The Healing Power of Experience

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It’s been an interesting day, starting early with a routine that included checking headlines to see if the Martians had landed.

Tongue-in-cheek – goes back to my high school “I have to read Ray Bradbury” days.

A London Times article – Social media is dead — none of my friends are posting any more caught my attention.

With a line putting me in the mind of an app that helps people spend less time on devices.

But Wait There’s More!

Ginsu knife anyone?

This isn’t a promo ad.

Double-Edge Sword

Long before the cell phone came along technology was changing society.  It takes time to see patterns and it takes hindsight to see the extent of the change.  And then comes judgment.

The technology that saves lives can disrupt lives.  It’s something we have to navigate.

So Navigate

I published my first book in 2011.  

I always thought my first book would be a novel; didn’t pan out.

A holistic healer, I intended my work help others.  

People who, like me, were suffering from EMF Sensitivity.

Life Happens

My dance with EMF Sensitivity sent me in a different direction though I didn’t give up on my dream.

I spent ensuing years alternating fiction and nonfiction projects.

That’s Nasty

Soon after I published I encountered my first Internet troll.  

It devastated me. 

 It took 7 years to recover from one person’s comment.

8 billion humans on this planet and I get a comment that destroys my soul and lands me in the sewer for 7 years..

One human being on planet earth shredded me for 7 years.

What helped me get past deep wounds left by someone I’d never met was listening to the sage advice of people who had more experience than me.

People who’d been there, who understood.

My angels of the heart happened to be teenage kids. Though expressed differently – as per their vernacular – each said “Oh, goes with the territory of putting yourself out there.”

Which they’d been doing for years in an environment that is – in some respects – harsher than what I was dealing with in my isolated corner of the web.

Pay It Forward.

Recent events have – at times – shaken those same angels.  I’ve been able to help by drawing from life experience.

  • Vietnam

I was a child but my parents’ friends …

I recount specifics in my podcasts

  • We Will Bury You

I was a child but conversations with my maternal grandmother helped me put bomb shelters in the back yard in perspective

  • Recession After Recession 

By the time I was 40 I’d gone through 4

Detroit experiences one about every 10 years.  

I gave words of comfort without being condescending.  

I didn’t pretend to understand.

Some experiences are universal and history may repeat itself but teens today are growing up in a world I never knew. Cell phones? iPads? The microwave was new technology when I was growing up.

So was Atari and Apple IIe.

I had a rotary dial wall phone in my house!

I believe I was able to convey that as a society we’ve been in tough spots before – that I feel people want to work together for the common good.  

The issue is there are different definitions of the common good.

General and Specific

Later today.

I was about to get back to my first fiction project since post-Covid burnout when I got another opportunity to pay it forward.

With a stranger.

Fulfilling a Dream

Right up my manifesting alley.

A young woman creating a film was seeking help with filming locations.  Rather than suggesting locations to scout I gave words of encouragement and praised the beautiful amazing experience of seeing a vision – what started as a thought or a whisper in the soul – come to life.  

It was – from what I could tell – appreciated.

Be well

The Power of a Hug

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Listening to The Gift from Gary Numan’s Intruder album and reflecting on the power of a hug.

Healing power.

As I Am Screaming starts up I recall a time when I was walking in downtown San Diego and a “hobo” (dated term I know) stepped in my path – not too close – and said with a smile – and arms open wide – “There’s someone who needs a hug.”  And oh did I need one at that moment.

I was caught up in EMF Sensitivity Hell.

Smiling and trying not to cry I walked straight into his embrace and accepted all the love he was willing to give.

More Recently

Months back while at a working lunch I looked up to see a man looking as if he was about to fall apart.

He was sandwiched between high schoolers in line for pizza or bread sticks/salad for lunch before running back to school.

I mouthed “Are you okay?”  Without saying a word he shook his head side to side.  I immediately stood and went to him thinking to hug him.

I Froze

I asked if it was okay if I hugged him.

He nodded, said nothing – looked close to crumpling.

I pulled him into a hug and said “It’s going to be okay.  I promise.  It’s going to be okay.  You’re going to be okay.”

He nodded on my shoulder – held me tight – shoulders shaking as he silently cried and said nothing.

No words were needed.

At some point I went back to my lunch – felt a bit embarrassed at the idea all these high school boys waiting for pizza saw such a display of emotion.  

Long Ago

Pontiac Eats And Beats

I ran into a former coworker while Aaron and I attended the festival.  I threw my arms around him.

