Category: Fenton chiropractor

LIFE IS A ROLLER COASTER

It’s been quite a few years since I rode a roller coaster.  I had dinner with a friend the other night and they had mentioned that Cedar Point http://www.cedarpoint.com has a new “fast pass” that makes the day so much more enjoyable with faster lines.  There is a behind the scenes entrance to all the major rides and when people are waiting 1-2 hours for a ride, this “fast pass” line takes about 20 minutes.  It is over double the price of a normal ticket but worth every penny!

From the Front Seat
Front Seat of Maverick

Once I decided to go and roped a friend to go with me, my goal was to ride a couple of my favorite roller coasters, the Maverick and the Millennium Force, all day long…and that is exactly what we did.  I love both of these roller coasters for different reasons.  Millennium Force is just plain HUGE and really fast, rising to 310 feet, 80 degree drop, and traveling at 93 miles per hour.  The Maverick is a totally different beast and travels a mere 70mph but is full of twists and turns and tunnels and is meant to mimic a rodeo. 

The lines moved so quickly it was actually worth waiting a couple extra minutes to ride in the front seat of the Maverick.  It is a game changer to experience that ride from the front seat.  You get to see everything first hand and shooting up and over a hill with a 95 degree drop (more than vertical) really gets the butterflies and adrenaline moving!  From there it is up and over another hill, twist one way, twist the other, over, under and around for about 2 min 30 sec.  In the middle there is a pitch black tunnel that you come to a complete stop in.  Anxiety builds while sitting in the dark waiting for the next phase. You are then blasted through and out of the tunnel and twist one way, then then other, over under and around again until you come to a complete stop at the end.  Go try it sometime…it is a wild rush!

Of course as I am riding this ride over and over, I am thinking about how it relates to life.  Life has its ups and downs.  As soon as we are up, we are down, and when we reach the bottom, we are already heading back up.  Life twists one way, we make a correction and it twists the other way.  We get over things, we feel pinned down under things.  Just when we have given up and stop to close our eyes and reflect, it is time to open them back up as we are slingshot out of a dark tunnel and more ups and downs and twists and turns.  WOW!!!

So what are we supposed to do?  How can we gracefully maneuver this ride called LIFE?  When I get in line for these roller coasters, I am nervous every single time.  I don’t care if I rode that ride 3 times already that day, I am still nervous when I strap myself in.  I bank on the fact that there are loads of people, on a daily basis, making it to the end alive and well.  I realize if I am strapped into the seat correctly, I have a really good chance of making it safely.

This idea doesn’t work quite so easily and readily for real life because there are no seats, harnesses or seat belts.  I relate the harness and seat belt to our ideas and concepts about the world and the seat is the solid foundation we build on.  If we figure out what our core values are, keep a positive attitude, and keep laying down a good, solid foundation, we will make it through the ups and downs and twists and turns quite gracefully.

When you get a chance to take a wild ride on a roller coaster, DO IT!  When you realize your own life is the roller coaster, EMBRACE IT!  Have some fun with it and know that if you have employed the proper harness and seat belt, though its not possible to come out of life alive (that is just against the rules), we can have an enjoyable ride!

Can you relate?  Have you been on a wild ride, either literally or figuratively?  I would love to hear your stories!

LIFE MOVES ON

This past weekend I felt very blessed to reconnect with some good friends of mine after years of being apart.  As many of you know, I got married when I was 19 years old.  I know, I know…what on Earth was I thinking, right?   I sometimes laugh when people tell me they get the impression that I have my life together.  All I have to say to that is you should have seen me when I was 19!!!  The difference between then and now is that at 19 I didn’t have anything figured out and I thought I did, and now I still don’t have anything figured out and I know and have accepted that its possible I never will.  Life is an amazing teacher and the more we live, the more we learn, or at least I can only speak for myself.

