Category Archives: General

Posted on

Slow Down

by

caution_street_sign_16545I don’t know about you but I’ve always heard (and, of course, never paid much attention to) that the Universe will give you messages and if you don’t heed them, you’ll get other messages in ways that you can’t avoid. If I had paid more attention to this, perhaps I wouldn’t be going through all of this right now. Don’t get me wrong – I am not going through nearly what others are enduring right now so I’m not complaining at all.  In fact, I think it’s been good for me because I’ve learned so much in just a few short months. And one of those lessons is what I want to talk about today.

I’ve also been taking a coaching program that’s called the Psychology of Eating and it’s been phenomenal (with so much more to go too).  It’s not about the conventional methods that people use to take off the weight. One of the prime concepts is to slow down.

I think I mentioned this concept when I discussed embracing the journey not the destination. But it’s so important for us to slow down so we can figure out where we’re really going. Often when we decide on our destination while rushed and hurried, the associated stress response doesn’t allow us to make as wise a choice as we would if we slowed down and took our time to evaluate all courses of action and the pro’s and con’s of each. When was the last time you did that? Haven’t you felt rushed to make a decision. It seems to be part of our culture now. If you go to make a purchase, there’s inevitably someone standing over your shoulder pressuring you to make a choice NOW.  Can you think back to some of these decisions and see if, in the long run, they were the best decisions? Were these the journeys you really wanted to go on?

We need to slow down in everything we do. I know it sounds like I’m talking about a dream world because “that’s just not the way life is in this day and age!” Yeah, I get it. I’ve been there, done that and have lots of T-shirts.  I am aware that making changes is difficult (the subject of upcoNOT-RIGHT-NOW-2ming posts) but what about starting with just ONE aspect in your life that you think you might be able to make a change and slow down – at least for a little while to see if it makes a difference. Remember that you make the rules. No one is forcing you to do anything and certainly no one is saying how long you have to do an experiment for. I’m just trying to get you to make those determinations for yourself BEFORE the Universe decides it’s time to send you the message – ha ha.

Do you eat fast? Do you multi-task as you eat? Can you change that? For at least one meal? Can you turn off the TV or sit away from the computer while you eat just one meal? Try taking 5 deep breaths before you start eating. Remember to be thankful for the food and look at it with love (I am hoping that you prepared it with love too – food really does digest better if it’s been prepared with love). Then take your time with each mouthful. Don’t just shove it in forkful after forkful. Take time to chew slowly and taste the food – having good quality food helps with that too.

What else can you slow down in? Can you start your day with meditation or relaxation? Maybe you’ll have to get up a few minutes earlier but see if it will be worth it – you can try it out on the weekend if you’d like – just to see how it goes.

Make a list of areas where you think your life is fast. This might take you a few days to figure out because you might have to pay attention as you go through the days. Maybe you need the help of a coach or even a good friend. You can even reply here and see if others can give you some help.

I just know that I have learned to slow down and enjoy things as I go along – even if they are not pleasant things. I am revising my outlook to see what I can learn (or what I’m supposed to learn) from every challenge or event that comes into my life.

Let me know where you think you can slow down!

Terrie

 

Posted on

Special Remembrance For A Very Special Guy

by

stock_photos_55I’m doing something today I’ve never done before. I’m dedicating this post to someone I didn’t know and never met. His name was John. He passed away two days ago.

His presence on this earth significantly impacted a very good friend of mine and through her discussions with me about him and his last journey I became extremely impressed and touched.

Rarely is someone who is not famous or in the news somehow so able to influence others. But John had that talent, that capability. Every time my friend talked about him, I received more of his essence and came to admire him more and more each day.

He fought this illness with the mindset and character of a very special man. There were ups and downs and he took them all in stride, trying to make the best of each event, no matter how despicable the news.

He tried to maintain his daily activities and interactions with people as they always had been right up until the end, despite immense pain and suffering. There was never any complaining about how bad his “lot in life” was. Although it might have been in his thoughts, he didn’t lament “why me” to others trying to solicit their sympathies. He continually tried to buoy up the spirits of those around and close to him, knowing how painful it was for them, knowing it was he who was leaving and going to a better place yet they would remain behind trying to do something with that void.

When my friend mentioned him and his battle, she always talked about his courage and his gentleness. If you think about that, it’s rather paradoxical to be gentle while being courageous. When you think of courage you think of the warrior getting ready for battle, not the lamb standing there trusting all around it.