We’re survivors of a toxic work environment from hell.

He held me so tight – stepped back and said “You have the best hug.”

Life

Interpretation.

I’ll leave it to readers to decide what the energy of a hug means but I’ll leave you with this.  Months ago a friend told me Psychedlic Furs were touring.  She knows how passionate I am about music – thought attending would bring me joy.

She also knows how much I love the opener – Gary Numan – which I’m listening to as I type this one-handed.

Doo-doo happens

Recently.

Slipped – put my left hand out reflexively – broke my arm.

Bummer man.

I can’t begin to express the mental/emotional toll this – in spite of lack of pain – no need for pain meds – has taken on me.

We met up with the friend who told me about the concert.  After hugging me gently she smiled pointed and said “That was me at the Cure” and in that moment healed a part of me that though isn’t physical is nonetheless broken because of what at the end of the day is an accident.

People?  Hugs heal.

Hugs convey love freely given.

Never doubt the power of love.

To heal.

Be well.

Manifesting For Someone Else: Divine Timing

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Did a working lunch at a local place with a good vibe.  A guy who works came in for his shift as I was walking out.

Walking home.

I stopped to chat.  In particular I asked about his family.

His grandmother lives in the path of the tsunami as well as typhoon season.

After assuring me all was good we chatted about music.

We’re both big time metal fans.

At one point I worried I was taking too much of his time.

He was the one talking but still.  It was shift change and the place was relatively busy.

I eventually made my way home and as I was waiting on a light at a busy intersection I hit the button for crossing then glanced back to see a guy standing behind me.  As he was taller than me – aka longer stride – I decided when the light changed I would allow him to go before me.

When the light chnged I turned around smiled and said “You can go ahead.”

As It Happens…

When he used body language to verify I realized a startling detail.

Walking Stick

The man was blind.

I never noticed the stick – only that he was wearing a fashionable hat to keep his face from burning in the sunshine and that he was taller than me.

I assured him he was safe and slipped in behind him to make sure no impatient drivers tried to do something stupid.

Wait!  There’s More!

Gotta love Ginsu right?

We got close to a very busy parking lot.

Fast food restaurant drive-thru at lunch hour.

I stopped and waited – called out to him I was going to keep us safe.

He had his cane going back and forth across the sidewalk.

I made sure the drivers ready to zip out of the parking lot saw me.

And by extension him.

We eventually went our separate ways.  As I was walking the final leg home I thought about the timing of it all.  I’d been worried I was going to get a worker in trouble for talking to him during lunch hour but if I hadn’t fought my initial thought to politely excuse myself so as not to get him in trouble?

I was really interested in everything the cool restaurant worker was telling me.  I did NOT want to get him in trouble!

I would have missed being there for someone who benefitted from my protective presence.

Divine Timing.

Thanks Universe!

Manifestation?

I was there when that guy benefitted from it.  I manifested safety which may have been on his mind.

It is a very busy highway with people who regularly fly through and do “No Cop No Stop” behavior.

Trust your instincts.

Be Well.

A Fun Memory

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Decided to share a light-hearted memory.  I’m listening to the Who’s Boris the Spider.

Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy is a favorite.

In addition to listening to the vinyl we had it on 45.

The memory.

While working for HP I attended a class in Corvallis Oregon, the training focused on a new network router that would manage loads in different time zones. 

Follow the sun where as one region is going to sleep another is waking up.

The servers would take the load off the networks.

Spreading the load makes for better and more consistent performance.

There were two classes ongoing in separate rooms.  I wound up in a room full of HPers from Canada.  We clicked and had a lot of fun working through the labs.

The instructor who was a very cool guy from San Diego would come over to see what we were laughing about.

We finished the labs early so asked if it was okay that we went to lunch.  

Comeraderie and Fun Stories.

While eating in the cafeteria we exchanged amusing stories on various topics.  One was spiders – who was and wasn’t afraid of them.

I’m not but shared a funny anecdote where several aunts saw a little one and went shrieking after which my grandmother said, “Oh for heaven’s sakes you’re afraid of that little thing?” then took care of it.  

I’m chuckling remembering how they scrambled over each other in an effort to get away from where it was sitting on the wall.

One of the guys told a story that had us laughing.

Though we were all very sympathetic to someone being afraid like that.

He got home from work to find his front door wide open.  As he walked into the house he called out to his wife.

No answer.

