After two and a half weeks of vacation, I am returning to “normal” a lot slower than usual. I meditated as often as I could during the trip, but still felt rather ungrounded and taken off base. The last week of our trip was spent in Las Vegas, and it was there the bulk of the ungrounding occurred.
Las Vegas is a phenomenon, a curiosity. Most people have a love-hate relationship with that city. It went through its days of uncomplimentary reputation, but it also holds a lot of magic and perhaps tips we can all learn from.
Just to make sure you understand that I am not referring to gambling, I will reveal here my immense knowledge on the subject. Many moons ago, my husband and I went there to celebrate New Year. On that New Year’s Day, we had our buffet breakfast at a casino, and I noticed more coin-dropping sounds than usual. I suggested to my husband that we try our luck too. Begrudgingly, he agreed to $1 of quarters, and off we went to a slot machine. After just two quarters, we won $2! That’s 400% return!! Wow, Lady Luck was definitely on our side! But before the coins would drop, it gave some options in crypt. My husband guessed it had to do with folding the money back in etcetera. I had no clue on such matters, so I deferred to him. He opted to take the money and run. Big gambler he is. Ok fine. So we proudly clutched onto our $1.50 profit and headed out. Next I had to go buy stamps to mail a few postcards (tells you how long ago that was), and found a stamp machine in the casino lobby. As I recall, we deposited $2.25, and out popped a booklet of stamps, worth only about $1.50. So in the 15 minutes, we were out of pocket a total of $.75, and held in our hands a few little squares of paper called US postage stamps, completely worthless to us in the future because we are Canadians. This has since become the running joke in my family about our vast gambling experience in Las Vegas: “We made money at a slot machine, and lost it all to a stamp machine.”
And still we would return, but never to gamble again.
As we drove in to the bowl that holds sin city, scattered thunderstorms overhead gave us the omen. Despite the gray, I felt a growing sense of excitement. It was not just relief of arrival after a long day’s drive. It was more like a whirlwind of energy luring us in. We stayed off Strip, which was like a barren concrete desert. On Strip though, the energy was mesmerizing, especially at night. I loved the stage set glamour everywhere: New York, Paris, Venice, Rome, Egypt, volcano, pirate harbor, evening sky in the day, day sky in the evening, … you name it. Tantalizing restaurants, opulent art decoration, overwhelming shows, glitzy shops. Never a dull moment. I decided I could use a new travel handbag, and I was in the right place. There are probably more handbags available in that one square mile of desert than anywhere else on Earth — at least in choice, although I never found my perfect bag at my perfect price. I bought one anyway, but like the entire Vegas experience, it was a sense of incomplete satisfaction.
And that is exactly the Vegas magic. It sucks you in, dazzles you with grandeur, pumps you up with adrenalin, teases you to open your wallet, and leaves you feeling short on time and resources so you have to return. But isn’t that what marketing is all about? Brilliantly done, Vegas! The whole week in the city and vicinity, we did not encounter a single worker who held a grumpy attitude, despite circumstances. That was unique, and made for an awesome vacation. Thank you Vegas! I loved it!
Las Vegas is a complete showdown of man against nature. How sustainable is this phenomenon? Only time will tell. The economic downturn has clearly rocked it, though the streets are still wall to wall with people. Over the decades we have seen buffet prices in the low teens skyrocketed to well above $50 for a dinner, now back down to sub $20. Even the Bellagio fountain show seems shorter than before. The water level in Lake Mead reservoir has fallen substantially – in my opinion uncomfortably, as this desert city vortex continues to draw people in, visitors and residents alike. There are talks of Vegas eyeing the water from Utah’s Snake River Valley, which is the vortex effect yet again, sucking in resources from farther and farther afield to keep its blossom. Definitely a monster with charm.
After I am sufficiently de-charmed, and ground myself solid again, I just may contemplate applying some of this magic to my own intuitive coaching business! All that razzle dazzle superficial grandeur is not quite my personality, but hey, the sun is in the sign of Libra now, perfect time to tinker my scales a little. Who can’t use a bit of magic anyway?!
Ommmm…
Kay