.:|:. Dove Love’s .:. Points and Passions .:|:.

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  I was just reading an old post I did on a book that I feel everyone should read — that is, those who are so very tired of being on a hamster wheel that never gets them to where they wish to be, wondering where’s the happiness, the freedom…   It’s called “The Paradigm Conspiracy.”  My previous post includes an overview of the book (note, the bolded areas were my doing). 

As I was reading over this overview, thoughts came up about a blog I was frequenting on here a while back — trying to tweak the minds of a group of rabid skeptics.  I was sharing a few of my experiences with them, particularly with the Tarot.  Of course, it mattered not that they had zero experience in this regard (and I’ve now spent about a decade almost incessantly using the Tarot), they still scoffed at the prospect that what I spoke was the truth.  Since they’d already warmed up to me a bit, they first tried to be charitable and suggested that I was imagining all of this (heh), but it was clear that if that wasn’t it, dishonesty had to be.  

I tried to not let it annoy me — I s’pose I asked for it by sharing such things with people who believe nothing that their science tells them they shouldn’t believe.  I remember posting my Edison post (where people mocked Edison — scientists, and other lofty ones) on that thread, and there was a brief pause … then one of them came back with something like, “Yeah, but those Edison things could be proved by science.”  At that point, I moved on, because it was clear their minds weren’t budging — but I was like, huh?  Then, why were highly regarded scientists among those who scoffed at and mocked Edison? …

My next thoughts were about a guy in my past.  My cards have actually referenced him as a “fool” (several times) in the negative sense (but there is also a positive take on the fool in the Tarot).  The way he thinks boggles my mind, but I don’t think he’s that much different than many — thinking that “success” is all about how much money you can make.  And so this guy is consumed by his work.  He sees no other way to become his version of a success.  I remember a few years ago when he started working this job, I told him that it was a prison, that it wasn’t worthy of losing his health over.  I heard from him recently — he said he’d been in the hospital a couple of times recently per lack of sleep…   What he doesn’t seem to get is that the present dictates the future.  If it isn’t balanced, the future won’t be.  If you’re not happy in the present, you won’t be in the future either.  The thing is, you can do something in the present that might not be all that you wish for, BUT you must BALANCE it with what you do want.  That is, some energy MUST be put towards what you do want.  If you are currently neglecting and abusing your body for some pay-off in the future, there’s no balance in that — so stay tuned for a messed up body in the future.  But hey, you’ll have lotsa money to go to the hospital and docs a lot…

It’s insanity.  Our bodies, our health, are PRICELESS.  Ya’ can’t go out and buy a new body — NO MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAVE.  Ask someone who has no sight, but lotsa money what they’d pay for the gift of sight.  Someone with no legs what they’d pay to have them back?  …  And yet so many of us sacrifice our lives, our health, so as to make money — to buy STUFF.  Geez. 

Actually it isn’t insanity, or even stupidity (usually), it’s what the above-mentioned book speaks of.  A kind of brainwashing via “paradigms.”  And I would add that we keep doing this over and over, because the promise of what it supposedly brings (happiness, or even real security, per money/power), never actually happens — but we think (per the paradigms) that it will if we just work a little more, a little harder…  And then maybe ya’ get “there,” but all you discover is that you’ve been a fool…you’ve been duped into sacrificing your precious body, life, health, TRUE HAPPINESS…for a pile of green paper, a false sense of security/safety, a mountain of material stuff that’s momentarily gratifying but ultimately suffocating, and an illusion of power…  All you truly have in those things is NOTHING, but you’ve lost so much in this FINITE life…

It’s time to “wake up.”  And this book is a good place to start :)  Read the overview of the “The Paradigm Conspiracy” here.  And then also realize that you ARE the power, it’s all about what you believe… And it will be those who are endeavoring to overcome the brainwashing that will truly be powerful in the future, not those who continue to put their total focus and efforts in the outer world, all the while destroying their bodies, and consequently dishonoring the real power — within them.

