In Whack

In my life, there is a need for balance that stretches to encompass all that makes me who I am.

Its my nature to dwell in the extremes on the range of any given area. I swing wildly from one extreme, then to the other. And when an area of my life is “out of whack”, it throws the other areas out of whack. Striving for that balance – being “in whack” – that’s where the lesson lies.

I am, like all other people moving about on this planet, made up of different parts. I have a spiritual self, an intellectual self, and a physical self, gimpy though it may be. Mind, body, and soul.  If I only care for one, the others fall out of sync. Its as simple as that.

Not too long ago, I felt myself going out of whack. Physically I was struggling with chronic pain, mentally I’d find myself moving through molasses, while my creative spark was dimmed. The sheer energy I needed to continue moving forward depleted the reserves I had both mentally and spiritually. My muse, it seemed, was lost and I was uninspired. Everything was out of whack.

Then I remembered something I’d read about the need to recharge. That every once in a while, its good to FEED the soul with what it craves. To get back to the basics and remember what is really important – to me. That my passions, without sustenance, will weaken and can die.

What fills me up and sustains me are the essential ingredients in my life. They include time to meditate and reflect … to rest my body when it needs rest … to fuel it with good things, not junk … to see with gratitude and optimism … to spend time with my family and friends … to fill my mind with ideas that speak to my heart and inspire … surround myself with music  – with words that seek to uplift instead of tear down … fill the world around me with beauty … look to the simplicity of nature and seasons, of animals and insects and see my place in all of it.

I guess you could say I needed to refresh myself. Trying to get back IN whack with a balance of mind, body, and soul and allow myself time to heal so that with a bit of restoration, I can be all that I’m intended to be in this world.

I’m feelin it. I feel the balance returning and the time spent truly listening is pulling it all back to center.

In whack. 🙂 I’m lovin it!

Namaste,

~me

Autism Awareness – Filler

When we began the journey through autism 14 years ago, there was little awareness about autism and precious few resources for families who found themselves trapped in the maze.

"Some of our families have been told to put their child in an institution. We're hoping for Harvard."

←(Side humorous Note: Remember when I said “THEY” said “be prepared to institutionalize him”? Found this researching for current info!) hehehehe

During my son’s childhood and into his teenage years, organizations like Autism Speaks, F.E.A.T. (Families for Early Autism Treatment), the Autism Society have helped bring about awareness…which in turn has brought about funding for research…which in turn has brought about a multitude of services and options that even 10 years ago were unheard of. It amazes me how many different ways there are these days to help support both Autism Awareness and research these days!

To that end, I thought as a filler to the previous entries this April, I’d post a couple of the many opportunities available to learn more, help support, and just become a small part of the solution. 🙂

Peace,

~me

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Every time you use the toolbar to search and shop online,

you will raise money for the National Autism Association

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Gerda Brooks Cohen of Hull, MA has been collecting seaglass with her husband Irwin from the beach for 44 years.

When Cohen finds the seaglass on her walks on the beach, she turns the white, amber, green, red and blue pieces into jewelry. As people expressed interest, she began to sell them for around $18 and donates all of the proceeds to Autism Speaks, an awareness and fundraising group.

“I’ve got to do something,” Cohen said one weekday morning, pointing to more than 10 jars of sea glass in her kitchen. “I’ve got to find a good cause.” Cohen is familiar with the issue because her youngest daughter teaches autistic children in Delray Beach, Fla.

As long as there are buyers, Cohen will keep making the pendants and sending the proceeds to Autism Speaks. She includes a flier with information about sea glass and autism with every piece of jewelry sold.

An Attitude of Gratitude

Mr.AZ

←Guess Who’s♥ been blogging from the road again? 🙂

Monday, November 24, 2008

Finally, some research reports coming in on the power of Saying Thank You. This is from today’s pages of USA Today.

Gratitude is Good for Your Health

Stepping up the gratitude
Giving thanks year-round can make you healthier
Your Health By Kim Painter

Thursday, in between the cheese ball appetizers and the pumpkin pie desserts, most of us will indulge in something proven to have powerful health benefits.

