chiropractor – Page 11 – We Only Get One Chance

10 000 FEET

“We have now reached an altitude of 10,000 feet and it is safe to use approved portable electronic devices.”

Hmmmm….10,000 feet. WAIT!!!! 10,000 feet!!!! That is how high the plane was I jumped just a few weeks ago!!! HOLY CATS!!!

I am in a window seat and I take a glance out of the plane and the feeling comes rushing back to me since my very last plane ride was on was the one I jumped out of. I have a slightly, what some would call “photographic memory” and the image I just experienced when looking out of this window was like my brain went to rewind mode and took me right back to that moment i jumped.

WOW! WOW! WOW! and WOAH!!!!!

I am absolutely floored and filled with adrenaline again. I can contain it because it is not appropriate to interrupt my neighbors as one is reading her book and the other is browsing through SkyMall magazine.

I am in absolute awe of flight every single time I get on a plane. I fly a lot and some would think that maybe I would become desensitized to how amazing it is…but I never do.

As we were sitting in line a few minutes ago, waiting for our time to take-off, I could see the plane that was taking off just ahead of us. There is a HUMUNGOUS metal tube, on a few itty-bitty wheels, with 2 wings, filled with people and luggage, and at a certain speed, it gets just the right amount of lift and takes off INTO THE AIR!!! Are you kidding me!?!?!!!!

I was a science major and physics was a big part of my curriculum so I understand conceptually how it all works, but I am still amazed. Those Wright Brothers were geniuses!! Not to mention the logistics that go into making air travel possible for the average Joe.

And do not even get me started with helicopters…

Since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to fly a helicopter. I remember one day when I was around 8 years old, I watched a helicopter land about 150 yards from where I was. I thought it was the coolest thing ever at the time. I don’t know if my desire to fly a helicopter came from that moment or some other time but I remember that clearly.

So about 6 weeks ago, I was on another amazing adventure that took me to Sedona, AZ. I didn’t have any place to stay and no plans so I stopped into a tourist center to get some information. As the kind woman was setting me up with a room for the night, I thumbed through “Red Rock Helicopter Tours” brochure. Wait…they only want that much for me to get on a HELICOPTER??? That’s it??? Those machines are so complex, I never thought it would be a reasonable price to get on one…and in Sedona, nonetheless.

When I arrived at the airport the next morning, the helicopter landed shortly thereafter and they proceeded to TAKE THE DOORS OFF!!! So now let me get this straight…I get to be in the front seat of that helicopter, with the doors off and FLY OVER SEDONA?!?!?! Seriously, this is an absolute dream come true!!

They get me situated in the seat and give me a headset. I think the company was smart for putting me in a headset because I had to consciously push a button in order to speak to anyone. I don’t even remember taking off because all that is going through my head was “THIS IS SO FREAKIN’ COOL!! THIS IS SO FREAKIN’ COOL!! THIS IS SO FREAKIN’ COOL!!”…and that would have been what would have been coming out my mouth too if people could hear me and we didn’t have to have a headset on.

In the 45 minute flight, I did press the button a couple times just to let the pilot know that I thought the experience was “SO FREAKIN’ COOL”. I think I cried during most of that flight, had tears of excitement and gratitude just simply because I was in that helicopter…it was that freakin’ cool to me.

It truly was. Even to this day, when I think about that flight, that experience, I well-up with tears.

I do not know exactly where my love and fascination for flight came from or where it will take me. I don’t know if I will pursue flying helicopters or not. I have thought about getting my sky-diving certification and purchasing gear. Though now I have done it and realize it is quite safe, I don’t think spending my weekends skydiving is exactly appropriate as a chiropractor, business owner, daughter, aunt, cousin (I am pretty sure one of my cousins will intercept my car on the drive there), and friend.

I do know one thing though, I will keep flying around, traveling and having some awesome experiences, and sharing them with you.

I think it is pretty freakin’ cool that just a few minutes ago, when the flight attendant said “10,000 feet”, it was like I was brand new in this life again. Though I am not new, I have a renewed excitement today that only something like getting way outside my comfort zone and skydiving can create. I know I will hear it often and it is really freakin’ cool that the phrase “10,000 feet” has such a profound new meaning to me and is an anchor I will use to life live even more fully.

