Fenton chiropractor – Page 15 – We Only Get One Chance

FLYING

Every single time I am on a plane, I am amazed, thrilled and in awe of flight and flying. I have been on small Cessna planes in the past so going up in one was not a big deal for me this past Sunday…well until we left the ground and I knew I wasn’t going to be doing a usual “wheels down” kind of landing once I took off from the runway…and that is when the nerves kicked in.

I do not have a “bucket list” so to speak, however the concept of having a “bucket list” is so main-stream that as soon as I started telling people that I had signed up to jump out of a plane, that was the next phrase from their mouths, so I have just gone with it. I am fascinated by flight, flying and in this case, more like dropping.

The flight has been planned for over a month and as the time was drawing near, I could feel the intensity of my nerves increasing. I believe in LIVING this life FULLY and, as I have stated many times before, am always in the pursuit of RICH, REWARDING EXPERIENCES…that is how I ended up on that plane with a guy and a parachute strapped to my back.

There were a few other people getting ready to do their first jumps while I was there. I heard the woman working the desk tell one of the other nervous first-time jumpers “Those guys are skydiving (meaning the instructors), you are just going with them.” Very interesting perspective.

The instructors were amazing, especially the one I was jumping with. There was ample, clear instructions blended with just the right amount of comforting/encouragement/kick-you-in-the-pants dialogue going on.

When I am overwhelmed, my body goes into tears or hysterical laughter…on the plane ride up, I couldn’t hide my tears, he knew it and responded “You are going to make me feel bad if you are crying when I push you out of this plane.”

The plane slows down, the door pops open and I slide to the edge. We are facing the rear of the plane and the instructor puts his left leg out and foot on a step. Then it is my turn. I have to take both of my legs and swing them out and let them dangle while he finishes getting us ready. The plane is going 80mph at this point so the wind is enough to knock you right off (and if you watch the video link below, you can see me mouth expletives at that point).

He signals and I lean back into him, he wraps me up and out we go. It is nothing less than sheer terror sitting with my legs dangling outside the plane. The terror is because I have a decision to make, jump or don’t jump. Once the decision is made and we are out of the plane, it is easy. There is no turning back at that point. The only option is to let go, seriously, you can do nothing else.

As we are plummeting toward the Earth going 120mph, there are a few thoughts going through my head, however nothing is registering because ultimately nothing really matters at that moment. It is a moment that I have completely given up and given over trust to my instructor. Total trust…total faith…and mind you, he is a complete stranger to me. I think of all the reasons to be fearful of skydiving, becoming completely vulnerable to a stranger, and putting your life in their hands, is the scariest part. Somehow, he was able to take an incredible video, 400+ pictures and keep us safe all at the same time. That is some serious talent!!!

I am so glad I purchased the video and picture package: grateful for the video for very obvious reasons as seen below, but grateful for the pictures due to how much raw emotion is shown in my face…and then add in a 120mph wind and the face does some pretty funny things.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDi7nW_l_Pw[/youtube]

Since the jump, so many people have asked me if I will do it again. There are quite a few people in my life that will be less than thrilled if I do go, but if the time is right and the opportunity presents itself, I am all for it.

Getting outside our comfort zone is really where all the magic happens in life. Getting WAY OUTSIDE that comfort zone allows some true shifts to occur that will forever change us as individuals. I was terrified in that moment of sitting on the edge and dangling my feet. Because I made the next move, assisted by Josh, I am changed forever…in a good way.

The experience was such an amazing life lesson of trust, faith, vulnerability and letting go.

The question has come up a lot of “Did your stomach drop when you were in free fall?” It is so interesting because the plane is already going 80mph when I am hanging out of it. Then we drop at a speed of 120mph and there isn’t much of an actual feeling in the stomach…it truly felt like I was flying. I was heading downwards, but I could only really tell that due to me seeing the ground getting closer, there wasn’t a dropping sensation at all. And of course, once the parachute is out, it is just peaceful soaring the rest of the way to the ground.

My challenge for you…before the end of the year, check something off that bucket list of yours or at least set some plans in place to accomplish something in it next year. At the very least, step outside your comfort zone somewhere in your life. It is hard to predict what will happen, however dropping into it and letting go may very well turn into flying.

