Yesterday Stephen Hawking, renowned physicist and author,, experienced weightlessness! So? My point?

Hawking, born on January 8, 1942 (he links that date to 300 years after Galileo died http://www.hawking.org.uk/), has ALS, and has been immobilized for years. He uses a machine to help him breathe, a computer to speak, and nothing, absolutely nothings stops him from participating in life! He believes and often expresses that the survival of the human race is dependent on our ability to explore and live in regions beyond Earth.

Hawking wants to travel on Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship 2 and one reason for his experiencing weightlessness on an atmospheric flight (our partner, Zero G, crafts gravity-free experiences using a specially equipped 727) was to test his ability to fly with Virgin Galactic.

Imagine what our lives could be like if we could break free of the gravity holding us to troubling life events, situations, or the inventions of our minds that imprison us! Today I read my Daily OM (www.dailyom.com) and it addressed being free of gravity. I have copied it below! Enjoy!

Flying Home
Free Of Gravity

As earthbound beings, humans have always had a fascination with winged creatures of all kinds. The idea of being able to spontaneously lift off from the earth and fly is so compelling to us that we invented airplanes and helicopters and myriad other flying machines in order to provide ourselves with the many gifts of being airborne. Flying high in the sky, we look down on the earth that is our home and see things from an entirely different perspective. We can see more, and we can see farther than we can when we’re on the ground. As if all this weren’t enough, the out-of-this-world feeling of freedom that comes with groundlessness inspires us to want to take flight again and again. Metaphorically, we take flight whenever we break free of the gravity that holds us to a particular way of thinking or feeling or being. We take flight mentally when we rise above our habitual ways of thinking about things and experience new insights. This is what it means to open our minds. Emotionally, we take flight when the strength of our passion exceeds the strength of our blockages; the floodgates open and we are free to feel fully. Spiritually we take flight when we locate that part of ourselves that is beyond the constraint of linear time and the world of form. It is in this place that we experience the essential boundlessness that defines the experience of flight. Taking flight is always about freeing ourselves from form, if only temporarily. When we literally fly, in a plane or on a hang glider, we free ourselves from the strength of gravity’s pull. As we open our minds and our hearts, we free ourselves from habitual patterns of thought and emotional blockages. As we remember our true nature, we free ourselves from identification with the temporary state of our physical forms. The more we stretch our wings, the clearer it becomes that taking flight is a state of grace that simply reminds us of who we really are.

On April 14, 2007 our niece, Krista, and her husband, David, renewed their vows. It had been two years and a few days ago, in April, 2005, that they married before Krista left for Iraq.

Last weekend seemed magical—time stood still—there was love, laughter, dancing, dining, a beautiful bride, a handsome groom—all the stuff that fairytales are made of. An honor guard of military officers with sabers drawn and blades towards the heavens (to cut all problems into small pieces) protected the bride and groom as they exited the church. We danced to “Shout”, “Mona”, “Unchained Melody” and shared in the many toasts and good wishes. We ate yummy wedding cake and watched the grooms cake of Dunkin Doughnuts dispappear in the mouths of the many law enforcement officers present. Krista was radiant, dancing almost every dance and still having time for just the perfect comment to each of her guests. David’s toast, a tribute to his father and his longtime friends still glows in its sincerity. Yes, last weekend was truly special. We watched young men and women, many of them veterans of the Iraq war or of the hunt for Bin Laden in Afghanistan, celebrate a very special couple’s love. The mood was joyous and for a brief moment I was able to put aside my fear for Krista’s safety and David’s loneliness. I knew I could not afford to give words to the rage that smoldered inside me. Why, Mr. President, must you tear families apart? Why do you send innocent children into harm’s way? This is not a fairytale, sir, this is a frightening, demoralizing reality!

I’m devastated! I’m crushed! I’m so disillusioned! Before I explain why, let me give you some background:

Today is April 13th, Friday, April 13th to be exact and it started out being a “Lucky” day! Michael and I winged our way from Kansas City to Rochester, New York to attend Krista and David’s renewal of their vows (aka an official wedding post Iraq!). I blogged about Krista and David on March 25th (once again, I present the Cliff’s Notes version of a past blog: Krista is our niece; she met David in the Reserves; they got engaged; Krista’s unit was called up to Iraq; they were married by a priest prior to deployment; Krista is back, toting Purple Heart and Bronze Star; now we’re having the “official” wedding; Krista is being redeployed to Iraq…). It is very cold in Rochester—still not an unlucky thing—we left brrrrr cold KC. We attended the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner, and we planned to go to…………….drum roll, please…………WEGMANS!!!

