Miss Mandie

The proposed "reiki studio"

I have lots of business ideas. Most of which are shelved until I finish my life coaching qualification. But one I had seemed like the perfect solution to making use of a great little studio on my property and getting me some extra cash while I am studying. I wanted to convert the guest studio into a reiki studio. I had the view I could entice some city gals to have a “girl’s afternoon” at my place. They could sip tea on the verandah. Enjoy the views. Be still and calm, while they took it in turn to have a reiki and massage session with yours truly. I thought it was a great idea!

It escalated into an even better idea when I ran into one of my neighbours in The Forest who is also a reiki practitioner. A practitioner in need of a space to practice. Perfect! She could use the space too for a small contribution. I was getting excited about creating this beautiful space. I even managed to compromise with my landlord about reducing the number of colours in the room…I got him down from four to two. We settled on keeping the green and blue. I could repaint the purple and yellow. I was going for a “serene” look, I told him in earnest.

Then, in a style that has permeated my entire career, largely in the world of communications and management, I decided to be open and honest and let others know what I had planned and confirm that it was okay for me to go ahead with this idea. It was an interesting process, being passed along from person to person. I quickly realised that no-one wanted to be that final person to give me the ultimate permission to proceed.

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Synchronicity. n. Coincidence of events that seem to be meaningfully related.

One thing I love about living in the Byron Shire (more on my new home soon I promise) is how many hitchhikers there are in the area. It seems people in this area haven’t been touched by the media-created mass hysteria on the dangers of strangers. Having experienced a multitude of cars driving by and not stopping during my hitching adventures last year, I have committed to helping out a hitchhiker whenever possible.

One day a couple of weeks ago, I had just dropped off a young couple on the outskirts of Byron Bay and came across a woman, standing beside the road with a suitcase that matched the flaming red strands on her head. I pulled over, knowing it was likely she was trying to get the short distance into town. I was right. She was heading into work. I didn’t think to ask whether she normally hitched her way into work. Perhaps she was environmentally conscious and liked the idea of pooling our resources together to keep fewer cars on the road. I know that is one reason I’d like to see hitching make a comeback.

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