What I Like About You!

What I Like About YOU!

I “un-followed” quite a few blogs because the stuff I REALLY like was getting lost in the shuffle during my “window” of WordPress reading. I can’t read everything and I’m not going to press “like” unless I really LIKE something. I’m here as a creative hobby, not a contest to get the most followers.

So I guess this is kind of like awards, but I don’t like the awards thing, so, it’s more of a shout out to greatness! Here’s a list of the things I like reading most on WordPress.

1. Deep philosophy. Whether it’s satanism or Christianity or paganism, I like something extremely intense and moving that sucks me in and educates me. Devil’s Advocates (https://cassiejourney.wordpress.com/) is electrifying! And a big shout out to HocusPocus13 (https://hocuspocus13.wordpress.com/) where every day there is something new and refreshing in the magic world. And I can’t forget about Christianity. I love Mustard Seed Budget because like myself, they are open-minded, positive, non-preachy Christians (https://mustardseedbudget.wordpress.com/)  I’m always pleasantly shocked to see that they “like” some of my more controversial posts. THAT is so cool and for that I’ll follow them forever!

2. New Jersey related. Except for certain areas, I love all my state has to offer, so I’ll follow all New Jersey blogs. Like Photo Geek, a kick-ass photographer from New Jersey who writes about bands I love too: (http://photogeek22.com/)

3. Animals. Not much is better than an animal lover! Rachel Mankowitz (https://rachelmankowitz.wordpress.com/) writes about adventures of her dogs Butterfly and Cricket. I’ve been following her cute blog a few years now. She has over 5000 followers and is a fabulous writer!

4. Nostalgia/Vintage. Anything from the 20th century, I just love! Andrew’s “Nostalgia and Now” (https://nostalgia049.wordpress.com/) is one of my favorite blogs on WordPress. And we’re friends via email too! Andrew is one of the nicest people I’ve ever “met” in my life. I am honored to know him.

5. Pro-Women. Because nothing is more enticing than a strong woman who supports other women! That’s why I don’t want to miss one post from “Inside the Life of Moi” (https://insidethelifeofmoi.wordpress.com/)

6. Health. REAL Health. Not something a hospital dietician would write. More like paleo living/lifestyles, bio-dynamic, bio-hacking, etc. That is why I LOVE “Simple Living Over 50” (http://simplelivingover50.com/) this dude totally gets it!

7. Always Something Different. I never know what to expect from “Just Keep Brains” (http://justkeepbrains.com/) from super cool styles to unique ways to decorate your bathroom mirrors. I love blogs that aren’t particularly themed and always have something great to offer.

Other interests of mine include: happy marriages, cruelty free and hypoallergenic make-up, foodies, road trips, cats, love, inspiration, and anything over 50.

“History of Motown Music” Presentation at Bridgewater Library

Stephen Fuller gets library patrons groovin’

Last night I presented “History of Motown Music” at the Bridgewater Library (one of many times I’ve presented there!) This presentation is a 40-minute bio, followed by 20 minutes live Motown music.

I was honored to work with Stephen Fuller (who actually was a warm-up act to Motown Recording artist, Stevie Wonder). Stephen Fuller brought the house down! Check out his website at: http://www.fullersounds.com/

Stephen Fuller works with me on two other presentations in the “Learn and Listen Series” — “The Life and Music of Nat King Cole” and “The Life and Music of Frank Sinatra.”

For more presentations that are available for libraries, assisted living facilities, senior groups, rotary clubs, Jewish Community Centers and more, please visit my website “about” section: https://peartreeenterprises.wordpress.com/about/

For bookings, pricing and availability, email Maryanne at: maryannechristiano@gmail.com

Thoughts and Dreams (An Author’s Pre-Publish Excitement and Jitters)

Photo of me, by Darlene Foster

I’ve always been of the mindset that we all have psychic powers within us and are able to guide ourselves through life by messages from the universe. I use these techniques in various ways. Because when we open our eyes, the signs are always there right in front of us. One time I was very sad about something and on a very windy day, a piece of light cardboard with a photo on it appeared in my backyard. The cardboard looked like a CD cover. I picked it up and it was a perfume called “Angel.” I took it as an omen that an angel was telling me things were going to be alright. And they were.