You remember Wegmans, don’t you? (See Feb. 23 blog) I salivate just saying the word, Wegmans—-Wegmans, Wegmans, Wegmans—oooohhh! Six of us plan this exciting outing–Michael, me, Sandy and Chuck (Michael’s sister and brother-in-law), and John and Diane (cousins). Six normal looking adults, of apparent sound mind and body, headed out to Wegmans. You may know Rochester for Eastman Kodak, Rochester Institute of Technology, or proximity to Corning. I think Rochester’s biggest claim to fame is being the birthplace of Wegmans! Based on a recommendation from a local Rochesterian, we eagerly drove (thank you John for having a GPS) to the food mecca. We raced inside and there it was…

…a not particularly clean, boringly stocked (i.e. no pretty displays), large supermarket. Greeting us at the front door was the produce section with a display of broccoli remnants and a few tomatoes. Nobody was stocking the display. It just sat there–forlorn, neglected, alone. “Oh no!” cried the grocery goddess and food know-it-all that lives in my head, “Tell me this isn’t so!” “Not to worry!” the hopeful child inside admonished, “Let’s look at the yummy pasteries in the bakery!” Off we went to explore the bakery section. Adults, please, if you have a child reading this, you may want them to look away because the next words may be offensive and graphic—-the doughnut trays were half *#h)ptH  *#)$& empty!!! Okay, there I’ve said it. I’m not proud of my reaction and yet I have to be honest! Even the flower section was paltry by Wegmans standards.

The average person, not already used to the high quality of food and displays at the Wegmans in Hunt Valley, MD, may have been impressed (except for the barren broccoli display). After all, we were still in a very large, well stocked supermarket, but it just wasn’t that over the top, oh my God I want to shop there, aesthetically spectacular experience I remember. It was just another supermarket and who wants to roam around a grocery store after dinner on a Friday night? Wegmans, what happened to you? Are you experiencing PMS (plain, mediocre supermarket)? Is this a temporary situation or is Thomas Wolfe correct, “You can’t go home again?”

Okay, here is a tip–a bit unusual and not your typical travel tip: You can wish upon a star, you can’t really name a star. So, you ask???

A few years ago, when my sister turned the big 6-0, I purchased (or so I thought) a star for her, complete with a certificate that named it after her. The company sent her the certificate and a map of the night sky (a nice added touch, I think). The gift: $50; impressing my sister: PRICELESS! (What a great advertising coup that phrase has been for MasterCard!).

A few minutes ago I thought I’d add a link to the site that sells those billions of twinkling lights in the sky. I googled (I’m so techie!) buy a star and was amazed how many companies now offer that service—and then I read some information shocked me to the core: I’d been scammed—well, kind of scammed (Is that like pregnant v. a little pregnant?). There is only one agency that can “officially” name a star, the International Astronomical Union. They have rules and regulations and we average humanoids can’t buy and/or name a star. The reason I said “kind of” scammed is that the gift did produce a positive effect. I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t understand what I was really buying–a piece of paper! I know better than to believe a lot of what is written on the Web and I rail against the scams of hot deals and super travel bargains that don’t exist and about the people duped by these scams. Yet, I just learned my house is made of glass.

See: Buying a Star FAQ http://enzerink.net/peter/astronomy/starfaq/

Buy a Star, But It’s Not Yours http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2001/12/49345

Okay, I’m sure you recall all of “What’s a nice girl…” March 29th entry! If not, here’s the Cliff Notes version: I was born (not hatched); I traveled often and everywhere growing up and into adulthood (including Starved Rock State Park); became a travel consultant. I can tell you are sitting there with baited breath waiting for this next chapter in my ongoing saga. I ended Part I (don’t you think roman numerals make me seem official?) with a list of favorite destinations–past, present, and future. Fluffy, but not meaty. Now here’s the scoop:

Barbara’s awkward dance with the travel industry:

About 20 years ago I wanted to take a cruise. Having cruised several times, I had definite ideas of what I wanted—something more unique than the Love Boat (popularized in the 70′s on TV).

