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Crazy Cured!

Healing is not an overnight process; it is a daily cleansing of pain, it is a daily healing of your life. – Leon Brown

I have hoped and I have prayed, but I didn’t anticipate the words “YOU ARE CURED!” to come out of my Doctor’s mouth yesterday. I had figured out what my test results meant (in Layman’s terms, haha). I was still prepared with all my research and my notes and my gut affirming belief to plead my case for why I should NOT have radioactive iodine treatment. The resident even joked that she fully expected me to say that I was an astronaut or something equally detail oriented (or a mom perhaps lol) when she asked what I did for a living, after spying my giant Thyroid Cancer book and my notebook full of notes, highlights and sticky notes.

I sat quietly as my endocrinologist and the resident reviewed my surgery, pathology and bloodwork results with each other. And then Dr. Cooper explained what it all meant…That even though my variant of thyroid cancer is an aggressive one and has a higher risk of recurrence, at this moment there is NOTHING there, so I am cured. There is no need to put my body through the RAI treatment!!

I *woohooooo-ed* and smiled the biggest smile of my life and told him he had made my day, to which he responded that I had made his. (And we elbow bumped, because…coronavirus) ❤ And now I’m writing my surgeon a heartfelt thank you, because he did the virtually impossible thing. In addition to creating an incision that will eventually be barley noticeable, he removed every last bit of my thyroid from my trachea leaving nothing behind to grow. My endocrinologist tells me this is quite rare, that he doesn’t get many outcomes like this one.

I have to say, if there is a moral to this *two year* story, it’s this:

If faced with a diagnosis, LISTEN to your gut, your heart, the little voice in your head that might be saying “no, not yet.” Research your disease, interview doctors and create a team that you can feel aligned with. Get yourself healthier than you have ever imagined possible. Find people who will love and support you and help you heal. I am so blessed and grateful that this cancer (and my family and friends) gave me time to do all of this. I truly believe that if either of the first two surgeons I saw had performed my surgery, though both were competent, the outcome would not have been what it is. And to the Doctor who called me crazy….I’m sending him a note that says “You bet I’m crazy…CRAZY CURED!!”

Thank you to ALL of you for your part in this story! I am humbled and forever grateful for your love and support! And expect a BIG hug the next time you see me. ❤

Light and Love

K

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Happy New Year!

“Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I’ve never liked the idea of New Years’s Resolutions…they always seem like just things you say that you think sound good, but deep down you know you aren’t going to still be doing in two weeks. Instead, I like to think of  a few intentions for the year. Last year, I started out sort of in limbo, since I had a health issue going on, but I wasn’t really sure what ‘the issue’ was.  I remember setting an intention to meditate more, drink more water (always on my list, ugh) and practice yoga more because my body was craving easier, slower paced workouts at the time.  Then, in late January, I had a couple of biopsies and my whole focus changed.

Suddenly I was pushed into a frantic quest for my health.  Health is one of the many things we take for granted in our daily lives. We just expect it to be there, even when we are not doing the things necessary to maintain it, we still feel entitled to it. {Which just might be the definition of crazy.}  Then when it disappears, sometimes in the blink of an eye, we are left blind-sided and frantically seeking, begging, pleading, praying for it back. (Side note: You can insert almost any word for the word ‘health‘ above…friendship, love, marriage, money, faith….all things in life take maintenance and care to flourish).

Chasing down wellness this past year was quite the journey. First and foremost, I had to release the fear that surrounds the word cancer. (This took awhile).  I worked through some past hurts.  I forgave others and more importantly, myself.  I found my voice. I found a NEW normal.  I finally let go of the crutch of alcohol.  I changed  how I eat and think about food.  I came to understand that people, even those who love you, won’t understand, and that’s okay. I focused, A LOT, on getting my immune system running efficiently, reducing stress, increasing sleep, increasing movement and detoxing my body and life {shew}. I learned that my purpose is to share the unique  perspective/knowledge this journey is giving me and I’m ready to expand and use that knowledge with even more focus and clarity in 2019.  

