2012 – We Only Get One Chance

GRATITUDE TREE

Through the months of November and December this year, we had a “Gratitude Tree” here in our reception area. Every time someone would come and get adjusted, they had to stop by the “Gratitude Station” and fill out a leaf and put it up on the tree. Since we are into the New Year, the tree has come down however I want those gratitude thoughts to live on so I want to share them with you.

“my family, naps, resilience, hugs,communication, sun, the ability to communicate with loved ones who life far away, I am grateful for how much Erica is in touch with her Innate, ninja turtles, my children, my friends and family, love light and laughter, a healthy family, my husband, butterflies, saving grace, abundance of health, holiday parties, my body and its ability to heal itself and for chiropractic for helping it along, my amazing connections with people, my friends, my family, the Cafe, for the people in my life who inspire me to go beyond my own boundaries and fly, my cat Izzy, being able to wake up on a Monday and feel excited to go to work I LOVE my job, laughter, my dog he makes me smile every day and bring a lot of joy to my life, I am grateful for my loving family, all the people in my life, the lessons I’ve learned, the gift of love, I am thankful for my family friends and Dr. Erica and staff, flow let it flow!, my wife and kids, music, my physical mental and emotional health, I am grateful for time with people I love, family friends and good health, family and health, warm cozy sweaters, Jesus, my awesome LIFE, my back, a fun and happy place to visit…the Cafe of LIFE, my daughter graduating from WMU this week Magna Cum Laude from Honors College, sunshine, a healthy family, grateful for Erica and my health, my nephews, my son, family, my children Ashton and Lorilei, I am grateful for people who grow organic produce, Bloody Marys, having an “easy” pregnancy and the love and support of my wonderful husband, I am grateful for my Mom and all that she does to love and support me as I evolve and grow in this lifetime, being able to work on and overcome my challenges, fall, hot cocoa, friends family and community, I am thankful for God’s love, family, LOVE, Thankful for good health, happiness, prosperity and EXCELLENT chiropractic service, unconditional LOVE, my children-grandchild Paul and health, I am grateful that I’m still breathing, I am grateful for ANGIE!, patience, I am grateful for all the amazing people that come to the Cafe everyday I love being able to serve you!!!, Innate Intelligence and the body’s ability to heal, I am grateful for Angie Bucsi and how much light she brings to the Cafe everyday, I am grateful for a really amazing man that has recently entered into my life and I look forward to the journey, I am grateful to be blessed with an amazing job and people to work with, the strong women I know and love, God’s favor, being in this community, abundance, I am grateful for my LIFE sometimes I forget how BIG, opportunities, I am thankful for the wonderful family that surrounds me, hunting season, Happy Holidays for all and good health and blessings, I am grateful for my LIFE!, health, I am grateful for unanswered prayers, friends who love me, memory, my sister she is my best friend, I am thankful for my husband-my friend and confidant, cake!, I am grateful for the ability to serve this community!, family and friends, the life lessons I’ve had the opportunity to learn from, health, my kids, I am thankful for my puppy Ava, smiles and laughter from my family and friend (and strangers who have happiness to share), my pets, my son Nathan, people who hire housekeepers, espressos and free puppies, able to pay bills, a healthy body, language and communication, health food and clean H2O, I’m grateful for my new baby daughter, Jeff Sheila and Stella, wine, sugar-free lattes, family, peace, sobriety, my awesome husband, the ability to read, I am truly grateful for my daughter Sandra, happiness, LOVE, my blessed life with my family and those who choose to still be friends, my cousin Nathan, knowledge, babies and grandmas, video games, I am thankful for Dr Erica and her calming soothing presence, I am grateful for good health, my wonderful family, I am grateful for my 3 amazing brothers and their wives and children, family makes the sun shine brighter, my daddy, able to live life happily, LIFE, being in my 40s life is good, Sam passed her driver’s test look out Fenton drivers, for my husband’s family, family, I am grateful for my book club, my support group that has supported me and helped me through a time of transition I am now a happier and healthier person, my dad boys sunshine sleep and wine, my 3 sons and husband, for my lovely wife and Cafe of LIFE, family and friends, thankful for my mommy, music, hope, book club, chocolate wine and my Integrity peeps, my beautiful family my health and my friends oh and Cafe of LIFE, abundance, my hubby, my life, gratitude, nice weather, my freedom, people who are positive, sunshine, Obama, family Jesus and friends, I am thankful for LOVE, I’m grateful for my grandma’s cooking, I am thankful for Skype and airplanes!!!, my adjustment today, God’s love, ice cream, book club, cousins, good health, Jesus Christ, family and friends who care, I am thankful for my nieces and nephew, the amazing staff and students at EKLC, chocolate and wine, us, pork chop lamp chop and cupcake, LOVE, I am grateful for the opportunity today to take one step closer to being open to divine light and energy, pets, Erica and Angie, for LIFE, that the cutest little boy I know calls me “mommy”, my children, fresh AIR, the sun shining.”