For the past few months I’ve been trying to self-publish my second book, “Love Cats.” I’m incredibly tense about it because it’s my first work of fiction and has four major sex scenes since it’s about singles in their 20s. As a former writer for “Screw” and “Gasm” I must say these are not your boring cliche simultaneous orgasm modern romance novel sex scenes. These are sex scenes as people really have sex … fumbling for condoms, or the WIO method, nervousness, trying to unhook bras, first time same-sex experiences … you get the picture. Nothing is left to the imagination. So you can see why I’m nervous about getting this stuff published.

“Love Cats” also deals with parental neglect, heartache, friendship break-ups and a main character who is unkind to animals. The more I re-read my book, the more frightened, yet anxious I am about having it published. Frightened because though it has it’s humorous situations, it’s incredibly intense.

The intensity reached my subconscious in sleep last night, when a beautiful brunette woman came to me, smiling, and wanting to be friends. I had no idea who she was. This image continued to haunt me throughout the morning as I tried to figure out who she was. Then when I was looking up famous musicians birthdays for the day, I saw that it was the birthday of Martika. I was unfamiliar with her work, except for the song “Toy Soldiers.” I Googled what she looked like, and that was the girl in my dream! So I searched for the answers in “Toy Soldiers” and immediately after reading the lyrics, I felt the pain of the characters in my fictitious “Love Cats.” Beck and Janey, loved so deeply and were going through a rough time, with much heartache and tears … something I haven’t known in ages since I am so happily ecstatic with my husband and soul mate.

I had to dig to the darkest corners of my soul to come up with these feelings expressed in “Love Cats.” How I felt, hurt in my 20s, and then exaggerated it ten-fold in order to creative good fiction because in my 20s I had such a “devil may care” attitude about everything bad that happened to me. I didn’t know real pain until I reached my 30s. After the death of my grandmother, it was like, so this is what heartache really feels like.

“Toy Soldiers” could have been a perfect accompaniment to my soundtrack for “Love Cats” even though it’s not in the new wave/dark wave genre of other work I’ve included such as Iggy Pop, The Cure, Joy Division, Kate Bush and so on …

As I was making friend with the woman in my dream, I’m making “friends” with what her song represents — that yeah, this book is harsh and I just have to take a deep breath and just put it out there. JUST LET GO!

Oh, and there is part two.

Also in the dream was a friend of a friend I lost touch with. Why was this person in the dream? We barely ever spoke to each other. But the cool thing was, we respected each others work. I always loved the bands this guy played in. And he came to one of my live poetry presentations and said he liked it. When I used to be on Face Book, this same person gave me the “thumbs up” when my first book, “On the Guest List: Adventures of a Music Journalist” was published. So I looked him up. He was easy to find because does a lot. He’s also less than six degrees separated from Iggy Pop … which is another connection to “Love Cats” because as I noted before, I wrote to Hal Leonard to gain permission to use Iggy’s lyrics in “Mass Production.”

So what this is all telling me is that all roads are leading to “Love Cats.”

“Love Cats” “Love Cats” “Love Cats” — that is all that’s been on my mind all day and night as I wait to get my paperback copy to approve in the mail. Hopefully this week. And hopefully, if goes as planned, pre-sales will be on Barnes & Noble Store and Amazon THIS WEDNESDAY!

I’m obsessively imagining who I’d love to play my characters in a movie. In spite of my descriptive words and what the book cover illustrates, I dream of a young Laura Leighton as my leading lady, Janey Peyton. Just both her in some goth clothes and she’s good to go.

Laura Leighton

And the late Razzle from Hanoi Rocks is definitely the look I want for my Beck Stewart character. Let’s undead him for my movie! Beck is the hard-working, humble romantic who is madly in love with Janey.