A TINY HOME

I have a very tiny home that I go to about 4 days a week. It is about 2 feet by 6 feet and is easy to transport and move from place to place. This tiny home is my yoga mat.

As I enter the yoga room, I always find myself gravitating to the same location on the floor. In one yoga studio is is one particular location, in another studio it is another spot and the third is still quite a different spot. There is a feel to the location in the room and is all very much part of my process.

I usually arrive early, sometimes 30 minutes early, because I want to be in that same spot. It may be a location where just a class or 2 before, I found myself staring at a ceiling tile and bursting out laughing. It may be a spot that just the day before, I left a huge puddle of tears on the floor. It may be a place that a week prior I had such an awesome flow and was really linked in to whomever was practicing next to me…either way there is a reason, and I cannot always put my finger on the why of my choice in locations.

When I arrive at the perfect place for my tiny home, I line my mat up perfectly parallel to the planks of the wood floor, fold my hand towel in half and put it near the top of my mat and find the ideal un-kick-able spot for my water bottle.

As I am laying on my mat waiting for class to start, I spend a little time observing others as they walk in to find their “spot” to set up their tiny home for the next 60-75 minutes of their lives. It is interesting the process they go through.

Some walk in confidently, drop their mat, roll it out, set up their water, climb on and lay down to meditate.

Others set up their tiny home, lay down, get back up and move to the opposite side of the room with a “something about the mojo of that spot isn’t quite right” tone to their walk.

Still others will stand by the door and survey the scene to decide their plot before making a move and others will stand and have a discussion with their friends about perfect location for their tiny homes.

There is such a magic to all the happenings. People arrive at different times for different reasons but one by one we all stake our claim to a 2 feet by 6 feet plot of wood floor to set up our tiny home and by the time class is about to start…it is all in perfect order.

The floor of the yoga room is covered in brightly colored mats of all shades, big towels, little towels, water bottles of all shapes, sizes and colors, and beautiful bodies of all shapes, sizes and colors that have found a “tiny home”.

The dance begins. The music fills the room. The sweat pours onto the mats. There is reckless abandonment during the flow…a vulnerability that you would only find if you were inside your own home and no one was watching. The bodies turn and twist into all kinds of shapes and forms and the energy is indescribable.

The classes I attend are taught with such incredible intensity that it sometimes takes everything I have to keep breathing just to make it through the next movement. When I am physically working that hard, there is no time to play with other thoughts in my mind and it is a 60-75 minute moving meditation. The only goal ever set out by the instructor is to “keep breathing and stay on your mat”, in other words…”stay in your tiny home”.

At the end, everyone lays down on their backs and melts into the floor. All the hard work, the physical, mental and emotional garbage has a chance to settle out and be absorbed by the floor of the tiny homes we have set up for ourselves.

When all is said and done, we all roll up our tiny homes and head out into the world. It is the feeling that has filled the body at that very moment that gets us all to come back time and time again for years.

Our tiny homes find their usual spot in the back seat or trunk of our vehicles waiting for the next 2 feet by 6 feet plot of wood floor in another yoga room to stake claim of next time the chance arises.

The tiny home that I go to on a regular basis, though exposed to the elements of the room and surrounded by people within inches, is a profound place of peace for me. I hope you have a place like that for yourself somewhere in your life as well. Namaste.

A ROSE

The rose is known for it’s beauty and energy. It is a symbol for “love and beauty” and different colors mean different things. I remember growing up, when I got a rose that was white, it meant something similar to the “like” button on Facebook, yellow meant “friendship” and red meant “love”. When roses were delivered in high school from someone, the color truly was significant…but the bottom line was everyone loves roses.

This evening I was having wine and a bite to eat with a friend, and since it was Mother’s Day, the restaurant was giving red roses out to all the females…basically making the assumption that they were mothers.

One of the servers at the restaurant taps me on the shoulder and says “Ma’am, would you like a rose?” Instantly, and based on my assumption that “roses are for mothers only” I said “No thank you. I don’t deserve one. I am not a mom.”

