric found a wall of random VHS tapes. I thought I would use this moment to test out "the secret". I said to the universe, "If you present to me the movie Pirates of Silicon Valley, then I will 100% believe in the law of attraction, and I will never doubt the universe again."
And in less than five minutes after uttering that prayer, I found a VHS copy of Pirates of Silicon Valley! I screamed!!! I couldn't believe it had worked! I asked the universe for something very specific, and I got back something VERY SPECIFIC! I literally screamed when I saw it! I was in shock, but in euphoric shock. I knew it had worked. And I knew that I could use this law of attraction to bring into my life every hope, desire, and dream that I could imagine.
And you know what? I haven't felt a ting of anxiety since.
It works. Say what you want. Say it out-loud. Feel the feeling of what it would be like to have that thing. Focus on what you want, not what you don't want. I asked for a movie. And I got it. I asked for contentment and peace. And I got it. I am now asking the universe to make me a full-time (and published) writer. I'll let you know what happens next.
Have a great night, my friends. And don't be afraid to ask for exactly what you want. The universe will provide!
Peace and happiness to all of you!
~Leila
P.S. Don't forgot to re-live all of your favorite moments of the Sherman House Webisodes at www.shwebisodes.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment