present-time consciousness – We Only Get One Chance

THE FIRST YEAR

I cannot believe that we are already through the first year of practice here at the Center For Well-Being, our beautiful BIG BLUE!!!

This will mark my 15th year in private practice but the first year in this location. It has been nothing less than incredible!!! We have, hands down, no exception, the most beautiful office space in the area. I am not saying that just to toot our own horn either. As you look around during your appointments, you will notice it is like being adjusted in a museum. The woodwork is incredible, there is so much to look at. I do my work by hand, and the fact that all of this woodworking was done by hand is just so impressive.

The space that we adjust out of is just absolute perfection for us. We have room to move and breathe and as our reception area packs full, which happens on the regular here, we still have room for everyone and do not feel like they are sitting on top of one another. The greatest thing is being able to have so much room to move as I dance around my tables adjusting all day long.

I am grateful beyond any words that could describe it all. One year later, I look back to where it all began with a big unveiling of our sign out front in the front yard on Monday, September 17th of last year at 9:45 to accept our first patients at 10!

Every single day I feel more and more healing coming from this building, but as we work with her more and more and begin to shine her run-down corners, I can feel her healing as well. She hasn’t had the TLC over the past years that she is so deserving of.

Have you been in here yet? Do you feel the grounding and healing energy like we do?

Over the past 3 months, we have been able to really begin to shine up those run-down corners, hallways and rooms. She was already so beautiful but you need to SEE HER NOW!!!

Dr Erica Peabody - Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - The first year

We have our first tenants moved in and joining their businesses under our roof. It was the intention from the start that instead of saying “The acupuncturist is across town” we can now officially say “The acupuncturist is just down the hallway and to the left.” as Michigan Community Acupuncture has joined us early September.

I have many practitioners that I refer to on a regular basis and now we can ALSO say “An incredible psychotherapist, Lauren Lay, is just up the grand staircase and to the right. She has created a beautiful cozy space to work in.”

What I love the most about all of this is that there are other great people now loving on our building just like we have over the past year, and it is only the beginning. We have a few other things in the works and only 11 more office spaces available up for grabs at this point and we couldn’t be any more excited about this whole thing coming together as my dream is brought to life.

WOW!!! One whole year!!!

Just WOW!!! And if the first year is any indication of where this thing has potential of going, I stand in pure amazement. Swing by and see for yourself! It is time to plan an official OPEN HOUSE!!! Stay tuned….

DOWN DOG

You may think I am about to write of just how wonderful my new puppy is? Not this time but I am sure he will make many appearances on the blog as the time goes. This is about another kind of dog, yoga down dog.

Just a couple weeks ago I had the incredible opportunity to attend Barefoot and Free Yoga Festival at Proud Lake Recreation Area south of Milford. I have been in attendance for all 4 years it has been running and this year I got to attend but also had a chance to present!

Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - Dr Erica Peabody - Down Dog

I am still trying to unravel all the learning and feelings surrounding that weekend and put them into words. It has taken some time to really digest it all but I will do my best.

When one of your passions in life meet and hit a crossroads with another, it is the best feeling! I had been brewing a class in the back of my mind for years and I call it “Yoga as a Prescription: How Asana Heals”. In the back of my mind it worked perfectly, but what happens when the rubber meets the road? Will anyone be interested in this topic? Will anyone join in to listen and participate?

I committed to the festival months ago, and par for the course right now with life, it all got out of control with timing and I ended up putting the final nuts and bolts of the course together all the way up to the moment that I presented.

Barefoot and Free Yoga Festival is a 3 day event starting on Friday and finishing in the evening on Sunday. Each 90 minutes, there are 5-10 classes being offered in everything from yoga (of course) to essential oil classes, herb walks, nature walks, stand-up paddle board yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, human connection classes, dance…and so much more. It is a fabulous venue that offers many locations for these classes to be happening concurrently.

When I found out my time and then the location, I took a LOOOOONG walk out to the yurt I would be teaching inside of. From the center of the festival grounds, it was a 20 minute walk through the woods to get to the location.

