rejuvinating – Page 2 – We Only Get One Chance

BAREFOOT AND FREE

I had an incredible weekend! It was just about as much fun as one could possibly pack into the minutes of one single weekend and a good portion of it I spent at the Barefoot and Free Yoga Festival.

We live, work and play among some real superheros and it is hard to know who those superheros are until something like this weekend is pulled together through the vision of one woman. Of course, there will always be so many people behind the scenes that do not get enough recognition, however, it takes one person to have the vision to start with…and that person is the one who ultimately takes the initial step forward.

Proud Lake Recreation Area is a super amazing place just south of Milford, Michigan. I had never been there before and although I had signed up for the yoga festival just because of the idea of it…quite frankly I had no idea what I was getting into.

I pulled in, parked my car and took a walk to the festival site. It was an absolutely ideal location allowing for yoga classes to be held in a few different areas on the grounds. There were vendors, big tents that would hold yoga classes, a bunkhouse for those that wanted to stay, areas for tents, food vendors and so much amazing positive energy, it could not have been in a more perfect place!

Us yoga peeps, even though we are supposed to be super flexible (not only in class but in life in general), sometimes get stuck with wanting to only take our “favorite” instructor(s) and become actually quite rigid with our regular yoga routine. For me, my time is precious and I am always wanting to maximize my time spent in any yoga class and so I have my favorites and stick with them.

The great thing about the festival setting is that there are options and you are exposed to some other really

exceptional instructors…and because this festival was so close to home, those instructors are easily accessible to me, well if you consider “easy” to be within about 45 minutes.

When I am at my usual yoga class(es) during the week, I am usually running in there last minute and heading out immediately following closing postures. Life is busy, busy, busy! The flow of this festival and the timing of classes

gave us some real time to spend with these like-minded people. There were a few people I see regularly at class but I actually had some time to ask them about themselves and their lives outside of the studio. We shared time, space, laughter and snacks together. We had time for conversation between sweating our behinds off. We had a few moments to jump in the river together. I have stronger, tighter connections because of the weekend.

And then I should mention what it means to the body and mind to do that much yoga in a condensed timeframe. I took six, 75 minute vinyasa classes in 90-100 degree temperatures. I took an inversion workshop, a slow burn class and attended a lecture. This all happened in a matter of 48 hours starting at 7pm on Friday and finishing Sunday at the same time. That much yoga for me would usually be over a 2 week period and so putting myself into that many different postures, that much intensity, that much breath work, that much laughing and that much dancing, shifts a person at their core. Barefoot and Free has such

divine timing as I am in one of the most stressful weeks of my life in a long time. In the midst of playing a mean hand of “52 Pick-Up” with my life, I find peace. Peace is my center and I am craving more time on my mat like I have never felt before, such a strong draw for that level of intense movement and shifting.

I have shared about my experience over the past day and so many have asked “How do I get involved?” “How did you find out about that?” and “When is the next one?” I can say this for certain, DO NOT MISS next year! It is a simple 30 minutes from my home and if you are around the southeast Michigan area, probably within an hour from yours too…very central location to many.

I seriously had no idea what I was getting into. This is yet another time that I simply said YES and made it happen. Leading into the weekend I was asked, “Are you meeting a bunch of friends there at the festival? Do you know many people going?” No I did not know many people going, but I knew by the time I left, with the nature of yoga and the woods and the connection with Mother Earth, I would have new friends by Sunday. Plus I am not sure I love anything more than being BAREFOOT AND FREE!!!!!

Thank you to that teeny tiny superhero, Beth James, for creating a place for all of us to play…and be barefoot…and FREE!!!

I’M CONFUSED

A few weeks ago I was at a seminar in Toronto and there was a sign on the bathroom door of the convention center and I thought to myself “I’m confused.”

This is what the sign looked like.

Most of you know that I do not have a TV at home and mostly listen to music and read on my downtime. Because of that, I generally get most of my news from Facebook and all the hype about Target and their bathroom policy had many up in arms.

For a day and a half during the weekend, I walked by this bathroom in search of a “women’s” bathroom and all the while was wondering what it would be like to go into a bathroom that was marked as above.

Would there be urinals in there?

Would guys be required to go to the bathroom inside of a stall?

Will I be walking in on someone or something that I do not want to see?