This year I want to give my year a focus word, a mantra, that encompasses my goals and gives intention to 2019.  Initially I thought ‘Wellness’ but as I worked through writing this post I realized that wellness is my daily practice now.  So I needed something else, something that I’m not so good at.  Something that I can put into the query “Does this support my _____?”, answer yes or no and then commit to an action based on the answer.
And so my word for 2019, which I think is kind of appropriate since I have always signed my posts here giving “Light and Love” to my readers, is Lightness.

My Intention: I want lightness of being.

My Affirmation: I align myself with peace and calm.  I am aligned with the joy and light of my highest self.

My Mantra: Lightness.

I also love this poem I found…

Live with intention. Walk to the edge.
Listen hard. Practice wellness.
Play with abandon. Laugh.
Choose with no regret.
Continue to learn.
Appreciate your friends.
Do what you love and live as if
this is all there is.

-Joan Hyman

Thanks for the lessons 2018….NEXT!

Light and Love,

♥K

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Day 24: Power up your Mindset!

What you think you become. What you feel you attract.  What you imagine you create. – Buddha

As defined by World Health Organization (WHO) back in 1948, health is a “…state of complete physical, mental, and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This basically means our health is not one dimensional. And our health is not lost if we have an ailment or diagnosed disease! {My favorite part!}  Our health requires nourishment of the mind, body and spirit. 

When researching for today’s topic I stumbled on Jack Canfield’s concept he calls The Hour of Power.  Amazingly, we are already doing two of the three portions of Jack’s hour: 20 minutes of exercise and 20 minutes of meditation, thanks to Day 10 and Day 20. {High fives all around!} Today’s habit is the third part of his equation:  add 20 minutes of reading positive content to your day.  I’m gonna upgrade this a smidge and say read, listen (my fave) or watch positive, uplifting content for 20 minutes each day. {Side note: I just had crazy deja vu as I typed that…shew}.

The 20 minutes you spend nourishing your mind with uplifting content will help re-frame (and retrain) your mindset.  Having a  positive mindset doesn’t mean that you ignore life’s problems and are obliviously happy. {I wish!}  What it does is this: when unpleasant things happen (and they do, to EVERYONE), you are able to navigate it in a more positive way. Additionally, most of us don’t realize how much negative self-talk goes on inside our heads each day.  It’s been chatting away in there so long it’s just normal.  Reading and listening to motivational content can help change that bad habit into a more positive one.  I want to give you some of the Mayo Clinic’s (potential) health benefits of a positive mindset:

  • Increased life span
  • Better cardiovascular health
  • Lower rates of depression
  • Greater resistance to the common cold {yeaaaahhhh!}
  • Better physical and psychological well-being
  • Better coping skills during times of stress

Jack suggests doing all three of these together each day (in no particular order and at no particular time), and that’s great if you can, but I usually have to spread them out.  I’ve learned that, for me, meditation has to happen first thing in the morning, or it just won’t happen. I usually jump on my rebounder for 30 minutes every day AND listen to my favorite uplifting podcasts or audio books (or even listen to videos about specific wellness topics) while I’m bouncing away, but it usually happens later in the day, not right after I meditate.  

So work these 20 minutes into your day where ever you can… if you have a wait at the dentist or you’re waiting for your oil change,  instead of getting annoyed and mindlessly scrolling Facebook, seize the opportunity, find a good podcast (or audiobook), pop in your ear buds and get some positive juices flowing.  It’s bound to change the rest of your day. 

Light and Love,

♥k

 

 

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Day 23: Green is my favorite color!!