Like anything else in life that we do for the first time, I was super doubtful that anyone would want to learn that and then to have the long walk as another obstacle to deter students, I just thought I would be teaching to the inside of an empty yurt.

Sunday morning, following the first class of the morning, I made my way to the location. As I was walking that way, many people were just finishing up with other sessions and were heading back. “Great! Exactly as I suspected. Nobody will be here.” was my thought pattern. HELLO NEGATIVE SELF-TALK!!!

But as I descended on the yurt, 2 people were quick to follow me. I set up my mat and my props in the front of the yurt with space for what I thought would MAYBE be 10 people or so.

Others started to show up. Then more people and I kept shifting around and moving to squeeze more people in. By the time I was to begin my presentation, there were close to 40 people packed mat to mat inside of that little yurt. I won’t share all the details of the class, maybe another blog post, but it went off without a hitch and was SO MUCH FUN!!! It was exactly the class that I had planned for a few years in the back of my mind and it hit just the right ears.

Prior to class starting, I thought to myself “how in the world am I going to be able to fill up 90 minutes?” (again, enter negative self-talk). By the end of 90 minutes, I had only covered about 1/3 of the total content I had prepared and didn’t even get to tap some of the potential for what I have to share. The feedback from the participants was “Next year, can you ask to have 5 hours instead of just 90 minutes?” LOL!!

Being a yogi for going on 23 years, in combination with my private chiropractic practice for 15 years which I use “Yoga as a Prescription” inside of on a daily basis, OF COURSE I have a lot to share and I am beyond happy to give that gift and love and serve the people in any way that I can. ESPECIALLY when I am able to give, love and serve my yoga community that has given so much back to me.

Those of you who attended my class, thank you for showing up!!!

Those of you, students and especially my teachers, who inspire me daily and weekly inside of my round robin of yoga studios that I attend on a weekly basis, THANK YOU!!!

To my patients that are always open to learning a new pose to help with their healing journey and who trust the care of their entire family’s health to me and my team, we have only scratched the surface, thank you, you are all so precious to me. 🙂

To my personal yoga practice and the sweat and tears that get absorbed by my mat over and over and over and over again, I am forever grateful. I am one who really truly looks forward to every class. Another day, another down dog.

FULL CIRCLE

On Saturday night, my life came full circle.

I was invited back to my varsity soccer field for the alumni game.

I graduated from Fenton High School and although I was a three sport athlete, my heart was in soccer.

As a freshman, I was pulled up onto the varsity squad and of course back then, that was a really big deal. I got to play with the older and more mature team that, in my naive mind, was really going places. By my senior year, I was team captain.

Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - Dr Erica Peabody - Full Circle — the shoes – and our favorite team socks!

Once I went off to college, I played club soccer at Michigan State University but it was just for fun. Beyond my first year in college, I put my cleats and flats up on the shelf and there they have sat…well technically in a box and moved them all over the country for the past 24 years and pulled them out for Saturday night!!! LOL!!! That is a true story! In fact, the flats that I have saved were Adidas Samba light blue suede and the material has deteriorated so much they are literally falling apart!

Walking hand in hand through the gates of that field with my husband was a wild experience. The field is the same, only has had major upgrades since I played there…as has MY LIFE!!!

The evening was absolutely beautiful and I had SO MUCH FUN! Of course, some of my teammates wrangled me back onto the field and then showed up in regular street clothes and sat the bench. I don’t know how I was swindled like that but in the end, I guess that was probably the only real way to get me back on the field. It was great to catch up with those beautiful ladies and their families after all this time. LADIES!!! NEXT TIME YOU ARE PLAYING!!! Plan accordingly and BRING YOUR CLEATS!!!

As I sat there, drinking a Mead from another friend from back in the day, I couldn’t help but feel that coming-full-circle concept…and WOW what a circle I have come!!!

I have always wondered with how far I went and then how in the world I ended up back in Fenton after all. It feels right though, it definitely feels right to be in Fenton.