Razzle (Hanoi Rocks)

I’d also want to go back in time, to get a very young Nicolas Cage to play Adam Durian, the eccentric, egotistical famous rock photographer. This character was so grand, he just had to be named after a fruit such as the Durian — a fruit that makes an entrance.

Nicolas Cage

Then there is Morticia (or “Tish Girl” as Beck calls her) the green-eyed black Maine Coon, who is Beck’s pride and joy. Problem is, Janey hates cats. Can this beautiful little bugger change her mind?

Maine Coon cat

And what happens when a little orange fur ball shows up on Janey’s doorstep during her darkest hour? Does she turn a blind eye to a kitten in need? Or does she remain a cat hater?

Little Pumpkin

Is anyone enticed for the soon to be released “Love Cats”?

Love Cats back and front cover

 COMING SOON ON AMAZON AND BARNES & NOBLE STORE!

(KINDLE TOO!)

Natural Product Rave: SinuOrega Nasal Spray

I think I’m in love!

Aw, man, allergy season is the worst!

While some people’s allergies give them eyes that won’t stop watering, I’m the opposite — mine won’t water enough. I have a blocked tear duct and the allergy settles in my right eye and just looks gross: blood red in one spot.

Now, mind you, not only was my eye red, I had an ear infection, my nose was clogged up and I was struggling with migraines for two days.

Friday, I started using SinuOrega by P73 and my eye got a little bit clearer. Saturday morning I woke up and the eye was more clear but not 100 percent yet. But my ear still hurt and the migraine came back again. Saturday morning I had to work. I was hired as an extra for a commercial and would not cancel at the last minute. I professionally did the job with a big smile on my face (what a blessing to work with such nice people) then when I got home early afternoon, I did something I rarely do — I took a nap!

I prepared a little “home spa” for myself. I surrounded myself with Young Living “Peace and Calming” oil to help me rest. (And dabbed a bit on my cat’s head so he wouldn’t wake me). I grabbed a box of tissues and well as the Sinu Orega which I took every two hours or so as I drifted in and out of sleep watching “Sex and the City” — the best episodes, from 1999.

After I ate dinner, I slept some more and went to bed very early.

This morning I woke up feeling like a brand new person!

Red eye = GONE!

Ear ache = GONE!

Migraine = GONE!

And not only that, when I exercised, I experienced something I haven’t experienced in ages. My body felt so good that even a stretch was unnecessary! When I stretched my quads, it was like even my muscles were brand new! I mean, I’m sure the rest had something to do with it, but I think also the miracle of the Oreganol helped me sleep. Worry keeps you awake and your body knows when you can trust a product and finally relax. It’s also fascinating how a bad sinus infection can dictate how your entire body feels, right down to the muscles!

Several years ago, I had a nagging cold that wouldn’t let up. It was going on three weeks and someone recommended Oreganol P73 and I felt better within days. This is a product that should always be kept in the holistic medicine cabinet.

For more information, visit: http://www.oreganopro.com/sinuoreganasal.asp

In Praise of Short Haired Beauties — Part 2!

Rockin’ a short do! 

About three years ago, I wrote a blog that many enjoyed called “In Praise of Short Haired Beauties” https://maryannemistretta.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/in-praise-of-short-haired-beauties/

I wrote the blog the day after my husband and I were watching an adorable 1980s flick, “Some Kind of Wonderful” and my most awesome husband commented that Mary Stuart Masterson, who played the short-haired tomboy was cuter than Leah Thompson who played the school heartthrob with the long bouncy hair.

When I wrote that post three years ago, I was still a long-haired girl. Then something happened. Last year I published my first book. At the same time, I became successful as a public speaker. I was taking pictures left and right to document all my book signings … but also to further promote my career in public speaking. When I looked back at most of the long-haired photos, while a lot of them looked super, there were also many that my hair was up in a bun or in a ponytail because I was hot, or thought my hair looked better away from my face. You see, my face is small and it gets lost in a lot of hair. This was always my problem. So I felt prettier with my hair in a ponytail, braids, or up.