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  I was tagged, um, last week? … for this meme and it sounded like my cup-o-tea (I love doing the open-the-book thing), so here we go :) 

About mid-week this past week, I had sat down to look up the Cardinal totem in Ted Andrew’s “Animal-Speak,” because I’d been seeing that gorgeous bird quite a bit, but before coming upon it, I remembered about needing to do this meme.  I thought, hey, this would be a cool book to use for it.  So I turned to page 123 in “Animal-Speak.”  Found the 5th sentence and these were the 3 sentences that followed:

================

“One was the Strasburg Brotherhood of the Crown, and another was formed by St. Nicholas of Vienna in 1288.  In Germany, specifically, there existed a guild of meistersingers at Nuremburg.  This schooling was to teach the power of sound, music, and voice–physical and spiritual.”

===============================

Right off, I thought it was interesting that it started with “One.” :)  Lotsa synchronicities with it.  Just hours before opening to this passage, one of my co-workers was actually speaking German to me!  Yes, this was exceedingly UNUSUAL, to say the least.  Note, the Universe is invariably speaking to us with unusual things, things that don’t happen to us everyday…  I looked at him, and said, “I didn’t know you spoke German.”  He didn’t respond in English, and just kept speaking in German to me, lol  There was also a German reference in an email I received that day…

Here are some interpretations I found at one dream symbol site (yeah, I don’t distinguish sleep-dream symbolism from this awake-dream we’re experiencing):

===================

Foreign Language

To hear or speak a foreign language in your dream, indicates a message from your unconscious that you do not yet understand.

Foreigner

To see a foreigner in your dream, represents an aspect of yourself that is unfamiliar or strange to you. You may be neglecting or ignoring some important feelings or talents.

Source:  www.dreammoods.com

=======================

That last statement definitely rings true for me…  It’s also interesting that not long ago I made a comment on a blog where I posted some info about the original Saint Nicholas per a question on that topic (Santa Claus).  Hmm, that page that I just linked that to isn’t the source that I’m referencing, but a statement there intrigues me, …  “Nicholas, why dost thou conceal thyself from me? Thou art my helper” … 

{Update:  I feel compelled to add a bit here…  First, just for clarity, I had posted some info about the original St. Nick from one website onto another’s blog, but the St. Nick site I’m linking to above isn’t that one, it’s one I found just in the moment of my typing that paragraph.  But I especially wanted to point out that I realize that the statement, “Thou art my helper” is not (literally, or in this reality) referencing art, lol  ;)  But that’s what I saw when I first read it, intuition doesn’t have to be “logical” — and very often, it isn’t :) …  But I actually took both messages, that the Universe or “God/dess” is asking me why I am hiding myself, by holding back my creative expressions, AND that he/she sees me as one of his/her “helpers”… ah, and that our true (joyful) creative expressions are part of that — it is a “dance” we do with him/her.}

One of my first posts here was called “Create Change with Your Creations,” and not long ago I noticed how it had been right before I started doing all my MS Paint Pics and the post was spurred from people saying a single phrase to me one day that indicated they couldn’t see me…  It made me wonder if it was the Universe saying that I needed to do something to show myself, maybe my art I thought.  Writing, painting, some even consider the Tarot an art…  I’ve had people suggest I create my own Tarot deck, or write a book, and I’ve always felt I would write a book eventually.  I must say, this blog is the most I’ve ever expressed myself … the writing, the computer painting.  Right before starting this blog (Aug 2007), I was getting a plethora of Aces in the Tarot, a sign of new beginnings, the Aces are “seeds,” reflecting great potential.  I feel it has been a significant part of my healing journey.  I think we have no idea how vital it is to express ourselves, our creativity … but it makes sense, we are like that which created us, creators :)  We harm ourselves in not allowing that creativity to flow.

“Brotherhood of the Crown” –  the crown, the crown chakra, associated with universal love and ONE-ness … 

1288 = 19, the Sun card in the Tarot, a major arcana card that can represent our “god-ness’ or “God.”  19 = 10 = 1

“Master Number 88: The elevation of the personal and the infinite consciousness is facilitated to encompass the actuality of “knowing” and the receipt of meaningful, revealing, and significant revelations (and implementation of same) with respect to ones unlimited and unrestricted capabilitites. The concepts of sensitivity and compassion, with the experiencing of each moment, is reflected in the “eighty-eight” vibration.”  (Source:  http://www.lochsrocks.com/meta.asp?insert=Master)