One of the things that Angie and I noticed the minute we put the tree up is that the mojo in the reception area shifted significantly. When you start putting energy into things you are grateful for, more of that stuff shows up. There is so much to be grateful for. Please take a few moments and recognize something you are grateful for every single day or make your own “Gratitude Tree” at home! Thank you for sharing with us!

ITS THE SIMPLE THINGS

It’s the simple things…It has been an absolutely beautiful day! I got to wake up in the beautiful state of Vermont this morning. I had the most delicious breakfast that the sweetest man made for me. We packed up the car and drove 40 minutes up to the beautiful little town of Stowe, Vermont. There is a beautiful chiropractic practice filled with people here that he has to tend to…I continue on up to the mountain, gear up and am out on the slopes by 8:30.

There isn’t a whole lot of natural snow but Stowe Mountain Resort does an amazing job with their man-made snow…and it allows me a chance to strap on my snowboard!!! It is obvious they take a lot of pride in their mountain and the snow conditions they prepare for us to ride on. There are just a couple lifts open and maybe 4-6 runs with snow enough to get on them. The morning is brisk but the sun in shining and the view from the top is absolutely breathtaking. It is in these moments that I am surrounded by so much beauty that I have an overwhelming feeling of being so grateful for my life!

I cruise for a while, getting the most out of each run. I wish I could explain the feeling on a snowboard, for those of you who have never been. It is a controlled slipping and sliding. There is some of it that you can take charge of, however so much is about finding the best line down the run and committing. It isn’t an adrenaline thing for me…for some, I am sure it is. For me, it is about being so present to the conditions, so conscious of the next move that there isn’t time to think about one other thing. It is meditative, freeing and makes me feel so ALIVE!!!
I meet up with a couple new friends and do a few runs with them to finish the morning.

It is lunchtime and in just a short 15 minute drive is that sweetest man that made me breakfast this morning…he will be needing to find lunch as well, so I join him. In this small town of Stowe, there is some really incredible hippie restaurants that are simple and easy. It is quite a common thing to find good quality, healthy food in this area. I LOVE THAT!!! We have great conversation and a huge laugh about a “mullet email” and then he has to head back to serve his people for the afternoon.

I find my way up to a spa. I need to use their facilities in order to clean up and get ready for the rest of the day. It was going to be a $50 entry fee into the spa however they allowed me to use their shower and lounge area for $20. What a treat! I flew late last night after a long, good day of work, got up early this morning, snowboarded hard for a few hours and by this point I am beat and just need some quiet time. It was the most beautiful place and such an awesome way to spend the afternoon. They didn’t skip a beat when it comes to details around that place and I appreciated every bit of it.

My next move was to head back to town and do a little bit of shopping and here I sit in a quaint coffee shop, able to have an extra moment to blog. So far this has been the perfect day!

I am writing out all these details so that you can experience the simplicity of what made my day so wonderful. It truly is the simple things that make this life worth living. It is a smiling face, a breakfast made with love, kisses, hugs, a car ride through the mountains, time on the slopes, beautiful scenery, great food, big laughs, a warm shower in a beautiful place, a quaint little coffee shop, and time to share it all. Life is beautiful, however things are so much sweeter when shared.

THERE IS A FEELING

There is a feeling…an “out over a cliff” feeling. It is uncomfortable and exhilarating all at the same time. It is a really unfamiliar place for me to be in because I usually am not one that “jumps off a cliff” so to speak. I am more of a “let me figure out my footing before I take a step” kind of a person. Although when I need to move on something…you will not find me dragging my feet. I move forward when necessary no matter what it feels like to do so and that uncomfortable feeling soon becomes the new normal.

