Some people stare. Some people just catch a glimpse. Some noticeably try not to look. Many are afraid to ask…about my tattoo.
I have a tattoo on the back side of my right forearm. I often forget it is even there because it is out of my visual field. The only times I really see it is in the mirror.
I got my first one 23 years ago and this is my third. The other ones are not in plain site and are usually covered by clothes and many don’t even know I have them.
This one is different. I had it done in January of this year. Up until now, it has been covered by long sleeves. Now that it is warmer, it is exposed most of the day and due to the location on my arm, I never realized how much I use that hand to rest my chin on while my elbow is on a table.
I thought I would write about it because so many are afraid to ask.
When I completed that trek, I unfortunately ended up 6 months in a walking boot due to a severe tendinitis/plantar fascitis. I was asked hundreds and hundreds of times “what happened?” My answer was always “I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and this is the souvenir I never wanted.” Of course that would then lead to further conversation around the trip. As overwhelming as it was to answer the same question hundreds of times, I enjoy the curiosity and sharing my journey…because it really was an epic adventure!
When I get ready in the morning is when I see it. To me, it serves as a continuous reminder. It reminds me that I can do hard things, really hard things. It reminds me that I am brave. It reminds me of the connections with the women I did the trek with and some of the strength of their own stories they shared. It reminds me that I have serious endurance and that I am capable of reaching my goals.
I have done many hard things although nothing was as physically taxing as that. When I got home, everyone asked “what’s the next mountain you will climb?” I do not have another physical mountain to climb, I have no desire to do Everest or anything like that. When I look back over the 2 years since the climb, I realize I have already reached the summit of another couple goals although there is always more ahead. I just thought I would share a little bit so that you are not afraid to ask. AND not just me, ask others of their stories too because maybe their ink represents a story they would like to share. I am adding my short Kilimanjaro vlog to the end of this in case you haven’t had a chance to take a view.
“It is hard to prepare for the hardest day of your life when you have no idea about what the hardest day in your life will be like.”
That was a quote from my brother, Garrett, last night as I sat in my office with 3 women who will be heading to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2 months.
Since my trek, many local (semi-local in the region) people have stepped up to ask what it is like to do that climb because they are heading that way within months.
I walked and talked these ladies through my entire trip last night over 2 hours of conversation. They are bringing their husbands and teenagers with them.
As we were going through all the details, I realized just how amazing the trip was doing it with an incredible group of women. I remembered around any corner, if anyone needed anything, someone had extra of it and was willing to share. What could you possibly want that one of the 31 women didn’t have...I mean half of them were moms and MOMS ARE PREPARED!!!
We all suffered a lot during the trip but, and this may be a major over-generalization and stereotype (sorry, not sorry), women are pretty graceful at dealing with suffering and moving forward anyway.
When Kelly and I headed over to Kilimanjaro, WHOA Travel gave us a packing list and sort of an idea about the trip with the FAQs of course, but we didn’t have anyone to sit down and have this kind of conversation with, which looking back was a blessing and a curse.
How did I prepare for dealing with having to go to the bathroom out on the trail?
How did I clean my body and what was it like to use wet wipes as a “shower” every morning and night for all those days?
How did I manage my period that started on day 2 of an 8 day trip and summit on the day of highest level of anemia in oxygen levels half the normal of sea level?
What about the hole in my heart and the decreased oxygen levels that I experience at sea level just walking around much less 19,341 ft above sea level.
How did you manage the 10 day trip with a total of 24 hours of sleep? How did you function like that?
What did you do at night when you were unable to sleep? and then the next night? and the next? How did you keep hiking 6-7 hours per day with such little sleep?
How did you keep your clothes in good working order and what materials did you prefer to wear up there?
How do you manage temperatures from 90 degrees at the bottom to below zero at the top?
Were you bored out on the trail during the days?
How do you hike 15,000 ft to 19,341 on the final day with barely anything to eat or drink (due to my own specific circumstances) while having 3 bouts of massive diarrhea and having to still manage your period sitting and squatting on porous lava rocks at zero degrees?
What do you mean your porter had to help your every single step for the final 100 yards to the top?
It seems so strange that going down is actually harder than going up? A walking boot for 6 months following your trek? Still not healed? How is that even possible?
