“All of the above…since sometimes tiny little tastes of experiences are what I can handle in the moment and they are simply samples of what might be waiting just ’round the bend and at other times, I slurp the juice out of what is presented to me, not missing a drop.” 

There was a time in my life when I felt timid, wondering whether I had the right to experience all the magnificence life was offering me. I drank the ‘juice’ with an itsy bitsy straw. Not sure where the idea came from that I had to earn what was mine by birth…joy, connection, love and peace of mind, since my family of origin offered all of those things. Somehow I had internalized the belief that if I wanted to keep all that stuff flowing, I had better ‘be a good girl’ and follow the rules. I didn’t want to risk losing it. So I found myself, or perhaps, lost myself in living as if that erroneous vision was the truth.  I did things quickly, slept little, not wanting to lose out on any opportunity to absorb approval and validation. I was like the little kid who didn’t want to take a nap, so she didn’t miss the fun. I became a sensation junkie…going for the highest bliss; attending all kinds of energy workshops from Reiki and IET, to Tantra, Thai Massage and Reconnective Healing.  Not there’s anything wrong with that, but I rarely gave myself a chance to absorb and integrate the experiences before moving on to the next, so I noticed sensory overload and felt as if my circuits were fried. It took awhile to recover and for many years, my friend Amy would describe me as “running around with your hair on fire.”  I gulped the ‘juice’, not truly appreciating it, craving more, since I was insatiable. How can you enjoy something if you don’t really taste it fully?

In the past year, since my Mom was placed on hospice and passed in November, I have slowed my pace considerably. Despite being called on to get more details of my life and the remnants of hers accomplished, I have been able to do more in less time and be in veg mode more often.  Less the social butterfly and more in ‘monk mode’; solitary time, immersed in my writing.  That too is bliss. That too is infinitely juicy since it has allowed me to explore my emotional landscape that all that running about at such a speed had prevented me from doing. I now savor the juice, taking breaths in between slurps….ahhhh….

A few years ago, while attending a conference in Santa Fe, I met a woman named Rhea Goodman who has a radio show called Living Juicy  www.livingjuicy.org   She is the embodiment of a Bliss Mistress, since it is apparent that she experiences life full out.

One of my role models for juicy living is the inimitable SARK (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy) www.planetsark.com  who experiences technocolor days regardless of circumstances.

And then there is Loretta LaRoche who I think of as the Humor Queen who offers people an alternative to stressful living through seeing the absurd in otherwise challenging circumstances. Her video entitled Juicy Living, Juicy Aging will tickle your fancy…or whatever else you have in mind.