August 2011 – We Only Get One Chance

I AM ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES!

As I walk around the past few weeks, the word “lucky” comes up in my head over and over. It has been in the forefront of my mind lately how lucky I am. Some people will argue that there is no such thing as luck and to some respect, I would agree with that. I think Life puts things in our paths according to the work we have done, the energy we radiate and what we can handle. I have done and still continue to do my work…working on myself, my wounds, my strengths and my weaknesses. I feel lucky because some key areas in my life are coming together all at the same time…that is the luck that is on my mind lately and it pertains to work, family, my living situation and my personal life.

I am a doula (Doula is a word that has most closely become associated with a woman or man[1] who provides non-medical support to other women and their families during labour and childbirth, and also the postpartum period) and this past Monday I attended the most amazingly beautiful home water birth. It just so happens she went into labor on Monday morning and by my lunch period things were well underway. Let me set the scene for you…I walked in to peace, a dim lit home, light rhythmic music playing in the background, a fan blowing, Mom in the birthing tub, friend/doula by her side putting cold wash cloths on her back and neck, husband close by and checking in with Mom when necessary, mid-wife sitting back and waiting and watching with a supportive energy and soothing words, birth assistant ready to be the key support to the mid-wife, and the dog patiently watching over the room from a bed in the corner.

Her labor went on all morning but the actual pushing was a short 35 minutes to the birth of a beautiful baby boy. When mothers are adjusted through their entire pregnancy, labor and delivery times are quick since the body is balanced and ready. It was picture perfect. I checked and adjusted the little one within minutes of coming into the world, did what I could to help for about an hour, checked and adjusted everyone else and headed out and back to the Cafe of LIFE to serve for the afternoon. That was one incredible day!

In the midst of this beautiful scenario, I stepped back and thought to myself…how lucky am I! What an honor to be invited in to the most intimate moments in this particular family’s life. I feel lucky to be in this place, at this time and having the experiences I am. When I get to experience Innate Intelligence in its rawest form and bear witness to the strength of a woman in the moment of giving birth, I am humbled and forever grateful to have even been invited. Life is amazing…make sure you are getting out there and living it!

PEACE IS A PROCESS

Peace is a process, truly. This morning I woke up in such a profound state of peace. There are a lot of things in life that seem to be coming together like pieces in a puzzle. When I am not busy trying to make things happen (which I have spent a good portion of the past few years doing), I am able to really sit back and be completely present and drink in each and every second. That happened in an amazing way last night.

It started with a run…almost 5 miles with great company. Because of my challenged heart, I have never been able to enjoy running with other people. My body can only carry so much oxygen and I can only breathe so hard, so to run with someone was almost too stressful. I would find myself worried about not going fast enough and possibly taking away from someone else’s experience. For as long as I have been running, I have only ever had company maybe 5 times…until the past couple weeks. It is nice to have someone to chat with, catch up with and spend the time with and the run goes by so quickly and with so much ease. It is still difficult to breathe at points but I just keep pushing, and maybe even push a little harder than I would on my own, and in the long run (no pun intended) I am sure it will help me to progress as an athlete.

This particular running buddy has an office in what used to be a yoga studio. It is set up pretty much the way it was when classes were happening there and the space has some seriously good mojo. It is an older building with those beautiful old wood floors, high ceilings and the room feels really open and free. It calls out for you to do yoga or dance when you are in there…and so I had my own private yoga studio, perfect lighting and Coffee House on the radio. There were intense moments of asana practice followed by rest and melting into that wood floor. It was peaceful and comfortable and healing and I seriously could have slept there after the run and yoga session. It was a peaceful drive home, a great night’s sleep and a fullness in my heart this morning in a way like I just filled up the gas tank in my car.

So I am going to ride that wave for the rest of this week. Peace is a process and it is something that I work on/strive for on a daily basis. With all the reading, studying, yoga, working out, journaling, practicing that I do, I have come to a place where peace is possible. It is fleeting at times and sticks around at other times. Last night was a culmination of all the right pieces fitting together in just the right places to make all this work worth it.

