As I sit and stare out my window and look at all the snow piling up on my driveway, I am trying to savor my memories of Miraval...my wonderful spa trip to Miraval...oh, how I loved Tucson. Please put me back on the plane to sunny Tucson…I want to go back.

Luckily, I bought a canister of the fragrant Miraval Citrus Hibiscus Tea…the tea that I sipped each evening with my lowfat dessert. Yes, the dinners were delicious and all low calorie such as, Adobe Chicken, Steak with Edamame Guacamole, Sea Bass with Sobe Noodles – the seasonings were sensational and the entrees changed every night. Desserts, on the other hand, desserts stayed the same, with one special dessert each night. My favorite dessert was the Vanilla Cheesecake with Ginger Crust and Blueberry Compote.

“How do you make this rich cheesecake so low in fat?” I asked the waitress after each night of dining, “What is the secret ingredient?” I tried to guess. By the end of my stay, after ordering my last piece of cheesecake for dessert, she finally gave in and told me the secret ingredient, “It’s tofu,” said the waitress, “There is tofu in this lowfat cheesecake.” But, she would not give me the recipe. Sooooo, I guess I will definitely have to return to Miraval again if I want to enjoy another piece of my favorite lowfat cheesecake. And I definitely do.

I’ve also been thinking about my rock climbing adventure. It was one of my challenges. There were three of us in the group. I don’t know which was more challenging, belaying my partners (I held on to the rope so tightly I thought I was going to get calluses on my fingers…I didn’t let go…not once…I was an excellent belayer) or climbing the wall. When it was my turn to climb, I strapped up my harness, put my helmet on tight, and yelled, “ready to climb.” My feet kept me going until I got halfway up the wall and then I froze.

“Keep going,” said our instructor, “you can do it…you can climb that wall.” I really wanted to make it all the way to the top, but the middle was about as far as I was going to get. I think my legs were tired from the abs class I had been to earlier in the day. And I just could not maneuver my body to the next rock or hole to hold onto.

I was proud of myself for making it halfway up the wall. Sooooo, I guess I will definitely have to return to Miraval again if I want to finish my climbing challenge. And I definitely do.

Next time I will not wimp out…yes, next time I’m going to climb all the way to the TOP! (I actually liked the climbing wall. I thought I would be more fearful of the height, but I was more focused on my legs and making sure they knew where they needed to go at each moment. I told the instructor how scared I was to face this challenge. His words rang true, “to conquer the challenge all I had to do was clearly focus and have confidence that my legs would take me up the wall…the key was to look down and rely on my legs not my arms to take me higher.”

Lastly, I’ve been pondering all I learned in Shelly Engle’s lecture on “Exploring Your Energetic Pathways.” Shelly taught me about the seven chakras in my body. She said that chakras are my seven major energy centers and each one has a different color. Each one impacts my physical and emotional well-being. For the most part, my chakras and colors are in pretty good shape…thankfully…yes, thankfully my chakras are doing pretty well.

However, one or two could use some fixing. I liked Shelly so much that I scheduled a private session with her on my last day at Miraval. I wanted to know how best to address the specific chakras that were bothersome to me. My third chakra (the yellow one) is the chakra that has been most troublesome to me with aging – it’s all about personal power, self-esteem and self-worth. Shelly says the symptoms with the third chakra manifest in digestive problems. Is my irritable bowel a result of my powerful or powerless life?

There also is the sixth chakra or should I say my ‘third eye’ that has been causing a problem of late. When the ‘third eye’ is having problems, headaches can result. And I have had bad tension headaches. So what is causing my sixth chakra or ‘third eye’ as it is called to erupt? Shelly says, “I need to look at my life clearly, without denial…that I have to be honest with what I really think…be honest with what is going on with my life and bring to life what I really want and need. And once I do know what I really want, decide how I am going to get it.” (Okay, I get it. Yes, I get it. But, I don’t like it. Wish I could wish this third eye away…or put my sixth chakra on hold for awhile and address it later…although, it would be nice to get rid of these headaches for good. Note to self: must work on third eye during second half of life…and sooner rather than later.)

I’m going to get a chakra poster and put it up at work and I think I’ll get another chakra poster for my home office (the office I’m going to create when I get rid of all my daughter’s furniture and buy all my new IKEA furniture…some time in the future.)
I want all my seven chakras to be in unison during my 50+ years.

Chakras are the colors of the rainbow…and I definitely need and want lots of rainbows in my life. What’s that song about rainbows. Ah yes, it’s from the Wizard of Oz. The movie I hated when I was a kid, the movie that had the scary wicked witch, the witch that likely scared my chakras when I was six or seven and one of the reasons I have problems with certain chakras in my adult life. At least the wicked witch movie had a nice rainbow song. How does that song go…

Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
There’s a land that I’ve heard of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true

Some day I’ll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That’s where you’ll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can’t I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why oh why can’t I?

Judi