LACE CURTAINS

I moved into my home over 4 years ago.  If you have even been to my home or driven by, you may have noticed the lace curtains in the window at the front of the house (although more than likely you have not, they are unremarkable).  I am not a fan of lace curtains.

I have a very different style to my home and my practice that doesn’t really fit with lace curtains.

So let me explain…this particular lace-covered window is above my 2-car garage.  There is an unfinished bonus room above my garage currently being used for storage.  It has 2 nice sized windows, one at the front by the driveway and one towards the back that faces house.  The one on the driveway side is the one with the lace curtains, nothing on the other.

For the first few years I lived there, I hadn’t give those lace curtains a lot of attention.  I would see them Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Lace Curtainswhen I pulled in and out of my garage, however aside from that, they are not on my mind at all.  They are just sort-of there.

Over the past couple years, I have noticed them as the last thing I see when I leave and the first thing when I pull back into my driveway.  They are pretty, harmless and unremarkable.

But they are not me.  Not at all.

For the past 2 years, I have tried to figure out what window coverings I should replace those with.  What color should I put there?  Should it have some sort of texture?  Should it give you a hint to textures and colors used in the house?  Should they just be plain white like the siding on that part of the house?  Should they be loud and obnoxious?  Should they be long or short?  I am not a designer, but I have a feel that I always go for with my home and work spaces and these silly curtains had raised a lot of questions.

It is also one of those things that I need to be able to feel out, one of those things that I needed to try out a couple different colors and textures to know for sure.  But who really wants to go to the store and buy a few different options and drive in and out of the driveway until I got it right???  Not me!

In the past 6 weeks I have started to do some research.  There are a lot of homes with that same bonus room/window set-up above the garage (and maybe now that I mention it, you will notice it yourself).  My research consisted of driving around and seeing what other people have done with said window.

My private research has shown that most leave that window uncovered.  It isn’t a room that you would need to block the world out of.  It also is a place that there is not enough light on a regular basis to make out anything but silhouettes of what is being stored, which is no big deal.

So I didn’t want to completely commit to uncovered windows after being covered for so many years, so I went up there and pulled the curtains all the way to the side so that they appeared uncovered from the outside.  And I have now been driving in and out of my garage and have a huge smile on my face because of how many years I have pondered this silly decision.

It is funny to me because this entire time I had always wanted to just replace the covering and change the look of it all and had never once, prior to just 6 weeks ago, ever even considered that idea.

I think it is funny how the mind works like that sometimes…it wants to replace every little thing in life instead of just getting rid of it altogether.  I have noticed this lately in my life as I am getting more minimalist (Mom, I never said I am a true minimalist, just better with less) with the things I have in my home all the way down to my wardrobe and shoes.  I do not have to replace stuff with more stuff, and so many times it just feels better to dump it than to add more.

I am super grateful for this new perspective.  I am also really grateful to have made a final decision and allowing full sunlight in that bonus room.  It is the silliest place to learn a life lesson, I had no idea I could learn so much from those lace curtains.

 

 

SUGAR

It starts with Halloween and ends with New Years Day….SUGAR, SUGAR EVERYWHERE!!!  Notably this is also considered “COLD AND FLU SEASON”.  Guess what?  Sugar is a major factor in decreased immune system function and when that happens, the “invaders” (viruses and bacteria) have a chance to take over.

Let’s learn some physiology…Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Sugar
White blood cells are a HUGE PART of your functional immune system.  They travel through the body and convene around areas of “invaders” and do some clean-up work.  White blood cells need Vitamin C in order to activate and do their job of phagocytosis (in essence “eating up”) of the viruses and bacteria.  Sugar and Vitamin C have a very similar structure and compete for the same activation/binding site on the white blood cells.  If sugar is around, Vitamin C doesn’t get to do its normal work and your immune system becomes compromised.  When you decide to eat sugar, you can think of your immune system becoming a slug and slowing down to a crawl…every year…around this same time and going all the way through the New Year.

Certain minerals are required in order to process the sugar you eat.  Because refined sugar doesn’t contain those minerals, chronic ingestion of sugar can lead to depleted levels of essential minerals in the body which creates further problems and compromises health.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO KEEP A STRONG IMMUNE SYSTEM?  
Great question!!!  Let’s take this little bit of awareness in to this holiday season and see how making a few better choices in what you put on your plate and in your mouth can have a drastic effect on your energy levels and immune system function.