“Meistersinger” — Master singer.  I love to sing, but not in front of anyone, lol   But I’ve always thought it would be such a joy to be a singer…  I’ve felt I might take voice lessons someday.  An intuitive years ago told me that singing would be healing for me.  And on the rare occasion that I do sing (in private), I can actually see a kind of a glow in my face the next day :)  I should do it more often…  “Make a joyful noise.” :)

And shortly after coming upon this “Animal-Speak” passage, I came upon a blog about the power of sound :)  It’s a great post, giving the mantras for each chakra.  I’ve seen the power in doing thse mantras, but I have gotten out of the practice of doing this.  This is strongly motivating me to get back to it…

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that this passage was part of the Canary totem, which is synchronous in that I have winged totems, mostly birds, out the wazoo :)  AND, I have often referenced myself as the canary because I am so sensitive to chemicals, even those that others feel are not harmful or whatever — like I can’t be around stuff like fingernail polish remover and such.  I avoid the laundry products aisle at the store like the plague… 

And if all that’s not enough, guess what was on the very next page, page 124.  The Cardinal totem, which is why I picked up this book in the first place, remember? :)  Cool, eh? haha!

Well, I got a lot out of my three sentences.  I’m not really big on doing the tagging thing, but here are the directives for anyone else who would like to play :)

1)  Get a book with at least 123 pages, and go to page 123.
2)  Go to the 5th sentence, post the next 3 sentences.
3)  Have fun with it :)

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  I was doing some organizing the day before yesterday and opened an old book, and to my surprise I found a maple leaf, and then another and another.  Three maple leaves.  I only vaguely recall putting them in there several years ago, while living in a wonderful rural area that I may have mentioned on here before.  So, of course, coming upon such a thing has meaning :)

But I didn’t ponder that so much in that moment, was just wondering where to put them.  Back in the book, maybe in a special box or something?  I’ve been trying to hone up the Feng Shui in my apartment and I didn’t want any dead leaves to mess up the Prosperity or Relationship areas :) so I decided the Angel or “Helpful People” area would be safe.  And there was a nice sunny spot on a little table there in which to place them.  They looked kinda cute there :)  So off I went about my business.

I glanced over at them again this morning and decided to find out the dream symbol meaning of the maple leaf in this here “dream” that is this life :)  And here’s what I found…

======================
To see a maple leaf in your dream, represents each of the five senses and what it has to offer. It also denotes a helping or protective hand.
=======================

My favorite Feng Shui book is called “Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life,” written by a sharp, funny, and no-nonsense girl named Karen Rauch Carter.  I’ve had her book for years.  She calls it the “Helpful People and Travel” area.   I often reference it as the “Angel Corner.”  When you walk in the front door, it’s the corner of the whole house to your right.  And what’s one tool she considers a “power tool” in this area?  A picture of, or some other form of a hand, representing a helpful hand.   My maple leaves, helpful hands :)

How cool is that.  I’ve noticed before how I have just intuitively placed things in the appropriate area without knowing or conisidering that the energy of it is good in that particular area. I also found another site that said the maple leaf was a symbol of love.  Hmm, that’s also wonderful and very synchronous.  I’ve been getting the Tarot’s sweet Two of Cups a lot lately as well, a message of love and/or very harmonious interactions.  So these are all very sweet messages for the “new beginnings” I’m currently moving toward…

So what a sweet thing that the Universe has given me with these lovely little pressed maple leaves for my Angel Corner :) 

There seems to be a bit of heightened “magic” this morning.  The Crow has visited me a couple of times this week, also this morning.  He cawed 7 times, twice.  I was lying in bed and I was thinking what an odd number of caws that was for my Crow baby ;)  But it was very synchronous.  Two of my French friends on here both mentioned the Chariot card (Tarot) to me in the last couple of days.  The Chariot is one of the major arcana cards, number 7. 

It’s a good card, and I think it speaks of victory, but I really need to use some of its “hard control” on myself to reach my goals.  So off I go, to apply some of of that there “hard,” but balanced, self-discipline :)

Peace,
Dove

=============================================
Dove’s Art    Dove’s Posts At-a-Glance    Dove’s Tarot Website

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  A day or so ago, I asked the Universe, through a book, what was in store for me in 2008.