A healthy outside starts from the inside. ” – Robert Urich

Smoothies.  They’re just so darn easy. And you can pack soooo much nutrition into 16 ounces.  This is the reason I now drink a smoothie (practically) every day for breakfast.  I especially love adding greens to my smoothies (my kids, not so much). {sigh} For me, it’s mainly because it’s so easy (I can almost do it with my eyes closed), but there are actual health benefits to adding a green smoothie to your daily breakfast routine.  Including:

  • Increased energy
  • Improved digestion (after the initial adjustment period)
  • Immune system boost
  • Promotes healthy bones
  • May lower (bad) cholesterol
  • Promotes other healthy lifestyle choices (domino effect)
  • Improved hydration which equals radiant skin {yesssss!}

Now, I love the color green, but when I first started drinking green smoothies, the color was the biggest adjustment.  It just felt weird to be drinking something green.  So, I put it in a stainless steel cup so I didn’t have to see it.  This helped me over the visual hump.  Once I fell in love with adjusted to the taste and how having a daily green smoothie made me feel, I could care less what it looked like.  My oldest calls my favorite green smoothie recipe the “Alien Smoothie” because, well, I probably shouldn’t explain why, you’ll never want to try it…even if you can’t see it. {eeeek} But here it is…

Alien Smoothie (makes 2 smoothies)

  • 2 cups Unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 (big) handfuls mixed leafy greens (usually chard, spinach, baby kale)
  • 1 ripe (pre-sliced/frozen is best) banana
  • dash of cinnamon
  • 1 tsp(ish) vanilla extract (optional)
  • 2 (heaping) TBSP almond butter (or any nut butter you like)
  • 1(ish) cup of frozen blueberries
  • 2 TBSP chia seeds
  • 2 TBSP hemp seeds

** I also add 1/2 tsp alma powder and 1 tsp moringa leaf powder, but these superfood add-ins are optional.  A scoop of vanilla protein powder is super yummy too, if you’d like to boost your protein content.

Blend it all up (add a few ice cubes if your bananas and blueberries aren’t frozen), divide into two (16oz) glasses and enjoy.  I usually drink one as soon as I make it and save the other one (in the fridge, with a lid) in case I need a quick afternoon pick-me-up OR I keep it for the next morning.  One less thing to do!

Light and Love,

♥k

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Day 22: Brain Dump!

A dream written down with a date becomes a goal.  A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan.  A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.  – Greg S. Reid

I have never been a planner.  I always felt like making plans just set you up to have them messed up, so better to not make them.  Like so many of life’s  lessons, I had to learned this the hard way.  Planning is ESSENTIAL.  Without a plan you’re just floating through daily life, kind of aimlessly.  While it’s sounds nice to be so blasé about life, it’s just not realistic.  Especially once you’re a grown up and have other people relying on you for things. {Darn kids.} There’s a saying that failing to plan is planning to fail.  And I think this is true, on so many levels.  If I don’t have at least a rough, for me, written idea of what my day looks like, absolutely nothing gets accomplished.  I mean, of course I eat and (most of the time) feed my kids.  But real, actual life affirming things don’t happen without some planning in place.

So I started a (kind of) brain dump at the end of each day, where I put a rough sketch of the following day in place.  I look at my monthly calendar and make sure I put down anything that is scheduled (doctor appointments, meetings, kids’ activities, etc.) and I put in ALL the other things….my chores, when I’m going to get my writing done, workouts, playdates, what’s for dinner (and any prep needed) and so on.  I don’t put things that are already a daily habit, like meditation, since I don’t have to consciously plan for it anymore.  I also write down any To Do’s I have, like phone calls I need to make, things I may need to pick up, etc.  Making this rough draft helps get it all out of my head and onto paper so I’m not going through the next day thinking crap I meant to do ‘x’ and I forgot.  And I’m also not worrying about it all night while I’m supposed to be sleeping. {Double score!}

I’m an old school girl, I like to see things checked off, so I use my planner to keep this all in one place, but even a scrap piece of paper would work. (I’m sharing a photo of my most recent brain dump over on Instagram and Facebook to show you what mine looks like).  You could use the notes app in your phone, google calendar or any number of apps if you like your lists a little more techy! Habit List  is an app I’ve used that lets you create daily lists with times, frequency and even reminders. (This is great if your trying to create daily habits like drinking more water, exercising, or any of the other daily habits we’ve been adding in each day).  It’s only on iOS, but there’s a similar app for android called Habit Streak .