On Saturday I got to spend some time with my ex-husband’s family.  He, and they, were part of my life for 10 years.  He was not there this weekend but his sister, whom I was pretty close with, was home visiting family.  She called ahead of time to let me know her, her husband and their NEW BABY were going to be in the area and that it would be great to share a meal.  It worked out that we met at my ex-in-law’s (I really do not like that phrase) home and sat around the table with her parents and ate lunch. 

It was a wonderful couple of hours as there was so much to catch up on.  Being in someone’s life for that long, really gets one intertwined in all of the family’s life happenings.  We caught up about family, extended family, life events, work, dreams for the future, and of course I got to meet her new baby.  The time spent was wonderful, priceless and I feel so blessed.  These people were a very big part of my life from the time I was 17 to the end of my 20s.  Those are some impressionable years and in each their own way, they helped shape me to be the person I am today.  I am forever grateful for their love, support, genrosity, compassion, reliability, entertainment, fun, teaching and connection.  They are all near and dear friends of mine though our lives don’t allow for the “near” part of that equation much anymore.   

My divorce was very amicable and after being best friends for almost 10 years, we had promised to keep in touch as LIFE MOVES ON.  That has gone to the wayside as he is busy with work, a new family and a new baby of his own and my life is busy as well.  I am forever grateful for all the adventures we had and all that we taught each other and learned together.  I am forever grateful to his family and feel blessed to reconnect from time to time.  

LIFE DOES MOVE ON.  I still do not have anything figured out though I feel blessed to have these and other angels come and guide me though parts of my own personal journey.  My heart overflows with gratitude.  Thank you…you all know who you are. 

 

 

MANEUVERING THIS LIFE

Yesterday I found myself pulling up to a stop sign behind a “Student Driver” car.  I happened to be driving behind her (yes I could tell it was a female) and realized it when there were no cars coming either direction but the car didn’t move.  Of course with how busy life is these days, it seems like our minds cannot just sit and be delayed even one second without questioning the motives of the person in front of us…and that is when I spotted the signage on the car.

I had a quick flashback to that first day of driver’s education class and I started to wonder what that class would be like these days.  My curiosity got the best of me and so I followed (notice I didn’t say tailgated) this driver for a couple miles.  It happened to be on my direct route to my next errand so please do not think I was stalking this new student driver…but I guess in a way, I was.  I could have gone around her at any moment however I soon realized that it was better to be behind her than anywhere else!!! 

She swerved between the lines that marked the road.  She went to get on the highway, which was a right turn, and put her left blinker on then caught herself and switched it.  Because she was focused so much on the blinker, she completely forgot about the brake pedal and took that turn at a rate of speed I would have been afraid for my life.  Then it was the merge into traffic that almost didn’t happen, 50 max speed on the highway swerving inside the lane lines, hitting some rumble strips, taking an exit at a similarly alarming speed as the first turn I witnessed, and slamming on the brakes to the stop sign.  I then saw the instructor reach over and grab the wheel as they headed into another turn…God bless those driving instructors…and God bless the runner that was on the side of the road she was about to encounter. 

I was astounded that they are allowed to be behind the wheel with such little skill, but that is coming from a girl that was raised on an apple orchard and learned to drive before my 10th birthday…and when it comes down to it, everyone has to start somewhere. 

This young driver can teach us so much about maneuvering life!!!  Slow life down at the stops and enjoy the scenery for a moment.  When you think you are turning left, maybe life wants you to turn right and take things at “inappropriate” speeds.  Merging into the flow of what everyone else is doing is sometimes necessary, but take things at your own speed.  There are lines drawn for us, but remember that sometimes fun happens outside the lines and the rumble strips make a fun noise and brings us back to being a child.  Sometimes exiting a situation at high speeds is necessary and stopping abruptly saves us.  In the end, it is often nice to have some guidance from someone who has more experience than us and we never know who is watching us and learning from our mistakes.

We only get one chance in this lifetime…I want to thank this young driver for teaching me so much over those 2 short miles! 

 

THE FIRST OF 19

Over the past week, my family and I have been mourning the loss of my aunt.  Have I told you that my Mom is one of ten kids and my Dad is one of nine?  So to say I come from a HUGE family is a slight understatement.  My Aunt Lisa was the youngest of my Mom’s siblings and she is also the very youngest of all 19 of them.  She died of a heart attack and it was shock to the entire family and everyone in her life at a mere 50 years of age. 

