Fenton chiropractor – Page 16 – We Only Get One Chance

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!

TRIPS AROUND THE SUN

I am in the process of finishing another trip around the sun. I have done quite a few of them; a lot less than some people and a lot more than others.

Every year brings new adventures and every year around this time I sit down and check in with myself and evaluate where I have been, where it is that I still want to go and how I am going to get there.

Sometimes during this evaluation process, I run right into an enormous mountain of “shoulds”…I SHOULD have done this by now, I SHOULD have done that by now, I SHOULD be more like this or that, I should…I should…I should.

But if ever the comment of “I SHOULD” comes up, it is usually followed by a non-truth. If it is true that I SHOULD be married by now, for example, then no doubt that would have happened. If something really and truly SHOULD be happening right now, then it WOULD be. Whatever is happening is exactly what is supposed to be happening because that IS what’s happening. There is no reason to struggle with any other idea, any other false belief about what is going on in life.

So instead, I choose to set a different intention and look in the direction I want to go, look ahead and step into that. This year, I am choosing to find a little more peace and quiet in my mind and my being. I will continue to move in the direction of being as healthy as I possibly can be. I look forward to some travel, a lot of learning and spending time dreaming. I look forward to meeting new friends, stepping into the unknown just to see what happens and continue to connect with others by getting involved in more rich, rewarding experiences.

I have to say that this birthday is officially just a little less fun than last year. I have turned a corner with the number of trips I have taken around the sun…and the number is making me have a teeny, tiny panic attack, a little tiny freak out session on the inside. I expected that feeling to begin to happen at some point…

Time will pass no matter what…and all too quickly. As I am writing this, I am reminded of this sweet little clip about how we are “spending our dash”. Take a moment…

So I am doing my best to get the most out of my “dash”. I am living the best way I know how and learning as much as I can. Birthdays are just birthdays and the day comes and goes quickly. I believe it is even more beneficial to set a little time aside each day or week during our trips to have a small little celebration because there is an awful lot of juice to be squeezed out of each trip around the sun!

AM I REALLY LIVING?

I physically connect with a few hundred different people per week through service at my chiropractic office Cafe of LIFE, my book club, the gym, the yoga studio and other things that I am involved in. A large portion of those people are connected with me through Facebook as well and I make a conscious effort to share my life experiences along the way through that medium. I get a lot of feedback and people say things like “Wow! You are all over the map!”, or “You are so free and do so many things!” or “You are always doing something fun.” or…well you get the picture. I absolutely live a blessed life and am always trying to be involved in rich, rewarding experiences. But am I REALLY living?

You may ask yourself, “what exactly does she mean ‘REALLY living’?”

I was reading a book about 3 weeks ago which presented this new-to-me concept of what it means to REALLY LIFE life. To REALLY LIVE life, I need to find myself stepping outside my comfort zone so that I can expand my ideas, concepts and limitations so that I may continue to grow and evolve.

I spend a lot of time by myself and I love going on adventures and make it a point to look at most experiences as great adventures…but lately I am asking myself, how adventurous am I really?

I have a lot of free time and sometimes I will see an event posted somewhere that I think will be really fun to attend, I have the time free and I really want to go…but I hold back because I don’t want to be the one to show up alone. “What will people think if I am there by myself?” “What if all the seats are in pairs and I am sitting there with an empty seat next to me?” “What if everyone is talking in groups and no one wants to strike up a conversation with me and so I awkwardly stand off to the side alone?” “If only I could find a friend to go with me and I will be comfortable.”

I also come across events happening in places I have never been and I am held back from going by thoughts like “How am I going to be able to navigate traffic and parking?” “What if I have the wrong shoes and end up having to walk a long distance?” “What if I don’t want to participate once I arrive?” “What if it is a really bad experience?”

If I only participate in events that I know exactly what is happening when I get there and who will be in attendance…am I REALLY living? If all the details are already known, and everything plays out as anticipated, how am I going to grow, expand and evolve from that experience?

When I heard this idea, just 3 weeks ago, that maybe I was not REALLY living, I vowed to myself that if something came up that I really wanted to do, and I couldn’t find anyone else who could or would want to go, then I will still go anyway. I will show up alone, to unknown places, and unknown people and get involved in activities that I do not know all the details ahead of time just to see what will happen and how it will pan out. Why not? I have nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to gain!

