It all began with the worst back pain of my life . . .I could barely move without excruciating pain running through my body. I could barely walk, or even stand, I literally had to crawl to the bathroom. As I lied on the floor in the worst pain I have ever known with tears rolling down my face I made a deal with the universe. . . . Show me the way out of this pain and I will do whatever it takes to keep myself and this body I have been blessed with healthy. My husband arranged an appointment with a Chiropractor however he was unwilling to drive me so I suffered through the pain and limped in as best as I could on my own. I was on three adjustments a day in the beginning but the combination of Chiropractic care and Physical Therapy prescribed by an M.D. finally, after months of work cured my pain. I kept my promise and started yoga and some body weight training to build strength. I was determined to get this body strong and self sufficient again. I gave up the destructive cycle of partying and hangovers in exchange for healthy whole food eating and regular exercise . This is, after all, the only body I am going to get in this lifetime so I made the decision to (actually I had a bit of an epiphany). Here it is:

You can’t escape aging, but you do get a vote on HOW you age.

I didn’t want being older to look like sitting in a room waiting to take the next pill, I didn’t want to leave my daughter with the responsibility of taking care of her frail aging mother, I wanted to be out in the world seeing sunsets, breathing fresh air and taking in all the blessings of the world around me.

Then, as life tends to, another se of challenges was thrust upon me. A divorce which meant leaving the home I made mine for the last 30 years for an apartment one fifth the size, going back to work after two decades of being a full time homemaker and mother, and then it got worse . . medical issues which resulted in a hysterectomy - what to do while I recover? I decided that while my body healed I could grow in other ways so I decided to help myself by helping others and enrolled and earned my certificate as a Heath and Wellness Coach. This was the big game changer!

My mother died before the age of 60 . . . .I watched her suffer for far too many years taking a multitude of pills to treat her autoimmune disease and nearly as many to treat the side effects of the medications that were supposed to be helping her feel better - nothing worked. I didn’t want this to be my destiny - there had to be a better way. Now I’m digging even deeper . . . stay tuned, more to come.