Being from such a large family, when tragic things happen, everyone pulls together.  We spent 4 full days together talking about the incident, her life, her contributions and where the family will go from here.  The conversations were sprinkled with bouts of crying and fits of laughter.  We are not short of comedians in our family and the mixture of the humor and the sadness does an interesting thing to the physiology and helps things to process.  I am sure you have found yourself in an intense moment that was interrupted by a shift created from laughter. 

I learned a lot from sitting around and listening to the stories that were shared.  Two important lessons have surfaced from it all that I wanted to share with you. 

LESSON #1 :  SHOW UP!  My Aunt Gail, one of Lisa’s sisters said one of the things that came to mind when she thought about Lisa was that “She showed up.”  It is so true…whenever there was something going on, or someone needed something, Lisa showed up.  She showed up for family functions and parties.  She showed up for her husband and 3 children.  She showed up for her own friends and friends of her children.  She showed up for the family.  She showed up at work and for her co-workers.  She showed up.  This concept makes me look at my life and ask the question…”Am I showing up?”  And furthermore, “How am I showing up?”  and “Am I giving it 100%?”

LESSON #2:  PLAY FULL OUT!   If life was a game, Aunt Lisa played full out.  She always had a good time.  She celebrated a lot and was usually in the middle of any conversation that was happening.  If she didn’t start the conversation but wanted to be in it…you would her her raspy voice say, slightly under her breath, “What are you guys talking about?”.  If she was around in the room, you probably could hear her laugh.  Somewhere in the Callard lineage there is a gene for loud laughter, and she expressed that gene strongly.  After the funeral on Monday, I heard someone say, “You know, she was only 50 when she passed, however she lived more in those 50 years than others do who live into their 80s or 90s.”  What a great awareness and awesome perspective to have on what seemed to be a life cut short. 

My first real memories of Aunt Lisa were when I would babysit for her children.  At the time, she happened to be living in the same subdivision where I currently live and though the house is no longer there, I have vivid memories of being there a lot.  Over the past few months I have spent quite a bit of time running the roads around my house, passing that location twice per run and of course, like I do a lot, thinking about life. 

With the sudden passing of Lisa last week, and her funeral just a couple days ago, along with my regular morning runs and thoughts about life, that particular location has new meaning to me.  I will forever hold it as a place during my runs where I turn inside and remember to SHOW UP everyday and in every way in my life and PLAY FULL OUT!  What better way to start the day than with reminders like that.  I haven’t dealt with much death up to this point in my life, and am of course dreading the idea of the other 18 passing, however there are always lessons to learn about LIFE from both living and dying…and for that, I am grateful.  Thank you Aunt Lisa for those very important lessons and may you rest peacefully.

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WRITER’S BLOCK

I got it…bad!  I made a HUGE shift in the style and format of my blog and my mind has been trying to process it ever since.  Change is the only thing constant in this lifetime, however it is amazing how much of a challenge it is at times. I am excited about this new blog and I hope you enjoy it as well!

I have made some really big life changes in this past month also and I have needed a little extra time and space to process all of that.  All good things, really good things, but nonetheless it has been a huge shift.

Standup Paddleboarding at sunset

It almost feels like if my life was a deck of cards and I threw it all up in the air…the processing sometimes feels like I am picking up each card one by one, and placing them in a orderly pile again.

I have learned a lot about myself in this time.  I have a strong awareness that I am a “practical” person when it comes to life and especially when it comes to buying things.  I buy things that are useful and necessary, or something that I can use in a couple different areas of my life, or something that I can use now but will fit my life for a long time in the future, or something that I can use and someone else could get some use out of it as well, or something that just makese sense.  It would be fun, and I know you would get a kick out of it, if there was a way to record my internal dialogue when I am in the process of making a purchase.

