A long time ago (two whole years, mind you) I decided I wanted to publish a book of poetry. I had big Rachel Berry type dreams of Making It in the book world. I imagined myself attending writers conventions, sipping tea and discussing world affairs with the likes of Maya Angelou, and being Oprah's near-and-dear friend after she featured me on her show, all because she happened to pick up my book one day. Watch out, Gayle.
But writing poetry on scrap pieces of paper and actually creating an entire book are two very different things. Instead, I've decided to take my two very favorite things in life - words and pictures - and combine them into one.
Thus, I give you what would have been the name of my book, "The Reflection of Shadows"- my online way-easier-to-make-than-a-book "book" that is now on Tumblr.
I will be the first to admit that I have not yet mastered this whole tumbling thing, but I hope y'all like what I've got going so far. The pictures and the poems have been growing with me since I was 14 and they continue to this day. I would love it if you'd support me in this new endeavor and grow right along with me and the site.
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation".
Every Monday I will post a new thought, idea, or focus for the week. When you need a breather from life, when you need a little inspiration, or when you're about to jump over the conference table and strangle your co-worker, remember the mantra.
Monday Mantra: I will love myself through all the seasons of my life
The other day I was noticing all the different kinds of trees around me. Those still full with leaves and others naked and empty of color. It occurred to me that we are much like the trees. We change all the time, every minute, every moment. The difference is that we try not to- we try to find the perfect place, the perfect us and then freeze. Stop time. Remain forever in that moment. We aren't OK with the changes within ourselves, although these changes are nothing more than a normal pattern of nature that we see, live, and experience every single day with every other living thing.
Like the trees.
We know that in winter they will root deep in the earth, hold on tight, and wait out the frosty weather while their branches become stripped of cover and they become thin and spiny. We know that in spring they will find another year of life- blossoming, growing, flourishing. We know that in summer they will be green and lush and that in the fall their leaves will slowly start to fade away in shades of red, orange, and gold.
This we're okay with. This we accept.
When we gain a pound (or even lose a pound, in some cases) or find a wrinkle, a gray hair, or any self deemed imperfection, we panic. We try to go back to where we thought we were perfect. Where we liked ourselves better in the Before instead of the Now.
We forget that we are already exactly the way we should be. We are perfect. We are meant to change.
We are meant for more than one solitary moment.
Live all of your moments, live all of your seasons fully, and embrace the person you are through them.
P.S. I'm actually attempting to use my Facebook account like a good, 21st Century modern person should do. Check it out for recipes I find and test, as well as ridiculous things I do during the day. And yeah, I TRY to use Twitter too.
Wellness is a term widely used that has multiple meanings around health and positive life style changes leading to well-being. Here we will use the term "wellness" as a means of defining a life free from disease as well as a way to explore alternative medicines, what they offer, and what this could mean for you.
Every month I'll do a post on a health and wellness related topic. This will give you a chance to explore other options, become informed, and make the best overall decision for your own well-being.
In the World of Wellness: The Gerson Cancer Cure, an alternative to chemotherapy and Western medicine treatments
It's no secret that I believe in natural or alternative medicine. It's saved me more than once and I believe it's the answer to many situations in life. It's why I study it, learn about the different modalities, and share what I've learned with anyone willing to listen, or read.
Recently, I went to see my NMD (Naturopathic Medical Doctor) and she brought up the cancer research of Dr. Gerson. She told me that the clinic I go to, her clinic, would like to use his methods but fear doing so as his research is not widely supported in the United States. I was obviously curious about this gentleman, but my interest piqued when she mentioned a movie that had been sitting in my Netflix que for far too long: Dying to Have Known. A movie about his work, his findings, his cures for cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, and just about every other thing you can think of.
It had my attention.
Truth be told, the first five minutes makes you wonder what movie you're actually watching because the guy doing the documentary starts talking about himself and the wilderness, but get past that and it's worth it. (It should be noted that the last four minutes of the film are pretty darn interesting, too)
The film goes over all of his research, his cured patients testimonials, the centers that are still open and active, and the hundreds of lives he's saved. It also explains why many Western doctors disregard his work. Why they think he's a liar because he believes food - fruits and vegetables - and a healthy lifestyle can cure a patient of cancer. Quackery, they say, is his specialty. Not cures.
