Do You Believe in Trolls?

Albert Einstein said,”Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” Imagination is a wonderful thing. My husband and I are in Seattle, traveling and exploring the Pacific Northwest. This is one of my favorite parts of the country. Today we went to Fremont and saw the troll under the bridge. It reminds me of my childhood.

When I was a child, my grandmother used to tell me the story of 3 Billy Goats Gruff. I was always so nervous for the Billy Goats. Afraid that the troll would come out from under the bridge and eat them up. I was so relieved when they would outsmart him and get safely across the bridge. It was a great story to let you know, as a small child, that you could overcome things that seemed bigger and stronger than you with cunning and creative thinking.

I find that traveling is a great way to embrace your creativity as well. You can imagine what it must be like to live in the area. Think about what it was like long years ago when only the indigenous people were here. I find myself wondering if perhaps Bigfoot really does lurk in the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest amongst the Hemlock, Douglas Firs, and Aspen trees.

We decided that this trip really should be an adventure, so we booked several quirky places to stay that include an Airstream, yurt, and an little cabin in the woods. This is further sparking our imagination and allowing us to dream. What great originality our hosts had to offer such unique experiences.

The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before. ~ Neil Gaiman

Imagination is not just for children. It is for all of us. It is fun, it gives life a spark that it just doesn’t have, if you don’t allow yourself to dream. Dream big, dream often, and dream in a way that might just change the future, even if it seems to be in a small way. Think about the artists that created the troll under the bridge in Seattle. This creative project has attracted people to the neighborhood to see the troll. Children look in awe and then with a gleam in their eye, run and climb all over him, while parents snap pictures with delight.

Thank you for reading my blog today. Dream my friends. Dream in big ways and in small ways. Allow your imagination to sore. Blessings.

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Sisterhood

l love my male friends, but there is something special about female friends. This week my life has been full of the beauty of sisterhood. There is an extraordinary quality to the relationships of woman. An ease of understanding; an ancestral community of healers, caretakers, and nurturers. Some woman have forgotten this bond. Some women look for enemies in other woman. I encourage you, if you are one such woman, to look for the good in your sisters. I hope you can seek to understand why their journey has made them who they are and find respect for them, even if you do not agree with them.

I look around me and see my life is full of smart and capable female friends and family. This week I have supported one amazing woman who has turned her life around and continues to do so in miraculous ways. Another friend needed encouragement to continue to walk a difficult journey. I watch a dynamic millennial blow the competition out of the water at a speech contest. A friend called and gave me encouragement to continue on a new creative project I am working on. I see other woman making their dreams come true and I am inspired.

We must, as woman, band together and support each other. Celebrate the successes and cry over the losses. Together we are stronger than we are as individuals. Together we can make the world a better place. Together we will nurture the children to become fine adults, we will plan for a better tomorrow, we will mend the broken and heal the sick. We will encourage the forlorn and help the lost find their way.

Let’s look at being a woman as a super power. Let’s see our strength. Let’s gather our emotions around us and see how they do not make us weaker but make us stronger. Let us not step on the backs of other women to get to the top but rather take turns pulling each other up to the top.

I love you my sisters! I am here rooting you on. Your success is success for us all. My success is your success. We are a community of powerful women.

Thank you for reading my blog today. I wish you a feeling of sisterhood, community, and love!

9 Way to Improve Back Pain

Many people suffer from back pain. For some it is a chronic condition; for others, it is an occasional occurrence after a strenuous day or twisting the wrong way. It can be debilitating and western medicine does not always have the answers. There are many holistic options to treat back pain that are surely worth a shot as an alternative to narcotics, living with pain, or considering surgery. Here are some of my favorites.

