I am recently reminded in my life about the importance of asking for help and started a blog,“60 EXTRA HANDS”, over a month ago. Now this one is appropriately called “PRELUDE TO 60 EXTRA HANDS”…stay tuned!!
If you have followed my last year of my life, you will be aware of I am currently living in a tiny home waiting for my new home to be built. In this tiny home, I have decided against having any cable TV (no TV in general is how I have lived for years), but because of that coupled with the fact that the internet/cable companies need you to be available on a weekday between 8am-1pm in order to get set up (“ain’t nobody got time for that”), I have never gotten internet here either.
Then a friend of mine presented to me the fact that he lives without wifi, as well as no TV, and I honestly thought to myself “That is even better than just no TV, no wifi either!” I have lived in this tiny home since January and haven’t had much access to computer use. When I am at the office it is just too busy, THANK YOU TO MY INCREDIBLE TEAM!!!, that I don’t get a chance to write there either. So blogging has gone to the wayside.
AND THEN someone said to me “what about making your phone a mobile hotspot?” And that is EXACTLY what I did today and I am so excited it worked!!! I can sit on my couch in my quiet tiny home and start to share my words with you AGAIN and I AM ABSOLUTELY THRILLED IT IS WORKING!!!
So this is a called “PRELUDE TO 60 EXTRA HANDS”and I can tell you this, you won’t want to miss the next blog posts as I have a chance to get back to writing on a regular basis. It is quiet here and peaceful and it is the PERFECT SPACE for blogging. YAY!!!!
“Most of you know that I grew up with 3 brothers. If I could possibly explain to you my childhood in 3 simple words, I would call it “three against one”. Always…and I was on the losing side of that scenario…” stay tuned!!! 🙂
I am pretty sure most of you know that the high altitude training I did leading up to my trek up MT KILIMANJARO was done at a gym that is set up in the packing plant of the orchard where I was born and raised.
My brother set this gym up last fall and I remember my first time training out there and how cool it was that I was working out in a room we used to store apples in when I was growing up. It was our family’s livelihood.
I also remember training day after training day how grateful I was to have that access to that gym and the concept of being able to train at 8,000-12,000 ft above sea level right here in Fenton, Michigan.
high altitude training in Fenton, Michgan
Kelly, my mountain sister and training/trek/tent partner, and I would meet out there a few times per week. We would text each other during the day and share our nerves and how we were feeling and then we would get together regularly and talk each other down from the anxiety during our workouts. This happened over and over and over, week after week.
We also met each other out there 2-3 nights per week to spend the night at high altitude (which is really where the magic in high altitude training comes from, endurance at the altitude which is what is happening while spending hours sleeping there).
The training days were pretty brutal yet gratifying, but the slumber parties were more like mild torture…for me anyway. I would sleep for about 5-6 hours and then I would wake up and not be able to get back to sleep. When you sleep at altitude it is as though the body is working out all night long, and for me it was very difficult to rest. Couple that with the fact that my comfortable bed in my precious tiny home is roughly 3 miles away and here I am sleeping on a cot in my sleeping bag.
I remember one morning after a difficult night at the gym, I called Kelly in tears that “I am going to fail the sleeping portion of the trek, I just know it!” (funny thing isI DID FAIL that part if you had a chance to watch my short documentary video log<<—click link to watch. Ugh life is such a self-fulfilling prophecy, isn’t it?)
Hours and hours and day after day I spent there prepping my body to handle the 19,341 feet summit that is MT KILIMANJARO and because I don’t have a current need to suffer excessively, I sort of boycotted trips back to that gym since I got home a month ago.
Today is a beautiful sunshiny day in Michigan and my brothers and I spend a lot of time out at the orchard when the days are like this. I was there all afternoon. I was more focused on the sun, getting a heavy dose of vitamin D, playing with my nieces and nephews, Jeeping and hanging out today that I didn’t go inside.
At the end of the afternoon, I gathered my things and sat down in my vehicle to drive away and then my subconscious chimed in and said “just go and walk in the gym.”
And so I did.
