Embracing Wellbeing - Designer Bodies

Chapter 12 for Radical Attraction is still baking in the oven. Sorry for the delay.

In the mean time here is another installment in "Embracing Wellbeing" Today's piece is on "Designer Bodies". I did promise a process for engaging the Law of Attraction, but that will have to wait for another day, as I have at least one more topic in the pipeline before I get there, so please be patient. i am intending to try and crack up the output.

Also have started posting "Embracing Wellbeing" at :

http://embracingwellbeing.blogspot.com.au/

Well that's the end apologies here is the latest installment.

There are 7 billion people on the planet which means there are 7 billion body types with 7 billion life paths, so why, when anybody decides they want to change their body to something they are happier with, do we almost universally  approach it from perspective that our bodies are merely machines and that the only way to lose weight is by reducing our input and increasing our output of energy. You see it on TV and hear it on the radio. Dieticians and health experts who are scarecrow thin being  superior about their thinness and sanctimonious to those who are not quite so thin. You can also it on those dubious weight loss shows, which take a group of people and torture them to lose weight. Extreme exercise,  vilification, humiliation and nasty temptation stunts are all standard fare as the contestants are bullied into weight loss. Invariably the successful candidates end up with gym junky and athlete type of bodies. Is there a another way? Is  weight is success irrevocably connected to the attainment of an athletic body.

What if you didn't want an a gym junky or athletes body? What other sorts of bodies can be created? 

Maybe you want a resilient, disease free body.A healthy body. A fun body. An adventurous body. A lithe body. A dancer's body. A spiritual body.  A gardener's body. A lover's body. A wiry body. A worker's body. A sleek body. A cuddly body. A handy man's body. A walker's body. A yoga body. A wonderful body. A happy body!

What sort of designer body do you want? How would it feel? How good would you feel?

A good body doesn't necessarily have to be low on fat and big on muscle to be perfect. Surely there are many styles of body that may carry you through life better than one that is sculptured in a gym or pounded into oblivion on the running track.

A good body should embrace wellbeing and be configured to carry you efficiently and effectively through the all the events that make up your life. Often just by doing the things you love will promote wellness in your life. Maybe you can build on your wellness by doing more with out the aid of machines, gadgets and cars. I believe activity promotes wellbeing, yet much of what we call progress is designed to make our bodies do less. But do a little more and your body will do a little more. This will promote wellbeing. You'll feel better. You'll do things better. You'll be able to do a little more.You'll feel better. You'll do things better. You'll be able to do a little more. You get the idea. Wellness and wellbeing attract wellness and wellbeing and life must improve.

There are many special occasions in life where we celebrate with the sharing of food. Weddings, parties, religious festivals and friendships. These are times when we commune with food and enjoy the pleasures of eating food. Sometimes we even eat food purely for it's own pleasure, which is supported by the large number of restaurants in many cities. Sharing food heightens our pleasure  and builds bonds between people and builds relationships. So we could define the difference between dining and eating. Dining treats food and the experience of eating and sharing it with reverence, respect and joy. Eating reflects the mere fuelling of our bodies.

Most of the diets in existence treat food as a mere fuel with no allowance for the pleasures that food might bring. Food is only appraised on its constituents and its bio-mechanical effect. This stance brings with it the concepts of good and bad food. This food is good fuel. This food is bad fuel. This builds resistance and this resistance can effect the way our body absorbs the constituents of the food we eat as because it means that our body is not in sympathy with the food we eat. In my previous blog offered the proposition:

"Food is my friend!"

This can remove us from this position of good or bad and allow us to focus on the wellbeing that food we eat promotes. This wellbeing can be the joy food brings us as well as nutrition.

If we accept there is a divine force, life force, life energy or supreme being, then it opens the possibity to treat your body as more than a mere machine. It allows us to engage the divine law of attraction in gaining the body we desire.The law of attraction tells us that "like attracts like" and so any resistance to food will attract the elements that we fear most. That is, it will hinder or eliminate our weight loss. So when you next sit down to eat consciously focus on the feeling you have about this food. It's very likely that the feeling is negative.

If the food is what we would nominally label "bad" you will probably have a grating, negative feeling.

If the food is what we would nominally call "good" the feelings maybe more positive, but you may have resentment because you feel compelled to eat this type of food so as to maintain your body.

So if you have these type of feelings try:

"Food is my friend!"

How does that feel? Better? So try it at each meal."Food is my friend!" Notice the wellbeing this promotes. How good does it feel?

