Me Time

Me time - a critical part of life whether one has MS or not.  But today, Monday, is Me day.  No meetings.  No errands.  Time to relax and rebuild.  Some work, catching up on paperwork, admin type stuff.  A production meeting with Self which I do while walking Ellie Hound.  I have several fun projects in the works right now.  Helping some friends out with some marketing work.  Printing photography - Oh, that might be an errand. I'm out of toner, again.  Time to feed the monster again.

But it's also time to take care of me:   laundry, exercise, meditation, education, reading, friends, family, nature, life.  And that is my priority today.  So - Off to enjoy.

I did have some beautiful early morning time with Isabel Allende and her Ines of My Soul. What beauty in storytelling.  Between Isabel's words and the Seattles Best coffee in the french press, it has been splendid already.

ShenTrition

Many of my friends have been asking about ShenTrition and how it's been helping me survive MS for the past two years.  And we're talking surviving beyond belief.  I'm actually riding horses again - exercising in the heat and taking care of myself a little better each day.  So what I tell folks is to go to http://shentrition.com/ and read what Stephen and Erica have written about stressors.  This is HUGE for MSer's.  HUGE.   Just read, absorb, and let's chat about this.

I'm off to make some ShenTrition right now...peace

sister you've got it all

sister you've got it all -
...you've got it all...
There are no damaged goods with MS.   Its all about the attitude.  Sure we have our weaknesses and faults but who doesn't, especially after some forty years of enjoying the heck out of life. 

I surely don't miss the corporate world.  Even the business world.  It's a stressor for me.  I used to love it.  Capitalism.  I would eat it up.  But these days, post MS, I could care less.  I just want to live each day. 

of course - its Townes van Zandt...

It's Townes van Zandt.  Interrupting my thinking.

Of course it is.  Be here to love me.

And where is he?  That man who said he would be here in the morning.  How many times have I heard that crap.  Seriously. 

I do wonder if folks see me as damaged goods.  I have a lot of weaknesses.  My inability to drive in traffic and highways for one.  My need for naps and rest.  Having to continuously survive this disease by taking care of my Self - every day, creating a feeling of self-centeredness. 

MS does effect your life - more than most believe.  We can go around on many Western medicines and ignore the symptoms.  But the symptoms are telling us something.  They are indicators to change your way of living.  I don't think that I consider myself damaged goods but I must in some ways because it's a recurring theme in my Self dicussions. More on this later.  


L8R G8R

absolute babble

Friday.  Grateful Dead rocking my headphones.  Time to chill and rewind.  What a strange couple of weeks.  The relapse.  I pushed and my body pushed back.  The cold.  I pushed and my body pushed back even harder.  There was no decision to be made - my relapse was here to stay. 

My Shen-Cleanse was a release.  Timing was right, energy good.  The other day I was lost for over two hours in a beautiful, renergizing, releasing spiraling yoga practice.   Books upon books.  Fire upon fire.  And the naps.  Oh what luxury I took. 

And then this week.  After rain-showers and mud-slide fears we are experiencing 90 degree summer days.  We might just get some little growies up in the hills before more rain.  I even heard chatter about opening the local ski areas, well Mt. Waterman.  don't think there's anything left of Kratka Ridge, or whatever they called it during it's demise.  Now that was a Beer Cellar! 

Healthy to have fun memories. Healthier to make fun memories. Today, riding about on this beautiful day, I captured a memory I hope to never lose.  The rhythm of the oaks, on three different mounts.  Friends and family around.  Happiness, sunshine, a refreshing day. 

Off to enjoy the multiples sclerosis.  It's a good reason to sit back and chill.  It is the play-off's and the Dodgers won.  Angels and Yankees playing now.  L8R G8R

Coopers Hawks Invade

Actually, this poor little guy made several failed attempts at the doves...he/she isn't too swift yet.

Cleansing, Shmeansing

But boy do I need it.  And what a treat it's been.  Fresh greens at every meal.  "kidney eggs" (whites with turmeric) several times a day. Fruit all day long.  Bacon, because it makes everything taste good and I need some fat.  

