Love and Magic: A Journey of Self-Discovery

Survey a Small Bit of Love a Small Bit of Magic Love and magic are two powerful forces that have captivated human beings since ancient times. They bring a sense of wonder and enchantment to our lives, making us believe in something greater than ourselves. Love, with its ability to connect people in deep and meaningful ways, is often said to be the strongest force in the universe. Magic, on the other hand, represents an element of the unknown, something beyond our comprehension that astonishes and amazes. When we combine these two forces, we get a glimpse into something truly extraordinary. Imagine a love so powerful that it feels like magic.

He added that drug manufacturers are starting to incorporate novel super potent psychedelics such as NBOMe into tabs, which adds to the risk. He suggests making efforts to get a “reliable, trustworthy supply” and “always take a tiny dose to start”, waiting a few hours before taking more.

When we look back on challenging life events we wouldn t choose, like a bout with a major disease, a harrowing experience while rock-climbing, or a painful divorce, sometimes we feel later that the difficult experience made us notably stronger or wiser. Combined use with alcohol and use within risky or unfamiliar settings increase the risks of harm most commonly accidental injury, panic and short lived confusion, disorientation and fears of losing one s mind.

Imagine a love so powerful that it feels like magic. It can evoke feelings of joy, passion, and a sense of belonging that is beyond words. This kind of love has the ability to transform lives, heal wounds, and bring out the best in people.

Money for Nothing - Dire Straits

When we first arrived, we had nothing. Not the “hey, we only brought 6 bags and 2 carry-ons” type of nothing. More “the airline lost our 6 bags that hold everything we own in the world and forced us to check our 2 carry-ons and lost those too” type of nothing. Fortunately our first apartment was furnished, but not in the “here’s sheets and towels and some plates along with the furniture” type of furnished, but in the “here’s a stinky couch, an uncomfortable mattress and a stripped-empty kitchen” type of furnished. We spent the first night in our clothes lying flat on our mattress.

Naturally we bought sheets and clothes and whatnot. Unfortunately, much of it didn’t work. So many sizes of beds here!

That’s when we found out that returns are handled very differently that what we’d been used to. As in, many times, not at all. The first attempt was the non-fitting sheets. They were still in the bag, and yet. The first store allowed the return after 10 minutes of deep confusion.

It felt like they had never had anyone ask for a return before. The clothing stores were a no go. Absolutely no. Amy could look around for something else that she liked and exchange it then. But no store credit would be offered.

Oof. Scott had better luck. While Amy had bought at a chain, it seems (in hindsight) to have been a smaller, local chain. Scott’s store was a larger one and they allowed him to have a gift certificate that he could use later - but not too much later as it had an expiration date of 1 month.

Mind you, all of this had to be done in our basically non-existent Portuguese. The joy!

We have since learned that small stores often won’t be amenable to a return of any kind. A chain is likely to give you a gift certificate that you can use later - but you had better check the expiration date. International stores in general allow for an actual return.

Frankly, after all of this, we switched to Amazon. That’s Amazon Spain (amazon.es). Portugal apparently isn’t big enough to rate its own Amazon. We got ourselves a Prime account and started ordering like mad fiends.

The experience was surprising. Fewer items are available for Prime than in the US, and Prime isn’t the Prime we’re used to. It could be one-day shipping. Maybe two. Or four. How about a week?

Part way through the ordering frenzy, we discovered Amazon Germany. They have more stuff! But since our Prime is with Spain, we have to pay for shipping. Scott just bought some board games from Amazon Italy. Interestingly, each of the Amazons is slightly different from each other. Emails look different. Emails get sent for different reasons. The one thing we know is we are not doing Amazon UK again, despite their better offerings, since we’d have to pay gasp CUSTOMS. Nope. Not doing customs, ever again. EU only countries.

The real difference between the US and European Amazons, though, comes about when you go to return something. Sure, they let you, no problem. But it’s going to be a good month or two before you get reimbursed.

Josie is a wonderful dog. We can all agree on that. And we can all agree that she will eat anything. Having raised puppies on the street, her idea of nutrition and ours differs a bit. In St. Louis this played out mainly during acorn season. Acorns have a ton of nutrition. They also have tannins, which need to be leached before they can be eaten safely. Josie doesn’t really have the patience to leach the tannins. She’s more interested eye-snout coordination. We’re certain she’s created some world records. What happens when the acorns first fall - and before we start the Avoid Oak Trees Walks - is a vomit or two.

Why do dogs vomit at 2 am? On carpeting?

While Lisbon doesn’t have acorns, it has a veritable feast of completely unidentifiable (to us) gunk on the sidewalks and in the gutters. The result is a dramatic increase in our waking up at 2 am to take care of the carpet. And said carpet looking kinda sad.

Family motto: No good comes of a dog in the gutter.

