Fantasy and Dreams: August 2021

Sunday, August 15, 2021

SEARCHING FOR PEACE by Sarah J. McNeal #TheWildingsSeries

There was supposed to be a big meteorite shower a few nights ago. We used to call them shooting stars, but they’re actually meteorites. They’re still beautiful all the same. Anyway, it should be a wonderful sight to behold what with the lightning bugs lighting up the backyard and the shooting stars above. I could certainly use some uplifting lights and happy thoughts.

I’ve been watching too much news lately—too much Covid dangers, Fire and Flood disasters, Climate change heating up the planet, and politicians finding fault with everything. Kinda feel like this lighthouse out in some rough seas.

I tried getting my mind off all this bad news by watching a series on Netflix. Well, that might not have been a good plan because I chose “Chicago Med” which is all about emergency medicine and critical care. It is, in fact, the most realistic medical show I’ve ever seen. I usually avoid medical shows because they made me feel I was at work all day. This particular series just brought back all the intense feelings I had when I worked critical care and replayed them in my head like flashbacks that were sad or angry or helpless. It was like picking at a scab until I made it bleed.

So, my new plan is to be quiet, go out on my deck when the sun goes down (slathered in mosquito repellent), and just enjoy watching nature and listening to the cicadas sing with my dog by my side.

How are y’all doin’ out there? Are you okay? What is your best coping mechanism for dealing with stress?

If you or a loved one has had difficulty coping with the turmoil of today’s events and the pandemic, or have been having difficulty with emotional distress or depression, you may want to call the following for the help you need:

Healing Direction Therapy, PLLC

Tracey L. Beaty, LCMHC (Therapist)

980-272-8058

Or email her at healingdirection@yahoo.com

Until Next Time...

Sunday, August 01, 2021

NOTHING SAYS SUMMER LIKE AUGUST by Sarah J. McNea l#TheWildingsSeries

I’ve heard it said that August is like the Sunday of summer. Sunday is that last day before you go back to the work grind on Monday or the last day of freedom before school. It’s the end of sleeping in, wearing pajamas all day, laying in the hammock with a cool drink, sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch and waving to your neighbors when they walk by, and the end of spontaneous trips to the beach or the mountains.

Every month has its own particular weather, for August that means it HOT! It also means hurricanes, forest fires, and draught—or here where I live, thunder storms on the daily. Still, we love August.

August is when our efforts in the garden pay off. Fruits and vegetables are ripening faster than we can harvest them. I remember how all the gardeners at work would bring in their excess fruits and vegetables and we’d all exchange our abundance for someone else’s who grew something we didn’t have. By the way, my 3 apples came in on my apple tree, but before they were fully ripened, the birds and squirrels feasted on them. I’m okay with that though.

August is the month when we try to get that last refreshing swim in the pool or take a trip to the beach and swim in the ocean and eat seafood until we burst. I have a fondness for the Breezeway Seafood Restaurant at Topsail Beach, but I also love the Calabash at Myrtle Beach. Of course, the one seafood you can’t eat in August is oysters…you can only eat them in the months with an “R”, so September will get them back on the menu (provided you like oysters.) Some of us prefer the cooler climate of the mountains and the shady trails and waterfalls. Blowing Rock is mostly my autumn favorite, but it’s great in the heat of summer, too.

What is your favorite thing to do in August? Are you a beach person, or are the cooler climes in the mountains more your thing? Do you like to laze around doing nothing or just looking for a place in the shade?