And to think that I am the owner of the crazy HUGE blue Victorian home/office space on the corner of the town I grew up in and the community that has helped to shape me into the person I am today, it sometimes feels like the twilight zone.

So let’s talk about the game – I guess I didn’t really put it all together that the word “alumni” includes those that just graduated in May of this year, 2019. “Alumni” is not gender specific although for some reason I had it in my mind that women would appreciate going back to their field as much as I do.

So I end up out on the field with 18 year old exceptional athletes, a few of my own patients, running circles around me!!! LOL!!! Actually I can hold my own alright for not even have kicked a ball for a couple decades because I was always a strategist and conserving my energy while out on the field.

The one thing I didn’t expect was that soccer balls, kicked back into play from the goalie that I assumed just graduated, literally came falling back into play from what seemed like OUTER SPACE!!! My last plays were with women, 20+ years ago, and although we could kick high and far, it was a fraction of that height and distance!!! Try trapping a ball coming down from OUTER SPACE!!!

It was an experience to say the least and I am laughing still from the weekend. I got to touch the ball and participate enough during the game that I felt like I had made some solid contribution. I dribbled and passed but as the team was trying to feed the ball to the “older one” to attempt to score, the sacrifice and reach of a foot out there in a lunge position to attempt a shot on goal, my mind keeps me in a “self preservation” mode and limited. Ultimately, no matter how much fun I could possibly have on Saturday night, I still have to be able to walk on Monday morning when patients arrive back in my office.

WHAT A BLAST!!!! My life doesn’t allow a whole lot of extra time to pursue a recreational indoor league or something like that right now, but my love for soccer is life-long and I am so so glad that it has all come full circle.

JANUARY

It is hard to believe we are a day away from the end of January!

How are you doing with the year so far?

What changes have you made?

What changes do you want to make?

What things do you want to do this year?

The polar vortex has put a little damper on this week, however, it has also given us a few minutes to slow down and sit still, or at least I hope you are taking some moments to sit still. This is a great time to contemplate, plot and scheme for your success going forward.

We have been open a good portion of our regular hours this week as other business have chosen to be open, and some have closed.

I was reviewing some things in my life last night as I was trying to figure out whether to be open today or not (we are OPEN!!!!). First off, some of you know and some of you may not know, I lived in Anchorage, Alaska for 3.5 years, I got my bachelors degree at University of Alaska Anchorage. It was an amazing experience just to be up in Alaska, much less get a chance to live there and be able to experience it all. I have a great appreciation for the arctic northern temperatures having to live and work in negatives (-40 for an entire month one winter) for those years.

I watch you all get out of your cars here at the office this week, all bundled up with 1-6 children in tow and I applaud and honor you. It reminds me of getting bundled up to go to class and work at one time. I honor you for taking a moment to make it in to town and stop by our office. I honor you for your commitment to the change you want to make for yourself and your family this year.

If you have cancelled your appointments this week, I honor you for staying home and staying safe and warm, I honor you for respecting that small voice inside that said “not today”. I honor each and every single one of you and I watch as schedules change daily due to school closings. I honor you for being resilient enough to shift and change your days around to be able to manage it all.

We are open because I am going to be here anyway.

We are open because cabin fever is a real thing and has set in for many of you and you need an excuse to get out of the house and go do something.

We are open because our shifts are a little slower but it gives us a chance to catch up on other things, like hanging pictures and signs, getting ahead of the endless paperwork and doing a lot of cleaning.

We are open because we are here to serve you, and not as arctic heroes or something, but because we can make it here to the office and we also know you are doing a lot of extra shoveling and shivering and that there is a little extra stress this week that we can help you with.

We are here for you. We honor you for staying inside your cozy home with your loved ones and hunkering down. We honor you for getting out in the cold and heading this way.

Old Man Winter took his good ol’ precious time getting here this year but came in with a blast! When it warms enough to get outside, I encourage you to do so because I believe one of the healthiest things we can do through the winter months in Michigan is get outside and get some fresh air.

