We Only Get One Chance

THE SIMPLE THINGS

The joy in life is found in the simple things. This past weekend I accompanied a girlfriend to a party on the lake. Besides my friend, I wasn’t going to know a single person at the party but it seems that when hanging out around the lake, everyone is so friendly that I was sure it was going to be a good time. Something about the lake makes people happy. My understanding of the reason for the party was this couple got married and bought a house without telling anyone until it was over so this was a celebration of both of those things.

My assumption was correct and the party was a blast. The people were fun. The food was good. The house was beautiful. We stayed well into the night. Around 11pm were all chatting around a fire down by the water and Bob, the host of the party, arrived with a small cardboard box of stuff. It turns out that he had a bunch of Chinese lanterns.

Have you seen the movie “Tangled” the animated story of Rapunzel? Someone had recommended it to me so I watched it a few months back. Rapunzel finally had a day outside of the tower and her only goal was to go towards the lights. Every year, on her birthday, when she looked out the window in the evening, the sky would fill up with small lights. Though it was just an animated cartoon, the scene was really, really beautiful. She spent her free day in search of the source of those lights. Those lights were Chinese lanterns released from the people in the village. Fast forward to the happily-ever-after end of the movie is a beautiful scene filled with these lights, so beautiful I got a little choked up.

So you can imagine my delight when I realized that Bob had Chinese lanterns and that I was going to be able to light one and let it float up into the sky. I had no idea those lanterns existed in real life (though now that I googled it, I realize they are not THAT big of a deal) I don’t know if it is the fairytale-like scene that I am delighted by or what but it completely made my night to be able to light one off, actually it made my entire weekend! Its a really simple thing…but finding the joy in the simple things is what life is all about right? Have you found ridiculous joy in something so simple lately?

JOURNAL ENTRY 4/5/11

I have looked back at this journal entry a few times and I want to put it up here because I think that it may speak to a few of you and I want to share it. In yoga, we talk so much about coming to our “edge” on a physical level and how that physical “edge” can be a metaphor for other layers of our being. This was part of that particular lesson.

“4/5/11
I found myself at three interesting “edges” today. The first has to do with the cleanse and I’m still trying to figure out where these messages of “let’s be done now” are coming from because I know my body is being physically nourished well. The second has to do with the commitment to this process of Yoga Teacher Training with my favorite party of the year this Friday…Tiger’s Opening Day ( I am not a die-hard baseball fan, but I am a HUGE Opening Day fan). I was even offered 2 sets of tickets to the game and everything.

The last edge is really personal, but being at that edge I have 2 options…#1 I can back up and go the other way, or #2 I could jump and grow wings after my feet leave the ground. This particular edge is familiar and I have been here before. Last time I went the other way. I’m deciding which to choose this time and wondering even why this is presenting itself again…but it is, and when I flip a coin and make the agreement with myself that I will do what the coin says and it turns up the side of “jump”…I run through the scenario in my head and there is a incredible heart-opening joy and peace involved.

The “edge” takes on many shapes and forms and keeps showing up in many different areas in life. It is dynamic and personal and teaches us about what it is like to be us in that particular moment, at that particular time. The best thing we can do is brush up against it so we know where it is, and see if we can connect with something inside that gives us the strength and courage to push through those limits. This is how we grow and evolve.”

Namaste

VEGAN = A BETTER ME

My life is an ongoing process of “being me” and learning more and more about what “being me” is like on a daily basis. I love having a blog because as I grow and learn, I have an avenue to share some of those lessons with you and over the past couple months I have learned a lot. The following is just one of the many lessons as of late.

At the beginning of Yoga Teacher Training I made a commitment to be vegetarian for 3 months. In the middle of Teacher Training we did a 21 day cleanse that cut out all animal products as well as a few other things, which in essence is when I went completely vegan. After 21 days on that cleanse I felt so great that I continued for another 30 days or so and ever since then have chosen not to return to any animal products, not even eggs or cheese…and at that point I came to an amazing realization in my life…I FEEL AMAZING DAY IN AND DAY OUT!!

