" My body, my choice, my life, my death ... "

my body, my choice, my life, my death

Waking up this morning to the news of Jessica Ainscough passing away was heart breaking.  Jessica had survived a rare cancer diagnosis for 7 years.  At 22 years old, she was diagnosed with epithelioid sarcoma in her arm and shoulder.  Jess elected not to have an amputation and instead pursued the Gerson Therapy.  I was first introduced about Jess in 2011 while visiting the Gerson Clinic in Tijuana, Mexico.  I’ve been inspired by Jess through her motivational speaking, blogging and book, Make Peace With Your Plate. 

With this sad news circulating within social media, many are quick to voice their opinions on what should and should not have done.  And loads are voicing in on their view on “alternative treatment” and the quackery behind it ...

Yet what ever happened to leaving space and time for others to heal?  How important is it to share your view on what you think when a young woman has enough courage to stand her ground in the face of adversity?  Do the “I told you so” pundits feel vindicated?  Does it feel good to “predict” a young woman’s death years ago only to dig it up in a juicy article, slamming anything other than conventional treatment?  How do you know her death could have been “prevented” or she could have been “saved” if she was more “transparent” in her life?

my body, my choice, my life, my death

I find it curious when critics say that Jess’s choices were misguided, insane and selfish.  I find it curious when the same critics have NEVER walked in her shoes ... why not ask one of us who actually live with cancer how life really is?   

Jess was one of those who lived life fully despite what reality presented itself.  Death at a young age is only tragic when those who leave us have potential to do so much more.  And although Jess was only 30, the impact that this courageous woman has left in my life is beyond words.  Whether these words silence or arouse you, for me, Jessica Ainscough was an amazing health and wellness advocate.  Her courage, conviction and love for life was, and will continue to be, incredibly inspirational.  She was a powerful example of what trusting in yourself regardless of the possibilities is all about.  She lived for what she believed in ... 

my body, my choice, my life, my death

" Conscious ... "

“ Now, that I'm here

breaking my relationship with time and space

watching my life through the milky glasses of a window

now it all becomes so clear

If I had the opportunity to smell

the enchanted wind of a spring flower

I would take a deep breathe

to relax ... 

Now, that I'm here

breaking my relationship with time and space

watching my life through the clear glasses of a window

I get aware of the small things which are least the greatest

I left my life

my physical form of life behind

I realize my blunted and senseless way of life

I should have lived my life much more conscious “

~ Kai Tracid ~ Conscious ~ 

***

Most of our conscious choices originate from fear.  We limit ourselves in response to these underlying fears.  When an opportunity to do something outside of our comfort zone, we speak how amazing it would be to just “go for it”, yet we also tell ourselves that it would probably be best to just keep doing what we are doing.  We sabotage our growth into new directions and cultivate a sense of stagnation.

Could we be happier taking more risks?  

Could we gain some satisfaction in trying something new? ... 

When we find that the things we use to do, that gave us contentment, are no longer satisfying, it’s time to make that change.  There is a sense of transition, perhaps outgrowing the old.  And graciously we know that with new endings there are always new beginnings.  

Challenging your limiting beliefs is a great place to start.  Ask yourself if your choices are supporting your intentions or someone else’s expectations?  

Full of excitement and fear, eagerness and anxiety and every other emotion to fill in the gaps, when we make a conscious choice, we take a stand.  And sometimes the reactions and their residual effects creep in.  So, rather than allowing them to feed your self-doubt, consider them as signs along your path.  Use them as a tool for adjustment.  Consider them a blessing rather than a hurdle.

Choosing to live a conscious life is not something you do just once ... it is a way of living.  And thankfully, it is simply thinking about everything you do and say.  Because it matters.  