I love that about life. We get stopped and stay steady in our comfort zone and something or another will inspire us to move forward, we do so, get really uncomfortable and as the days go on,

we contract and then expand to integrate the move and create a new normal. Then we stay steady there for a while, get inspired, move forward, get uncomfortable, contract then expand to integrate and find a new normal again. It is a beautiful process of ebb and flow and such a necessary part in order to really live our life!

Over this past summer, I made my way down to Cedar Point to spend a day riding roller coasters. I love roller coasters…I love the ups and downs and twists and turns. Going up the hill there is the excitement of what it is going to feel like to go down the other side. Then at the top of the hill that feeling builds as the cart travels over the top and heads down. For me, the butterfly feeling as the cart drops down the hill is the best part. In essence, it is the same butterfly feeling when getting involved in a brand new situation or meeting a new person. That feeling is undeniable, intense and sometimes lasts for a few minutes, hours, days, weeks or even months.

For me, this flock of butterflies has been with me for almost 2 straight months now. There was a moment back in October that I knew my life had changed forever. I didn’t know how it would manifest, what it would look like or when, but it had changed. I even announced it to a few friends that were standing around in that moment…and since then, I have had this flock of butterflies with me during my every move.

Its exhausting, and exhilarating, and nerve wrecking, and peaceful, and uncomfortable, and nauseating, and mind-boggling, and insomnia producing, and constructive, and destructive, and makes me happy, and causes massive emotional break-downs. All of this is my body’s way of integrating. An opportunity presents itself, we act on it, get really uncomfortable, contract then expand in order to integrate and find a new normal. I sure hope the new “normal” is on its way really soon! There is a feeling…

GIVE THEM FOOD

Every year at Halloween, I have an internal debate with myself about giving out a bunch of candy. I used to remedy this debate by handing out caramel apples however this year, with the apple crop damage in this state, we were unable to do that. So we decided to do an experiment this time around…and the results were OUTSTANDING!!!

When I went to the store to shop for our trick-or-treaters, I felt a little like a scrooge buying apples, clementines and almonds. I added M&Ms in the mix and so our bowl of treats had quite a variety.

I put about a quarter of the bag of snack size M&Ms in and filled the rest up with the real food; the apples, clementines and almonds. We also gave out glow-in-the-dark bracelets to help them stay safe that evening and a book mark about health.

When the children came in, Angie would ask them to pick something from each bucket (bracelets in one, bookmarks in another, and the food/candy in the last). When they got the bucket with the food/candy, a majority, and when I say the word majority I mean close to 90%, chose FOOD!!! They would say things like “THEY HAVE ALMONDS!!!!”, “APPLES ARE MY FAVORITE!!” or on their way out the door, we could hear them declare “I ABSOLUTELY LOVE CLEMENTINES!!!!”.

It was amazing to see their reaction to what we were serving because I wasn’t sure which way it was going to go. In fact, when I was in the store getting supplies, I even said to the check-out person at Trader Joe’s “I may end up being one of those ‘dreaded’ places for Halloween because I am not giving out much candy, but I am going to give it a try anyway.”

So the outcome of this experiment is GIVE THEM FOOD!!! Kids love food! Real food! Things that grow on trees and in the ground. They loved our treats and were absolutely thrilled to have the options. Why do you think that is? I attribute it to the possibility that kids innately know what is good for them. I wouldn’t say a blanket statement “kids would choose real food over candy any day”, but how about giving them some healthy options on a regular basis. How about rewarding them with a baked apple? …or dried banana chips? …or some trail mix? These choices on a regular basis will make a world of difference in their health in the long run.

IF I CAN, YOU CAN!

I was privileged to be able to start my week listening to a very inspirational man. You may be familiar with Al Serra Auto Plaza in Grand Blanc, but you may not be as familiar with the quality of leadership that runs that place. One of them happens to be my step-dad and the culture that has been created is like no other car company around. Often, for their morning sales meeting, they are thinking outside the box of what you would expect a car sales meeting to be and bringing in some really inspirational people.