Frankincense essential oil – I love this essential oil for so many things. Rubbing it on the bottom of your feet can provide miraculous relief from chronic back pain.
Ice – When I first started having back pain I always went to heat. Ice seemed intolerable. Once I tried ice, I knew I would never go back to heat. The problem with heat is that it increases blood flow into and out of the area. This can cause the inflammation in the area to become worse. Ice decreases swelling. It has made such a difference for me. At the first indication of any back pain I am reaching for the ice pack. Just remember not longer than 20 minutes.
Yoga – The stretching and various poses Yoga has to offer can be great for back pain. There are Yoga kriyas or sets that are specifically formulated for back health. They help get the spinal cord moving, can help compress excess fluid out of the disks, and stretch bunched up muscles. Plus the meditative aspects of Yoga can help to provide over all calming, which can relax those tight muscle in the back.
Massage – Knots and tight muscles can cause a lot of discomfort in the back and the skills of a massage therapist can really work them out and help provide relief from the pain.
Acupuncture– If you have never tried this, I highly suggest it! I find it so relaxing. I know that sounds crazy but it provides a sense of calm I do not get from other modalities. The needles help increase circulation and chi to the areas of pain. I am not an acupuncturist but I am sure someone with the qualification could explain this better than I can. I know it works for my back pain.
Chiropractic – There are many different times of chiropractors out there. If you chose to seek this treatment, do your homework and ask questions. One type of Chiropractor may not be right for you while another may be very beneficial. Some Chiropractors use a tool called an “activator” while others uses their bodies to adjust yours and still others have tables that help to make the adjustments. There are also Chiropractors who work more energetically and with your breath.
Mantras – Louis L Hay felt that our thoughts and beliefs about ourselves cause the illness in our body. In her book, Heal Your Body A-Z, she has mantras for upper, middle, or lower back pain. This is another thing I have done to find my bodies own ability to heal itself. It is something you can try that won’t break the bank and puts the trust in your own body to heal itself. “I trust in the process of life. All I need is taken care of. I am safe.” is her mantra for lower back pain. For other types of back pain, check out her book.
Strengthen your core – There are lots of ways to do this. Crunches is one that we hear about a lot but there are many resources or personnel trainers out there who could help you with this. A stronger core means there are more muscle to help your back hold you up.
Turmeric– It helps reduce inflammation. When I was doing my Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training it was strenuous, with back to back days of full day yoga instruction. One blessed yogi would bring us golden milk to help our sore bodies. Golden milk is almond milk, Turmeric, and Honey. The anti-inflammatory properties of the turmeric helped us get through the growing we were doing physically, while our mind and spirits continued to be enhanced but the yoga.

I hope you are able to give some of these a try. I hope that they are beneficial to you. If you have other tips for people suffering from back pain please share.

Thank you for reading my blog today. I wish you a day filled with flexibility and ease.

Transforming Your Life

Do you have aspects of your life that you are not okay with? Of course! We all have parts that we could take out and shine up. There are certain practices that we can leave in the past, to step into our future as a better version of ourselves. There are probably many ways that you have ready done this on some small scale and if you look at how you did, you will begin to see how you can do it on a larger scale.

During my lifetime I have done many things that have transformed my life. When I look back at these things, I see the common factor being my belief in myself. I am a high school drop out. How did I move past that to have a Bachelors of Science in Nursing and several credits in a Graduate program? How did I keep moving on forward to a place of a successful career? I believed that I would. Never once did I think that decision defined me. Perhaps I was lucky to not know the statistics about the future for high school dropouts.

When I was young, I smoked. It had a two pack a day habit. I quit this unhealthy practice 28 years ago. Once again, I quit because I believed I could. I did not allow the term “smoker” to define me. I did not care if the statistics said if I could or would quit. I saw what I was capable of and I worked to make that vision of myself a reality.

I was morbidly obese. Once again, I did not allow this to define who I am. I decided to become a runner. I had never been athletic as a child but why did that have to define me? I have completed 3 half marathons and countless shorter events. I also completed a 150 mile bike ride for charity, done a lot of hiking and kayaking and enjoy an active lifestyle. Once again, it was believing in myself and wanting something better for my life that helped me to pull myself up and push forward.

Whether the aspects of your life that you want to change, are big or small, involve a career goal or creating more healthy habits, you can accomplish it!

You are capable of amazing things! This capability comes from deep within you. There is a strength that lies coiled inside of you. Call on this strength to become more than you are today. Call on this strength to incorporate a new healthy habit into your life. Call on this strength to live the life of your dreams! I believe in you! You should believe in yourself too! You see stories all around you of people improving their lives. No one is more captive of improving your life than you are!

Thank you for reading my blog today. I love you and I believe in you! I wish you a lifetime full of positive changes.

What Are You Afraid Of?

Fears, we all have them. Some are rational fears built out of protecting ourselves from things that have harmed us in the past. Some are instinctual fears, that have been pasted down through generations of ancestors, as a means to keep us safe from life threatening dangers. Other fears are irrational fears, we do not understand where they come from but the fear is real and we must deal with it. Then there are the anxieties of the future possible.

What does the future hold for us? How will our decisions and actions of today affect our lives tomorrow? These fears are just as real in our mind and how they affect us as the others. They are no easier to deal with than the fear of heights or needles would be. They drain our energy and affect our choices. I feel these fears can be very detrimental to us. They can cause us to not pursue our dreams or hold our loved ones back from obtaining theirs. I remember reading somewhere once (although I do not remember where) a line about fears that has stayed with me and still rings very true. “Why should we walk for we might fall”~ Unknown.