While you are inside of these slower moments, take a glance at what your plans are for this year and make a choice today to move you in the direction you want to go. That can be as simple as grabbing an extra glass of water, taking a few more trips up and down the stairs to get the heart pumping, journalling, reading a book or playing a game of checkers with your child.

Bundle up!!! Stay safe and warm!!! Take a few minutes to evaluate how you are doing now that January is coming to a close and let’s connect soon!!!

GROUCHY

She is grouchy…or finicky. Yeah, finicky is probably a better way to describe her.

The old girl, Big Blue as we have so adoringly named her, has been good to us so far.

We are working on week number 3 here and we are enjoying our time and our transition. It is different than just closing one door and opening another one in a different office space and getting to business.

It is time well spent feeling her out and figuring out how to manage all of the intricacies and quirks that make her so dang lovable.

She is warmer than would be expected on cold days and colder than expected on warm days except some areas are colder than others and warmer than others. Ugh.

The original builder, AJ Phillips, put the walls together by stacking two by fours on top of one another and then plaster and lath over that, not normal stud distance, like literally one on top of another. It is pretty astounding actually. We have a couple HUGE pocket doors and if you look inside the pockets, you can see the construction pattern…and to think those were put in place, by hand, one by one, 130 years ago. WOW that is some serious labor!!!

AND!!!! Not to mention the woodwork that adorns the entire space on all three floors The first floor is our Cafe of LIFE Chiropractic Center and has so many special things about it…but the second and third floors are absolutely spectacular as well. We are so excited to be able to open that second story to all of you and be able to rent the third story, one bedroom and one bath apartment. All in due time.

We love how much you all have loved her so far and we invite those that haven’t had a chance to swing by and experience the space to swing in! We hold open adjusting hours one Saturday per month and although we will have patients here getting adjusted, if you happen to be out and about around town this coming Saturday, October 6th, stop by and swing in! We will be here 9a-11a.

My staff comes to me with things they have noticed or things they need in this new space. It seems as though my

lunchtimes have been converted to “repair time” and grabbing lunch while working on a project! But that is okay, as we know that she will always be a work in progress but we will become a little more familiar with her needs and quirks as the time goes by.

When life took a turn and I needed to move to a different spot to be able to get one of my rentals leased out, I decided I would stay here and get to know her. My conversation with my mom that evening went “I am just going to triple-dog-dare myself to stay for the night and just see what happens. If you don’t mind, just please do not lock your door in case I get spooked and end up having to come out there.” I did fine from the first night but definitely wasn’t such a huge fan of having to go into the basement after dark. Now my attitude is like “sure girl! Whatever you need right now is good with me. Oh you need me to tend to something in the basement at midnight? Absolutely!! I will be right there!”

It is the strangest thing that I feel like I should leave a babysitter for her when Mike and I head out of town! I have never had the feeling but Mike thinks it is ridiculous!!! I just laugh at myself that the thought even crosses my mind at all. The great thing is that she sits right in the middle of a town that is so connected and wonderful and I am certain that if there was something going on, 30-50 people would be on the phone texting and calling me right away and so I thank you!!!

Please watch out for her. Mike and I have most of it handled but we need eyes and ears around for this grouchy old gal!!! …I mean finicky.

She is a gem and I think it has taken a bit for her to get used to all of us!!! There is a lot of new and fun energy inside of this space during our days and we have already had a HUGE engagement celebration!! …in fact that party is what gives me so much certainty that 30-50 of you would call and text if something goes bad because of the amount of people that made remarks about that party a couple Friday’s ago, “my kids pointed to that place and said, ‘Hey Mom! Can we go there?’ since it looked like something fun was going on when we drove by” are the kind of messages we got that following week.

We love her. We are so excited to plan our wedding to be hosted within these beautiful walls in early March, just 5 months away.

A phrase we hear over and over again around here, from me, my team and all those that visit, “if only these walls could talk!”