WOAH!!! HOLD YOUR HORSES!!!! …now all of a sudden I have made an assumption that in order to “deserve” a rose, to be “worthy” of receiving a rose from a random restaurant server, I must have birthed a child into this world or somehow married into a step-mother role.

When absolutely ridiculous statements like that fall out of my mouth, a HUGE red flag goes up indicating it is a good time for me to take a step back and evaluate where on Earth it came from.

The friend I was sitting with was just the perfect person to have this conversation with as he reminded me that I am worthy of a rose…and so much more. “You are like a palm tree in the North Pole…you give hope and you give life and put a smile on people’s faces”. “Leaders and movers in the world were never placed on a yacht in the Bahamas, they were always where hungry and thirsty souls are.” and “Bloom where you are planted.”

Thank you my dear friend.

So I took the rose and I placed it on my purse and it became the center of conversation and a focal point for the rest of the evening.

Have you looked at a rose lately? If you sit and are really present with a rose and you take the time to check out the intricacies of it’s structure…it is truly magnificent, a beautiful natural work of art. As I brought the rose up to my nose for a smell, I was taken back by the beauty of the layers and layers of pedals that created this amazing thing…and to think all of that came from a very small rosebud is absolutely astounding.

In its infant stages, all of that gorgeous structure was already planned and mapped out. A rosebud holds so much potential that is only expressed if it is nurtured and given what is necessary for growth. …and the same holds true for each one of us. There is such a magnificent, grand plan that will unfold in perfect timing and perfect beautiful structure if it is nurtured and given what is necessary for growth. And if you look around, you will find this is also true for everything around you.

So let the beauty of a rose remind you of your inborn, INNATE potential to be magnificent and grand and beautiful and loved. When you walk by the floral department in your local grocery, take a second glance at the beauty that is the rose in all of its gorgeous shades. But do more than that…pick one out of the group, buy it, take it home, put it in water and place it by your kitchen sink. Let it be your early morning reminder, your lunchtime reminder and your after dinner reminder of the beautiful potential that is you. Nurture that potential and give yourself what is necessary to grow…and then get busy blooming where you are planted.

MOMS

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there reading this. There are a few moms that I hang out with on a regular basis and of course one that is extra special to me…my own Mom.

I do not have children of my own at this point, and when I really think about it, I do not see how children fit into a life like mine…but my understanding is you just make it happen. I can’t imagine one child, much less four like my Mom had. Bless her for doing an amazing job with all of us and in retrospect, the simple fact that my brothers didn’t kill themselves or one another is absolutely a miracle in and of itself.

I could write on and on about the incredible human being that my Mom is however this picture sums it all up the very best and touched my soul at such a deep level I instantly burst into tears…

TRIPS AROUND THE SUN

I am in the process of finishing another trip around the sun. I have done quite a few of them; a lot less than some people and a lot more than others.

Every year brings new adventures and every year around this time I sit down and check in with myself and evaluate where I have been, where it is that I still want to go and how I am going to get there.

Sometimes during this evaluation process, I run right into an enormous mountain of “shoulds”…I SHOULD have done this by now, I SHOULD have done that by now, I SHOULD be more like this or that, I should…I should…I should.

But if ever the comment of “I SHOULD” comes up, it is usually followed by a non-truth. If it is true that I SHOULD be married by now, for example, then no doubt that would have happened. If something really and truly SHOULD be happening right now, then it WOULD be. Whatever is happening is exactly what is supposed to be happening because that IS what’s happening. There is no reason to struggle with any other idea, any other false belief about what is going on in life.

So instead, I choose to set a different intention and look in the direction I want to go, look ahead and step into that. This year, I am choosing to find a little more peace and quiet in my mind and my being. I will continue to move in the direction of being as healthy as I possibly can be. I look forward to some travel, a lot of learning and spending time dreaming. I look forward to meeting new friends, stepping into the unknown just to see what happens and continue to connect with others by getting involved in more rich, rewarding experiences.

