I have been taking an online course that is offered by Yale through Coursera called “The Science of Well Being” and I’ve been finding it very interesting. One of the things that it addresses early on is that many of the things that people THINK will make them happy, in actuality do not make them happy at all, or that good feeling fades away very quickly due to “hedonic adaptation”, which just means we get used to good stuff really fast and then it doesn’t feel so special anymore. It just seems ironic that the things many people spend the most time and effort pursuing: such as more money, expensive “stuff”, the “perfect” body etc do not bring lasting happiness. Once your basic needs of shelter and food and safety are met everything over and above is just gravy. Whereas experiences can create lasting memories that you can look back on and bring back good feelings and happiness long after they are over. Even looking at a vacation photo years after can bring back a flood of good feelings in a way “stuff” never could.

This lesson rang so true for me because for quite sometime now I have preferred to spend my extra resources on things like concert tickets, amusement parks or vacations. Since my godchild was quite small our battle cry has been: “Places to go – things to do – FUN TO HAVE!” So it made me smile to realize that those memories I am helping to create with her will last much longer in her heart and mind than any “stuff” I could ever buy for her. And hopefully many of the memorable experiences I share with my clients will continue to bring them lasting joy long after they go home.

Of course these days with the Covid virus running rampant and social distancing being the rule of the day, there are far less places to go than there were last summer. My one Christmas gift I wanted this past year that my sweetheart was clever enough to pick up on (due to my not so subtle hints) were lawn passes to Xfinity Theater! He did an adorable packaging job on them and just totally lit me up when I opened them, but due to virus concerns those have been cancelled and refunded- ughh! But I truly hope that as the summer creeps on that there will be more opportunities to get out and enjoy nature or swim at a lake or some other wonderfully outdoorsy goodness, and I will find some way to make up for my concert withdrawal issues as soon as I am able. I am still praying with all my heart that the MCR (My Chemical Romance) show in NYC still happens Sept 17 though!

Anyway, I am also hoping that as summer creeps towards us that the Covid virus will finally release it’s death grip on humanity, so that I might consider taking new clients again before long. I have started taking a handful of sessions here and there with long time trusted people, but I am still closely watching the news and hospitalization stats as the state begins slowly loosening it’s restrictions to see what happens. For those of you geeky enough to get the featured image reference, let me assure you – I do not want to be in that first wave!

And for the record, my slave and I have been pretty freaking careful whenever we have had to make any store runs. Funnily enough – RIGHT before the lock down I had signed us up for one of those home meal kit services as a gift for my sweetheart that enjoys cooking and well, when going to the supermarket became akin to running the gauntlet we opted to stick with the home delivery so we only have to grab staples like milk and tea. (I even have Chewy delivering cat food now!)

So in conclusion, for those of you that have been asking if I am close to taking clients again, let’s see how the next couple weeks play out and if the Corona virus cases do not soar again I will start booking more sessions. However be aware that until there is a vaccine or the virus is all but eradicated, I will still insist that we take reasonable precautions of wearing masks and washing hands etc. I am not paranoid but I really enjoy life too much to take foolish chances. Hopefully you do also! Hugs!

PS Next week – Chapter 2 of the Quarantine Fantasy