We are continuing to create a story here at Big Blue, stories of healing and health and wellness and life and living and family and the amazing power of the chiropractic adjustment that would make the forefathers of this great profession proud. There are pictures in the infancy phases of chiropractic that were taken in places just like this. Big Blue was born in 1889-91 time frame (seems the history was maybe she took 2 solid years to build) and chiropractic was born in 1895. It feels so, so very right to be here doing what we are doing.

Although she is grouchy, or I mean finicky (just looked that word up in the dictionary: fussy about one’s needs and desires <—sounds about RIGHT!) I think we have an incredible thing started that these walls will want to tell stories about for years to come!!! Stop in and join us this Saturday 9-11am!!!

3 DAYS IN

We are just 3 days in to our new location and I have to say it has been beyond extraordinary. We are over the moon excited about how this space has turned out which trickles down to our ability to serve you.

The space is airy and cozy and solid and grounding and healing and absolutely lovely.

So many people are astounded by our ability to get moved over and create seamless transitions for our patient crowd.

Here is all I know. We closed our doors at our Leroy location on Thursday, September 13th at 6pm. We had until Monday, Septmeber 17th at 10am to get up and running.

Mike would say over and over and over…. “Just pick the critical path, just the critical items that you need to get your day started and be able to endure patient care at the level they have come to expect.” …and so in and amongst a weekend of family obligations we made it happen.

Thursday at 6pm is when the anxiety set in. How long will it take us to do this? and is 3 days enough? It was a little like jumping off a cliff because, although I have moved my business a few times in the past, it had been 8 years and as I mentioned in a Facebook post, I am a pathological underestimator. I underestimate everything and commit 100% and somehow figure it out.

It was a weekend of moving furniture, unplugging computer systems and wires all throughout the office. It was filled with wires going every which way and plugging things in and praying. It was a weekend or rearranging chairs and sweeping floors and dusting everything from head to toe.

Mike had to leave with his children around 6:30 on Sunday evening and head back home to be sure they are all ready to start the week. I spent 5 solid hours on each adjusting station from one side of the place to the other and into the reception room.

The computer system was working, the music wasn’t. The tables were ready, the rugs couldn’t be put down because of the finish on the floors. The front desk was ready, the massage rooms were ready, the air conditioners were working, toilets cleaned and floors swept. One more faucet installation around 9:30 and we were prepped for my realtor and his team to show up for the unveiling of the signage and the start to our first day!!

https://www.facebook.com/JohnWentworthRealEstateGroup/videos/729294227406651/

We did it! It was a push but we did it and made it happen.

…and here we are just 3 days in and more inspired than ever before. Follow your dreams, listen to your heart and that small voice inside as it will lead you in the right direction. This truly feels like home and we are so glad to be here!

HOME

We are moving home!!!

I finished my final shift at Cafe of LIFE Chiropractic at 521 N Leroy this evening. I had 4 patients between 5:45 and 6pm and I could feel myself winding down the service in that space.

This is the fourth location for my practice, so although I am not a big fan of moving, I am familiar with the process. I bought the Leroy Street location in 2010 and the location prior to that was so super bittersweet leaving because it was a chiropractic office since the 60s. My heart ached to leave that location knowing I was moving my practice from the exact location my chiropractor worked in when I was getting adjusted as a kid. I settled myself knowing that my 521 location would be passed down to another generation of chiropractors at some point.

But it won’t be passed down and I am certain it will get rented to another amazing business other than a chiropractor. There won’t be little ones roaming the halls there waiting for their adjustments years from now and far beyond when I am retired like I always thought there would be.

But truly we are moving home. I cannot describe the feeling of our new building, affectionately known as “Big Blue”, except for it is home. I got a little choked up as I was counting down the final adjustments in the Leroy location but I could sit here now in full on tears to know that we are moving home.

This is home.

I have had a recurring dream over the past 20 years that has driven me to this exact location. Watch for a Facebook LIVE tomorrow, Friday September 14th, as I share that beautiful story.