WAYS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM: Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Adjustment

  • Drink lots of water
  • Eat your vegetables
  • Get plenty of rest
  • Exercise/move your body daily
  • Take your vitamins
  • Steer clear of sugar
  • Steer clear of alcohol
  • Keep up with your regular chiropractic care
  • Get outside for some fresh air
  • Laugh often and take some time to play
  • Keep a positive mental attitude

The nerve system and immune system are interconnected (some will say they are the same – neuroimmuno system).  When the nerve system is compromised, so is the immune system.  REGULAR CHIROPRACTIC CARE will help maximize your potential for health by keeping your nerve system clear and your immune system strong.  Swing in to the Café of LIFE Chiropractic Center!  We would love to help you and your family have a wonderful, HEALTHFUL holiday season!!!

 

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE

Welcome to the future!!!

Do you remember 1985 when the movie “Back to the Future” came out?  I was quite young at that point however it was an age that I can remember life and some of the specifics.

The main thing I remember is thinking that the date they were heading to in their time machine seemed like it was so far away!!  “That is forever from now!” I thought.

I also remember being in first grade and our neighbors were in fifth grade and I thought that was so old and thinking the moment I graduated from Fenton High School that my life was over.Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Back to the Future

When we are young, it seems like those things are so far off, however here we are today!!!

When I think back to 1985, I was 8 years old and in third grade at State Road Elementary.  Life was simple back then and school came easy for me.  I remember some of the most stressful things happening on a daily basis would be deciding between pizza or a cheeseburger for lunch and that was it.  I remember wearing parachute pants (because I would only wear clothes my older brother wore first) and always being one of the only girls on the soccer field for recess every single day.

The span of life between then and today “the future” has been quite an adventure.  I obviously finished and graduated from Fenton High School, went on to Michigan State, transferred to Boise State University and finally graduated with my bachelors degree from University of Alaska in Anchorage.  I started my doctorate at Life University in Atalanta, GA and finished at Sherman College in Spartanburg, SC.

During that time, I married and divorced, I lived in many places all over the country, studied my little heart out and moved home to open my practice.  Since then I have started a business, traveled to many parts of the world, been on a mission trip, ran a marathon and many half-marathons, completed triathlons, been on numerous dates, bought a condo and then a home.   I became an aunt.  I have nieces and nephews I have watched grow and have helped them learn about their world, adjusted thousands and thousands of people, made money, lost money and made investments.  I have been diagnosed with a heart condition but otherwise have had good health.  I have added many friends and lost a few, added many family members and lost a few of those too.

A LOT has happened from that time to now!

Sometimes life can feel as if it is not moving and nothing is getting accomplished.  But if you really stop what you are doing right now and see if you can remember back to the time while watching that movie for a first time (I assume everyone has watched it, its such a classic), truly you have come so far and accomplished so much.  The good, the bad and the ugly, take a moment to have gratitude for all of it.  If it didn’t go the way you really wanted it to, then take another moment and figure out something you can you do from this point to make a change.  Instead of waiting to make a New Year’s Resolution, how about resolving to do something today that will change your trajectory in life?

There is no time like the present since today is “the future”.  Welcome to the future!

 

 

MY HOUSE

Many people are asking about my house.

Back in the beginning this year I wrote a blog called “I’m Not Crazy” about how, in spite of all kinds of different ideas and opinions everyone has about moving from a lake home, I had plans to sell my house.

I think it is so interesting how life works sometimes.

Very shortly following that final decision to sell, I met a really interesting man.  Most of you know that I have been single and dating for years, sometimes what seems like years and years.  This guy came into my life and just a couple weeks later I got a great offer on my home.  He and I were playing with the idea of keeping the house in case we Chiropractor Fenton Michigan My Housewent the distance together.  It was so early in our relationship that we really didn’t know much about our future.  It got down to the wire of having to counter the offer or take the house off the market.  As the minutes ticked by, I was in sheer panic trying to figure out if I should really sell and move on or keep it and stay put.

As the final minute to counter that offer approaches, I pulled the house off the market.  It was a heart-centered decision about my life I was ultimately really happy with my choice.  The couple that had made the offer came up with another offer meeting me half way from their original offer and the asking price.  My response remained “it is not on the market anymore.”  Then they came within $3,000 of full asking price…but I remained happy with my choice.

That particular gentleman and I didn’t end up going the distance.  However, months later, I am still so grateful for him being in my life at that moment when that decision needed to be made.

Today I sit and write to you while overlooking the lake.  It is fall and it is time to get the boats out of the water, roll up the docks, and batten down the hatches to take on Old Man Winter.  I face west and that unencumbered west winter wind is absolutely brutal from here most of the time.  I have a few new windows ordered to replace some old cabin windows, some insulation and other fall chores to be done and a new incredibly sweet handyman in my life ready and willing to help me tackle it all.  For all of that and so much more, I am grateful.

