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Witchy Interviews Deb Fiore on Mischievous Suitcases, Gasoline Martinis, and Crushes That Kill 😳

When Prince Charming is bad news, and other disturbances in the forest

Note from Liberty:

Hello, and Happy Sunday!

As you may (or may not) know, our little blue witch friend is conducting interviews of our beloved Pub Family members. Today, Witchy shares her interview with Deb Fiore, a compassionate and loving soul who does her best to assist others on their healing journeys, while sharing her own.

Enjoy learning more about another fascinating member of our Pub Family!

As Witchy doesn’t have her own Medium account, she is using mine.

1) What do you love about writing?

Oh my goodness, Witchy. You are just diving right off the cliff here. What do I love? Ah, let me count the ways.

One of the nicest parts about writing is when I discovered I am not alone with my thoughts and experiences. I love the feeling when I complete my thoughts and I finish my article. I love how I can paint pictures with my words. Most of all, I love writing because it soothes my soul.

I enjoy the validation and support I receive from readers all over the world. I adore the feeling of each connection with my readers. We are spinning along on this big, blue ball and the more we connect, the more love we can create.

Witchy: Ooo, those are good reasons to write! I love the part about painting pictures with your words! That sounds like fun! How do you do that? Do they use brushes? Do they paint on your computer screen? Oh, dear, that would be messy. How does it work? It sounds fascinating! Oh, boy, I have so much to learn!

Except, I do not think I like the idea of spinning. That is scary. And…🤢

Ew. I hope that does not happen!

2) You’ve been tossed into an insane asylum. What do you tell the staff to prove to them that you don’t belong there?

Here’s what I would tell them: “Someone needs to listen to me. There is nothing wrong with me. I don’t belong here. I mean it and I can prove it. Who’s your supervisor?! I have friends in low … errr… high places.”

“You better fix your mistake now or I will scream bloody loud for Witchy. She knows people, you know? You don’t want to mess with her. Witchy can show you the error of your ways and you won’t forget her soon enough!”

Witchy: Oh, dear! Am I scary?? Should I be afraid of me? Oh, no! I do not want to be scary! How do I turn it off??! I am going to hide under the bed! 💨 🛌🏼 👀

3) If someone wanted to be your apprentice and learn everything you know, what would you teach them?

The first thing I would teach them is compassion. I would teach them to be non-judgmental and objective. I would teach them how to validate each client’s feelings. I would teach my apprentice how to be “in the moment” with each client. My apprentice would learn how to listen with their heart, not just their ears.

Witchy: 😍🥰

4) Do you have a celebrity crush?

Oh my yes! I am going to whisper his name but only if you promise not to make fun of me? Do you promise?

Okay, here goes. Elvis Presley was my earliest celebrity crush, and if truth be told, he is still one of my favorites. I spent many afternoons watching Elvis and Ann Margaret singing and dancing when I was growing up. I would imitate dancing around my living room pretending I could dance as well as she did. My younger brother and sister laughed and made fun of me. Like a good older sister, I sent them to their rooms ha!

Robert Wagner ooolahlah! was my other favorite heartthrob in To Catch a Thief and Hart to Hart. Now there’s a man with who I would enjoy sharing dinner and sharing some fun. That is if I did not faint the moment I met him. I would be so excited! Do you know what I mean, Witchy? He might make you forget your Vladimir the Vampire hehehe.

Witchy: Because I have been living in the Transylvania Forest for centuries and am new to this outside world, I had to look up these people you mentioned. Elvis has pretty eyes and looks like he could be dangerous. 😳 I mean in the “break your heart by being a pinhead boyfriend like Vladimir the Vampire with his roving eyeballs” way.

Robert Wagner doesn’t look scary at all…for a guy who probably killed his wife…😳😳😳

I would definitely hide under the bed if he came near me! 💨 🛌🏼 👀

5) What is the most exciting date you ever went on?

When I was a young woman, I met a singer from Miami Beach. He invited me for dinner and a show at the Eden Roc Hotel on Miami Beach. The Eden Roc Hotel was considered one of the most desirable properties on Miami Beach.

It was back in the ’70s and I had no idea that the show was going to be HIM. Well, he sent a car for me to begin our date. I was all dressed in my formal attire. I felt like a woman of the world at the ripe old age of twenty-one!

When I discovered that HE was the singer, I ordered my first alcoholic beverage, a martini! Hic! I had a ringside table while he performed. It felt so romantic, so perfect. And it would have been so perfect. If not for that martini. Hic!

Did I mention it was my first martini? Ugh! Darn thing tasted like a glass of gasoline!

By the time he finished his show, I was done. I should not have drunk that martini. It was time to head home because I was not feeling so well. That was the last time I saw HIM. Probably for the best, ha!

Witchy: I have never had a martini. If they taste like gasoline, I do not think I will try one.