TEARS HELP

There are a few moments in life when there is so much internalized intensity that tears help. Just letting a small explosion come out of your tear ducts helps to alleviate the pressure of the current moment and the stress that is building.

I am a pretty sensitive gal and do my fair share of crying, though crying is not exactly what I am talking about, though I guess it would technically be what is happening.

This past weekend I re-visited Bower’s Harbor on Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City to compete (or rather complete) the Traverse City Triathlon again this year. I was signed up to do the same distance I did last year which is called a “Sprint” and consists of 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, and 3 mile run.

I had quite a bit if anxiety building up for about a month prior to the race last year due to the distance of the swim. This year I was much calmer…until the morning of.

I had a few friends accompany me in the race this year which included my Mom and step-dad. They had each done two shorter triathlons in the past and had been training and gearing up for a few months for this one. I think I was partially picking up on their nerves that morning as well and hoping and praying they had good experiences since I was the one that encouraged them to participate.
The 5:30AM wake-up time came all too early and we were grateful most of our gear was packed the evening before. The drive up to Old Mission took just over and hour from where we were staying. As the miles passed and the time ticked away, the most intense nervous/anxiety feeling started to brew inside me. No amount of deep breathing or meditation could contain this feeling. It could have possibly been the month-long anxiety from the year before all being packed into one single hour.

I had to come up with a strategy and chose to turn on some loud music and let it out somehow and that is when tears started streaming down my face. As I sat and watched my body do this, I checked into my thoughts to discover there was a little bit of fear creeping around in there…okay, it was sheer terror. Over what? Why such terror? Then I tapped in to the fact that this swimming thing never gets easier for me. I struggle and gasp for air due to my challenged heart and decreased ability to carry oxygen.

So I just let it flow and allowed myself to settle into the idea that the wet suit I was about to put on will keep me on top of the water no matter what and all I have to do is put one arm in front of the other and kick my legs. Tears help a lot in relieving that kind of tension.

We pulled up to the parking lot where we would unload our gear and head down to the starting line. My Mom walks over to me and says “I think I am going to throw up.” That didn’t help the nerves any however I was grateful to have had the avenue of release already figured out and felt better, though still super anxious.

The morning continued. I survived the swim easily this year. The race went well. I beat my time last year by 7 seconds…which I was happy about. At least I am consistent I guess. My hopes in doing these events is that my anxiety will diminish with each event and I can get to a place where I can thrive from the starting gates and focus on the event rather than being distracted with so much anxiety. 2 Sprints down, many many more to go.

Speaking of triathlon, I would like to mention one of my heroes that happens to be doing the Ironman Triathlon this coming Sunday. My cousin Kelley was born 2 years after I was and we grew up together. She has taken on endurance events over the years like it is a side job of hers and will be completing the ultimate endurance challenge ever…Ironman. The race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 110 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. I wish I could be there to witness this huge accomplishment in person but will be there in spirit. And I have to admit that during my race last Sunday, I thought about her and was grateful to not have that kind of a race ahead of me.

Bottom line…tears help. They do. There is a reason they are part of our physiological make-up and can really be used to our advantage from time to time.

MOVING MEDITATION

In the snowy months, I spend a lot of time on my snowboard. People often ask me why I like snowboarding so much and I respond to them, “It’s a moving mediation.” “Meditation?!?!?! Snowboarding seems like anything but meditative…seems so stressful!” they say.

If you have ever been on a snowboard, you will realize within just a few minutes that you need to be paying 100% of your attention to what you are doing…otherwise you will get in trouble quickly. It is a continuous process of looking about 10-15 feet ahead, choosing your line and executing. And for as long as you want to snowboard in a day, or over a number of days, it is the same thing…look ahead, choose a line and execute.

In that particular sequence of actions, there is absolutely no room for thoughts like “what’s for dinner?”, “I wonder what so-and-so thinks about me?”, “I can’t believe so-and-so said/did that at work yesterday.”, “When will those kids ever learn?”, “I wonder if the washing machine repair man is at the house yet or not.” It is one of the most “present-time” awareness activities that I experience in life, besides my work as a chiropractor when I am adjusting people, and taking a yoga class. It is truly a moving meditation.

