Living with the Plague!

So I return home from a week of blissful denial in Maui, immersed in friends and food and sand and love only to find that home is now apparently ground zero for the plague.  And for all intents and purposes it’s our first plague here….like really here.

So there is no toilet paper or rubbing alcohol or cleaning products for miles.  There was no traffic on my way to the clinic this morning (which I liked, I must admit.). There are a few patients canceling because they don’t want to leave their house…which I suppose I also understand.

But there is also this roving eye of distrust among everyone.

I will admit, I had a little of that too until I remembered I’m a compassionate citizen who can take care of myself without ostracizing everyone around me.

Funny Story….when I was in the Seattle airport last week leaving for Maui, everyone either had a face mask on, or they were looking around at everyone and instantly assessing their overall health. 

If someone coughed there was a seemingly choreographed head turn towards the offending germ-ridden vermin who made the mistake of having a tickle in their throat in the middle of a health pandemic.

And then, as I was calmly reading my book, an older gentleman sitting next to me reading the paper coughed—without covering his mouth—basically right on me–(the nerve!) which caused me to jump out of my seat and proclaim with my entrained East-Coast-Jewery “Oh come on man.  Cover your mouth.  Seriously.  Come on!”

Then I grabbed my bags and moved.

Maybe not my most subtle moment.

So here we are…who knows what this thing is going to do.  Seniors are staying inside.  My folks who are gym rats aren’t even going to the YMCA…opting for fresh air and home resistance training. 

The chiropractor next door sees mostly kids and young parents and hasn’t seen a drop off of clients yet…so it seems it’s really just our Seniors that are paying attention to this outbreak.

To them I say this.

And continue to repeat this.

Stress breeds disease.

Yes you need to wash your hands, and eat healthy, and get good sleep and pay attention to your mental health….

But STRESS WILL STILL BREED DISEASE EVEN UNDER PRISTINE EXTERNAL CONDITIONS

Mark my words.  If you are not on the mediation bandwagon yet….and you have self quarantined yourself.  Instead of watching the Great British Bake Off or Cupcake Wars or whatever you are watching these days.

1. Find a Comfortable Seat
2. Find your breath coming from your deep belly
3. Breathe into your belly and out of your belly
4. Focus on the in
5. Focus on the out
6. Count to 10.  1 is the in breath.  2 is the out breath.
7. Pause and see how you feel.
8. Do it again.
9. Pause and see how you feel.
10. Do it again.

You’ve got this.

Everything in life is a lesson if you allow it be.  Maybe this is the time you decide to carve a few minutes and sit in silence and learn to mediate?  Maybe you find you love it.  You love the wash of calm that flows over you after you sit for as little as two minutes.

So we may be headed for a plague that targets those who aren’t taking good care of themselves.  Does this make you reconsider the way you have been taking care of yourself?  Maybe look into taking more walks?  Eating more salads?  Getting more acupuncture?  Forgiving yourself?  Forgiving others?

I could go on and on…but I will tell you this.  On the second night of my vacation I went out for a full moon walk and ended up ( don’t ask me how) wiping out and spraining one ankle and trashing the other knee.

I couldn’t walk.  It hurt like a mother.  And I Was On Vacation. (dammit)

I gave myself about 2 minutes for a pity party as I laid on the ground, trying not to move until I could assess all that just happened to me. 

Then my friend scooped me up, got the car, and ushered me back home.  Where I stayed for two days.

But what did I do?

Did I get depressed and wallow?  Did I think woe is me?  Why did this have to happen on vacation?  I work so hard?  I can’t even have this???

No.  I did not (to my great surprise actually)

I meditated.

I prayed.

I looked outside at the mountains and trees and valley.

And I looked for what this could mean.  It meant I really needed to rest.  It meant I needed to ask for help and be vulnerable and receive.  It meant that my friends could really show up for me.  It means that I am supported even when I don’t think I am.

And then I looked on You Tube and learned how to tape a sprained ankle and got back out there doing what I love to do!  Maybe I couldn’t walk as much as I would have liked….but I had some remarkable days filled with fabulous memories.

So what does this mean for you?

There are messages everywhere.  If you are stuck inside I’m guessing you need to slow down, that you have a home project that needs done that you never have time for.  That you have wanted to read this book or research this thing that never gets done.  That you always wanted to alphabetize your recipes!

So if you feel like you are at risk (over 60 with a history of low immunity or pneumonia) stay home.  Rest.  Restore.  Catch up.

If you don’t…be careful out there.  Wash your hands or disinfect them often.  Drink tons and tons of water. They are saying this morning this blasted virus can last for 3 DAYS on surfaces.  So….clean your spaces and really really wash your hands before you touch your face or eat with those paws.

Be smart.  We don’t know the full scope of this thing yet but the message is clear.  Protect and engage your immunity. 

If you need help, make an appointment and we can figure it out together.  I have many supplements you may need here from Zinc to Vitamin A, C, and D to Elderberry and not to mention all the Chinese Herbs and Red marine Algae.

Be aware of how you feel and follow that feeling.  As always.  Rest, Restore, Rebalance and Renew.  These are the moments when that deep level of awareness and healing will serve you greatly!  These are the moments when that deep entrained level of wellness you have been cultivating bubble to the surface and show you the way.  Follow those bubbles!

In love and abundance and health and joy……..