SURFING

One more post about Ecuador which I have been meaning to get back to before I got rudely interrupted by the big celebrations around here with the 5th birthday and all:)

Have you ever surfed? I have done a bit in my life, in fact first learning 4 years ago on the Jersey Shore from my good friend and boyfriend at the time that lives there. The entire trip to Ecuador was all based around surfing so I probably better prove that I actually did that while I was there...and I did...a LOT of it. We surfed 2 sessions per day for anywhere between 45 minutes to 2 hours. Exhausting and super fun. The water was wonderful and as long as there was cloud cover, it was a good time. Without the clouds, we would burn through no matter what SPF we put on so the clouds on this trip were a blessing. One of the greatest parts about surfing is just being in the water. Once you get out beyond the break, there is a peace in sitting and waiting. Sometimes it is with other people and sometimes it is all alone with thoughts and dreams and yourself. I learned a lot about reading what the water is going to do. There is a universal rhythm to the way the water moves and an ebb and flow to it all and to learn to watch and listen for that was a very peaceful and wonderful process. Most of the week I spent inside the break line as I am not interesting in getting completely tossed by some of the huge water we were in. The last few days I was beginning to get really daring as I had learned a lot and the last day I caught a HUGE wave, paddled in, caught it, and rode down the face of it. It was a super cool moment in my life. Unfortunately one cannot catch every moment on camera (though I do try my hardest) but it is a moment and feeling that is locked into my being forever. I am a snowboarder at heart, and surfing kind of fits into that as well. So I asked myself when I was out there on the water...if I love snowboarding so much, what is it that is missing from surfing that makes me not "over-the-top" crazy about it. Don't get me wrong I do like to surf...but I LOVE to snowboard. What I realized is that I love the exploring part of snowboarding, almost like hiking but on a snowboard. My favorite places to snowboard are out west in Colorado and when I am there, not only do I get to ride snow waves, I also get to explore the outdoors with some of those places covering HUGE amounts of area. Some think I must be an adrenaline junkie to participate in some of the sports that I do. It isn't that at all and if you saw how I ride, you would realize it is more of a meditation than anything. It is about being present and aware and in that place there is a lot of peace. RIDE ON!!!!

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These are all the words that describe people's experience here at the Cafe of LIFE, coming directly from them. I do what I do because I love to help people and I love chiropractic and if what I do for other is described from the above words, I feel strongly that is a sign of success...and I am looking forward to many more years ahead!!

PICTURES OF THE FIRST OFFICE

Some pictures of my first office location:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAFE OF LIFE!!!

Everyone always told me that the years go faster as you get older. It is so true and I am in complete disbelief that it has been 5 years since I have opened the doors of the Cafe of LIFE!!! 5 years ago I moved home and I remember looking at all kinds of office space all over Birmingham and Ann Arbor. Those two cities were high on my radar for locations that I wanted to be in. Then one day I was driving around Fenton and there was a building for sale that I thought would be a great fit for what I was looking to create and it began to get me thinking of possibly opening my office here instead. That building was not a good fit after all so I began to look at different spaces for rent and ended up finding the perfect fit and opening my doors on March 12, 2005 at 110 Trealout Dr (across the street from Lovey's on North Leroy). Wow! What an adventure it had been. When I first opened, my priority was to make sure that I was only tied into a 1 year lease since I wasn't sure that I really wanted to be here in Fenton, well and maybe because I was a bit of a commitment-phobe at the time:) So the years have gone by faster than I ever imagined possible and I am still so blessed and fortunate to be serving the Fenton and surrounding communities the "Exceptional Chiropractic Experience" and loving every minute of it. Thank you, all of you who have had any part of helping the Cafe of LIFE to grow roots in this community. I am so grateful to have a place her, to serve you and be able to do what I love to do.

DOMESTICATION

There is a strange things that happens in countries like Ecuador (which I visited last week), as well as Costa Rica (which I visited in December). There are dogs everywhere. All kinds of dogs, mostly mutts and they are all allowed to just roam free and be true pack animals. What was incredibly evident to me this time visiting Ecuador was that none of the dogs are getting hit by cars. Here in the United States, because of how we have domesticated animals and especially dogs, our pets run out into the street with no clue how dangerous the cars are that are heading straight towards them. In these other countries that I visited, the dogs know that the street means danger and that cars are huge dangerous things to be in front of. Now don't get me wrong, I am sure there are dogs hit every once in a while, however if you put a bunch of dogs from the United States down there, it would be a nightmare of carnage. There is an order that is followed, so to speak. The children in those countries are the same way. Many times while we were driving, children around the ages of 3 -5 would be walking along the side of the road without any parents in sight. Donkeys, horses, cows, chickens, pigs...all of them roaming around without limits, all of them staying clear of cars on the roads, all of them contributing to the peaceful life. Now, I am by no means saying that this would be a good idea for this country...not saying that at all. I just thought it was pretty interesting and something to think about...

