The Hit List - Where's the fire?

Maybe it’s because I have no fire in my astrology chart.

Or perhaps I was burned at the stake in a past life.

I’m not sure what the reason may be but I have an irrational fear of fire. (I also have anxiety around water but that I can attribute to a near-drowning incident.)

My pyrophobia (yes, there is a name for it!) has been with me as long as I can remember. For example, when I was child, I kept a small bag of clothing by the window just in case I had to make an emergency escape. (I wanted to be sure I’d have something to wear other than that Holly Hobbie nightgown.)

I didn’t learn to light a match until I was thirteen. I was too afraid to try. My science teacher had to show me how to do it. (Embarrassing!)

I still freak out at the thought of lighting a pilot light on a stove water heater (that’s what husbands are for!). Oh and my stove? It’s electric. No flames, baby.

Blow torches? Fuggetaboutit! (Thankfully, I despise creme brulee so not a problem.)

Camping is out of the question as is wilderness survival because I don’t want to sit around the fire roasting anything – and you certainly can’t count on me to be good for any fire starting business. Nope. You’d be out o’ luck if you put me in charge of fire building, tending, kindling…I want no part of it. (Plus, I’m into hotels and beds.)

But metaphorical fires? Yup, I’m great at putting those out. Got some drama? Lemme at it! I go into EMT (Emergency Mystical Theresa) mode when the flames begin to spin out of control. I eat crisis for breakfast.

My family knows that if something blows up around them, I’m the first responder to call. Vin Diesel ain’t got nothing on me. I thrive at solving problems and finding the emergency exits. And I do it in the most Zen way possible. Calm ‘n cool, always.

Which is why last week was so tough. My daughter got robbed in another country and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. I was unable to chase the thieves or comfort her or tell her what to do with the police. Miles away and powerless. I had to wait it out and pray that she would make the right (and safest) decisions.

I couldn’t put that fire out.

But she did. And she’s now home, safe and sound where I can hold her close and protect her (and maybe monitor her better).

Except she doesn’t need my mom-o-mania one bit. She can extinguish her own fires. She’s a grown, responsible, capable adult.

She’s not in need of my “saving business” any longer. That was proven in the last few days.

So I’m hanging up my cape and picking up the matches. Because it’s time I stop putting out everyone else’s fires, put on my flame face and learn how to light that damn pilot light once and for all.

Other stuff:

I’m talking all about my creative fire with Jamie Ridler in Creative Living With Jamie. LOVED this conversation!

Maybe I need to learn to love the camera more: these YouTube sensations are making MILLIONS.

Wisdom from a 96 year old: how to stay young and hot forever.

Feeling lost? Worry that your aim isn’t true? Find your path with Pace Smith in her latest Pathfinding 101 class.

Favorite post of the week comes from Esmé Wang: Fashioning Normal. MUST READ.

Loving this great tutorial on tarot journaling from Fiona Benjamin. If you’ve ever wanted to create a tarot journal, she has some smart tips.

Wish I would have been at this dinner: I ate a steak dinner with G-Unit.

A thought provoking piece from Britni de la Cretaz at Everyday Feminism: To white feminists who don’t want to discuss race.

RIP Gail Zappa.

Ever hear this said to you when you were a little girl: if he hits you or pulls your hair it’s probably because he likes you. This mom didn’t put up with that line one bit when it was said by a hospital worker to her four year old daughter who was hit so hard by a little boy that she required stitches. No, hospital worker, that’s not liking someone – that’s abuse.

Wisdom from the always-wise Dr. Suzanne Gelb: Rejected? A powerful story that can change the way you feel about break-ups forever.

I am fascinated with Young Thug.

Ever ask this question: why does my tarot reading confuse me? Queen of Wands Jenna Matlin answers that.

The small group of super rich people funding the election. Power to the people? More like power goes to the people with the most dough!

7 superheroes of color that everyone should know about.

Get ready for Halloween with these cool Halloween makeup tutorials!

This is an interesting take on Katy Perry.

White girls wearing bindis as a fashion statement: yay or nay? Read this: a cultural history of white girls wearing bindis.

Coming out later this month from Mark Bittman: Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Matrix: More Than 700 Simple Recipes and Techniques to Mix and Match for Endless Possibilities

Micheal Port always delivers top notch stuff for biz: Steal the Show: From Speeches to Job Interviews to Deal-Closing Pitches, How to Guarantee a Standing Ovation for All the Performances in Your Life

Gloria Steinem’s new book is coming out in ten days: My Life on the Road

What a cool (and useful) idea for a book: The Kaufmann Mercantile Guide: How to Split Wood, Shuck an Oyster, and Master Other Simple Pleasures

When my daughter got robbed last week, I immediately broke out in hives. Other than her returning home safely, this was the only thing that helped: Cortizone-10 Max Strength Cortizone-10 Crme, 2 Ounce Box

Now that my time is getting organized, I am looking forward to learning more about photography: Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs of People

What I’m Grateful For:

Baby girl is home

Girl’s day

Fresh cookies

New recipes

My camera

Superior customer service

An artist husband

Soundtrack for 10/17/15: 100 by The Game featuring Drake – I cannot get enough of The Game these days!