It is easy to live life on autopilot and do what we always do because that’s what we are use to doing.  Yet it is more fulfilling to live the life we have the potential to experience.  And that choice is always available to us.

www.walkstrong.ca

" Be Prepared ... "

“ ... My words are a matter of pride

It's clear from your vacant expressions

The lights are not all on upstairs

But we're talking kings and successions

Even you can't be caught unawares

So prepare for a chance of a lifetime

Be prepared for sensational news

A shining new era is tiptoeing nearer

And where do we feature?

Just listen to teacher

Be prepared! ... “

~ Lion King ~ Be Prepared ~ 

***

When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, the fear of death consumed me.  I was obsessed with “not dying”.  I prayed, hoped, cursed, bargained and even tempted it.  I thought if I ignored it, it would go away.  I began to feel that life was meaningless, spirally into this vortex of darkness ...

Overall, our fear of death is pretty unhealthy.  Add to it an incurable dis-ease and we do anything we can to avoid it.  Yet we are aware that death is a natural uncontrollable process.  So rather than fearing death, perhaps we fear dying unprepared.  Not knowing when it will happen, how it will happen and who will help us transition to the next side.  If we follow the philosophy that we are gifted this life to prepare for our death, a real sense of urgency can then inspire us.  

I have learned that we are to prepare for a peaceful and successful death ... 

and make the most of this precious life we have been gifted ...

Believers of reincarnation understand that we are travellers passing through.  We came from a previous life and eventually we shall move on to our next life.  Our birth and death are empty-handed and alone.  And everything we have accumulated in this life, including our very body, will be left behind.  Hence if we ignored death we would have wasted our life working for things that we only have to leave behind.

All that we can take with us from one life to the next 

are the imprints of the positive and negative actions we have created ... 

Life presented itself with events that force me to become realistic about my mortality.  And four years later, I am still consumed with death.  Yet my awareness has transitioned from fear to acceptance.  With the guidance of an awakened teacher, my spiritual development has become far more important that the attainments of this world.  I have infinite gratitude towards my teacher who continues to support me as I cultivate patience, love, compassion, wisdom and clarity.  

death is a process of coming home ...

How we can have a good death is by having a good life.  How we pass reflects the way we lived our lives.  Living a life of emotional turmoil may lead to our dying full of regrets, trouble and pain.  It is far better to care for the lives for all around us rather than spending a fortune in prolonging life itself.

www.walkstrong.ca

" Show Up ... "

“ Thought so, haz-ey (eh)

Chillin on that cloud

thinking i might be crazy

Kinda been thinking about it lately ... 

But they will never play me

My game play is amazing

Who could ever knowwww

What the future holdsss

But will you pay attention

When my storys told

We aint getting young, we only getting old

So now i live life

By a different code

Gotta live life like

I will never die

Only pray for one thing

Thats to stay forever fly, Yeah ... “

~ Kid Cudi ~ Show Up ~

There are plenty of triggers so you don’t feel good about yourself.  You start to turn away and figure you are just not worth it.  You stop giving to yourself along the way because someone somewhere told you that you were just plain selfish.  

Yet something amazing happens when you choose to show up and commit to yourself.  In those moments there is freedom to be who you are and do what makes you feel good.  There aren’t any one(s) doubting you.  There aren’t any one(s) sabotaging you.  Because showing up for YOU is a life long process and it is all about you.  It is about love, compassion and acceptance of SELF.  When you show up for you, you show up for your dreams, your goals and your aspirations.  Your self-worth is based on what’s happening within you and not based on others approval.

Sounds simply but .... and it is a practice ... it is not easy, especially if you are like me who wants to be of service to others.  Not a martyr, just a helper.  Personally, a constant self-reminder to myself helps me ... to remind myself that I have everything I need to show up for me and choose me.  That I come first for me and no one else.

The best way is to let go

Let go of what happened before 

because it can’t be changed, modified or erased ... 

How do you let go of what has happened before? ... you LOVE YOURSELF - all of you.  The ugly and the good, the dark and the light, the anger and the joy.  It is all there within you available to explore.  Perhaps some are concerned of the optics, the visual and how this will all be for others ... yet does it really matter?  