ECUADOR

I spent all of last week on a surf trip to Montanita, Ecuador. I am excited to share pictures and stories with you all and I am so glad that so many of you keep up with me this way. There is an underground group of Great Lakes surfers, yes people actually do surf the Great Lakes. I am not one of them, however the guy that I am dating is and that is how I got hooked into this trip. I do have to say that I didn't really feel like I "deserved" a vacation like that since I was just in Costa Rica over the holidays, however the price was something not to be passed up and so I found a wonderful doctor to cover my practice and off I went. Montanita is an old fishing town turned hippie surfer town...just my style. The people of Ecuador are a simple folk. There is not much money and barely any education in the area I was in and so the people are not living and working to try and get anywhere. They are happy and content and present and WOW that is refreshing!!! There i no "running the rat race" mentality and subsequently, a lot less stress or at least a very different stress. I do my best to take each moment as it comes and be present so as to not miss a beat. I haven't always been this way however I find the most peace in that space and will continue to strive to sustain that. Join me, why don't ya... (picture taken at one of the beaches we surfed at, more pictures to come).

BEST FRIENDS

Meet Jennifer... she and I have been best friends since high school...a VERY long time. She is one of the most wonderful women that I know. She is intelligent, funny and authentic, probably the top three qualities that I look for in friends. The greatest thing about her is she has been such a dedicated friend to me no matter what. I do not believe that there has ever been a time that she wasn't in my life. I moved all over the country and she came to visit me in all the places I lived. She has been on the other end of the phone for some really wonderful conversations and some really crappy conversations where it is all tears and barely any words. She has guided me in many of my huge life decisions, or at least I always let her have a word about whatever the situation is. She is amazing. She has the biggest entrepreneurial spirit of anyone who I have ever met and she is in the process of materializing her latest "million dollar idea" and this one is going to go far. In the few years, when her and I have hung up the phone, I take a moment to be grateful for her in my life. Thanks Jen. My life is better simply by having you in it:)

SWEAT LODGE

One of the most disappointing parts of the media today is the fact that something like a "Sweat Lodge" can go from a wonderful and beneficial Native American ceremony to something that "kills people". Just a few months ago, there was some famous someone doing a sweat lodge somewhere and 2 people died while there. I can tell you up front, there was a lot of ego involved when things like that happen. So when I was invited to go with a friend, I was slightly apprehensive. When I first mentioned to a few people that I was going to attend a Sweat Lodge, the first thing out of their mouths was "Don't people die doing that?" Yeah some people have died doing that however so many more hundreds of thousands to millions of people have lived during sweats too...so I went anyways. I have been involved in a lot of life transforming activities however I have to say that this was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. There is a place called "Cedar Water Healing Lodge" http://www.gaylejoseph.com/. in Milford, MI. When you go there, you are instantly accepted as one of their family. The people that run the ceremony have the most loving and giving energy and the experience is one that I would recommend to everyone. The ceremony was explained to us when we got there as well as a guarantee that if something is not going well for you, a phrase can be said and you can remove yourself from the lodge. There were 16 of us for this experience and it lasted about 3 hours followed by a wonderful feast of delicious food. Really and truly a wonderful experience. The lodge in Milford runs sweats every three weeks and I plan on attending as much as will fit into my schedule. Come join me if you would like:)

NEW LIFE

Back to my Costa Rica trip because I told you guys that I would share...

So one of the highlights of the entire trip was my final walk on the beach of the final morning of my vacation. In the area we were staying, a few miles of beaches were strung together by a path that went up through the jungle. There would be a section of beach, then the jungle, then beach, then up over a huge cliff through the jungle, etc, and this walk pretty much took about an hour there and back. The morning was beautiful, the sun was shining, the surfers were out doing their thing, and it was one of those bittersweet moments; I am excited to go home but sad to leave paradise and my friends. I set an intention for this hike and I wanted to make it about creating the next section of my life. So as I am walking, I am taking it all in; the sights, the smells, the sounds, the feelings, all of it. I am in an deep meditative mode when all of a sudden I come across this group of three people that are intently watching something on the beach. As I get closer, I realize that it is a baby sea turtle that had just hatched and is making its way towards the sea. So I sat with the group and watched him. It turns out that he is the first of a large group of turtles that the locals are expecting to hatch in about 3 days, at the full moon. So this little guy, a few days ahead of the rest of the pack, is flopping his feet and making his way with one destination in mind, to the ocean. When he has finally reached an area that the waves will reach out and take him from there, there was an incredible feeling inside my being. Have you ever witnessed a birth of a child? That pure, love feeling that happens in that moment when the child enters this world? Do you know what I am talking about? It is a recognition of the divine perfection of everything in this universe. This little turtle, without any map or directions from any parents, used all the strength he could muster up to head out and create a life for himself. It truly was magical. So to say this moment of witnessing the divine perfection of the universe was a highlight of the vacation is really an understatement. It is actually one of the highlights in my life so far...