I am recently reminded in my life about the importance of asking for help and started a blog,“60 EXTRA HANDS”, over a month ago. Now this one is appropriately called “PRELUDE TO 60 EXTRA HANDS”…stay tuned!!
If you have followed my last year of my life, you will be aware of I am currently living in a tiny home waiting for my new home to be built. In this tiny home, I have decided against having any cable TV (no TV in general is how I have lived for years), but because of that coupled with the fact that the internet/cable companies need you to be available on a weekday between 8am-1pm in order to get set up (“ain’t nobody got time for that”), I have never gotten internet here either.
Then a friend of mine presented to me the fact that he lives without wifi, as well as no TV, and I honestly thought to myself “That is even better than just no TV, no wifi either!” I have lived in this tiny home since January and haven’t had much access to computer use. When I am at the office it is just too busy, THANK YOU TO MY INCREDIBLE TEAM!!!, that I don’t get a chance to write there either. So blogging has gone to the wayside.
AND THEN someone said to me “what about making your phone a mobile hotspot?” And that is EXACTLY what I did today and I am so excited it worked!!! I can sit on my couch in my quiet tiny home and start to share my words with you AGAIN and I AM ABSOLUTELY THRILLED IT IS WORKING!!!
So this is a called “PRELUDE TO 60 EXTRA HANDS”and I can tell you this, you won’t want to miss the next blog posts as I have a chance to get back to writing on a regular basis. It is quiet here and peaceful and it is the PERFECT SPACE for blogging. YAY!!!!
“Most of you know that I grew up with 3 brothers. If I could possibly explain to you my childhood in 3 simple words, I would call it “three against one”. Always…and I was on the losing side of that scenario…” stay tuned!!! 🙂
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!!!
I hope this message finds you happy and healthy and enjoying your week…and your LIFE!! I was realizing as I was sitting in the car for all those hours that we really do have a lot of power in the intention we set for our own lives. I hope you are making the most of it all!!! As the title of this blog says…we only get one chance.
“That is a CRAZY IDEA but I LOVE IT!!!” was my response when a patient invited me to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Yes you heard that right, MT KILIMANJARO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The invite came last April 2016 and I am pretty sure both of us suspected something would stop us in our tracks prior to making this happen…but it hasn’t. And so WE WILL!!!AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
In March of 2015, this beautiful woman named Kelly started chiropractic care in my office, Cafe of LIFE. She is just a year older than me and had gotten a cancer diagnosis just a couple weeks prior to starting care. I was in shock and awe that she could have such a bright, shiny composure with so many unknowns ahead. If I remember correctly she already had a huge scar from one biopsy they had done the week prior. Kelly was bright and energetic and positive and she had made the connection that chiropractic is going to help her body process everything that is ahead of her. And it did just that.
She made all kinds of lifestyle shifts as well as underwent heavy chemo and radiation treatments and kept with her chiropractic care all along the way. Because she was so regular with her care, I was able to follow her step by step through all of the radical changes that those heavy drugs had on her body. I have worked with many cancer patients over the years however none so vulnerable to share every little detail. Of course I learned a lot about the cancer going through school but experiencing it with her, from the patient’s perspective, was eye-opening.
And through it all, we became friends.
She did the entire treatment process quite gracefully and came out on top! She has been clear for a while and one day back in April of 2016 I got added to an email thread she started with a list of other great female friends of hers, that invited us to climb MT KILIMANJARO.
Let me just start by saying that I was ABSOLUTELY HONORED to be included in thread along with her close friends. My stomach sank at the possibility of taking on the challenge and my head started spinning with excitement as I really pondered what it would be like!
We started a conversation that went on for about 6 months while she waited for her final scans and clearance from her doctor. In October, we pulled the trigger on putting a deposit down to hold our place with the adventure company. We continued conversations trying to digest this whole idea and the first week of January we purchased our airline tickets.
Now life is officially in “CHECKMATE” status and this is happening.
There are bits and pieces of logistics to figure out and each day one more thing comes together.
I will continue this blog as I progress through all the details and training and of course share the entire journey with all of you. Please stay tuned right here as Kelly and I make our progress.
It is the month of THANKSGIVING!!! The best holiday of them all in my opinion. We have a GRATITUDE PROJECT going on in ouroffice for the final months of the year.
“What we think about and thank about, we bring about.”
The world proves to us over and over again that what WE FOCUS ON, EXPANDS!!! So let us get back to focusing on GRATITUDE and what we are grateful for.
Our lives are blessed in so many ways. Seriously so, so, so many ways.
I want to challenge you to sit for 5 minutes, set a timer even, and think about all the different things you are grateful for. Make a list in your mind. Can’t fill 5 minutes of time? Look harder, you are not paying close enough attention.