I walked into a travel agency, sat down in front of a woman who looked quite impressive: she had a big desk, a computer screen sitting on the desk, and a wall of glossy brochures adorned the wall behind her. She asked what she could do for me and I answered (refraining from my usual wise-crack of “Help me pay bills.” After all, I was on a mission to find my dream cruise and I didn’t want to distract her with my wit and charm!) I wanted to go on a cruise.

I will always remember what happened next because the event was key in my becoming a travel consultant (although I didn’t realize that back in 1986). The woman smiled at me, got up from her chair, picked two of the slick brochures behind her and returned to her seat. She held the brochures, tapped them gently together on her desk so they were perfectly aligned and laid them down in front of her. She leafed through the first brochure, stopping on a page with photos of a sumptuous buffet table surrounded by women in sequined gowns and men in tuxedos. She read aloud the copy that was written below that photo; put the brochure down; looked up at me and smiled.

I looked at her. She looked at me. I looked back at her. Smiling still, she looked back at me. This moment lasted hours in my mind. I panicked—what do I do now? Do I ask questions? Do I tell her she must have had an excellent first grade teacher because her reading was fluid and had good inflection? I was too meek to explain that I wanted to cruise somewhere other than the Caribbean on something other than the cookie-cutter cruise ship pictured in the brochure. I didn’t correct the woman when she told me that my husband and I would love such and such cruise line because it was oh so romantic—I was not married, involved, or planning to be—I wanted to go somewhere as a single person (Did you know that 1 is a whole number?). In 1986 being socially appropriate overrode my desire to say, “And, what is it exactly I am supposed to do with this entertaining yet useless information?” I finally choked out the question, “Have you ever taken a cruise?” and got a big “Negatory!” Still erring on the side of social acceptability, I looked at my watch, stood up, and said, “Oh my goodness, where has the time gone? I have a doctor’s appointment. I’m sure I’ll be back”—NOT!

You see, I grew up watching my parents interact with people who helped them plan wonderful vacations. Yes, my parents brought a lot of their own experience to add to the table, but they relied on, depended on the advice and counsel of professional travel consultants. It wasn’t just about finding the “best” hotels, restaurants, etc; it was about experiencing the essence of our destination, finding out which restaurant was better for lunch but only average for dinner; how to get into a museum without waiting hours in line; finding the off-the-beaten track antique shop (my parents collected antique clocks from all over the world). That’s what I was raised with and that’s what I wanted for myself.

Over the years I found two people that fit the description above, Marge and Florence. They were knowledgeable, professional, asked questions to discern my interests and desires, and they offered experienced guidance and opinions. Thank you, ladies, for being my role models!

Many people became involved in the travel industry when selling airline tickets was a lucrative venture—a few quick, quirky DOS keystrokes and voila—a ticket to jet off somewhere. For these people, the job description for the industry went from destination specialist to DOS savant. I wanted to create something different.

So, on July 13, 1992, I was very clear about where I was going and what I wanted to accomplish when I opened Great Getaways—I am a travel consultant…I am NOT a travel agent! I am not a reservationist, a go between, an airline ticket representative. I counsel, I advise, I create, I confer, I craft. I am not a generalist in the field of travel—I live by the adage, “Jack of all trades, master of none!” Our tagline is “Imagine. Create. Experience.” We collaborate with our clients to tailor just the right experience, an investment in memories of the heart.   

I have not blogged for several days—my bad! I have an explanation, albeit a rather embarrassing one! On March 26th I was interviewed by Steve Kraske about suborbital space travel for a segment on his NPR show, Up to Date. The interview was taped and was scheduled to air on Wednesday, March 29th. On Tuesday, March 27th, Kevin Murphy interviewed me about the same topic for an article to appear in the Kansas City Star—most likely in the next day or two. Being a businesswoman (is it politically correct to say “businessperson”?), I wanted you to come to spacegoddess.net and be greeted by articles about Space travel. After all, I do want to use this blog to express my opinion, and I also would be thrilled to have you become a client of Great Getaways!

Today is April 6th and I am finally crying “uncle!” Neither interview has been seen, heard, viewed, published, shared—nothing, no way, no how, nada, zilch. Finally, I have stopped holding my breath in anticipation and allowing my ego to believe that people will read the paper or listen to the radio and then flock excitedly to spacegoddess.net! There, I’ve said it! I’ve confessed! I allowed my ego, my hopes for 15 minutes of fame and business success, to keep me from blogging!