The Shoop Shoop Song...

Who says there is no such thing as mermaids?  Witness my beautiful niece, Nicole, carefully posed on the Charles A. Street shipwreck.  This ship sunk in 1908 near Forestville, Michigan in 10 feet of water.  It's also near a wonderful sandbar that we like to anchor up on and when the water is clear, it's visible and easy to see the hull and ribs of the ship.  Very cool indeed.  I love the picture so much that I have entered it in a 'summer fun' photo contest.  Wish Nicole luck because she could use the prize money purse as she pursues her nursing career. 

I know I have written about my mermaid fixation before, but lately they seem to have enjoyed a renewed popularity.  Discovery Channel recently ran a two hour special that speculated their existence.  I have it DVR'd and will check it out after the Olympics. (Go U.S.A.!)  I think I see a theme, here.  Vampire movies and television series seem to still  be going strong and an ill-fated Dark Shadows movie was in and out faster than you can say, "I vant to draaink yourr bloood."   So what's up with all the fantasy?  Are we that much in need of excapism?  And no, as of yet, I have not indulged in 50 Shades of anything-unless you count paint samples at Lowe's.   My usual pig-headedness will not allow participation in such aforementioned books until the brou ha ha is over and done with.  I'm less likely to have to defend myself when nobody is talking about it anymore.  Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings zoomed to bestseller status even with their total fantasy themes.  The Olympics lets me live vicariously and imagine my own fantasy of truly being an athlete.  Such mental and physical control amaze me and I watch in wonderment.

Can you imagine the vision of my darling Nicole, as she tends to cancer patients at Mott Children's Hospital?  She is sometimes the face they wake up to and I'm sure they think they have seen an angel as she cares for and aids in their comfort.  And they have.....xo

So what's the harm?  It works for Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy,  illusion;s that are grounded in our childhoods.  The reality of our world is really quite grim at times.  War, poverty, disease, discrimination, crime, hunger and tragedy are realities that are so horrific that escaping into fantasy arenas can help balance the mental scale.  Long walks, baths, reading, movies and being with friends help to ground me and serve as an 'escape'.  Simple and better than booze, drugs, sex and gambling.

For the most part, I don't have to escape anything.  I prefer to be exactly where I am.  I love my life with family and friends and pets that round it all out.  I have learned from my experience and anxiously await what lies next. Life in its purest form with simple pleasures keep me happy and satisfied. 

Did I mention that I found a website that sells realhonesttogoodness mermaid tails?  Sigh....

Enjoy your week and let me know how you 'escape'.  I do not wish to hear of your fantasies.  This is a family friendly blog! xo