I truly hope there are moments that you find yourself in that state as well. This may require that you chisel out some time for yourself, dissect out some poisonous people from your life, excavate some bad habits, cultivate some health-ful daily practices and find an amazing running buddy with a cool office like I did:) Start doing what you need to do in order to live your life fully as peace is a process…and we only get once chance.

TRY SOMETHING NEW

It was just over a week ago that i brought a friend to yoga class with me. He had never done yoga and going to the studio for the first time can create a little bit of anxiety not knowing what to expect. The class was amazing as usual and he did great. At the end of the evening I told him I was glad he was game for attending that class…and his response “I am up for just about anything as long as it doesn’t leave a permanent scar, I don’t have to get a tetanus shot and it doesn’t ruin my credit”.

Initially I laughed pretty hard…but since then I have been pondering how much power is behind those simple words. Life is all about having experiences, relating to others and learning…and that particular statement is all encompassing. How many times have you found yourself bowing out of something because “Its too cold”, “Its too hot”, “Its too hard”, “Its too early”, “Its too uncomfortable”, “I don’t have time”, “I’m too tired”, “I’m not strong enough”, “I have too much to do”. We make those excuses time after time and we watch life fly by and really miss out on some pretty great things.

I do my best to life my life in a way that puts me in places to have rich, rewarding experiences. Sometimes it is intimidating to enter into some of those situations I have no idea about and do something for the first time. Generally I have found that the more nervous I am about something, the more amazing I feel when I am finished. So instead of placing too many restrictions and being a fair-weather participant…how about creating a couple simple restrictions of your own, or adopting those three simple ones…doesn’t leave a permanent scar, no tetanus shot and doesn’t ruin your credit. Life becomes really, really exciting when you live like that and you will find yourself doing things you never even knew were on the menu…at least that is what I have found so far. We only get one chance…let’s make it to the end with no regrets!

TIMING IS EVERYTHING!!

Timing is everything! If you were to ask my Mom, she would say that I am not and have never been the most patient person. I am not one that needs to have things “RIGHT NOW” but I am one that if I get something on my mind, it needs to happen in the “VERY NEAR FUTURE”. I used to always say that once I have kids, I will learn patience. Of course I haven’t had that opportunity yet and so Life is teaching me lessons using other medium and boy they have been some real stingers lately.

Life always has it’s ups and downs and I have learned to roll

Dr Erica Peabody - Timing is everything - Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan

with the tide. I have come to realize that there is a plan out there that is WAY bigger than me and if I can just surrender to whatever that is, life is simpler and easier than trying to push and make things happen. I have learned this is a lot of different ways however I have to credit my yoga practice with teaching me so much about how to manage and gracefully handle the waves in life. I am still human though and when I know that something is happening in life that is super exciting, I have a hard time not wanting to get to the exciting point as quickly as possible. This lesson has come up pretty strong this summer in two different ways, and in retrospect, it is so clear to see why and how it is all going to work out and for that, I am so grateful!

The past week/weekend was really incredible. I have sat back and watched a couple really amazing things happen. I have been involved in the purchase of a short sale home since early May. It is a great little home in a great little spot and I was super excited to transition out of my condo and into a “Big Girl Home” as one of my friends referred to it. It has been a long 3 months with people continuously asking me when I am going to close with my answer always being “I don’t have a date confirmed but I am supposed to close on or before July 31st”. So with this past weekend approaching, my realtor and I put an extension on the contract. That very afternoon, just a short 5 hours after signing the extension, another house came up on the market and through a chain of communication I ended up seeing it the next morning and putting an offer on it that was accepted that evening and I will close within 30 days! The lesson in patience was reinforced for me in a really powerful way. “Good things come to those who wait”…I get it now.

The second lesson in patience this summer is private and really near and dear to my heart. It has been guiding me through a beautiful lesson is patience and timing and it is a slow process. This is something I will report back about further down the road.

We have one chance to live this life and sometimes our thoughts and desires are the limiting factor in us experiencing our greatest life possible. There is a plan out there, a much larger plan and no way for us to really predict how it is all going to turn out. I have found that the very best thing I can do is stay present, stay calm, enjoy the people and experiences I have in my life and just keep putting one foot in front of the other, or (I love swimming) taking one stroke at a time as we navigate this sea of life. Timing is everything.