Turning Emergency Surgery Into Art

Recently my Mom had to have a major emergency surgery, having a large part of her colon removed.  It was a big deal, so I flew down to South Carolina to be with her and my Dad.  As I was packing, I started feeling nervous about the trip. Nervous about being able to support my family with out tapping myself out, nervous about being able to cope with seeing my Mom in severe pain. Then I thought, "how would a Femme Vitale do this trip?"

So I went to my own website to search for the definition: "A Femme Vitale uses her rapturous beauty, her feminine charm and her erotic power to bring pleasure, love and joy to everyone she meets. She is shameless in her self love. She owns her body from head to toe. Her beauty transcends her age, her shape, her size. She knows how to turn herself on, and from that, she turns on the world."

Right.

Here is a photo diary of how I turned what could have been an exhausting and emotionally draining trip into a work of art:

Each day I gave my Mom epic foot massages with Lavender Sleep Balm. Ahhhh.

I mustered the courage to get on my Dad's horse, Bruce.  Bruce is really big and has always freaked me out, but once I sat in the saddle and felt his warm, grounding energy beneath me, I swear it felt better than a massage.

Bruce's hoof prints.

Each day I ate a nourishing, beautiful lunch at Magnolia Cafe.  If I could describe the energy of this place it would be like the cafe in the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes".  Pure heaven.

Mini-skirt's in April! God Bless the weather in the South!

My Dad's love of horses + his birthday + my inability to resist hospital gift shops = This.

The legendary beet and citrus salad at Magnolia.

I made sure to gift my Mom and her nurses with these beautiful magenta orchids.  I also baked the nurses blueberry muffins to say thank you for all their magnificent care.

I figured the decor in the ICU bathroom could use a more positive spin.

Every day I would have hour-long Qoya inspired dance sessions in an empty guest bedroom.  I would shake and shimmy all the stress out of my body, and gyrate all the goodness of the day right in.  Thank you Qoya!

More ICU Love notes.

Each night I would get home from the hospital and make my Dad healthy, nourishing, home-made meals like this Spring Veggie pasta.  At 5 o'clock I would pour a glass of white wine, turn on Louis Armstrong, and cook while the most beautiful amber light streamed into the kitchen.  It was a gorgeous way to practice gratitude and to pour my love into the food that nourished us.

And then we'd finish off the meal with Rocky Road in a juice glass.

Normally when packing for a short trip I pack light, but this time I did not edit my choices one bit, not even in my shoe selection.  I only brought things that made me feel gorgeous, hot and sexy.  Every day I would get all dressed up, and my Mom and the nurses couldn't wait to see what I'd be wearing that day.





The doorway at Magnolia Cafe.

The moral of the story for me, is that when times get tough it is very easy to forget about what keeps life juicy and fun.  I am grateful to have had this trip to use as an experiment in healing through beauty, charm, and cheek. (And I'm grateful that my Mom is doing much, much better). 

How are you living life as Art today?