When you're being active think of the "designer body" you desire. Feel what it would be like and good it would it feel. The   Law of Attraction will respond  to the vibrations these thoughts with like conditions. This is how we deliberately create change in our lives. Choose our desire. Think we want and enjoy and immerse ourselves in the way this feels.

Try it! Start creating your "Designer Body" now!

Wellbeing: A new approach to weight loss

Chapter 12 of Radical Attraction is still proving in the oven and progressing well. I had few moments of inspiration about weight loss and wellbeing which have spilled out here. I hope you enjoy it!

For the people that don't know me, these days, I'm a plus size kind of guy. I wasn't always this way and have had phases where I have been reasonably trim and fit. As this blog is a testament, I am a student of the Law of Attraction and so this year I have intentions to be the best I can be by changing the vibrations that I have been creating through my thoughts. If your you're not in the kind of shape that you'd like, it's probable that the thoughts you hold about yourself, are generally negative. With me, I just gave up on my body, in what was a very hard year personally last year.

Accepting the Law of Attraction rule, that "like attracts like', then the types of thoughts and feelings that you are having about your body, appearance, what you feed it and how you look after your body are not in alignment with the body you desire. In other words, the state of your body is a reflection of the type of thoughts you hold about yourself. I call them "I am" thoughts. I am good/no good at sport. I am smart. I am dumb. I am/not creative. I am good/no  good at maths.I am good/no  good at confrontation. I am good/no good at my job. I am able to eat what ever I want. I have to be careful with what I eat. I am fat. I am thin. I am fit. I am unfit.

So all these little loops of thoughts go round and round in your head, dictating what we attract into your life and how we react. If you don't believe me, take the time one day and watch these thoughts. As things happen during the day these little loops pop up in your head.

You're asked: "Would you like to have a game of tennis?" The loop says: "No thanks/yes please - I'm no good/I'm good at sport."

You're asked: "Can you help me with my maths homework?"The loop says: "No thanks/yes please - I'm no good/I'm good at maths."

You're asked: "Would you like fries with that?"The loop says: "No thanks/yes please - I put on weight really easily/I never put on weight."

You can see how these loops of thought have an effect on our behaviour and when you factor in our "like attracts like" rule, then you can see these loops of thought have a big impact, as they are key to what you are attracting in you life. So to make lasting changes in your life you need to change these thoughts.

On the weekend I read an article in "The Weekend Australian", which focussed on people who had been on diets, who after losing significant amounts of weight, almost universally put it back on. It described how researchers have found that:

 "A full year after significant weight loss these men and women remained in what could be described as a biologically altered state. Their still plump bodies were acting as though they were starving and were working overtime to regain the kilos they lost."

This got me thinking. Could it be because the "I am" statements they held about themselves were still the same as those that held about themselves before they lost weight, creating a misalignment?

You need to change the thoughts you are  having about yourself and your body, to achieve long term wellbeing. You can't be madly counting every kilojoule that enters your body and exercising like a mad person, when all the feelings you have about yourself are loathsome and unloving. The internal image you hold of yourself and the feelings about you body have significant effect on how your body manifests physically.

When you decide that you would like to change the way you look, you will find the "experts" come out of the woodwork."You gotta eliminate carbs. Don't eat after six. You must try Pilates/ Yoga/Boxercise"..... what ever! Going on a diet is like declaring war on your body because it treats food as the enemy. It's all the foods fault! It's too delicious and all it does, is end on your hips or you stomach!  Putting the weight back on, as described above,is your body fighting back.

You will notice there are people in the world, the "lucky ones", who seem to be able to eat whatever and how much they want and remain slim and lithe. How does that work? The regular answer is metabolism. Their bodies are just great at burning the food that is put into them, so there is no little extra bits left for the hips or the stomach. 

Maybe their attitude to food has something to do with it? What if instead of war we declared: 

"Food is my friend!"

It is food that gives your body all the nutrients and fuel that needs to do the amazing things it does. So if we make food our friend maybe we will no longer categorise different foods as "good " or "bad". They're not good or bad they just have a different composition of fat, nutrients and fibre. When we are at war with food we are focussing on those constituents that have the highest likely hood of ending up as fat deposits on our bodies. The Law says "like attracts like" and so a negative focus on what food will do to your body will actually attract this negative aspect into our lives and body. So it is counter productive to what we desire!