I’ve mentioned on here before how one of my favorite ways to get answers is to do my “ask-a-book” ritual, and, although any book works, I especially love using a book called, “The Language of Letting Go,” by Melody Beattie.  The answers I get from it are invariably mind-blowingly specific, and on point.  And all I do is sit and fill my mind with the energy of my question (i.e., I think about it, focus intently on it) and then I simply open the book randomly. 

Like with the Tarot, I use my left hand, because it’s governed by our “right brain.”  And a quick interjection, isn’t it interesting how we generally use our right hand (governed by our logical left side), almost allowing our left arm/hand to atrophy.  A testament as to how we as a society hold our right-brain energy (feminine, intuition, emotion) in such low regard…  Anyway, I use my left hand so as to “stoke” my intuitive side.  I open the book and often “hear” what area of the two pages has my answer, like “Top, right.” 

With my question, “What’s in store for me in 2008?,” I opened to a section called, “Celebrate”   In the area of the two pages I was guided to, I zeroed in on this phrase as the specific answer, …”we begin to experience the fullness and joy of life“  Well, it’s about frickin’ time, lol ;)  Yay!  *turning cartwheels* lol  Sounds good to me :)   Another phrase here that jumps out, “I will indulge in the joy of celebrating.”  A wonderful message to get on the eve of a brand new year :)

Here are some other statements under this “Celebrate” section in the spirit of celebrating … and I feel are very on point.

“Take time to celebrate.  Celebrate your successes, your growth, your accomplishments.  Celebrate you and who you are.  For too long, you have been too hard on yourself.  Others have spilled their negative energy — their attitudes, beliefs, pain — on you.  It had nothing to do with you!  {Dove:  Hey, I told them that, lol}  All along you have been a gift to yourself and to the Universe.  {Dove:  Ahhh.}  You are…beautiful, a delight, a joy.  You do not have to try harder, be better, be perfect, or be anything you are not.  Your beauty is in you, just as you are each moment.  When you have a success, when you accomplish something, enjoy it.  Pause, reflect, rejoice.  Too long you have listened to admonitions not to feel good about what you have done… Celebrate all that is in your life.  Celebrate all that is good.  Celebrate you!”  :)

Now there is a bit of caveat on the opposite page.  The full statement per the phrase I mentioned above is this,

“Whenever we begin to experience the fullness and joy of life, we may feel guilty about those we’ve left behind — those not recovering, those still in pain…a symptom of codependency.  We may get a phone call from a nonrecovering parent who relates his or her misery to us.  And we feel pulled into their pain … And yes, it hurts to leave behind those we love.  But keep moving forward anyway.  Be patient.  Other people’s recovery is not our business.”

There is a certain person in my not-so-distant past that I’m still working on forgiving.  I know forgiveness is for me, and that until I do it, it’s an obstacle in my life.  I don’t believe he’s “recovering,” or healing his heart from the traumas he’s endured in his life.  But I hope that he will, because I know, under all that insecure ego stuff, all that blaming of others, all that power-mongering, and that seeming need for deception to somehow keep himself “safe,” there is a good heart.  I’ve seen it :)  But I think the above message is to remind me not to allow him to pull me back into his unconscious need for conflict and problematic relationships, a need to have someone around that he can blame all his “bad luck” on.  He needs to know, it won’t ever be me again.

Yep, I’m gonna keep healing from all the icky stuff ;) and keep on growing in that wonderful self-love thing :) … and allow myself the joy of each and every, big and small, success along the way.  I’m gonna do as the Universe is advising through this fabulous book of incomparable wisdom.  I’m going to learn how, and allow the time, to really, really joyfully celebrate in 2008, yay! 

My mantra:  “Celebrate 2008, celebrate 2008, celebrate 2008! … “  Haha! ;)

Wishing all a mega-joyful celebration called 2008! 

