Sage spa

Are you full of awesome?

Waking Up Full of Awesome

 by Melissa Atkins Wardy

 

 

There was a time when you were five years old,

and you woke up full of awesome.

 You knew you were awesome.

  You loved yourself.

 You thought you were beautiful,

even with missing teeth and messy hair and mismatched socks

inside your grubby sneakers. You loved your body, and the things

it could do.

 You thought you were strong.

 You knew you were smart.

Do you still have it?

The awesome.

Did someone take it from you?

Did you let them?

 

Did you hand it over, because someone told you weren't beautiful

enough, thin enough, smart enough, good enough?

 

Why on earth would you listen to them?

Did you consider they might be full of crap?

Wouldn't that be nuts, to tell my little girl below that in another five

 or ten years she might hate herself because she doesn't look like a

starving and Photoshopped fashion model?

Or even more bizarre, that she should be sexy over smart,
beautiful over bold?

 

Are you freaking kidding me?

Look at her. She is full of awesome.

 You were, once. Maybe you still are. Maybe you are in the process of getting it back.

All I know is that if you aren't waking up feeling like this about yourself,

you are really missing out.

 

 

Is Your Mom A Style Icon?

With Mother's Day coming up on May 13th, this is the time of year when I start to think of my mother.  She passed away 5 years ago so I can't celebrate with her.  But, my brother and I always look for ways to celebrate her life in ways that honor the things that she loved.  My brother chooses to serve food to needy families at his church much in the way that our Mom did at her church.  It's a lovely thing for him to do and typical of my best-brother-in-the-world also being the-best-son-in-the-world.

 I, on the other hand, choose a different way to celebrate.  What I remember about my Mom was her love of stylish clothes.  It was a love she shared with me and that I inherited.  Every year she used to send me a few hundred dollars on my birthday and tell me to use it to buy some Spring clothes.  What ensued was a shopping trip to Macys.  It was a fun, self-indulgent day and I would call her afterwards to tell her what I bought.  It was a way to be together even though we were miles apart.

At one point after her passing I happened upon a site dedicated to stylish moms.  You could submit photos of your mom and possibly have the pictures accepted.  It seemed just perfect for her.  I submitted her photos and 
was delighted when they were accepted.  The photos you see on this post are the ones now  forever on the website (mymomstyleicon.com).

I just want to pass these ideas on to those of you who are remembering moms that are gone.  There are so many ways to keep the happy memories alive.

Carving Halloween Turnips (huh?)

This is an interesting article on the history of Halloween traditions as far back as the Celts, who carved turnips rather than pumpkins (pumpkins were unknown to them).

 

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7 Years! It's our Birthday!

On this, Sage Spa’s seventh anniversary, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of our clients, staff, and support personnel that have made us such a great success. We are nothing without each and every one of you.

During the past seven years, Sage has touched the lives of more than twenty-thousand people. You come to us from across the globe, most from Brooklyn, Manhattan and the surrounding tri-state area, but many travel from as far away as Japan, Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Finland, Canada, Australia, and the Caribbean. It's truly amazing.  We thank you each and everyone for your interest, your loyalty, and your trust. Trust is something we don't take that lightly. You mean the world to us, and we thank you.

Of course, where would we be without our staff?  We have some of the most caring, intelligent, and warm people you will find anywhere. Their professional expertise and experience are hallmark, second to none. Clients often comment on the difference our team brings to their spa experience, of particular note: "how our staff seem to enjoy working here". In the words of one client, “That tells you a lot.” It's little wonder that those words make us smile.

Looking back, it’s been particularily gratifying to watch our therapists grow professionally and personally during their time at Sage. It's much like a family. Many have been with us from the early years, from our first baby steps. Others, eventually decided to move on, after years working as therapists or spa managers, moving into physcial therapy, nursing, women’s health, and even law. For all that have come before and all that are with us now, we think that their unquestioned dedication and passion is not only a reflection of their warm personality, unbridled professionalism, but also Sage Spa's spirit. Nothing could make us more proud.

So on this seventh anniversary, my husband David, and I say thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who has contributed to the Sage Spa experience. 

We wish you peace and happiness,

Susan Stratton, LMT, owner
David Sumner, co-owner

Sage Spa

 

The master therapist...

"The master therapist is real, calm, nonjudgemental, intelligent, sensitive, strong yet flexible, supportive, compassionate, empathic, & joyful." 

- John Barnes 

Barnes, John F. 1990. Myofascial Release: The Search for Excellence, 10th Edition. Rehabilitation Services Inc.

Saint Valentine's Gift

This 1790‘s Valentine card (Above), worth £4,000, in the possession of the British Postal Museum is a handcrafted puzzle that unfurls to expose poetic letters, far away from the short love-giggles mentioned in today’s Valentine’s cards.
The face of the card reads:

“My dear the Heart which you behold,
Will break when you the same unfold
 Even so my heart with lovesick pain,

Sure wounded is and breaks in twain.” ¹

The History of Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day started with most of us as young kids in kindergarden where we made bold painted red heart cards adorned with the words: "I LOVE YOU" which we presented to our first love, our Mom.  We were as proud of the loving gift as we were our own ability to print those three words. Valentine's Cards? Where did this valentine tradition begin?