With food as our friend we are seeking to restore the balance in our eating, eliminating the guilt and fear that comes from focussing on the negative aspects of food. To label what you are about to eat as "junk" is not respectful of your body. Labelling it as junk emphasises the negative  aspects of this type of food, even though it still has some things that maybe good for you body. But of course there are some foods that ars better . Maybe we could re-label it "fun food" instead. We know the primary purpose of this food is not nutrition, but convenience and taste. Eat it. Enjoy it. Know it's fun. Know that you will eat other food for nutrition, but it can be fun to have a burger and fries with friends. Fun is an important element of life. It adds to our wellbeing.

What would happen if we focussed on the positive aspects of food.

Maybe the answer is to move to the place of: 

"I love food. Food is my friend. It is great for my body!"

Can you see the difference if we embrace such an approach. The emphasis is now what is good for our bodies. We can now focus on what will bring wellbeing to our bodies. Isn't that what we want!

Further in the article described earlier, a couple detailed the extreme lengths they went to maintain their weight loss. It included exercising for more than 100 minutes a day, weighing daily and recording all food eaten They had calculated their bodies burn rate for a number of  different  exercises and the exact numbers of kilojoules their bodies require each day. It sounds like war to me and is devoid of any fun or joy. Could a focus on the positive aspects of life have greater impact than an obsession with a particular number on the scales?

There is one question all this obsession ignores:

"What is the optimal condition or shape for what the body is going to be used for?" 

Do you need to have an athlete's or model's body to live well? Is all the stress this puts on your body good for you? An austere diet, like the one described above take all lot of fun out of life. 

So a strong resilient body with resistance to illness may serve you better in you life than a body than one that is built to run marathon or wear size 6 clothes.

When people hear I am changing things in my life so my body maybe more to my liking, the automatic reaction is that I'm on a diet or an exercise regime which focusses on making me like an athlete. I'm never going to make it to model status! There's all these rules and regulations which are apparently mandatory for losing weight.

So. I am not on a diet. I am not on exercise program. I am just making lifestyle changes that feel more in line with who and what I want to be. It's amazing when you look at your life that there are lots of opportunities to improve you wellbeing. Opportunities to eat foods that are fresher or more nutritious or even tastier than the foods that you  currently eat habitually. Food is you friend! Maybe you can go and find new friends that will increase you wellbeing.

You can also find opportunities to be a little more active and allow your body to become a little stronger. Today as I was coming home I passed a young woman who had parked her car in a no standing zone near a very busy intersection, across the road from a sushi shop. This caused great inconvenience to other motorists,but she had ensured she took the least possible number of steps to get her lunch. She just may have achieved more for her body, if she had parked 50 metres away and walked to the shop, because I have found if you gradually ask you body to do a little more, it will do a little more. Opportunities to walk a little more are great! Do you really need to park right next to the door at the shops. Could you walk instead of drive? What about early morning exercise? I know I have always been resistant but I am enjoying it now. My focus is changing small aspects of my life permanently, which make me more active, improve my nutrition and over all wellbeing. These are not radical changes but incremental and permanent changes to give small but permanent improvements to my body.

In 5 weeks I have become a little trimmer, a little fitter and a little happier. I am enjoying the improvement. I am using a very handy app on my Android phone to track my walking and weight and I find this helps keep me motivated and confirms the impact of the changes I have made. It's not so important what the score but that I continue to make progress.

I know it's radical thinking, but I think it's a worthwhile hypothesis.You need to love your body...even though it may not look how you want  right now. Think of all the good things it's done for you.

In closing remember, improving your wellbeing will put you in the best place you can be for fitness, health and self-esteem. This is more important than a number on the scales. If you feel great, you'll be great and you'll do great things. So, don’t focus on how bad things are. Instead focus on how good you’d like things to be.

Next week I'll talk about different types of bodies and detail a process that I have created that will help you change these "thought loops".

May wellbeing be with you!

Gray

Radical Attraction - A Novel- Chapter 11

Radical Attraction is the story of Steve's adventures which involve in the visitation of difficulty and disaster. Through these disasters, Steve meets the mysterious Gus. A gentelman of suspect fashion sense he takes Steve under his wing and introduces him to the Law of Attraction. 

It seems Gus has a "secret" system  which utilises the Law of Attraction and he begins to teach Steve how to create the things he desires in his life.

In this chapter, Steve discovers how to chieve calmness and serenity, and the impact this can have on his life. Also, the fallout from the attempts on his life continue to flow.