Woohoo! *more cartwheels* lol ;)

Peace,
Dove

===========================================
Dove’s Art    Dove’s Posts At-a-Glance    Dove’s Tarot Website

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  I have this absolutely wonderful book for which I  reach so often, and have done so for several years now.  Ya’ might say, it’s my sacred book, my “bible.”  :)  And oddly enough, it mentions “God” throughout the book.  And that’s not something I’m generally fond of, a reference to a male biblical ”God” outside of us – I’m very anti-religion.  Been there, done that — took on a lot of fear that took a lot of years to shed because of it.  I know that being taught from birth that one is a “sinner” (and all the hell and brimstone stuff) is gravely harmful…  I don’t think, I know, it has greatly harmed, almost destroyed, our world.  I believe “God” is neither male nor female.  I believe the stories in that old book are primarily symbolic and when  it references “God,” it speaks of us, a wisdom and power within us…   I believe many are coming to realize the truth of what I am saying here, and many more will.   But, because I love this book so much, it is so filled with wisdom, I’m tolerant of the “God” aspect of it ;)

I recently connected with a woman on here, Grace :) and seemingly made the mistake of expressing my honest views with regard to religion and such.  I’ve never been a “yes” person, and I’m exceedingly honest.  I don’t want “followers” or “friends” with whom I cannot be honest, and “yes people,” well, they bore me.  I tend to tell it like it is…I guess I am a lot like that there Queen of Swords :)

I thought my last post to Grace would help her to understand my position, but I don’t feel that it did per her response — I see the defensiveness (her:  my “numbers of new commentors and visitors” …) despite her efforts to pretty it up :)  And that’s okay.  But her response did kind of stun me, it was like she couldn’t hear or didn’t want to hear what I was saying.  I admit her position makes no sense to me…  But upon feeling her defensiveness, including stating that her other friends did not take my position (even as I stated that I felt she had been light-hearted and not intentionally disrespectful per one of her statements), but I then started questioning myself…and it didn’t feel good to do so. 

And so I got still for a moment, and asked, “Am I wrong?”  How can I feel so strongly about my position on this…if it is so wrong to be feeling this way.   I see clearly that religion harms people, it not only seems wrong, it seems very wrong…  Why do I feel bad for speaking my truth?  And as I was feeling/thinking this way, this book came to mind.  Ahh, so I decided to ask the book :)

And the book I’m referencing is a wonderful book called “The Language of Letting Go,” by a woman, Melody Beattie, that I feel is so very “connected,” so very wise.  I love her, and I love this book of hers.  I often get still and “ask a book” a question, and I get the most amazing answers, invariably on point.  But this book, the way it’s set up, works the best in doing this little ritual.  So I filled my mind with the energy of this issue between Grace and I, and I asked to be shown the answer.  “Am I wrong?”  “Should I join in and embrace beliefs that I feel are so very harmful, so destructive?”  “Tell me, what do I need to know about this?”  And, with my eyes closed, I opened the book randomly.  I often hear which side (which page), and I heard “Right, top.”  The whole book is set up with short elaborations on different issues.  The title of the section I opened to is “Who Knows Best?” :)  And I’m going to type it here and will show the point where I was directed to first read, the “Right, top” point.

=================
Who Knows Best? 
(by Melody Beattie from “The Language of Letting Go)

Others do not know what’s best for us.  We do not know what’s best for others.  It is our job to determine what’s best for ourselves.  “I know what you need”…  “I know what you should do.”…  “Now listen, this is what I think you should be working on right now.”

These are audacious statements, beliefs that take us away from how we operate on a spiritual plane of life.  Each of us is given the ability to be able to discern and detect our own path, on a daily basis.  This is not always easy.  We may have to struggle to reach that quiet, still place.

Giving advice, making decisions for others, mapping out their strategy, is not our job.  Nor is it their job to direct us.  Even if we have a clean contract with someone to help us — such aas in a sponsorship relationship — we cannot trust that others always know what is best for us.  We are responsible for listening to the information that comes to us.  We are responsible for asking for guidance and direction.  But …

{here is where the “right/top” of the page begins)

… it is our responsibility to sift and sort through information, and then listen to ourselves about what is best for us.  Nobody can know that but ourselves.  *Dove smiles*

A great gift we can give to others is to be able to trust in them — that they have their own source of guidance and wisdom, that they have the ability to discern what is best for them and the right to find that path by making mistakes and learning.  (Melody’s emphasis in italics)

To trust ourselves to be able to discover — through that same imperfect process of struggle, trial, and error — is a great gift we can give ourselves.

(And then Melody always concludes each section with an affirmation.)
Today, I will remember that we are each given the gift of being able to discover what is best for ourselves.  God, help me trust that gift.