I am so very grateful for my officeCafe of LIFE Chiropractic and the ability to serve this community! I could not imagine my life any other way than spending my days doing what I love.
I also LOVE LOVE LOVE to fill this space with GRATITUDE!!!!!!!!
GRATITUDE PROJECT:
Each day you walk into the Cafe of LIFE, you will make sure to stop by our GRATITUDE STATION. There are leaf cut-outs ready for you. Write one thing you are grateful and tape it to our tree on our window. It becomes the biggest and most beautiful gratitude tree in just a few short weeks, and we just keep going. It is simple and super fun and such an awesome way to build GRATITUDE ENERGY!!!
And if you are not a patient here at the Cafe of LIFE, feel free to swing by and just fill out a leaf and join our mission. The more GRATITUDE, the BETTER!!!!
In saying all of that, I want to take a moment to extend my GRATITUDE to you, my readers, family, friends and patients, for being part of my life. My life and heart are filled up because of YOU!!! Thank you.
This particular answer is not going to cut it in this life. A dialogue I had today…
Me: Is your week going well so far?
Patient: It will be when the weekend gets here.
It’s Tuesday. This answer is not going to cut it.
What do I mean by “it is not going to cut it?” Guess what???? LIFE IS REALLY FREAKING SHORT!!! Why would you ever want to spend 5 days each week looking forward to 2 days?
So you wake up in the morning on Monday and it is seriously a race to see how quickly you can get to Friday afternoon? Seriously? How can this be a life worth even living? The ratios are all off there…ALL OFF!!!! What if you spent 2 days looking forward to 5 days? That is more like it!! If he said to me, “Well I made it through Monday and Tuesday and so now I am going to have an awesome week!” I would have taken it.
But that is not what he said and so here I am at a coffee shop having to write about it. I don’t get to go home right after work, I have no other choice than to sit here and write about it. There is not a chance I will be able to sleep after hearing that comment unless I spend my time time this evening writing about it.
Not really guys, I am not that obsessive. If I was, I would have WAY BIGGER problems!!
Seriously the days are not all filled with rainbows and butterflies. We all see tough times. In fact it was just revealed to me that I appear to live among the clouds and am untouchable by strife. NOT EVEN CLOSE!!! I am just grateful for the learning when I am in the trenches. Of course I am not grateful at the time, but the stuff I learn there when the pressure is turned way up, allows me to be real, authentic and genuine and it makes me more, well, ME!!!
We seriously never know when the tables will be turned on us, towards the bad or towards the good. We never know when a really crappy week will turn really good. We also never know when our wonderful life will be turned upside down either.
(yes that is me)
What if we just started the day, every day regardless of if it starts with ‘Sat” or “Sun”, in a good mood. Lets look at the fact that we are waking up on the top side of the grass. We get a chance to do all kinds of things today!!! And SO MANY more things that if we weren’t on the top side of the grass!!!
So you could maybe be asking “Well what if my life really does suck?”
Okay, that is a legitimate question. I like that you are thinking like that and want to question me. If your life really does suck, you actually can take this day and make it just a little bit better.
Let me tell you about the time my life really, really, really, really sucked. I got divorced half way through chiropractic college. I had 2 years of intense schooling still ahead (I was 8 years into school at this point) and not a moment to process such a huge loss. When I finally finished I moved home to Fenton to try to figure out what I wanted to do. Life got really quiet, my friends had dispersed all over the country and I was left with all of the “stuff” that really didn’t feel good. I went into massive grieving mode and severe depression, to the point that I could hardly get out of bed. I also had a degree, a license and a desire to not stay that way. It would take one step every single day to move me forward. Even if that meant going out and buying one single pen, it was movement.
Just do that. One little tiny step in the direction you want to go. Because guess what? The time is going to pass anyway. Go do something with your ONE WILD LIFE!!!!!
I cannot do a thing about patients responding to me like that and not having a good time in life. If I could, you know I would!!!
The only hope I really have is letting you, my faithful readers (have I told you lately how much I love you??? I DO!!!) know, that that kind of attitude is just NOT GOING TO CUT IT!!! Get on with enjoying your LIFE!!!! We only get one chance….
He was born after 3 long days of labor. I saw them a lot during mom’s pregnancy. It ended up that my office seemed like the ideal place to be when labor was taking days and he was stuck in the birth canal. I labored with this beautiful mother for about 30 minutes and adjusted her spine between contractions.
She is a beautiful mother, an Earth mommy. She has done her research and chooses natural parenting ideas to rear her children…on all levels of life. Her children are lucky they have such an advocate for a mother.