This past Monday I had the opportunity to listen to a guy with an incredibly inspirational story. Clay Dyer has no legs and no left arm. On his right side he has a small portion of an arm that he uses for everything. He was born this way. When he was a young boy, he developed a passion for fishing and told the story of how he got his first high quality fishing pole. He has a great sense of humor when he tells the story of how at 12 years old he was hounding his father to buy him a $250 fishing rod. His dad thought it was an outrageous price for a fishing pole when Clay chimes in “Well Dad, imagine how much money you have saved over these past 12 years not having to buy me shoes!” …and a professional bass fisherman was born.

His physical limitations are numerous however while listening to him, you can tell he lives in a heart-centered space and trusts the world around him. He lives by the motto “If I can, you can!” and loves to share that message with people all over. At one point he discussed what his normal daily routine consists of. By the end of the sales meeting, it was brought up that if you didn’t have the visual of what Clay looked like and you could only hear his voice, you would never have known he had any physical limitations…because in his mind, he has no limits. Because he sees himself and his life and experiences as such a blessing, he is able to do just about anything he wants to…including 50 push-ups which he did for us while on stage!

I will sometimes catch myself putting unnecessary limits on myself and my life. I think this is maybe a natural part of being human. We are born limitless and then through the years, and for a number of different reasons, we start putting up a box around what we can and cannot do. I think it is interesting, and a good example, that at one point a limit on how fast a human can run one mile. It used to be thought “insurmountable” to run one mile in less than 4 minutes and for decades this limit was true…until someone did it and then a number of people were able to accomplish the same task shortly thereafter.

Since you couldn’t attend the meeting on Monday, I found this great YouTube clip about Clay Dyer so you can experience a little bit of his story. Click HERE to watch…it is worth your 10 minutes, I promise.

“If I can, you can!” is Clay Dyer’s message and coming from him, it is a powerful. When you are in a room listening to all that he has accomplished and what his goals and dreams are in life to still accomplish yet, it raises our own limits a little bit…it breaks us out of the box we have put ourselves in. It gives us permission to live our lives a little bit louder! Now, go and be AWESOME!!!

MUSIC IS MAGIC

Music is magic. Music has a way of facilitating us in opening up certain areas of our being that are closed off. It lifts us up. It has a way of letting light in through the dark cracks and crevices that haven’t seen any light lately. Music helps us move, shift and break free. When the vibrational resonance matches up, it can help us grow and evolve. It has instantaneous effects as well as can start long-term ripples that can reverberate for years. Music takes us back, it moves us forward and can help us to stay in the present. The “remember whens…” and the “what ifs…” and the idea of “be here now…”. It is all of that and so much more. Music is magic.

“These are the days
These are days you’ll remember
Never before and never since, I promise
Will the whole world be warm as this
And as you feel it,
You’ll know it’s true
That you are blessed and lucky
It’s true that you
Are touched by something
That will grow and bloom in you

These are days that you’ll remember
When May is rushing over you
With desire to be part of the miracles
You see in every hour
You’ll know it’s true
That you are blessed and lucky
It’s true that you are touched
By something that will grow and bloom in you

These are days
These are the days you might fill
With laughter until you break
These days you might feel
A shaft of light
Make its way across your face
And when you do
Then you’ll know how it was meant to be
See the signs and know their meaning
It’s true
Then you’ll know how it was meant to be
Hear the signs and know they’re speaking
To you, to you”

I heard this song done acoustic by Natalie Merchant (10,000 Maniacs) last night while driving home from yoga. Powerful. Peaceful. Hopeful. Beautiful. In an instant, my heart cracked wide open…and so I wanted to share some magic.

DETROIT HALF MARATHON SUCCESS

When the alarm goes off at 3:30am on Sunday morning for me to get ready, drive down to Detroit and run 13.1 miles, I lay there in my bed and wonder whose idea this was anyway?

To have a half-marathon in the plans to run at the middle to end of fall is always a good idea in theory but as the day approaches, and especially the morning of, I really question my sanity in signing up for yet another one. I get really anxious and very nervous as the clock ticks away and the race approaches. In fact, all last week with the issues I have had with my foot lately, I was telling people that this race felt almost like a final exam. There is no pass/fail when it comes to running but for whatever reason I was putting a lot of pressure on myself.

