My niece,Caitlyn, just turned 18; she is the youngest of my nieces and nephews so the thought of ALL of them now being adults hit me hard. This birthday was special for me as it was the first birthday party I attended for her. It may sound strange but her birthday is January 1. Obviously it is a busy day for everyone to celebrate. When she was young it was always a family fun day and then as she grew up it was sleep overs with friends AND THIS year all her extended family came to celebrate her!
So giving her the perfect gift for being a new adult was my goal. But what did she need being a new adult? Voting is important to me and my first thought was to give her the book, Indian in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power by Jody Wilson-Raybould. It was a powerful book that I had read and was impacted about how I vote. BUT I couldn’t! Why, because Caitlyn is so passionate and righteous. There is so much information about systemic racism that I wanted her stay innocent for just little bit longer. But a very good book!
Here is a link for the book; https://amzn.to/3ijkCW8
So what was I suppose to give her to help her move into the next stage of life as a responsible adult?
This is what I came up with:
1. Reusable shopping bag - be good to the earth
2. Bouquet of flowers - remember to look at the beauty
3. Multi tip screwdriver - you need the right tool to solve the puzzle
4. Flashlight - your safety is important - the light protects and the handle can be used as a weapon
5. Duct Tape - sometimes a temporary fix is all you need
6. Tire Pressure gauge - you can look after yourself but you can let other help as well
7. Skip-Bo game - remember to play and laugh
8. Mike & Ike candies- at anytime you can be a kid
After I got home I thought about the gifts and the meaning and I thought I missed one. I missed the Arts - I should have also included a book or a music CD. This would have been the reminder to enjoy the arts.
I think we all need a reminder once in awhile about what we need to be an adult.
* be good to the earth
* remember to enjoy beauty and arts
* use the right tool even it is just duct tape
* you can do it yourself but letting other help is good too
* keep yourself sage
* laugh and play as a child
PS: She loved it :)
This was my annual checkup that usually happens every 3 years, lol. I had no complaints or symptoms to complain about, it was just time for a visit. I have been on a journey of natural healing and this was my first trip back.
First of al,l I really had nothing to complain about. I used to have terrible heartburn, tired all the time, didn’t sleep well, brain fog, ache and pains, headaches, and the list goes on. I remember I used to write down all my complaints so I wouldn’t forget them. Now I had NOTHING to complain about. Amazing right?! I still get the odd headache or heart burn or ache or pain but the difference now is that it is not all the time – just occasionally. And I usually know why I feel that way; I either ate something I shouldn’t have or I over did something.
I think this is how we are all supposed to be.
At the appointment I did more listening. I listened to the questions he was asking me: why were these ones important and what does that say about our health care system as a whole?
The one question that really struck me was “what medications are you on?” Pretty normal question right but when I said “none” he was shocked and said “REALLY?” Okay so I am 50 years old and my interpretation of his response was: female and age 50 you should be on something. He then asked me a bunch of more questions and specifically about anxiety; I am sure just to make SURE I didn’t need “something”. No pills required; I must be amazing!
So I learned 2 things. First the way we look at health care is a bit backwards – a pill will work better than natural foods and products. And second I am extremely healthy for someone my age.
Freshest skin EVER!
Are you that person that continually looks, buys and tries different facial moisturizers? Never seeming to have enough moisture? I stumbled across this and my face as never felt this way!
1/4 cup aloe vera gel
1 tbsp of coconut oil
3 drops helichrysum essential oil
Mix all together and spread liberally on your face and neck.
Wait 10 minutes
Wipe off
Tips:
- Cleanse your face first
- Use the cleanest aloe vera gel you can find - non toxins, dyes or parfumes
- This made a lot, I didn’t even use half of it so make it a girls night!
- Use Young Living essential oil as it is the purest on the market
Don’t have helichrysum essential oil and you want to try it - SURE - I would suggest using your favorite essential oil for skin and no more than 2 or 3 drops.
Share in comments your faves!
Enjoy
For more information on feeling younger click here for a guide:
Why did I hurt? Everywhere! I am young I should not feel like an old women. I would joke about making old lady noises and laugh. But really it is not a laughing matter. My body is aging but my mind is young, what was I going to be like when I am 60 or 70? That was my scary question.
This was not a terrible pain that I needed to go to the doctor. I was not taking over the counter pain medication everyday. But every once in awhile I would take over the counter pain medication and I even got the stuff for arthritis for those really bad days or the days that I had a bunch of stuff going on and I needed to feel better. (Feel better were my words, I couldn’t even think about what feeling good was like; sad right.) Joint pain, sore muscles, bloated, gut pain, brain fog and I was tired. Okay exhausted.
I was in my mid to late 40’s and getting older was actually scary. See, I know I am going to live a long time. But what quality of life was that going to be. Was I just going to seize up and lay in a bed for 20 years? I was going to have NONE OF THAT!
So I had a choice to make; do I start going to the doctor and have them medicate me OR do I do some of my own research and find a more natural solution?
I chose the natural solution. Now I had to get good at asking questions and finding the answers. I found clues everywhere. I saw people people using peppermint and lavender. I started googling and when you do that then ads start popping up. I clicked. Then I listened, where did they find out this information, I went there. I bought books and studied them like text books. I still research and will never stop learning.