Life takes twists and turns and I have chosen that, instead of trying to force decisions, I can get quiet, look around, listen to my inner voice, check in with my heart and make that next step.

From what I mentioned above, I am sure your mind goes to the question of “Is that ‘incredibly sweet handyman’ going to be it for me?”  I can say one thing for sure…for right now, I am so very grateful for his presence in my life.  That is all I know.

Seems as soon as I try to make some sort of plan for my future; home, relationship or otherwise, I get blind-sided and spun around in a completely different direction.  For now, what I am certain about is that I am staying in my house.

When you look back on your life, can you see key moments and people or experiences that significantly changed the course of the path your life was moving on?  Boy, I do.  It is sometimes so hard to see through all the energy of the moment, however in retrospect it seems 20/20.  For now I will sit back in my house, breathe, have gratitude and trust the next move will be obvious when it needs to happen.

 

 

SWEET SWEET SEPTEMBER

As I was on a 3 mile walk near my home this evening, I was thinking I don’t know if I ever remember a sweeter September in Michigan than what we are experiencing this year.  I love the fall and am totally in love with this sweet, sweet September.

Do you remember ever having more sunshine than what we have had lately?  I think it has rained maybe a few hours total for this entire month.Chiropractor Fenton Michigan September

The nights are cool now, the mornings are crisp and it is so refreshing.

But there is so much more to this sweet sweet September than just the weather and I do not know many people who actually enjoy talking about the weather.

September marks a time of year when things begin to “normalize”.  Most of that is our schedules with school starting and getting the family back to some sort of “normal” routine.  Serving this community in my office, Cafe of LIFE Chiropractic, on a weekly basis magnifies so much of the community energy.  August, and the preparation for school to start, brings a frenzied energy.  There is always such anticipation about the year ahead and what it will bring.  So many questions run around in everyone’s head and it shows up in their physiology…Who will be my teacher this year? Will I have the right clothes?  I wonder if my friends will be in my class?  I wonder if I will get “that” student the other teachers are warning everyone about?  I wonder how my sports team will do?  .…all of these unknowns and so much more adds into the already heightened energy of August.

In the past, September has hit like a ton of bricks and it has often taken a long time for people to settle into their routines.  But this sweet sweet September feels very different. It feels like we were all ready for that shift back to routine and school and work.  Of course our busy schedules have brought October on us so quickly it is difficult to believe that will be next week.

And when speaking about sweet sweet September, we cannot forget about college football of course!  College football games are usually attended wearing lots of layers and drinking warm drinks…but not in September and especially not this September.  Beautiful, sunshine filled Saturdays at the football stadiums with the smells of fall in the air, does it get any sweeter than that?!?!

So as I am walking this evening and admiring absolutely everything about this beautiful place I call home, I am thinking to myself “I don’t remember a sweeter September than this one, and I am sure grateful to be awake and alive today to experience it!”

I certainly hope you have been able to get out and play in the sunshine with your families.  Within just a few weeks, winter will be moving in and I am definitely not banking on seeing another sweet sweet September quite like this one.  We get to live this one time…put some of those “have to’s” aside for a few more days and get out there and make the most of it!!!

 

 

TUESDAY MORNING

TUESDAY MORNING “COULD-DO” LIST:

  • Work out
  • Prepare food for the week
  • Read
  • BlogChiropractor Fenton Michigan Morning
  • Work on my book
  • Run errands for my personal life and the practice
  • Grocery shop
  • Practice piano
  • Rest
  • Laundry
  • Organize my home
  • Online courses
  • Marketing 
  • Breakfast with my mom
  • Visit my nieces and nephews
  • Snowboard
  • Yoga
  • Walk and catch up with friends

Many people have asked me what I am going to do with my Tuesday mornings since I will not be adjusting and serving my patients at the Cafe of LIFE.  The above is a list of normal things that I fall behind on during my regular week.  I have not had the balance I need to sustain my lifestyle and all the things that I need to make happen every single week.  I have been tired and if I really own up to what is happening for me, I am slowing down a little bit.  I can own that.  It truly is what’s happening.

6 months ago I began to have this hunch that life was getting out of balance.  I could feel it in my body and mind that it was a challenge to keep my energy levels up all week long.  I scoured my weekly activities trying to figure out what would be the very best, for both myself and the Cafe of LIFE, way to balance the week.  All of the hours at the Cafe of LIFE are busy and I wouldn’t want it any other way.  I then realized that Tuesday morning is really the only chance to take away from the Cafe without effecting anything happening there.  Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Tuesday Morning

It has been a challenging decision to actually step up and scratch those hours off our weekly schedule.  It has been a lot of internal turmoil.  Then, one day, I just decided I have to take a step forward into that new idea and present it to the practice.  I was concerned that there would be a lot of disappointment.

