Living the Dream

If someone had asked me 10 years ago (when I was a sophomore in High School) what I wanted to be doing at this point in my life, I would have told them I wanted to be in Disney.  I’ve always loved Disney.  I was raised on the movies, visited Walt Disney World for the first time when I was 7 years old, and had always spent my daydreaming time wishing I was back in that magical place where anything was possible and the fun never stopped.  In high school I would spend my time copying drawings of Disney characters, hoping to someday be a Disney animator.  I followed that dream to an art college, where life led me to film instead of animation after I realized that drawing was not my passion.  I still never lost my love for Disney, in fact it only got stronger, and I ventured down to Florida to take part in the College Program in 2005.  While it wasn’t exactly the dream experience I had hoped it would be, it still didn’t dampen my love for everything Disney stands for in my eyes.  

After graduating college, I looked for work in NYC as a film editor for a year with no results.  Realizing that the film industry without Disney was not somewhere I wanted to be, I changed directions.  In fact I made a 180 degree turn as I enrolled in Massage Therapy school.  I figured that while I was figuring out my next step that this would pay the bills.  Instead, it turned into my golden ticket.  I got jobs at local spas and soon realized that I could do this job anywhere.  Anywhere including Disney World.  I had never been attached to New Jersey, where I grew up, at all, and I realized that this was my chance to go for it and live my dream.  I saved up, made my plans, and put all my ducks (a whole lot of ducks) in a row over this past year.  Two weeks ago I moved to an apartment right next door to the Walt Disney World Resort property, and one week after that, secured a massage therapy job in one of the Disney Resorts.  

I hadn’t realized how much I wanted this until I arrived and saw for myself just how well this life fits me.  The weather, the people, the local sights, and of course Disney being right next door all make this my own personal paradise.  I find myself awe-struck at least once a day at the sight of the clouds here; the skies seem to go on forever like giant abstract finger paintings.  Even the monster rainstorms have been a source of amusement for me.  Being used to the way it rains in New Jersey (the skies stay gray for a week and it drizzles depression the entire time) I have been reveling in the huge rainstorms that come and go so quickly.  And while it’s not always rainbows and sunshine (yesterday I killed my first cockroach with a now forever-bent Swiffer), I have been counting my blessings every day since I arrived.  Not only am I close to “Mecca”, but this is also my first apartment; I have been adjusting to the solitary life quite well.  To my great frustration, I have not gone to the parks yet; I’m waiting until I get my Cast Member ID access card (and getting mighty antsy).  Tomorrow is the big day when I officially become a Disney Cast member (again) and really begin my adventure.  For now, I’ve been relaxing and enjoying a short vacation from life.  

Just this morning, I lay swaying in a hammock on the sandy shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon.  A few joyful tears filled my eyes as I surveyed the scene before me.  There were kids playing in the cool sand as quiet waves lapped against the shore.  To my right, far off in the distance, the Magic Kingdom train whistle blew, just barely audible below the sound of the ferryboat arriving at the Polynesian Resort’s dock.  I stared up at the leaves of the palm trees holding me up, rocking back and forth in the tropical breeze, and I let those tears fall.  Because this is it.  This is the dream that I’ve worked toward for the past 10 years.   

I live three miles from Disney World, and for the first time in my life, I am home.

Dear Blog

Dear Blog,
I have not abandoned you, even though you may feel that way as you wipe off the cobwebs and sulk in your corner.  I'm moving, so writing has been halted until I know which way is up and where I live again.  You'll be fine, there's leftover ham in the fridge.  Use coasters.

Love,
Me

A freewriting exercise - Write about a place you've been

As I mentioned in my last post, I have started a 40 day writing exercise.  I felt today's 10 minute writing sprint was good enough to post. 

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When I visited Ireland the first time, it was with my parents.  It was the first time I had been overseas and I wasn’t disappointed.  There was so much there that was different than being home in the US.  Besides the cars being on the wrong side of the street and the other obvious differences, it was the little things that really drew my attention.  Like the fact that not everyone has a phone or a shower there, or a computer for that matter.  I’m sure it’s a bit different with the computers now that it’s over a decade later, but there is still an underlying difference in the way we do things.  The people are so much calmer there, and the lifestyles are so much slower.  It’s as if Americans have forgotten how to just slow down and enjoy their day.  I think people here feel that if they’re not cramming something important or worthwhile into every minute of their day then they’re not working hard enough or wasting time.  Where is the time to smell the roses, to stare at a tree or squirrel in your backyard, to feel the morning sun on your face without having a car pass by and ruin the moment?  