The important part is getting it out of your head and somewhere tangible (even if it’s virtual) so that these annoying things can stop distracting you and allow for more productive use of your brain.  Try it tonight!

Light and Love,

♥k

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Day 21: Dejunk that drawer!

“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.”― Joshua Becker

We all have that drawer.  You know the one.  I call it the homeless drawer, you probably know it as ‘the junk drawer’. It’s the one where you put ALL the things you’re not quite sure what to do with.  All the miscellaneous junk ends up in this drawer, it gets (over)full and then you go searching for a lighter (that you swear you put in there last year) to light your daughter’s birthday candles and you have to (embarrassingly) pull out all that crap stuff out onto the counter in front of everyone to find it.  {Or so I’ve heard.}

I hate this drawer (and this about the only four-letter word I don’t like to use).  So I decided to stop creating space for one in my house.  Full disclosure: Because I have three young children, when I find something odd, I have a spot where I keep it for about a week.  If no one claims or asks for it, then out it goes.  A great example:  I found this weird rubber thing that looked kind of like a connected ‘x’ and ‘o’ in my car last week.  I had NO idea what it was, but instead of tossing it, (which honestly is my first inclination) I stuck it in my little spot.  Well thank goodness because Monday morning when my daughter was filling up her water bottle for school it wasn’t latching properly.  She says, “oh I need the little rubber thing I left in the dirty floor of the car.  Ahhhhh, it was the thingy that keeps the water from leaking out.  Hallelujah I kept that or I’d be shelling out another 16 bucks at Target for a new one right now. {Shew}

So you can’t mindlessly toss everything, but what you can do is mindfully find a home for everything that is hiding inside your junk drawer.  If it doesn’t have a home, then most likely it doesn’t belong inside your home.  Simple as that.  All those pens and glue sticks and post it notes and AAA batteries (who knows if they’re even good ones) and screws and marker lids and pennies and paper clips…they need to hit the road back to where they came from.  Unless, of course, you’d like your drawer to be part of your command center and then definitely keep the pens and post its, etc.  But go through the pens and make sure they work, find a little box to put them in, tidy the drawer up and make a commitment to keep it that way.  (This is the one place in the house which needs constant clutter maintenance.  Because we’ve all become accustomed to having a junk drawer, it can clutter back up in the blink of an eye). But at a minimum create a purpose for the drawer.  Give it a title…announce it to your family, whatever.  Just make it serve you in a way other than a clutter catcher.

The great thing about de-cluttering is it creates a domino effect. Once you see how clean and amazing that one drawer or counter top or shelf looks (and subsequently makes you feel) it creates momentum and you want to keep it up.  So start with the junk drawer in your kitchen, then move on to the next drawer and so on.  Just keep moving. Soon you’ll have a nice filled up donation box to bless someone with AND drawers you aren’t scared to open. 

Light and Love,

♥k

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Day 20: Meditate!

“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” – Baba Ram Dass

I’ve heard it said that prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening for the answers.  I started my meditation practice about four years ago, 11 days before my mom passed away from cancer.  I had absolutely no clue what I was doing, I just felt led to start.  And so I did. I even meditated in the hospital room holding my mom’s hand while she was in a coma.  {This was an experience I’ll blog about later, it was so amazing.}  I truly believe mediation is what helped me get through the days and weeks (and maybe even years) following the loss of my mother.  The stillness and the quieting of the mind are supreme gifts.  I think it’s the only time during my day when I am still.  (And sometimes even though my body is still my mind is running all over the place and I have to remind it that we are being still and quiet).  Every thing after my meditation practice is motion and noise and lists and kids and texts and…you get the idea, you probably have a similar day.   But those 20 minutes every morning in silence, with just my breath and the stillness, are pure bliss.