I recently found the same thing happening on a mountain bike…and I AM THRILLED!!!! For years I have been a “Roadie‘ they call it in the cycling world…I ride a road bike, long distances on paved roads. For years, I have had friends try to convince me to get a mountain bike and check out that scene. For years, I would say things like “Trees are unforgiving.” or “Do you realize how important my body parts are to my work?” due to my (incorrect) assumption that every mountain biker hits trees on a regular basis.

Then recently I realized how many miles of dirt roads surround my home and how much biking I was missing out on because of only owning a road bike. So I succumbed to peer pressure and bought a mountain bike from Cyclefit (by the way, those guys are super helpful when you are ready to purchase your next set of wheels) to ride on dirt roads.

Then I succumbed to peer pressure again and hit the actual mountain bike trails, or “single track” in biking world lingo, for the first time last week.

Just a few minutes into the ride, I found myself doing that look 10-15 feet ahead, choose a line and execute thing that I do on my snowboard and living in 100% present-time consciousness. Little did I know, an hour and a half blew by like 10 minutes. I was climbing hills, dodging trees, flying through mud puddles, over bridges, over roots, cruising through sand pits. IT WAS A BLAST!!! …and when the ride was over, I couldn’t wait to go out and do it again.

With the madness of life and the crazy speed that the days/weeks/months/years fly by, my brain craves 100% present consciousness time more and more everyday…so naturally at this point that craving goes to mountain biking, which if one needs to have a “craving”, mountain biking is a good thing to choose. It is also adding one more thing to my list of activities to enjoy doing during this lifetime.

I may end up staying on that same trail for the rest of the summer. I do not plan on branching out much and risking anything and both times I have been there, although I know some of the elements and the technical areas of the trail, it seems like a whole new experience to me every time. Being in present-time moving meditation mode, allows life to always seem new and that is super exciting in and of itself. Happy pedaling!!!

PIANO

I am just finishing up my first handful of piano lessons and I have this aching feeling in my brain. Literally my brain hurts.

You know when you start a new workout program and the next day you get that “I just started a new workout” soreness…well that is exactly what it feels like.

I started an online course with a super phenomenal guy that is absolutely rocking a “CHARGED” life and one of the things he mentioned is to set some time aside to learn something new. When he said the phrase “learn something new” he meant REALLY learn something new and start firing some brain cells that have been sleeping for a while

I grew up with a piano in my home. It was a used piano from somewhere in the family and it ended up in our living room. I have always had a knack for playing music off sound and would spend some time on it trying to figure things out. To my mother’s dismay, I learned what the notes were called and proceeded to sharpie them in black lettering on the beautiful ivory keys…well how else was I supposed to get better at this????

I would never sit down and spend hours, but I did enjoy sitting from time to time and seeing what I could come up with. There is something so intriguing about those black and while keys and how such beautiful sounds come out of them.

In middle school, we were required to participate in choir or band…it was one or the other and I chose band. I played the saxophone, I was rather good (if I don’t say so myself) sat “first chair” for most of my time, and besides really enjoying making music, I also learned to read music.

Once horses and high school came around, musical instruments went to the wayside…well besides picking up a random recorder and belting out “Doe a Deer” from time to time.

My music hiatus came to an end during my time at University of Alaska, where I took one semester of piano class in conjunction with getting my bachelor’s degree. This class started with the basics and worked into playing with 2 hands, chords, melodies and all the rest of the stuff that came with it. My mind was bogged down with chemistry, physics and biology and that was a really nice right-brained thing to do to spice things up. I enjoyed it however I didn’t continue to play regularly and so I lost most of my skills to play and read.

Since I am over 8 years into my chiropractic practice now and, though I spend a lot of time reading books, attending seminars and continuing my education, I just had this feeling that my brain wanted another challenge to take me out of my usual and customary day. Then Mr. Burchard made a suggestion to “learn something new” and I called the local music studio the next week.

My teacher, Lisa Bayer, is amazing and wonderful and patient and very talented. I always feel like I need to have an excuse for why I am not grasping things as well as maybe I feel like I should, but she just looks at me and says “from one perfectionist to another, give yourself a break.”