 I enjoyed the people in Ireland very much because they seemed to enjoy themselves.  Not every minute has to be packed with either work or entertainment; there can be a middle ground.  There can be the nothingness in between work and play that puts everything into perspective.  Not having a shower means nothing to some people there.  “It would be wonderful to have one” they say, but it’s not imperative and they go on with their lives without dwelling on it or making a fuss.  I think we could stand to do without some things here in America.  I don’t think the children of today realize just how much they have going for them; then again I’m sure every generation says that about the one after them.  So much technology pervades every part of our day; every ounce of our energy goes into either maintaining the gadgets we have or seeking out the ones we want.  People seem to have forgotten that there was a time when no phones or computers or internet existed, and that the people back then seemed to have been happier with their lives overall.  Maybe they made more time for family, or play, or to simply sit and talk.  How many people these days sit and have one on one conversations anymore?  They either get interrupted by texts or calls, or get bored and do something else, like watch Youtube videos.  It’s sad really, that so few people actually talk to one another that grammar is at an all time low and everyone with a camera thinks they’re a filmmaker, everyone with a keyboard thinks they’re William Shakespeare, and no one can tell the difference.  

 If there’s one thing I took away from visiting Ireland, it’s that we need to keep a part of every day free to just enjoy life.  Stop working, look up from the screen of whatever you’re glued to, and just look around.  People watch, feel the air, take in your surroundings, and if you don’t like them go somewhere else.  There is so much out there that you can miss if you’re looking down at a screen all day.  Look up.

40 Days to more imaginative writing

I just completed Day 1 of a 40 day exercise designed to help you be a more creative writer.  It took me long enough to start it, which annoys me because that seems to be my biggest hurdle right now.  Just being afraid to start.  When I write a blog post, or even think about writing one, I worry about the fact that I don't have a topic to expound on or that what I write will not be interesting.  I need to learn to silence that inner critic, because all it does is stop me from trying or even just playing.  I realized while doing this first exercise that I have not written fiction in years.  I have a notebook full of one page blurbs of ideas, dreams, thoughts, even possible topics for a stand up routine, but none of it has ever been put to use.  I think that should stop soon.  I will go back to that notebook and mine for any nuggets of gold that may have been laid there after waking from an odd dream or having a strange idea pop into my head while doing a massage.  Just starting is the hardest part.  And now that I've started this exercise, it will help me to at least write a little every day.  In fact, just writing for the ten minutes of the exercise made me want to write more, and here I am posting.  So it already has had some good effects. 

I just got back from a week in Orlando with my mother looking for apartments and jobs.  I found a wonderful apartment complex that I'm thrilled about and I can't wait to move in.  The catch 22 that I was caught in; needing a job to be approved for an apartment and needing to live in Orlando before I could interview for jobs, has been solved by my parents signing off for me on the apartment.  We saw some beautiful spas and resorts that I will definitely be applying to, and the area I will be living in could not be nicer.  The apartment is on a quiet, tree-surrounded street free of tourist cars, in literally the backyard of Disney World.  I will be able to see (or at least hear) the fireworks every night. *sigh*  It's finally happening.  My near-lifelong dream of living in Orlando is almost ready to happen.  Every day I lose a little bit more fear of the unknown, and gain a bit more confidence about my ability to make this work.  The next dream after I'm all settled there will be to become fully self-employed; to not work under anyone but myself.  I think it could happen eventually, but I'm hoping sooner than later.  I have to be realistic though; I don't expect to be a booming pet sitting business by the end of one year, and I don't expect to have a novel published in 2 years.  But I do know that when the time is right and I have worked as hard as I can without backing down, then what I want out of life will happen for me. 

Perhaps the thing I have needed all this time was not something to write about, but to give myself permission to write, no matter the subject matter.  That, too, is starting to happen.
Life is good.  Here's to change. Salut!

My Top 10 Pet Peeves in Massage Therapy

Like every job, massage therapy has its good points and its bad points.  It’s a wonderful way to make people feel better when they’re in pain, it’s a physical job that keeps me active, and sometimes you even get to meet interesting people when the odd client feels like striking up a conversation.  The good list goes on from there, but today I want to talk about some of the less than perfect things.  These are not complaints, but observations about the day to day occurrences in the world of massage therapy.  Sometimes they can really get to you, and other times you just have to laugh and go on with your day.  So here, now, are my Top Ten Pet Peeves as a Massage Therapist.

10- Are we there yet?

It’s almost inevitable.  You’ve started a wonderful massage, your client is most likely asleep, you have a good flow going, the lights are very low, and suddenly it hits you.  YOU’RE BORED.  You can’t talk or hum or go and do something interesting or even focus on something to ponder on in the room because it’s so dark.  All you can do is continue with your massage, which you can do with your eyes closed if you have to (we were trained that way).  You start to understand why the military punishes soldiers with solitary confinement, without even a rubix cube or magazine to pass the time sanely.  It’s unsettling sometimes to be in a dark room, doing a repetitive motion, not being able to make a sound, listening to music you’ve heard hundreds of times before, and having to deal with whatever thoughts pop into your mind at that moment.  If it’s funny, you can sometimes hurt yourself trying not to audibly laugh.  If it’s sad, you hope that your client is face down in case that stray tear should fall and they choose to open their eyes at that moment.  If it’s philosophical, then sometimes one internal question can be enough to keep your mind busy for the entire hour.  But sometimes… sometimes every second feels like a minute and every breath your client takes seems to last forever.  All you can do is wait it out.