There are certain procedures you have to have done by trained professional, thus the requirement to go to one of his clinics in Mexico, Holland, or Spain for initial recovery. This is also where the controversy comes in. There is a technique used that, if done incorrectly, can cause a patient to have heart failure. My own NMD went over this with me. She explained that the older methods, if done incorrectly, could be fatal, but that they were few and far between. She said new methods have come out which have eliminated this entirely making this not only safe, but reasonable and effective in saving lives.
In the good old US of A we tend to second guess all natural or holistic ideas and banish some altogether. This is changing, which is a great benefit for all those who believe in it, but there is still a lot of controversy to overcome. Many times you have to be a seer to be a believer, and even then (as this movie demonstrates) sometimes that's not enough.
Give this video some thought, if you choose to watch it. Notice how the Japanese not only value this method, but have put a great deal of time and money into researching it further. Even the staff, who do not have cancer, are on the Gerson plan for better health. I point this out because it's interesting how other countries are ahead of us in their acceptance of holistic or alternative medicines when we, being such a powerful and influential country, are often behind in age old practices that have withstood the test of time.
Also, in my own personal research of this, I believe we have no reason not to let this treatment in and to give it a reasonable try. In fact, we have no reason not to try everything that is brought to the table. Pills are tested countless times and those tests are funded with millions of dollars. Why not test those with diabetes, M.S., all other diseases that the alternative medicine groups believe are curable? What's the harm, especially when we test things all day long, every single day? There is no harm in a wide, broadly studied test...unless it proves everyone else wrong.
The video will also explain this in some degree, but what everyone seems to have a hard time explaining is exactly why they won't let it be tested further. Because the Gerson Cancer cure has, actually, been tested and proven.
I was discussing this with my boyfriend the other day. He isn't all holistic and health nutty like I am. His dad is a Western medical doctor and he's been brought up with completely different beliefs than I have. He said the same things all these people in the video did- show me proof. The problem is, the proof for this cannot be summed up into one pretty graph with numbers and lines and decimals. The proof is in the actual people who have been cured. Not by a pill, but by an entire lifestyle change. It's hard to document that the way the scientific world wants it done and it's tragic that they will accept nothing less than that. It's tragic that they won't believe all those who have survived and instead call them liars just because it doesn't fit into a pretty little box that has been deemed "The Only Way".
I don't care about who's right or wrong, although it may seem that way. I care about the truth and options. If there is a way to save lives, we should use it. We should study it. We should invest in it as much as we invest in everything else and if we don't, we are no better as a civilization than those that have looked blindly as their people died. If we let people die without truly trying everything available to us, we are no better than they.
I will end by saying what I've always said: Believe in what feels right to you. We live in a varied world with many types of people, beliefs, thoughts and ideas. Believe in what you think will save your life.
If you want more information on this, I would recommend watching the videos available, as well as speaking to a Naturopathic doctor. There are also books you can read such as "A Cancer Therapy" by Dr. Gerson himself.
Educate yourself, inform yourself. Find what works for you and if something doesn't work, whether it be chemo or this, keep trying. Do not give up the fight for a healthy life.
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation".
Every Monday I will post a new thought, idea, or focus for the week. When you need a breather from life, when you need a little inspiration, or when you're about to jump over the conference table and strangle your co-worker, remember the mantra.
Monday Mantra: There is no normal
I was talking with a friend recently who kept apologizing for being "crazy". I laughed and told her she was just being normal. That we all have moments where we think we're crazy and that's actually very normal. She told me that was the first time anyone had said that to her that day- that she was normal, sane, not crazy at all.
How sad that now, in a world with so much change and color and vibrancy, do we still believe in a normal? And worse, that if we don't do this "normal" thing that can't really be defined, then we're crazy. We're abnormal. We're weird and strange and odd. We, therefore, don't fit in and must banish ourselves to some far off land where only gnomes and unicorns and other crazy people reside. Actually, that sounds like a pretty awesome place to visit. Unicorns? Sign me up!
In fact, when I get to Crazy Town I'm going to grab my unicorn, of which I've now named Homette van Awesomeness, find me a gnome, maybe a couple of trolls, and start a band called "The Funkadelic Freaks". Showtimes and locations to come soon.
Does that make me crazy? Maybe, but I'm good with it. I believe it's better to be odd and happy than to try to strive for normal and feel miserable all the time because you just can't quite reach it. You can't quite wrap your head around it.
There is no such thing as normal. There is life, art, laughter. There is sadness and heartbreak and tears. There are good things and bad things and all around weird things, but there is no normal.