We are all very good at imagining the “what ifs” of various scenarios.

 ”If I apply for that job, my boss might find out and I may get fired and then the other company won’t hire me and I will be out of a job and I won’t be able to pay my rent and I will have to go live on the street”
“If I spend that money on that trip, I might not enjoy the trip and then the money will be gone and my car might breakdown and I will need the money to fix it”
“If I ask that person out on a date, they might laugh at me and think how could someone like me could talk to someone like them and if they did go out with me they might be mean to me at the restaurant and publicly berate me and everyone else at the restaurant will probably be looking and wondering why I am making a fool of myself.”

All of these fears, when we read them here, show us how we are worrying about something that may and most likely won’t ever happen. We are preventing ourselves from experience some of the joys in life, if we spend too much time fearing what might never come to pass.

“What if I fall?’, Tim cried.  Maerlyn laughed. ‘Sooner or later, we all do.”  ~Stephen King, The Wind Through the Keyhole

The only way to get past our fears, is by facing them. How did you get past being afraid of the dark or other fears you may have had as a child? Did your parents let you leave all the lights on all over the house, so you would not be afraid? Did you run fast across your dark bedroom and jump into bed before the thing underneath it grabbed. At times in life we all need to take risks. We need to boldly step out of our comfort zone and march into the unknown. At some point, the child decides to leave crawling behind, stand up and walk. Although they will likely fall (probably several times) eventually, walking will become comfortable for them.
Thank you for reading my blog today! I wish you a life of happily going boldly, where you have not gone before and finding the joy and magic this life has to offer to you.
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6 Ways To Help Others Improve Their Wellness

Wellness is important for all of us. We are responsible for our own wellness but we can also support those around us with their journey to be better. Here are some ideas on ways you can help your loved ones work toward optimal wellness.

Tell them positive things about themselves. Many of us struggle with low self esteem and even if we don’t, compliments always feel good. When giving praise, remember that specifics matter. Instead of saying “nice job cleaning the house” try “the stove just sparkles, you did such a great job cleaning the house”.
Encouragement! We all have moments when we do not feel we are doing our best or despite our best efforts, things do not work out the way we would have liked. Having a friend or loved on tell you that you are doing good can sometime make all the difference between feeling discouraged or finding the gumption to keep going.
Don’t enable. Enabling always seems to happen with the best intentions. You feel tired and don’t want to go to the health club, then your well meaning friend tells you it’s okay to take the night off. It gives you the excuse you needed to not go. Think about that family member who always tells you one cookie won’t hurt your diet. If your loved one is working towards a goal, help them keep moving toward that direction. Sometime when their strength is weak, they need you to be strong.
Don’t be the drill sergeant either. A little encouragement can go a long way but ultimately we all get to make our own choices and if we decide that this is not going to be the week we give up caffeine, having a friend try and tell us what to do, will likely not be helpful. Most of us do not like to be bossed around. Going back to the idea of encouragement; let them make their own choices and just be there with reasons and encouragement why they can be successful making healthy choices.
Tell children only good things about themselves. Did you see the movie The Help? In that movies she tells the children, “You is kind, you is smart, you is important”. She said she learned she could help children have good self esteem by telling them that. Bruce Lipton says that research has shown that children, prior to age 7, are in a form of hypnotic trace when it comes to their self esteem. Everything you tell them, they take in like it is the truth. So only tell them the good things about themselves. Remember it is okay to dislike a behavior while you still love and approve of the child.
Smile! When you smile, others feel like smiling too. Nothing can help you feel so good as smiling faces. spread joy!

Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful. ~Thich Nat Hanh

Thank you for reading my blog today. I wish you a lifetime full of wellness for yourself and those who make you smile.

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Self Care: a series – part 4

In our series so far we have learned about keeping healthy boundaries, taking time for ourselves, and healthy self talk. Today lets dive into accepting our emotions. A lot of time we tell ourselves we should or shouldn’t feel a certain way. This causes excess stress and we judge ourselves to be “wrong” about our feelings.

Yes, we want to have positive emotions and keep our vibrations high. We are all human, however. No one is happy all of the time. Things happen to us and we “feel” things and in different ways. It is part of the grand experience of being human. When life is throwing a lot of stuff and responsibilities onto our plate we feel stressed, exasperated, worn out, maybe even depressed. However you are feeling, it’s not wrong. It is important that we do not wallow in low energy feelings without making an effort to change the vibration and energy, but that is not what we are talking about today. Today we are talking about when “those” emotions show up, that we accept them for what they are. We do not make them or us “wrong” for having them.

