Melissa N. Burnett's Blog

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Adventure

My last visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom was June 2004 when my children were 5 and 8 years old. At the time I felt it was a half a day park with not much going on. I didn’t feel it was worth the money spent.

13 years later the creation of Pandora The World of Avatar brought me back to this theme park; but this time I shared the experience with my two sisters. Pandora was definitely a bonus, but we took time actually exploring this park and I must say I was pleasantly surprised.

I knew the Tree of Life had animals carved throughout it but this time I explored and enjoyed it. The safari changed so much, it felt like you were really in Africa. We went on the Exploration Trail for the first time and was amazed at how close the animals were and how knowledgeable the cast members were. Once afraid of roller coasters I rode Expedition Everest and loved every minute of it! Dinosaur was fun but a bit jerky; and we were able to enjoy The Lion King show with great floor views.

Last but not least we spent the bulk of our time there in Pandora The World of Avatar. It was beautiful during the day but the best time to be there is at night; where the whole land glows with the stunning colors of Pandora. We rode Na’vi River Journey, explored Valley of Mo’ara and albeit a two hour wait each time we rode the exhilarating Avatar Flight of Passage twice. It’s a 3D ride over the vast moon on the back of a flying mountain banshee.

Disney has outdone themselves with this attraction and has made Animal Kingdom the place to be and is money well spent. We stayed at the park from the extra magic hours at 8 am till the park closed at 9 pm. Animal Kingdom brought excitement, energy, an abundance of laughter and fun and a sense of bonding and togetherness between three adult sisters who are already close.

This was another great experience towards my journey to mental peace and happiness.

Free Your Mind

The process of freeing your mind takes patience and dedication.

If you’re like most Americans you apply the work, work, work – no time for play – over exert yourself – work until you die mentality to your everyday life. Don’t get me wrong; I believe in working hard, but what is it all for if we don’t take time for ourselves?

What I am suggesting is that you simply choose YOU. If that means having a night out with the girls; date night; a walk on the beach, in the park or hiking a trail; a relaxing bubble bath with candles; a massage; yoga; a weekend vacation (or a longer one if you can swing it); alone time with a good book; whatever you need to do to free your mind from the stress, pressure and negativity that comes with life.

Life is inevitable but what you do to soothe it – get through it could be the difference between life and death, between calmness and an emotional breakdown, between happiness and depression.

Choose you, because in the end life will go on whether you’re part of it or not. Choose to live and live well mentally. You should determine what that means to you…

A Pleasant Salt Therapy Experience

 

In my quest to find and promote mental tranquility, I try to seek out relaxing and unusual opportunities. A simple search on Groupon brought up the unique experience of sleeping in a Himalayan Salt Cave. The benefits alone completely outweigh the experience of the exuberant manmade cave; but soothing music, dim lighting, a warm blanket, footies, a reclining lawn chair and a 45-minute nap are also part of the experience. This process is very popular in Europe and is called salt therapy. It is known to create a hypo-bacterial and allergen free air system. It relieves stress and anxiety, depression, fatigue and sleep disorders; it lessens the duration of cold/flu symptoms; it improves arthritis and breathing for asthma and allergy sufferers; it increases blood circulation and lowers blood pressure. Patrons have also reported leaving the session feeling calm and refreshed. For best results it is suggested to attend sessions regularly; or purchase a salt lamp and use by your bed three times a week.

 I enjoyed my sessions at the Mentor Salt Cave. I snagged a Groupon for $12.00 but I have seen discounts as low as $10.00. The original price is $25.00 per session; bundle sessions can be purchased for better mental and physical effects. Most people go for the experience rather than the health benefit, as the cave is visually stunning.

 Inside the cave you are surrounded by 12,000 pounds of Himalayan Salt, and a halo generator that breaks the salt down and pumps it through the air. The cave is set at 71 degrees for comfort. My experience was pleasant and I did achieve some benefits from the sessions. I’m sleeping soundly, breathing better, my allergy symptoms are under control without medicine and my stress level is down. While everyone will achieve different benefits or none at all; I still believe salt therapy is a great experience and is definitely worth the money spent.

What I learned from the Purple One…

I can’t believe it’s been a year since the passing of Prince. This has been a struggle for me personally, not just because I spent my childhood being completely in love with him

My Love Affair with the Purple One…

My childhood was laced with the mysterious, 5’2, deep speaking voice, falsetto, purple loving, high heeled boots, butt out pants wearing brotha. I remember the first time I saw the video When Doves Cry; I was Delirious when that Sexy M.F. stood up in the tub and actually reached for me through my TV set. That memory along with so many others prompted me to write a tribute to the Purple One and his legendary music…

I’ve loved you way before 1999. I was willing and able to be your Darling Nikki. I fantasized about how life would be If I was your Girlfriend…Would you Kiss me? Would you Do me, baby? Would you shower me with Diamonds and Pearls? Would you Take me with U in your Little Red Corvette to Erotic City?

Oh, Let’s go Crazy, cause I Adore you baby and Nothing Compares 2 U. You are The Beautiful One, Baby you are a Star and I’d give anything to see you laughing in the Purple Rain…

Today doves are crying and purple rains falling because His Royal Badness has departed. His Name was Prince, and he was funky, his name was Prince, the one and only…

You will be missed.

June 7, 1958-April 21, 2016

 

What Does Nature do for you?

