We have not tired of witnessing this phenomenon yet; the tidal pool filling up and emptying out every day. The winding river down the side of our yard is part of this wonder. At low tide it is empty except for the small stream of fresh water that flows down into the...
Well being
Wellness is born inside a context of well being. Well being is a choice we can make, regardless of our circumstances.
Chronic Illness and Politics
Our current political climate is giving me a powerful refresher course in the chronic illness experience. It’s been a few years since I was last dealing with the experience of chronic illness. I’ve had a bump in the road here and there, but that week in week out, month...
One step forward, two steps back
Being chronically ill often provides the experience of a step forward into feeling better and then falling back into a rush of symptoms. This occurred multiple times with me as I journeyed forward toward wellness and well being. How we respond to this phenomena can greatly impact our quality...
Stepping into the unknown
Being physically fit was a constant through my life, even during times when I was heavier than normal or not taking care of myself. Getting to the gym and taking morning runs were totally ingrained into my daily routine. I didn’t care if I felt crappy walking into the...
Going with the flow
“Going with the flow” is an expression we often hear and often tell ourselves we are doing. But is it really something we do? Isn’t it perhaps simply a way of being in which we are receiving life as it is without succumbing to the resistance our thoughts entice?...
A sense of well being during illness
In the midst of what once felt like a fight for my life, the last thing I would have wanted to hear was that I was not allowing a sense a well being, or that complaining about my illness might be disallowing improvement. Actually, I might have been angered...
On suffering and forgiveness
Today I read a quote by one of my favorite non-dualistic teachers, Rupert Spira: “Have the courage and the clarity to see that God neither cares nor even knows about suffering. Suffering is resistance, and God – eternal, infinite Awareness – like empty space, knows no resistance, and therefore cannot know suffering.” It...
Frozen in illness?
Even though my children are grown up, I have remained a fan of animated movies. I recently went to see Frozen, and as is often the case, I thoroughly enjoyed the humor and then found myself contemplating the underlying message. Spoiler alert: this is the story in a nutshell....
CDC announces 300K new cases of Lyme per year – now what?
There has been a great deal of excitement in the Lyme community since last week when the CDC finally released a statement declaring that there are at least 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year. For years we have been preaching this from every soap box we could...
Never-ending Blue
Who am I? The ultimate question. I remember being 7 years old and contemplating that very question. I went through my entire body looking for that answer. Am I my hands because I can feel things through touch? Am I my eyes because I can see? Am I my...
A Daughter’s Experience of her Mom’s Lyme Disease
My Experience with Lyme disease from the outside: by Samantha Rushovich Having a chronic illness is something I cannot relate to. I don’t know what it’s like to wake up everyday feeling sick, hopeless, and afraid. I don’t know the frustration that comes along with not being able to...
Finding my Self in a barn
I’ve learned from this beautiful, 120 year old barn. Filled with the accumulated dirt and debris over it’s long and mysterious life, it holds the scents of over a century of history and earthiness. It has been used in ways I have no knowledge of, and it has tired...
Dog Therapy
My eyes opened to see two sets of brown eyes peering expectantly at me. This is a daily routine. The dogs wait with great anticipation for their morning walk on the trails. I hear my mind kick into high gear, as usual, reviewing the list of things I’d like...
What does the Lyme community share with The City of Joy?
Tonight I attended an event at ABC Home & Carpet in the Deepak Homebase studio. Eve Ensler (of the Vagina Monologues) led this discussion about supporting Congolese women recover and heal from the war atrocities of gang rapes and mutilation. But it was so much more than that…the discussion...
So much to say about so little
After years of reading many books by wonderful teachers and authors (Chopra, Tolle, Dyer, Gangaji, Hawkins, Katie, Rumi…to name a few), participating in personal development programs, meditating, chanting, personal introspection, listening to talks and seminars, trying all sorts of different healing modalities, I have come to realize something….so much...
That perfect moment.
After a couple of pretty hectic weeks, last night I hit my stride again, the stride that actually works for me…gentleness. I climbed gratefully into bed, early. What to read? What to listen to? I took my iPad and downloaded a 30 minute audio book by Gangaji, something that...
The ‘Doctors’
When it comes to tick-borne illnesses, there is an ongoing stream of complaints about doctors, not just medical doctors, but healthcare providers across the spectrum into ‘alternative’ healthcare providers (OD’s, ND’s, DC’s, etc). There are also many praises sung for others in the same fields of care. I do...
Sometimes We Should Eat The Cookie – Lesson 6
Standing alone in the kitchen, taking inventory of my body…stiffness in my neck, ache in lower back, knees complaining, deep fatigue, brain fog…crying. Yup, it must be Sunday. Seems to be a new Sunday routine. Looking over at the counter covered in bottles of various enzymes, vitamins, minerals, herbal...
Context is Decisive…Lesson 5
“The hidden contexts from which we live determine what we see and what we don’t see; what we consider and what we fail to notice; what we are able to do and what seems beyond our reach. In this view, all behavior – all ways of being and acting...
Warriors Cry Too – Lesson 4
“Warrior – a person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness.” Aren’t we all warriors at certain times in our lives? When we are fiercely committed to something we engage in the corresponding actions with vigor and tenacity. And even when we stray from the path,...
Meeting Myself Where I Am – Lesson 2
Patterns and habits rule when I’m not living consciously. That tends to play out with me trying to get everything done so that I can then take time out to rest, but only when everything is done. It’s funny just to write that out. When is everything ever done?...
What You Resist Persists – Lesson 1
The fog in my brain swirled endlessly, my head felt twice it’s size and weight. Every joint in my body wept and my spine felt like it was made of wood, unable to bend in any direction when I awoke each morning. Every day I waded through the sludge...