Chapter 11

It was all over the Sunday papers and on the TV news. Pictures of Jenny and Mike being led, hands cuffed behind their backs, into waiting police cars. These developments meant a very quick end to Stephanie and Joel's return home as a press scrum had developed outside the house. Steve dropped them back at Joy's around 10Am after taking a circuitous route, to ensure there were no reporters on their tail. Steve had an appointment at the police station at 11-30Am, so he headed for the refuge of the park to get some quiet time.

As he entered the park, it felt natural that he should go to the Japanese Garden where he had last met Gus. The feeling of serenity was powerful as he entered the shrub-lined path of the garden entrance. As he reached the open area, he scanned the area, but he knew innately that Gus was not there. He walked to the edge of the stone garden where a large moss covered rock stood guardian. He found a smooth patch on the rock and planted his ample buttocks, wriggling until he was comfortable. He closed his eyes gently, took a deep breathe and tried to let go of all the turmoil in his life but it was difficult to let go of the anger and anguish he felt after Jenny and Mike’s arrest. It just seemed surreal that such misadventures should swirl through his life a giant tornado, wreaking havoc.

But he persisted and began to focus on his breathing. Gradually the rhythmic in and out flow of his breath calmed his spinning mind and a feeling of calmness and detachment from the hurly burly of life came over is body. Eventually the pain and agony subsided and the feeling of being overwhelmed dissipated and a sense of wellbeing that had disappeared from his life began to fill his body.

Steve had no idea how long he been sitting on the rock when he was stirred from this relaxed state by a familiar and happy voice.

                                               

“Hi Steve!”

Steve slowly opened his eyes. It was Gus!

“Hi Gus.” Steve replied.

“Star of the newspapers again, I see.”

“Yes. Unfortunately it appears as though my notoriety is to continue.”

“It must be a blow to find out it was your best friend and wife behind all these disastrous happenings?”

“I can hardly believe it! I was in such turmoil that I decided to come here as an escape.”

“It seems that you have had some success. You seemed very peaceful when I arrived.”

“Yeah it was weird. I was watching my breathing when I just seemed to drift off into a sort of stillness. It wasn’t sleep but a feeling of calm and serenity.”

“That means that you must have achieved a meditative state. It’s very pleasant isn’t it?”

“Amazing! I feel much better. As though can now face this disaster.”

“See! It can help you face things where our normal reaction is “I don’t know what I’m going to do” to “I can handle this”. Can you see what a difference that can make?”

“Absolutely.”

“Can you see the change in your expectation?”

“Sure. My normal expectation is disaster is about to happen and I don’t know how to handle. My new expectation is that I can face things and handle them.”

“Exactly! Can you see what difference that might make?”

“Sure. I’m more likely to be positive and resilient in my approach, which I’ sure means I’m more likely to get a positive result.”

“Spot on! So imagine if you approached everything in your life in this manner. Do you think it would make a difference in your life?”

“No doubt!”

“So as well as a positive approach to problems, if we factored in our old favourite “Think what you want”, do think you would experience a significant improvement in our life’s quality?”

“You’d have to think you could created amazing things.”

 “Spot on! So what are you expecting?”

“Hmmm. I think I’m expecting a bit of a struggle with all this stuff with Jenny. You know, with the press and the fact that the kid’s Mum is in jail.”

“Yes it’s a difficult situation, but what if you were expecting the best? I mean what is the best possible outcome you could hope for?”

“Well I think the best would be if it was all resolved quickly with Jenny and Mike get light sentences and me and the kids settling back into the house very quickly with minimal disruption.”

“That’s pretty understanding of you.”

“Well I figure they need to deal with what they’ve done. I just want to move on with my life, because if I wallow in hatred and spite, Jenny and Mike have won in a way. For my kids, and myself from here, I want to create the best possible life.”

“That’s good thinking. So adding to that, what if, “you were expecting the best” in your life, what would it be?”

“Hmmm. If I were expecting the best………..I would expect to be loving, caring and joyful for my Mum and my kids. Then……..great things…… fun, excitement, prosperity…… just really good times.

“Good!”

“Then I would expect fantastic prospects with my work. Yep ……and finally I expect excellent health and wellbeing.”

“You know I think you’re really getting this. You’re focussing how you would want things to be and not how you don’t want it to be and that’s a very big lesson. Most people spend most of their time in a constant state of fear and worry. Then they wonder why difficult things are continually entering their life.  I’m sure you would agree this would include you.”

