Happy birthday, Mom

My mother is 57 today. She still barely looks 50.
As a rule, it seems, my parents and I never look our age. I have decided that after we hit age 25, our looks seem to regress a little with every birthday. Maybe it's just the way we take care of our health, along with the good genetics. My father is 66 and he still doesn't look much older than mid-fifties. Except for the salt and pepper hair, you really can't tell that he's past 60. If he dyed his hair back to black, he'd look even younger. All the photos of Dad when he was in his 20's to his 40's show an unbelievably youthful handsome guy. He was 39 when I was born and he looked 30. Mom looks exactly like her high school graduation photo -- when she was 16 -- save for slightly sagging jowls and some crow's feet. She also has that one white streak in her hair. She is graying, but she's been dyeing it back to light brown. Neither of them have thinning hair, either.
Of course, it probably helps that we are all short and skinny. My father can't gain weight to save his life. He still fits into his Navy uniform from forty-five years ago. And Mom naturally eats like a bird.
Steve didn't believe me when I said I'd turned 27 in April. I don't think anyone did. Hell, sometimes my own husband forgets what year I was born in. Yet I sound much older. I have had the voice and tone of someone in their 30's since I was 16. But since I was 16, I apparently have stayed young-looking. I think it's disconcerting to some people. Bartenders and bouncers always do double-takes between me and my photo ID.
And people wonder why I never wear T-Shirts with cutesy flowery rainbow unicorn heart pictures on them. When I was 20, I once went with Adam to a bar that accepted people over 18. I was wearing a white T-Shirt with Mickey Mouse on it, my hair in braids; and the bouncer was convinced that my ID was fake and refused to let me in.

I take impeccably good care of my skin from the inside out. Exfoliation, moisturizing, supplementation. It does show. My cousin Robbie once told me I could do cosmetics commercials. But looking young when you are older only works if you can convince people you actually are an adult.

Ahh, youth is fleeting. Everyone wants it. Just be careful what you wish for.

muse calling, hello hello

Last night Chapter Twenty decided to rearrange and completely re-edit itself to the point where it is,
Yes,
DONE.

It figures, now, that after I have finished one of the most internally struggling bits of this tome, my laptop decides to have pieces break off of it and thereby make me nervous to write more on it until it feels better. Not very important pieces, though. One of the hinge cases. Yet the lid is crooked, and I do not know how important that is. I suppose not, since it works just fine. And a cable is loose and must be fixed. It is nothing.

But...
And.
But.
And...
And now, now, now... I want to write. The fever has not been this fierce in seven years. It is spilling now. Violent. They pound at the inside of my brain, the four (five) of them, calling.
I wrote half of the final chapter in my head -- yes, the final chapter, which is a long way away. But I know how it will end and something will not let me get there. Things fall apart and into place now, maybe it is that full moon. Hello, sweet Luna, hello Isis. Say hello to Brigit for me. I am tired and Danu is comforting me with her velvet astral arms, and I am too weak to run with you and the Warrior Bride tonight.

But I am happy. Quietly. I am joy.

I have no idea where it came from

I just responded to a post in a community asking about the Ayurvedic supplement Triphala. And, completely off the top of my head, I came up with a long, detailed answer that kind of rocked me:

"Triphala can be found at http://www.papanature.com and http://www.rasaya.com . It works slowly but very effectively over a period of months.
For skin and beauty: It clears up the skin and maintains moisture and elasticity, preventing skin problems like dryness, eczema, acne, fine lines, sagging and clogged pores.
For weight loss and maintanence: It gently but thoroughly cleans and tones the entire digestive tract and the colon, cleanses and nourishes the internal organs, cleans out toxins and chemicals, and purifies the blood. Doing this allows the body to work more efficiently and helps the digestive system become stronger. Food is absorbed better, used more efficiently, and eliminated easily. Blood glucose levels are regulated, and sugars, carbs, proteins and fats are broken down with greater efficiency.
Seventy percent of the body's immune system is in the digestive tract, and when it is clogged or working poorly, that leads to sluggish digestion, which can cause weight gain and retention of excess fat. When all of this is working correctly, it will lead to the body getting rid of unnecessary fat and cholesterol and will leave the liver clean and strong, the colon toned and unclogged. The herbalist I befriended, who introduced me to triphala and who also owns rasaya.com, said that when he took over a gram of triphala every day, he lost fifteen pounds in two weeks and had more energy.
For me, personally, it took six months, taking a gram of triphala daily, to see the full, best results: Soft, smooth, moist, elastic, youthful skin; longer, thicker, stronger, shinier, more vibrant hair; lots more physical and mental energy; more fluid movement in my joints and limbs; a cleaner feeling inside my body; better digestion; a healthier, purified mental outlook; reduced PMS; and happier emotions.
I stopped taking it for a year and really saw the difference. Now that I have been taking it again for two months, it is starting to do everything that it had done before."

I have too much stuff in my head. One of these days when I have the money and the time I want to go back to school for nutrition, herbalism, healing and holistic health. And I will spill all that stuff out until it coalesces into a piece of paper that says I know what I'm talking about and am allowed to do this sort of stuff professionally.