Do you remember the smell of your grandmother’s house when you were little? I remember the soap smell she had and anytime in my entire life, when I smell that, I warp right back to being a child and all the memories of being in her home (which I always had a great time there with my cousins).
high altitude sleep training
The gym has a smell. It is a distinct “PEABODY HIGH ALTITUDE” gym smell. It is sort of a rubbery, apple storage, air compressor air kind of smell. Ok, maybe it really doesn’t have proper descriptor words to tell you about it.
Anyway I walked in, the gym is at 8,917 feet today and I instantly choked up and then burst into tears. In fact, I cannot stop crying as I write this.
It isn’t a sad cry, it is a “HOLY CRAP!!! Because of this place, all the training, all the conversations and all the hard work and shitty sleeps, I MADE IT TO THE TOP OF MT KILIMANJARO!!!”
All the planning and plotting and scheming that Kelly, my brother and I did in and around training for the trip GOT ME TO THE TOP!!!
But then the other layer kicked in…because I was born and raised right here and am part of this incredible family, I MADE IT TO THE TOP. Because my family had a vision a few generations ago for this orchard life and this land and building that they built, I MADE IT TO THE TOP. Because my brother is such a crazy out-of-the-box thinker I MADE IT TO THE TOP. And because I am a Peabody,I MADE IT TO THE TOP.
Every single day on the mountain I had my brother’s gear on, something of his that I would be proud just to have and I would gather strength knowing that he was rooting for me. That would then extend my thoughts to the family, the orchard and my many blessings of having Peabody blood and the perseverance that runs far and deep through those bloodlines.
So I sit and think, “could I have made it to the top if I didn’t have that gym to train and sleep and learn the deep meaning of embracing the suffering?” Yeah, I may have been able to, probably would have found success regardless, however I will never know for sure.
What I am certain of, I am stunned and shocked that a gym could choke me up like it did…and I am blessed to be a Peabody because as a family, we always MAKE IT TO THE TOP!!!
I hope this message finds you happy and healthy and enjoying your week…and your LIFE!! I was realizing as I was sitting in the car for all those hours that we really do have a lot of power in the intention we set for our own lives. I hope you are making the most of it all!!! As the title of this blog says…we only get one chance.
These words stuck in my head from our briefing after dinner on summit night.
Every evening after dinner, they would come into the mess tent, do our medical examinations and share with us how they thought we were all doing and what will happen the next day, or later that night in this case.
Me (Dr Erica Peabody) Ready for Summit Night
We had 12 guides with our group for our normal day to day and about 50 support staff. The porters were the ones that carried all of our gear, food water and tents and such. Everyday they would pass us on the trail and get to camp ahead of us and have everything set up for us for when we finished our days.
The intensity of summit night required the assistance of our normal 12 guides along with 18 additional porters in order to have one to one support for the final hike to the very top. Having this one to one support for the final summit is the reason this particular company has such high summit success rates.
I woke up nauseated and although I ate a tiny bit of food, I really couldn’t manage to stomach much at 15,000 ft and almost no sleep. So the climb begins at 1am. We line up in our hiking line and start to make our way up the trail. It was the most beautiful night with bright stars in the big African sky.
As we begin to hike, the phrase “DON’T DIE WITH YOUR DAYPACK ON” came back in my mind. What exactly where they talking about? I feel absolutely fine. Were they really serious when they said that? I am surprised they made such a point to make sure that was clear and that if we needed to hand over the load on our backs to a porter, we could easily do that. “I won’t need to do that, I feel super strong.”
An hour goes by and I had already overheated once and had to strip my outer expedition-weight goose down jacket off. The guide warned me to keep it close because I would want it back sooner rather than later. As I thought about it all, it is close to zero degrees and I should not be overheating at this point. Then I got the chills. Then I got goosebumps from head to toe. Then I got hot again and then the chills. What on Earth was my body doing??? It felt as though my body was confused and couldn’t regulate my temperatures.
I felt my stomach start to gurgle (which will be an entirely separate blog post) and just after the first hour I realized I was not going to be able to do this summit with the current situation I had going on. I tried and tried and tried to remain calm and keep pressing on. I tried so hard to the point I got blurred vision and lost all my strength. Unfortunately for me my camelbak water hose froze and I no longer had easy access to hydration.
