Look at me ma, I'm meditating!

Maroochydore Bushland Park

I was invited recently to a Meditation Retreat.  It was a whole day event.  I was really looking forward to it, as I had never been to one before and had no idea what to expect. The only hope was that "please please don't say we can't talk for the entire day!"  That would really be a challenge for me! 

It turned out to be an awesome day, it was a small group but I must say Chad Foreman  from  The Way of Meditation , who ran this meditation retreat was so good.  He clearly explained what and why and how and answered all the questions gently and believe me there were a lot of questions!  There were varying levels from beginners to seasoned meditation practitioners . Some had their own paraphernalia and others like me just rocked in with a water bottle and a coffee in hand! (I am always prepared!)  But when you get down to the basics, all you need is to "be there." (know what I mean)

Meditation Hall looking out to the rainforest

I have really come a long way in terms of meditation. I practice almost everyday.  I also try to attend a monthly group my SIL runs. I chat about different types of meditation with various friends who also have their favourites (I feel it also deepens our connection).  It's been an enlightening journey.

A few years back there would have been little possibility of me participating in such an event.   I would have fidgeted, fretted, wondered about my phone calls and messages, my thoughts would have been all over the place and I probably would have been internally grumbling about a numb bum!  I would have been self conscious, I would have wondered what others thought of me,  I would be judgmental in my perception of the others there.  I had left the house changing my blouse at the last minute as it was so hot and realised there was a small hole in it, the now Dx just looked at it and went "oh well", the Dx before would have panicked, run back, rummaged around for another blouse, probably making herself late, then feeling rushed and ... well you can see how that goes.

But perspectives change, after having cancer, after re shifting my priorities in life, it set me on a path to truly find myself, who I am now, what I'm really about. In the beginning it was a bit of self blame as to why I had cancer, what caused it, what was I doing in my life that brought me to such a devastating full stop.   I surprisingly found that I wanted to be more spiritual, that meditation had become easier for me, that being in tune with my inner self was no hardship.  I'm calmer, my anxiety has gone from a  10 to a subdued 2.  I'm hoping to bring that further down as well. 

I was asked to do a series of photos with my family fo the Hand, Heart , Pocket foundation who contributed a huge ammount of money to Bloomhill. 

I do not poo pooh (that is an actual word, it is!) practitioners of different spiritual healing.  I've actually embraced them, and experienced them for myself.  I understand the high stress I was living in was a huge factor in getting the dis-ease. I absolutely thank my psychologist for helping me with that.    Though my diet was not particularly bad (no no mcd's once a week was OK.. right.. LOL) I am more aware of what I'm putting into my body.  During cancer my body just reacted so badly to meat so now days I have a more pescatarian diet, however as my daughter is a Vegan, I've had to really push my creative cooking boundaries to incorporate meals that we can all eat and are nutritious and delicious. 

Vegetarian Food Spread

The one thing no one tells you about or discusses with you after having Cancer is "then what?" How do you get on with your life.  How do you alleviate your fears of every single lump, bump, ache that it's not the dreaded cancer reemerging?  How do you normalise your everyday living, what is normal now?  A lot of of survivors take a while to be able to physically get back to some level of fitness, the average length I think is two years.   To make friends again or to help your friends understand who you are now without too much damage to your relationships.    The answer is one day at a time,  to treat yourself with love and kindness, to understand your limitations.  For example I broke down in tears that I couldn't finish the final heat on the dragon boat races, my lungs and heart just couldn't cope and I could feel it.  In the beginning I was really upset with myself and my body which I felt had let me down but then I realised, hey a year ago I was lying in a hospital bed, bald, with tubes going in and out of my arms and back, hardly able to walk up  the stairs and now I'm upset because I couldn't complete the 3rd race of a 500 m sprint in a dragon boat?  My body is what brought me through all this, it has nourished me, it has kept me alive, it has held me up.  I am so grateful for what it has endured and how it continues to function.

more than a year after Cancer

I've also learned to love me.  And so I gave myself a gift.  I bought myself a road bike.  I don't push too hard, I slowly increase my time and distance and when I feel I can't and don't want to ride, I honour it and do a session of yoga instead.  That is life, it has a series of choices, all of them to make you live it to your full capacity.  (Just don't 'ask Annie how many times I've asked her to lend me her bike pump!!)

 I try to live every day in the present,  sometimes I forget, I start stressing about the usual thing, bills, medical,.. things! then I have to gather myself, do a small meditation of "Gladitude",   https://youtu.be/8dcxLHXyuAU  or call my daughter or chat with my son.  I pick myself up and start again.  You can too.

How ya like me now !

                                       YOU TUBE LINK FOR VLOG

"Mum, you really don't need to get a DSLR camera for your vlogs you know " says my son the all knowing 17 going on 35 year old.
"Your smart phone is more than adequate for the job".  He continues.
"Yes well I need to find out if I can get a tripod and a microphone to attach to it as I'm worried it's going to sound tinny and the video will be shaky"   I reply
"Mum, this is a vlog, not a professional production for Pete's sake! there is no need to make it look so polished.  The guys I watch on you tube just aim and shoot with a bit of editing ".. says smarty pants.  "You can just use your editing app on your laptop and later on figure out if the sounds needs to be tweaked"
When did he get so damn smart hmmnnn.??

