Leah Vidal's Blog, page 9

The Heartbreaking Last Wish That’s Impossible To Ignore

“Wait…don’t go.” It is barely a whisper. I’m just outside the room, my hand on the door knob pulling it closed, but I freeze. Silence. I’m suddenly unsure whether I heard anything at all. “Mommy?” “Just one more hug?” I’ve been listening to these last-minute bedtime requests for so many years I can’t remember at what…

When Words Are Not Enough

  She was only eight, but even then she longed for adventure. Faraway lands and impossible ideas of worlds undiscovered called to her on a daily basis. She yearned to fly among the birds and burrow with forest creatures in the deep brush of magical woods. She wasn’t unhappy with her current residence, simply wanted…

The Me I Was Meant To Be

  I wish I had known… to savor the days of free play and extra recess the days of playing outside ’til the sun set and mom called us for dinner the secrets whispered between friends with a giggle and a pinky swear I wish I had known to be more understanding of the classmate…

The End Of A Love Affair

Once I knew the truth, I could no longer talk myself out of… As with most love affairs, I approached this unexpected chapter of my life doe-eyed and full of hope. The anticipation of something new and exciting gave me butterflies at the mere thought of what was to come. It was a whirlwind from the start, and in a mere three weeks I was in deep. The honeymoon phase did not disappoint, leaving me breathless at every turn, parted lips wanting to translate my heart’s deepest secrets. I threw caution to the wind, allowing feelings I had never experienced to warm my skin and hold my senses hostage. I surrendered to the beauty of firsts typical of new love, living truly present in each moment with no regard for the future unless it included another moment like the current one. I allowed myself to travel this path for quite some time on wings of desire and forced optimism even when the light of truth began to seep through the cracks  These fissures born of reality remained no …

Resolutions Die, But A Vision Lives Forever

Vision. We all have one. “If you can dream it you can do it.” – Walt Disney Whether we’ve played it over and over in our minds on an endless loop that comforts us in much the same way our favorite throw blanket wraps us in warmth on our spot on the couch. Or, it’s that vision that begins the same way but changes slightly each time we see it because doubt has stained it just enough to alter the image a little each time. If you can visualize it you can believe it. Visualization is a common practice for successful athletes. “In 1984 the Russians realized that Olympic athletes who mentally rehearsed their sport experienced a positive impact on their performance. Since then the area has been widely studied. In the 1990s a researcher showed that just five minutes of mental visualization, versus five minutes of basic tasks yielded a significant difference in overall performance – and the dramatic increase in performance wasn’t limited just to experienced professionals, the researcher showed that it applied to …

How the Science of Parenthood Can Save the Holidays

“Everything we ever needed to know about parenting we learned in middle school math and science class … only we didn’t realize it then because we were too busy chasing boys to actually pay attention to whatever the teacher was going on and on and on about. But we must have absorbed something through osmosis … or is it photosynthesis? Well, it’s definitely one of these “ois”’s or “esis”’s because once we caught our boys (er, husbands) … and then, incredibly, gave birth to two more, it all came back to us, like in one of those pricey SAT prep courses. Turns out, those smarties Newton and Einstein and the rest of their science and math geek pals not only understood how the world works, they knew a little something about what it’s like to be a frazzled, sleep-deprived parent who’s just one PBJ shy of going all Linda Blair in that head-spin scene from The Exorcist. If you’ve ever wondered how a kid can possibly lose so many Star Wars thermoses — at $16 …

What Do You Say To A Broken Heart?

It’s a typical funeral day. The kind of day that reflects emotions you didn’t know you were hiding.    Feelings you carefully tucked away now peek around every cloud, threatening to make a long overdue appearance. The air is heavy and thick wrapping your lungs as you try to steady your breath. It’s the kind of day you want to clear your calendar, remain indoors with nothing but the heavy silence that breaks through the pitter patter of raindrops. It’s the kind of day you long for the numbness you’ve trained your heart to embrace because allowing anything else might break you. It’s the kind of day you would light a match just to watch it burn if not for the drops that would extinguish the flame – not those falling from the sky, but those traveling down your face. The storm has reached its destination without warning once more. Death. I’ll let you sit with it for a moment. A single word that evokes different meaning for each of us. An end. A beginning. Peace. Pain. …

Autumn Leaves – Photo Friday

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” – Anne of Green Gables

Love On The Side

My eyes follow his every move. I wonder if he can feel my gaze on him as it travels over him. Does it warm his skin the way it warms my heart? Are my thoughts loud enough for him to hear because he just looked over at me and did that little nod he does […]

Pee Wee or Pro – Save The Tatas!

PeeWee or Pro – Save The Tatas They’re All Worth Saving Save The Tatas -Donations from our generous donors are used to support independent scientific research. We’re no experts in reading and selecting grants, so we’ve partnered with the Concern Foundation since 2008 to select and fund reseachers. Metavivor -METAvivor exists to sustain hope for […]