Posted in #unicornchallenge, Challenges, Flash Fiction

The Unexpected Singer – #UnicornChallenge April 19, 2024

She was 20 years old the first time she heard him sing.

It was a normal weekend day. She was in her senior year in college and was studying for exams, sitting on the sofa in the living room. He walked into the living room with a Budweiser beer in his hand and carefully sat it down on the coffee table. He was in his work clothes, dirty from working overtime as the town electrician with a five o’clock shadow on his face and tired eyes.

She was hard at work at her books and had just looked up to say hello. There was no music playing, no television interrupting the quiet. She looked back down and continued to read.

Her head shot up when he started to sing. She listened for a moment. He wasn’t singing just anything. Without preparation, he was singing…..opera? How could that be?

Through her shock, she tried to place the opera and it was easy. He was singing a part of Don Giovanni in a beautiful baritone voice.

She had never heard him sing anything as simple as a lullaby. She couldn’t believe her ears.

Somehow, she knew not to go to him. She just listened. He sang the most beautiful music for what seemed forever but must have been just a few minutes.

”I don’t know what got into me,” he chuckled, as he started to walk off.

“Daddy, that was beautiful. Sing for me again,” she said as tears rolled down his face.

Thanks to C.E. Ayr and Jenne Gray for hosting the #UnicornChallenge!

Posted in Musings, Non-fiction

Thursday Thoughts – April 18, 2024

Thinking about the benefits of the sea…….

Photo @ R.M. Carlson

I talked with one of my best girlfriends this morning. She and her husband are planning a short vacation to America’s Gulf of Mexico coast. The picture above is of the Gulf at sunset, looking west from the western coast of Florida. Hearing her excitement and then looking at my ocean pictures have caused me to long for the sea today.

I’ve never lived by the sea unless you count the year I spent teaching at the University of Porto in Porto, Portugal. During that year, I lived several miles from the coastline of Portugal, but I went to the sea often. A little later in my life, my husband and I spent the winters in Florida in the U.S. We had a small place just a mile from the Gulf and I went there daily just to sit by the sea.

I’ve always said that spending time by the sea heals my soul. I think I need some of that now! It turns out that there is scientific evidence that supports my theory. The sound and motion of the waves lapping against the shore can improve your circadian rhythm and allow you to sleep better. Spending time in salt water can moderate your blood sugar and improve your muscle and nerve performance.

Photo @ R.M. Carlson

The above photo is of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea in 2019. This shot is off the southern coast of Italy.

Salt water even rejuvenates your skin. It can heal minor cuts and scrapes. It is full of the mineral magnesium which is essential for so many body functions. Magnesium can cure migraine headaches and is beneficial in so many ways. It is almost impossible to get enough magnesium in a western diet unless you live by the sea and consume a lot of fish and seafood. Magnesium helps the heart function properly. It, however, is not plentiful in food and we often should supplement the right type of magnesium.

Salt water is also full of other minerals and trace minerals that are essential for good health. Minerals such as zinc, iron, and potassium along with a whole host of trace minerals are bio-available in sea water. No, you don’t have to drink it. If you spend time in the sea, your body absorbs the minerals.

I’ll talk about the many other benefits of the sea in other posts. Right now, I think I’m going to get better about taking my magnesium supplement and hope that a trip to the sea is in my near future! Does the sea make you feel better? What are the benefits of spending time at the sea for you personally? I’d love to hear your comments!