How did I get here? How did this all happen? How on Earth am I moving my practice and my livelihood to my dream location, no literally the space inside of my dream? We have a lot of work ahead of us in the next 72 hours as we transition the office to be ready for the practice on Monday, but it is all worth it to move home.

ENDURANCE

I am fully convinced endurance is the key to success.

I have run marathons, half-marathons and climbed to the rooftop of Africa. I have done triathlons, 60-90 minute extreme hot yoga classes and 50 mile bike rides and ran a thriving family chiropractic office for 14 years. I endured 10 years of school beyond high school and driven 3,000 miles from Anchorage, Alaska to Atlanta, Georgia. I have spent countless hours studying, during school and since by doctorate degree and taken many long plane rides, longest being 26 hour plane ride from Detroit to Kilimanjaro.

I never realized just how much endurance has played into my equation for success until a few months ago.

I was sitting down for lunch with one of my mentors in Florida and he says “I am really proud of you.” He then continues, “Anyone can work hard enough and earn the degree but not many can really do what it takes to run the business the way you have and succeeded in practice and kept that kind of energy doing it all by yourself.”

Here is a clue to my internal workings, I just expect that of myself and I do not give myself an “out” to not do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. …and that goes for every area of my life.

I was shocked when he said that mostly for the simple fact of the expectations I set on myself but when I really do look back and see how far I have come I have done this all on my own. Granted I do have an INCREDIBLE support network in my life for sure that pick me up, dust me off and give me a kick in the rear to get going again. I have to take a

Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - Endurance - Dr Erica Peabody

moment to thank my amazing team Nikki, Teri, Stephanie and Laura – you ladies make this entire dream worth living and working so hard for!!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!!

One week prior to that trip to Florida, I was presented with an incredible business opportunity. The evening before this particular lunch with my mentor, Mike and I were out to dinner and I got wind that the opportunity was actually a reality if I wanted it for the taking.

So I jumped.

I had no idea that the words that my mentor said at that time about my endurance for what I am doing would ring truer and louder than ever before in my life. I had no idea how much that trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro would help me the past 3 months. I had no idea that Chicago Marathon in 2005 and all the half marathons and all those miles training out on the trails to prep for those grueling 26.2 and 13.1 miles would help me through this time in my life since March.

As I endured 6 months in that walking boot last year and 3-4 trips to the gym still training, some would chime in and ask “what are you training for now?”

“I am training for LIFE!” was always my answer.

Yes I have had road races and triathlons and trek and swims and hikes that I have trained for in the past, I have

Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - The Second Strap - Dr Erica Peabody

always had something in front of me that would inspire me daily to keep going…but I had no idea it was all for these past 3 months. The meetings, emails, lists, meetings, emails and more lists, along with straight up execution on all of these things day in and day out aside from my newly engaged life and busy practice…this is what I have been training for. If I am totally honest, I have developed slight PTSD opening my email these days in fear of one more list, one more thing, one more meeting that will need to be tended to.

And I still have yet to birth my own children and raise my own family…I hear that takes some serious endurance and I am certain that this time in my life is just mere preparation for those next steps too.

Patients ask me all the time, “What is your next big adventure?” “What is the next mountain you are going to climb?” Little did you know I have been climbing one of the biggest mountains in my life and you are all right along side me.

All of this “talking in code” and not being able to disclose this information has been a multiplying factor for the endurance of this climb. I love being able to bounce ideas off of my people, my board of directors especially, and share. I feel like when I share I am able to download and reprocess things inside of my mind and being and create some form of order. I have been unable to do that due to the nature of this incredible plan.

HOLY COW DOC!?!?!?!??!!!!!! Are you leaving us????? Nope I am here and setting even deeper roots into the Fenton community than ever before. I am more here than I have ever been before. I am more excited than I have ever been before. I am more charged up about life and living and serving than ever before. We are taking things up to a whole new level and are going to be able to be a beacon of light, a true heartbeat of health and wellness inside of our community and although I need another week or so to really share the plans, trust me it is really, really good and worth all the endurance.

