Spirits, no electricity and a bunch of strangers...what a night!!

If I asked you, what is your description of a “perfect night” what would your response be? Maybe, a night in front of the heater with a good book or movie? Or a night out dancing crazily until ungodly hours of the next day? Or a night with friends or family? Well...my perfect night played out on July 9^th. (Yes...it took over a month to build up to write this post!!)

Around Easter time, we had seen this advertisement in the local newspaper for a tour through a Haunted House.  (*Note: Generally at this stage I’d add in a shameless plug for the AMAZING Studley Park Mansion, Camden NSW...but, unfortunately the tours are, at the moment, discontinuing...wait a second...I did just include a shameless plug!!*)

So, anyway, back to the newspaper clipping.  It was instantly decided we wanted to go.  But had to choose a Saturday night because of mum’s work roster.  We called up to make the booking and it was decided July 9^th was the day.  We also decided that although Camden is only about 2 hours drive, we’d make a weekend of it and stay the night anyway...just cos we can!

Skop forward a few months and July 9^th came.  We packed a bag (it’s suprising how much I needed for 1 night!!) and packed up the car and arrived at Camden shortly after.  Since we arrived in plenty of time to look around town and hang out, we went to the local Arcade to search through all these cute little shops.  Then, my eyes lit up...I saw the park!!!  Yes, a childs park with swings, a slide and many things to climb on.  Now, I know I’m 20, I know I’m supposed to be mature, but I wanted to play!  My sister and I spent quite a few hours at the park until it was time to eat and prepare for the perfect night.

Once we arrived at the ‘Haunted House’ (I dislike the word Haunted...it sounds strange and slightly creepy...but, I’ll continue with the term anyway) we met the tour guides and went on inside.  The following few hours were absolutely amazing!!  We went through the entire House (all 4 floors) and walked around first as a group with the tour guides where we found out all the cool stories about what had happened in the house over many years and then, at the end, we could walk around alone.  The House was gorgeous.  Such old, beautiful furniture and the ceilings...well, the ceilings were spectacular!! Each room had a different design on the ceiling and each one was as spectacular and breath-taking and detailed as the last.  I was in awe of the designs and the details...I still am in awe actually. 

Each room we entered had it’s own story and it’s own spirits (or ghosts – whatever you choose to call them. Personally, I choose spirits). The energy in the rooms was amazing too, well, all except the bathroom...the bathroom wasn’t so nice to be in!!!  It had a weird (and off-putting) vibe to it.  But each of the other rooms had some of the most beautiful, amazing, welcoming, calming, warm vibes I have ever felt!  It was like each of the spirits were welcoming us into their room and were excited we came to visit!

But, the best part was down in the basement. Keep in mind folks, the house has NO electricity.  It was all torchlight.  So, everyone’s torch was off and we were in a circle holding hands in the pitch black.  It was that dark, you couldnt see your own arms!!  Then, the next second there’s flickers of light over in a corner.  Then, the flickers turned into shadows that you’d expect to see if you were opening and closing a door which had a light directly above it.  The shadow moved like a door swaying.  After watching this for a while, we all turned the torches back on and searched the corner...nothing there! Just an everyday corner. No door, no passageway and definitely no light source.  That’s when quite a few of the group really became impressed (including my dad).

The room I felt most “at home” in was the library.  Not entirely sure why, it was a beautiful room and the ceiling art was beyond brilliant (yes, I have a thing with the ceilings I know!), it was filled with old style furniture and just had a beautiful energy about it.  Apparently one of the regular spirits in that room was a young girl.  Maybe she knew about my antics at the park earlier that day and wanted a play buddy...LOL!! 

After the official tour had ended and I was roaming around the library alone, the tour guide came in and we got chatting and the stories she told me about the young girl blew me away.  She sounded like such an amazing girl and so strong too.  She taught me alot that night.  Even though she may have ‘only’ been a spirit, I had never met this girl and she had passed many decades before I was even born, but, the stories of the things she got through taught me something about inner strength. Not too sure of the exact details of what I learnt from her, but, something that night hit a nerve somewhere in me and something changed.  I think she helped me to accept things and to stand up for my beliefs more than I did previously. And for that, I thank her!!

So, does this differ to your idea of a perfect night? What are your thoughts on Haunted Houses, spirits, or anything of the like? Have you recently been to the park just to totally act like kids?

Thanks for reading...it means the world!!
xx

The joys of not taking oneself seriously...

So...what an amazing evening I've had.  I went rollerskating for the first time in a very long time!!  The last time I went rollerskating, I was roughly 9 yrs old...well, I'm now nearly 21! At first I was slightly nervous I had forgotten how to stand upright and as soon as I put skates on I'd fall flat on my bum...but I'm glad to say I survived the evening with no stumbles!! Yay for me!! 