So I passed by this bathroom option all weekend and pondered it over and over…what is going on behind that door? This is Canada after all and maybe they just do things differently here.

As I watched that particular bathroom door all weekend, I did notice that perfectly normal, and un-traumatized women were walking into and out from that door. Men too!

And then on Sunday afternoon I decided I would take a chance and head through that door.

Once I got to the other side of the door I started laughing. There was a set of stairs that went up with a sign for men’s bathroom and another set of stairs that we down for the women’s bathroom. The women’s bathrooms down that set of stairs had zero lines. The other set of women’s (marked as women only) bathrooms had long lines every single time, as many women’s bathrooms do in this life.

Once I crossed through that door and started laughing, I thought what a great metaphor for life: things are not always what they appear and are usually less scary than we think if we have the courage to cross the threshold.

As a culture, we really need to start paying a little closer attention to the sensationalism that is the news, and even the news on Facebook. We need to be conscious of all the things that slip by our filters and get lodged into our minds and beings. I am not exposed to news a whole lot, however even that whole Target thing, and I am sure that is not the only thing, got planted in my own mind without me even aware of what was happening.

Our subconscious runs most of our days for us without us even paying that close of attention. We need to guard ourselves from a lot of what the media is promoting and learn to originate our own ideas, decision, perceptions and actions.

“I’m confused” may be a theme when moving through the next door that is marked in an unfamiliar way. But I know and trust to drop my guard sooner and venture in just to see what is on the other side. Maybe you will want to try that too!!!

THIS IS WHAT I SEE

So this is what I see…

Many people left the state for spring break. Many people went down south to the sun, sand and beaches and had a blast. All the stresses of ordinary life fall away while out of their normal environment.

I have seen many of these people back in my office, Cafe of LIFE Chiropractic, this week. They say things like: “My low back pain was fine while I was gone but just a couple days before returning home, it started to flare up again.” “I did a 28 hour drive to Florida and back and I was fine, but now that I am back that sciatic pain is back.” “We had a great time, we were swimming and walking on the beach and my shoulder really relaxed. Now that I am home and running around all over for normal life, that shoulder is driving me crazy.”

One of the reasons we LOVE vacation is because we get a break from the grind of the day to day, we get to let go and maybe smile a little bit more, connect with the people that are important and fill our days with conversation and laughter. We become light and live that light and actually enjoy the lightness of being.

I want to know who made the rule that regular life cannot be like that. I have a bone to pick with whomever said we cannot enjoy the lightness of our being while running kids around, taking care of our homes, going to work and whomever is spreading the idea that we shouldn’t smile through the good, bad and the ugly during the mundane-ness of life?

We can…and we should.

If life becomes that enjoyable while we are away from it all, maybe we could be doing a little better job at enjoying it while we are in the thick of it.

I have used this phrase quite a bit over the past week or so…”Life just really isn’t that serious.”

I really mean it when I say that but I don’t mean that it is all rainbows and butterflies either. It just means that your rate of making it through your days so far is 100% and, until you are at the end, I bet that rate stays right up there at 100%;) If you ask me, we are all doing a heck of a good job and that is pretty freaking amazing!!

So let’s think about it. We get up in the morning and of course that part is really important. But what happens if you burn breakfast, run out of eggs and spill your bowl of fruit right down the front of your favorite white shirt as soon as you leave the house. I bet you will find something else for breakfast and make a joke of your outfit to those who ask and go on with your day. I bet you will gracefully figure out all parts of your day and in the end make it out with flying colors!

There can be trauma and drama along the way and I am in no way trying to minimize that, some really bad stuff happens to good people. However when we take a look at the bigger picture, most of it isn’t that big of a deal and isn’t worth much additional energy.

And during the days that we do not get to spend on the sandy beaches in the sunshine, what about creating that feeling of being on sandy beaches and out in the sunshine? I do not mean by creating a literal beach in your life, I mean by finding things to regularly do that bring you to the feelings you feel when you are there, things that make you feel more connected to nature and the Universe, things that connect you more to your community and activities and people that bring you joy.