John’s passing has affected me in a way I can’t even describe no matter how I try to reach for the proper words – and I never even really knew him. How does that happen? It reaffirms to me that there is a universal essence and that no matter where in the world (or Universe) someone is, their being still flows via all those energetic lines that we can’t see. This man had something I wish to emulate – strength that is so deep and diffuse that it could not even be defined.

Have you ever experienced something like this? I find it a very strange, sad, yet peaceful experience and I thank both John and my friend for bringing his love and being into my existence. I pray for the easing of the remaining pain for those around him

Rest in great peace, John!

Terrie

Posted on

Easier Said Than Done – Embrace the Journey

by

maze_solved_14345Boy has the last few months been an adventure (to put it mildly) for me. But it wasn’t until yesterday that I realized the importance of the phrase “Embrace The Journey, Not The Destination” (there are multiple variations on this but this is the quickest way to say it). People, myself included, often focus on the ultimate goal – the destination. And then if the goal is not achieved, they are crushed and all that time has gone by without them enjoying that time.

You have to be present at all times. You always hear that you need to enjoy the moment because you don’t know what’s going to happen in the next. Until you experience that, however, you don’t really know what it means. On Feb 17th this year, I experienced a life change that was totally unexpected and led down this path to my recent surgery. It wasn’t as significant an event as many have had to deal with. But it was enough to stop me in my tracks for the first time in my life. As I’ve been trying to recuperate, my primary focus had been on getting back to running so I could train for the run across Tennessee in July. But, yesterday as post-op issues continued to prevail and as I realized I still have several evaluations to go through, I found myself understanding that it’s all about today, this minute, not what’s going to happen (or what I hope to happen) in July.  Strangely, though, I felt at peace with that knowledge. I have spent too much of my life working toward something else – working thru my childhood just to graduate medical school and at that time my only thought was “What now?” (not a good feeling); training for a race; working 5 days to get to the weekend; working 8 hours to finally go home, etc. I never have spent time smelling the roses along the way. In my initial years as a physician I was a typical physician – go, go, go. Then in my later years I worked in the DC area and that’s completely rush, rush, rush, especially when coupled with my lousy working hours due to the distance and traffic.

I would say that the closest I have come to embracing the journey has been when I’ve been doing my long runs because I have so much time to think and do whatever I want. However, when you add training to that picture, it throws in the goal and that takes away from the pure enjoyment I used to have on the runs.

So, what happened yesterday? I think it was a combination of no longer wanting to fight these undesirable post-op issues as well as just having the time to take care of myself. All of a sudden I found myself thinking that I may not make it to the Tennessee run in July. I just don’t know what will happen in the next few months – with my training and my body. Rather than be upset about maybe not getting there (still an unknown), I am choosing to love my body and love the challenges I’m experiencing and just be grateful. I am going to put gratitude first in my life and try every day to do something nice for someone else.  And I’m going to be kind to my body and try to listen to it more. If I make it to Tennessee, that will be wonderful. If I don’t, I won’t have passed up months just thinking about getting there – I will have spent those months enjoying life and doing for others, two of the most important things you can do in life.

See, you’re never too old to learn about life. Even though it’s easier said than done, I feel confident that I am on a different path at this point.

Terrie

Posted on

Tuesdays With Terrie

by

tuesdays-with-terrie-croppedI’m feeling stronger every day but am still having post-op issues which I am choosing to see as lessons that the Universe has sent me and I’ve refused to look at before. I think we all are like that and don’t really pay much attention to these messages until they smack you in the face. It behooves us to listen and learn earlier on rather than waiting for that smack. Oh well.

I make bone broth (good for immunity) in batches and put them in very large mason jars. Then when I’m ready to start to use that batch I have to remove the layer of hardened fat at the top (not as gross as it sounds).  If there is a thick layer (like all our limit beliefs), first I have to recognize that I don’t want this part of the package (identifying the limiting beliefs thatIMG_2329 are, well, “limiting”), then I have to cut through it (recognizing that a belief is a thought I just keep thinking over and over again) followed by removal of the lard to uncover the beautiful and healthy broth underneath (letting the real you come through and cultivating UNlimiting beliefs).

By now, you’re thinking that I need to see a psychiatrist or be locked up I’m sure. But it really is just like identifying and undoing your limiting beliefs.

