Desert Messenger

May 20, 2015 www.DesertMessenger.com 17 First locally-owned and operated music station in Quartzsite, Arizona. Proudly serving the communities of Quartzsite, Bouse, Brenda, Rainbow Acres, La Paz Valley and beyond, since 1988. Quartzsite Radio • Quartzsite's Favorite "CLASSIC HITS" • Local Information • Weather • 24 Hours Day / 7 Days Week! KBUX 94.3 FM 928-927-5111 http://kbuxradio.com Traveling with Gypsy Jane by Jane Finley writer * artist * teacher (stretching, exercise, relaxation, meditation) Dentists, romance, & visits with loved ones Quartzsite, AZ ~ Poems from the road ~ I just woke up, and because stories are like birds and fl y away if you don't write them right away, I'm going to give this a try, but I'm warning you: I AM NOT AWAKE YET. I woke up writing this story in my mind, as is often the case. I will tell you a secret: I don't really write the stories; they just kind of come through me. They start in my head and magically come out my fi ngertips. I think of myself as kind of a recorder. I never have to think up stories; they are just there. But I digress... I often dream and don't remem- ber them the next morning, but last night's dream was SO real that I'm writing it even BEFORE my fi rst cup of coffee. It was about dentists. I know: not very interesting....You see, I've been having a toothache, and since I was going to Lake Havasu on another matter, I made an appoint- ment with my dentist. "Hmmmm," he side, "The tooth has a crack in it; you need to see a specialist about a root canal because I don't do them." Five minutes and $70+ dollars later, I had an appointment with the root-canal guy. "Well," he said, "you have quite a large crack in this tooth. I could do a root canal, but I'm not sure it would work, and you'd have to have a crown besides. That's a lot of money for something that might not work." "What would you do if it was your tooth," I asked. "Pull it and get an im- plant," he replied. Ten minutes and eighty dollars later, I drove the 150- mile round trip back to Quartzsite. The next day, my tooth was fi ne -- no doubt shocked into healing due to the hundreds (thousands?) of dollars in possible dental bills. So the tooth is on hold for now, which brings me (fi nally) to last night's dream. in the dream, I was in Flagstaff for a routine teeth clean- ing, and I told this story to my regular dentist, Dr. Maurer (whom I love). After I woke up, I realized the dentist in my dream was actually the man- ager of the Flagstaff Senior Center, Matt Faull (whom I also love). Both guys are young, tall, good looking, extremely competent, and have great customer-service skills. (I was going to say "a great bed-side manner" but was afraid readers might get the wrong idea.) AND, they didn't do a thing about my tooth.....at no charge! Another thing about dreams is how REAL they are. I particularly remember a most enjoyable visit with my mother -- much better than any visit we'd had when she was alive! There was another joyful visit with my wonderful dog (Joy ToTheWorld) also deceased. I woke up from both with tears in my eyes: tears of happiness, grateful for the experience. In a recent dream, I was parked by Ace Hardware in Parker. While talking with someone, I placed my keys on the bed of a pickup truck parked behind me. When I was ready to leave, I dis- covered the pickup had left, along with my keys. Nothing to do, I thought, but go inside the store and begin the tedious process of trying to see if anyone knew the name of the truck's owner. Luckily, I woke up at that point and was thankful I didn't have to go through with the plan, saving me a lot of time, energy, and stress...even if it was only in a dream. Then, there's romance. I have romantic dreams fairly often (well, not often enough!). Since I'm not in a relationship right now, I see those as icing on the cake, cream in my coffee, a bit of serendipity; you get the idea, and that's a good thang! (Now....for that cup of coffee.) * * * * * Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that can- not fl y. ~Langston Hughes * * * * * Jane's book is WANDERINGS: Living the Ordinary Extraordinarily (Stories from the Road). This column consists of stories from her book (email: janefi nley@yahoo.com, website: janefi nley.com). SEASIDE I I park overlooking the long, sandy beach and decide to take the nearby loop trail. It begins in deep, soft sand and continues past houses with ocean views. My goal is to walk all the way to the point and open space. When I arrive, there are few people on the beach, just an occasional empty blanket to mark their presence. The return path narrows as it winds through chest-high grasses topped with bunches of yellow, daisy-like fl owers. Several steep paths lead down to the beach. More people here; many quite far out because of the low, low tide. Some struggle to fl y kites in the wide expanse of blue sky. Farther up the beach campfi res glow. I love to see people play in a world where work and money have become our god. ~Seaside, Oregon

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