But beyond bliss, there are proven health benefits to incorporating a daily meditation practice into your life. I saw one article that listed 76 {wow}, but I’ll just list a few:

  • Reduces stress
  • Improves sleep
  • Helps control anxiety
  • Decreases blood pressure
  • Reduces age-related memory loss
  • Improves concentration
  • Increases your compassion
  • Helps regulate emotions

There are lots of apps available to help you begin your meditation practice.  I usually do a guided mediation, but there are also unguided, with relaxing music or no music at all.  You kind of have to find what works for you.  The Headspace app is a great place to start.  They have a free trial that walks you  through how to begin…perfect if you’re a newbie like I was. Calm is another great app for beginners. It even has “sleep stories” which are similar to bedtime stories, designed to help you sleep better at night.  {yessss!}  My recommendation is to find a nice quiet spot where you won’t be interrupted  (I used to meditate in my walk-in closet because it was the only place I could hide from my kids) and just start.  Even if you can just sit for 5 minutes, it’s a start.  Soon you’ll be saying namaste every day!

Light and Love,

♥k

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Day 12: Make a DATE!

“Look at your 5 closest friends. Those five friends are who you are. If you don’t like who you are, then you know what you have to do…”- Will Smith

The principle goes something like you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.  Think about this for a moment…think about the five people closest to you (not just geographically close, but emotionally close counts as well), if you feel closely connected to them, but they live across the country, they are still considered “close”. These five people can be coworkers, other moms in your mommy group, as well as your family and friends.   All of these people can affect your health, your career, your life choices…Wow!  Now, obviously, some of these people we can’t get rid of….you can’t choose who your boss hires, for example, or banish crazy Aunt Edna, but you can choose to make closer connections to the people you DO want to be more like.  Enter today’s challenge…

Make a date!! Let’s all make a weekly date with the healthiest person (or people) we know.  Or maybe it’s someone who isn’t in your immediate circle of friends, but you’d like them to be (especially now that you know they can positively impact your life).  They say to never be the smartest person in the room,  but I’d like to take that a step further and say never be the healthiest person in the room.  Go and make a date with that person so you can get some of what they’re putting out!  This date doesn’t have to be in person if they live far away…make use of all this technology and have a FaceTime date or use a web conferencing platform (like Zoom) to get several of your friends together at once.   Make a date with a friend to take a walk every week (this is what I’m currently doing…which means I’m connecting AND I’m getting Day 10 taken care of at the same time). {yesssss!}.  Maybe go to a friend’s church with them if you’re wanting to expand your spiritual practice.  The options are endless.

The point is to spend some time every week with people who are living the way you want to live.  Your health, your finances, your everything is impacted by those you spend time and connection with.  I stumbled on this recent article where the author says it’s even BIGGER than the 5…it expands to people we don’t even know…that a friend of a friend of a friend’s choices can impact us. {woah, what?!} I’m going to take a moment to wrap my head around that…while you go and make that date!

Light and Love,

♥k

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Day 11: Reduce your EMF exposure!

“Sensitivity to electromagnetic radiation is the emerging health problem of the 21st century.  It is imperative health practitioners, governments, schools and parents learn more about it. The human health stakes are significant”. – William Rea, MD

What in the world is EMF? you might be asking.  I know this is what used to come to mind when I thought of EMF {I’m totally showing my age right now}.  EMFs are electric and magnetic fields of energy (ahem, radiation) sometimes referred to as electrosmog.  It’s an invisible (toxic) pollution that is everywhere, but shockingly it’s especially high inside our homes. We all know that our microwaves, smartphones and laptops emit radiation (although most of us try not to think about it), but things you may never even think about are emitting this radiation all around your home.  Things like your cordless baby monitor, smoke detectors, smart TV. Actually any “smart” technology appliance you have in your home, or anything that you can control from your phone, is emitting radiation.  All of the tablets your kids use, the wireless printer, anything that uses Bluetooth and, of course, your WiFi…it’s ALL releasing EMF.  The list goes on. It’s mind boggling. {ugh}

