Monday, May 24, 2010

WE CAN NEVER...

...plan for everything. In fact there are times in life when we need to throw all plans aside and become 100% present to face or assist in a situation that you are not even sure how you got there in the first place. I have found through my life that the universe works in strange, miraculous ways and we are really just along for the ride...and the sooner we recognize that fact, the better and easier life becomes. People plan to be in a certain place, at a certain time, doing a certain thing, being a certain way, and planning and controlling the entire situation. It is great when it happens so simply however sometimes when we are pushed way outside our comfort zone, that is where growth happens. Though it is also the most uncomfortable place to be, it is super beneficial to make it happen anyways. I have been in a number of those spots during my life so far and seem to deliberatly seek them out on purpose on a regular basis. I believe in living a life full of rich, rewarding experiences and that doesn't happen when you sit on the sidelines. Come join me in seeking out some of these experiences...we only live once, ya know...we only get one chance...

Thursday, May 20, 2010

ZOO-DE-MACK

Have you guys ever heard of Zoo-De-Mack? It is a 51 mile bike ride from Harbor Springs to Mackinac City along that northern coast of Michigan...so beautiful!!! This will be my 6th year in a row and it is an event I look forward to every year. Somewhere around 4,000 people participate and this is the 21st year. Each year I have made the trek with different people and this year is no exception. There are 6 girls going up this year which should make it a super fun time. We will travel up to Boyne Highlands tomorrow to stay there for the night. Then Saturday we get up and start the ride. There is a great restaurant called "Leggs Inn" that is half way (26 miles to be exact) and we all stop for lunch which is part of the package. After lunch we finish with 25 miles and ride right into the middle or Mackinac City. We usually regroup a little and hop the ferries over to Mackinac Island...and everyone loves the Island!!! We stay that night on the island and celebrate the completion of the bike ride. What a great time. The best part is that the group of people that attend this ride are not just party-ers, they are athletes as well and really dig doing the actual riding portion of it. Its super great fun...come join us sometime:)

Monday, May 17, 2010

OPTIMUM

This weekend I traveled to Atlanta for a wonderful seminar. I used to attend chiropractic college there and many seminars happen at the college so I end up there frequently. Actually in the past, it was very frequent...not so much as of late. In fact, the last time was 6 months ago. It is a city that is so super familiar to me. Many of my friends still live there and many traveled back there for the seminar. The weekend seminar was called "Optimum Life Experience" and the lecture topics were Optimum Health, Optimum Energy, Optimum Service, Optimum Joy, Optimum Abundance, etc and as you can see there was a theme. We have a plethora of wonderful, world renowned speakers in the chiropractic profession and they showed up at 100% this weekend. So in coming out of the seminar I would like to ask you...where do you find "Optimum Joy"? Is there a place in your life where you have a step-outside-of-yourself moment that you can say you were pulverized with the thoughts and feelings of joy? Is there an event that you can recall that brings you back to that place. If there is a specific event that you can see in your mind's eye, do you call on it to get you back to that "happy place"? Take a couple moments and see if you can come up with one, one event or time in your life that you can anchor that feeling of "Optimum Joy" and visit it often. I bet if you begin to put some energy into that, you will find that you begin to encounter a few more of those moments on a more frequent basis. It is amazing and continually verified that whatever you are wanting to see begins to be brought your way. I find "Optimum Joy" when I am in my Cafe of LIFE, my chiropractic office where I get to serve so many people each and every day. I find myself 100% present with what I am doing as I am serving each and every person and when thoughts of past and future are absent, "Optimum Joy"can easily be attained. I find myself in that "Optimum Joy" place when I am doing my yoga practice 3 times per week and during meditation. I find myself seeking to be 100% present in more and more areas of my life. It is a wonderful way to live. Yes, I slip off the path, check myself back in, slip off again, check in again and the process continues. I think, and often share with others that "Life is just a game of slipping and checking". Check in with yourself. Find what brings you "Optimum Joy" and look to spread that to other areas of your life...and see what kinds of wonderful things come from that...and share them with me:)

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

ANGEL WINGS


Have you met our massage therapist Teri? She is one of the most wonderfully happy people you will ever come across. Find a spare moment with her and she will for sure have laughing about something. She is a shining star, a real light in this community and I am so lucky and blessed to have her on staff at the Cafe of LIFE.

This afternoon I walked in and Teri is frantically looking for an umbrella. She had just spotted an elderly couple walking down the road and the drizzle had just transitioned into a downpour. She ran out, got in her car with an umbrella and drove down to where they were. Instead of giving them the umbrella, she gave them a ride the rest of the way to their destination and though they were soking wet, they were less wet then they would have been, and appreciative of her assistance. She is a true angel.

Thanks Teri! ...for being you, and for being an inspiration to the rest of the community. Keep shining your light!!!

Monday, May 3, 2010

MOTHERS

This is a special thank you to all the mothers out there. My mother is not only just my mother, she has become one of my best friends. Every year around Mother's Day, my brothers and I love to get the family together and celebrate and this year we have added one more mother to the celebration...my sister-in-law to be, Rachel, who just gave birth to my neice, Charlei, 3 weeks ago. I have been fortunate to have a small glimpse into what new motherhood is all about from being a part of Rachel and Charlei's lives. Rachel has been able to find a beautiful, yet delicate balance of caring time and rest with Charlei and it has only been 3 weeks. I see the amount of dedication that it takes for one child, and I have absolutely no idea how my mother did it with four kids, or my mother's mother did it with ten kids. WOW!!! Being a mom is an endless and often thankless job and what I am finding out is that it doesn't seem like anything can prepare you for that role besides just jumping into it. My other sister-in-law, Lauren, is pregnant as well and through all of this (while I let these two raise future babysitters for me) I get to stand by and watch and help. I look forward to the opportunity to be able to experience being a mother at some point in the future (and notice I didn't say "near future") but until then I will do my best to continue my wonderful relationship with these women so that I may learn and grow at the same time. One last special message to my own mother---life is better, fuller, more peaceful, easier, and fulfilling and I have found more success, happiness, and love because you are my mom. Thank you for everything!
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!