Prior to the initial commitment to become vegetarian, I was dealing with feelings of starvation 3-4 times a day, beginning early in the morning and would wake me up out of my sleep. I changed my diet and I no longer have that anymore. Some other amazingly wonderful things that I have noticed…
1. As already mentioned…I do not have to deal with feelings low blood sugar and starvation.
2. I do not have to sleep as much…I used to require 9-10 hours of sleep and sometimes a nap to feel good…now I am feeling great with 6-7 hours per night.
3. I have not been congested at all. I feel clear and free every day.
4. I have massively high amounts of energy.
5. I wake up and jump right out of bed.
6. I have huge amounts of energy when I workout.
7. I have been migraine free for 5 months now.
8. My mind is clear and my mood is good.
9. I have less wrinkles on my skin and less cellulite.
10. There is true, deep, profound peace in my being.

Being a health care provider, people ask me all the time about my diet. I had a very good, clean omnivore diet prior to making that initial commitment without any intentions of changing what I was doing. I was actually really nervous about switching over to a vegetarian diet thinking that I wouldn’t get enough substance to keep my blood sugar levels up. That couldn’t be further from the truth for me. For the above reasons, and so many more…I will be sticking to what I am doing. There is a bit of controversy about a vegan diet and that it is lacking some key amino acids necessary to build a strong, healthy body. I have taken that into consideration and supplement accordingly.

Our bodies are roughly 80% water and are happier if we consume things that match that percentage which means lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. I am by no means promoting a vegan diet for everyone and I believe we need to continue to explore to determine what is right ourselves individually. I do, however, encourage a “plant based” diet which will include loads of fresh, live fruits and vegetables and organic and local whenever possible. When we put raw and alive food, an apple for example, into our bodies…we are actually consuming that apple’s life energy. Wouldn’t you want to add more life whenever possible?

We get one chance…one life…one opportunity to experience all that we can in this body. I am choosing to help my body be the best, feel the best and promote health from the inside. Are there areas in your diet that could maybe use a little renovation? a little alteration? There is no time like the present.

TRIATHLON SUCCESS

As many of you know, I have spend the past couple months training really hard for the First Try Triathlon. Well I am happy to report that my training paid off. The event was this past Saturday over in Linden. I have done many races but as we got closer to this event, I was really nervous. To do 300 yard swim had become kind of a simple thing, 9 mile bike ride-no problem, 2 mile run-piece of cake…but to put them all together and do them back to back, I wasn’t so sure.

So my morning looked like this…

Alarm goes off, get dressed, early breakfast and hydrate, load up gear, blast loud music as I drive over to Clover Beach, survey the scene, unload my gear, set up my transition area, get body marked with my number and age, put swim cap and goggles on, strip down to swim gear (it was about 60 degree with a treacherous wind and very difficult to part with my sweatshirt), line up in heats, swim, dodge weeds, catch my breath and swim some more, run up the beach to transition area, change to biking gear and bike 9 miles (shoot I forgot to put my sunglasses on), back to transition area, change to running gear, try not to throw up (I was very nauseous), run 2 miles still trying not to throw up (and thinking I wish I had time to use the bathroom), finish, cheer on my family and friends, find my mom and run the end of her race with her, and enjoy and celebrate the completion of my first triathlon.

WOW! That was so much fun! During the entire race I was sure that I was in the middle of my heat…not near the front nor the back…but figured I was right in the middle. I have abnormal anatomy in my heart that limits my oxygen carrying capacity so even though I do a lot of running races, I mostly do them to complete them rather than compete. At the end of the triathlon I go to check my times and of course I start in the middle of the list and work my way down…my name is not there. I thought that was a bit odd, so I scroll down it again. Well there is no way I should look above half way on that list…I have never been above that point. So I scrolled up the list and low and behold I found myself finishing at number 52!!!!!! I thought to myself “this can’t be right, there is no way”…but it was and I actually finished 4th in my age group!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!! I was and still am thrilled. I am not one to throw placings around (mostly because I am usually so far back on the list) but this time I have to.

So my overall view is the triathlon itself was incredibly well organized, I had so much fun, I smiled the entire time, I finished and felt great and the icing on the cake is the fact that I actually did really well. Of course you will currently find me trying to figure out when I can fit another one into my schedule.