Chard, turnip greens, Fuji's, Gala's, Bacon, walnuts, fresh Basil, fresh Tomatoes, Humboldt fog, hmmmm...neeed I say more? 

Sometimes I can't be as detoxifying as I would prefer but if there is free food around I'm not going to pass it up.  So I had some taquitos.  Go ahead and eat one or two but fill your plate with detoxifying radish salad and cooked greens not to mention organic re-fried beans. 

Make sure to add lots of fresh fruit and cooked fresh greens.  Avocado doesn't hurt either, especially if you need the calories.

more to come...

Boo!

Annoying as all get out

OK, it's 12 October.  Near the middle of the month.  And what.  What have I done? 
Been bed ridden.  That is for sure.  Read a couple of good books. Got caught up on sleep and rest.  Most importantly got caught up on nutrition and health.  But the 12th?  Come on.  Slow down.  Can't we jog a bit?  What's the rush? 

Just slow down, smell the roses, fall is here.  What a summer.  What, a summer.

Soar with eagles, rise with robins.  Pay the price girl.  You burned the candle at both ends and you know it.  Two weeks down isn't a bad investment.  What a summer. 



 

Lizard brain will survive

I will survive, Cake, bringing up memories of kayaking the McKenzie River, Oregon.  Perpetually in my CD while driving up the river, I may never have progressed as far without the help of that quirky music.  And friends.  What a change for me, from working with horses 24/7 to playing with friends and everything outdoors.  I had been a class IV river guide on the Kern River, California, but not one of your better ones.  I preferred creative food buys and driving shuttle. And the people.  Always seems to come back to the people in my world. But that was near ten years earlier.  My life had been horses, period.  Time for a change. 

My love hate relationship with water I knew no other feeling.  Those beautiful moments, the ones where my brain clicked off and let my instincts go, will forever burn in my mind.  The green water of surfing the ocean outside Florence, Oregon, window shades and stern squirts, creeking, floating.  The moments it clicked there was nothing like it.  One with nature.

A beautiful spring day, friends around, sun shining.  McKenzie river refreshing after a day in the corporate dot boom.  Clover at just the right level.  Side surfing, moving it around, relaxing, rolling, playing with river otters.  Yeah, that's one with nature.

Those are the memories I want to hold onto.  Because the other memories, the fears and anxiety of not feeling one with nature.  Of feeling in such discord that the slightest roll left me swimming and freezing on our annual News Years Day float trip on the icy upper McKenzie.  Or the time I entered the Redsides White Water Rodeo - 1997.  Old-school boat was fine with me.  Redsides already ate my lunch earlier that season.  Luckily a nearby friend anchored my skirt down as my hands were barely able to grasp my paddle with anticipation.

Let me go first, I'm ready.  In other words, get out of my way before I panic and run in front of all these people.  Luckily my lizard brain took over, instincts ruled and I had an awesome run.  Even the Patagonia rep was clapping, good sign.  Unfortunately my thinking brain kicked in.  By the 5th round I lost it.  Missed my roll and swam.  Too freaked out to go back in I forfeited my round and lost the tournament.

That is what we trainers call hot and cold.  Not a competitors winning strength.  But it was a push for me, to be in that rodeo.  I loved kayaking.  I hated kayaking.  I loved the lizard brain.  Detested the thinking brain.  of all things it was great for my multiple sclerosis.

The water therapy alone was enough to keep my MS at bay for several years.  Rolling in the McKenzie is a bit of a breath-taker when there's snow on the ground and you are layered in fleece and dry-suit.  My friends were another therapy.  Especially the one I didn't listened to that much.  my chinese doctor.

Kidney yin deficiency.  Follow the diet.  Follow the life style.  But did I?  Nah.  I kept burning along, literally.  Until I burned out.

Thirteen years later and how am I finding ways to survive MS?  By following a kidney yin deficient diet.  After two more diagnoses and research it became obvious that the answer for me was right in front of me.   And had been for years!

So, what is a Kidney Yin Deficient life-style?   That will come in another post.  Lucky my fingers have lasted this long...