There was a real thought on my plane ride over there that it is possible, possible anytime of course but more possible than anything I had done before, that I wasn’t coming back. Of course that wouldn’t have been ideal, and I am glad that it didn’t happen and I lived to tell all these stories, but truly that trek is quite dangerous. The trail is relatively safe but exposure to the different elements, not to mention 19,341 ft elevation, can cost you your life. I am not sure they ever really considered that deeply…maybe they have but I think they were caught off-guard that I would speak about it so casually.
I also remember, when I had that thought I mentioned above, that I was okay with how my life had been and how much I have done and accomplished and just how many lives I had helped to make a difference, big or small. Because life is truly about contribution. When exposed to cultures like what was in Tanzania, and spend those 10 days with them, life gets really simple. Clothes on their backs, shoes on their feet, roof over their heads, foot to eat and family and that is true happiness. Truly. <<<—-THAT is the simplest thing of all.
So how do you prepare for the hardest day of your life….put a smile on your face, look around, be sure you packed the right layers and take in every last moment because your life will FOREVER BE CHANGED…for the better. Best of luck to that group, I am sure you will all have massive success and I am excited for the report back when you are done! <3
No, really, it truly did call but probably not in the way that you are used to hearing that phrase.
Since my climb last year, I have spent almost no time out in the woods. I had a severe calf/foot injury that locked me into that boot for 6 months.
Of course I have had to keep my body moving and so I found some routines inside the walls of my gym that I could do and still keep my body moving and built a lot of strength at the same time.
I got used to those routines and got comfortable and since the environment was controlled, I stuck with it which really worked out well for me.
What I didn’t realize inside of that time is that I hadn’t been able to get outside and walk, hike, bike or just stroll through the woods…and I also didn’t realize how much I missed it.
Two weekends ago, as I wrote in the previous blog post, I ran a 5K on a trail in the snow. It was a test for my foot which responded well. This past weekend I thought I would test it again and I went snowboarding on Saturday. If you have followed me through the years, snowboarding is one of my greatest joys. My foot managed snowboarding well too.
Sunday, Mike and I decided to go out snowshoeing along the Arcadia Bluffsoverlooking Lake Michigan. Through these two adventures, snowboarding and snowshoeing, it hit my core that I hadn’t hardly spent any time outside in almost a year. It also reminded me just how much power and peace I find from being out in nature. Being in the woods and in fresh air is an absolute MUST for me.
As I am cruising the trails on snowshoes, I am taking in the fresh air, the scenery and the trees around me. With snow falling and getting stuck in my eyelashes, I feel that peace and I begin to remember just how much that serves my soul. WOW I have missed that!!!
Fortunately for us, we have had loads of snow back at home and so Monday night I went out after dark and put my snowshoes on again and wandered out around my old stomping grounds by the light of my headlamp.
I am so grateful for the reminder that was offered to me last weekend. And since I have manage more and more outdoor activities as my foot heals, I am opting to spend less time in the gym and more time in the fresh air. I am grateful for all the lessons I learned during “boot camp” and I am also really excited to be getting back to my normal life.
I am a nature girl. I love the outdoors. I relax on walks in the woods, mountain biking, snowboarding and hiking. I need that in my life. In fact, I think all humans need a regular dose of nature in order to maintain health and peace.
We all have a tendency to stay focused at the task at hand and taking care of the needs of those around us and we unintentionally veer away from grounding and centering forces like getting out and exploring the Earth.
Have you noticed a place in life where you recharge your batteries? Is there a spot outside that you like to visit? An outside activity that you enjoy for re-centering life? Share with me your favorite things when nature calls!!
I am pretty sure most of you know that the high altitude training I did leading up to my trek up MT KILIMANJARO was done at a gym that is set up in the packing plant of the orchard where I was born and raised.
My brother set this gym up last fall and I remember my first time training out there and how cool it was that I was working out in a room we used to store apples in when I was growing up. It was our family’s livelihood.
I also remember training day after training day how grateful I was to have that access to that gym and the concept of being able to train at 8,000-12,000 ft above sea level right here in Fenton, Michigan.
high altitude training in Fenton, Michgan
Kelly, my mountain sister and training/trek/tent partner, and I would meet out there a few times per week. We would text each other during the day and share our nerves and how we were feeling and then we would get together regularly and talk each other down from the anxiety during our workouts. This happened over and over and over, week after week.
We also met each other out there 2-3 nights per week to spend the night at high altitude (which is really where the magic in high altitude training comes from, endurance at the altitude which is what is happening while spending hours sleeping there).