Embrace who you are, what makes you- you, and get down with your crazy, weird, wonderful self.
What would you name your unicorn? Just curious. I'm probably not going to steal the name. Probably.
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation".
Every Monday I will post a new thought, idea, or focus for the week. When you need a breather from life, when you need a little inspiration, or when you're about to jump over the conference table and strangle your co-worker, remember the mantra.
Monday Mantra: Take time to reflect on the lessons learned last year and apply them this year
As you all know, last year started out rough for me. My then husband and I split, I was still dealing with my grandmother's death, and the company I work at had so many organizational changes I didn't know where I would land or if I would land on anything at all.
My life was one gigantic question mark. I didn't know what to do next, what to think, what would happen, who I would be at the end of a minute, an hour, a day. Half the time I wasn't even sure what to say on here because I wanted to be myself and there were many occasions when I didn't know who that person was anymore.
But things got better, I got better, life got better one day at a time. I had lessons to learn and they were good for me. I'm certain I needed each and every one of them. Here are some of the bigger ones I learned that you may find helpful in the rough spots of your life.
Six Life Lessons
Lesson Number 1:
Feel
Don't become numb.
If you need to be broken for a bit, be broken. Then rebuild. Make yourself new.
There was one particular day back in March, after a series of events, where I just lost it. I came home crying and didn't stop. I cried, and cried, and cried myself to sleep. When I woke up the next day, I was still weeping. Every breath hurt and every thought weighed me down. That whole day I sat very still and silent on my sofa and stared out the window. I just stayed there and let the sorrow, frustration, anger, and sadness take me until everything became still and quiet. Eventually, everything that had been holding me down lifted. I've never had a day like it before and hope to never again, but as much as it hurt, it healed me twice over.
Sometimes the one thing you need more than anything else is to accept how you feel and let those emotions run their course.
So get angry, sad, happy. Let your lungs feel with ridiculous amounts of laughter and let your eyes cry rivers of sorrow. Let yourself feel.
Lesson Number 2:
Expect nothing (because at the moment you least expect something to happen, that's when it will)
When I first met my now boyfriend, I wasn't looking, nor did I have any intentions of getting into a relationship anytime soon. I had just gotten used to being single and I was thoroughly enjoying it.
When I met him I didn't have any expectations of him, of a potential "us", of anything at all...and that served me well. We went out, I got to know him, and as I would explain to all my friends and family later on, when God gives you a present that's just right for you, you don't question it or turn it down. You accept it, move on, and see where it leads. I wasn't expecting a present, but I got one- him.
Lesson Number 3:
Do not let the world make you hard
Be kind.
You can't control what others will think, feel, or do but you can control what you say and how you act. As long as you have been as honest and true as you can be, and have done all things with kindness in your heart, you've done enough.
Lesson Number 4:
Forgive
Everyone makes mistakes. It's one of the ways we learn the best lessons. That's how we grow.
Forgive yourself for your mistakes.
Forgive others for theirs.
Lesson Number 5:
You can't please everyone
I'm one of those people who would prefer being friends with the whole world and getting along perfectly with everyone. This isn't realistic, but it's who I am. This is also a bad idea, because sometimes I end up hurting myself to avoid hurting others. Even then, after all my efforts, and as I'm sure some rapper somewhere has said, Haters Gonna Hate.
People get really invested in other peoples lives and opinions. They take a personal stake in someone else, that person's actions or beliefs or words. It's something we all do even when it's not our place to do it.
It's impossible to be what everyone needs, do what everyone thinks you should do, feel what they feel or believe what they believe. You can't please everyone, but you can make sure one person is happy- you.
Lesson Number 6:
Be patient
I am one of the very most impatient people on planet earth. Every once in a while I have a brief moment of patience which I then cling to, shove in my purse, and pull out every now and then to show people and say, "Hey, hey there! Did you know that Patience is my middle name? Well, it is. I have proof. See this seven minute window of time in the year 2003 when I ordered a drink from Starbucks and they made it wrong, so they had to make it again? I was patient that whole time."
But those are lies, all lies. I am not a patient person. Or at least I wasn't until this year, because this year I learned to calm the heck down and it has paid off well, so far anyway.
Every unresolved question, thought, and moment in time will eventually become answered and clear. Not on your time, or my time, or on the barista's time, but at the right time.
At the right time.
I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.
