February 20, 2015

Be Gentle With Yourself

Two weeks ago I found myself in a position where I fell flat on my face. We have all had those times, but this situation felt so different for me. I have been feeling great. I had been doing so well in taking care of myself. I see a chiropractor a couple times a week, eat healthy, get enough sleep, made some changes in my daily routines, continued with my daily meditation and much more. But how on earth did I get completely drained?!

To top it off, I had some amazing things happen in both my personal and professional life that week. I thought things were going really well and in fact had some new opportunities come my way. I gave a presentation on Embodying your New Years Resolutions to a room of over 40 women and then taught a class on the Introduction to The Art of Feminine Presence for 15 women locally here in Chicago. My oldest son made his confirmation and I made some breakthroughs on a work related issue. But at the end of the week I found myself drained and I just couldn’t breathe. You know that kind of illness where your nose is runny and stuffy all at the same time? I swear I don’t know how that happens, but it was happening to me!

I went home to rest and do nothing for 3 days. Our body knows what we need way long before we do. This particular week I just didn’t see the signs. I was so excited to share of myself with others, by teaching, presenting and coaching, that I forgot to take care of myself and appreciate the little things along the way.

We hear all the time how important it is to focus on the little things and how much we should be grateful for them, but we tend to focus on the big goals and forget to appreciate all of our small accomplishments along the way. I ended up taking the rest my body needed, took a few long bubble baths, read a book and listened to some music. This entire experience taught me so much that while I was in the midst of the pain, I started to write a song about my experience. It’s not ready to share at this time, but when I get the music behind it, I will certainly post.

Later that day, Beth Majerszky sent me the lyrics to a song of a retreat she led a few weeks prior called. “Be Gentle with Myself” by Karen Drucker. It was exactly what I needed to hear. In the lyrics it says, “I will only go as fast as the slowest part of me feels safe to go.” Sometimes our mind wants to go faster than our body is ready and able to go. When we find ourselves stressed, exhausted, drained or overwhelmed, it is usually a sign that we need to slow down and be gentle on ourselves. I encourage you to listen to this inspirational song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp3LCCy96_I

When was the last time you appreciated yourself for the interim or little accomplishments you did? Every step forward you take is something to celebrate. I encourage you to share any celebrations here.

February 4, 2015

Happy and Sad Tears after 3 Years

Wednesday of this week marked the 3 year anniversary of the death of Mr. Shaun Wild. For those that have never heard my story, when my 10 year old son was in 2nd grade his 24 year old 1st year teacher was murdered in an effort to save his friends life. Shaun was the best teacher any of my 4 boys ever had and held a special place in my son Danny’s heart. He even came to watch Danny’s hockey game 2 weeks before he died and was going to start being a pen pal to him, to encourage him to have fun with writing.

When we heard the news, my whole family’s world was rocked. I couldn’t eat or sleep for days. I only met Shaun 3 times in my life, but there was something that left me heartbroken. Whenever there were tragic events such as 9/11 I couldn’t understand how someone could have such passion for an event when they didn’t really know the people involved. I totally understand that feeling now, as I experienced it myself.

I didn’t know why God would take away such an amazing man, but also know that God also has a plan and that he must have some bigger plans as a result of this tragedy. His death brought life to me and made me want to be a better person. It gave me the courage and determination to go make a difference in the world. This was a turning point when I began sharing my passion and love of health and wellness with others.

I believe that everything in life happens for a reason and there are no accidents. On the anniversary of his death, I was teaching a pilot class for one of my new program offerings and as we were tuning into our body to see how we felt, I just couldn’t help but feel this overwhelming presence of Shaun. It was both happy and sad at the same time. I always find myself teary eyed when I think of him and continue to keep in touch with his mom as a way to stay connected.

I will continue to share his story and spread his legacy throughout my life journey. I can’t begin to imagine the heartbreak of his close family and friends at this time every year and my heart goes out to them. I feel blessed that I was able to be a part of his life and that my spirit and soul continues to feel this connection to him.

It’s time like these that make me really stop and think about the important things in life and to make every moment count, as we never know what tomorrow might bring. Blessings to all.