So when it came time to move, we thought, hey, let’s get that carpet cleaned. That way it will look fresh in the new place. And it will be one less thing we have to tote from apartment to apartment. We even found this company, CleanCare, who cleans rugs without a lot of smelly chemicals (yay!) and - get this - they come to your house, pick up the carpet, and RETURN IT TO YOU. For our roughly 8’ x 10’ carpet, the cost was 41€. Yes, you read that right.

We were so excited that we recommended them to a friend before they even finished the first carpet. That’s right, we said first carpet. When they came to drop off the first carpet, we handed them another carpet we realized needed cleaning as well. A funny thing happened though. Amy had paid online when they sent her the invoice when scheduling drop off. But when the drop off guy came, he didn’t have a record of it. This was the day after the move, so we were at sixes and sevens, and couldn’t quickly find our receipt. His van is blocking traffic, so rather than hold him up, he said just pay me now, and call the office. They’ll reimburse you. Cool.

Amy did that and … a month and a half later they agreed they should refund that extra payment. Two more months later, we finally stopped pestering the company and turned to the Livro de Reclamações - the Complaints Book.

Neat thing about Portugal. Every single company has to register with the Livro de Reclamações . The company has to keep the book on hand and must hand it over if you ask for it. Often, asking for it will nudge the company to resolve your complaint. Plus, the government keeps an online book and you can make your complaint there. We have used the complaint book a few times - twice with MEO (once when we first arrived and they wouldn’t fix the service they incorrectly installed and again during the latest saga when we moved), once at our bank, and this time. With MEO it definitely made a difference. The bank did investigate it and decided nothing was wrong. In the case of CleanCare ….

We thought nothing had happened. Until the magic email dropped in the inbox from the Livro de Reclamações letting us know the money was coming back to us! A total of six months and many emails and calls, and it was the Complaints Book that did the trick.

We had similar troubles getting our money back from Leroy Merlin, the Home Depot of Portugal. We ordered a ceiling fan online, they said it wasn’t available, and then the credit didn’t appear in our bank account. Many emails later, and a mere 2 months later the issue was resolved. PHEW! This was the one that mattered- the fan cost nearly 200€, not the 40€ for the carpet!

Sometimes we feel like we shouldn’t buy anything here. But that’s not an option. We’ve learned to do the equivalent of measuring twice before buying and walking out of the store!

Of the more than 12,000 people who reported taking psilocybin hallucinogenic mushrooms in 2016, just 0.2% of them said they needed emergency medical treatment – a rate at least five times lower than that for MDMA, LSD and cocaine.

It is a force that transcends time and space, defying all logic and reason. But while love is often associated with positive emotions, it can also be a double-edged sword. Love can bring immense happiness, but it can also bring heartbreak and pain. The magic of love lies in its ability to make us vulnerable, to expose our deepest fears and desires. It is this vulnerability that allows love to work its magic, to touch us in ways we never thought possible. Similarly, magic has the power to captivate and inspire. It fuels our imagination, ignites our curiosity, and pushes the boundaries of what we believe to be possible. Magic allows us to escape reality, even if just for a moment, and experience something extraordinary. It reminds us that there is beauty and wonder in the world, and that there are forces at work that are beyond our understanding. In a world that can often feel harsh and cold, love and magic provide a glimmer of hope. They remind us that there is more to life than what meets the eye, that there is something greater at play. Love and magic give us the courage to dream, to believe in the impossible, and to create a world that is filled with love and wonder. So, in this small bit of love and magic, let us embrace the power of both. Let us open our hearts to the possibilities that love brings, and let us be enchanted by the magic that surrounds us. Together, love and magic have the power to change our lives and the world around us. They are the fuel that drives us forward, the force that makes life worth living. Let us never forget the immense power and beauty that lies within a small bit of love and a small bit of magic..

Reviews for "Love, Magic, and Healing: The Mind-Body Connection"

1. Sarah - 1 star - I was really disappointed with "Survey a small bit of love a small bit of magic". The storyline was all over the place and there were too many unnecessary subplots that detracted from the main plot. The characters were underdeveloped and lacked depth, making it hard to connect with any of them. Overall, I found the writing to be choppy and the pacing to be inconsistent. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a well-crafted and engaging read.

2. Michael - 2 stars - "Survey a small bit of love a small bit of magic" had an interesting concept, but it fell short in execution. The writing style was confusing and difficult to follow, often jumping from one scene to another without any clear transition. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it hard to believe in the relationships depicted in the story. Additionally, the ending was quite abrupt and left me unsatisfied. While there were some moments of potential, this book ultimately failed to deliver a compelling narrative.

3. Emily - 2 stars - I was expecting "Survey a small bit of love a small bit of magic" to be a heartwarming and magical read, but unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. The plot was predictable and lacked originality, following the same tropes and clichés seen in many other romance novels. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it hard to care about their individual journeys. The writing style also felt amateurish, with awkward sentence structures and repetitive descriptions. Overall, I found this book to be lacking in both charm and substance.

Love and Magic: The Key to Manifesting Your Dreams