He walked around the house becoming more alarmed as he couldn’t find his wife and she wasn’t answering his calls.  

Then he got to the bedroom.

His wife was standing on the bed staring at the top of the bedroom doorway.  He walked in, turned to see what she was staring at.

A small house spider.

Turning back he asked if that was the problem.

He knew she was afraid of spiders but had never seen her like that.

She didn’t say anything though he saw the slightest nod.  After taking care of the spider his wife went rushing past.  

To the bathroom.

Apparently she was convinced that if she went through the bdroom door to get to the bathroom the spider would fall the moment she was beneath it and land on her.

Back to Class is Back to Fun.

The second and last day of the training went pretty much like the first with the Canadians and me having a blast working through the labs.

Which increased in difficulty throughout the class.

When the instructor came over toward the end of the second day I assumed it was just to see what we were laughing about.  

A Spoonful of Sugar …

Helps difficult labs go down.

Turns out the other class was seriously behind.  Not only that they were apparently complaining about how difficult the labs were.  When the instructor asked if we had any insight into the stark differences we searched for something to say.

None of us wanted to bad-mouth fellow HPers.

One of the Canadians made a comment about Canadians being good-natured.

Implying the other group came from a different region [of the US] and was likely culturally influenced.

The instructor looked at me and said, “You’re American aren’t you?”

I explained “Yes but I was born in Detroit and grew up in Michigan about 30 miles from the Canadian border.”  

I also supported global supply chain for the automotive industry so many Canadian companies were customers.

The fun rubs off.

I hope you are able to find fun moments in challenging situations.

Be well.

Did Homeopathy Speed Healing?

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Wanted to share an observation that may help others.  

Anyone who’s listened to the introductory episode of my podcast series Navigating the Holistic Path: Integrating Holistic Health Practices Into Everyday Living knows I’m big on homeopathy as part of my holistic bag of tricks.  I recently had a healing experience that – as I aim for – gives context.

I’d been taking hypericum perforatum to address sciatic pain.  It didn’t take long to feel a significant reduction in pain but – as they say in Ginsu Knife land – there’s more!

I noticed I was sleeping better.  I went from [often] waking up between 1 and 3 am (after going to bed at 10 pm) to waking up after 4.

Going from 2 – 3 hours a night to 5.5 – 6!

One blessed day I woke up close to 6!

Curious I did a bit of research – saw that this is a homeopathic version of St. John’s Wort.

Homeopathic formulations are micro-doses and are not the same as their herbal counterparts.

St. John’s Wort is used to – among other things – help with sleep!

Ginsu Sharpening

There’s More!

The therapeutic nature of this homeopathic remedy is its effectiveness as an anti-inflammatory which is why it’s helpful with sciatica.  As it happens I was on my morning walk days back when I took a spill.  Putting my hands out I ended up scraping my right palm and left thumb to the degree there was a bit of bleeding.

Right knee too.

While it stung I continued on.

To walk it off.

I’m grateful for the commuters who stopped.

Offered to take me somewhere – made sure I was okay.

Am I Seeing This?

Sci-fi comes to life.

As I walked I periodically looked at my scuffed skin.

Kept mentally replaying what if I hadn’t… could I have avoided…?

I noted something pretty unbelievable.  It appeared as if my scrapes were healing before my eyes. They were literally disappearing!

Like something out of a sci-fi film!

Doubting Thomas Rides The Skies

I kept looking – kept seeing progress too quick to be believed.

And yet I was seeing it.

Plausible Explanation

I suspect having taken the hypericum – anti-inflammatory – for days before the spill meant my body was primed to throw healing resources at the wound.

Reducing inflammation so the body could heal as it’s meant.

And Now?

Within 2 days the wound was 1/4 in size.

No bruising – never was any which is fantastical given the fun of doing a baseball slide into rough pavement.

The thumb is completely healed and after 3 days the palm is almost free of any scabs.  

Incredible.

If I hadn’t seen it I would never have believed it.

This is the kind of story I share in my podcast series.

Real life.

Be well!

Banishing Demons (Negative Energy Pulling You Down)

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I recently launched a podcast series about integrating holistic health practices into everyday living. 

Drawing on my tendancy to use stories to give context.

While the initial episodes focus more on the body and mind part of the equation I do sprinkle in the spirit piece.  

I’ll be including more of the third part of the holistic pie in future episodes.

Wanted to share a recent experience that illustrates I walk the talk.