9- I have been in this room for EVER

It doesn’t happen very often where I’m working now, but I used to have to do two hour massages more often and they were HELL.  I can’t explain why, but doing 3 one hour massages in a row is easier than doing a two hour long massage.  We therapists get used to a flow, a pattern, a certain schedule in massages and when you are suddenly asked to slow that down and double the length of the session, it drags and you get tired.  Throw in the aforementioned boredom factor and it feels like you’ve been working for days by the end of one of these bad boys.

8- If I hear that “Ohm” Lady ONE MORE TIME…

I like relaxing music.  I like New Age.  And I love classical.  In moderation.  I’m not one of those people that can tune out music until they can’t even hear it anymore.  If there’s music playing, I’m listening, often even studying it.  Hearing the same music every day, even if it’s on Shuffle can get exasperating sometimes.  To be fair, it doesn’t bother me as much now as it used to; perhaps I have learned to tune it out somewhat.  But then there’s always those few tracks that drive me bonkers for whatever reason and when they come on, I can suddenly focus on nothing else.  Suddenly I miss my days of working in the Disney Store…

7- Is it just me or is it hot in here?

It gets ridiculously hot in massage rooms.  In the winter it’s because the heat is on and being pumped into a room where it has nowhere to go.  In the summer, the AC can’t get into the rooms enough.  Add a near-boiling pot for hot stones, a table heater, and start actually doing the massage and it starts to feel like a sauna sometimes.  There are always the fans, but they can be pretty loud and annoying to clients.  If I start out a session without the fan on, turning it on during the massage makes the client doubly aware of the fan noise and they won’t fully relax.  Thank God for deodorant!

6- Stop moving and let me rub you!

“Helpers”: These are clients that feel like they need to help me do my massage.  When I tuck the sheet, they lift their leg, undoing what I just did and making it impossible to tuck the sheet. (You can’t tuck under something floating free in space).   When you massage their hands, they stick their fingers straight out, the opposite of being relaxed.  Another form of helpers are the people who think that every touch you make is a silent request for them to move a body part or do something for you.  When you start to gently move their arm, they whack you in the chest with it.  When you touch their neck, they fling it side to side or lift it up.  When someone is on my table, I don’t want them to do anything but relax and fall asleep.  If I need something, I will ask them.  I know the “helpers” are just trying to help, but it throws off my groove.  When someone won’t relax, it makes me feel like I’m not doing a good job.

5- Stop staring at me

Speaking of clients that won’t relax, every once in a while I’ll get a client that keeps their eyes open during the entire massage.  This drives me NUTS and it’s uber awkward.  If a client’s eyes are closed I can look at their face every once in a while to check if the pressure is ok by their expression or to see if they’re fully asleep.  When you look over and find that the client has their eyes wide open and are staring at the ceiling, or even worse, YOU, suddenly you’re wondering if they’re uncomfortable and why in God’s name they have to stare at you when you are rubbing them.  AWKWARD.  These people I just plain don’t understand.  If you’re that uncomfortable getting a massage, you shouldn’t be getting one.  If you are relaxed, then close your eyes.  Seriously.

4- Dude, you smell

Smelly people.  My least favorites are cigarette smoke and straight up B.O.  You are coming in to have someone massage 85% of your naked body.  TAKE A SHOWER AND LAY OFF THE CIGS.  You’re gross.  I don’t want to touch you, and I have to stop breathing when I get to your smoke filled hair or toxic feet.  ‘Nuff said.

3- Where’s the other half of my tip?

I will admit that before I became a massage therapist I never realized that people that normally get tips in their jobs are usually depending on them.  Now I know.  And now so do you.  The recommended tipping amounts are always posted.  Bad tippers never get the gold star for favorite client.  People who give no tip immediately go on the shit list.  Don’t let this be you.  “Tip well and often” is my newfound pearl of wisdom.

2- You made an appointment for a reason

Late people and no shows.  There’s no excuse.  I know people run late sometimes and that’s fine.  But to show up 10 or 15 minutes late for your appointment throws off my entire day sometimes.  If you’re that late, I usually don’t even want to work on you anymore, so sometimes it often affects what kind of massage you get. (Although I try not to let that happen)  And if you don’t even bother to show up or call, then there’s really no excuse.  You were called yesterday.  Now I don’t get paid and you don’t even care.  

1- Who do you think you are?

Nothing bothers me more than rude or bitchy clients.  There’s absolutely no reason for it, and I can usually tell that a person is going to be a problem after one sentence.  Maybe some people are rude to service personnel because it makes them feel superior.  Maybe they just feel like taking their miserableness out on someone else.  Maybe they’re just assholes.  None of these are good excuses.  I don’t want to work on you.  I don’t want to talk to you.  I don’t even want your money, but now that you’ve put me through that you’d better be ready to pay.  Nothing ruins my day like a bitchy client.

It probably sounds by now like I hate my job.  I don’t.  I love my coworkers and the job I do.  Every job has its downsides, and I try to laugh at it as much as possible. Yes, things will get to me every once in a while, but then a sweet client will come in or I’ll be able to help someone in pain and their thanks remind me of why I like my job.