I am always up for an adventure. I learn so much about myself and about life by taking on challenges like the triathlon. Life is about learning, growing and evolving. Have you been stepping outside your comfort zone to find your limits? The great thing is when we do, we find that our limits are in a constant process of changing and we can usually go farther and do more than we previously gave ourselves credit for. We may as well test our limits…we only get one chance.

DON’T THINK ABOUT IT, JUST JUMP IN!!!

As the days go on, my love for swimming grows and grows. I feel like I have to get my “swimming fix” on a daily basis now. I pull into my parents house, walk down their gazillion steps to the water, set my stuff down, put my hair up, put my goggles on, walk to the end of the dock and jump right in. I used to be plagued with that silly “the-water-is-too-cold” syndrome. I would sit at the end of the dock and contemplate how cold it was going to be, how bad that was going to feel, how yucky that shock to my system feels, how much of a hassle my hair was going to be once it gets wet (I do not have the “wash and go” type of hair), how much mascara was going to be running down my cheeks and a number of other things. Half the time I could convince myself to jump in and the other half of the time I would try to walk away or dodge my brothers or step-dad trying to push me in.

A lot has changed lately and the ability to just “jump in” that lake is a HUGE deal for me…and you know me, the message doesn’t stop there. I have been thinking about how that “don’t think about it, just jump in” message is applicable in my life. Everyone has heard the phrase “analysis paralysis” and how we can literally think ourselves out of just about anything. Taking too long to make a decision, can result in not deciding at all. Analysis paralysis is not my norm, however I do fall prey to it at times. I have been using this (almost) daily jump in the water to help me with some of that stuff that holds me back in the background of my life. I will continue to do that and maybe even be a little more deliberate about what the jump really represents for me on that particular day, during that particular week or maybe in a particular situation…a metaphor for life.

When I jump, that first instant when I am all the way underwater, goggles on and I open my eyes…is really, really special to me. Bubbles fill my visual field, often I see my mom or step dad’s legs kicking as they begin their swim, I feel the freshness of the crisp water engulf my body, sometimes I see weeds but the picture that sticks with me are the rays of sunlight as they light up the underwater world. It is so beautiful what happens to the sunbeams as they pass through the surface of the lake. I do not think I am poetic enough with my words to do any justice to this picture. Maybe you need to go try it for yourself…and when you get to the dock, or the shore or the pool edge, DON’T THINK ABOUT IT, JUST JUMP IN!!! …since we only get one chance.

HANDS

I have a job that I stare at my hands all day. I mean that is not all I do in my job, however I because of my work I am keenly aware of them. Have you ever broken a hand? sprained a wrist? done something that made one or both of your hands un-usable for a while? Usually within about 10 minutes of something happening, you begin to realize how much we take for granted when it comes to our hands.

Just over 2 weeks ago, I fell while running on one of the trails out at Seven Lakes State Park in Holly (I LOVE the trails out there). I landed in a way that severely bruised the soft tissue in my wrist. I was a little nervous about it and going back to work, however I trust my body to heal whatever is necessary and do it in an efficient manner. I did a little work on it myself and was adjusting people just fine that day and for the rest of the week. The weekend came and besides the unsightly bruise, my hands felt great. I consciously let them rest and took it easy over the weekend. On Monday, I showed up at work like normal and after the first adjustment, I knew I was going to have to alter what I was doing for the morning shift (which I am grateful to have a bunch of options for adjusting people because that change is made easily and effectively). I have no idea if it was a manifestation of the fall or not but things just felt off. The afternoon went by okay I finished the day well. The next day they felt great and the rest of the week went well. This past Monday, the same exact thing happened. My first adjustment of the day, I could tell I was going to need to alter things a little bit again. The rest of the morning went well and the day was great. The next day they felt great and the rest of the week has been awesome.

So I am bringing this up because the challenge I was having may be from the fall, however it may be from something else. I have a book called “You Can Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay. The back part of the book is a list of body parts, some ailments that could happen and a possible thought pattern that could be feeding into the problem…so I looked up hands:

“HANDS

Probable Cause: Hold or handle. Clutch and grip. Grasping and letting go. Caressing. Pinching. All ways of dealing with experiences.