The Universe Steps In

Kismet in Action.

I was reading through the Apple News feed

Insert whistling and carefree skip down the morning routine trail.

An article appeared that intrigued me with its title.

A piece suggested based on something that caught the algorithms’ eye.

Not even halfway through I knew this was the perfect information at the perfect time.  Even though we hadn’t renovated we had areas in our home that had stagnant energy.

Including some that felt almost ominous.

Energetic Case Study

Bedroom Closet

For whatever reason that closet has long bothered me, to the degree I insisted the door always be shut.

In hindsight this probably added insult to injury since it meant no air circulating.

Aaron and I share the closet and he was baffled why I was so insistent the door always be closed.

I knew something off with the energy in there.

 Excited I might have a fix I put a bowl of lemon water in and yep – it lifted the energy. 

I also sprinkled a mix of baking soda and salt on the carpet with the intent it be vacuumed up in a day or two.

I knew putting a bowl of salt in a room or space where an argument had taken place would remove negative energy but hadn’t heard of the mix before.

Weirdly enough after the space was vacuumed the energy came down again.

I did a repeat lemon water treatment.

When I came to the realization I was going to have to do at least one more lemon water – maybe every couple of days indefinitely – I decided to get to the root cause.

Keep Digging

The root’s there somewhere.

I’m sharing because – as I mention in my podcasts – conditions are likely to return if you only deal with symptoms.

Holistic healing deals with root cause.

But First…

It isn’t as if I hadn’t tried dealing with the issue.  

For the past several years.

  • Switched my side with Aaron’s
  • Switched front to back
  • Organized by clothing item
  • Organized by color/season
  • Got rid of anything that no longer served

Nothing worked.

I ended up switching the two sides back to how they were.

Out of Sight But Not Out of Mind

Or Spirit

Just so happens I had a small inexpensive box I’d purchased at Michael’s Craft Store containing items that – though they used to hold joy – now held disappointment.

To the degree even thinking of what was in the box made me sad.

The fix wasn’t something I could tackle with a plan.

I’d held onto the items in the hopes maybe the individual who did have the fix might … 

I know. When we leave our happiness up to someone else’s behavior or actions we set ourselves up for failure but I felt getting rid of what was in there was admitting defeat – that the situation was hopeless.

Stubborn Celt that I am I refused to give up hope.

After awhile I shoved the box where I wouldn’t have to look at it.

And be reminded of what I’d lost.

I was determined to get to the root cause of the negative energy in that space.

The box and its contents as they were now energetically entwined.

Timing is Everything

When I opened the box I saw another smaller one inside.  I got the biggest smile!  

I thought I’d gotten rid of it during a before or after move sort/organize.

Not only did I still have this box which brings memories of a wonderful time in my life but upon opening it found things I thought lost in a move!

I was so happy!

After securing the box and the items it contained I turned to the other box.

And items representing disappointment and sadness.

I wasn’t sad!  Finding those items I thought gone lifted my spirits to the degree I could look at the remaining items dispassionately.

I could also let them go without feeling all hope was lost.

I just didn’t care anymore.  Waiting for something that might never happen was no longer worth my time or effort.

This morning I noticed that for the past few days I’ve been leaving the closet door open.

The monsters hiding inside have been banished.

More adventures coming soon.

Be well!

Ice Cream Man: We Need to Tell our Stories

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I volunteer to help kids with literacy.  I showed up on a recent day and was asked if I’d be willing to work with a special needs child because the specialist had to call out.  Happy to do so I soon found myself in a secluded part of a hallway listening to a little boy read about a tour of an ice cream factory.

The nature of the program means the volunteers and students find places to sit together which may be in an overcrowded room with a cacophany of voices or in a hall where students changing classes walk by.

At one point he looked at me and asked “Why so many screams?”

This was after watching him struggle with the fact he was trying to form the thought.  Telling him to take his time seemed to help him relax and articulate what was on his mind.

Why So Many Screams?

I immediately picked up his concern over the word scream but also knew he lacked context.  I quickly explained it was a childhood rhyme.

I scream you scream we all scream for ice cream.

I suspected my explanation didn’t fly because he wasn’t familiar with the rhyme so I quickly explained it was something kids would call out when chasing the ice cream man.  This necessitated I explain what the ice cream man was.

And why kids would be chasing him.