And I even showed off my coordinated self by dancing on skates!!!  I danced to both the "Nutbush" and "Time Warp".

They played a game too, we all had to skate around and when the music stopped, you had to get to one of the corners of the rink which were titled the suits of a deck of cards (Diamonds, hearts, clubs & Spades) and then they'd pick a playing card and whoever was in that corner stayed in while everyone else was eliminated...well, I won!!! I got a bag of chips for my efforts!! :)

Tonight was 70's/80's night and so they played a heap of good older music; my personal favourites were "Tainted Love" - Soft Cell; "My Sharona" (forgive me, not sure who wrote that but it's a great song!); "YMCA" - The Village People; and of course, "The Time Warp" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show!  The near the end they played some newer music...my absolute favourite of the newer stuff was Pink's "So What".

It was good to let my hair down for the evening and thoroughly enjoy myself (a weird saying that; to let one's hair down...my hair was tied up!!).  But geez, Rollerskating is a great workout...by the end of the 2 hour session I was stuffed!! 

Got a rather funny (and sorta cute) comment on Twitter this evening, saying I'll be in the Roller Derby soon...No thanks! I'll leave that up to the professionals!!  It looks amazing, is great to watch but you ain't getting me in that rink!!

Has anyone else been rollerskating recently??  I'd love to hear how you went!!  And if you've just done something for no real reason besides to have fun and act slightly childish and let your hair down??...

As per usual, thanks for reading.  It means the world!!
Nat x

Why do we care SO much?...is it human nature to need approval?

Is the approval of others really that important that we as humans, are often willing to hide some facet of us that we know won’t be readily accepted by others? Surely not!

Well...I’m not too sure about that. 

These past few weeks I’ve underwent some huge changes and really started to show a side of me that’s not generally accepted by the people around me, but it’s who I am.  I was sick and tired of acting as if this part of me didn’t exist.  It was like every time I was around certain people I’d have to put a mask on or really censor my comments/actions/thoughts just so I’d be somewhat accepted. 
The situation was making me quite miserable; being someone I’m not, and all the while, hiding part of the true me.  It was like I was denying a part of me existed and covering it with something that was truely fake.  It wasn’t until one of the regular blogs I read had a post on the exact same thing I had been struggling with, and then, on the same night, hearing Jessie J’s song “Who you are”, I came to the realisation I had to be true to the part of me I had been denying in public for so long. (please do excuse me for the vague details on what “it” actually is – not too sure I’m quite ready to broadcast it this publically YET...baby steps!!).

Generally speaking, I’m the kind of person who’s quite loud and outgoing.  I’m never nervous to talk in front of a large crowd – I actually find it quite exciting and rather fun...yes, I know, strange!  Not daunted by much (except spiders!!), so, why is it that it was so hard to “face the music” and live my life the way I want?  Did I not want to be singled out for being “different”? Did I want to ensure people still liked me? Did I not want to risk disapproval?

According to Maslow’s ‘Heirarchy of needs’; social needs (including the need for belonging) are in the 3^rd tier of the Pyramid of Needs, only above Physiological needs (food, shelter, water etc) and Security needs (steady employment, shelter from the environment, safety and security).  Is it, that many places worldwide have successfully provided the lower 2 tiers to the vast majority of people (in most countries anyway) that this 3^rd tier; Social needs (love, belonging and affection) are becoming ever so much more important?  Are we focusing on this because our lower level needs are met? And more importantly, can we move on if our needs for full belonging and acceptance aren’t met? Will we ever arrive at the 5^th and final tier of Maslow’s Heirarchy; ‘Self Actualisation’ without this need being met? Maybe, maybe not!

I often wonder, who’s really running our lives.  Is it really us? Oscar Wilde once said “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation”.  Is that true?  Are we really in control of how we act, what we say and what we do? Do we really strive for acceptance and belonging?

Now, lovely blog people, please don't get me wrong; a sense of belonging and companionship and most of all, love are all very important in life.  But, along with these; self-worth and that feeling of loving oneself are also vitally important.  I'm generally willing to avoid certain conversations which may cause vast amounts of tension...but, when that tense topic is so close to home and such a part of oneself, should it still be on the "Lets-not-discuss-this List"? I think not!!

What's your thoughts?  Do Maslow and Oscar Wilde have human nature all figured out? Would you avoid some conversations just to avoid the backlash; even if it meant ignoring a part of yourself?
Thanks for reading! It means the world! xx