I have to say that this birthday is officially just a little less fun than last year. I have turned a corner with the number of trips I have taken around the sun…and the number is making me have a teeny, tiny panic attack, a little tiny freak out session on the inside. I expected that feeling to begin to happen at some point…

Time will pass no matter what…and all too quickly. As I am writing this, I am reminded of this sweet little clip about how we are “spending our dash”. Take a moment…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsY6UrFIsNs[/youtube]

So I am doing my best to get the most out of my “dash”. I am living the best way I know how and learning as much as I can. Birthdays are just birthdays and the day comes and goes quickly. I believe it is even more beneficial to set a little time aside each day or week during our trips to have a small little celebration because there is an awful lot of juice to be squeezed out of each trip around the sun!

YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE…

“HELLO! HELLO! HELLO!”

“HELLO! HELLO! HELLO!” is such a familiar greeting in my childhood. “Mom, why does grandma say ‘Hello’ three times when we walk in?” my 7 year old self would ask as we walked into my grandmother’s home who lived just one mile down the street from where I grew up.

I just heard that familiar greeting as I am sitting in the living room at my grandmother’s home in her golf oasis in Florida as a few of her friends arrive for a visit. I have been here all weekend with some other family members as my grandmother moves nearer and nearer to THE final destination. Yes, she is dying. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not this week. Probably not next week or the week after. Within a month or two she will leave this earthly plane but in the meantime she is alive and living the best that she can and we are here to experience some of that.

I feel fortunate to be privy to some of the stories that are shared in such an intimate setting. I always knew my grandmother was strong, powerful, full of life and opinionated. However, as I sit and listen the stories this weekend (and of course stories I have heard over the years) she is also a real person with real life experiences, has had many ups and downs, has shed a lot of tears, has found love and happiness and has the most contagious, roaring laugh on the planet.

My Mom is here, a few aunts and uncles, with other neighborhood friends of my grandparent’s stopping by during the days. Grandma is spending most of the day relaxing, reminiscing and resting. We have done a lot of sitting and talking, literally hours of sitting and talking. We have all shed tears, shared stories, asked questions and done a ton of laughing. In fact, the first morning I woke up here, I thought to myself how great it is to be awakened from sleep by roaring family laughter, especially considering these circumstances.

During this time, we have drawn out the family tree. My grandmother birthed 10 children. My grandfather, who isn’t my grandfather by blood but has been “Grandpa” to me for close to 30 years, has 7 children of his own. There are layers of grandchildren and great grandchildren and the total count of immediate family comes to 96 people total. WOW!!! Isn’t that an absolute monstrosity of a family!!!

“It’s a myth that a big family is always happy. We have our share of tears, but there is a network support system that always goes into gear in time of need. My children were the reason I got up in the morning” a direct quote from my grandmother back in 1981 when she was voted “Mother of the Year” by the local Fenton newspaper at the time.

That “network support system” has always been a central idea to how our family was run and I see it in my generation, especially when it comes to my own siblings and nearest and dearest. That theme is a powerful part of what my life was built around especially considering my dad was one of his own natural support network of 9 children.

There is nothing like family, absolutely nothing that can replace these blood connections. When family gets to these numbers, there are good eggs and bad eggs, however we are all connected and always will be connected in a way that runs strong and deep behind the scenes…and largely due to the ideas of the amazing matriarch that started this show.

My grandmother is a legend and one of my heroes. I know she will never truly grasp in this lifetime the extent of her extraordinary life and contribution to this world. She will never realize what an amazing person she is, her beauty, her strength and how much good she contributed while she is here. But her faith is strong and I know she will figure that out as soon as she sheds her current failing body.

When she leaves this earthly plane, she will travel effortlessly to wherever she believes Heaven is and I know God will know when she arrives because he will hear her roaring laughter and her infamous “HELLO! HELLO! HELLO!”. May peace be with you in your process of transitioning, Grandma, and thanks in advance for watching over all 95 of us from the other side.

HAPPY

This past weekend I was up north and spent my days snowboarding at Crystal Mountain. There were many, many moments during the days that I thought to myself “I am happy”. I then asked the question “What makes me happy?” and “What about everyone else?”.

