That's right up there with the janky gypsies hanging out of backstreet storefronts, curtains matching their garish skirts and scarves. I guess, from what you've written here, scarves over ravaged hair is a uniform for the storefront psychic. They ARE tempting, though. And in a place like where I live, where casinos reach out from the walls to grab your money, these psychics are just part of the illusion of miracles. Well done, Tonya. Another gem. Thank you.
It's a rare word in my vocabulary, but it just came to me as I pictured the gypsies I've seen in SLC. That was a great story, BTW, and kind of creepy too. I hope you don't run into her again. Dodging people can be a real pain in the arse.
So odd. That's life. I was glad she had gloves on. I was not a nice teenager. I used to pass a woman psychic's window in Soho everyday. She never looked out from her wicker chair, or appeared to call in any way to the outside for customers. One day, out of spite for psychic sign, or her even thinking that I'd believe a thing she had to say, not only about me, but anybody, I went in, paid my dime, as the saying goes, and insulted her to her face. She chased me for a block before I realized she had a bad leg. Trust is a rock when one finds it, the kind saved on a mantlepiece forever. I loved this, Tonya. Your journey feels so gentle next to your story. But you are a rock. Constance
I was also glad she had gloves on! Thanks so much, Connie. Especially for that image of you racing down the street with a psychic in chase behind you. That is a truly amazing story.
Another superb ride through your psyche, Tonya. Thanks for igniting my weary brain cells! I am one of those people who makes eye contact (my goal in life is to be the person people want to ask for directions 😉), but I tangibly felt your agita when this woman approached you as she did. It was the approach, not the request. A variation of this has happened to me & it paralyzed me. Wonderful piece.
Thanks so much, Ellen! And I wouldn't be surprised if you'd encountered the very same woman. I had to dodge her a week later, the next time I walked across Greenwich Ave. (I crossed the street and walked behind somebody else, just to make sure she didn't see me.)
What a delight. And here I was, about to stay away from the story because psychics annoy me (I mean the wish-fulfillment deception of all that). But here this wasn't really exactly about psychics at all...
I grew up within 15 minutes of Boulder Colorado, so I got exposed to a lot of this sort of experience. I cannot tell you how often someone came up to me at a party up there and proceeded to read my aura. I learned that if you're going to dabble in this world, you need a very high level of skepticism. That doesn't mean it's all bunk. You will see or hear something unexplainable or uncanny every so often. You'll miss some amazing stuff if you skip it entirely. As JBS Haldane said (or at leasat he's the most frequently ascribed for this line, who knows), The world is not only stranger than you think, it is stranger than you can think. But you have to have a really well-developed crap detector too. Or you will be taken.
Thanks, Tim. I like that Haldane quote--a good variation on the old "more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio..." I tend to be highly skeptical of everything, physical or metaphysical. But still hopeful. Someday I'd like to be pleasantly surprised.
I cannot believe you are going year after year without a miracle. They happen every day! I see many psychics’ businesses in my bus travels, but I haven’t stoped in yet. I have enough miracles already, I guess.
That's right up there with the janky gypsies hanging out of backstreet storefronts, curtains matching their garish skirts and scarves. I guess, from what you've written here, scarves over ravaged hair is a uniform for the storefront psychic. They ARE tempting, though. And in a place like where I live, where casinos reach out from the walls to grab your money, these psychics are just part of the illusion of miracles. Well done, Tonya. Another gem. Thank you.
You're the first person I've heard use the word "janky" (other than me) in a long time! It's such a good, descriptive word. Thanks so much, Sue.
It's a rare word in my vocabulary, but it just came to me as I pictured the gypsies I've seen in SLC. That was a great story, BTW, and kind of creepy too. I hope you don't run into her again. Dodging people can be a real pain in the arse.
loved this Tonya. I think we all just want to be seen. in the true sense - it doesn't take a psychic.
Thanks so much, Tabby. I think you are spot on.
xoxox
So odd. That's life. I was glad she had gloves on. I was not a nice teenager. I used to pass a woman psychic's window in Soho everyday. She never looked out from her wicker chair, or appeared to call in any way to the outside for customers. One day, out of spite for psychic sign, or her even thinking that I'd believe a thing she had to say, not only about me, but anybody, I went in, paid my dime, as the saying goes, and insulted her to her face. She chased me for a block before I realized she had a bad leg. Trust is a rock when one finds it, the kind saved on a mantlepiece forever. I loved this, Tonya. Your journey feels so gentle next to your story. But you are a rock. Constance
I was also glad she had gloves on! Thanks so much, Connie. Especially for that image of you racing down the street with a psychic in chase behind you. That is a truly amazing story.
Another superb ride through your psyche, Tonya. Thanks for igniting my weary brain cells! I am one of those people who makes eye contact (my goal in life is to be the person people want to ask for directions 😉), but I tangibly felt your agita when this woman approached you as she did. It was the approach, not the request. A variation of this has happened to me & it paralyzed me. Wonderful piece.
Thanks so much, Ellen! And I wouldn't be surprised if you'd encountered the very same woman. I had to dodge her a week later, the next time I walked across Greenwich Ave. (I crossed the street and walked behind somebody else, just to make sure she didn't see me.)
What a delight. And here I was, about to stay away from the story because psychics annoy me (I mean the wish-fulfillment deception of all that). But here this wasn't really exactly about psychics at all...
I'm so glad you decided to read it after all! Thanks so much, Steven.
I grew up within 15 minutes of Boulder Colorado, so I got exposed to a lot of this sort of experience. I cannot tell you how often someone came up to me at a party up there and proceeded to read my aura. I learned that if you're going to dabble in this world, you need a very high level of skepticism. That doesn't mean it's all bunk. You will see or hear something unexplainable or uncanny every so often. You'll miss some amazing stuff if you skip it entirely. As JBS Haldane said (or at leasat he's the most frequently ascribed for this line, who knows), The world is not only stranger than you think, it is stranger than you can think. But you have to have a really well-developed crap detector too. Or you will be taken.
Thanks, Tim. I like that Haldane quote--a good variation on the old "more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio..." I tend to be highly skeptical of everything, physical or metaphysical. But still hopeful. Someday I'd like to be pleasantly surprised.
I cannot believe you are going year after year without a miracle. They happen every day! I see many psychics’ businesses in my bus travels, but I haven’t stoped in yet. I have enough miracles already, I guess.