What about finding more laughter, even if it means taking on a joke-telling hobby? What if you woke up tomorrow and you set an intention of finding out what everyone’s favorite joke is? What if you started just telling the joke “why did the chicken cross the road?” Making other people laugh, will make you laugh. That is just one idea of how to lighten the day. One lighter day leads to 2 lighter days which leads to weeks and months and years of a lighter life.

When life is light, the contrast of vacation will not be quite as much and the settling in of daily life will take on an easier and more graceful feeling. A lighter life leads to a healthier mind, less stress, more joy and in the long run, greater health!!!

As a chiropractor, I see all kinds of ailments, aches and pains and usually they are stemmed from something happening somewhere along the lines in life; physical stresses, mental/emotional stresses and chemical stresses. When we realize that the low back tension, the sciatic pain and the shoulder pain and stiffness are, not always but largely, exacerbated from the heaviness of our thoughts and stress and the anticipation of our normal life, we can really start to let some of the stuff go. Monday will be Monday. Tuesday will be Tuesday. Wednesday will be Wednesday…and so on. They have no real meaning until we place a meaning on them. If we wish them all away in hopes the weekend will get here sooner or vacation will get her sooner, or summer break will get here sooner…WE ARE MISSING OUT ON LIFE!!!

Let’s lighten the days. It starts in our minds and in our hearts. Let go of the pattern of dreading the mundane, that has become a bad habit. Let go and laugh more with your children, cut some slack to the car that just cut you off in traffic and be grateful for every single sunrise and every single sunset you get to experience.

Life is really not all that serious…this is what I see.

SNOW DAY

I don’t think there is anything better than a snow day. It is a day that we can actually sit around and recuperate and not feel bad about not getting much done.

However, in saying that I also realize it can be a HUGE inconvenience.

At the Cafe of LIFE, we are concerned about your health, and we are concerned about your safety too. We need to make sure that when roads are as bad as they are today, that you don’t attempt to make your appointment. We were able to get back to the Cafe this afternoon at 3, however we were not confident that after serving for 3 hours that we would be able to get safely home.

We called as many people as we could, sent out an email and updated our Facebook page. That is the best we could do. Upon leaving the Cafe, the calls were forwarded to my cell phone and I have been able to field some of your calls from the safety of my home.

One call I missed and it went to voicemail. In a very interesting tone the message was “It is ONLY snow!” and that’s it and hung up.

Yes, you are right, it is ONLY snow. But it is also the safety of my staff, my patients and to be honest, I am not sure the parking lot and sidewalk crew could keep up with the demand of today’s storm. So we called it and went home. I am sorry for any inconvenience and we are hoping to be back up and running tomorrow for normal hours.

In the meantime, since I was held up at home anyway, I decided to do my gratitude walk this evening in my snowshoes. It was beyond beautiful and maybe you got to spend some time outside too! That is what us winter-lovers do, we bundle up and go outside and we PLAY!!!

Here are some things on my gratitude list this evening as I trucked through the snow:

I am grateful for my staff and their willingness and dedication to serve, my community, my patients, my practice, plow trucks, salt trucks, my vehicle, AWD, snow, snow storms and snow days, my warm home, my healthy body and strong legs, my snowshoes, my ski poles, snow, my hat and gloves, my warm clothes, my long johns, snow removal companies, telephones and cell phones, running water, electricity, boots, food in my fridge and cupboards, my family, my neighbors, snow, clean water to drink, text messages, computers, furnaces, snow shovels, music, muscles, voicemails, heat, quiet time, the chance to have a moment to think, and did I mention snow yet? And snow.

Although this mild winter has been awesome and so nice to be able to get some projects done, we really do need the snow, for the water melt if nothing else.

I think this is only the fourth snow day in 11 years in practice. If that is the going rate of our commitment to service, you know we take what we are doing seriously. You also know that we take the safety of everyone involved very seriously as well.

Enjoy your snow day, night and maybe a second snow day!! Stay tuned and we will update you as time and this storm progresses. Oh, and get out there and ENJOY IT!!!!

TOUR OF THE SAILBOAT

Many of you know that I spent 10 days over the holidays on vacation on a sailboat, Yacht Emily Morgan. It was an incredible experience with amazing friends and even more amazing hosts and I will be writing a few blog posts about the week but I wanted to start with a tour of the sailboat so you have an idea, a foundation, from where I will be writing my posts from. I want to give you the visual of the entire scene and experience. Enjoy this clip!!!