And how do you begin to love ... 

you FORGIVE you

Your opinion of you matters most ... 

For some, it is a badge of honor to keep the legacy of pain alive, you know the pain you grew up with.  It is useful when things go wrong, or right.  It is useful when we want to blame someone else.  It is useful when we play ... victim.

Does this seem like a practice to become self centered and self absorbed?  Not if you commit with a pure and authentic heart.  You see self esteem isn’t about being falsely supported or protected.  It isn’t about convincing others or erasing differences.  It is simply about being kind, patient and compassionate towards yourself regardless of your flaws.  

When you show up for yourself, you begin to recognize your imperfections as an asset.  It is what makes you unique and you.  

Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose and commit myself to, what is best for me ―Paulo Coelho, The Zahir

www.walkstrong.ca

" Cigarettes And Valentines ... "

“ Let us paralyze this moment till it dies

To the end of the earth

Under the valley of the stars ... 

Deep inside my heart

Take a ride through the avenue

Across the great divide ... 

I'm alive, it cries

Red alert is the color

Of your paper valentine ... 

In this, do you wanna be my valentine? “

~ Green Day ~ Cigarettes And Valentines ~ 

***

A time to show appreciation for that special someone in your life.  A time to take a relationship to the next level.  A time to celebrate love.  But why do we require an assigned date full of expectations?

Do we set ourselves up to be disappointed?  Do we sabotage our relationship?  Personally, I feel that Valentines Day can harm your relationships.  Mainly because there is something stirring around this much-anticipated romantic holiday.

When loved ones don’t live up to the lofty cultural ideas associated with this holiday alternatives might start to look a bit more interesting.  Relationship that are struggling may completely break under the pressure of Being Mine.  And in some causes, this holiday may just emphasize just how much effort your partner is willing to put in ... or does it?

If you are blessed to have a rock solid partner, no holiday let alone Valentines Day can be do harm.  Because you don’t require Hallmark or anyone else to decide when, how and why you express your love.  It is within you, it is a part of you and it is who you are.  Having a designated day can be an opportunity then to do something for someone but it doesn’t have to be the only day.

We are most alive when we're in love - John Updike

Valentines Day is a beautiful day to express your love ... but why only one day?  What holds us back from doing something nice for those we love on February 13th or on Sunday?  If you knew that you only had a limited time with those you love, wouldn’t you tell them every chance you got?  Does that make you vulnerable or does that make you wise?  And are we afraid our love would be reciprocated and therefore we shy away on the basis of rejection?  

We are pure energetic love

We are connected to One and we are complete

Sadness is having the love within you die within you

Express yourself ... Love Only No Regrets

www.walkstrong.ca

" Apathy ... "

“ You want to look at the edge of madness

Just to see to see

You want to find what you're missing out on ... 

Now you're bend on the edge of blindness

What you trying to see?

You want to walk with a sould of darkness ...

But stepping on those coals

You get those blisters on your feel 

Well, don't you come here wasting my time ...

Can't there be some other way

Can't we make you stay

In apathy? ...

Don't you feel it all the love?

As below and so above

Apathy “

~ Tea Party ~ Apathy ~ 

***

Sometimes it isn’t about trust or lack of communication, it is simply apathy.  Apathy is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, and concern.  It is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation and passion.  When one has an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, or physical life, they are called perfunctoriness or apathetic.

Consider ... we are born into the world knowing and thinking nothing.  It could be said that we are purely made up of experiences and happenings.  We become a product of our inherited environment and the condition of those before us.  We develop habits, beliefs and somehow manage to live in a society full of others in a meaningful way.

Our conditioning shapes our experience ... and without this awareness we would never know the freedom of living without it.  