So I try to “give myself a break”. That is not easy for me to do and then she sits down in the seat and plays the most beautiful rendition of “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beetles and all I can think is “If I am progressing this slowly, I wonder how many years it is going to take me to play something like that.” Then I turn around and look myself in the face and say “ERICA, GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK!!!!”

I am excited. I am excited to be able to sit down and read and play beautiful music, but I am also excited to just walk in the front door of the music studio and give it my best shot for the day. It is humbling, it truly is and so good on so many levels.

When I leave there after an hour and I feel like I am leaving the gym because my brain has had such a good workout…I innately know it is a good thing. I can feel areas and groups of neurons that are being dusted off, waking up, and getting re-oxygenated.

It is challenging to make those beautiful black and white keys sound like anything that resembles music however I love learning and the piano is fitting that bill right now. And before too long, I will post a video on here of me preforming my most beautiful rendition of “Here Comes The Sun”, you can mark my words. Have you learned anything new lately? Tell me a bit about what you are currently working on.

A TINY HOME

I have a very tiny home that I go to about 4 days a week. It is about 2 feet by 6 feet and is easy to transport and move from place to place. This tiny home is my yoga mat.

As I enter the yoga room, I always find myself gravitating to the same location on the floor. In one yoga studio is is one particular location, in another studio it is another spot and the third is still quite a different spot. There is a feel to the location in the room and is all very much part of my process.

I usually arrive early, sometimes 30 minutes early, because I want to be in that same spot. It may be a location where just a class or 2 before, I found myself staring at a ceiling tile and bursting out laughing. It may be a spot that just the day before, I left a huge puddle of tears on the floor. It may be a place that a week prior I had such an awesome flow and was really linked in to whomever was practicing next to me…either way there is a reason, and I cannot always put my finger on the why of my choice in locations.

When I arrive at the perfect place for my tiny home, I line my mat up perfectly parallel to the planks of the wood floor, fold my hand towel in half and put it near the top of my mat and find the ideal un-kick-able spot for my water bottle.

As I am laying on my mat waiting for class to start, I spend a little time observing others as they walk in to find their “spot” to set up their tiny home for the next 60-75 minutes of their lives. It is interesting the process they go through.

Some walk in confidently, drop their mat, roll it out, set up their water, climb on and lay down to meditate.

Others set up their tiny home, lay down, get back up and move to the opposite side of the room with a “something about the mojo of that spot isn’t quite right” tone to their walk.

Still others will stand by the door and survey the scene to decide their plot before making a move and others will stand and have a discussion with their friends about perfect location for their tiny homes.

There is such a magic to all the happenings. People arrive at different times for different reasons but one by one we all stake our claim to a 2 feet by 6 feet plot of wood floor to set up our tiny home and by the time class is about to start…it is all in perfect order.

The floor of the yoga room is covered in brightly colored mats of all shades, big towels, little towels, water bottles of all shapes, sizes and colors, and beautiful bodies of all shapes, sizes and colors that have found a “tiny home”.

The dance begins. The music fills the room. The sweat pours onto the mats. There is reckless abandonment during the flow…a vulnerability that you would only find if you were inside your own home and no one was watching. The bodies turn and twist into all kinds of shapes and forms and the energy is indescribable.

The classes I attend are taught with such incredible intensity that it sometimes takes everything I have to keep breathing just to make it through the next movement. When I am physically working that hard, there is no time to play with other thoughts in my mind and it is a 60-75 minute moving meditation. The only goal ever set out by the instructor is to “keep breathing and stay on your mat”, in other words…”stay in your tiny home”.

At the end, everyone lays down on their backs and melts into the floor. All the hard work, the physical, mental and emotional garbage has a chance to settle out and be absorbed by the floor of the tiny homes we have set up for ourselves.

When all is said and done, we all roll up our tiny homes and head out into the world. It is the feeling that has filled the body at that very moment that gets us all to come back time and time again for years.

Our tiny homes find their usual spot in the back seat or trunk of our vehicles waiting for the next 2 feet by 6 feet plot of wood floor in another yoga room to stake claim of next time the chance arises.