There are going to be times in your life when you feel angry. Life and circumstances happen that can cause us to feel frustrated; like that time your tire went flat and you were late. When people make choices that you do not agree with and you feel outrage. If someone betrays you or criticizes you, it is natural for you to have an negative emotional response to that. Accept how you are feeling. Do not make yourself feel further negative emotions by judging yourself by what comes up. Find a healthy way to cope with the emotion. Some examples are; going for a walk, creating some artwork, cleaning (this is what I do when I am mad), listening to music, or talk to a friend.

Sorrow is another natural emotion that we are going to experience in life. It is important that we honor this feeling when it comes up. The death of a pet or a loved one, a loss of any kind, disappointment, all of these things can cause us to feel sad. It is natural that we feel that way from time to time. Do not beat yourself up. It is okay. It is normal.

Be kind to yourself and accept yourself as you are. This does not mean we do not continue to try to improve ourself. The need for improvement does not indicate a reason to judge ourself lacking now, it’s just a higher goal to aim for.

Thank you for reading my blog today. I wish you a lifetime of high vibrational emotions and acceptance of any lower vibrational emotions you happen to have. Accept yourself “as is” friends.

Self Care: a series – part 3

In part 1: we talked about healthy boundaries. Part 2: encouraged you to take time for yourself. Now let’s discuss self talk. Self talk is simply the things you tell yourself. Some of the things we say to ourselves are worse than anything you would ever tell another human. Even people we really don’t like, we would seldom talk to the way we talk to ourselves, at times. We give ourselves messages about our ambitions, our intelligence, and the way we look. Why are we so hard on ourselves and how can we change it for the better?

When you look in the mirror what do you say to yourself? I know I used to look and see a fat, very plain looking woman. I would tell that woman how discussing she was. I would be angry with her for how much weight she carried and let her know I thought she was a fat pig. These are things I would have never said to another human being. Thanks to Louis L Hay and other teachers like her, I began to recognize that this was not a way to treat or talk to myself. Louis was a big advocate for “mirror work”; looking in the mirror and telling yourself. you love yourself. “I love you Stacy”. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but it is a great first step to start shifting how you talk to yourself.

The next thing you need to start doing is noticing the negative self talk. Once you began to notice how you talk to yourself, you can start to shift it from negative to positive. Notice what you say, think about it, would you ever say this to someone else? Does it pass through the four gates of communication? “Is it kind?” “Is it truthful?” “Is it non- harmful?” “Is now the right time?” I am not sure who to credit with the four gates of communication but we need to apply them to self talk, as well as talking to others. When you say something to yourself like, “you are a lazy”, think about; is it kind? Nope. Is it truthful? If you examine it you will likely find that it is not. You may be depressed, busy, choosing other things to do with your time at that moment, but not really lazy. Is this statement harm free? Can’t pass through this gate either. Negative self talk hurts our self esteem and self worth. There is a lot of harm caused by saying mean things to ourself. As for the final gate, “is it the right time?” , there is never a right time to be mean to ourselves.

As you examine the things you say to yourself, if it can’t pass through even one of these gates, it is time to send yourself a positive message.

It is time to start shifting what we say to ourselves. Start to praise yourself for the things you are doing. Start to notice things to love about yourself. Tell yourself you are proud of you for how hard you’ve worked on a project. Start to notice your attributes, you are a great artist or provide loving care for someone. Begin to tell yourself loving things about how you look. You have great legs. Your nose is really cute. People are drawn to your smile. Every time you notice yourself saying something negative to you, replace it with 2 positive messages. Make a list of all of your skills, positive attributes, and loving kindnesses you share. By making that list you will accomplish two things. Firsts you will see all of the really great things about yourself. If you get stuck, ask friends and family. They will easily and quickly share nice things about you with you. The second thing is that once you have noticed these things and written them down, they will be available for you to pull on to quickly replace the negative self talk. The list will grow and you will replace the way you talk to yourself with loving kindness.

Thank you for reading my blog today.

I wish you a life full of loving kindness, from yourself and others.