What I found is that there is a lot of support in this decision.  So many of you have stepped up and let me know how proud you are of me to take what time I need to keep it all balanced.  “It’s truly a win-win because you get more “you-time” on a weekly basis and we will get you and your service for many, many more years to come.”

That is truly a win-win.

So I have just set my alarm for tomorrow morning at 8:30 and instead of getting up and showering and proceeding on with my morning preparation rituals to get ready to serve my patients at 10, I am going to put on workout clothes and go and take a step class at my favorite gym.  Then I am going to come home and work on laundry and continuing education credits.  Then I am going to do some food preparation for the week and then shower and be so ready to serve you at 3pm.

Tuesday morning is going to take on a whole other feeling and purpose for me.  But because Tuesday morning will be redirected, Monday will be even more productive knowing I have a chance to catch up with myself on Tuesday morning.  Then Wednesday will roll around and I will have far more energy to get up and rock the morning out at the Cafe of LIFE at our usual 7:30am.  All of this with hopes that when I leave the office after a busy Thursday, I will have energy enough to go to the gym, bike or meet up with some friends.

My creative energy turns up high at night and so even though I do not have to work in the morning, I do need to finish this, shut the brain down and get in a good rhythm with my Monday nights so I can maximize the potential of Tuesday morning.

Good night!  See you tomorrow at 3pm!

LIVING FULLY

To me, living fully is the most important concept in running my daily life.

If I get an invite somewhere, I take it.

If I get an opportunity to do something, I say yes and make it happen.

If I have an idea, I try it on and see if I can make it work.

To live fully is to take every opportunity to say “yes” and explore life!

When we got orders to go to Anchorage, Alaska, the decision was literally made on a “why not?” philosophy.  Why would we go?  Why not!  I have to tell you it was one of the most incredible experiences that has shaped my entire life from that point forward.  Going back to revisit was amazing.

Humans get involved in analysis paralysis, stuck in our thoughts and in our heads.  We think too much and it stunts our movement forward.  I want to challenge you when the next opportunity presents itself, see if you can answer it with a “YES!” instead of thinking too much (of course as long as it is safe and reasonable).  Take the opportunities that help us live fully.  We only get once chance to live this life.  Let me know how it goes!

 

UPDATING THIS INCREDIBLE STORY

I have to update you on this incredible story.

Do you remember my beautiful cousin, Danielle (My First Best Friend) and her husband Scott?  Well it has been over a year and I have to share this beautiful clip with you.

Videos tell the best stories.

She is so inspiring.

He is so inspiring.

They love they share is so inspiring.

 

I hope you found a little smile, a little bit of joy and maybe some hope for your day, your family and your life.

What an incredible story!

 

 

 

 

RETURNING TO ALASKA

A return trip to Alaska has been on my list for a few years now.  As many of you know, I lived in Anchorage, Alaska for 3.5 years.  Though I am a Michigan State University fan through and through and began my undergraduate degree at MSU, my true Alma Mater is University of Alaska Anchorage.Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Denali 2

I moved to Anchorage in 1998.  I left to pursue my doctorate degree in 2001 and this was my first chance to get back there to explore that beautiful state.

When I look back to 14-17 years ago, I hardly recognize who I was at that point in my life.  So much has changed in my entire being, that truly feels like a completely different lifetime.

Stepping off the plane and driving from the airport to our hotel was surreal.  All the little neurons that hold memories of that place started to fire in my mind.  I could remember some streets, but not all of them.  I could remember the layout of the city, but still needed a map.  It was such a familiar place yet so far away and removed that it had a really cool and new feeling to me.

Our first stop was University of Alaska campus.  When I lived there, I wore very different clothing.  All of my logo wear from UAA was oversized hoodie sweatshirts and I needed to update some of those pieces.  Being back on Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Denali 1campus was surreal.  I completed 3.5 years on that campus but it was so foreign to me.  Did I even go here???  3.5 years of my life is a long time, long enough to have traveled that campus by foot to and from class over and over and over again, it seems like I should remember something.  It was like being in the twilight zone and being in a place I had never been before.

I decided to purchase an alumni license plate cover so that I can see it on a daily basis as a reminder of that era of my life.Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Denali 3

Completing that visit to campus, we heading out towards the mountains.  Our destination was Denali National Park.  The drive was incredible; the mountains, the water, the scenery, the music in the car, the conversation, the memories, the company, all of it.  It was so great to be back.