I love her. I love the entire family. She came to me years ago when her other chiropractor scolded her for breastfeeding her child in his office while she waited for her turn to get adjusted. She called me on her way home from that appointment at his office. I am glad I answered that day because OF COURSE!!! you may sit and breastfeed in my office. We have a comfortable environment that I hope all feel welcome to sit and nourish their babies. If anyone in this building has an issue with it, that’s alright by me this is my place.
Her little man was born just over a month ago. He is precious and little. I mean really little. In fact, he is so little he was not gaining proper weight. He had gained about 2 ounces over the first few weeks of life when she brought him in to the Cafe of LIFE to see me.
I wish parents wouldn’t wait so long but he is here now and I am grateful for that.
This little man is so little that his pediatrician has become very concerned, rightfully so. Aside from that, this little mans’s grandmother, would call his mom in tears regularly for him and his situation.
His first visit with me, his discomfort was absolutely palpable and I could feel his pain. As a chiropractor, when little ones are struggling so much, they look deep into my eyes and do not break eye contact and their little beings beg and plead for some sort of help…and they innately know that I have some tools.
This is the first time one of the little ones made me actually cry during their visit. Usually it is after they have left the building or when I am wrapping up my day with thoughts of them.
I tried to keep my tears hidden as he stared me down, and I think I did. When mom reads this, it will hopefully be news to her. I was also concerned, really concerned.
In the back of my mind, I could tell he was not a “failure to thrive” baby, I could tell he was capable. As a chiropractor, putting my hands on him I could instantly feel the stress and tension through his entire nerve system, his entire body.
It is quite possible that during his 3 day birthing process, his spine got compromised. And not to the point of permanent damage, but enough to be cutting off his normal flow of information to parts of his body and leading to dis-ease (literally lack of ease) making it nearly impossible for him to relax into what he is trying to do, which is eat, sleep, digest and grow.
One adjustment and though he left the Cafe of LIFE screaming his head off, I knew and absolutely trusted that things were set in motion. I wish I could do one adjustment for the infants and they would calm down and be fine forevermore, that is not the case.
Two days later, another check of his spine and nerve system. And another adjustment. Still screaming.
Another three days later, another check of his spine and nerve system. Another adjustment and the beginnings of some real change. The little man slept all the way through the adjustment. So peaceful which means his body can slow down and rest and digest like he is supposed to. Only problem is that at this point the pediatrician is going to admit him to the hospital unless he gains weight by four days from yesterday. Mom is freaked out because they will put him on formula, which all I will say is please do your research.
She decided instead of waiting for four more days, she would stop by the pediatrician’s office after leaving my office and put him up on the scale just so she knows what she is dealing with.
This is the text message from her (yes some of my patients text message me) that afternoon…
This little man will not be so little any longer. He will grow and grow and develop and make his way in life. He will do this with a little bit more ease because his spine and nerve system have settled down towards normal and he can relax and learn to live in this crazy world.
It is such a beautiful thing.
Every single one of my patients leave a lasting impression on me. Every single one of them (you) take a little piece of my heart with them (you). On a side note, when the heart is broken, it grows back bigger. I am certain I have dealt with the level and extent of heartache in my life so that my heart is extra big to be able to handle the masses.
The adults take a little piece of my heart, but the kids they just run away with it…but also fill it back up big time.
A simple story like this, the simple chiropractic adjustments I have done on this little man, this is what keeps my own gas tank full.
It is an honor to be his family’s chiropractor. It is an honor to do this work. I am grateful beyond words and moved to tears on a regular basis by being able to help out so many but especially a little man like that.
I had an incredible weekend! It was just about as much fun as one could possibly pack into the minutes of one single weekend and a good portion of it I spent at the Barefoot and Free Yoga Festival.
Pack up yoga mat and hike to the “unknown”
We live, work and play among some real superheros and it is hard to know who those superheros are until something like this weekend is pulled together through the vision of one woman. Of course, there will always be so many people behind the scenes that do not get enough recognition, however, it takes one person to have the vision to start with…and that person is the one who ultimately takes the initial step forward.
Proud Lake Recreation Area is a super amazing place just south of Milford, Michigan. I had never been there before and although I had signed up for the yoga festival just because of the idea of it…quite frankly I had no idea what I was getting into.
I pulled in, parked my car and took a walk to the festival site. It was an absolutely ideal location allowing for yoga classes to be held in a few different areas on the grounds. There were vendors, big tents that would hold yoga classes, a bunkhouse for those that wanted to stay, areas for tents, food vendors and so much amazing positive energy, it could not have been in a more perfect place!