The alarm goes off, I lay and try to figure out what I am supposed to be doing, it hits me that I have a race to run and up I go, out of bed and on my way. The second challenging thing about a race is to figure out what is the best thing to eat at that time in the morning, my choice this time around is a cereal bar, a Lara bar and a huge bottle of water. I make sure Choco has time for his business and jump in my Jeep and head down to Detroit.

I have a plan ahead of time about where I am going to park and it works out well. I am there over an hour ahead of time but it is helpful to not have the stress of a time crunch at the last minute. I decide to spend a few minutes to sit and visualize the race. From my seat, I can see the huge flags in front of the Ren Cen blowing in the wind and a bit of a chill every time someone comes in the front door. Although I am not looking forward to the cold, I have experienced much colder mornings with rain for this particular race.

After a few minutes I decide it is best to make my way to the starting line. It is a bit of a jog to get to the start but soon realize the perfection of it as my core begins to warm. From the Ren Cen, it is left on Jefferson, right on Washington and a left onto Fort St where there are 20,000 other runners and their support people, it is a massive sea of people and the energy is absolutely unbelievable!

I walk right up to my corral, enter and move forward to the start and off I go. Many people do these kinds of races with another person or a group of people, or at least have a support person waiting in the wings at the event. Not me. I have chosen to do these races regardless of whoever else may or may not want to do it with me. This time I realized how anonymous I was in this huge crowd and that is a pretty neat feeling. Even though I am anonymous, I feel like all of these 20,000 runners are my friends, mostly because they love what I love and they are about to do what I am about to do. It is a community that one can feel part of and be anonymous at the same time.

My bib is pinned to the front of my shirt with this crazy “20222” number that I am so excited about and my name written in big letters underneath it. In this huge community of people, you can be anonymous and also have people saying things like “Good job Erica”, “Keep it going Erica” and “You can do it Erica” along the entire course because your name is written right there.

The spectators of this great sport of running are amazing people. They are dressed in goose down, hats, gloves and boots carrying bells, signs, horns and other noise makers and for hours they sit there and cheer on the runners, people they know and mostly people they don’t know. The funniest sign I have seen so far in my years of running was just coming out of the tunnel and returning to the United States this time around and it read “WORST PARADE EVER!” Those of you that know me and my literal humor, could guess that I almost buckled over in laughter…that is funny stuff!

Mile 11 came around and I remember checking in with my body and all of its many sore parts…absolutely sore everywhere, no question. My pacer on my cyclemeter app on my iPhone was telling me that I was at 11 miles, running 9.40 minutes per mile and that I had 2.1 miles to go. 2.1 miles to go meant that in just about 20 minutes of continuous running I will be done and so I picked up my pace. I wanted to be finished as soon as I possibly could so better to just suck it up and pound out those last 2 miles than to drag it out any longer.

There is a moment in every long run that I am grateful beyond anything words can explain that my body is capable and allows me to do this. It is at that moment that life is so grand and I feel absolutely unstoppable. It is such an incredible feeling and is the “runner’s high” that everyone talks about. This happens to me around 8ish miles or so and continues to the end of the race.

The last turn down Fort St is something that sticks in my mind and is what gets me coming back to run these streets year after year. The finish line is in sight, there are thousands of people lining the sides of the street, little kids sticking out their hands for runners to give them a high five (and you better believe I take every high five I can get along the way) and cheers of celebration during the last few blocks like nothing you have ever experienced. In that moment I let my imagination run wild and pretend they are all cheering for me…and then crossing of the finish line, the ever so familiar beep as your chip time is recorded capped off with a beautiful medal that someone hangs around your neck…it is in a dream state that I finish each race.

It is a huge accomplishment to work towards all year and when I get my A+ on my final exam, though 3:30am is early, by a little bit after 9 I have burned over 1,500 calories, shared in that kind of energy…nothing feels better. Only one thing would make it even better…if more of you will join me next year! Do you have a half-marathon on your bucket list? Check that item off by running with me next year! I am serious…we only get one chance to live this life! Let’s make it happen!

WHERE IS THE KALE?!?!?!