When I moved to England, I discovered that I like tequila. But I never seem to remember much after I drink it. This does not happen when I drink cinnamon tea or licorice tea or other things like that. We did not have tequila in the Transylvania Forest. Until I learned about this stuff, I never drank anything that made my memory fuzzy. And my mouth, too, the next day.

Hmm. Do you suppose fur actually grows in there? It sure feels like it. Ew. 😖

Photo courtesy of an unknown witness in the woods. Witchy denies this event ever took place and believes the image is “photoshopped”

6) Where do all the missing socks go?

I do not know. It’s like a universal mystery! The missing socks work very hard to sneak around the dryer and hide. They hide in the basket or they fall to the floor and roll under the dryer. They are very tricky. Sometimes they hide in other clothes, like in the sleeve or the pants leg. What do you think that’s all about, Witchy?

My theory is I think the missing socks are part of a conspiracy to make us go barefoot again. I mean it must be painful to be stuck on our feet all day long. Then we pull the socks off. I imagine the pulling can be painful. Finally, we throw the socks. I mean, I never thought about it before. Do the socks feel pain when they get all distorted and bounce off the walls and the floor? Maybe I should write a story about: Living a Sock’s Life: The True Drama.

One time when I was deep in thought, I was thinking that Shari Lewis was planning to make a comeback. I mean, for anyone who remembers, Shari’s puppets were mostly socks with glued-on eyelashes and other accessories. They were adorable.

So my thought process was that she might have wanted a whole bunch of backup socks for her act. That was before her unfortunate demise in 1998. RIP dear Shari. You are missed.

Witchy: I did not know who Shari Lewis was. Liberty told me about her and showed me Lambchop on YouTube. She was so cute. Especially for a sock! Who knew socks could be so adorable?

We found an “unseen” screen test from 1958.

And here’s a funny clip with a “tipsy” Lambchop and a song with an astonishing display of Lewis’ talent!

7) What is your favourite thing to smell?

Baked bread or donuts. Anything cooking slowly during a cold winter day. Like beef stew or homemade spaghetti sauce. The aroma from a roast in the oven is heavenly. Yes, I am a foodie!

I also like the smell of a crisp, clear autumn day. Or the top of a baby’s head… oh my goodness! I love the scent of the sparkling water of the ocean. I love the trace of aftershave from Lee.

And what is the worst smell? A skunk or a liar. I have no tolerance for either. Also, a jar filled with eyeballs in formaldehyde is not a good smell.

Once, my German Shepherd dog, Lady was sprayed by a skunk. Oh my! It took forever to get her coat cleaned and my eyes just watered for days. It was not fun! What smell makes you close your nose, Witchy?

Witchy: I have not smelled skunk spray 🦨 but Liberty said she used to smell it a lot when she was a little girl on the Saskatchewan prairies. I hope I never have to smell it; it sounds like it is truly awful! 😖

Nothing was as bad as Vladimir the pinhead vampire’s stinky socks. 🧦 Not even the smelliest English cheese 🧀🤢 or the Backwoods Swamp of Dead Things ☠️ in the Transylvania Forest! Oh, my…all those younger witches thought he was so suave and charming. 🧛 If only he had introduced them to his stinky feet, I think they would have left him alone! 🦶

8) Would you rather have a disease that makes you say every thought that ever crosses your mind, or a disease that makes you react inappropriately to everything that happens to you and around you?

Definitely the former. I spent most of my life reacting very inappropriately because I did not know how to speak my mind. I never believed my voice mattered. I believed that I should not upset others by disagreeing with them.

I was a people pleaser and I responded with things that I thought others wanted to hear. I never talked about how I truly felt or why it mattered. I just kept my mouth shut and never complained about all that yucky abuse. I never spoke up. I never spoke out.

That has all changed now. I have learned that speaking up is much more healthy. And you know what? It feels better, too. I feel much more loved now because I have learned how to love myself and I know I am worth it. It’s such a delightful feeling!

Witchy: I am happy for you that you learned how to do that, Deb. I had a hard time even liking myself after everyone was so awful to me in the Transylvania Forest. They were so mean and enjoyed humiliating me when all my spells went wonky.

Now if only I could not get in trouble for reacting inappropriately to almost every new situation. 🙄 Everything is so different outside the Forest. I am still learning how to operate this new life and new country but…well…it does not always go very well! I keep landing in situations that are, um, well, embarrassing. Or I’m in trouble. Oops.

9) What songs make you just have to sing along?

Oh my goodness. I love music so very much! There are about a gazillion songs that I love. My feet start tapping and I just have to sing along! Here are just a few of so many favorites in no particular order.

First, “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum.

“My Life” by Billy Joel, “Bad to the Bone” by George Thorogood, “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” by Meatloaf, “Gimme Three Steps” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

“Old Time Rock N Roll” by Bob Seger

I love country and rock and roll. Songs by Shania Twain like “Man, I Feel Like A Woman”.