Without a tour of the sailboat, your mind may try to make visions to fill in details of the what was happening. I would prefer you have more of a complete view of the ship and the scene as we go along here. Stay tuned for so much more!!!

SUGAR

It starts with Halloween and ends with New Years Day….SUGAR, SUGAR EVERYWHERE!!! Notably this is also considered “COLD AND FLU SEASON”. Guess what? Sugar is a major factor in decreased immune system function and when that happens, the “invaders” (viruses and bacteria) have a chance to take over.

Let’s learn some physiology…
White blood cells are a HUGE PART of your functional immune system. They travel through the body and convene around areas of “invaders” and do some clean-up work. White blood cells need Vitamin C in order to activate and do their job of phagocytosis (in essence “eating up”) of the viruses and bacteria. Sugar and Vitamin C have a very similar structure and compete for the same activation/binding site on the white blood cells. If sugar is around, Vitamin C doesn’t get to do its normal work and your immune system becomes compromised. When you decide to eat sugar, you can think of your immune system becoming a slug and slowing down to a crawl…every year…around this same time and going all the way through the New Year.

Certain minerals are required in order to process the sugar you eat. Because refined sugar doesn’t contain those minerals, chronic ingestion of sugar can lead to depleted levels of essential minerals in the body which creates further problems and compromises health.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO KEEP A STRONG IMMUNE SYSTEM?
Great question!!! Let’s take this little bit of awareness in to this holiday season and see how making a few better choices in what you put on your plate and in your mouth can have a drastic effect on your energy levels and immune system function.

WAYS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM:

Drink lots of water
Eat your vegetables
Get plenty of rest
Exercise/move your body daily
Take your vitamins
Steer clear of sugar
Steer clear of alcohol
Keep up with your regular chiropractic care
Get outside for some fresh air
Laugh often and take some time to play
Keep a positive mental attitude

The nerve system and immune system are interconnected (some will say they are the same – neuroimmuno system). When the nerve system is compromised, so is the immune system. REGULAR CHIROPRACTIC CARE will help maximize your potential for health by keeping your nerve system clear and your immune system strong. Swing in to the Café of LIFE Chiropractic Center! We would love to help you and your family have a wonderful, HEALTHFUL holiday season!!!

TUESDAY MORNING

TUESDAY MORNING “COULD-DO” LIST:

Work out
Prepare food for the week
Read
Blog
Work on my book
Run errands for my personal life and the practice
Grocery shop
Practice piano
Rest
Laundry
Organize my home
Online courses
Marketing
Breakfast with my mom
Visit my nieces and nephews
Snowboard
Yoga
Walk and catch up with friends

Many people have asked me what I am going to do with my Tuesday mornings since I will not be adjusting and serving my patients at the Cafe of LIFE. The above is a list of normal things that I fall behind on during my regular week. I have not had the balance I need to sustain my lifestyle and all the things that I need to make happen every single week. I have been tired and if I really own up to what is happening for me, I am slowing down a little bit. I can own that. It truly is what’s happening.

6 months ago I began to have this hunch that life was getting out of balance. I could feel it in my body and mind that it was a challenge to keep my energy levels up all week long. I scoured my weekly activities trying to figure out what would be the very best, for both myself and the Cafe of LIFE, way to balance the week. All of the hours at the Cafe of LIFE are busy and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I then realized that Tuesday morning is really the only chance to take away from the Cafe without effecting anything happening there. Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Tuesday Morning

It has been a challenging decision to actually step up and scratch those hours off our weekly schedule. It has been a lot of internal turmoil. Then, one day, I just decided I have to take a step forward into that new idea and present it to the practice. I was concerned that there would be a lot of disappointment.

What I found is that there is a lot of support in this decision. So many of you have stepped up and let me know how proud you are of me to take what time I need to keep it all balanced. “It’s truly a win-win because you get more “you-time” on a weekly basis and we will get you and your service for many, many more years to come.”

That is truly a win-win.

So I have just set my alarm for tomorrow morning at 8:30 and instead of getting up and showering and proceeding on with my morning preparation rituals to get ready to serve my patients at 10, I am going to put on workout clothes and go and take a step class at my favorite gym. Then I am going to come home and work on laundry and continuing education credits. Then I am going to do some food preparation for the week and then shower and be so ready to serve you at 3pm.