I remember back when I was just over a year into practice and I was out shopping.  I came across a sweater that I absolutely loved and I really wanted to buy it.  Being a student for so many years, the thought of buying a sweater that costs over $70 (or any article of clothing besides a winter jacket) was not even in question.  I saw the sweater, I tried it on, it was (and still is) beatufiul and I knew I would get good use out of it.  It took me 5 phone calls to girlfriends and a call to my mother in order for me to rationalize and justify the purchase.  So if that was what happened on the outside, just imagine the internal dialogue, I torture myself at times when it comes to making almost all purchases.

What I realize in the midst of the interal dialogue termoil is that it takes some fun out of it, being practical all the time takes some fun out of life.  Then add to that the fact that the weeks, months and years are slipping by life going WAY TOO FAST!!!

So my goal is to have more fun.  Do more things that make me smile and laugh and not take things so seriously.  I will be playing my music loudly and singing and dancing in my car…and at home with Choco (my chocolate lab)…on a regular basis.  If you see me, JOIN ME!  I will hang out with people that inspire me and look for groups of people to be around that make me laugh.  I will spend more time seeing the world through the eyes of litlte ones…my neices and nephew and all the rest of the kids in my practice and in my life.  I will spend more time around the water, at the yoga studio, in my kayak, in my running shoes, in my swimming goggles, on my paddleboard, with my family and with my friends, and in front of the computer blogging…because that is what I love to do!

What things to you love to do?  Life is so, so short…and we only get one chance.

 

"YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED"

There is a song that runs through my mind lately, mostly because I have heard it so much on my Rusted Root Pandora Station (a highly recommended station, by the way), but also because after I hear it, my mind ponders the message for quite some time. It goes something like this…

“You can’t always get what you want.
You can’t always get what you want.
You can’t always get what you want.
But if you try sometime…you just might find…
YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED!”  

I have had some very interesting life lessons over the past years, as I am sure we all have. I have a strong conviction that although we are presented with most things tChiropractor Fenton Michigan - Dr Erica Peabody - You get what you need hat are WAY outside our control, by the use of gratitude and a strong focus on what we want, we are powerful creators of our lives and experiences. I also realize that sometimes the things that we think we want in our lives or experiences that we want to have happen, are very limiting in the grand scheme of things. There is a much bigger picture to this life than what we can actually see and grasp with our thoughts.

Have you ever sat down and wrote out goals? made a “to do” list? Have you ever thought about what you would like to have happen in 5 years? 10 years? Have you ever quieted down your life enough and heard things come from inside that sounded like “I want a new job.” “I want to make more money.” “I want to be in a relationship.” “I want to be in a different relationship.” “I want a new house.” “I want a new car.” “I want to win the Mega-Millions.” Does any of that sound familiar?

What LIFE has taught me is that what we call our “wants” are very limiting. If ALL and ONLY our wants came to fruition, we would live a small life. Now, when I say small, I don’t mean that in a negative way, more the idea that it would be limiting, like looking over a lake and seeing that as the only possibility of a large body of water without having any concept of the ocean.

Having a direction and steering life with GRATITUDE can open up limitless possibilities. Our “wants” are one thing…but what happens if you don’t get what you “want”? I have a strong faith in the concept that LIFE sends the perfect people, things and experiences to us in the perfect timing in order for us to maximize our potential for learning, growth and evolution. In the moment, it may be very difficult to see the perfection…but most of you have probably experienced that in retrospect it was exactly what you needed. So in other words it is true that…”YOU CAN”T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU…but you just might find YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED!” Be open to the amazing twists and turns of LIFE, take some risks and get outside of your box of “wants”…we only get one chance.

I AM AMAZED EVERYTIME!

