I got this off  of a site I belong to and it hit a deep chord. I wanted to share it:

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:

I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whom-ever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.

"Well, Tom , it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's' "dance recital" he continued. "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities."

And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years. "Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom , I'm getting to the important part.

It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays." "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear."

"Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities
straight."

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."

"It was nice to meet you Tom , I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 year old man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"

You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles...

A friend sent this to me, so I to you, my friend.

Ame

There is something so.......freeing....so....full of possibilies...about having a full tank of gas. I could just up and go on an adventure if I were so inclined. *smiles* Head for lands unknown....meeting new friends, discovering new things...oh...I DO like that idea. Too bad I have to go to work on Monday. *sighs* Perhaps, one day I will just pack everything up on a whim {now don't laugh, those of you who know me and my proclivity for erm..."Stuff"....it COULD happen....with ...enough notice...*giggles*}

It is a lovely evening out! I have my windows open and it is actually.......almost.......... cool {ish}. I DO love this time of year!

 Well, almost anyway...wish*full thinking!

Brightest Blessings,
ame

I finally fell into to bed at 2 am and all the while my thoughts chased around my brain like a dog chasing her tail. After a few hours of sleep, the train of thought continues, which leads me to believe that I am on the the verge of another mile post on my journey.

Having pondered the questions of my blog early this morning, I have come to a couple of conclusions. No matter who I am with, on-line or in person…I am pretty much the same. A lot of people I know have a "work" persona and a different persona when on their own time. It amazes me how different they are. The same with some people I have met after knowing them on line. Two entirely different people...night and day. I am the same at work, on line or in any other situation. I am a bit more professional at work, but I am essentially the same.

I came to the conclusion a long time ago, that I am a non-conformist. I never fit my family's idea of who or what I should be. {I refer to my mama calling me her "special" child, because I was so different from other kids my age!}

This point was brought home to me not too long ago, as I decided to re-read a book my sister gave me on my 40th birthday. It is called "Dealing with Dragons" and it is actually a young adult book.

It concerns a Princess who is not typical. She does not look like a "proper" princess, she is pretty yes, but has almost black hair and is very tall. (In this book, proper princesses have golden hair and are small and delicate!) She wants to learn magic, fencing, cooking and Latin, things no self-respecting "proper" princess would want to learn. She doesn't want to marry a prince just because it is "proper" so she runs away!

She voluntarily becomes a Dragon's Princess and actually saves the day during the course of the book.(Most princesses are caught by dragons and forced to be their princesses until a knight or prince rescues them as is proper!) Not Cimorene, she does not want to be rescued. She does her own thing, so to speak.

The point of this all thing is my sister wrote a note in my book that says:

To my Kimmie, who is so like Princess Cimorene!

She couldn't have paid me a nicer compliment!

Love and Brightest of Blessings from your not so proper
Amethyst

I'm Amethyst, a 47 year old, happy, healthy BBW who lives in Las Vegas.  I am 5'8" tall, Rubenesque and loving it, I have short black hair, two different coloured eyes{One brown and one green} and have been told I have a beautiful smile. I was born and raised in S.California and moved here 20 years again for the 3rd time. How I ended up here in the high desert, when I am a double double water sign (Pisces with a Cancer moon) is so beyond me! *smiles*

Actually, I know I was drawn here to Vegas for a reason. I have gone through what I was meant to go through(which is another story for another day) and now I am waiting not so patiently for my next epiphany as to where I need to be for the next leg of my journey. Until I hear, "Move here!!Move here!! You need to be here now", I will stay here. I do have options, my bestest friend lives in Virginia and is waiting for me to move there; I have a friend up in Oregon who would love for me to move up there with her; and I have yet another friend who will be transferred soon to a new state for his job, which provides me another possible option. As of now, though, nothing has jumped out at me say "HERE...HERE...HERE!!! " So I try, oh so patiently to wait it out. ( patience is NOT one of my strong points)

As for who I am, I am a womanchild who is on this most wondrous journey. It has been an adventure the likes of which I would never have dreamed of 12 years ago. I am loving, kind, often fragile, loyal and funny. I am childlike, fun~loving, trusting and free with my affection. I am a dreamer, a believer in magic and the healing power of love, touch and nature. I am a water baby and a tree hugger and an explorer. I love the sound of leaves rustling in the wind and waves breaking on the shore. I am a star gazer and love to lay on my back in the mountains and be dazzled by the star strewn sky. 

I am a tactile person...I love the feel of rough bark on trees when I hug them and the smooth velvety softness of grass when I lie on the earth to ground myself...I love the feel of cool dirt and mud between my toes and the feel of rain upon my skin. I love the caress of a cool breeze through my hair and the warmth of  the new spring sun as it envelopes me. I love to play in the rain, jump in puddles and raise my arms to the sky as I invite the rain to bless and invigorate me. I crave the touch of loved ones as we hug and cuddle and play.