“Yeah absolutely. I was the champion of worry. Money. Work. Everything! You name it. I worried about it.”

“Right! And if you worry you’re creating the exact thing your worrying about. So you can see, the whole concept of “Thinking what you want”, can be truly powerful. As worry is the great negative creator.”

“That’s another “Wow” moment for me.”

“Yep. I think it’s “Wow”! For me too!” Agreed Gus.

“Every time I see you, we seem to get into some very deep stuff.”

“I’m a deep kind of guy!”

Steve chuckled.

“Yes. Deep you are! Now I’d better leave you to your meditation, as I have an appointment with the police.”

“I’m sure that won’t be much fun.”

“No, I’m not looking forward to it all.”

“Well, how about making an intention?’

“Ok. An intention.  I intend to…..I intend to be strong and positive.”

“Sounds good. Now you keep well.”

“Thankyou Gus. You keep well too.”

And with that Steve shook Gus’s hand and walked through the passage way of trees into the main park. He followed the path around the lake, where the ducks and swans were going about their daily business,  then continued towards the exit and the street where his car was parked.

He arrived at the Police Station at 11-00Am on the dot.

As he entered the building he repeated to himself.

“I intend to be positive and confident.”

He noticed the little burst of energy and poise this gave him.

The officer at the desk took his details before ushering Steve into a waiting room where he sat for about ten minutes before Senior Detective Jones appeared. They shook hands, and then Detective Jones guided him into an interview room located in the bowels of the station. Sitting in the room waiting for them was a rather attractive lady detective who introduced herself as Detective Berry.

The detectives started the tape player and for the next hour bombarded Steve with all sorts of questions about Jenny, Stephanie, Joel and Mike and their relationships and every possible minutiae a of their lives.

Through out the whole process Steve felt strong and although much of it was difficult, especially the betrayal by a woman who he thought loved him, he made it through and was very glad when it was all over.

Once the recorder was turned off, Steve asked the two detectives what was going to happen to Jenny and Mike. They explained that they had both been remanded in custody and at this stage they were still putting a case together, but it was likely they would be charged. Probably, with attempted murder, in the next couple of days. This didn’t necessarily sit well with Steve, but he accepted that this was the likely outcome.

As he made his way to his car, he thought about whether he should go and visit Jenny and Mike to see how they were going, but decided this maybe a smart thing to d, as he was uncertain how he might react. He made a call on is mobile to Joy to tell her he was coming for lunch. As he drove, he wondered how he was going to explain to Joel and Stephanie what was about to happen to their mother and that she was likely to end up in jail.

As he parked the car out the front of Joy’s he said to himself, “I intend to be calm and understanding.”

He then took a deep breath and went inside.

An apology

I apologise to those who are following Radical Attractin in my blog. Chapter 11 is under way and about half done after being delayed by work comittments and a little bit of writers block. You should see it in the new few days. Thanks for yur support.

Best regards

Gray

Radical Attraction - A Law of Attraction Story

Radical Attraction is the story of Steve's adventures which involve in the visitation of difficulty and disaster. Through these disasters, Steve meets the mysterious Gus. A gentelman of suspect fashion sense he takes Steve under his wing and introduces him to the Law of Attraction. 

It seems Gus has a "secret" system  which utilises the Law of Attraction and he begins to teach Steve how to create the things he desires in his life.

In this chapter, Steve goes back to basics and makes new intentions for his life. Then he makes a disturbing discovery

Chapter 10

On the way home to make breakfast for the kids, Steve thought about how uptight he had been the previous week and realised that because of his anxiety he had completely forgotten about "thinking what he wanted", intending, and his checking his expectations. He thought about how things seemed to flow and how good things came to him when used these tools. This was in complete contrast to the week he had just endured.

"Right!" He thought. "Back to basics! What do I intend?"

"I intend to.... I intend to be calm and positive." A good start.

"I intend to....I intend to create a great life." Not bad.

"I intend to be a great person!" Yeah!

"I intend to give my kids the best life I can!" Excellent.

Steve recognised and enjoyed the boost in how he felt created by these feelings. Before he knew it he was pulling into the driveway at Joy's house. Stephanie, Joel and Joy were just getting up as he walked in the door. Steve rustled up some of his "famous" scrambled eggs on toast which they all ate hungrily. The kids asked where he had been and Steve responded with a half-truth. That, he had been to the park. The four of them talked about how it might be time for them to return home, as things had seemed to have calmed down. Although Joy had enjoyed having them it was agreed that it was time to return some normality to their lives and so it was decided that on Sunday they would go back to living at home with Steve.