No, it’s not that extra serving of stuffing. It’s the expression of gratitude — the simple act of thanking God, thanking others or just counting your blessings. Saying thanks, it turns out, isn’t just pious or polite. It’s good for you.

But there’s a catch: You have to do it even when the calendar does not say “Thanksgiving.”

“It doesn’t really work if you do it only once a year,” says Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology at the University of California-Riverside.

Practicing gratitude is like exercising, says Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California-Davis: Use it, and you won’t lose it, even when times are tough, as they are for many folks right now.

Lyubomirsky and Emmons are among researchers who have studied the power of gratitude and learned, for example, that:

• People with high blood pressure not only lower their blood pressure, but they feel less hostile and are more likely to quit smoking and lose weight when they practice gratitude. This was demonstrated by calling a research hotline once a week to report on the things that make them grateful.

• People who care for relatives with Alzheimer’s disease feel less stress and depression when they keep daily gratitude journals, listing the positive things in their lives.

• Those who maintain a thankful attitude through life appear to have lower risks of several disorders, including depression, phobias, bulimia and alcoholism.

• Most people can lift their mood simply by writing a letter of thanks to someone. Hand-deliver the letter, and the boost in happiness can last weeks or months.

Practicing gratitude in these systematic ways changes people by changing brains that “are wired for negativity, for noticing gaps and omissions,” Emmons says. “When you express a feeling, you amplify it. When you express anger, you get angrier; when you express gratitude, you become more grateful.”

And grateful people, he says, don’t focus so much on pain and problems. They also are quicker to realize they have friends, families and communities to assist them in times of need. They see how they can help others in distress as well, he says.

After 9/11, many people reported increased feelings of gratitude, says Chris Peterson, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.

It’s too soon for studies on the influence of the nation’s financial meltdown, but Peterson says he hears a lot of people counting their blessing these days. “There are people who say ‘It could be worse, and I’m glad I have my health.’ “

Gratitude won’t get those people new jobs or replenish their retirement accounts, but it could give them the energy to tackle their challenges, Peterson says:

“It can only help.” (Page 6D)

I was actually thinking last night that for all the complaining I may do, I am really grateful for most of the things in my life. While I wish I could say I practice an awareness of gratitude in my everyday life, the truth is that I fall very short from that, hoping at best for reminders. I got one yesterday.

Last night, my eldest called. A boy she’s known since high school and who is the younger son of our wonderful dentist, apparently collapsed as he was leaving the gym a week ago. They discovered he had a heart condition, one that he was unaware of that was the cause of the collapse. In the 6 minutes it took between his collapse and emergency workers getting to him, his brain went without oxygen. He has been in a medical coma since that time, unresponsive, while the doctors continue to fight to relieve the swelling in his brain.

Unresponsive. 20 years old. No warning signs, no way to have known. A time-dividing moment in which his life and the lives of his family and friends will never be the same. Life before the collapse and life after.

While I feel the weight of sadness for what his mom (our dentist) and dad and older brother must be going through, I feel a deep sense of gratitude for my family and the relative health we all enjoy. The lives that we have and the opportunities and friends we’ve been blessed with.

Today I hugged my kids a little longer and more often. I called my eldest just to tell her how much I love her. I gave my husband an extra hug and told him how much I appreciate everything he does for his family and for loving me, despite my foibles. I called my brother and my sister, like I’ve been meaning to for weeks. I called my parents and told them I love them and can’t wait to see them this week. Several of my friends who don’t hear from me daily got a “was just thinking aboutcha – how’ve you been?” phone call today and we caught up. I took the time to stop and tell one of the women in my life how much knowing them has influenced my life and how lucky I am to call them friend. I actuated a plan to get together with some friends who have been traveling recently, asking them to come over this Saturday to share their adventures with me and other friends.

So hopefully, on this Thanksgiving Thursday, it will be just another day in the sense that I’ll be able to say “Thank you” for everything and everyone, everywhere.

Thank YOU too, reader of this blog, for being a part of my world from wherever this may find you. 🙂

Peace,

~me