The producer in me groaning

I had been thinking for a while now of what I'd like to do, I knew I couldn't  and can't go back to work, and that any sort of travelling is out, and what ever I do has to be a minimal stress level type of set up.  I strongly felt that I needed to give back and to help those who were also in the dark like me, in the beginning,  on the side effects of Chemoteraphy.  What to expect in hospital, how to prepare yourself, etc.    A lot of the info is gleaned from other Cancer patients and survivors, nurses and dietitians etc.    Sharing is caring they say and I'd like to do my bit as well.(to a certain point okkaayyy)

So yea, I shot my first vlog intro on my smart phone's camera,  I corralled my daughter to shoot the video for me.  She used the back of a chair she straddled to keep the cam phone stable.  We did it in less than an hour with me stumbling through all the things I wanted to say and having "chemo brain" or "brain farts" as some people put it !  I've bought an art block since with some masking tape and an  artline pen to write the points down that I'll tape to a wall when I'm shooting so when my mind goes "BLANKKKKK" I can do a quick refocus!  Like using an el cheapo teleprompter!! ha ha ha.  which brings to mind the scene from Love Actually.. remember it?

Now to find a cute guy to hold the cards for me too!! he he he

I 've decided that I wont shoot the vlogs in any particular order, just what ever comes to mind that week.  So everyone can flick through and view the videos they feel are most pertinent to them.  Well it would be nice if all the vlogs were viewed but I totally understand!  Plus I was doing some research on you tube to see if I could leave links on my vlogs for people to use as examples but Uhhh .. so many videos too little time.  So yeah lets keep it short and sweet.

Hmmnn with or without glasses to video?

Since I can't drive yet, it's easier to order everything online.  My brother tells me to not believe in  Dr Google!  I'm like "waaahhhtttt"??!!! "neeveeerrrr" !!! (he thinks I try to diagnose myself and my ailments online!! bah humbug)    However I do google a lot of ways to use essential oils, where to buy herbal teas, pure flax seed oil etc. So I'll be sharing those sites as well on my vlogs as well as the other products I use daily and regularly to keep me going.

OOOPPSSS! errr it was to show healthy eating!

Anyway, I do hope you enjoy the vlogs, and get something out of it.  Don't hesitate to drop me a line if you have some questions or suggestions on topics, am all ears. (literally ha ha ha) . take care and see ya on the flip side.
Dx

Living young!

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Wow it's so hot that even if I said "it's hotter than Satan's arse!" most people would nod and say "figures"!  We've been sweltering in the mid 30's to 40 degrees lately.  Putting on make up is pointless, it slides of 15 mins later if you're outside!  

I've been recuperating after having had a bout of Shingles.  Yes, even I was like "wha?!" when the doctor diagnosed me.  What she failed to tell me  after she dispensed the antivirals, pain killers and creams, was how painful it would be!  Geezz at least with child birth, it's over within a few hours.  This goes on and on.  Anyway the reason why I'm telling you all  this is twofold.  The first is a small segue to apologise for no vlogs!  and the second is how I was introduced to yet another product that can help you and those around you as well as  supplement your income. 

It all started this way " hey babe,  shingles,? let me see if there is an oil to help recover faster"  my friend Riz messages me after I've told her about my situation.  Oils?  what on earth is she looking for oils for me?  I'm already taking evening primrose oil, fish oil, avocado oil etc so I was a bit confused.  So I asked her, "errr what oils?"

Young Living Oils

She meant essential oils!  AAAaaaahhhhh , penny finally dropped!  I'm no stranger to essential oils, in fact I usually have lavender in my house, it helps with bruising and tee tree oil which is also used topically as a local antiseptic plus essential oils smell great.... most times!   I'm sure a lot of you would have them in your diffusers as well.  

Riz informes me that they were having an "Oily Party".. ooo eerrr Missus I thought.  No! not that type of party ! It was to meet up with people who had incorporated these products into their lives.  

The one thing I realised when I met up with the "Witches" of Oil as they liked to call themselves, at the Oily Party,  was that they were so warm and welcoming and there was a general atmosphere of support, caring and a lot of sharing. Each person told her story of how she or he had a specific ailment and how they had tried the oils and how the oils worked for them individually, for their children and the entire family. They even celebrate birthdays together!

Azah's surprise birthday cake

The cake was in the shape of
an essential oil bottle!

I love the holistic approach to healing here, I've always preferred to go with alternative methods of medication which is why I use Ayurveda and acupuncture treatments (My Acupuncturist also uses Young Living Oils I found out!) 

I asked a few ladies for their thoughts on Young Living essential oils and Sarini, the lady who led the "Oily Party"  had this to say about the products :

"Young living therapeutic grade essential oils are a wonderful and effective, holistic way to a healthy life full of wellness and abundance. I love that it has enabled my loved ones and I to live a lifestyle where all our body systems are connected to and supported by nature, so we can truly live a life of vigour and vitality! " 

 To know more: +6012 3232 117, sarini.bujang@gmail.com , Young Living member ID: 2923956

"It's been a magical, almost surreal journey for my family and I ever since we started immersing ourselves with the use of YLEOs in our daily lives. Our overall health and immune systems have improved so much in the past year that my kids have less visits to the doctor's now and my special needs child especially benefited from using YLEOs to help support her and improve her condition. I am happy to share my enthusiasm and love of the oils in order to help others gain a healthier and more wholesome lifestyle."

Doing further research, I've found that two huge celebs also use these products as well :

Gwyneth Paltrow

Jessica Alba - here's the LINK

Riz also passed me her mixture of oils for me to use on for my Shingles which I've been using everyday since.  Love the smell and feeling better for it.  For more information on Young Living you can contact Sarini or have a look at this link YOUNG LIVING US

I hope this smells right! heh heh and I'll catch up with you next week,keep the e mails coming in and again, thank you for your subscription.