Us yoga peeps, even though we are supposed to be super flexible (not only in class but in life in general), sometimes get stuck with wanting to only take our “favorite” instructor(s) and become actually quite rigid with our regular yoga routine. For me, my time is precious and I am always wanting to maximize my time spent in any yoga class and so I have my favorites and stick with them.
The great thing about the festival setting is that there are options and you are exposed to some other really
The reflection is the view while laying on my yoga mat
exceptional instructors…and because this festival was so close to home, those instructors are easily accessible to me, well if you consider “easy” to be within about 45 minutes.
When I am at my usual yoga class(es) during the week, I am usually running in there last minute and heading out immediately following closing postures. Life is busy, busy, busy! The flow of this festival and the timing of classes
gave us some real time to spend with these like-minded people. There were a few people I see regularly at class but I actually had some time to ask them about themselves and their lives outside of the studio. We shared time, space, laughter and snacks together. We had time for conversation between sweating our behinds off. We had a few moments to jump in the river together. I have stronger, tighter connections because of the weekend.
And then I should mention what it means to the body and mind to do that much yoga in a condensed timeframe. I took six, 75 minute vinyasa classes in 90-100 degree temperatures. I took an inversion workshop, a slow burn class and attended a lecture. This all happened in a matter of 48 hours starting at 7pm on Friday and finishing Sunday at the same time. That much yoga for me would usually be over a 2 week period and so putting myself into that many different postures, that much intensity, that much breath work, that much laughing and that much dancing, shifts a person at their core. Barefoot and Free has such
Grateful for the fresh water of the Huron River
divine timing as I am in one of the most stressful weeks of my life in a long time. In the midst of playing a mean hand of “52 Pick-Up” with my life, I find peace. Peace is my center and I am craving more time on my mat like I have never felt before, such a strong draw for that level of intense movement and shifting.
I have shared about my experience over the past day and so many have asked “How do I get involved?” “How did you find out about that?” and “When is the next one?” I can say this for certain, DO NOT MISS next year! It is a simple 30 minutes from my home and if you are around the southeast Michigan area, probably within an hour from yours too…very central location to many.
I seriously had no idea what I was getting into. This is yet another time that I simply said YES and made it happen. Leading into the weekend I was asked, “Are you meeting a bunch of friends there at the festival? Do you know many people going?” No I did not know many people going, but I knew by the time I left, with the nature of yoga and the woods and the connection with Mother Earth, I would have new friends by Sunday. Plus I am not sure I love anything more than being BAREFOOT AND FREE!!!!!
Thank you to that teeny tiny superhero, Beth James, for creating a place for all of us to play…and be barefoot…and FREE!!!
Quite often I receive emails that sound like this “I see you are on an adventure out on a boat in the Lake Michigan. How did you get involved in that?” My simple answer, “I said yes.”
When I get invited somewhere, I figure out if it is at all possible to say yes and if it is, I do.
When I was 10 years old, I said yes and was given my first horse.
I said yes and ended up moving across the country for school when I was 19 years old.
I said yes and moved up to Anchorage, Alaska for an awesome 3 year adventure.
I said yes (to myself and my abilities) and opened my own chiropractic practice Cafe of LIFE that thrives still today.
I have said yes and ended up away from my family for the holidays but with great friends and that has led to some awesome trips over the years.
I said yes and purchased a condo, a building and a home.
I said yes and have a second business that has been running and successful for years.
I have said yes and got on planes to not one, but 5 different first dates over the years.
I said yes and ended up in some really incredible relationships (though none have gone the distance…just yet anyway).
I said yes and found myself jumping out of a plane.
I said yes and ended up having some of the greatest times of my life.
And just last weekend I said yes and ended up on a boat along the shore of Chicago to watch the America’s Cup Qualifying Race.
I am sharing all of this because as I am sitting on a boat in the water and under the sunshine and with a beautiful view of the city of Chicago last weekend, I was so grateful. I have had many experiences and in that moment, I am proud of myself for having the courage to just say yes and get out there and live life.
In the past, I have also gotten email messages inquiring whether I had some sort of terminal diagnosis and why I was making so many different things happen all the time? “The tragedy in life is not death…but what we let die inside while we live.”
Brush fear aside, step up and have the courage to say YES to your life! I promise you will find great adventures along the way and open up to really living!!!!
Next time I see you, I want to hear from you that “I said yes and…” and then tell me all about your adventure.
home to be built. In this tiny home, I have decided against having any cable TV (no TV in general is how I have lived for years), but because of that coupled with the fact that the internet/cable companies need you to be available on a weekday between 8am-1pm in order to get set up (“ain’t nobody got time for that”), I have never gotten internet here either.