So I have started…I began with a new yoga studio that I had heard about and have wanted to try for some time now…and ended up having the most intense and amazing yoga experience of my life thus far. While I was at that class, I was inspired to attend a class at the same location just a couple days later that turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences of live music and yoga I have been involved in thus far. So now that I have had such great reward from stepping outside my usual and customary routine in life, I am inspired to do so much more…and I can tell this is going to snowball since I have only lived in this new thinking pattern for 3 weeks…which is a really great thing and gets me even more jazzed up about life than I already was so WATCH OUT WORLD!!!!

I am looking forward to more great adventures and trust me, when they present themselves…I am jumping because I AM REALLY LIVING THIS LIFE!!!! Do you have a recent story that helps you relate to the idea of REALLY living life? I would love if you would share and be an inspiration for me and others to keep stepping outside our comfort zone, since that is where life happens. We only get one chance…

RE-DIPPED

I have been traveling a lot in the past 2 months…some for family, some for fun with friends and a trip to get, what a lot of us in the chiropractic profession call,”re-dipped”.

There is a phenomenal chiropractic seminar in California called Cal Jam that I am able to attend for continuing education and license renewal. There are seminars all over the country, even some really close to home, however I choose to go and spend my time with the best of the best and have sought out a couple venues to keep on my regular schedule every year.

Cal Jam always exceeds expectations and this year was no exception.

Some of my nearest and dearest friends and I all decided we would meet there this year, get hotel rooms together and be able to spend some time catching up in between listening to the speakers.

Chiropractors are kind of a strange breed to begin with. We have some really “wacky” ideas about the body’s incredible ability to heal, a philosophy that guides our profession and gives us framework for life, living and all things natural, we help people through the use of our hands, we practice what we preach and most of us absolutely love what we do. Put a few thousand of us in one huge theater, add in a little music, and the positive energy is palpable. For me, add to that some of my nearest and dearest friends, that also love what I love, and I feel revitalized, rejuvenated, re-energized…”re-dipped”.

The line-up of speakers was top notch; Joe Dispenza, Brenden Burchard, Garrett Gunderson, Jeanne Ohm, Barbara Loe Fisher just to name a few…some of the greatest in the profession and others that present on topics that compliment our profession.

When the days come to an end, we gather as groups and invade the local restaurant scene to “talk it down”. Our conversations range from the topics the speakers have presented, how our practices are going, business and money matters, family, travel plans, matters of the heart and so on. There is often roaring laughter coming from these conversations and in a small way, that positive energy that was palpable during the day flows out the doors of the theater, down the streets and into the local establishments.

Have you ever been around positive energy and felt your energy lift? I assume we have a small effect on the wait staff that is serving us, the bar tenders that are pouring the wine and maybe even the people that are sitting around the tables next to ours…or maybe it is bigger than we think…Really tune into this YouTube clip around the 2:20 minute mark…she happens to be one of the people sitting at one of the restaurants while I was there last week.

“They look very happy, that’s all I know…” she says. I just love this glimpse into what kind of effects are happening due to positive energy. Happiness is contagious…being positive is contagious. Give it a try sometime.

I love to travel. Actually the process of getting to a place is not very glamorous with packing bags, driving to the airport, making it on time, lugging heavy suitcases around, dealing with security, sitting on the plane next to strangers for long hours, finding the rental car place, dealing with getting all the way to the destination, checking in…none of that is what I would call “fun”.

However having a change of scenery, seeing new places, learning new things, meeting new people, exploring new areas both physically and mentally…I FREAKIN’ LIVE FOR THAT!!! Something about all of that gives me a fresh start almost like pressing a “reset” button. Then when it has anything to do with the profession that I love so much, with people that love what I love, and the philosophy that I live in, there is nothing better than getting “re-dipped” and returning home to serve at a higher level. And yes, yes we are all really, really happy.

YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE…

THE WALL

What came to mind when you saw the name of this blog post, “The Wall”? A WALL of your room? Pink Floyd? The Great WALL of China? The WALL endurance runners hit? The Vietnam Veterans Memorial WALL? The Berlin WALL? Hitting a WALL in a relationship? Do you WALL off your heart to protect it from the world? Do you put up a WALL and block out new ideas? Maybe an idea is off the WALL?

There are many places in life where we may encounter a WALL, in fact if you look around you right now, I would bet there may be a WALL (or 4) somewhere close to you.