Then I became an experimenter. I would change one thing in my diet or add a natural product and see what happened. Most times it was huge improvement.
I learned a LOT about inflammation and how toxic (unnatural) chemicals were wreaking havoc on my body. The things we put in our mouths, on our bodies, and breathe ACTUALLY make a difference in our overall health.
The 5 things that turned it all around for me:
1. a high antioxidant super juice
2. essential oils
3. natural plant based products for my home and my body
4. being a label reader
5. good supplements
Now I am 50 and I feel like am in my 30’s again. I have more energy, it is easier to move, my gut issues are much better and I think clearer. I am a much happier person living an active life. Life is looking better and better.
I can help you get on the path of feeling better. Click on my GUIDE below.
Bad Food, High Stress, Drinking & Late Nights, No Exercise, AND all with an attitude of “I do what I want.”
It all was catching up to me & I wasn’t listening!
My body was screaming at me for long time to STOP the madness and I didn’t listen or pay attention to the signs. Was I too late?
I thought I was living the dream, a job I loved, lots of friends to hang around with, traveling, family time, and doing whatever was fun at the moment. The kids were grown and I was on my own. I had lots of vacation time from my job, earning a decent living and I truly thought I could do anything I wanted with no worries.
I remember on a lunch break doing one of those magazine questions about “how much stress is in your life” tests. We all had a pretty good laugh about it; all of us with varying levels of stress. I was the highest of the group though, I think there was only 2 or 3 questions that I could say NO to. Even though I laughed, it did make me stop and consider what was going on? I thought the answer would be to lose 40 or so pounds and I would be great!
It is a long story over 10 years, but I feel like I have come out on the other side it. I will give you the highlights.
1. What wasn’t working:
eating “healthy” food 2 or 3 times a week and the rest of the week was cheeseburgers, fries and Jack Daniels
drinking diet coke - no sugar
riding my bike to work twice a week
eating in bed while watching TV
giving myself limits that were ridiculous - only a medium popcorn with butter and a diet coke when I went to the movies - which was at least once a week
having the TV on to fall asleep to - 1 or 2 in the AM
work 50 to 60 hours a week - yup a week
joining a slo-pitch team - wings and beer anyone?!
traveling - the perfect time to indulge - why not I am on holidays
Sure felt like I was having a good time. But when you know you are going to live a long life, if I continued, what quality of life would that be?
2. What might seem like it was healthy but turns out not to be:
started a strict low calorie diet
started training to run a half marathon
I accomplished my goal weight and ran the 1/2 marathon. But what was that price?
You ever hear stories of people that work their butts off for decades and then retire. They are NOW going to do all the fun and wonderful things they have always wanted to do. 6 months later they have a horrible illness and either become physically challenged or given a few months to live. They CAN’T do any of the wonderful things on their bucket list. So sad and I was on that track!
Then the crash happened . . . . . literally I crashed - okay I fainted. But I hadn’t done that since I was a kid. My body was never the same after I fainted. At the time I chaulked it up to stress, long and fast hours at work, too much wrong food and more Jack Daniels, less exercise, well you get the picture. But I just didn’t feel good after that. The weight was slowing coming back on too.
I didn’t see it as a wake up call but over the next year my body just was feeling worse and worse.
Then I did something that I thought was going to be wonderful and it turned out the complete opposite. I quit my job! Yup left my job and move in with my boyfriend. I was going to take the summer off, relax and recuperate. Why was this so bad? How could enjoying the sunshine and doing ALL the fun things be bad.
I became that newly retired person. Like that retired person, I gave my body time to health. My body said, “great, now I can work on fixing a few things”, instead of the go go go, suck it up and go attitude. But somethings were too far gone and couldn’t be fixed. I became gluten intolerant.
After 3 months my world was crashing around me but in slow motion. I rarely felt good, low energy, emotional, stomach issues, headaches, my joints ached, diarrhea, and just tired. I mean I was so tired that laying on the couch was all I could do for hours; I didn’t even care if the TV was on.
By accident, I was slowing figuring out that I was gluten intolerant. Where did that come from? That question was my wake up call but it was still slow. I found tidbits of answers but nothing that made me pull my head out of my ass.
My wake up call was a long journey. And it was just a little to slow; I am gluten intolerant and that won’t go a way. BUT I believe I did save myself from being that retired person. I believe I saved my self from a diagnosis an autoimmune disease; a life time of challenge or no life at all.
My hope with all of this is that I may help speed up your journey of your wake up call so that you do not suffer an long term or permanent illnesses.
3. What I have done right - I learned things and I continue to learn things
no more TV in the bedroom and restrict blue light; I have a bedtime routine that include self care
Processed sugar is bad and so is aspartame - no more diet coke or any soft drinks
of course a gluten free diet
supplements are required
self care - this are daily things just for me: reading, puzzles, hot baths, exercise
learn to ask questions - don’t settle because one person said so
use the medical system to benefit you - understand their perspective and then question it
functional medicine: learning to support my bodily systems for permanent improvement
natural alternatives: understanding quality products and how then can support my body
cleansing my systems - cleaning my body from the inside out
drink clean water, eat clean food
buy locally and organically when I can
learning meditation and increasing exercise
I found that taking small steps made huge difference.
Continually learning about nutrition, essential oils, cleansing, supplements, hormones
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