Hidden Talent

"Dr. Chapman's office, may I help you?" The reception desk faced the waiting room. The patients and I could easily exchange questions or information.

"Mr. Hughes", Caroline the chiropractic assistant read from the file in her hand. He left the waiting room and followed her to a treatment room. A quick sweep of the room revealed that one patient remained. I smiled at her as our eyes met.

"Your aura is white.
You have lots of poetry inside you.
You were a nun in your previous life."

I just stared at her. What was she talking about? My numbed brain was incapable of formulating a response. What is aura? My past life? Poetry?

**
I have so many hidden talents. The key word is hidden. The problem is they are so well hidden that I don't have a clue as to what they are or where they are. One of them is becoming a writer. Either it's an undiscovered talent or there is red ink on my forehead that is invisible to me but clearly visible to others. They simply read what's written on my forehead, which is when are you going to write your book?

The first time that question was presented to me, my eyes reflected confusion. Where did that question come from? Why is he asking me? I've never said that I want to write a book. Maybe it was a joke. Some months passed and another person popped the identical question. Guess he read it on my forehead.

If you believe in The Secret, you can concentrate on your deepest desire and send that thought out to the universe. The universe will deliver like a genie. Your wish is my command. I cannot recall consciously sending out thoughts of becoming a writer. I can recall consciously sending out thoughts of becoming rich. I guess these thoughts have to travel a great distance because the universe has not responded and I am still waiting.

Greatly inspired by the motivational speakers sharing The Secret, I went into a meditative state to concentrate fully on my request for prosperity. Daily I asked the universe to send prosperity. Daily I waited and waited and waited. The universe didn't smile on me.

Discussing The Secret with my sister Loraine when I was at a low point of believing in it, she pointed out that there are different kinds of prosperity. The universe responds to specific requests. So I'd been oblivious to the kind of prosperity the universe was sending me. From that day forward, I was careful to send out thought waves requesting financial prosperity. I even put a hundred thousand dollar bill on my screensaver so I could visualize it numerous times daily. I'm still waiting!

On the other hand, a not-so-favorite relative showed her cat's claws. I'm sure she has never heard of The Secret, so she has decided to fight over inheritance. In a way it's comical because there is no inheritance to fight over except the house. You should have seen her shouting and demanding that the inheritance laws be changed because "they weren't fair".

I wonder who has a better chance. I want the universe to rain hundred thousand dollar bills on my head. She wants to change inheritance laws.

**
The Atlantic Ocean and The Mediterranean Sea separated my husband and me. I was in The States; he was in Libya. Maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder because my eyes opened wide at two in the morning and a poem was on the tip of my tongue. Groggily, I reached for a pen and pad and jotted it down. Happily, I drifted back to sleep.

When my eyes were tickled by the early morning sunrays, the poem was like a mirage. Was it real or an illusion? There was a notepad on the nightstand so I glanced at it. Allure caught my eye. I continued to read:

Allure

During the peaceful hours of the night,
I hear The Mediterranean Sea calling me.
As I awake to the early morning light,
The Mediterranean Sea is calling me.

I am far away from this glorious sea,
while visiting my friends and family.
Yet my heart skips a beat, and I jump to my feet,
turning to meet the whispering of this sea.

For it’s not a call that I can ignore,
or a sound that can be stifled by closing the door.
It’s like a magnetic pull drawing me.
to this majestically crystal blue sea.

Willingly, I acquiesce with a smile,
to travel the thousands of miles.
The Mediterranean Sea
is calling Me.


That was the beginning of hundreds of poems that sprung to life. Was this a hidden talent? I was doomed. Who reads poetry? Who writes poetry? There is no market. I don't even read poetry! Where did this come from? A bemused expression formed when I discovered that thousands of poets were posting their creations on The Internet on a poetry website. People do write poems, but who reads them?

What remains the most perplexing is who was that lady who sat in the waiting room at a chiropractor's office eight years ago and told me that I had lots of poetry inside me? I have never forgotten this mysterious lady's words. "Your aura is white. You have lots of poetry inside you. You were a nun in your previous life." I had no idea what she looked like, but her message was etched into my memory never to be erased. I used to jokingly tell people that I was a nun in my past life, and I couldn't even to that right, so here I am again!

**
When are you going to write your book? I've decided it's a thought sent from another galaxy. Once the message is delivered, it bounces off my forehead and returns to sender like a boomerang. Is it another mysterious message in my life?

To appease these caring friends and relatives whom have uncovered a talent that I have no knowledge of possessing, I sit down at my computer to "write my book". I stare at a blank page. Aren't I supposed to have an idea?

**
When are you going to write your book?

Aaahhh! Can you hear me screaming in your dreams?