Healing through laughter: Foxy and Roxy go to La Quinta

Meet Foxy. She’s a fun-loving lounge singer who gets younger as she ages. She’s the master of musical parodies and a Virgo with an 8-5-3 chart on the Enneagram chart. Her spirit animal is the elusive snow leopard and she can drink tequila like it’s water.

Meet Roxy. She’s the partner-in-crime to all of Foxy’s shenanigans. She’s the Laverne to her Shirley. The Thelma to her Louise. The Barb to her Star. The Andee to her Sari. She loves nachos and tacos and anything covered with cinnamon. She’s relational and emotional and is on a spiritual quest which led these two kindred spirits to the “Spiritual Retreat of the Hummingbirds” in La Quinta, California.

Meet Bob. He’s the hostess with the mostest who knows how to welcome guests with a perfectly curated 200-song playlist and extra fluffy pillows. He’s a magician in the kitchen who pairs tomatoes with watermelon and basil and turns leftovers into nachos that will make you weep. He’s a a 3 of clubs, a writer, a dancing queen and the force that called Foxy and Roxy to La Quinta.

Healing through laughter

For anyone who hasn’t had the personal pleasure of meeting Foxy and Roxy in person, let me give you a quick backstory before taking a deep dive into the spiritual meaning of their trip to La Quinta. Foxy and Roxy were brought to life in 1996 as a part of a farewell lounge act performance for Bob, as he was about to venture off to LA in pursuit of his Hollywood dreams. They hung up their wigs and shimmery spandex for several years and were brought back by popular demand in 2016 as the emcees for Bob’s wedding rehearsal dinner (great wedding, terrible first husband). Foxy and Roxy were better than ever: new wigs and new song parodies with the same old lounge singer vibe. That marriage may not have lasted, but Foxy and Roxy’s love and support of Bob and his life transitions remained unwavering. So when Bob moved to the Palm Springs area with his handsome and healthy new partner Matt earlier this year, the universe conspired to bring Foxy and Roxy into town for….

The Spiritual Retreat of the Hummingbirds

May 15-17, 2021

Itinerary, Saturday May 15:

9 am: arrive in Palm Springs, sip coffee in the luscious Sonny Bono outdoor airport while awaiting pick up.
10 am: champagne brunch at the Colony Club, where Roxy will have her first tacos of the day. Breakfast tacos that is, let’s not make this weird.
12pm: arrive at Casa Bonita in beautiful La Quinta, California. Settle in. Tour the beautifully appointed home, appropriately named after the spirital goddess, Madonna.
1-3pm: Session One: Conversation circle, poolside with cocktails, mocktails and the playlist.
4-6pm: Session Two: Cards of Destiny readings. Discover that Matt has the King of Spades this year and is about to live an extraordinary “pinnacle” year where the world is essentially his oyster. Great pick, Bob.
6pm: Dinner: carne asada tacos with watermelon and basil salad, YUM-O!
7pm: Dance party in the living room. Thank you George Michael for getting us up and out of seats for some serious lip syncing and heart pumping cardio.
8pm: special screening of the film “Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar“
8:30pm: fall asleep on the couch in the comfort of good friends in matching lemon polka-dotted jammies
9pm: lights out in your private room with a framed picture of Laverne and Shirley on the wall.

Roxy’s Journal entry, May 15:
The spiritual retreat of the Hummingbirds– ah yes, the bird of miracles, joy, positivity, love and playfulness! Today was exactly what this tired soul needed. My only regret of the day was that I fell asleep during the fabulous film “Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar”, but can you blame me?! I got up at 3am to travel and, like a super trooper, drank champagne and tequila poolside all day long, so what’s a girl to do? Add to that the dance party in the adorable matching jammies (which Bob thought were polka dots…but when life gives you lemons!). Bob gets bonus points for this gift that wasn’t just thoughtful, but also practical and comfortable and WITH POCKETS! Cha-ching! He really knows how to make this girl felt cared for. Already I feel my energy recharging. There is healing through laughter. Mental notes for when I’m less tired:
1) must find myself a dog like Gordie. He has stolen heart and reminded me that I can open it up to puppy love again.
2) must get to know Matt better and hear about his intentions for this Pinnacle year!