I finally took the plunge and cut my hair last November. It was halfway down my back when I got it just above the shoulder. It looked (and felt) so much better that I kept on an eight week schedule for maintenance. When I neglected that eight week schedule and saw how bad my hair looked, in a bun, with half of it hanging down because I didn’t have enough hair spray to keep it up — I said to myself, enough is enough! I not only cut it again, but made an appointment eight weeks from the day, so I can keep it short!

For me, short will always be better. I get more compliments from friends and strangers. Yesterday, for the first time in many years, a stranger (a woman) stopped me on the street to tell me how great I looked.

I posted this picture two days ago, but I like the short hair so much, I’m posting it again!

Loving my short hair!

Short hair just makes everything POP! Your eyes look bigger, your lips look bigger and you look years younger. I’m 51 and would never do Botox. But a shorter hair cut can naturally take years off you! Short hair definitely softens your wrinkles.

My husband loves my short hair too! When I wake up in the morning and it’s all messy, he’ll still be saying, “Look at that great short hair!” Hmmm … maybe next cut I’ll go even shorter?

Here are more of my favorite short haired ladies. ENJOY!

Audrey Hepburn always had a good face day!

Joey Heatherton, the sexiest short-haired mama of all!

Isabella Rossellini = perfection!

I miss the short, sassy haircuts Angelina Jolie had back in her rebellious days

Even Farrah Fawcett, known for her luxurious mane, looked adorable in short hair!

And the most exciting thing about short hair is that it grows so fast, so you can look like a different girl almost every day! You can do so many different things with it. Barrettes, scarves, headbands, clips and hats are your best friends.

I’d love to hear from other short-haired ladies! Show me links to your photos below!

Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta is the author of “Be (Extra)Ordinary” which is available on Amazon! 

Celebrating Mom and Pop Health Food Stores

Basil Bandwagon (Photo by Maryanne Mistretta)

I took a much needed day off today and went on a little adventure and ended up, for the first time at two amazing health food stores I was never in before! Big Bear Natural Foods (http://www.bigbearnaturalfoods.com/) in Pennington, New Jersey and Basil Bandwagon (http://basil-bandwagon.tumblr.com/) in Flemington, New Jersey.

Basil Bandwagon has been around since 1993 and Big Bear since 1971 (with locations in Pennsylvania too!)

Since the mid-1980s when I first became health conscious, I was all about supporting the local health food stores. Back then, they were a real novelty. You go to the Mom and Pop stores and find amazing items you couldn’t find elsewhere. Then fast-forward to modern times and now all the big corporations like Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, A&P sell the goods, even the goods you’d least suspect: grass-fed beef, Miracle Noodles, kombucha and non-homogenized grass-fed milk. And that is a good thing, but not for the Mom and Pop stores. So I like to continue supporting them as much as possible.

The thing with Mom and Pop stores though is that they do jack their prices up, so my game plan is to look for sales or very unique products that are not yet in supermarkets.

Both stores went beyond my expectations!

At Big Bear I purchased Brad’s Kale Chips which were on sale. These raw chips are my favorite, but extremely pricey. So kudos to Big Bear for having a sale!

Then at Basil Bandwagon my favorite score was Nick’s Sticks (http://www.nicks-sticks.com/), grass-fed beef snacks with no nitrites, no added antibiotics or MSG (and no sugar either, I might add). These treats were absolutely delightful! As a little girl I favored Slim Jims (an unhealthy treat) and I gave them up in my early 20s learning how bad they were for you. Nick’s Sticks is the first grass-fed beef snack I ever had that was just as fabulous as Slim Jims — but they are GOOD for you. With 10 grams of protein, a fairly low sodium content for a snack, zero carbs, zero grams of sugar and nine grams of healthy fat — you can’t go wrong! This brings me back to the day of eating beef snack sticks on the porch, reading comic books, while my Grandma and Aunt Sophie chatted. What a great thing to have a healthy version of a favorite childhood treat!