The training days were pretty brutal yet gratifying, but the slumber parties were more like mild torture…for me anyway. I would sleep for about 5-6 hours and then I would wake up and not be able to get back to sleep. When you sleep at altitude it is as though the body is working out all night long, and for me it was very difficult to rest. Couple that with the fact that my comfortable bed in my precious tiny home is roughly 3 miles away and here I am sleeping on a cot in my sleeping bag.
I remember one morning after a difficult night at the gym, I called Kelly in tears that “I am going to fail the sleeping portion of the trek, I just know it!” (funny thing isI DID FAIL that part if you had a chance to watch my short documentary video log<<—click link to watch. Ugh life is such a self-fulfilling prophecy, isn’t it?)
Hours and hours and day after day I spent there prepping my body to handle the 19,341 feet summit that is MT KILIMANJARO and because I don’t have a current need to suffer excessively, I sort of boycotted trips back to that gym since I got home a month ago.
Today is a beautiful sunshiny day in Michigan and my brothers and I spend a lot of time out at the orchard when the days are like this. I was there all afternoon. I was more focused on the sun, getting a heavy dose of vitamin D, playing with my nieces and nephews, Jeeping and hanging out today that I didn’t go inside.
At the end of the afternoon, I gathered my things and sat down in my vehicle to drive away and then my subconscious chimed in and said “just go and walk in the gym.”
And so I did.
Do you remember the smell of your grandmother’s house when you were little? I remember the soap smell she had and anytime in my entire life, when I smell that, I warp right back to being a child and all the memories of being in her home (which I always had a great time there with my cousins).
high altitude sleep training
The gym has a smell. It is a distinct “PEABODY HIGH ALTITUDE” gym smell. It is sort of a rubbery, apple storage, air compressor air kind of smell. Ok, maybe it really doesn’t have proper descriptor words to tell you about it.
Anyway I walked in, the gym is at 8,917 feet today and I instantly choked up and then burst into tears. In fact, I cannot stop crying as I write this.
It isn’t a sad cry, it is a “HOLY CRAP!!! Because of this place, all the training, all the conversations and all the hard work and shitty sleeps, I MADE IT TO THE TOP OF MT KILIMANJARO!!!”
All the planning and plotting and scheming that Kelly, my brother and I did in and around training for the trip GOT ME TO THE TOP!!!
But then the other layer kicked in…because I was born and raised right here and am part of this incredible family, I MADE IT TO THE TOP. Because my family had a vision a few generations ago for this orchard life and this land and building that they built, I MADE IT TO THE TOP. Because my brother is such a crazy out-of-the-box thinker I MADE IT TO THE TOP. And because I am a Peabody,I MADE IT TO THE TOP.
Every single day on the mountain I had my brother’s gear on, something of his that I would be proud just to have and I would gather strength knowing that he was rooting for me. That would then extend my thoughts to the family, the orchard and my many blessings of having Peabody blood and the perseverance that runs far and deep through those bloodlines.
So I sit and think, “could I have made it to the top if I didn’t have that gym to train and sleep and learn the deep meaning of embracing the suffering?” Yeah, I may have been able to, probably would have found success regardless, however I will never know for sure.
What I am certain of, I am stunned and shocked that a gym could choke me up like it did…and I am blessed to be a Peabody because as a family, we always MAKE IT TO THE TOP!!!
Many people left the state for spring break. Many people went down south to the sun, sand and beaches and had a blast. All the stresses of ordinary life fall away while out of their normal environment.
I have seen many of these people back in my office, Cafe of LIFE Chiropractic, this week. They say things like: “My low back pain was fine while I was gone but just a couple days before returning home, it started to flare up again.” “I did a 28 hour drive to Florida and back and I was fine, but now that I am back that sciatic pain is back.” “We had a great time, we were swimming and walking on the beach and my shoulder really relaxed. Now that I am home and running around all over for normal life, that shoulder is driving me crazy.”
One of the reasons we LOVE vacation is because we get a break from the grind of the day to day, we get to let go and maybe smile a little bit more, connect with the people that are important and fill our days with conversation and laughter. We become light and live that light and actually enjoy the lightness of being.
I want to know who made the rule that regular life cannot be like that. I have a bone to pick with whomever said we cannot enjoy the lightness of our being while running kids around, taking care of our homes, going to work and whomever is spreading the idea that we shouldn’t smile through the good, bad and the ugly during the mundane-ness of life?
We can…and we should.
If life becomes that enjoyable while we are away from it all, maybe we could be doing a little better job at enjoying it while we are in the thick of it.
