I Am a Rock (Simon and Garfunkel)

Hey, I never said this Valentine's Day countdown was going to be all wine and roses - one must honor lost love as well, right?

Homestead is only an hour south of me and I've yet to visit this landmark - soon, I've promised myself...

Coral Rock Castle: The House that Heartbreak Built

2/6/2008

Ever been dumped?

Most of us have. And we've got all sorts of stories about how we've tried to win back the object of our affections.

Did you make a mix-tape full of her favorite songs in hopes of warming her heart, a la John Cusack's music geek character in High Fidelity? Or, for a more romantic gesture, you might have serenaded your sweetheart with a boombox outside her bedroom window (John Cusack again, as Say Anything's prototypical "sensitive guy," Lloyd Dobler). Or you might have just left a bunch of pathetic messages on your ex's answering machine, though we have a feeling your success rate's not so high in that case (unless you're John Cusack).

We know of just one man who could beat Cusack's celluloid record for romantic obsession: Ed Leedskalnin, a Latvian immigrant who spent his whole life pining away for Agnes Scuffs, the sixteen year old girl who ditched him just days before their wedding. After Agnes left him, Leedskalnin was absolutely heartbroken, and pledged to win her back. His method of choice? Building a rock garden in honor of his sweetheart, which he called Coral Rock Castle.

The "castle," located in Homestead, Florida, is no mere monument – it's a huge, sprawling structure, with a nine-ton gate, a 28-ton sun dial, a water well, a fountain, a heart-shaped table, and a 5,000-pound throne, along with a range of other curiosities. In total, the grounds include more than 1,100 tons of oolic limestone.

Leedskalnin began building the castle in 1923, and never let up until his death in 1951. He worked only at night, and gave ten-cent tours of the unfinished palace throughout his lifetime. Sadly, Leedskalnin's lost love, Agnes Scuffs, never came to see the magnificent stone garden that he had built in her honor. Her throne would remain empty forever.

We know it already sounds pretty strange, but here's the weirdest part: Leedskanin, who was only five feet tall and 100 pounds, and had only a fourth grade education, reputedly assembled the entire massive structure himself, with no help – even though some of the individual stones weigh as much as 30 tons, which is heavier than the blocks in the Egyptian pyramids.

Over the years, plenty of people have come up with their own theories about how the lovesick Leedskalnin constructed the amazing monument. Some believe that he was aided by extraterrestrials, or that Leedskalnin himself had supernatural powers. Even the great Albert Einstein had been unable to deduce Leedskalnin's methods, though some engineers believe that Leedskalnin used a block-and-tackle system, which is a common engineering technique. (Though not so common for a fourth-grade dropout.)

Whether or not he was some sort of superhero, or had a race of alien amigos to help him build his palace, it's certain to say that Ed Leedskalnin was one of a kind. We just don't know how Agnes let him slip away.

SONG: I Am a Rock by Simon and Garfunkel

BOOK: Love Rocks Postcard Book by Gardner Juliane

POEM: Burlap Sack by Jane Hirshfield

A person is full of sorrow

The way a burlap sack is full of stones or sand.

We say, "Hand me the sack,"

But we get the weight.

Heavier if left out in the rain.

To think that the stones or sand are the self is an error.

To think that grief is the self is an error.

Self carries grief as a pack mule carries the side bags,

Being careful between the trees to leave extra room.

The self is not the load of ropes and nails and axes.

The self is not the miner nor builder nor driver.

What would it be to take the bride

And leave behind the heavy dowry?

To let the thin-ribbed mule browse in tall grasses,

Its long ears waggling like the tails of two happy dogs?

QUOTE: "Man is harder than rock and more fragile than an egg." ~ Yugoslav Proverb

59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) - (Simon and Garfunkel)

DailyOM
January 30, 2008
Create Time For Self-Compassion
Being Gentle With Ourselves

During those times when our lives are filled with what seems to be constant change and growth, it is important to remember that we need to be gentle with ourselves. Since it can be easy to use our energy to keep up with the momentum of our lives, we may not be aware of the fact that we are much more likely to run ourselves down. When things seem to be moving quickly, it is especially essential that we make a point to slow down and be gentle with ourselves.

It might be difficult to notice what is happening to us for we may be so caught up in the whirlwind of our lives that we lose sight of the direction in which things are heading. Being gentle with ourselves doesn’t mean that we don’t accomplish things. Instead it means that we honor ourselves on an ongoing basis and take care of the needs of our bodies.

This means different things to different people. For instance, it could mean having a session with a healer; taking a remedy, herbs, or vitamins; or getting extra sleep. Putting our energy into ourselves in this way helps create space for a more positive, loving, and accepting view of our lives. By setting the intention to do so, we will be more cognizant of our energy levels on a daily basis and more able to replenish them as needed.

The more we are able to treat our bodies with gentleness, the more tenderness and compassion we will call forth into our lives. Learning to understand and pay attention to what our self needs will in turn allow us to fill our lives with unlimited loving and healing energy and to truly take care of the things that mean the most to us.

At work this afternoon, I had an epiphany that I had totally lost sight of my 2008 intention... and wasn't doing anywhere near the relate/relax/release-ing I had promised myself - I almost got angry, and then realized that if I didn't start changing something, I was back to the same-old, same-old. I've actually cancelled some things this week and not accepted a few invitations as well - feels like time to keep a low profile and concentrate on caretaking...

I really miss reading (just don't seem to make the time for it anymore) and, synchronistically, a friend just today loaned me the new Stephen King book, Duma Key - I'm a long-time fanatic, beginning way back when Carrie was first released and buying almost everything in hardback as soon as it was released. The entire top shelf of my wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling bookcase is overflowing with SK tomes, including his Dark Tower series and a few non-fiction works on writing - the new novel weighs in at a hefty 607 pages.

So... I read the first fifty, headed to the grocery store, whereupon I stocked up on healthy comfort foods (not necessarily an oxymoron), then unloaded the goods when I got home, hardly touching the computer (except for this blog) and not even turning on the TV - I'll spend another hour reading, will do a jacuzzi soak and then crawl into bed (Self-Pampering 101 launched!).

Today's poem is from a book I recently gave a friend for her birthday (I've gifted a few others with this special offering too) - figured I would do well to take my own advice/wish, eh?... :-)

SONG: 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) by Simon and Garfunkel

BOOK: This Is My Wish for You Mini by Charles Snell, Harold Darling

POEM: This is My Wish for You...

That the spirit of beauty may continually hover about you and fold you close within he tendernesses of her wings.

That each beautiful and gracious thing in life may be unto you as a symbol of good for your soul's delight.

That sun-glories
and star-glories
leaf-glories and bark-glories
flower-glories
and glories that lurk in the grasses of the field
glories of mountains
and oceans
of little streams of running waters
glories of song
of poesy
of all the arts
may be to you as sweet, abiding influences that will illumine your life and make you glad.

That your soul may be as an alabaster cup, filled to overflowing with the mystical wine of beauty and love.

That happiness may put her arms around you,
and wisdom make your soul serene.

Ths is my wish for you.

QUOTE: "At this very moment, you may be saying to yourself that you have any number of admirable qualities. You are a loyal friend, a caring person, someone who is smart, dependable, fun to be around. That's wonderful, and I'm happy for you, but let me ask you this: are you being any of those things to yourself?" ~ Phillip C. McGraw