First things first -- my cold seems to be gone. Yay! Thank goodness that was short-lived.

Now, on with the alphabytes entry!...

Relaxation is essential to my life. I never used to think so. I used to run frantically through my busy schedule, never taking any time for myself, telling myself it didn't matter if I got headaches or clenched my teeth, and that it was perfectly normal to feel tense and anxious, to fall asleep every night and wake up every morning with ten thousand thoughts sprinting marathons around the track inside my brain. Then I got sick with anxiety attacks last year and realized a change of attitude was in order.

Meditation and exercise have been key in learning to relax and treat myself better. Now I have a new thing to add to the list... massage.

I am like the luckiest person in the world to have TWO friends in my life who are massage therapists: Misti and Melissa. Misti gave me a free massage for my birthday, and today I redeemed my free massage from Melissa that she gave me for helping her out at the Earth Day Fair. TWO free massages! And those two massages were the first ones I've ever had in my life. Now, I'm hooked.

...

I'm sitting here trying to figure out how to describe it. There's just something so soothing about someone running their hands over your skin and muscles, helping every inch of you to relax. Soft music playing, a running water fountain, lavendar and eucalyptus oils in the softly lit room. All of that added up to a relaxing yet rejuvenating combination that left me feeling happily drowsy, healthy, and revitalized all at the same time.

Reliving that today made me remember having all those same feelings in Misti's house, where there was music, and the sound of the fish tank, and the mellow atmosphere of the room.

I need that in my life. Don't we all? Running my body into the ground and feeling stressed is not a state I'm willing to subject myself to full time. Sometimes it's necessary to do stressful things in life, sure, which makes it all the more necessary to take time to relax. Right? Right.

I love massage. Most relaxing thing ever. Oh my god, I'm moving away from both of my massage therapist friends! What am I thinking?? I guess I'm thinking I need to finish school. Oy. I'll definitely have to search for massage therapists after I get settled in to my new home. I'm sure there's no shortage in the Greater Los Angeles Area.

Anyway, it wasn't just the massage that made today relaxing and great. It was wonderful spending time with Melissa. I don't get to do so often, since she lives an hour away, so I'm super glad our schedules worked out so that we could see each other today. We talked a lot over lunch, and then she showed me her workplace and a few of the other massage rooms. I love how people have trees painted on the wall, or leaves and stuffed monkey animals hanging from the ceiling. Melissa is designing her room with an ocean theme, which will look totally badass once it's complete, I'm sure. At the reception desk, there were runes, a deck of pretty cards, and a miniature zen garden. It was a relaxing place to be, so we sat down and talked while the food in our stomachs settled. Then Melissa gave me a massage, and afterwards, we headed back to her house and talked some more while petting her three kitties that came over to keep us company. We shared animal stories, work stories, and more. It was a lot of fun!

Then I headed back home, mostly in silence, though I listened to music part of the way. As I drove back, I thought about how cool it is that I have such lovely friends and how happy I am to have the life that I do. I also thought about how hungry I'd become, so I picked up dinner on the way home! Mmm, Boston Market. Sweeeeet potatoes. Larlarlarl...

Ahem.

Oh, yes, I had a point in here somewhere. I guess my point is that days in which I really truly relax should not be few and far between. They should be a regular part of my life. I'm glad Misti and Melissa could introduce me to massage while I lived here, so I could learn how much I LOVE IT, and that I need to make it a regular part of my life. I'm glad I was introduced to meditation and that I started walking, too. All of these things will help keep me sane, happy, fulfilled, and peaceful as I go through school and other various hectic times. They can be my ports in the storm. Because no matter what happens in life, I know I feel better about everything when I just take the time to relax.