Me (Dr Erica Peabody) Finishing Kilimanjaro Trek
I fell to the ground. I needed a break and I needed help…and THIS is exactly what they meant when they said “DON’T DIE WITH YOUR DAYPACK ON!” I understand now. Sometimes that extra 10-15 pounds, although comfortable and distributed evenly on my back, was just going to be too much, and for me, it was.
Now let’s back up a minute and discuss this concept. I am not one to ask for help from others. Of course in my office, I cannot do that alone and have hired help. But life in general is manageable and when I focus my mind and efforts on something, I almost always can be able to come out on top. I rarely ask for help, I guess maybe I was raised that way.
There was absolutely no way I could have gone on from that point which is common in those circumstances, hence them having one to one support for that part of the trek.
The greatest thing happened when I fell down. I was in tears and yelled“I NEED HELP!!!!” The next thing I heard was “Erica we got you covered.“ As I lay on the ground, those from the group that hiked past me put out their hands for a high-five and I heard things like “Erica you are my hero.”
I realized in that moment that I wasn’t a hero because I was so strong and powerful, I was a hero in that person’s eyes because I recognized that I needed help and asked for it.
Sometimes our admitting defeat is where we really grow into the person we are supposed to be. Admitting defeat and receiving the help we need is a sign of vulnerability and inside vulnerability is where true power lies.
Turns out that not only did I need my assigned porter to carry my pack, the final 50 steps to the summit, I needed him more than ever. When it got to the very end of the climb, I would take 2 steps and lean over so my chest would lay on the top of my trekking poles and take a few breathes. Then another 2 steps and lean over my poles. You guys, there is a reason NOTHING LIVES THAT HIGH!!! It was so void of oxygen I didn’t know how I was going to do it. My porter took my left arm and put it up over his shoulders. He then took my trekking pole and he took the final 50 steps as the left side of my body (picture the 3 legged race during field day in elementary school).
Even as I write this right now, I get goosebumps from head to toe as I re-live the intensity of that scenario (again, sorry Mom).
“DON’T DIE WITH YOUR DAYPACK ON!!” I get it now and I am so glad that my subconscious took good note of that when it was said that night.
I have made a commitment to blog frequently and I am not sure how it is one month later since my last blog. I am not sure where the time goes. I am not sure what happened to that month…but to say it has been one of the most impact-ful months of my life is a massive understatement.
A month later I look back and cannot believe the trek up MT KILIMANJARO even happened. It feels like it was all just a dream. My life here in this precious little town of Fenton is so vastly different than the 10 days in Africa that it feels like I was swept into someone else’s existence when I went to do that. I am only brought back to my reality when I stand up in the morning and my feet are still screaming “Yup, it was us that did that!!!”
A month later I sit in my office,CAFE OF LIFE CHIROPRACTIC, and am so very grateful for this life I have created and how much of it I have shared along the way. Although sometimes I feel like technology and social media has taken us a step backwards learning how to have human to human interactions, I am so grateful to have been able to share the experience with all of you over FACEBOOK LIVE specifically and of course YOUTUBE as well (<<<—links provided to my Facebook page as well as to the YouTube clip of my video logs along the entire trip).
A month later I am still stopped all over this precious little town so that people can congratulate me on my mission accomplished. I get stopped at the gym, grocery store and absolute strangers continue to walk up to me and introduce themselves. I am so happy I have been able to share far and wide that people have followed the story and lived it with me. When I get stopped people say things like “Hey! You don’t know me but I know that you are Dr. Peabody. I caught wind of your story and have followed your updates along your trip. Thank you so much for sharing that because I don’t ever think i could possibly climb that mountain but I want you to know that because you did that, I have been inspired to take on ____________ challenge.” This is the most incredible part of this trip, just knowing that it has spread and ordinary people like myself are dipping into reserves of strength they didn’t know they had. I FREAKIN’ LOVE THAT!!! I ABSOLUTELY LIVE FOR THAT!!!!
A month later I look back at just how serious the trip was. I haven’t shared yet, but two women in the group ended up getting high altitude sickness. When this happens, the porters put them on piggyback and have to run them down to lower elevation as it can be fatal. When I say piggyback, I mean 2 hour piggyback while the porter is running 4,000ft down the mountain. We had an awesome crew and they were able to recover well however in retrospect I can see why my mother was fearful for her stubborn, strong-willed daughter that decided to climb MT KILIMANJAROin the first place. Sorry Mom, life was waiting for me.