And I’m ecstatic to say, the service at both Big Bear and Basil was excellent!

At Big Bear, the woman who helped me went out of her way looking for other health food stores in the area to help me find a product I was looking for. That’s how I came upon Basil Bandwagon, which was huge — possibly the biggest health food store I was ever in, including those in NYC. They had a counter where I ended up having a bean burger without bread. They put it on a huge salad platter, accompanied with fresh salsa. The greens were super fresh too. They had Bragg’s amino liquids on the counter and balsamic vinegar, as well as pink Himalayan sea salt. It’s so nice when health food stores go the extra mile for you and you don’t have to ask for stuff. Everyone in the store was extremely helpful and I spent a lot of time there.

You can guarantee I will be back at both health food stores

(Even though they are not in my area, they are well-worth the trip!)

And I gotta be honest too. Even though I’m a Young Living Oils distributor, I do LOVE a diffuser that was being used at Big Bear by a company called NOW. So I will be going back to get that diffuser. (No disrespect to Young Living, but hey, you gotta love my honesty! I still spend over $100 a month on Young Living products and always will. I’m just madly in love with that diffuser. Tee-hee!)

KUDOS to TWO AWESOME MOM AND POP HEALTH FOOD STORES!

YOU GIVE NEW JERSEY A GOOD NAME!

Looking forward to eating my Sea Snax!

In Good Health, Bottoms Up!

Ace Hard Apple Cider = only 8 grams of sugar per bottle!

Many health conscious people don’t drink at all. But face it, some of us do. Life is short and I love to drink. No harm in that when you do it smart.

I haven’t had what I call “foo-foo” drinks since my 20s (in the 1980s/1990s). What are “foo-foo” drinks? Cocktails such as Apple Cream Pop Martinis or Sex By the Fireplace. You know, drinks with lots of sugar and syrup that go down easy. Maybe served with a cute little umbrella in the glass or a bright red Maraschino cherry?

No, ma’am, when it comes to alcoholic beverages, I’m a purist. When I drink, I pick one of the following: Skye or Absolute Vodka; organic red wine; unfiltered sake; or hard cider.

Here’s why.

Technically, if you get a good brand of vodka, in the paleo world, that is probably one of the best things to drink because it’s carb and sugar free. Here’s a great article I found that says there are health benefits to drinking vodka: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/beverage/vodka.html

As for wine, red is vastly superior. I know many women drink white, thinking it’s less calories, but #1, it’s only three calories less than red on the average; #2, calories don’t count anyway (that’s old school thinking, those who know go by the merit of the food and you stay fit naturally); red has a ton of health benefits that wine doesn’t including preventing macular degeneration in the eyes!

Unfiltered sake also has many health benefits and it’s absolutely delicious. It’s unprocessed, so you’re getting a pure product. Drink it cold! Once you drink cold sake, you’ll never go back to hot, trust me on that one. It’s naturally creamy taste is to die for. Here’s a great article about the benefits of sake: http://www.wholesomeliving-sg.com/sakebenefits.html

Now hard cider is something I loved since my late 20s. I used to work part-time in a liquor store and I saw customers buying Woodchuck Cider quite often. I was curious and I got hooked. I stopped drinking it for many years not really knowing the health merit of it. Then when I found out it was naturally gluten free I started drinking it again and bringing six packs to parties. That is until a party guest pointed out how much sugar is in hard cider. This was before sugar grams were on liquor labels. I took his word and immediately stopped drinking it.

It wasn’t until recently that alcoholic beverages put nutritional information on their labels. But now, even though they can get away with not putting ingredients on the labels (which is why I never tried chocolate wine yet!) some companies do put the basics, such as calories, sugar content and carbs.

About a week ago I was in Fairway drooling over the six packs of hard cider like some women drool over chocolate. A worker asked me if I needed help.