I walked into a local grocery establishment last night in search of two things…kale and organic lemons. I have been disappointed in this grocery establishment for quite a while now but every time I really need something, I think to myself “well maybe it has changed and it is better now”. No such luck.

I walked in the front door and right into their shrinking produce section. It is pretty much the only section I go to in a grocery store since I do my best to eat as much live food as possible, mainly consisting of fruits and vegetables, and when

I say vegetables, I mean HEAVY, DARK GREEN vegetables. It sounds absolutely silly, I know, but it seems they have shrunk down the produce section to make more room for the “Value” section which includes loads of canned and boxed junk that you can get for a really cheap price and take home to feed to your family. There is something seriously wrong with this equation.

In a country plagued with illness, sickness and disease, there should be a expanding produce section, not a shrinking produce section. The subset of the produce section “the organic produce” section is also shrinking in proportion to the overall diminish-ment of the section. It is sad and it upsets me. As I wander though this section, and the entire store for that matter, I find myself shaking my head in disappointment. It is unbelievable that a community like Fenton, that seems to be growing and prospering, cannot get better food than this.

Have you ever heard that “you should only shop the perimeter of the grocery store”? Do you know why? The perimeter is the area where fresh food is located…hence the need for refrigeration and such. Check in with yourself and see how many aisles you go down on a regular basis? Pasta, rice and beans are located in the aisles that make up the middle of the store however not much else going on in that area that has much nutritional value, but it all has one INCREDIBLE shelf-life and much larger profit margins for the stores. You can be sure that this area is filled with artificial colors, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives and some of the “food” stuff isn’t even food at all!!!

It is really scary…it scares the crap out of me!

So my original reason for entering the grocery was in search of kale since it is one of the most nutrient-dense greens and I really wanted a green smoothie for dinner. I would prefer organic but I would have gone with any kale that was fresh, because I have accepted the fact that living in Fenton is a limitation at times and organic is unfortunately luck of the draw. I walk up to the shelf where it is supposed to be and it is empty. I can feel my physiology shift to massive disappointment instantaneously. Then I had a thought, “Maybe, just maybe, earlier in the day this shelf was overstocked with so much beautiful kale that everyone that walked by just had to stop and grab some to take it home with them to make green smoothies for dinner for their families. I just got there too late in the day to get some”.

Yeah, that’s it.

CONSCIOUS FOOTING

Five days from now I will be running the Detroit Half Marathon for the fourth time. I like to set my summer running schedule/goals to include a half marathon in the fall. It seems to be a really good way to keep things going and keep my body moving. My summer also included, completely unplanned, dropping a full jar of almond butter on my foot (that put a huge knot in the tendon to my big toe) and a cold yoga class that my foot moved too far, too fast.

If you would have asked me just 2 days ago whether I would be running next weekend, it was still up in the air. I have been dealing with strained foot joints and discomfort. The pain came to a head this past week and even walking has been a challenge, but for some reason, running still felt good. I think it has to do with the foot moving differently, seems easier.

I took the past week off of running and have been biking and swimming a lot and trying to put as little stress on my feet as possible. It is amazing how much we take our feet for granted until one isn’t living up to its full potential. This morning was the determining factor for whether it was going to be possible to complete the race on Sunday.

I showed up to the gym a little earlier than I usually do because I wanted to have a little extra time to evaluate the situation with my bum foot. I was a little nervous because my half marathon was in jeopardy…it was not a cheap race to register for and I really, really want the participation medal. So I tied up my shoes and took off on the indoor track…and it felt good. I was actually surprised how good it felt to move it like that and it wasn’t putting much stress on it at all.

During the 3 miles that I ran, I was hyper-aware of what was happening with my foot and very conscious of my footing. I realize the importance of watching my every step and making sure it is the best way I can put my foot down before doing so. It was meditative to be that present but it felt good and still feels good. I spend my days at Cafe of LIFE educating people on how important it is to listen to their bodies and I choose to walk my talk and do the same. If my foot started screaming during my run this morning, I was going to throw in the towel. More than that, I am watching out for my snowboarding season ahead of me and having a bum foot is not going to work out in snowboard boots out on the slopes!