New Thought Pattern: I choose to handle all of my experiences with love and with joy and with ease.”

When something comes up in my life, I go and see my chiropractor and get my spine checked, see my massage therapist, check in with some acupuncture and look at my thought patterns. In doing all this, I want to maximize my potential for healing and health and trust my body to take care of whatever is going on.

Things happen in life. I am a human being like everyone else and there has been a little bit of challenge in letting things go as of late. It is so interesting how much our body can teach us if we look at how it is communicating with us. Life is an ongoing chain of experiences and a process of learning and growing. I am grateful for all the places life has taken me and all the things I have learned. And I am also grateful for this lesson and am ready to let go in a big way. I want to learn as much as I can about life and living…since I only get one chance.

I AM IN LOVE

I am in love …WITH SWIMMING!!! In my trek to my first triathlon, I have discovered a love for swimming. I am so crazy about it and I had no idea I would enjoy it this much. In fact, I find myself so excited during the day knowing that I get to go out there and jump in the water and swim! So in this crazy joy I am finding in swimming, I am taking a step back and trying to understand what is happening in my mind that makes me love it so much.

I do most of my swimming out in the lake and the water has been really, really beautiful. I have been focusing on free-style stroke which I am hoping to do for the entire swim distance of the triathlon.

I have been working really hard on rhythmic breathing in order to be able to tackle the stroke which is a challenge in and of itself for my body. The breath is taken through the mouth and then the head goes in the water, breathe out the nose and then coming back up for a breath and start again. I have found such a peacefulness in the time that my head is underwater.

I have goggles on of course and can see in the water but cannot see anything because the lake is rather deep. I see the bubbles coming from my nose and I watch my arms as I take strokes and watch the trail of bubbles that follows my hands as they move through my visual field. There is something about that scene that I am completely mesmerized by and I think about during the day.

It is really quiet underwater. That peacefulness is contrasted every time I take a breath with all the chaos on top of the water from the sights and sounds of the world above the surface. Then I return to the peace, then chaos, then peace, then chaos. I also notice how much of the water I can feel when I first jump in and the temperature contrast of that first submersion when compared to the air. I have come to really enjoy the slight pressure on my skin as I move through the water and the sweeping sensation the water makes as I begin covering the distance. When I am finished and get back up on the dock, there is an incredible euphoria and sometimes a slight dizziness from over oxygenation of the body. I am hooked…in a really serious way.
Those of you who know me realize that I am continuously exploring and looking for new adventures and new doors to open. In that, I have made some really awesome discoveries.

Have you been exploring? Are you finding new and wonderful things in this life on a continual basis? Life is a process of discovery…on many levels. I am in love with swimming. Get out there and try something new…we only get one chance. …oh, and come cheer me on on June 25th 8:00am at Clover Beach off Linden Rd:)

SUMMER IS HERE

What a beautiful long weekend!!! It really feels like summer now. For some reason Mother Nature feels that the people from Michigan can handle going from 50s right to 80s and 90s. For those of us that live in this amazing state…if it means we get to see th

e sun, WE WILL TAKE IT!!! There is a certain feeling that comes along with summer. I think it may have to do with the shedding of all the layers we have to wear during the winter in order to keep warm. Once summer comes, even something as simple as being able to wear flip flops is so freeing.

We are incredibly blessed with all the water and lakes that surround us. In this great little town alone, we probably have 8 or 9. Life on the lake is really nice. I am fortunate that my parents live on the lake just south of town and on the weekends, my brothers and their families gather and we hang out and play all day. We usually gather with food and music and spend the entire day chatting, catching some rays and watching my niece, Charlei, learn about the water, sand and navigating the deck. It is a lot of fun and has become my most favorite thing to do. Yesterday was wonderfully hot, the lake was incredibly busy, and the water was amazingly refreshing. Everything wrapped up around 7 or so and everyone headed home to get some final rest before the week begins again. I headed down a couple doors to a small gathering that was happening, chatted for a few minutes and helped them clean up… And that is when it happened…I had my first bite of watermelon. I don’t know anything that says “welcome to summer” more than biting into fresh watermelon. It’s summertime. Get out there and enjoy yourself!

