It was a week. One of those weeks. The kind that make you wish life would just freeze-frame and move forward in slow motion for about three days. Between work, fam, house, spouse, self and everything else – add in the fact that I’m still getting over the flu – I was exhausted.
Apparently people could tell. My spouse kept encouraging me to just go to bed. Kids kept asking me if I was OK. I took off my normally well-functioning filter and let a full-fledged e-rant go off into the void, saying exactly how I felt, who it was directed at and where they could put it.
My boss noticed too. She very casually mentioned one of her favorite places to go at lunch ‘when she needs a bit of feng-shui action. I took the hint and took off towards the city as soon as the clock hit 1 that afternoon.
Where did I go? A little place called Body Mind & Soul, about three blocks east of my office. It was really strange to be driving along, amidst the normal corporate geography, and suddenly see this:
Granted, I’m not really the Zen, tarot card reading type, but as soon as I walked past the tinkling bells on the door I felt… peaceful.
Soft music, soothing smells, books, fountains, you name it. All laid out in a small space that was remarkably uncluttered. The store is laid out in a house, so around every corner you encounter new rooms full of quirky gifts and other knick-knacks. Even a little table where you can sit to peruse a book or two that grabs your attention. And, most remarkably, THE STAFF LEAVE YOU COMPLETELY ALONE!! It’s like they’ve been trained on how to provide people with a completely relaxing shopping experience.
Granted, it’s a quirky place. Connected to the main store is a private building reserved for ‘readings’ of all sorts, but that just adds to the charm. I spent about twenty minutes wandering and letting my mind wander, then headed back to work completely rejuvenated.
Here are a few more sights from the shop (the book is on my next-to-read list) – check ’em out if you’re in town, feeling stressed, or just want to hang out off the beaten path. You won’t regret it!
partlysouthern, partly city 