I dreamily replied, “I wish hard cider didn’t have so much sugar in it.”

Then to my surprise, the worker said, “We have a brand that has only ten grams per bottle!” It was a brand called “Pure Cider.” He was right, just 10 grams! I brought the four-pack and enjoyed it. Not the whole pack in one sitting. I like one bottle per night, if that.

I thought Pure Cider was something special and rare. Then last night I was in a real liquor store, checking out the ciders. And again, to my surprise, I found four ciders that had LESS THAN 10 GRAMS OF SUGAR!

These four have only seven or eight grams of sugar!

1. Ace Cider

2. Original Sin

3. Harpoon

4. Demuncks

It just strikes me as bizarre that ciders have anywhere between seven and 48 grams of sugar! What does that tell you — READ LABELS! But, again, while it’s the law that food products have a nutritional label stating ingredients, it’s not the law for alcoholic beverages. VEGANS BEWARE! Many alcoholic beverages are processed through a bone-char filter. Some wines, both red and white, contain fish gills.

According to PETA, popular animal-derived fining agents used in the production of wine include blood and bone marrow, casein (milk protein), chitin (fiber from crustacean shells), egg albumen (derived from egg whites), fish oil, gelatin (protein from boiling animal parts), and isinglass (gelatin from fish bladder membranes).

(NOTE: I type this info with a HUGE SMILE on my face, because I’ve been trashed by vegans for eating paleo, yet these very same pseudo vegans won’t give up their non-vegan alcohol! Don’t you love how “vegans” make it up as they go along?)

Anyway, after all that, enjoy your healthy drinking — in moderation, of course! And in conclusion, I’d also like to note that of all my choices I NEVER get a headache or hangover.

Pre-Orders for My Second Book “Love Cats” will be Available Soon!

I’m excited that pre-orders for “Love Cats” will be available possibly as soon as next week, from Next Century Publishing, Barnes & Noble Store and Amazon. Then once the release is official, it will be available on Kindle too!

Enjoy the synopsis and endorsements!

Synopsis

Janey Peyton is filthy rich, but also a down-to-earth goth chick. She lives in suburban New Jersey during the 1980s. Janey has it all, including an Italian live-in housekeeper (who sometimes drives her batty with overbearing dated love advice).

Since Janey’s status symbol-driven parents are absent in her life love-starved Janey desperately seeks a soul mate as she cruises the new wave nightclubs.

Enter Beck Stewart, also a workaholic, but for all the right reasons. The working class hero wants to make a better life for himself. Beck falls hard for Janey and turns a blind eye to the immediate red flags: she’s a snoop and obviously hates his beloved old cat, Morticia.

When Janey discovers Beck can’t resist overtime hours, she mistakes his job loyalty for neglect. For “revenge” she takes on other lovers and is careless when it comes to hiding her conquests. What happens when Beck feels enough is enough and the couple who had their ups and downs finally hit an all time low? And what happens when a stray kitten shows up on cat hater Janey’s doorstep?

If you love the’80s, alternative wave, sexy chick lit, and of course CATS, this book is for you!

Endorsements

“Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta draws you in from the very first page. This book will make you find yourself yelling at the characters. I laughed out loud, I cried; my emotions were all over the place. With engaging characters and a unique story-line set in 1980s New Jersey, ‘Love Cats’ is a story that will captivate you and stay in your heart long after you read the last line.” – S.C. Miotto, author “Moonstone Dreams” and “Diamond Love.”

“Maryanne’s zeal for life and passion for creativity shines through in all of her work. Here in her first book of fiction she gives us multidimensional characters mitigating love and growing pains as they manicure their pop culture lifestyle at the tail end of the ’80s. It’s romance — Gen X style! I could not get enough of Janey and Beck.” – Scott Schiaffo

In “Love Cats,” Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta really takes you there, to the fun and electricity of running around, being young in the 1980s, in New Jersey, but enough universal magic so we all can relate: the spontaneity, adorable flirting, daring and exploring, making mistakes and finding your way. Maryanne treats tricky, sensitive and intimate topics with the most refreshing honesty. – Zaphyrella, fashion designer.