A month later I cannot believe how much richer my life is because I was taught the great lesson of surrender. Surrender to the elements. Surrender to the body. Surrender all thoughts and dreams and aspirations. Surrender to the moment. Surrender to the sensations. Surrender surrender surrender. In the most intense peak moments of this trip, there was nothing I could even think about aside from putting one foot in front of the other and taking one breath in and letting one breath out. I know there were a lot of people pushing for my success but I couldn’t even think about any of it or I would instantly choke up and lose my breath.
And just a month later I can look back and say that was one of the most rich and rewarding experiences of my life and I am so very grateful to have taken the time and done the work to make it all happen. Thank you to each and every one of you for all of your encouraging words and positive energy you sent my way. Many have asked what is next on my list? I am not sure as I am still processing this one a month later.
I was at a family party last Saturday night. Of course at this age, everyone wants to know how my dating life is and of course, most also know that I am working on building a house, so they are asking about my house.
I walk in the door and greet my cousin (who is sort of in the same boat as I am in life) and her and I discuss much deeper topics and catch up for a few moments.
The next corner I turn, I run into another cousin and the question is “What’s going on with your dating life?’
I respond, “Nothing.”
“Oh really? Ok. Well then tell me what progress you have made with your house?”
“Nothing” And honestly at this point in time I don’t really feel like talking about it if that is all I am to this person. So I cut that conversation quickly and turn the next corner of the house and run into an aunt, “What’s happening with your dating life? What’s going on with your house?”
“Nothing. Nothing.”
“No really, what is happening?”
“No really, nothing.”
I turn the conversation around on them and ask some questions about life but it was almost like I had sort of put the kibosh on the connection by answering my truth, which is “nothing”.
I turned yet another corner and a family friend started the same conversation with me all over again. And then of course is the ever so cliche comment of “How is someone like you still single?” which I constantly hear from every corner of my life.
“Who knows. Good question.” …and I really mean that.
So here is the deal, people, I am FAR MORE than who I am dating and where I am living! In fact, I believe the contrast on that particular evening was so strong because I spent the entire day leading up to that party at a most incredible and enlightening seminar on “Developmental Neurobiology” and although I couldn’t necessarily convey all of the information I learned that day in that seminar, I could have shared some. I am also working on a full Pediatric Chiropractic Certification which is far above and beyond the normal chiropractic degree and is a 2 year post-graduate program put on by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association that I am incredibly passionate about.
I also have started taking an intense kettlebell class that is changing my entire physical makeup and spending my time at some of the coolest yoga classes. I also have done a ton of reading and lots of writing, hung out with some great friends and am planning or just went on a trip most of the time.
I also am a pretty awesome Aunt E and I could share lots of stories about my amazing nieces and nephews and the time we have spent together.
But to these people, I am defined by who I date and where I am living. And quite frankly, since NOTHING is going on with either of those, to them, maybe I am nothing. ..and that is ok by me.
Maybe these people, as we all do from time to time, are looking for some juice somewhere in life that they can share out in the world somehow and in someway. I don’t really get it.
So I decided that I would sit down next to an interesting friend of the family and chat about running a ski resort, which is what he does, and I learned a LOT!!! Then I moved on to a couple I haven’t seen in a while but really enjoy to chat about the year just gone by and the year ahead; plans, experiences, travels, fun, laughs, work…all those kinds of things. I have decided that one or two good conversations in an evening like that is worth way more than trying to get around to everyone and stay as the “single homeless girl” (exaggerated description but you get the idea).
In saying all of that, I am also not really all that skilled in small talk to begin with. It is not my strong suit as many of you already know. That is definitely one of my faults but I’m alright with that. I also realize and am so very grateful that I get to live the blessed life that I do, this is not talking negative about any of that.
Someone said to me the other day, “You know, you have a lot of dating experiences that you should share a little bit about sometime…and I thought to myself that maybe I will. Stay tuned for maybe some stories over the next phase of this blog as hopefully my “nothing” will start to transpire into an incredible SOMETHING!!! …or at least that is my hope, on many fronts, but house and relationships in specific. l.