After my trip to Belize, I have an entirely new concept of a WALL. The island of Long Caye, where I spent my week, is situated about 100 yards from a tectonic plate. Tectonic plates are location on the Earth where there is large-scale shifts in the surface of the land. Many plates are underwater and create drop-offs, or cliffs, in the ocean floor.

At this particular location there is a 3,000 foot WALL (or cliff) due to the tectonic plate activity. There is a diving camp, Off the Wall Dive Center, that shares the island with Slickrock Adventures (the group I was with), and though I do not SCUBA due to my heart condition, there is world class diving within just a 5 minute boat ride from the island along this WALL. During the week, the dive center staff would come over and share information about their dive trips and offer us a chance to dive if certified. Hearing about “THE WALL” all week, I was beyond intrigued to have a chance to check it out.

On Thursday, I finally got my chance.

During lunch, our trip leader offered a “swim snorkel” trip around the island to those who consider themselves “good swimmers”. We were signing up for roughly a 2 hour swim experience so it was not a small commitment when you said “ok” to this option for the afternoon.

We got in the water around 2pm, swim suit, rash guard, neoprene shirt for warmth since we would be in the water for an extended period, booties, sun screen, snorkel and fins. The beginning of the journey took us over huge swells and through rough water as we freed ourselves from the protection of the island. I had my face down in the water most of the time watching the fan corral at the bottom as it swayed to the rhythm of the waves and current…absolutely beautiful.

We got through the rough water and things began to soften up on the surface as the ocean floor opened up to an expansive stretch of sand flats. The view was breathtaking and reminded me of the most beautiful snowy mountainside with slopes of fresh powder. The sand flats were sprinkled with sand dollars as we swam over from about 40 feet above. I did a little bit of free diving however there was so much beauty from the surface that it wasn’t really necessary to take a closer look.

As we continued on our swim there was a drastic change in the ocean floor from sand, to corral for about 10 yards, to the deepest, darkest navy blue abyss. With the beautiful colors, the textures of all the corrals, wildlife present and the deep blue nothing that goes on forever…it was hands down, the most magnificent thing I have ever seen in my life.

Something happens to me when I put my head into the water to swim; in the ocean, lake or even in the pool. There is a silence that is so peaceful and comforting underwater. When I arrived on the island a few days before, we immediately went on our first adventure. I put my mask and snorkel on and stuck my head underwater and instantly went into a trance. Our snorkel trips were always guided by a staff member. During the first trip, there were many moments when I was wandering off from the group, unknowingly until I raised my head up and could hear them calling to me from a distance. The beauty was breathtaking and I was in my own little world.

In the shallow water I was awe-struck…so swimming above this cliff was real treat. The experience was so overwhelming that I was brought to tears and had to take a moment with my head above water to re-gain composure. The rest of the group of 5 continued to swim along as usual.

I am not sure why such strong emotions came up for me. It could have been because the week was so amazing, my heart was so open and I was able to play and be free like a child. It could have been because of the physical energy of the Earth at that location takes a major shift and quite possibly I could feel that in some way at that moment. It could have been the sheer beautiful of the scene in front of me. I could have been so many things…it was one of those moments that I had such pure, raw gratitude for my amazing life that my body’s expression was tears. Whatever it was that bubbled up for me in that moment, there really are not words that can express it fully. What I am certain about is that was an experience I will remember for the rest of my life and it will forever expand my concept of what a “WALL” is for me.

I face many WALLS as I journey through my life…because I push myself physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally on a regular basis to find my limits, to find where my WALLS are. From time to time, the WALLS that I hit seem insurmountable and may be an indication that I need to back up and reconsider my course. Sometimes a WALL gives me good reason to turn around. Sometimes its presence inspires me to find a way to get up and over it. Sometimes it means that I need to figure out the first step to disassembling it…and other times I just need to sit back and enjoy the view as I soar high above it.

I hope I have done this WALL some justice describing it to you through the written word. If not, I have an even better idea…plan a trip to go and witness it for yourself! We only get one chance at this life…do not let your “WALLS” hold you back!

BEAUTIFUL BELIZE

I am just getting home from one of the greatest vacations I have ever taken…to beautiful Belize. I want to share a little bit about the week with you so you can have an idea about the experience. There are a few specific blog posts that I will add after this one with more details.