Now if you possibly think I could tackle something like this on my own…well thank you and yes I probably could, however I wouldn’t want to without the greatest partner in life walking shoulder to shoulder right at my side. He props me up, he settles me down, he charges me up and knocks me on my behind when I need it. He has been a solid driving force since our day one together however even more so now that this kind of rubber is meeting the road and this kind of traction is needed. There were a few moments during this process that I had to consider if I would do something like this on my own…the answer us YES I would and could and will if necessary. But in saying all that, I am so so grateful, ever so grateful to you my Love. Thanks for everything Babe. Good thing he is a three-time Ironman, I knew endurance was part of the fabric he was cut from since the start.

Stay tuned!!! It is just getting good.

LAUGHTER

Laughter helps everything.

There has been a lot going on in life lately, all of it really good stuff but keeping laughter at the forefront of it all helps everything!

For Memorial Day weekend, Mike and I headed up north to be with my family. On Saturday we decided to kayak/canoe/float the Betsie River which runs right by my parent’s house. It was a beautiful day, quite warm for late May in Northern Michigan and it felt great to get out on the river. I always forget how relaxing and healing a nice float down the river is until I am on it.

Mike insisted that I just relax in the front of the tandem kayak and not paddle and that he had it all handled. I trusted him completely and he gave me very little reason not to…at least for the first part of the trip.

We had rented a sit-on-top kayak from Crystal Adventures. The adventure company owners advised that we bring one of their dry sacks with us on the boat and I said “It is nearly impossible to tip one of those things over but we will for sure take one.”

Famous. Last. Words.

Mike did and incredible job (THANKS BABE!!!) at navigating the river until one tricky part. I was so used to sitting back and taking in the scenery that I did not see it coming and I don’t think he did either. A big tree branch was down in the water and in very slow motion, I remember being in total disbelief it was even happening, the kayak got stuck, the current was super strong and tipped us right over. I grabbed the stuff that I could and the rest headed down the river to be retrieved by other family members. We were both soaked in clothes not necessarily planned for dunking in the river but laughing. I am not sure what else there was to do but laugh. Mike felt bad but was also sort of bruised up. I had some scratches and bruises and we just laughed and went on our merry way.

Around the bend, my brothers were whispering to each other “That must really be the right guy for her if she was that calm, cool, collected and both of them were just laughing.” They were pretty shocked at our response to the whole thing.

All the weekends, and weeks for that matter, are spent managing things, handling projects and making things happen. This past weekend was no exception as we framed and wired an entire basement at one of my rental properties. It is a rather large space and a lot of work. We finished the project around 10pm on Sunday and were wrapping everything up, finishing laundry and loading the dishwasher. We sat down in the living room for a few minutes and as we were heading up to bed, Mike put a couple things in the sink. As he stepped up to the sink, something felt strange. Looking down was the view in the picture below!

You see, neither of us has had a dishwasher in our lives for over a year. I am not sure how he did it but mistook liquid dish soap for dishwasher soap and the kitchen was filling up with bubbles. I just start laughing. First off, we are old enough and know better, or at least I thought we did. But secondly, we have both missed having dishwashers in our homes so much it has been something we have looked so forward to!

Here he is standing in ankle deep suds from putting the wrong cleaning product into the dishwasher and bubbles and spewing out the sides and continue to flow. I am laughing so hard at this point that I think I am actually making him a little irritated. Through laughter “BABE!!!! How on Earth did you do this???” both on hands and knees cleaning up the floor. (Side note: our kitchen floor is extra shiny and nice now!!)

We pretty much laughed ourselves to sleep that night.

Laughter helps everything!!! Truly lightens the mood, shifts the tone and make it all better. Mike and I do a lot of laughing together all the time, life is just too short to be any other way.

Look around in your life. Are there areas you can laugh more? Are there things you can laugh about instead of get angry or irritated with? How can you choose laughter more through your days? We only get one chance in this life!!! Let’s have some FUN!!!!

THE SCENIC ROUTE

I am one who always loves to take the scenic route.