It is the month of THANKSGIVING!!! The best holiday of them all in my opinion. We have a GRATITUDE PROJECT going on in ouroffice for the final months of the year.
“What we think about and thank about, we bring about.”
The world proves to us over and over again that what WE FOCUS ON, EXPANDS!!! So let us get back to focusing on GRATITUDE and what we are grateful for.
Our lives are blessed in so many ways. Seriously so, so, so many ways.
I want to challenge you to sit for 5 minutes, set a timer even, and think about all the different things you are grateful for. Make a list in your mind. Can’t fill 5 minutes of time? Look harder, you are not paying close enough attention.
I am so very grateful for my officeCafe of LIFE Chiropractic and the ability to serve this community! I could not imagine my life any other way than spending my days doing what I love.
I also LOVE LOVE LOVE to fill this space with GRATITUDE!!!!!!!!
GRATITUDE PROJECT:
Each day you walk into the Cafe of LIFE, you will make sure to stop by our GRATITUDE STATION. There are leaf cut-outs ready for you. Write one thing you are grateful and tape it to our tree on our window. It becomes the biggest and most beautiful gratitude tree in just a few short weeks, and we just keep going. It is simple and super fun and such an awesome way to build GRATITUDE ENERGY!!!
And if you are not a patient here at the Cafe of LIFE, feel free to swing by and just fill out a leaf and join our mission. The more GRATITUDE, the BETTER!!!!
In saying all of that, I want to take a moment to extend my GRATITUDE to you, my readers, family, friends and patients, for being part of my life. My life and heart are filled up because of YOU!!! Thank you.
He was born after 3 long days of labor. I saw them a lot during mom’s pregnancy. It ended up that my office seemed like the ideal place to be when labor was taking days and he was stuck in the birth canal. I labored with this beautiful mother for about 30 minutes and adjusted her spine between contractions.
She is a beautiful mother, an Earth mommy. She has done her research and chooses natural parenting ideas to rear her children…on all levels of life. Her children are lucky they have such an advocate for a mother.
I love her. I love the entire family. She came to me years ago when her other chiropractor scolded her for breastfeeding her child in his office while she waited for her turn to get adjusted. She called me on her way home from that appointment at his office. I am glad I answered that day because OF COURSE!!! you may sit and breastfeed in my office. We have a comfortable environment that I hope all feel welcome to sit and nourish their babies. If anyone in this building has an issue with it, that’s alright by me this is my place.
Her little man was born just over a month ago. He is precious and little. I mean really little. In fact, he is so little he was not gaining proper weight. He had gained about 2 ounces over the first few weeks of life when she brought him in to the Cafe of LIFE to see me.
I wish parents wouldn’t wait so long but he is here now and I am grateful for that.
This little man is so little that his pediatrician has become very concerned, rightfully so. Aside from that, this little mans’s grandmother, would call his mom in tears regularly for him and his situation.
His first visit with me, his discomfort was absolutely palpable and I could feel his pain. As a chiropractor, when little ones are struggling so much, they look deep into my eyes and do not break eye contact and their little beings beg and plead for some sort of help…and they innately know that I have some tools.
This is the first time one of the little ones made me actually cry during their visit. Usually it is after they have left the building or when I am wrapping up my day with thoughts of them.
I tried to keep my tears hidden as he stared me down, and I think I did. When mom reads this, it will hopefully be news to her. I was also concerned, really concerned.
In the back of my mind, I could tell he was not a “failure to thrive” baby, I could tell he was capable. As a chiropractor, putting my hands on him I could instantly feel the stress and tension through his entire nerve system, his entire body.
It is quite possible that during his 3 day birthing process, his spine got compromised. And not to the point of permanent damage, but enough to be cutting off his normal flow of information to parts of his body and leading to dis-ease (literally lack of ease) making it nearly impossible for him to relax into what he is trying to do, which is eat, sleep, digest and grow.
One adjustment and though he left the Cafe of LIFE screaming his head off, I knew and absolutely trusted that things were set in motion. I wish I could do one adjustment for the infants and they would calm down and be fine forevermore, that is not the case.
Two days later, another check of his spine and nerve system. And another adjustment. Still screaming.