The tiny home that I go to on a regular basis, though exposed to the elements of the room and surrounded by people within inches, is a profound place of peace for me. I hope you have a place like that for yourself somewhere in your life as well. Namaste.

A ROSE

The rose is known for it’s beauty and energy. It is a symbol for “love and beauty” and different colors mean different things. I remember growing up, when I got a rose that was white, it meant something similar to the “like” button on Facebook, yellow meant “friendship” and red meant “love”. When roses were delivered in high school from someone, the color truly was significant…but the bottom line was everyone loves roses.

This evening I was having wine and a bite to eat with a friend, and since it was Mother’s Day, the restaurant was giving red roses out to all the females…basically making the assumption that they were mothers.

One of the servers at the restaurant taps me on the shoulder and says “Ma’am, would you like a rose?” Instantly, and based on my assumption that “roses are for mothers only” I said “No thank you. I don’t deserve one. I am not a mom.”

WOAH!!! HOLD YOUR HORSES!!!! …now all of a sudden I have made an assumption that in order to “deserve” a rose, to be “worthy” of receiving a rose from a random restaurant server, I must have birthed a child into this world or somehow married into a step-mother role.

When absolutely ridiculous statements like that fall out of my mouth, a HUGE red flag goes up indicating it is a good time for me to take a step back and evaluate where on Earth it came from.

The friend I was sitting with was just the perfect person to have this conversation with as he reminded me that I am worthy of a rose…and so much more. “You are like a palm tree in the North Pole…you give hope and you give life and put a smile on people’s faces”. “Leaders and movers in the world were never placed on a yacht in the Bahamas, they were always where hungry and thirsty souls are.” and “Bloom where you are planted.”

Thank you my dear friend.

So I took the rose and I placed it on my purse and it became the center of conversation and a focal point for the rest of the evening.

Have you looked at a rose lately? If you sit and are really present with a rose and you take the time to check out the intricacies of it’s structure…it is truly magnificent, a beautiful natural work of art. As I brought the rose up to my nose for a smell, I was taken back by the beauty of the layers and layers of pedals that created this amazing thing…and to think all of that came from a very small rosebud is absolutely astounding.

In its infant stages, all of that gorgeous structure was already planned and mapped out. A rosebud holds so much potential that is only expressed if it is nurtured and given what is necessary for growth. …and the same holds true for each one of us. There is such a magnificent, grand plan that will unfold in perfect timing and perfect beautiful structure if it is nurtured and given what is necessary for growth. And if you look around, you will find this is also true for everything around you.

So let the beauty of a rose remind you of your inborn, INNATE potential to be magnificent and grand and beautiful and loved. When you walk by the floral department in your local grocery, take a second glance at the beauty that is the rose in all of its gorgeous shades. But do more than that…pick one out of the group, buy it, take it home, put it in water and place it by your kitchen sink. Let it be your early morning reminder, your lunchtime reminder and your after dinner reminder of the beautiful potential that is you. Nurture that potential and give yourself what is necessary to grow…and then get busy blooming where you are planted.

MOMS

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there reading this. There are a few moms that I hang out with on a regular basis and of course one that is extra special to me…my own Mom.

I do not have children of my own at this point, and when I really think about it, I do not see how children fit into a life like mine…but my understanding is you just make it happen. I can’t imagine one child, much less four like my Mom had. Bless her for doing an amazing job with all of us and in retrospect, the simple fact that my brothers didn’t kill themselves or one another is absolutely a miracle in and of itself.

I could write on and on about the incredible human being that my Mom is however this picture sums it all up the very best and touched my soul at such a deep level I instantly burst into tears…

LET THE SUN SHINE IN

As I walk around enjoying an outdoor music festival today, I realize how much the sun effects people, especially in this part of the country. We had a long, cold winter and it is now time to let the sun shine in!!!

It is a perfect, beautiful day to spend time outside listening to music. The Waterhill Music Festival is a sweet little festival where all kinds of bands and artists perform from the front porches of homes within a neighborhood as a whole slew of people walk the streets. People are happy. They have shed layers of clothing in exchange for sunglasses and smiles and the energy is amazing.