The rest of the day was spent ferrying the kids to their sporting fixtures and catching up on a spot of shopping in preparedness for their return. Saturday night was a farewell dinner of charcoal chicken and chips from one of the local shops followed by some DVDs.

Morning came and the kids and Steve packed up all their belongings and headed home. Joy seemed a bit teary about their departure, but she put on a brave face as she kissed them all goodbye.

As they were about to turn onto the main road that took them the two suburbs to their house, a little red car zoomed past. The hairs stood up on the back of Steve's neck as once again recognised the silhouette of the driver. It was Jenny!

He took a risk and accelerated into a small space in the traffic, which was barley big enough for them to fit.

"No!!!" Screamed Stephanie as cars swerved to miss them, as they made their radical entrance into the traffic.

Blaring of horns followed. But Steve didn't care. He was just focussed on that little red car!

"What are you doing Dad?" Yelled Joel.

"Just be quiet." Ordered Steve.

It was now about six cars in front. Steve could see nothing but the red car. Soon its left hand indicator began to flash.

"What are you doing Dad?" Called Stephanie.

"Just sit there and be quiet!" Retorted Steve in an aggressive tone, which silenced the kids very quickly.

The red car made the left turn, which took it into the estate where Mike lived.

"I've got you this time." Muttered Steve.

He accelerated hard to the corner and flung it sideways, throwing the kids hard against their seatbelts.

"Stop!" They screamed.

This made no impression on Steve. He was a man on a mission!

"Wait till I get my hands on you." Thought Steve. Anger and resentment welling up inside him as images of all the damage Jenny had done filled his mind.

Once again he found himself chasing the little red car in the maze of streets that made up the "new" estate. The tires squealed as he pushed the car round the sweeping bends. The aggressive cornering was paying dividends as he was closing the distance on the red car. The silhouette of Jenny was now quite defined and she seemed oblivious of her husband's pursuit.

They were now coming up to the street where Mike lived. Jenny was now only 50 meters ahead. Steve was surprised to see the car turn into Mike's street. Steve pushed the accelerator as hard as he dared. He was determined he was not going to lose her this time.

He was rapidly approaching the corner.Grimaces of fear were stuck to Joel and Stephanie's faces. He jammed his foot on the brake, forcing the tires to skid. He was just about to flick the car sideways to enter the street when he saw Mike's house, the second house in the street. In the driveway going into the garage was the red car driven by Jenny!

Steve's head exploded with shock. He let the car drift straight on past the corner, straightened the wheels to point down the road and punched the accelerator and sped away from what seemed a terrible discovery.

How could it be? It couldn't be? Could it? Could Jenny really be living with Mike!

Emotions swept over him. It felt live a sledgehammer smashing at his very being. Had both his wife and best friend betrayed him?

"Dad! What are you doing?" Asked Stephanie.

"Dad! Where are we going?" Joined in Joel.

"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't know what is I doing." Steve mumbled. "Sorry I thought it was somebody I used to know."

He was amazed that they hadn't picked that it was Jenny in the car and he was even more surprised that they hadn't seen her drive into Mike's house, but at this stage he counted this a blessing. Maybe it was because they were being thrown all over the back seat as the car moved around wildly.

Thanking his good fortune, he continued down the road until it crossed the main road. Here he turned left and headed home, his head spinning at a million miles an hour.

What should he do now? Should he hire a hit man or should he ring the police?

Whilst wild thoughts spun through his head, he slowly made his way home. The kids were quiet in the back. Maybe they were thankful that Steve was back to his normal sedate driving style.

Arriving home, they carried all their belongings back into the house. Then Steve suggested the kids flop in front of the TV for while he made a stiff cup of coffee over which to contemplate his next move. Still overwhelmed by the thought that his wife and his best friend were shacked up together and seemingly had made a number of attempts on his life.

As he sat at the kitchen table, he played with the detective's business card, which he had retrieved from his wallet. Should he ring? What else could he do? What if he went over and knocked on the door? He quickly discounted this, as they had been prepared to kill him, so there was no telling what they might do.

So he rang Detective Jones and was soon detailing what had happened and what he had discovered. Detective Jones listened intently and took Mike's address from Steve and told him to stay at home. He would be in touch.

It seems that Steve had now put some very big wheels in motion.