So again, the question arises, what can we do about it?  First is put your phone, and more importantly, your kids tablets in airplane mode whenever possible.  And absolutely don’t let your kids sleep with their tablets, or phones if they’re old enough, in their beds (or even in their rooms).  Kids are more susceptible to EMF pollution than adults, although no one really knows to what extent because we’ve never had children constantly exposed to the levels of EMF around today. We are all one big science experiment at this point.  Next, keep your devices out of your bedroom at night, too. (You should already be doing this, remember Day 3).  If you normally use your phone as your morning alarm, go dig the old digital clock out of that box in the basement and put it to use.  If you can’t find it, head to your local thrift store…they undoubtedly have tons. You get bonus points if it’s battery powered (less radiation) rather than plugs into the wall.  Third, turn your WiFi off at night.  You’re sleeping, or should be, so you don’t need it.  I’m pretty sure they make fancy devices that do this, but my plan is to use the little thingy we make the Christmas lights turn off during the day with.  (Side note: Shop your house before you go buy something new.  Nine times out of ten you have something that will work, even if it isn’t the perfect thing).

Ideally, you should try to hard line your devices, meaning plug them into the ethernet port on your WiFi modem, rather than use them wirelessly.  (This is what we used to have to do in the old days, like 6 years ago).  I’m sure you probably have an ethernet cord (or 10) in a drawer somewhere since they used to come with everything.  This might be the hardest to implement of them all because we have gotten so accustomed to wireless connectivity.  It’s like going to your grandma’s and having to use her old corded, rotary phone when you have  a sleek new coldless, push button phone at home…it sucks. {Showing my age again}.

The key thing with EMF is being mindful of it’s presence, which is tricky, since we can’t see it.  When we go to buy new things for our homes and our bodies {hello there Apple Watch} we need to think about what it’s impact on our health could be. I think it’s a good place to start.

Light and Love,

♥k

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Day 10: Get moving!

“THOSE WHO DO NOT FIND TIME FOR EXERCISE WILL HAVE TO FIND TIME FOR ILLNESS. -Edward Stanley

Ahhh, exercise…you had to know that it would pop up during these 31 days.  Daily exercise is one of the top contributors to optimal health.  You pretty much have to live under a rock to NOT know this. But knowing and doing are two different things.  We, as a society, struggle to make exercise part of our daily lives. {Guilty over here.} It’s ironic, really, since we should have MORE time to do things (like exercise) because of all the technology at our fingertips, but we just aren’t making it happen. 

Oh hey, I’ve got a great idea!!!  Since we are getting up half an hour (or even an hour) earlier in the morning (hi there Day 7) this would be a great time to get that workout out of the way. {I know, I’m sooo smart!}  Personally, I have never been good at making myself workout at home, but I have friends who do and love it.  There are literally TONS of workouts out there, from yoga all the way to kickboxing, that can be streamed to your computer, tv or even your phone.I have a rebounder that I try to jump on for 30 minutes every day, in addition to any workout sessions I have planned.  That way I know, no matter what, I’m moving my body (and sweating) every day.

Exercise doesn’t have to be running on a treadmill or going to the gym for an hour each day, there are countless ways you can move your body and break a sweat.  Walking your dog counts.  Walking your kids, especially if your pushing them in a big honking stroller {shew} counts. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work, it counts. Parking at the far end of the parking lot and booking it to the store instead of driving around for 5+ minutes looking for Rock Star parking. {Looking at myself here} Yep, it counts.  Basically, if you are breaking a sweat, it counts.  Here’s an interesting post from the Huffington Post about what kind of toxins are released when you sweat {bleh}…in case you needed a little more motivation.

So get out (or in) and move your body. Your good health will be all the thanks you need.

Light and Love,

♥k