Nature speaks to me…. It inspires me… Nature teaches me…To be calm and mellow, to slow down, relax and enjoy what’s happening around me. 

Falling in love with nature was so hard for me to do when I was a kid; I spent my childhood watching movies, burying my face in a great novel and playing with my paper dolls. My imagination was always running wild and my creative juices were flowing. While I still have my creative side, as an adult woman I have definitely fallen in love with nature.

I fell in love with palm trees and cacti over a decade ago; but it wasn’t until my recent holiday travels to Savannah, Georgia and Hilton Head, South Carolina that I have developed a great appreciation for the Spanish Moss tree. 

There’s something about the way the moss hangs and blows in the wind that seems therapeutic to me. It’s as if the tree is relieving itself from the stress and negativity in the world by allowing the moss to hang, and eventually fall or blow away just like we should allow our problems to do. 

From this moment on I’m going to be a Spanish Moss tree. Im not going to worry and stress myself out over situations that I cannot control. I’m going to let my problems hang, knowing that in time they’ll fall or blow away so that I can start fresh and new.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Happy New Year!

The best way I can describe the year 2014 for me is that it was a mega roller coaster ride. It starts with that first climb up the hill; the anticipation of what comes next is quite scary. I dealt with a lot of serious medical illnesses for myself and for the people that I love. There were surgeries, outpatient procedures, and we were on pins and needles waiting for tests results. Fortunately all situations had positive endings.

But then here comes those stomach dropping steep hills, which represents when I almost lost my life while hiking Devil’s Bridge in Sedona, Arizona. The experience opened my eyes in so many ways. It showed me that life can end at any moment so appreciate life’s blessings and live, laugh, and love every day.

The annoying twists and turns produce all types of emotions and feelings of uncertainty; because you don’t know if you’re going to cry, scream, vomit, or exit the ride with a headache or sore back and neck. When the CEO of my company announced his retirement early last year I had all of those emotions and feelings of doubt, because I just didn’t know what the future held for my company and my family. But things are looking up. Our new CEO is a young, vibrant, personable Dominican woman from New York. I’m excited to say that positive change is on the way!

In the middle of the initial climb, steep hills and twists and turns are the special moments like the wind in my hair; the way that I laugh to fight off nervous energy; and the exciting and exhilarating feelings that roller coasters in general bring. These special moments portray my travels this year, amusement parks I visited, my first time working as an extra in a short film, quality time with family and friends, yoga, meditating, working out, going to local plays, going to see a ton of movies with my children and nephews, and so many other great times and moments.

So a new year is here and it brings with it a clean slate, new opportunities, more time with family and friends, and a chance for me to create more adventures through my journey to mental tranquility!

May the New Year bring continuous blessings, love, laughter and endless possibilities to all!

Stop Existing and Start Living!

By definition a bucket list is a list of things that one has not done before but wants to do before dying. We live such busy lives that we often do not think about a bucket list until it’s too late.

A bucket list does not have to include grand activities like running with the bulls in Pamplona Spain; or skydiving off of Mount Everest. A bucket list could be something as meaningful as watching the sun rise, volunteering or taking a ballroom dance class. Instead of putting your life on hold start living your life while you’re still healthy.

For me life is about experiences, I want to spend my time doing the things that I love and doing the things that bring me joy. Below is a link to my bucket list on Pinterest (while this is not a complete list it outlines some things I’d like to see and do).

What’s Wrong with Facing my Fears?

I had a recent conversation with someone who felt it was “silly to do something that scares you just to prove a point to yourself”. Unfortunately I couldn’t get this person to understand that facing your fears is so much more than proving a point.

I have a fear of heights, public speaking, clowns, horses and I’m claustrophobic. For years I used these fears as an excuse to hold myself back. Overtime I realized that facing my fears and doing something that makes me uncomfortable actually helps me to grow. I hiked to Devil’s Bridge in Sedona to face my fear of heights, I took a helicopter ride in Orlando to face my fear of heights and my phobia of enclosed spaces, and I rode a horse at a resort in Mexico to face my fear of the animal. When my children were little I took them to the circus numerous times and dealt with the uncomfortable feeling of being surrounded by clowns. Public speaking is my biggest fear and one that I am still working on conquering.

Living with fear isn’t being careful or cautious, it’s actually a stifled way of existing. If we allow the things that scare us to control us then we’re not really living. I decided to take control of my life by facing my fears, and controlling my emotions whenever I’m in an uncomfortable situation. Conquering fears shows emotional growth and gives you power that will ultimately lead to success in all aspects of your life.

“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.”

– Marie Curie

Just Ducky!

My Tour Bus

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is actually a great city! My family and I had the opportunity to take our first land and water tour with Just Ducky Tours. We rode in the yellow vehicle, her name is Nelly. The tour began at historic Station Square and was a great adventure through the city. In just an hour I felt like we saw everything and more. We rode through the business district, the cultural district, the heart of downtown. We saw Heinz Field and PPG Place while on the way to the Allegheny River. Our guide provided just enough humor, cool tidbits and fun stories about the areas we explored.

For me the best part of the tour was the relaxing ride on the Allegheny River. The views were amazing, including the view of the beautiful city skyline and the cable cars going up and down the hills at Duquesne Incline. I also took great photos while floating by the Carnegie Science Center and the U.S.S. Requin submarine. The tour was a great ending to a wonderful family trip.