The earliest Valentine's Card on record(270 AD) [2]was reportedly sent by a romantic priest (Saint) Valentine who took particular issue with Emperor Claudius II who outlawed marriage for single men so he could conscript able bodied unavailable men for his Army. Valentine- voiced his objection, was imprisoned, thrown in irons and sentenced to death.  The story goes that while jailed Valentine befriended a young girl, possibly the jailer's daughter, and sent her a note signed "From your Valentine" as he walked to the gallows. The truth will probably never be known, but what is known is that during the Middle Ages. England and France claimed Saint Valentine as their most popular romantic hero. 

Others believe Valentine's Day was created by the Christian Church to tamp down interest for the pagan pre-Roman festival Lupercalia. [3]This was a holiday  dedicated to cleansing and ridding your home of evil spirits translated to mean: disease, stench, and filth.  Later Lupercalia morphed into the Roman pagan festival "Februa"- a time of general cleansing and rebirth and a time to honor the god "Faunus- the Roman God of Agriculture (Literally: "He who wards of the wolf") as well as the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

The Oldest Extant Valentine[4]

This letter, though not technically a valentine which is currently in the possession of the British Museum dated 1415, is a letter written by the FrenchDuke of Orleans, Charles, to his wife. The Duke, incarcerated in the Tower of London, was captured in the Battle of Argincourt and sentenced to die, later released twenty-five years later a free man. While imprisoned he wrote the following letter to his wife:   

 

 

 "Wilt thou be mine? Dear love, reply 

Sweetly consent, or else deny; 

Whisper softly, none shall know, 

wilt thou be mine, love? Aye or no?"  

  Margery Brews

The British Museum also possess an English love poem written by Margery Brews in 1477 addressed to a man named John Paston. This, many consider to be the first English Valentine.

"Unto my right well-beloved Valentine John Paston, squire, be this bill delivered.

  "Right reverent and worshipful and my right well-beloved valentine, I recommend me unto you full heartedly, desiring to hear of your welfare, which I beseech Almighty God long for to preserve unto his pleasure and your hearts desire.


 And if it pleases you to hear of my welfare, I am not in good health of body nor of heart, 
 nor shall I be till I hear from you.


 For there knows no creature what pain that I endure, And even on the pain of death I would reveal no more.


 And my lady my mother hath laboured the matter to my father full diligently, but she can no more get than you already know of, for which God knoweth I am full sorry.


 But if you love me, as I trust verily that you do, you will not leave me therefore.


 For even if you had not half the livelihood that you have, for to do the greatest labour that any woman alive might, I would not forsake you.

Love you truly


 And if you command me to keep me true wherever I go, indeed I will do all my might you to love and never anyone else.


 And if my friends say that I do amiss, they shall not stop me from doing so.


 My heart me bids evermore to love you truly over all earthly things.


 And if they be never so angry, I trust it shall be better in time coming.

No more to you at this time, but the Holy Trinity have you in keeping.


 And I beseech you that this bill be not seen by any non earthly creature save only yourself.


 And this letter was written at Topcroft with full heavy heart.


 Be your own Margery Brews."  [5] [6]

 

 In any case, a written card from a lover would have been a rare thing in those days, most lover's declarations were sung until the 18th century because few lovebirds could write, and the printing press had yet to be invented.  It's only after the advent of the printing press, that valentine's cards as we know them really exploded. Early 19th Century cards  were adorned with lace and embossed scenes. By mid-19th Century as printing became more sophisticated and economical cards become even more popular and ever present, including all kinds of sentiment and design. 

Thankfully, we no longer associate Valentine's Day with a Spring ritual wrapped around the elimination of filth, vermin and disease,  but rather giving and receiving gifts between people who love each other.  That simple loving act means as much today as it did to one particular young girl in Rome who received a note from her own Valentine.

 

Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at Sage Spa.    

---

[1 http://postalheritage.org.uk/learning/teachers/freeresources/messagesthroughtime/downloads/Document%202.pdf/view?searchterm=valentine

[2] 1 History of Valentine's Day

[3] http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romereligion/g/Lupercalia.htm

[4] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/642175.stm

[5] http://www.the-orb.net/encyclop/late/england/valentine.html

[6] http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/my-right-wellbeloved-valentine-745832.html

More Snow?

More snow? 8- 12" expected.  After you take the kids sledding. build that snowman and make a another batch of snow ice cream, we'll be here, should you need to warm your frozen body.  

 

Enjoy the snow everyone!  

Happy New Year!

Raiders of the Night Kitchen

This is such a lovely story, by Leanne Shapton, in Today's
 NY Times, we thought we'd pass it on.

 

Raiders of the Night Kitchen, - by Leanne Shapton, NY Times May 5, 2010

"This morning, I wake at 4 and can’t get back to sleep. By 5, I am up, with my dog.
 As I stand outside in the chill and he pads around in the dark, I decide to make
 brownies.

I had baked a successful batch of them at my brother’s house in
 Toronto not long ago. While my nephews were tucked into bed, and Derek
 was working, my sister-in-law and I made them our unhealthy dinner, washed
 down with red wine."  ...  READ MORE>

Happy Mother's Day from all of us at Sage Spa