The days are long in Alaska this time of year.  In fact, the days never end once you get far enough north.  The sun sets but it never gets dark and I am not sure it actually sets as much as it tucks behind the mountains for a few hours.

The next day we took a 12 hour bus ride into Denali National Park.  If you ever go there, you can only drive your car 15 miles in.  Anything beyond that, you have to get on a shuttle bus.  When you go, get on one of those buses because there is so much more to see out there beyond 15 miles, that is just the tip of the iceberg.

The day finished with a hike to our campsite.  I think the hike was a little over a mile, or 2 miles or more miles if you take the wrong path.  Yup, absolutely found that out through experience.

I am renewed and refreshed in the mountains.  I am renewed and refreshed with lots of hugs.  I got a lot of both of those things by the second day of vacation.

My return to Alaska was such a tremendous experience.  The lessons are trickling through my days as this week has gone by.  Pictures do not do the place justice…but I tried.  Stay tuned, I have a lot more to share.

 

 

I THINK I CAN

I headed over to Grand Rapids a few weekends ago to watch my friend run the River Bank 25K.  He is not used to someone being interested enough in the road race scene to want to travel the distance to sit for a couple of hours and watch.  What he is learning is that I am interested, however, I am not going to just sit and watch.  There was a 5K and a 10K option for that morning and I figured I could easily pull one of those off.

You all know that I run for medals.  I don’t always need a participation medal when I am finish a long distance race…wait, yes I do.  I knew there was a rather large and fancy medal involved for the 25K, that is 15.5 miles and kind of a big deal!  Maybe I could finish that distance?  “I think I can.”  The seed of “25K finisher possibility” was planted and my mission became to find out if there was a medal for 5K and 10K participants, and if so, how big?

Chiropractor Fenton Michigan 25K finish 2We walked around the expo and picked up his number.  They were still taking registrations for all 3 races however I found out that the 5K and the 10K finished with an “oversized lapel pin”.  I am not sure what size “oversize” is but I did know that the 25K medal, if I could finish it, would be totally worth the trip to the west side of the state, and the seed of “25k finisher possibility” started to grow.

So I sat down to fill out the registration form and since the seed had been planted and was growing, when it got to the place that I had to check the box for which race I was going to run, I checked the 25K box.   I figured there is a chance that I cannot finish that distance.  There is also a really good chance that I COULD finish it and HUGE PAYOFF of getting to sport that medal around my neck for the rest of the day.  “I think I can.”  I have run a marathon, many half-marathons (13.1 miles) including one last fall, however the longest distance I had recently run was only 6 miles.

I was nervous.  I was very, very nervous.  My friend and I started the race together and I told him “I am pretty sure I am in over my head right now.”  He looked over at me and said “I bet you will surprise yourself.  See you at the finish line.”

So I started.   “I think I can.”

And I kept going.   “I think I can.”

And going.  “I think I can.”

And going.   “I think I can.”

The miles were ticking down.  The 11-minute-mile pacers passed me at mile 8.  From that point I was determined not to let the 12-minute-mile pacers pass me no matter what.

At mile 12, just when I thought I couldn’t go on anymore, I saw a woman running with a metal stick in her hand.  When I looked closer, I realized it was the 12-minute-mile pacing group.  They were not going to pass me.  I would run with them but they are not passing me.  That is just the simple facts here, they are not passing me.  “I think I can.”Chiropractor Fenton Micighan 25K finish 1

I allowed my strides to be determined by the woman holding that sign.  She was one of the most excited and upbeat people I had seen all day and I was so very grateful for her enthusiasm.  I needed it.

If you have ever run that particular race, it finishes in the downtown area with an uphill section leading to the finish line.  There are moments in all of my long distance running that I find myself in tears of gratitude just for the simple fact that my body allows me to do something like that.  I got to that hill and that tears-of-gratitude point all at the same time and I began to hyperventilate.  I am running and training almost everyday, but was in awe and disbelief that I could run 15.5 miles with so little long-distance training (this is not something I recommend) and feel good.  The hyperventilation forced me to slow my pace and lose that 12 minute group but I could see the word “finish” stretched across the street so I just let go.  “I can.”

Finishing that race is a really proud moment in my life.  Overcoming the limitations of what I think I can’t do is a big deal to me and is what makes life so rich.  We have to brush up against our limitations in order to really push them and having those 2 phrases “I bet you will surprise yourself.” and “See you at the finish line.” are just what I needed to make that happen that day.

I want to leave you with a question…What limitations have you put on yourself and have you ever tested to see if they are accurate?

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.”  -Henry Ford

I think I can.