Self Care: a series – part 2

In the first blog, in the Self Care series, we talked about the importance of healthy boundaries. Now let’s talk about another aspect of self care, finding time for yourself. It is an important aspect of taking care of yourself but it can seem impossible in the course of our busy days and hectic life. Let’s think about some simple things you can do to take a little time for yourself.
1. Take a walk. (or a jog if you prefer more of a fast pace) It is a great way to get a little time for yourself. The nice thing about this activity is that it is also good for your body. Additionally, it can get those healthy endorphins flowing to help your emotional health too!
2. Work on a creative project. If you are like me you can get lost in doing something artistic. The time and pressure fall away. As the item starts to take form, your stress can also melt away. I enjoy drawing with chalk pastels, making sun catchers with beads and crystals, taking pictures and working with stained glass. There are so many creative things you can do.
3. Read a book. Whether it be poetry, fiction, history, spiritual, or self improvement; books are a nice way to step out of your world for a short period of time and find a little space for yourself. It is something you can pick up for 5 minutes or an afternoon, depending on how much time you have. If you like audio books you can listen to a book while getting something else done. (if it doesn’t require a lot of mental concentration)
4. Take a bath. Baths are underrated in my opinion. I love to soak in a nice hot tub. Bring a nice cup of tea or glass of wine along, light some candles, and put on some soothing music. It can be like a trip to the spa. There is less expense to it and not as much of a time commitment. If you are able to do it right before bed at night, it can help you relax into peaceful slumber, when you crawl beneath the covers.
5. Play with children. Whether it is your child, your nieces, your grandson, or the kid from down the block; taking some time to hang out with a wee one, can be quite refreshing. The smile from a baby, the giggle of a toddler, or the curiosity of the school aged youngster can provide a nice fresh outlook on life. My grandchildren, stepson, and I made fairy gardens yesterday. It was an mystical and imaginative way to spend some time together. Just make sure this one feels fun and is on your terms.
6. Snuggle with your pet. I do not have pets but I respond very well to pet therapy. I say hi to all the dogs when I go on walks. I coax my friend’s cats over to scratch behind their ears. The act of petting an animal has been shown to lower blood pressure. It can be very soothing to spend a few moments with a four legged friend, even if you do not have your own.
7. Meditate. First off, do not ”should” yourself about meditation. I know too many people who get stressed about this, because they feel they “should” be doing it more. Instead, make it like a nice little treat, something you “get to do”. There are so many different ways to meditate, find the one that works best for you.
I am sure you can think of many other little things you can do to give yourself some of “your” time. What is important is that your remember that you deserve it. If you keep giving all of your time to others eventually you will have nothing left to give. Take care of yourself. I worked with a chaplain once, who compared it to when you are in the airplane. They tell you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first, because if you don’t, you will pass out and not be able to put it on the person next to you that really needs your help.

I wish you peaceful moments that are just for you! Thank you for reading my blog today.

Self Care: a series – part 1

As busy people, we often become overwhelmed and feel we do not have time to give to ourself. It is easy to put everyone else’s needs first. Doing things to care for ourselves begins to feel like “luxuries” that we do not think we deserve. After all, all of that other stuff has to get done. Doing something for ourself or taking time for ourself is not necessary. Or is it? Self-care plays an integral role in wellness and is not a luxury. If we do not take care of ourself, we will be there to take care of others.
I have spent much of my life as a director of hospice programs. I asked about self care in interviews, we talked about it in team meetings, and I preached it one on one with my team. Hospice is a job that demands a lot of those called to its vocation. If my team didn’t take care of themselves, they would not have had the stamina to provide our patients and families what they needed as they went through their journey. Having healthy boundaries is a part of that self care. It is import, as a person, to know when to say no or to help someone find another resource to accomplish their need. One of our hospice families may have needed someone to take a dog to the vet. It was important that our team conserved their time and energy for the things only they could do, care for our patient. We would look for a volunteer, family member, or friend who could help get Sparky to his doggy doctor. It is the same in our everyday lives. There are times that people may ask us to help with something and it is wonderful to help people. It gives you a good feeling, that grows in your heart, when you can give someone a hand. When you love someone, you are concerned for their well being and want to make sure their needs are met. The Karma from helping others is really beneficial to us as well. However, if we are trying to meet everyones needs, we will be too drained to do something else that needs to be done. Something that maybe only you can do. Perhaps we are not the best person to help either. Someone else may have better skills to help get that job done than we do.
As you are being pulled in lots of different directions, remember that it is okay to say “no” sometimes. Remember that protecting your boundaries is an important part of self care. If you don’t take care of yourself, who will?

Thank you for reading my blog today. Take care of yourselves, my friends. I wish you a life of healthy boundaries.

“What if I fall?’, Tim cried. Maerlyn laughed. ‘Sooner or later, we all do.” ~Stephen King, The Wind Through the Keyhole

“What if I fall?’, Tim cried.  Maerlyn laughed. ‘Sooner or later, we all do.”  ~Stephen King, The Wind Through the Keyhole