Then perhaps the problem isn’t the conditioning but the anger it generates.  We are often overcome by anger which clouds our judgement.  We need a relief or a way out.  And sometimes we convince ourselves that apathy is the answer.  

... our attachment to detachment ...

Apathy is build from pseudo-confidence because it is born out of fear and the pain of rejection and regret.  Love does not thrive in a state of apathy.  It is a state of hopelessness that echoes with thoughts of “what does it matter? why bother trying anymore?”.   Apathy simply removes the will to exert any more energy or care any longer about the outcome.

when they’ve given up on emotion entirely ...

when they feel nothing towards you ... 

When autopilot mode kicks in and there is indifference towards one another, it is hard for a relationship to survive.  And because there are no arguments, everything may seem okay on the surface.  Yet, it is simply a perfect illusion that you have silently agreed to live in that manner.  When we close ourselves down in a relationship, we’ve shut off caring, growth, learning and our life.  

Silently consider the indifference in your relationships and reflect on your responses ... and if that relationship matters to you, you may want to consider you hear.

www.walkstrong.ca

" Count On Me ... "

You can count on me like 1, 2, 3

I'll be there

And I know when I need it

I can count on you like 4, 3, 2

You'll be there ... 

I'll sing a song beside you

And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me

Every day I will remind you

~ Bruno Mars ~ Count On Me ~

***

You know those moments where you feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders ... and there seems to be nobody willing to lend a helping hand.  That’s when you must realize that you have to keep going and you can only count on yourself.

Because in the end, your strength and endurance is what will carry you forward, with or without anyone by your side.  And when you are confident enough to keep moving forward by yourself when the going gets tough, you’ll also develop the ability to help others realize they can do the same. 

realization ... 

making YOU better doesn’t always mean 

that others around you will turn into their better ...

When you start to take responsibility for your life and the things in it, you can heal what you confront.  It is difficult and it isn’t fun, but it requires doing a bit of self-care.  Be ready as you will feel the burden of weighing a hard decision and accepting the consequences, especially if they are not favourable to you.  There will be no external praise and no reward.  But you gain a quiet confidence as you take control of you.  You become observant and open to new experiences.  You develop goals that are set for yourself, by yourself.  

Balancing self -reliance is important.  We are not islands and we feed off each others energy.  Yet this is about counting on no one else besides yourself.  You are enough and you are complete.  You are worthy and what you do matters.  

Reliance on one's own 

capabilities, judgment, or resources; independence ... 

Self -reliant people are not arrogant or vain, nor do they believe that “everyone is cruel!”.  Self-reliant are those who see the world, good and bad, and consciously choose to be strong for themselves and others.  Self-reliant accept the world, as it is, and all of its complications ... because it is this that allows us to see that there are infinite ways to live and there is not requirement to conform to one of them.

www.walkstrong.ca

" Roots ... "

“ I'm talkin' 'bout R.O.O.T.S., I can't hate where I'm from ...

But now I got me, me, that's because of my R.O.O.T.S.

Hey, I can't be mad at what y'all meet ahead

I don't regret my ghetto struggle due to my success

It ain't that beautiful to write on overcoming' stress

Before you reap it, gotta sow it, yeah

I'm talkin' 'bout R.O.O.T.S., I can't hate where I'm from ... 

Somebody had to be just for me to get away ...

I'm talkin' 'bout R.O.O.T.S. “

~ Flo Rida ~ Roots ~

***

Medicinal Mushrooms ... used by all ancient cultures all over the world.  It is considered that they have the power nutritionally and spiritually.  Regardless of your view, these foods may be worth a taste.

... always consult with your health care practitioner first ... 

Medicinally speaking, mushrooms are one of nature’s greatest gifts.  Medicinal mushrooms are mushrooms or mushroom extracts used in the practice of medicine; especially those that contain key immunomodulating active compounds.  Modern scientific studies of these mushrooms have increased significantly within the last three decades, helping to popularize these fungi and their unique health-boosting effects. 