"OH MY ALLERGIES…"

We have had a TON of rain lately and of course everything that comes back to life in spring is doing so in a VERY BIG WAY!!! Which is making the world so lush and beautiful…and bringing on allergy and “hay fever” symptoms. Many times each day I have

people coming in to get their spines checked and talking about how miserable “allergy season” is. I have discussed this topic in the past however I always like to re-visit things when they are brought to my attention so frequently.

First off, YES “allergy season” sucks!!! It is hard to get through the day and have to deal with congestion, stuffy foggy head, headaches, nasal drainage, itchy eyes and scratchy throats. It is a total drag because usually you still have to deal with whatever you had planned for the day. So why does the body do this anyways? Let’s take a look.

This “hay fever”/allergy thing generally happens 2 times per year, spring and fall, though for some, it happens with every season change. Our sinuses are always filtering and responding to what is entering our bodies when we breathe in and out. It is a lot of work for them to do this with every single breath, however our body is very intelligent and has set things up this way for a reason. The air we breathe is filled with all kinds of particles from our environment and winter air and the summer air are very different. Winter outside air is usually quite clear because most things are dormant however our bodies have to deal with heated buildings and things trapped inside. In the spring, things start coming back to life and our sinuses are dealing with completely different particles and have to change. Then fall comes around and things die off and our sinuses have to change again to deal with filtering different particles…and the cycle continues. When our sinuses go through that change in season they have to slough off the old sinus cells and mucous linings and replace with new and different hence, nasal swelling and drainage, congestion, etc.

If you moved to a different country and your started eating a completely different diet, the linings of your digestive tract will initially be a little upset and then will gradually make a shift to accommodate this new diet. Same thing happens with the sinuses.

“OK doc, so what can I do about this? I am miserable!”

Ahhhh, great question! First off, boost your immune system by eating well, getting some exercise and lots of rest, drinking lots of water and steer clear of caffeine, sugar, and alcohol and stress management. Get on a good multi-vitamin and make sure you are getting enough omega fatty acids from flax seed, flax oil or fish oil. Try adding vitamin C and getting out in the sunshine to get your vitamin D. Our nerve system controls how our body reacts to the environment so coming in for chiropractic care helps a lot. In fact, some people have a noticeably easier time breathing immediately following an adjustment.

So realize the body is doing its best with what its got to work with. Let’s focus on getting a few more pieces balanced and start to enjoy springtime!!! …life is too short not to.

A GREAT WEEKEND

It was a GREAT weekend, I mean really great. It was the most perfectly balanced weekend that I can remember in a long time. It started with a coaching meeting and getting my hair done on Friday morning. The evening marked the last class of Yoga Teacher Training with concluded with 108 sun salutations to a live bongo band. Awesome! And maybe you are not familiar with what a sun salutation is so let me breifly describe it. It follows the length of about 5-6 breaths and includes 11 postures, standing, forward fold, top of a plank then bottom, up dog, down dog and back to the top of the mat. Multiply that by 108 = A LOT of work. Good work though. Saturday morning began with the Le Leche League doing their cloth diaper sale in the front yard of the Cafe of LIFE. It was great because I came and helped set up and didn’t have to stay and work. So I chose to head up north. There is a bike ride called Zoo-De-Mack(http://www.zoo-de-mack.com/) that happens once a year and I have gone up and participated for 7 years. This year I didn’t get to do the ride but I went up for the celebration anyways. Mackinaw Island is such a cool place. There is so much to do and see there, I really enjoy it. The evening was filled with friends and dancing and everyone was in such great spirits. I woke early on Sunday and made it home to finish the weekend hanging out with my family and having dinner on the lake.

This is the frist weekend where I actually felt like I was able to catch up with myself. Seems life is so full anymore that I feel I fall behind a little with myself. Great to relax and have some fun and catch up. This morning I woke up loving the fact that it is Monday. Monday mornings are so full of potential. Some people really dread Mondays however I feel like there are so many possibilities for the week when I am staring at the ceiling waking up on Monday mornings. In that same moment, I am so grateful that I play a part in choosing to make the week a good one or not. It was a great weekend. May as well do our best to make all of our weeks great…we only get one chance.