I am fortunate to spend the afternoon with a few of my most favorite gals and we catch each other up on life as we lay in the grass listing to live music.

We dance around a may pole, do lots of people-watching and enjoy a little bit of dancing ourselves.

Last summer I got a convertible…well sort of a convertible. I have a Jeep Wrangler and it is really simple to removed the tops directly over the front seats and let the sun shine in while driving. The tops have been off for about three days already and the next few look sunny and 70s as well…which automatically means that there is going to be a super happy undertone to everything that happens this week! I had no idea about the joy a convertible brings but am slowly realizing that there are some really sweet moments created by mixing loud music, sunshine, a breeze and a long country road.

I took the long way to get to Ann Arbor today driving all back country roads. What would normally take forty minutes to drive on the expressway, took almost two hours…but the time was absolutely blissful. Sometimes there isn’t much that is better than taking the long way just for the sake of taking a long drive.

Spring is a happy time, a time for growth and renewal, and it is palpable in the people that I have been hanging around…those that I know and so many strangers that I shared the sidewalk with today at the music festival. It is a bustling evening here in Ann Arbor, definitely a great sign of spring and It is absolutely time to let the sun shine in to your life!!!

MY REASON

There are so many reasons why I love being a chiropractor. This is one of my reasons and a testimonial that I gather my strength from to press on…no matter what! It ran across my desk the other day and I wanted to share it with you.

“Our son Benjamin was born on July of 2004. His traumatic birth resulted in lack of oxygen to his brain and he suffered microcephaly and severe cerebral palsy. This condition would cause him severe muscle tightness and spasms which were uncontrollable.

Many medications were available to us to give Benjamin relief from the tightness in his muscles. But we didn’t want him to be constantly lethargic and sleepy. We were told his time would be limited so we looked for the best alternatives to medication so he could enjoy his life to the fullest.

In our search for alternative methods to keep our Benjamin comfortable, Dr. Erica Peabody was recommended for chiropractic care. Her warm personality and gentle approach impressed us immensely. From the first adjustment Benjamin was able to sleep better and some of the muscle tightness lessened. His constant arching (a result of his cerebral palsy) also lessened. When he was being adjusted he almost always had a smile on his face. He couldn’t speak but we knew when he was smiling that life was pretty good for him.

So we began our weekly visits to Dr. Peabody. We traveled an hour and a half each way to see her. We always looked forward to our visits each Wednesday because we knew they would provide Benjamin much needed relief and he would almost always sleep the remainder of the day because he was finally able to relax. Our only obstacle was that we were so far away that we could only make one visit a week.

Benjamin passed away on October 7, 2008, at the age of 4, as a result of his medical condition. We were so thankful that we were able to have Dr. Peabody in his life, if only for a short time. She gave him the care and relief from his condition that the medical community could only provide with medication.

Handicapped children cannot always tell us how they feel. For Benjamin, his inability to speak or tell us how he was feeling was definitely a concern to us. When we chose chiropractic, his change in his overall condition and personality (to a much happier child) let us know we definitely made the right choice.

Dr. Erica Peabody’s care for Benjamin has made a very positive influence in Benjamin’s life as well as in the life of our family. Because of Erica’s care for Benjamin, our 20 year old son has decided to follow in her footsteps, and is now attending Life University to become a chiropractor so he can help children such as Benjamin to live a happier, more comfortable life.

When we were leaving the hospital on the day of Benjamin’s passing, our doctor comforted us by saying that we did “everything” to help our son in his short life. By adding chiropractic to his care, we know that we did indeed do everything to make his life the best that it could possibly have been.

Thank you Dr. Erica, for making a difference in Benjamin’s life.”

I keep this and other testimonials close to me and close to my heart. It reminds me of my reason for what I do and gives me strength to keep spreading the message about chiropractic care and the body’s ability to heal and grow. This is not a “miracle” story in the way you would think of miraculous healing and stories of healing from certain medical conditions. It is however a miracle to that little boy and his family…a very small miracle that changed his and their world. I am in awe daily and grateful always to have chosen this profession.

EARTH DAY CLEANUP 2013

Come join us for EARTH DAY CLEANUP 2013!!! We need all the help we can get!!! May 4th…details on the flyer!