I love this answer.  And I find it delicious that “God” did not tell me I’d be frying in hell if I don’t measure up jiffy quick, lol ;)  Nah, he/she guided me toward trusting what I strongly believe is the truth  in this moment.  That we learn to trust the way we feel, our own heart/intuition (the “God” within) – and allow others the same.  That’s more important than a bunch of rigid, harmful religious rules…  And what my intuition tells me in this moment, is that if we can’t do that with someone without fear of being rejected, without fear of losing ”friends” or “followers,” then that’s not a healthy connection or situation.

Peace,
Dove

===========================================
Dove’s Art    Dove’s Posts At-a-Glance    Dove’s Tarot Website

I finally found her :)  Years ago I endeavored to find one, but no one would fess up.   That is, no woman I asked would admit she regretted having children.  That would seem to be the worst “sin” ever.  Like “God” doesn’t know when you’re lying :)

And, oddly enough, I found the article on this (regarding this woman who admits regretting having children, and who also wrote a book about it, “40 Reasons for Not Having Children) via a woman’s blog on here who was essentially saying, “oh-the-horror” about this woman’s admission.  I would have thanked the oh-the-horror woman for providing the link to this article, but I doubt she would have approved my comment :) among all the Stepford wife comments she drew…

I saw this be-fruitful-and-multiply-but-we’re-all-sinners woman’s pic on her blog and it looked like she’d never seen a day of exercise in her life.  Sheesh, and she was, of course, referencing the above-mentioned woman as “selfish” for her views.  Typical.  All the while this, um, ”unselfish” woman is teaching her children how to not take care of themselves either — by her own lack of self-care (too busy to exercise?).  Ya’ know, taking care of yourself, your own needs…that selfish thing. 

Wonderful — more fat, miserable mom’s raising more “fine” fat miserable people…none of whom would ever be that wicked ole selfish thing.  Children draw from their parent’s energy — no matter what ya’ tell ‘em or how ya’ treat ‘em.  If the mother is lacking in self-care (aka self-esteem, self-love — appropriately putting oneself FIRST), not putting a priority on herself, she will be teaching by example (the most potent).   It’s called genuine self-esteem — and honesty.   As opposed to hiding the self-loathing while swallowing mounds and mounds of food to hide the regret…and pain (from thinking of and referencing oneself as a “sinner”… and making major life choices per an old book and societal pressures).

I commend the woman who wrote this book and made this admission.  That she regrets having children and is even advising other women to not have them!  Yesssssssssssss! :)  Yes, stop bringing more people into a world that has more (much, much more) than enough…

I have to say I knew as a kid I never wanted a child.  And despite my mother (who was clearly miserable with her choice to have several of them) telling me that I’d change my mind when I got older, I did not.  In fact, my resolve grew stronger with age.  Thank “God.”   And if you want to know why I say this, read her book.  I haven’t read it, but I’m sure she’s included all the reasons that I knew even as a child.

Regarding this topic, I’ve always remembered a couple of women I met in my younger years, both grandmotherly-looking.  One was one of the happiest women I’ve ever met — cute, slim, always smiling and jovial.  She had never had children, had never wanted them, never any regrets about it.  The other woman never came across as particularly happy, she had had six children, all or most of them were grown at the point I met her.  As I recall, she kind of admitted that she wasn’t that happy in her mother role.  She said her grown children had all moved to other states — she rarely saw them.  I’m not sure she was particularly sad about that, but perhaps a bit angry…  Women should truly take a lot of time in making this decision to have children.  The “clock” may be ticking, but there’s no turning it back once a child arrives…  And there’s alway the very admirable option of taking care of a child that’s already here.

In my view if someone is truly one with a deep desire to mother children for the rest of her life, which includes pretty much every minute of her life (if it’s done properly — and, yes, I knew this as a child), then I can’t fathom why she would not opt to care for those unwanted children who are already here.  Nevertheless, if she is such a woman, then I assure you she will not be referencing women who are childless by choice as “selfish.”  She would understandably be saddened that they are supposedly missing the joy that she is experiencing, not angry that they are being selfish and not being strapped by the burden that she is. 

Ya’ see how that works?  No?  How ’bout this…  If I have a delicious chocolate ice cream cone, enjoying the heck out of it on a sunny day in the park :) …  would I likely hate the woman sitting on the park bench for her choice to be chocolate-cone-less (heh), and for enjoying a book instead?  lol ;) 

Peace,
Dove