Delmio.com » The Secret

Cinderella

Dave — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:31:27 +0000

“In silence, Love found them.”

Those of you, parents and grandparents, may remember being enchanted as youngsters by Disney’s animated “Cinderella” – all right, boys maybe not so much. The story is familiar. Downtrodden maiden meets charming prince, he falls for her, she flees the scene as the clock strikes 12. He sets out to find her.

Heard it all before? Probably not as told by Cynthia Rylant, and probably not with the exquisite renderings of artist Mary Blair, who created the vision for Walt Disney’s Cinderella.

Even the cover suggests something a little different is afoot. A tiny dot of an eye and puff of blush on a maiden’s face suggest a hurried, harried state as curtains billow in her wake.

Rylant is a gifted and prolific storyteller, whose words are crafted with economy and intelligence. Come see for yourself.

Click here to discover more about the author and Cinderella

The Secret – Forget sickness for health

DelMio Editor — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:12:30 +0000

My mom went to the neurologist today. He confirmed she has mild to moderate dementia, something our family doctor suspected after a round of tests in early July.In “The Secret to Health,” Byrne says when we listen to people talk about their illness, we are “asking for it” and will only draw illness to ourselves. We’re to change the conversation to “good things.”I wonder what my mom would think if I changed the subject on her. I think I might try it. She probably won’t be offended, unless I tell her I’m changing the subject to protect myself from future illness. That sounds a little callous.Today also made me wonder why more medical professionals aren’t seriously ill. Don’t they give their focus to other peoples’ illnesses all day?In other news, the universe (or FedEx) delivered my new laptop. It’s great.

I have an odd sense of calm about coming up with the money to pay for it. Since I’m not supposed to focus on my lack of wealth, I’m not. It feels great to not worry, but I don’t know if I’ll be singing the same tune when my bills (I mean checks) arrive in the mailbox later this month.

The Secret – My Secret Shifter

DelMio Editor — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:11:29 +0000

While I was heading to work this morning, something very odd showed up on my face – a big grin.I was surprised to find it because it’s been a trying week to say the least. But I realized there was a reason for my lightened mood. It was the song I had on in the car, The Beatles’ “Getting Better” from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.“I’ve got to admit it’s getting better, a little better all the time.”Listening to Paul McCartney repeat that line in the refrain filled me with optimism. I started singing along in my car. I got weird looks at a red light. I absolutely didn’t care, though - that guy in the truck next to me had no idea what I was on to.

In fact, I have the same dopey grin on right now just thinking about it.

The Secret says if we can keep ourselves on a positive frequency, we leave ourselves more open to positive events in our lives. “Secret Shifters” are the little things that always make us smile. They’re what you go to when you need to put yourself back on a positive frequency. Looks like this song is my new Secret Shifter.

So, I have to admit it’s getting better. If I don’t, do I really stand a chance at seeing things improve?

If you have a Secret Shifter you’d like to share, leave me a comment!

The Secret – Meet the laws of nature

DelMio Editor — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:10:30 +0000

While clearing out some flowerbeds over the weekend, I came across something I never realized grew in the suburbs: poison ivy.Having spent my whole life in a rural area, I thought poison ivy only showed up in the woods. Who knew it could crash through the city limits? Apparently, I’m pretty naive.(I was working at the house I’m going to move into this fall after my dad and brother are done working their remodeling magic, but that’s another story.)Anyway, I had a nasty poison ivy outbreak in the spring and wasn’t about to have another one. Since it was growing in the exact spot where I had hoped to kneel down, I had no choice but to confront it.

I put on my gardening gloves, grabbed my little shovel, and popped each plant out of the ground. Then I saw the hives forming on my arm.

“Oh gosh. Here we go again,” I thought, recalling the tell-tale hives from my previous poison ivy encounter.

Then I remembered I’m supposed to be living by The Secret, so I changed my thinking.

“Perfect skin, flawless skin,” I repeated to myself.

I also went in the house after I was done and washed my arms with dish soap, but I’m not sure whether it helped, since I used the dish soap method the first time I ended up with poison ivy.

Now, I’m happy to report the hives went away, and I have no poison ivy. I’m no doctor, so the law of attraction is the only explanation I have for this one.