This morning when I started a new batch, the lard layer was very deep and it took more effort to cut through it and I had to make more slices than the usual 4. I had to cut it more like a pie (or a pizza – yum). That took more effort to get through (those beliefs we’ve been harboring since childhood). Then when the cuts were made, I was having difficulty getting the pieces out because of the rounded shape to the bottle (sometimes we just give up trying to change our beliefs when we find it too hard to even break through. We give up when we can’t find a way to make any progress. Even when we’re trying to dig deep to get under the lard (belief), it seems as if there is a wall there and there is no way to remove this stuff (belief).

IMG_2330But then all of a sudden, you’ve manipulated the stuff around and around and finally you get a small piece out (you see some changes in your repetitive thoughts). Once that first piece is out, the foundation is rocked and you can now proceed to remove the rest more rapidly. It almost seems easy at that point and you wonder why it took so long or seemed so hard (you now are having an easy time with your new thoughts/beliefs).

When I recognized this metaphor/analogy/whatever (I always get them confused) this morning, I knew that this was a turning point, not only for people I work with on their limiting beliefs but also for myself.  The initial frustration made things more difficult – I was pushing against resistance to try to get big pieces out with one attempt. That ended up taking more time than if I had just worked to get a small piece removed and gradually continued with my progress. I think we try to bite off more than we can chew (or remove) and then we’re upset when we can’t get it all out (get to the goal – the ultimate destination) “real soon”. It takes patience and we really do need to slow down.

“Slow down” has become my mantra after this experience as you’ve seen in other posts and will continue to see. I’ve missed so much of life going after the destination and trying to remove all the lard at once. Now I’m going to not fight, not meet the resistance with force but with relaxation and gentleness and see what happens. So what that I can’t go to the 100 mile race this coming weekend – the one I was so happy to have finally gotten into? Will my world end? Heck no. So what if I still can’t run for a few more weeks? What else can I do to substitute for that? Many things. I have a wonderful life and just want to give to others in whatever way I can. That is my journey.

I know I rambled a lot today but I’ve learned so much just from this one jar of bone broth! Who knew?

Terrie

 

Posted on

Tuesdays With Terrie

by

tuesdays-with-terrie-croppedWell, well, well….it’s now been 9 days that I’ve been unable to do anything exercise wise.
Needless to say, I’m not a happy camper. So, what the heck could I write about that would be beneficial to everyone as a result of this event?

There really is always a silver lining however. That’s what I want to share with you today.

Brief background for those who haven’t heard my whining (ha ha). Last Sunday morning while trying to “install” a device that is intended to help my back (a desk extension that elevates the desk top so you don’t sit all day long – not good for your system), my short stature allowed me to only go so far in the lifting attempt. Then I heard and felt a vertebrae move in my back. Since then, well, you can just imagine.

Here’s the good that came from it:

  •  I wasn’t feeling great Monday but had to go to work for a going away luncheon and left work early to go home and go to bed. But instead, I was leaving at exactly the right time to be able to take a detour and help a very good friend get through something that was very painful. If I hadn’t been hurt and leaving early, then I would not have been able to be there! How cool is that?
  •  I have been standing pretty much constantly both at work and home. This has helped increase the time on my feet which should eventually help my endurance (it’s all about time on your feet) when I can get back to running.
  •  I have found that standing helps your entire gastrointestinal process, something which I had been having problems with. The standing has allowed this amazing human body I have to do what it’s supposed to do (we were NOT created to sit so much). That was a very welcome benefit to all this.
  •  I’ve gotten to see two people I hadn’t seen in about 7 months – my AIRROSTI and my Acupuncture providers. They are not only medical practitioners but also very good friends and it was wonderful to see them.
  •  I remembered (finally) my proteolytic enzymes and started taking them and am starting to feel better.
  •  Not being able to run or do other exercise has given me the time to spend studying my coaching course which is very time intensive.
  •  Not being able to run has shown me how important running is to me.
  •  Posting once on Facebook about my withdrawal problems has resulted in an outpouring of support which I greatly appreciate.
  •  Most importantly, I did NOT revert to my past performance matrix of going to work to get more done to “catch up” since I can’t run or do much of anything else. It took me a long time and intense work to get out of that habit.
  •  This has forced me to work standing up and I am liking it.

I’m sure there are other positives (silver linings) but this is enough to give you the idea. If you look for the good, it is there. Sometimes we’re looking for major things and we miss the little ones. In my experience it’s the little things that ad up to the major ones!

Hope this helps you look at things differently in your life.

Terrie