Parlour Talk

On pedicure day, my host picked me up from my place and we walked into the salon right before our scheduled appointments. I was waffling on color choice when we were called back and perhaps made a rash decision.

My attendant brought me a bottle of water and started the massage chair for me and we were off. My host's attendant worked quickly as my lady struggled with each step. She was clearly still learning, but I didn't mind the extra relation time.

My host and I chit chatted about hotel life and this and that before she broached the subject of spirituality. I had mentioned I experienced bad dreams the previous two nights and she thought maybe it was her influence. She said "I feel like there are questions I want to ask you, but I don't know what they are." I smiled at her. She is after all, the friend who once told me "I'm not your deep friend" when I casually brought up some deep spiritual idea over lunch that I had been pondering. 

On this day, she asked genuine questions about what I believed and shared what she believed from her religious background. Surprisingly I replied a lot of the time with "I believe the same." In most instances I use different language, but our concepts are similar. One area we disagreed on was that she believed everything is black and white and I believe in a full spectrum of possibilities for right and wrong. If that pandemic taught us nothing else, I would say it taught us that each of us has to make our way in this world to the best of our own abilities and according to our own unique set of circumstances. 

While she believes that enlightenment should come directly from God, I believe that God (or source energy as I would call it) is in all things. So I can assume that this energy is always working to deliver messages to me in whatever way I am open to receive them. I've experienced messages through direct knowing, delivered from friends, family, and even strangers, and sometimes at a metaphysical shop in the mall. 

She fell silent. After awhile our conversation picked back up with a lighter mood as my pedicure continued to press on. My host's pedicure was done in about half the time as mine while I had so many sessions with the back massager, my back actually got sore. I ended up with toes that were a little too peachy for me, but didn't have the heart to tell the lady as they had already processed our payments and were past closing time at this point.

We met the rest of her family out at Agliolio Italian Restaurant to conclude our evening out. I enjoyed a gluten-free pasta with alfredo, roasted garlic, and broccoli, which was amazing. I even got a glass of cabarnet and our service was so fast, I hardly got the chance to finish it. 

As we waddled out of the restaurant, I felt the tiredness of the heavy meal and a glass of wine fully. By the time I was back home, I laid on the air mattress on my floor while scrolling social media for awhile before I remembered my Tampa host had suggested I find a karaoke joint. I found a place offering karaoke on Wednesday nights starting at 9pm. That was today! And it was 8:53pm, so I figured I had to get up and go.

I discovered my curling iron wasn't working this night, but I did put on evening clothes and refreshed my makeup before locating the Brass Tap in Boynton Beach. I walked into a fairly quiet establishment and found a seat at the nearly empty bar. Considering I  had a pretty bad cross-contamination from tap beer on my last day in St Charles, I opted for a gin and tonic with lime.

Surveying the crowd, it appeared that there was one table of about eight people who were in rotation to sing. And for the most part, they all sounded amazing. I finished up my first drink before approaching the karaoke DJ to get my name into rotation. I chose Passionate Kisses by Mary Chapin-Carpenter. This is my karaoke barometer song. I've sung it so many times, it helps me determine how the karaoke equipment will treat me. As it turned out, I sounded amazing too! Definitely better than in real life. 

I would enjoy another cocktail and one more turn behind the mic singing Pat Benatar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot before I made a quick exit around midnight. It was fun to sing and I felt my crown pulsing the whole time I was there. I usually take this as a good sign that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. 

Crawling back into my air mattress for the night, I was thankful that I had taken the opportunity to branch out of my comfort zone and seek out this karaoke adventure. Another day well lived. 

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