I have used this phrase quite a bit over the past week or so…”Life just really isn’t that serious.”
I really mean it when I say that but I don’t mean that it is all rainbows and butterflies either. It just means that your rate of making it through your days so far is 100% and, until you are at the end, I bet that rate stays right up there at 100%;) If you ask me, we are all doing a heck of a good job and that is pretty freaking amazing!!
So let’s think about it. We get up in the morning and of course that part is really important. But what happens if you burn breakfast, run out of eggs and spill your bowl of fruit right down the front of your favorite white shirt as soon as you leave the house. I bet you will find something else for breakfast and make a joke of your outfit to those who ask and go on with your day. I bet you will gracefully figure out all parts of your day and in the end make it out with flying colors!
There can be trauma and drama along the way and I am in no way trying to minimize that, some really bad stuff happens to good people. However when we take a look at the bigger picture, most of it isn’t that big of a deal and isn’t worth much additional energy.
And during the days that we do not get to spend on the sandy beaches in the sunshine, what about creating that feeling of being on sandy beaches and out in the sunshine? I do not mean by creating a literal beach in your life, I mean by finding things to regularly do that bring you to the feelings you feel when you are there, things that make you feel more connected to nature and the Universe, things that connect you more to your community and activities and people that bring you joy.
What about finding more laughter, even if it means taking on a joke-telling hobby? What if you woke up tomorrow and you set an intention of finding out what everyone’s favorite joke is? What if you started just telling the joke “why did the chicken cross the road?” Making other people laugh, will make you laugh. That is just one idea of how to lighten the day. One lighter day leads to 2 lighter days which leads to weeks and months and years of a lighter life.
When life is light, the contrast of vacation will not be quite as much and the settling in of daily life will take on an easier and more graceful feeling. A lighter life leads to a healthier mind, less stress, more joy and in the long run, greater health!!!
As a chiropractor, I see all kinds of ailments, aches and pains and usually they are stemmed from something happening somewhere along the lines in life; physical stresses, mental/emotional stresses and chemical stresses. When we realize that the low back tension, the sciatic pain and the shoulder pain and stiffness are, not always but largely, exacerbated from the heaviness of our thoughts and stress and the anticipation of our normal life, we can really start to let some of the stuff go. Monday will be Monday. Tuesday will be Tuesday. Wednesday will be Wednesday…and so on. They have no real meaning until we place a meaning on them. If we wish them all away in hopes the weekend will get here sooner or vacation will get her sooner, or summer break will get here sooner…WE ARE MISSING OUT ON LIFE!!!
Let’s lighten the days. It starts in our minds and in our hearts. Let go of the pattern of dreading the mundane, that has become a bad habit. Let go and laugh more with your children, cut some slack to the car that just cut you off in traffic and be grateful for every single sunrise and every single sunset you get to experience.
Life is really not all that serious…this is what I see.
I am in the process of finishing another trip around the sun. I have done quite a few of them; a lot less than some people and a lot more than others.
Every year brings new adventures and every year around this time I sit down and check in with myself and evaluate where I have been, where it is that I still want to go and how I am going to get there.
Sometimes during this evaluation process, I run right into an enormous mountain of “shoulds”…I SHOULD have done this by now, I SHOULD have done that by now, I SHOULD be more like this or that, I should…I should…I should.
But if ever the comment of “I SHOULD” comes up, it is usually followed by a non-truth. If it is true that I SHOULD be married by now, for example, then no doubt that would have happened. If something really and truly SHOULD be happening right now, then it WOULD be. Whatever is happening is exactly what is supposed to be happening because that IS what’s happening. There is no reason to struggle with any other idea, any other false belief about what is going on in life.
So instead, I choose to set a different intention and look in the direction I want to go, look ahead and step into that. This year, I am choosing to find a little more peace and quiet in my mind and my being. I will continue to move in the direction of being as healthy as I possibly can be. I look forward to some travel, a lot of learning and spending time dreaming. I look forward to meeting new friends, stepping into the unknown just to see what happens and continue to connect with others by getting involved in more rich, rewarding experiences.