I admit – I have not seen or heard an ice cream man in all the years I’ve lived in this region of the country but that didn’t stop me from telling this sweet boy

“I’m old.  When I was little in Michigan my friends and me would chase the ice cream man – you could hear him coming by the music in his truck – yelling “I scream you scream we all scream for ice cream.”

I watched him think over the honest explanation then slowly nod.  And then he smiled.

A beautiful smile that lit up his features.

He said “I can’t wait to tell my mom.”

I don’t know if his mom is a translplant from another part of the country – maybe a place where she grew up hearing the telltale sound of an ice cream truck coming in her direction – but it reinforces my belief that we need to share stories with our kids

and grandkids …

I saw first hand how the lack of knowledge confused and alarmed.

We need to tell our stories

To share wisdom and give context.

And to reassure.

Am I Going to Die: We Need To Tell Our Stories

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I read an article while having lunch and a statement struck me to the degree I felt compelled to post this blog.  

From the article:  “It feels like a death,” Point Reyes rancher Kevin Lunny told SFGATE. “Other ranchers are telling me they feel the same way. It’s the only home and address we’ve ever known. It’s who we are — it’s our identity.”

It’s Our Identity

Upon reading this statement I was taken back to a presentation given by Russell Targ at an IRVA conference wherein he told the audience that employees of Lockheed Martin had so entwined their identities with their job title and function that after retirement – not knowing who they were any longer – they passed away.

So soon the company apparently began underfunding the retirement account.

While I don’t doubt the veracity of the statement I suspect what’s fueling it is the uncertainty of what comes next.

What Do I Do Now?

As the journalist goes on to point out there are unanswered questions and it’s the uncertainy driven by the lack of information that creates [sometimes] horrific anxiety.  

Why Was I Inspired?

Aside from the fact I’ve been through times like this throughout my life…

Enough to fill a spreadsheet…

Years ago a friend recommended a book that helped me view uncertainty differently.

No longer the enemy but a normal part of the process of change.

Ironically, my life is such that if one looked up the definition of change in a picture dictionary my photo would be there.  

And yet…

Being able to compartmentalize the stages of change as William brilliantly taught his students takes anxiety out of the uncertainty associated with change.

The Between Part

This is why I’m writing this now.

If I’d been conversing with that man I could have shared my experience.

Which I believe would have gone far to help.

  • He would see he isn’t alone
  • He would see others understand the pain he is in
  • He would see that others have found a way to cope 
  • He would benefit from others sharing stories that could help him find a way to cope

The Book

I would also share with him William’s book of sage wisdom, taking time to explain why I think it could help.

Covid

When the world is going crazy…

Another reason I’m writing this now is because many people find themselves lost in this post-Covid world for the same reason. 

What comes next? 

People of multiple generations.

  • They lost links to their identity
  • They don’t know what comes next
  • They don’t know who they are because of what happened
  • They don’t know who they will be because of what happened

As somone who – though young – remembers the Hong Kong flu of the early 70s and who has had numerous first-hand accounts – from relatives – survivors of the Spanish Flu – I have perspective of life after …

But Wait There’s More!

I know the value of experience in helping reduce anxiety.

We Will Bury You!

I was – severely impoverished at the time – living in my grandma’s basement when the whole early 80s Cold War Nuclear War threat was happening.

And Peter Gabriel’s Biko.

One day overwhelmed by fear 

And having been laughed at when I expressed serious worry we were going to die

I asked my maternal grandmother if I should be scared.

Was I going to die of nuclear annhilation?

This woman who was the epitome of patience assured me I didn’t need to be afraid and then told me of having lived through the fallout of post WWI and then living through WWII and THEN watching neighbors build bomb shelters in their backyards in the immediate aftermath and…

While I’m not certain I slept better that night what I did gain was the gift of a woman – a woman who didn’t laugh at my fears – who was willing to talk about her love of life and the joys of friends and family and the little moments of peace we can find in watering a house plant or sharing the joy of a friend’s/family member’s triumph…

Especially her grandkids’ achievements and little victories.

Things many in our world would agree are the things that matter.

All of this might seem cold comfort to the ranchers whose lives have been turned upside down but I would offer them this

  • You are not alone
  • You are not your job
  • You are still you
  • There are many who will help you get through this
  • There is an amazing book that will help you navigate the uncertainty of the days ahead

Before I tell you the book I want you [readers] to know I have an upcoming project and this is an example of what you will find.

Because…

We Need To Share Our Stories

Be Well…

The Book

Transitions:  Making Sense of Life’s Changes by William Bridges.