I have done my fair share of traveling in my life and have spent a lot of time on planes since I moved home in 2004. I always try to get a window seat because I love seeing what there is to see while we sit and wait for the plane to take off. I am also the one with my nose glued to the glass during portions of the flight and of course the landing. More often than not, prior to take-off I find myself in a daze watching as these huge planes arChiropractor Fenton Michigan - Dr Erica Peabody - I am amazed everytimee filled with people and luggage. I am amazed the logistical phenomenon that is our airline systems…I mean really, how on Earth do they get all those bags to the right spots?!?! I marvel in the simple fact that something that big could fly through the air and carry people comfortably from one location to some place completely different. I know our civilization has been flying for years and years, and I myself have taken numerous flights…but I am so fascinated by the concept of flight. Loading up in Detroit in the middle of winter and arriving in Costa Rica, in a totally different country, climate and culture…that is totally awesome!

With how intense (in a good way) my life is at home, coupled with my ability to completely relax on vacation, flying somewhere sometimes feels like getting on a time machine. The last 2 weeks of March was a very intensely stressful time for me. In the middle of the 2 weeks, it just so happened that I had a trip to Colorado planned. I got to a boiling point and since my trip to Colorado was mostly for fun, I almost backed out of going. After asking a bunch of questions and weighing a few things, I decided to go…and what perfect timing! I left the crazy chaos going on here and as soon as I sat down on the plane, it all melted away. In a short 2.5 hour plane ride, I was half way across the country, with great friends, beautiful sunshine and peace of mind to enjoy the weekend. It truly is amazing to “sit in a chair in the air” and end up thousands of miles away. The following link is one of my favorites…half way through is when he starts his discussion about flight and he hits the nail on the head…I laugh so hard every time I watch this.

His whole concept of “Everything is Amazing and Nobody is Happy” is so right on. Take a look around and find a little something to be amazed by and grateful for. So many of the thigns around you are absolutely amazing…even the simple fact that I can write this blog sitting at my desk and my Grandmother can read it from her home in Florida…and you can read it from wherever you are!! This LIFE truly is AMAZING!!! …and we only get one chance.

"BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT."

Some days I a reminded of how absolutely wonderful my family is…today was one of those days. My Grandma Peabody passed peacefully last Friday and today was her funeral and life celebration. I have been in a gratitude state of mind through the whole transitioning process for the past couple weeks. She had suffered from heart challenges and her mind was slipping over the past years and I am grateful she is liberated from her failing body. I am grateful to live close to her and spend time with her through it all and especially over the past week. I am grateful for my family and the time we have shared and of course the time we spent together today.

 

Though in this gratitude state of mind, I knew deep down inside there was a really stChiropractor Fenton Michigan - Dr Erica Peabody - But I don't know how to do that rong sadness. I am able to hold it all together and go about my life and business, and as long as that stuff is calling my attention, I can stay in gratitude. I was in my practice this morning until noon and the condolences just kept coming and for that I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I got changed and jumped into my car and decided to stop and grab a quick bite to eat. I ran into a friend while doing so and another gracious “I’m so sorry for your loss.” I got back into my car and tried to eat and that is when it hit me. I was about to meet my family at the church and say “Good-Bye” to my Grandmother one last time.

 

I haven’t dealt with much death in my life up to this point. Prior to today, I could only speculate how I was going to respond to the situation. But if you know me, I am a pretty sensitive gal and I was a little startled at how much emoting my body needed to do and no better place then right there with some of the people that love me the most. It was a really wonderful thing to hold my nephew during portions of the service who is brand new on this Earth and the dichotomy of that experience. There were a lot of people present at her funeral to celebrate her and how she touched them in some way.

 

I tend to be one of few questions and spend a lot of my time in silent observation. I loved to listen to her stories and look at pictures but I never knew how to ask questions that would begin the stories. Today, an aunt and uncle stood up and shared her life with everyone and that portion really meant a lot to me.

 

My Grandmother was only 4’11” yet a powerful rock, a kind woman, a natural phenomenon like a rainbow, mother to 9 children, grandmother to 19 and great-grandmother to 14 so far, of Irish decent, raised in Canada, loved the fruit growing business, lover of the arts, nurtured growth in all things, was involved in female empowerment, an artist, a world traveler, had an entrepreneurial spirit, lover of nature, a fabulous cook, welcomed everyone, there was always room for another kid in the house and always room enough for one more at the table, trained as a medical tech, worked on the family farm in Birmingham, met my Grandpa there (stole him from his girlfriend), she was a dreamer, accepting of all humans, involved in numerous committees, lived her life in strong faith, found joy in the success of her children and was a “mirror” for them to discover themselves, a caramel apple connoisseur, a wonderful wife, a loving mother and I actually can hear her distinct voice as I write this blog.