I’m chalking it up in my “win” column next to the miraculous weather change for my sister’s wedding.

The Secret – This is getting tough

DelMio Editor — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:09:12 +0000

The book doesn’t explain how to deal with this.I’m taking care of my family’s golden retriever, Marmie (who, interestingly enough, is Beckham’s sister), while my parents are out of town this week.Marmie’s been acting mopey and lethargic, but I thought it was doggie depression. She usually spends all day, every day, with my mom.Yes, I thought it was weird a 2-year-old dog didn’t feel like playing fetch Sunday, but she didn’t feel like eating either, so I let it slide. I even called my dad earlier today to see what he thought.

“She just misses us,” he said.

Turns out we were wrong.

Marmie and I were cuddling on the floor, watching TV around 7 p.m., when I noticed a wet spot on the fluffy fur on her back near the top of her hind leg.

It was blood.

A gushing volcano of dog blood, oozing from beneath her long hair, to be exact.

I ran next door and recruited my neighbor Margie for help. She’s a retired nurse who isn’t squeamish like some of us.

Margie used dish towels to sop up Marmie’s blood (can you keep the names straight?).

I made a flurry of frantic calls to: my parents (who didn’t answer), the vet (who sounded irked), and my big brother (who missed my first call, ignored my second, and picked up my third).

My brother soon arrived. He lifted up a very limp and very heavy Marmie and lugged her to the car. On the way out, I noticed a sopping blood puddle on the carpet where Marmie had laid before she got up to watch TV with me in the other room.

We took her to the vet’s office, and he shaved off a big patch of her curly, blonde fur.

Under skin were two swollen, infected, oozing abscesses. Marmie was running a fever, too.

The only logical explanation, the vet said, is that Marmie was in a fight with another dog, got injured and later got infected.

No way, we told the vet. Marmie’s never outside unattended, and she’s the friendliest dog we know.

Then maybe she got cut on something around the house?

Nope.

Then, the only other explanation is that something very unusual is going on, and the explanation isn’t simple or logical.

Great.

Marmie’s staying overnight at the vet for observation. If she doesn’t improve, they’ll do blood tests tomorrow.

Can I will perfect health for my pet?

And how can I not feel bad for her? Is pet sympathy acceptible when even human sympathy is dicey?

And how can I not feel bad for my mom, who adores Marmie? What’s going to happen to my mom’s state of mind if Marmie doesn’t make it?

Does Rhonda Byrne have pets??

I’m trying my best to stay calm and optimistic, but cleaning up the mess after I got home from the vet didn’t help. I won’t get into details (I think I’ve done enough of that).

In spite of all this, I can say The Secret rubbed off on my fiance (who was at work when all this happened).

When I told him the news, he said in a very brave-sounding voice: “She’ll bounce back. Young dogs bounce back.”

I hope he’s right.

The Secret – Bounce Back

DelMio Editor — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:07:47 +0000

I am so happy and grateful now that Marmie the pooch is home and safe.I am so happy and grateful now that Mom and Dad are home from vacation and can commence wiping Marmie’s drippy wound.The vet still isn’t sure what caused the horrible bleeding from Tuesday night, but he knew Marmie had an some kind of infection.She stayed at the vet until Thursday afternoon and came home with a good portion of her fur shaved off. Oh, and these tubes that look like macaroni popping out of her side and an occasional blood drip coming from under the tubes. But that’s not important.What’s great is that the dog’s home, and I promise not to talk about dog blood anymore.

I won’t officially chalk this up as a Secret victory, since I was the one having a hard time staying positive, but I will thank the people who thought happy, confident thoughts for my pup. It helped me get on a slightly more positive frequency (though I wasn’t a believer until today, when she let out her signature big, playful growl, which I hadn’t heard in at least a week.)

I’m off to get ready for my cousin’s wedding. It looks like I won’t have to use the “beautiful weather” mantra to make the sun shine today.

Oh, and after my cousin gets married, my fiance and I are the next couple in my family to tie the knot, so …. I am so happy and grateful now that we’ve saved up enough money to pay for our wedding next June. (Keep your fingers crossed for us! We’re getting there.)