Itinerary, Sunday May 16

6am: optional sunrise yoga and meditation. This is clearly for the crazy people at this ungodly hour.
9am: Breakfast on the back veranda: cinnamon French toast with rosemary hashbrowns and watermelon.
11am: Session Three: The Ennegagram Personality test and reading. What’s your number?
12pm: Session Four: Sprit Animals, more Cards of Destiny and “The Life You Were Born to Live“
2pm: Session Five: Poolside Pet Grief Share Circle
6pm: Dinner: Nachos that will make you weep, followed by a patio nap
8pm: Special Screening: Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar, Part 2. It’s a real tit-flapper!
9:30pm: Stargazing. You can see Mars in the night sky tonight, about 4:00 from the New Moon.
10pm: Lights Out on an Absolutely Fabulous Day!

Roxy’s Journal entry, May 16:
I think I just lived my dream day. I awoke burried in a cocoon of fluffy pillows to a snuggle from Foxy and the smell of fresh coffee and cinnamon. A message greeted the day saying “Good morning! I want to invite everyone to enjoy your beds for as long or as little as you’d like this morning. If you want out of bed, there’s coffee bieng made, couches to read on or beautiful trails up the road to go walking to. For breakfast we’ll be enjoying cinnamon French toast. Help yourselves, enjoy yourselves- Bob” It’s 9am and I’m already thinking my day can’t get much better! But it does. Delicious food and conversation lead to a deep dive on the Enneagram, where we learned that Roxy, Bob and Matt are all twos (“the helper”). There was so much meaning that came from understanding our key motivators and fears and in learning how to communicate and relate with people who have different enneagram descriptors. Not surprisingly, we learned that Bob will be in another transitional crossroad in his life (because that’s when Foxy and Roxy show up!) Perhaps one of the most powerful moments of the day was when we grieved over the loss of our beloved furry friends Gus, Walter and Crosby. This was the first time the three of us had been together without these four-legged spiritual teachers in our lives, and we were able to pour our tears and stories of the important roles they played in our lives. Rest in Peace. You know what’s great after a good cry? Nachos. And Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar. And then actual Stars. And then a peaceful night’s sleep, right back where the amazing day started.

Itinerary, Monday May 17:

6:45 am: Leave La Quinta
7:00 am: Take picture with hummingbird statue
7:15 am: Hug it out. Fly away.

Roxy’s Journal, May 17:
I’m a new spirit as I fly away from La Quinta, California. I flew in dragging my wings, and came home with my restored sparkle. There was healing through laughter. Here are the things I always want to remember:

Life is better when viewed through sparkly rose-colored flamingo glasses.
TRUST yourself, Barb. You know what to do and you always have. REMEMBER.
Dance often: it’s good for the soul to “kick off the Sunday shoes”
LET GO of that which is no longer serving you.
Embrace the joyful spirit and shimmer of the hummingbird and PLAY.
Stargaze as often as possible. It will remind you or your place in the universe.
OPEN YOUR HEART to love again.

Post Script:

As we were driving from the airport to La Quinta, I couldn’t help but notice the road sign above with the words “Blythe” followed by “Phoenix”. There are no coincidences in life. There are no accidents. There are only holy-purposeful lessons to be learned and signs along the way to point you in the right direction. Those signs can be from your spirit animals, or in music, or in actual road signs. The point is to look for them and to trust that they’re guiding you in the right direction. Thank you to Bob and Matt for opening your home to me and Sari and our alter egos Foxy and Roxy. I am taking away so much more than this silly blog post can express. It was hard for me to choose a song for this one (noteable mentions from the playslist: Suddenly Seymore, I Want Your Sex, Rocky Mountain High, Live in the Moment, Footloose, Sweet Child of Mine, Enjoy the Silence…), but in the end, it had to be Madonna. And of all her vast library of songs, the one that will remind me the most of the lesson that I needed to hear during the Spiritual Retreat of the Hummingbirds, is “Open Your Heart”. Yet this song is being sung TO me. It’s a message that I’ve been hearing for quite some time and I have resisted it. But I will learn from the lessons from La Quinta: I will learn to let go, to trust and to love again. It’s time. And until our next rendez-vous, thank you my fellow hummingbirds. Namaste.