I have to say that this birthday is officially just a little less fun than last year. I have turned a corner with the number of trips I have taken around the sun…and the number is making me have a teeny, tiny panic attack, a little tiny freak out session on the inside. I expected that feeling to begin to happen at some point…
Time will pass no matter what…and all too quickly. As I am writing this, I am reminded of this sweet little clip about how we are “spending our dash”. Take a moment…
So I am doing my best to get the most out of my “dash”. I am living the best way I know how and learning as much as I can. Birthdays are just birthdays and the day comes and goes quickly. I believe it is even more beneficial to set a little time aside each day or week during our trips to have a small little celebration because there is an awful lot of juice to be squeezed out of each trip around the sun!
I feel that a big part of running a business here in Fenton is to give back to the community that gives us so much. Not only am I a regular patron of so many local businesses, I also do my best to attend local community events, participate in everything that my schedule allows for and spread the word about new and upcoming businesses. I believe that “A rising tide lifts all boats” and work that philosophy into my daily choices.
But sometimes that is just not enough and 3 years ago, Cafe of LIFE and Simple (which has since been sold) spear-headed an Earth Day Cleanup project. Our first year we attracted around 15 people to help us. We gathered a planning crew for 2011 and attracted close to 80 people for our spring cleaning project. With even more momentum going into this year’s event, 2012 is looking like a great time to really make a difference. I have noticed that the efforts of last year have had lasting effects and we do not see the amount of trash on our streets like last year. This is proof positive that we are making a difference.
Come and join us this year as we take to the streets and give Fenton a fresh start for spring. You will see fliers around town however I want to make sure you have an idea of how this all works. The even is scheduled for Saturday, April 21st 9am-noon. Meet us at Cafe of LIFE Chiropractic Center at 521 N. Leroy St which is 1.5 blocks north of the Fenton Hotel, across from Legacy Realty and Dewey’s Automotive. We will provide biodegradable gloves and bags and send you towards a location in town. Scour the area picking up trash and there will be several drop-off locations provided around the city. We have volunteer pick-up drivers that will bring those bags back to the Cafe of LIFE. Stay for all 3 hours or just a part of it, all help is welcomed. We will have food, water and some kids activities at Cafe of LIFE.
We are hoping for sunny skies but this event will happen rain or shine. Wear comfortable walking shoes, bring your own gloves if you want and dress in layers so you can handle the weather. If you are unable to join us and you happen to be driving around on Saturday morning and see our people out filling bags, make sure to at least honk and wave to show your support…and mark to down on your calendars to join us next time around.
Hope to see you Saturday! If you have any questions or concerns…please feel free to email me at erica@cafeoflifefenton.com or give us a call at the Cafe of LIFE at (810)629-6023.
This is a quick link to a short write-up about our 3RD ANNUAL EARTH DAY CLEANUP. Come join us on Saturday April 21st 9a-noon. We will provide bags and gloves and a take home gift for all those who volunteer some of their time to our CLEANUP efforts.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Cafe of LIFE by phone at (810)629-6023 or email erica@cafeoflifefenton.com. We hope to see you on APRIL 21st for our EARTH DAY CLEANUP!!!
I love my birthday and I love sharing it with Earth Day. I think that fits me so well and as the years go by, I realize it more and more as I am more grounded and connected with Mother Earth. When this time rolls around every year, I always take inventory of my life. I ask myself questions like “Who am I?”, “Where am I?”, “How is life?”, “Where do I want to go?”, “How am I going to get there?”, “What would I like to change?”, “How am I going to make those changes?” among a few other questions. This year, I do not have that strong strive to revisit those questions or to ponder over the answers or do much evaluating at all. Probably because I am really firmly grounded in who I am and the fact that I don’t want to be anywhere else but exactly where I am. I am not going to kid myself, there are pieces of my life that I would like to have come together a little bit better however at the same time, I am also really, really grateful for unanswered prayers. I realize that I have a choice every single day to wake up and make my day and my life the way I want to be. I realize that it is up to me to create peace from the inside out, create health from the inside out, and to love myself first before I can love and serve others. I am grateful I have worked as hard as I have to make it to this place and that I have chosen my career to be in the realm of service to others. I am grateful that I have so much love and support in my life, that I have such a wonderful family and friends, and I appreciate each and every one of you out there reading this blog. In some way, shape or form you have helped me to be the person that I am today. You have, in some way small or large, contributed to these rotations around the sun in which I will finish yet another this evening at 11:12pm. At times I sit in absolute awe of life and how grateful I am for it all. I am asking for one thing this year…since the Earth and I share this day…how about giving all your gifts to the Earth this year and do one thing, even if its just a small thing, to help protect this planet. If we don’t, where are we going to live? …we only get one chance, let’s not screw it up! 🙂