We are understanding how these mushrooms are capable of slowing aging, improving blood flow, reducing the risk of heart disease, improving your skin and hair, stabilizing cholesterol and blood sugar, protecting the kidneys and liver, improving respiratory function, decreasing platelet aggregation, increase sexual function and athletic ability.  As well, mushrooms with anti-tumor activity appear to increase the number and activity of killer T and natural killer lymphocytes, with no toxicity to healthy cells.  

Different types provide different properties so to get the full spectrum of healing agents these mushrooms have to offer, it is best to utilize a blend of several mushroom species.  Also, it is easier for pathogens in your body to adapt and become resistant to one type of mushroom than to several.  

Immunomodulating  agents in medicinal mushrooms include:

Polysaccharides, Glycoproteins, Ergosterols, Triterpenoids

It is the synergism between these elements that makes mushrooms so medicinally powerful ... 

Here are some varieties to consider for your palate ...

Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)

• This potent immune-boosting mushroom; has anti-tumor and antiviral properties; lowers blood pressure and cholesterol.  
• Shiitake is``used medically for any and all diseases involving depressed immune function, including cancer, AIDS, environmental allergies, candida infections, and frequent flu and colds.’’  
• The shiitake mushroom is found on fallen broad leaf trees such as chestnut, chinquapin, beech, oak, maple, and walnut. 
• Shiitake has high levels of calcium, vitamin B2, and vitamin C. 
• It is the second-most widely cultivated mushroom after the common white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus).

Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)

• Reishi is useful for many ailments
• It has immunostimulant properties, calms anxiety, and is used as a general tonic.
• It is anti-allergenic and antiviral, and is used for hepatitis and heart arrhythmia.
• Reishi can also be used as an antidote for poisonous mushrooms. 
• this mushroom is “especially suitable as a calming herb for people with anxiety, sleeplessness, or nervousness accompanied by an adrenal weakness.”
• In China, reishi is known as ling zhi. Ling zhi belongs to China’s highest class of medicines
• it’s considered a tonic, thought to impart strength, vigor, and longevity.

Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor)

• The turkey tail mushroom has cholesterol-lowering effects, immune-enhancing activity, and antioxidant activity
• these mushrooms are an excellent fungus to collect in the wild because they are so widespread and abundant.

Maitake (Grifola frondosa)

• Maitake has been shown to inhibit tumor growth in several studies
• Extracts are commonly marketed to enhance immune  function and to treat HIV and cancer
• It may also help reduce blood pressure and raise HDL (the so-called “good”) cholesterol.
• Maitake means “dancing mushroom” in Japanese; some say it is so named because in ancient times, people who found the mushroom danced with joy because it could be exchanged for its weight in silver
• Maitake is used in traditional medicine to treat  diabetes and hypertension. 

Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)

• Chaga has anticancer and anti-tumor activity  
• it as “a hard black, deeply cracked stalk less growth found on alder, birch, and elm.” 
• Chaga looks as if it’s been burnt and can grow to lengths of four to five feet.
• chaga has also been used as a tonic, blood purifier, and pain reliever.

Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus)

• The oyster mushroom may inhibit tumors. 
• it can lower serum and liver levels of cholesterol after two months of administration
• In China, oyster mushrooms are indicated for joint and muscle relaxation, Hobbs writes.
• Oyster mushrooms contain eight amino acids and vitamins B1 and B2. 
• The mushrooms may be an excellent blood builder; 
• oysters have 19 mg of iron per 100 g of dried mushroom.

Cordyceps (Cordyceps sinensis, Sphaeria sinensis)

• The cordyceps is a fungi that has been used for a wide range of conditions
• In vitro and animal studies have shown it to have anti-tumor, radio-protective and anti- diabetic effects
• it has also been used to treat fatigue, sexual dysfunction, coughs and  as an immune stimulant.

www.walkstrong.ca