Dr. Suzanne Hamilton - In Memoriam

When I learned recently of the death of Dr. Suzanne Hamilton, my dentist and my client, I cried all night. My poor husband, who had to bear the news all day and give it to me at night, also had to bear my initial tantrum. I shouted at him, "Stop it! What do you mean? It makes no sense! What do you mean, she 'passed away'? A woman of 39 who has given birth only 12 weeks ago does not 'pass away!'" It was truly surreal. At one moment, I could separate myself from my body and watch it going through the initial shock, then the rage, then the disbelief. My mind said, "Oh look, I'm going through a stage of grief: denial."

I had only known her a few months, but she had apparently touched me deeply. I don't think I've cried so much in a long time, nor for anyone else. She had everything to live for - a husband she deeply loved, and who deeply loved her, a newborn daughter, a thriving and successful practice, and the admiration of a whole community. She was one of those "telepathic" dentists - what I mean by that is that she seemed to know exactly what I was thinking at each moment, but could not convey because in our normal interactions, my mouth was usually wide open and she was drilling in it. And yet, all I would have to do was "think" a question at her, and she would answer it as if she had heard me.

The last time I saw her, January 14, 2009, she was putting a crown on me. It seemed to take a bit longer than I expected, and I sent a thought at her, with my mouth wide open, left side of my face numb and drooling, "Why is this taking so long?" She said, without missing a beat, "Oh, I'm sorry it's taking a while - I had to take an extra mold of your tooth to make sure the lab can make your permanent crown perfectly."

She was also the most extraordinary dentist I have ever met, someone who was constantly seeking ways to improve her patients' experience. I know this firsthand, because she came to me for Aromatherapy advice. She wanted to know if I could make her a blend for her dental patients to "relax" or "calm" them. She understood that people visiting her office had anxiety about it, and she wanted to reassure them through every sense possible, including smell. And so she bought Lavender, Chamomile, and various other soporific essential oils, as well as a blend I put together for her office, and put it on diffusers throughout the place. She even put it on my bib that last time I saw her. That was Dr. Hamilton for you - loving, caring, nurturing, and always thinking of the needs of others.

All I can really liken her to is a flower - no, a rose, the queen of flowers. Like a rose, she was generous with her own special unique fragrance, and in her case, if I could bottle it into perfume, I would call it, "Compassion."

We attended her memorial service yesterday and listened to all the stories of how she lived her life, which only further served to confirm that a bright light has truly gone out of this world. She was beloved by many, if the standing-room-only crowd was any indication. I, too, loved her, though I only knew her a few months. I will miss her sorely, and I pray fervently that God offers comfort and solace to those she leaves behind and are most wounded by her passing.

Great Recipe for Holiday Room Spray

I had to get this down before I forgot it. I just combined 20 drops Clove, 20 drops Cardamom, and 20 drops of Orange with 2 ounces of vodka in a spray bottle. Mmm, mmm, mmm, smells soooo good - sweet and spicy and holiday-like!

Survivor Gabon Finale

Yes, I watch Survivor. Religiously. It functions as a guilty pleasure for me, and I am not so sure I feel that guilty about watching it. Anyway, I can't stand the last tribal council because people who were voted off invariably come back and say unforgiving things to those who outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted them. And last night was no different.

There was this one woman, Corinne Kaplan, who I am ashamed to say is a Florida Gator (my hubby went to Florida, and I usually root for those who went to UF in all things). Anyway, she said what has to have gone down as the meanest thing ever said on reality TV: "Sugar (yes, that is the name of one of the contestants), you are unemployed, uneducated, and a leech on society. All that I would vote to give you is a handful of antidepressants, so that you can seem more sincere when you're crying about your dead father." Well, maybe it wasn't that VERBATIM, but it was pretty darn close.

That comment knocked me back a mile. Wow, Sugar had lost her dad only 5 months before the show started, and was obviously still processing her grief while on Survivor. This woman's comment was so un-loving and hateful, and so completely unnecessary. What was she thinking? And then, on the reunion show, she was given a chance to apologize by Jeff Probst. When asked if she had any regrets, Corinne replied, "It was like being stuck out there with a colicky baby!" In other words, "No regrets. I am a true bitch, through and through."