Tuesday morning is going to take on a whole other feeling and purpose for me. But because Tuesday morning will be redirected, Monday will be even more productive knowing I have a chance to catch up with myself on Tuesday morning. Then Wednesday will roll around and I will have far more energy to get up and rock the morning out at the Cafe of LIFE at our usual 7:30am. All of this with hopes that when I leave the office after a busy Thursday, I will have energy enough to go to the gym, bike or meet up with some friends.

My creative energy turns up high at night and so even though I do not have to work in the morning, I do need to finish this, shut the brain down and get in a good rhythm with my Monday nights so I can maximize the potential of Tuesday morning.

Good night! See you tomorrow at 3pm!

LIVING FULLY

To me, living fully is the most important concept in running my daily life.

If I get an invite somewhere, I take it.

If I get an opportunity to do something, I say yes and make it happen.

If I have an idea, I try it on and see if I can make it work.

To live fully is to take every opportunity to say “yes” and explore life!

When we got orders to go to Anchorage, Alaska, the decision was literally made on a “why not?” philosophy. Why would we go? Why not! I have to tell you it was one of the most incredible experiences that has shaped my entire life from that point forward. Going back to revisit was amazing.

Humans get involved in analysis paralysis, stuck in our thoughts and in our heads. We think too much and it stunts our movement forward. I want to challenge you when the next opportunity presents itself, see if you can answer it with a “YES!” instead of thinking too much (of course as long as it is safe and reasonable). Take the opportunities that help us live fully. We only get once chance to live this life. Let me know how it goes!

MY TRIBE

I never really felt the word “my tribe” until I went on my last vacation over the holidays. This is my tribe.

We have a resonance, ride the same wavelength.
We look at life through a similar lens.
We were familiar to each other from the beginning.
We laugh louder and harder together.
We mastermind.
We play. Like kids, we play.
We call each other out on limiting beliefs.
We call each other to be bigger people than we currently are and hold one another accountable.
We love in a really big way, each other and the world.
We bounce ideas off one another and truly gain so much from the other’s perspective.
We live fully and loudly and that is magnified when we are together.
We make our little crazy lives and ideas seem “normal” when we are together.
We have worked so hard, dug and excavated all kinds of stuff in order to uncover more of who we each are at our core. We did a lot of that work together and have tremendous trust in one another.
When there is time to shift and change and grow, a gentle space is held for when one stumbles.
We dance and sing. A lot! Fenton Chiropractor My Tribe
We can be our authentic selves, and it is encouraged.
We love life and remind each other to remain keenly aware of how blessed we are in our individual lives…and also as a group.
We have seen each other at our worst and helped to elevate that space.
We serve others and realize service is the key to happiness.
We have learned love, loss and so many other life lessons together.
We have great respect for one another.
We plan and plot and scheme.
We are family but we are so very different from our own blood-family.

That is my tribe and I wish all of you had a chance to get to know all of them. They are some of the most incredible people and my life would not be quite as rich without them. There is a great line in the Broadway play “Wicked” that goes something like this…

“Because I’ve known you, I’ve been changed for good.” This is my tribe.

GET BUSY ENJOYING LIFE

As the seasons tick by and we head into this beautiful Michigan fall, I want to remind you that we all need to get busy enjoying life. It is going so fast!!

I recently came across this powerful writing and I wanted to share it with you as it seems to fit the mood perfectly.

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER

by IRMA BOMBECK (on her death bed from a terminal illness)

” I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for a day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten popcorn in the “good” living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light the fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.” There would have been more “I love you’s.” More “I’m sorry’s.”

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute…look at it and really see it…live it and never give it back. Stop sweating the small stuff.

Don’t worry about who doesn’t like you, who has more, or who’s doing what.

Instead, let’s cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

Let’s think about what God HAS blessed us with. And what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally. I hope you all have a blessed day.”

There are some fun things, some simple things and some things to really think about in that list above. What an awesome time to bring to our awareness to how sweet and simple life really is.

With such a beautiful week, it is easy to want to get outside and enjoy the days. Even when it is cold, gray and yucky out, we can still find a little bit of sweetness inside of each day. Let’s all get busy enjoying life!