I realize this more and more as the years go by. Even if it takes me the same time, 15 minutes more or an hour more, I would prefer to be on the scenic route than anywhere else.

This has become super evident over the past year being with a guy that also loves taking the scenic route. What’s the saying? “Life is about the process, not the destination.” I don’t know who said that but it is brilliant.

Last weekend I drove over to Cleveland, Ohio to attend Birthfit Professional seminar (I will share a lot more about Birthfit Professional as time goes by as it will become an incredible tool and offering here at the Cafe of LIFE). The seminar was Saturday and Sunday 8am-6pm both days. That is a long weekend and with everything else going on in life right now, it was difficult to commit to that schedule. I registered over 2 months ago and I am a woman of my word and so 7pm on Friday evening I made the drive.

Friday was a day filled with “life” and I wanted to be on the road by 5pm but that just didn’t happen. Because I also need to preserve my sleep, I took the fastest and most efficient way to the area and got to a hotel just after 10pm to prepare for a 6:30am wake-up.

Saturday was an incredibly informative and inspiring day with a group of colleagues passionate about helping prenatal and postpartum moms prepare and recover from the most intense athletic event of their lives. Saturday evening we were released at 6 and I set out to find some dinner.

Some of you know this about me but most of you probably don’t, I love just going for a drive. In fact, sometime I will say to Mike “Hey babe, let’s go for a drive.” …which he is usually game for and we go and explore. Another fun fact about me (at least I think it is fun although maybe I shouldn’t be so assuming 🙂 ) is I am passionate about real estate. I have invested around the local area and I absolutely love transforming spaces. Mike does too. As we go for these random drives around, I usually am opening my Zillow app on my phone as we see “for sale” signs posted along our route. Anywhere. Anytime. We drive around just to see what there is to see but also scope real estate wherever we are. I am a Zillow addict and I love that fact that I have access to see what the homes look like inside.

Saturday night I set out on a drive to find food and before long I realized just how close to Lake Erie I was staying. I got caught up in a long drive scoping the Cleveland coastline real estate…and then moved inland a street…and then another. Have you been to Cleveland? WOW!!! There were block after block of beautiful homes for miles. I ran out of daylight but I was astounded. I had Coffeehouse on my Sirius XM and it was the most relaxed I had been all week. I would wander around, taking in all the scenery and I could feel my heart filling up. That may seem like a strange thing to feel while on a drive looking at real estate, but I am okay with being strange.

Sunday came fast and furious and I was back in the seminar. Sometime during that day I decided I was going to take the coastline home. Yes I got out of the seminar at 6pm. Yes I had a 3 hour drive in front of me. Something inside urged me to take the scenic route and that something was making such a strong declaration about it that if I would have gotten on the toll road and taken the quickest route home, it would have been a battle inside myself the entire way.

So I did. At 6pm I got into my car and found the most beautiful stretch of homes along the coastline for a large portion of my drive back home. Looking back, I am so glad I took the scenic route even though it added some time to my late drive home. When everything was said and done, I had added just a mere 30 extra minutes driving the coastline between Cleveland and Toledo instead of the major highway. But on top of that, my heart was full.

YOLO “You Only Live Once” and FOMO “Fear Of Missing Out” drive my life and especially these types of decisions. I am the first to jump off the highway and see if I can find a fun way home just to see what is there.

So many people are in such a rush to get places. Yes there is a time to be rushed and there is a time to find the quickest route to the destination and get there. But what about when you are not rushed? What would the path look like if you got off the heavily beaten most traveled route? What would you see? What would you be exposed to? What would you learn?

Sometimes I take the scenic route and find that there wasn’t a whole lot to see. Most of the time when I am on the scenic route I find something new and always finished more inspired. In one of the books I read recently the author suggested “what would happen if you took a different way home?” Your usual route to work could actually look different…which would feel different…which would help to stir up the monotony of life and maybe help you see things from a different angle.

Life goes by so quickly, I have a hard time even wrapping my head around the fact that we are in May of 2018. Take the scenic route next time you get a chance.