The week started out with a 2:30AM wake-up at my home in order to make a 6:00AM flight in Detroit. Travel from Michigan to Belize is quite simple with just 2 short flights and I was there just after noon Central Time.

It is always dramatic to leave the snow here in Michigan and just 6 short hours later be somewhere tropical. I am amazed at air travel every time I do it. It is absolutely astounding how far you can get in such a short amount of time.

The first night was spent at a hotel in Belize City. Since I have been home, many people have asked me if I would recommend Belize for a vacation. I cannot honestly say whether I would or not. If you are going to the country of Belize, and if Belize City is a true representation of what the country is like (and I do not know if it is or not), I would maybe choose a different destination. If you are going to do something like the trip I was on (and I also have no idea if the trip really represents Belize), then ABSOLUTELY!!!

On Saturday morning we ate an early breakfast and we all piled onto the “Batfish” which is Slickrock’s vessel for transporting us to the island we will spend the week on. It was a relatively easy (you will see why I say “relative” later in this post) 3.5 hour boat trip.

80 degree weather, sun shining, head sticking out through one of the hatches in the roof of the boat, wind blowing, great people, teal water, completely unplugged, and a week long vacation still ahead of me – this is the final 30 minutes of the ride before we pulled up to Long Caye, the small island we would spend our week on. I will forever have that image and moment etched into my mind. It was one of those “tears of gratitude” moments in my life…which I seem to experience more and more of all the time.

I cannot do the week any justice by describing the details of it all but the days went something like this…wake up, teach a yoga class, swim, breakfast, rest, take a sea kayak to a snorkel site, snorkel, kayak back to the island, lunch, kite board lesson, kayak surf session, rum punch and appetizers, jump on handlebars of a bike and ride to other side of island to watch the sunset, change out of bathing suit to dry clothes for dinner, eat fabulous food with lots of green habanero hot sauce, have great conversation, adjust the staff members or other people on the trip, listen to an informative and entertaining lecture given by our tour director, a warm breeze on the walk back to the cabana, and falling asleep to the surf just down from the cabana which is more like a lean-to and doesn’t even necessitate 4 full walls. Wake up the next day and repeat.

The staff was absolutely amazing and little did we know, they were tracking an intense storm heading our direction all week. Even though the storm was getting pretty crazy, they didn’t relay that information to us until it was absolutely necessary, allowing us to stay unplugged from society.

A few of us ended up leaving the island a day early due to the impending storm and what it may do to our travel plans and the necessity to be home for work on Monday. The initial report was “a storm is going to hit tomorrow around 11. Please have your luggage ready and at the boat dock by 9.” At breakfast the next morning it changed to “eat quick, go get your bags packed, have them ready at 8, wear your foul weather gear, grab a life jacket, put it on and zip it up.” Ummm…ok.

The next hour and a half was spent bracing myself against the side of the boat and the

hull, with my back to the seas so that my hood would keep me dry, however mostly just so that I didn’t have the visual as the boat was rolling up and over swells bigger than it (this picture is taken as things eased up a lot). To say it was intense, is more than an understatement. Good news is that I lived to tell the tale and laughed though most of it because I just couldn’t believe it was happening in real life!

The crew of the boat, the staff and all that were involved really made the situation the best it
could have possibly been. In fact, when I look at all areas of my life, I realize that the experience itself is largely impacted more by who I am with, rather than where I am at.

I wasn’t ready to kiss the ground when we finally docked the boat…but I can see why people use that phrase.

Slickrock Adventures runs a top notch production down there in Belize. Not only did they give us the option to get off the island early if we needed to, they also provided us a tour of Lamanai Mayan Ruins the next day as part of our week and an amazing tour guide to share the story of the Ruins.

The flight home was a breeze on Sunday, I have recently learned to actually sleep on the plane and so I felt rested, rejuvenated and ready to take on my week back at Cafe of LIFE, my chiropractic office.

I live an amazingly blessed life and I feel fortunate to be able to take trips to places like beautiful Belize. I love my reality and am usually looking forward to returning to it, however, leaving Long Caye to come home, I have to say I thought about how amazing it would be to be able to call that everyday life. We only get one chance in this lifetime. Make sure you are where you want to be, doing what you want to do, or at least take breaks from your reality to have some awesome experiences. Life is really, really, really good.