I live a blessed life and I have many things that add to my happiness. In those moments while I was out on my snowboard, my happiness was magnified by the fact that I had a warm bed to wake up in, I prepared and ate a great breakfast that fueled my body for my day, I had time to play in the snow, the sun was shining, I was enjoying great conversation with a friend, I was able to let loose and fly down the hill on my snowboard and I was up north which is a change of day to day scenery.

I thought to myself “I really wish everyone that I know could be out here having as much fun as I was having.” That thought was soon nixed by the fact that the slopes would be too crowded if EVERYONE I knew was out there, but it transformed to “I really wish everyone that I know could be doing something that would add to their happiness as much as snowboarding in the sunshine adds to mine.” Yes, that is a much more rational thought.

When I mention the thought of being happy, I am also reminded of a man that has been coming in to get adjusted at the Cafe of LIFE for years and never, ever gets excited about anything; Monday is not exciting, Tuesday is not exciting, Wednesday is not exciting, Thursday is not exciting, Friday is not exciting, the weekend is not exciting, literally nothing is ever exciting and I wonder about his internal happiness. My thought is…WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!?!

Last night I attended a prayer service for an icon of a man who lost his life way too young. This man was truly a happy man and he did his very best to show others a little bit about being happy ever chance he got in hopes he could help them smile a little more on the inside. As I listened to his children speak about him, I was reminded of my own mortality and that we are never guaranteed a tomorrow and that life is really short, often shorter than we anticipate…so figure out what makes you happy and go do that!

Be HAPPY! There is absolutely no time like the present. If not today, then WHEN?!?! There isn’t anyone who is going to make you happy, you have to go out and make that happen for yourself. Let’s not wait one more day. Get out there!!!

What makes you happy? How do you add happy stuff to your day? Share in the comments below, you may end up inspiring someone with your ideas or the things you do.

THE CHART…A CLOSER LOOK

THANK YOU

I need to say THANK YOU to all of you. I have made one HUGE transition since the beginning of this year and it is making a world of difference. I finally changed our afternoon hours at the Cafe of LIFE!

Over the past few months, we had numerous requests for our

afternoon hours to begin at 3pm instead of 3:30pm. In combination with that, we were finding that our 6-6:30pm time slot has been quiet and since the time change this past fall, it really felt like we were working super late into the night with how dark it is. So after a couple years of deliberation (this one I have been considering for quite some time) we have made the switch.

And I AM THRILLED!!! I have spent the past 8 years serving others and at times, have made sacrifices in my own life in order to do so. Getting out at 6:30 Monday through Thursday would limit me. Seems so many events, classes, concerts and such that I wanted to attend would start at 7 and be close to an hour away from Fenton (everything seems an hour away from Fenton for some reason). I would have to decline offer after offer over the years. There were classes at the gym that I never could make due to my schedule. Leaving at 6:30 meant that I could pretty much do one thing and then the night would be over and its time for bed.

Some of you may be thinking…its a mere 30 minutes she is talking about here. What is the big deal?

There is a lot that can be done in 30 minutes…a good cardio workout, make a delicious dinner, drive half way to Detroit, drive half way to the Wharton Center, have a meaningful conversation, make a phone call to catch up with a friend, run a 5K, bike one loop around Kensington, drive to Pine Knob Amphitheater, eat dinner at a restaurant, have a glass of wine, drink a glass of champagne, make a few runs on my snowboard at Mt. Holly, sleep…there is a LOT one can do in 30 minutes!

Then multiply that by 4 (days a week that I get out a half hour early) and then multiply that by 50 weeks of work in a year and that turns into 6,000 extra minutes in the evening per year…and there is a WHOLE LOT one can do in 6,000 minutes!!! You get my point. And it is 6,000 minutes more for me and 6,000 minutes more for Angie who, mind you, has a little one to tend to in the evenings.

So I am saying THANK YOU because i haven’t heard one negative comment about us shifting our hours. Thank you for being so understanding. Thank you for allowing me to take back a little portion of my life. Over the past 6 working days, I have had tremendous guilt for leaving a half hour early but I recognize that is all self manifested guilt and that not one person is making me feel that way besides myself. It may take me the next 8 years before I am used to leaving at 6…but I am looking forward to making the most of those 48,000 extra minutes while I am doing it. Thank you!