 

Just a few short days before her death, my aunt was sitting at her bedside and she woke up and wanted to know “What is happening to me?” My Aunt responded, “Mom, you are dying.” My Grandmother then said, “But I don’t know how to do that.” This particular interaction really pulls on my heart strings. At a certain point, I am sure she was uneasy about “Not knowing how to do that.” but she sure found a way to do it peacefully and allowed each one of the 33 of us (plus spouses and significant others and friends) join her on that journey the best way we knew how. A little piece of her will grow old again with each one of us and every time I see a rainbow, I will rest well knowing there is one more angel that watches over me in this lifetime. Rest peacefully Grandma and know that you are so loved.

HAVE MORE FUN

I just love Mondays! There is something so fresh about starting a new week and after such a great weekend, I was ready to rock and roll! One of the first people on my table this morning has had a few weeks of neck pain that he calls “stress neck”. In beginning the conversation with him this morning I asked him if he had any fun this past weekend (though I was away, I know we got a lot of snow here in Michigan…and snow=sledding). He responded “actually yes I did have some fun playing outside with the kids this weekend. And the strangest thing, when I got in from playing in the snow, my neck felt great. It was the first time I was pain-free in a few weeks. Then I realized later in the day, something stressful hit me again and I watched the pain set back in.”

Hmmmm…interesting. It was really wonderful that he was able to come to this awareness for himself as stress is the culprit of so much that ails our bodies. It is so important to make time for stress-reducing activities as a regular part of our week. We are bombarded with stress on many levels and coming from many different directions on a daily basis. When we are having fun, stress hormones decrease and endorphins (the body’s natural “feel good” and healing chemicals) increase. It is necessary to find ways to reduce the stress load and let the body be free. When was the last time you played outside? Have you danced lately? Have you ran around and screamed lately? Have you been chased on the playground? Have you been down a slide lately? Ridden your bike? Played a sport with some friends? or laughed so hard your cheeks and belly hurt? GO DO IT!!! HAVE SOME FUN!!!
I am as guilty as the next person when it comes to taking life seriously. I am a pretty serious and rather stoic for the most part. I have to consciously take time to play and be a kid…and when I do, I feel the most ALIVE!!! Life is so much more fulfilling when we find time to be a kid again. Have you been having some fun? How have you been spending your time? GET OUT THERE AND HAVE MORE FUN!!! …we only get one chance.

SMALL MIRACLES IN THIS BIG, BIG WORLD

The most amazing thing just happened in my Cafe of LIFE. A severely behaviorly impaired 2.5 year old came into my office for his first visit running and screaming down my halls. He hasn’t been listening or speaking to his parents or anyone and is rather “glassed over” when you try to make eye contact. My CA and I were strategizing on how to get this little guy adjusted and knew it was going to have to be a chase him around to make it happen because I will not restrain unless absolutely necessary (which I havent found it necessary yet) I chatted with his parents about what has been going on for him for a while and discussed that I am not going to force him to do anything which means that we may or may not be able to get a good adjustment in today. I wasnt even going to present him with the idea of getting onto a table. I left and adjusted another person in another room and when I returned to the room he was sitting with his back to me on his mom’s lap. I started to do really light force work and watched his body unwind. He was fine with that for a bit and got tired of sitting…with zero prompts from me and no information at all about what to do on an adjusting table, he jumped down off his mom’s lap and climbed right up on the kids adjusting table and went face down as if to say “I know you are good and I know you can help me…let me make it easier to access my spine and nerve system”. It was the most beautiful expression of Innate Intelligence I have ever seen. Life is amazing and being a Chiropractor is just icing on the cake.