I love all of the oldies from the ’50s and ’60s. Some of my Doo-Wop favorites: “My Girl” by the “Temptations” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross and the Supremes.

Oh my! My list goes on and on! I guess you could say I love music as much as I love writing. Maybe we can sing some karaoke together one day? Do you like singing, Witchy?

Witchy: Oh, yes! But…um…other people wish I did not like it so much. 🙄

10) Sally Suitcase got lost. An airline sent her to the wrong place and her tags are missing. Does she love the adventure? Did she rip off her tags? Does she try to change her identity so she can stay wherever she is, and not be claimed by her boring owner? Or is she traumatised and can’t wait to get home? Please write what she’s thinking as if you are Sally.

Sally Suitcase with her frustrated tirade: “Oh my goodness! The plan worked. Without the proper tags, they will never find us. It’s so great to run away… err… get away… on a fun vacation. I can’t wait to see when the rest of the gang arrives. So glad all the suitcases picked Aruba where we could get lost and disappear. I love the sun and the sand along the beaches. I don’t miss my owner at all!”

Sally Suitcase continues: “I mean, gosh, thinking about my owner. She is so dreary and dull. Her nickname is Dreary Diane. She does not have a life at all. Dreary Diane sits in front of her computer day after day typing like a lunatic. She forgets she is allowed to take a break. Dreary Diane could go out and have a real vacation. She could travel all over the world and take me with her!”

Sally Suitcase is already missing her owner and asks a question: “Witchy, do you think my owner will look for me in the Lost and Found?”

Sally Suitcase continues: “I hope my owner will miss me once she realizes that I am gone. Maybe she will think about a fun place she wished she had taken me. Then I would find a different nickname for my owner. Perhaps I would call her, Delightful Diane! Oh, just think of it, Witchy! Delightful Diane would be so joyful and she would go to so many fun places. I would be proud to be the suitcase for Delightful Diane.”

“My owner could pack me and overstuff me. I would not complain one bit! There are so many places to visit and enjoy. I love traveling! The luggage return is so much fun when I go round and round. It’s the best part of a fun vacation!”

Witchy: Oh, boy, Sally is brave! She is a free spirit, I think!

And I would love a ride on the luggage carousel!! It looked like so much fun when Liberty and I were at the airport recently! I scampered up on that thing as soon as I saw it and grinned from ear to ear as it started to carry me away.

But immediately, Liberty hissed, “Witchy!!” in a sort of brisk, “You’re in trouble!” whisper between clenched teeth. Oops. 🤭

Reluctantly, I climbed down and stood there, staring dejectedly at my perfectly good ride going round and round and round without me. ☹️ (Sigh.)

Liberty: 🤦🏻‍♀️

Witchy: 🙄

11) What is the greatest thing you hope to achieve in your life?

Oh, Witchy, you are back to the difficult questions. There are so many great things I want to accomplish. Some I have made happen already. Having a family is one of my fondest dreams. I adopted two wonderful sons who are all grown up and make me proud. I was able to provide a safe and loving home for them. Also, I have owned two businesses, a restaurant and as a clinical therapist. Both involved making money but compensation is immeasurable when I discovered that I was making a difference in someone’s life. It’s priceless!

My greatest dream involves writing my book. I want to leave a legacy. I hope writing about my healing journey will help inspire others. I want to know that I made a difference, not just in my life, but in other lives as well. I want to help others heal and discover the path to their true selves. The location where they learn they are not alone and realize they are good enough.

One of my favorite quotes is from Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

My latest series is about John Bradshaw and how he helped to change my life. John helped me discover my inner child which began the best part of my healing journey. My husband, Lee thinks I did all the work but I am pretty sure that Bradshaw helped save my life.

How I Ran Away From My Family, Pt 3

And discovered how to heal with my inner child

medium.com

Maybe you can tell some of your friends, Witchy. Perhaps they might want to read about my journey with Bradshaw. Maybe you would enjoy meeting my inner child. Her name is Little Debbie and she loves Tweety Bird and other fun cartoons!

“Little Debbie” photo courtesy of Deb Fiore

Witchy: If only everyone wanted to play like little kids! What a fun world it would be! I think people would be nicer to each other. Even though little kids can get mad at each other, usually they get over it right away and keep playing with their friends. I think if grown-ups did more of that, they would stop trying to blow up the people they are mad at.

I love your Little Debbie photos. She has lots of fun, I can tell! We would sure have fun playing together.

I love the legacy you want to leave and the great things you have already accomplished. You will do many more before you are finished!

Thank you for being my guest today, and for playing with me. It was lots of fun to get to know you better!

Next week’s guest: Barbara Cook!

Read Deb’s articles and stories here:

Deb Fiore - Medium

Read writing from Deb Fiore on Medium. Deb Fiore, LICSW - Clinical Therapist and Trauma Survivor - Passionate about…