So I ran, it felt really good, my foot will continue to heal, I will run this weekend and then I will give it a long, much needed rest. I spent the entire workout time being really conscious and I was reminded when I returned to the locker room how important it is to be conscious in all of our actions during the day. I walked in and there was a group of women and a staff member huddled together because one of them cannot find their locker. The gym I go to has a HUGE locker room and you pick whatever locker you want to use that day and throw your stuff in…and you do it the next day and the next day and it has potentially of all looking the same and runnin together. I hope she was able to eventually find where she had her stuff, that could really throw a wrench in your day.

Conscious footing, conscious thoughts, conscious actions, conscious choices…we really need to stay on top of it all because our subconscious may want to run a totally different program and will step up and do so without our even realizing it. I challenge you to take a few extra seconds during your day to be a little more conscious and aware of what you are doing…I guarantee it will save time in the long run!

CATCHING THE SUNRISE

7am my alarm goes off. I hit snooze and and take 1 minute to check my email while my brain wakes up. I have laid my workout clothes out so I can literally just step into them when I stand up. The night before, I have packed my bag with work clothes for the day. I attempt to wrangle my hair into some sort of presentable fashion, throw on my shoes and a warmer layer and head downstairs. I steer clear of caffeine as I get tons of energy from eating real food (fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc). I usually cut up an apple, throw some raw almonds and a Lara bar in a container, grab my water and put it all in my Jeep. I run back inside to make sure the dog gets a chance to do his business, get him some food and water and head out the door. I jump into my car, put it in reverse and back out of my garage, closing the garage door behind me. This entire process takes roughly 8 minutes…and I have become very aware that if it happens any other way, it’s not happening at all. It sounds strict and regimented but how many excuses do you have for not going to the gym in the morning? I have them too.

So I usually have Sirius XM Coffee House on the radio that slowly eases me into the day. I drive down my road, head on US-23 north and I am off. On the highway, the speed of my Jeep picks up as well as the pace of life. I get off just a few exits from where I got on, take a right and it is the most magnificent part of the morning…the SUNRISE!!! I am new to this working-out-in-the-morning thing (I don’t go into work until 10am so it just makes good sense, however it took me 7 solid years to figure it out)…so I am new to meeting the sunrise on a regular basis. I began my working-out-in-the-morning adventure at the end of spring and its as already light by my 7am alarm. Because I would prefer to be outside for workouts (when it is warm enough outside that is where you will find me) it has only been about 3 weeks since I started back at the gym and hence driving this route.

After that right turn, my path to the gym takes me directly towards the sunrise for half a mile, a jaunt north for 1 mile and then about 5 miles into the sunrise…it has become a really special part of the day. It seems as though I have only gone to the gym on mornings without rain. There has always been a few clouds in the sky, but I am grateful for those clouds because it gives shape, texture and dimension to this beautiful canvas spread out in front of me. I love the first sun rays for their reddish-pinkish tones. It illuminates the sky in a very soft and friendly way. In the past few weeks the trees that line my route are also beautiful as they approach peak color season. And as you can see from the picture, whatever is happening in the sky, is also reflected off the hood of my Jeep.

The other beautiful part of this time of the morning is knowing that there is an entire day ahead and though I have to fit within parameters with time, scheduling and obligations (like work), I get to choose what kind of day I want to have. I get to pick the message I want to send to the world that day. I get to choose who I am going to hang out with, what I am going to eat, how I am going to approach people and what kind of attitude I am going to meet the day with. Imagine being greeted by a beautiful sunrise that seems to be inviting me to have a great day, then going to move my body (which includes swimming and you all know how I feel about swimming I LOVE SWIMMING ) getting ready for work interacting with other people and heading in to serve “The Exceptional Chiropractic Experience” at the Cafe of LIFE. I will argue with you until I am blue in the face…life doesn’t get better than that.

I am blessed beyond measure and if you are reading this, I count you as one of my blessings. I am grateful for everything that is this life and it brings me so much joy to share with people. I hear from so many of my readers in private messages over email, Facebook, text message and in person…however I want to encourage you to take one simple action step here…I want to know how you start your days? How do you ensure you are off on the best foot to maximize the potential of your day? How do you begin? Share in the comments below…you never know how far reaching your words will travel. Maybe you will inspire others with your morning ritual. Or maybe you are like me and really enjoy catching the sunrise.