Another three days later, another check of his spine and nerve system. Another adjustment and the beginnings of some real change. The little man slept all the way through the adjustment. So peaceful which means his body can slow down and rest and digest like he is supposed to. Only problem is that at this point the pediatrician is going to admit him to the hospital unless he gains weight by four days from yesterday. Mom is freaked out because they will put him on formula, which all I will say is please do your research.
She decided instead of waiting for four more days, she would stop by the pediatrician’s office after leaving my office and put him up on the scale just so she knows what she is dealing with.
This is the text message from her (yes some of my patients text message me) that afternoon…
This little man will not be so little any longer. He will grow and grow and develop and make his way in life. He will do this with a little bit more ease because his spine and nerve system have settled down towards normal and he can relax and learn to live in this crazy world.
It is such a beautiful thing.
Every single one of my patients leave a lasting impression on me. Every single one of them (you) take a little piece of my heart with them (you). On a side note, when the heart is broken, it grows back bigger. I am certain I have dealt with the level and extent of heartache in my life so that my heart is extra big to be able to handle the masses.
The adults take a little piece of my heart, but the kids they just run away with it…but also fill it back up big time.
A simple story like this, the simple chiropractic adjustments I have done on this little man, this is what keeps my own gas tank full.
It is an honor to be his family’s chiropractor. It is an honor to do this work. I am grateful beyond words and moved to tears on a regular basis by being able to help out so many but especially a little man like that.
I have been in private practice for almost 12 years. Over the years, we have seen many patients come through our doors and heal, healing on levels both big and small.
There are so many different aspects to what make up our health and while chiropractic is a BIG PART of that, many people also have other areas that need assistance to sort out and change to really express more life and ease in the day to day. Things like diet, exercise and stress-reducing activities are so important in maintaining good health.
In the end, I am only one woman. And although I have created this facility and, along with my team, have grown it into what it is today, I am still only one woman, with only so much energy and only so much time. I realize that I cannot do it all. I also realize that you all need more.
So it is PERFECT TIMING to partner with a couple of dynamic women who have been doing HOLISTIC LIFESTYLE COACHING for a few years now. Jennifer Ream and Christine Landaal, otherwise known as the OSO Sisters, live locally here in town and have been coaching through an online and telephone platform. They are ready to bring their services out into the community and reach those in search of assistance to move their lives and health forward.
Jennifer holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, is a certified Reiki practitioner, and is a life-long student of spiritual awareness and holistic healing. She is also a wife, mother and lover of the outdoors and enjoys helping to guide clients towards reconnecting with themselves, healing from the inside out (which is also the chiropractic philosophy, seriously a perfect match for us) and learning tools to manage everyday life with ease.
Christine has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and is a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. She is a wife and mom and has done some work with her son’s food allergies as well as healing herself through an autoimmune disease. Her knowledge and personal experience has led her to pursue her passion for nutrition and healthy living and assisting her clients on their health journeys.
WE ARE THRILLED to have such qualified and dynamic women here to assist us in furthering our mission to help serve this community better in your multitude of health needs.
Jennifer and Christine are conducting their business here Tuesday mornings from 8am-2pm. Go to www.OSOSisters.com to learn more about their services and schedule a consultation. Find them and “Like” their page on Facebook at OSOSisters or email them directly at JenandChristine@OSOSisters.com.
Some of our patients have had concerns about how we will all fit into this space. One day we hope to EXPAND the building, but for right now, we will be working with our different practicioners (there are 2 others joining us as well that I will introduce over the next couple weeks…stay tuned!!!) during hours we are not regularly open. Chiropractic care and massage therapy will carry on as they always have.
We are excited to be EXPANDING and able to offer you a little more in an INTEGRATED HEALTH TEAM atmosphere here at Cafe of LIFE.
While you are at it, grab your calendars and mark THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20 to join us here at the Cafe of LIFE from 6-7pm to meet our team and learn more about our INTEGRATED HEALTH TEAM!!!
home to be built. In this tiny home, I have decided against having any cable TV (no TV in general is how I have lived for years), but because of that coupled with the fact that the internet/cable companies need you to be available on a weekday between 8am-1pm in order to get set up (“ain’t nobody got time for that”), I have never gotten internet here either.