Wow. I did not realize people like that existed in this world. I thank my lucky stars that everyone I magnetize into my sphere is loving and lovable. Corinne must be carrying around a great deal of self-hatred to behave like that, and to "enjoy" behaving like that. Talk about unconscious. She was definitely crowned Empress Bitch of Survivor last night.

My first Aromatherapy Class at Pavia...

Okay, I'm finally doing it. All that money spent on Aromatherapy education is not going to waste. I am teaching my first class on it, called "Holiday Aromatherapy," on December 14, 2008. We are going to make holiday-scented diffuser blends, bath salts, body oils, room sprays, and carpet powders. We are also going to have a blast - yes, that's on the agenda too.

Here are the details:

Date: Sunday, December 14, 2008
Time: 5:30 to 7:30pm
Place: Pavia
Cost: $35 (includes all the goodies you get to take home)
RSVP: 408-741-1555 to sign up!

"Beside" myself...

Lately I've been coughing up a storm. And not to gross anyone out, but stuff was coming up and it was....well, gross. Hacking away at work, at home, especially whenever I lay down flat on my back (i.e., to go to sleep), just had me feeling totally beside myself.

Which brings me to this rumination: what does it mean to be "beside" oneself? Is it like, I've stepped out of my body and I am sitting next to it watching it suffer? Or is it, I am so discombobulated that I am out of my mind (which could be a good thing) and disembodied, even? Well, these stream of consciousness rantings come as the culmination of several sleep-disturbed nights, that is for sure.

Last night, however, I did something as a last resort that seemed to help right away. I took a drop of Thyme oil on a teaspoonful of honey, and then I put a drop of Ravensara oil on a square of paper towel and held it over my nose. Then I went back to bed, and counted the seconds until I coughed again. I was like a cat waiting to pounce on a mouse as I lay there, watching, waiting, tensed up to cough.

But it never came, and the next thing I know, I am awakened by the sound of the tree-cutters working next door. So I guess it worked! Yay! My husband said it was the first truly "quiet" night he had heard since I first contracted the cough, so this could be good for him too. Poor guy, has had to put up with a phlegm-spewing and lungee-coughing wife for over a week now. He ought to be canonized.

Pavia Meditation 101 Seminar, 11/10/08.

It seems like all we hear is bad news on a daily basis. The economy is in turmoil, big, trusted companies like GM are running out of cash, respected investment banks like Lehman Brothers have gone out of business completely, and the government has put together a $700 billion bailout program for the banking industry that will cost each taxpayer about $8K in debt.

(Where is the government when small businesses need them, I wonder? I would not mind a bailout *wink*. But that is neither here nor there.) Actually, I don't need a bailout, because I have unlimited abundance and I create my own reality. And, I know how to meditate and anchor my life in harmony and peace.

This is why I asked my staff soul therapist, Theresa Hatcher, to give a session called Meditation 101. We know that times are tough for our spa clients, too. But perversely, we know they especially need relaxation right now, and do not feel they can afford it. So, we put together a "Meditation 101" seminar that will introduce them to two meditation techniques....and meditation is free, once you learn how to do it, and you can access that inner peace and harmony anytime.

Here are the details:
Date: Monday, 11/10/08
Time: 6:30pm to 9pm
Place: Pavia
Your host: Theresa Hatcher
Cost: $30 (but includes Theresa's "Meditations of the Heart" CD, which is a $22 value alone)
RSVP: 408-741-1555, or email info@paviadayspa.com

The list is filling up fast, so RSVP soon!

Wow, I am so happy.

Watching Jesse Jackson's face last night in the crowd and listening to Obama's victory speech, I felt so indescribably happy. It does not matter that as a small business owner I am normally Republican, or that I would have voted for McCain had he chosen a more palatable VP candidate, I was just happy at the change that America has gone through. Electing Obama says that we as a nation are willing to change, to release old patterns of consciousness, to evolve into something better, to live up to the standards that we set for ourselves so long ago. Watching him on TV and all the jubilant faces in the crowd, I felt a surge of hope that I have not felt at any presidential election since I first voted for Clinton in 1992. Since then my voting track record has been a bit....well, no self-judgments necessary. Let's just say I voted for Bush twice.

Anyway, I am excited and positive and hopeful. We've come a long way, baby!