I am a builder of  forts with blankets and card tables. I move to my own rhythm and the music in my head, my heart and my soul. I am a writer, sometimes a poet and a lover of life. I am a goddess, I am a little girl, I am a lady, I am a wench, I am a woman. I am 90% angel (at times) and 90% naughty at others.

I am at times lazy, messy and a procrastinator. I can be moody, somewhat bratty and at odd times, selfish.

I am just me.  I like who I am and who I am becoming. I look back and smile in amazement at how far I have come, from the shy, quiet, withdrawn mouse that I was 12 years ago. I cherish  the joy of the journey. I have no idea where the journey will end, it is not that important to me. It is the journey itself that makes my heart sing.

Bright Blessings,
Ame

I have my windows open and my air conditioner off! It is 73 degrees and smells like rain! Ohhhhhhhhh...autumn is here....*smiles happily*

Now I begin to come out of my summer hibernation. Life...energy... is creeping back in...I LOVE this time of year!

Brightest Blessings!
ame

HUZZAH! It s September....Autumn as far as I am concerned, although the heat continues. It is not as bad as it has been and I am looking forward to the cooler mornings and evenings as we head into my favourite season.

My Ent returned home and we spent this past weekend together. I have missed him so much and our time together was short. He will be transferred to another base in the next month or so and will probably be even farther away from me than he is now.

Two weeks ago I attended another SL party and saw some of my favourite online family again.  Spent time with two very dear friends(Crowe and Uncle David), playing tourist as we visited The Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton {we had our picture taken on the Bridge of the Enterprise...what a treat that was...I kept expecting Captain Picard or Commander Riker to beam in and take us on an adventure} and Caesars Palace via the Bellagio. Uncle David and I danced the night away at the dinner dance and I had my first Cosmopolitan (it was yummy). I played with some of my favourite Toppie type people and didn't get to play with others who were high on my list as time just flew by. I love my SL family dearly and am closer to my "uncles" and "cousins" there than I have ever been to my real life uncles or cousins(Whom I have not seen or talked with for over 30 years).

I have found myself getting restless and anxious again, I can't quite put my finger on why, but it is driving me crazy. I know that I am in need of change...on many levels{The changes going on inside are constant now...and I embrace them with my whole self!}... but I have no idea what else I want or need to do as yet.

Tomorrow I am getting up early and going to my park....feed the ducks and swans, hug some of my favourite trees and mediatate on what is going on deep inside myself. Then some time at my library, perhaps a nap and a nice dinner.  Isn't it horrible how QUICKLY vacations whoooooooooooosh by? I intend to enjoy the last three days of my time so I can go back to work(UGH) relaxed and refreshed.(Hopefully)

Love, Light and Laughter,
Ame

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Happy Friday!

My goodness....for such L-O-N-G and uncomfortably HOT summer it seems to be passing quickly...such a paradox! I can' believe it has been weeks since my last entry. My sense of time is very messed up as I try to wait for patiently for my Ent to return home.

Last Friday, I had the honour and privilege of meeting one of my very favourite authors! Laurell K. Hamilton  came to my Library for a Q & A and book signing. I was thrilled to see her, having just bought the latest in her Anita Blake series.(number14 and counting) Being who I am, I vacillated between just sitting back and enjoying her or gathering up my courage in both hands and asking for autograph.It is funny this was even a consideration, as I am not an autograph hound. I get so very shy and tongue tied around celebrities it is a wonder I survived working the Star Trek Conventions for as many years as I did.

She was so funny to listen to as she jumped right in to the Q & A. Her husband Jonathan was there on stage with her and they played off of each other so wonderfully well. I enjoyed him as much as I enjoyed her! Yes, I did get her autograph and even more surprising, I got my picture taken with her! Now THAT was an amazing thing. (When I was married, Michael and I went to Disneyland.  Being the ardent admirer and great fan of Winnie the Pooh that I am...*no comments from the peanut gallery*...Michael decided I needed my picture taken with  Pooh bear...I demurred...arduously...didn't want to bother the Bear...he was busy...he wouldn't want to have his picture taken with me....etc...Michael cajoled, dragged and threatened me until I reluctantly consented.) *sighs* So you can  see that if I was THAT reluctant with Pooh Bear...how very difficult it was to ask...yes I ASKED...to have a picture with Laurell...well, it wasn't so much that I asked as that she saw my camera, looked at me with an unspoken question(as in, "would you like us to have a picture taken together") and I nodded with a very shy smile and question back (as in, "if it is not too much of an imposition, I know you are busy...would you mind?"...etc)

She was very gracious and kind and funny and wonderful and I was very proud of myself for pushing outside of my comfort zone.

In any event...it was a great night...full of surprises and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to experience it all.

Once again...Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend. Be sure to do at least one nice thing for yourself this weekend. You deserve it!

Love, Light, and Laughter,
Ame

Happy Friday!!! Have a wonderful weekend and be sure to do at least one thing that brings you joy!

Love, Light, and Laughter,
ame