 

Trust is a Word All Lovers Know

A few years ago I ended a friendship with a girl I couldn’t see eye-to-eye with on the issue of trust. She called the end of our friendship a “falling out” and in a classless manner trashed me openly on the internet (on another friend’s Face Book page).

That was not a cool thing to do, or an honest one on her part. What happened was not a “falling out” as I was open to someday becoming friends again — if she grew up.

Hear me out …

This girl was with a guy over 20 years, yet still had trust issues with him.

As her friend, I couldn’t handle that. Any normal person would want what is best for their friends, so they can learn, grow and be happy.

Plus, if a girl has trust issues with her own partner, how could I expect us to grow as friends? I couldn’t. I’ve had distrustful girlfriends in the past so I know firsthand, if they are questioning and accusing their partners, next thing you know they’ll be questioning and accusing YOU! And by me questioning the lack of trust in her relationship, it had her running from our friendship. There was no “let’s talk.”The friendship was over, just like that. Even after I wrote her a beautiful email trying to reason with her. No. She didn’t trust her lover. She didn’t trust me. She will be a friend to no one because she’s afraid to open her heart. She, like anyone who is in a distrustful “relationship” is just lying to him/herself. A distrustful relationship is not a relationship at all. It’s just a waste of time … and in her case, a waste of life.

Trust is the greatest gift my husband ever gave me.

Trust is the most beautiful thing in the world. To know that someone is your baby and that they will never hurt you, and they know you will never hurt them either,  it’s such a precious thing that we should all aspire to.

Trust is such a relief. To be in a relationship without constantly having to prove your love, just safely knowing it’s there is a miracle from God … a big one.

I remember, before I met my husband, some of the crazy distrusting men I dated. It’s the most awful feeling to be accused of something you haven’t done. To have someone throw out your CDs because he’s jealous of the lead singer. To have someone reprimand you for casually looking at your watch, thinking you have another date to go on. To have someone behave as if he owns you.

I could cry thinking back to all the hurt I went through as a single woman. The best thing about my past, though, is when there was distrust, I got out pretty quick. Because nothing says “I don’t really care about you” more than distrust. Distrust is ugly. It means jealousy, insecurity, heartaches and bad times. None of that is a foundation for a good relationship. Distrust doesn’t mean someone cares, it means they are co-dependent. They are using you, not loving you.

When you’re in an unhappy relationship, you’re constantly thinking of that unhappy relationship … is he/she gonna call? Am I doing the right thing? Will he/she get mad if I do this or that?

But when you’re in a genuine, loving relationship, you don’t have to think about much at all. You just enjoy it!

That is why, when seeking true love, TRUST should be above all else.

TRUST = SOUL MATE.

TRUST = TRUE LOVE.

TRUST = MAGIC.

I wish everyone a beautiful, trusting relationship. Because it’s out there waiting for you.

Be open.

Be happy.

Be YOU-nique!

 

“The Life and Music of Nat King Cole” (Learn and Listen Library Series)

Nat King Cole

Maryanne Christiano Mistretta, of Pear Tree Enterprises (https://peartreeenterprises.wordpress.com/) is proud to present the third of the new “Learn and Listen” series, available to libraries, senior centers, assisted living facilities, rotary clubs, Jewish Community Centers, etc.

“Learn and Listen: The Life and Music of Nat King Cole” is a one-hour presentation, with Maryanne sharing the biography of prominent jazz legend, followed by a half hour of live music with the expressive, soul-stirring vocalist, Stephen Fuller as Nat King Cole! (http://www.fullersounds.com/)

For rates and availability, please contact Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta at: 908-276-1514 during business hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or email: maryannechristiano@gmail.com

We look forward to sharing with you an “unforgettable” performance!