I know to use a neti pot when I feel a cold coming on. I know to do yoga and exercise on a daily basis, to eat right, to sleep well, to stay balanced, get into nature….I know, I know! Yet, when my daughter recently came down with a cold, I neti potted once, then went into Mom mode and forgot to keep caring for myself! Oops! Guess what happened? I got the worst cold I’ve had in years! Why? I kept asking myself. So, I listened. My head was too dizzy to read, to think! What was this all about?

Day #3 revealed the answer. Here I was, being sick. How do we Americans do sick? We hunker down, when possible, and watch tv and lay there until we are either needed or feel so disgusting that we actually get up and take a shower, or we go through the motions of our daily lives and down some medicine or other in hopes that it will make us feel somewhat better.  So, when I got to that point…the so disgusting I needed to take a shower, I thought, this is how I learned to be sick!  Now, here I am, with all the knowledge I have, doing the same old behaviour! Yikes!!!!

So, I vowed to put the remote away and step #1 get out that neti pot and cleanse my sinuses…..wow, did I feel a million times better, just doing that! Next, I meditated. A nice calm, untimed meditation, first with the vision of myself feeling better soon, then off to a gentle zen state. Then, I sat on the balcony for a long time with a sketchbook in my hands. Mostly I watched the clouds move across the sky. Then, I wrote a short poem. Watched the clouds more…nature gets you into the present, I remembered, nature is so healing. Again, I was so improved by this day of really staying with myself, not escaping because I had been invaded by a virus.

The next day I took a walk, tissues in my pocket, but oh….how nice it was to breathe fresh air and have the kind of magical moments nature can bring you. I came upon about 13 deer in the woods, 3 of them were taking a little nap under some trees! Now, those deer know what to do!

I am trying to redefine what being sick looks like. If you stay home sick, you’re supposed be laying in bed, right? What if your boss saw you taking a walk? Rest is absolutely important and some laying on the bed is a very good thing, but seeking out what heals us physically and emotionally, is a road to a more meaningful and perhaps quicker recovery.

Now, I’m recovering, but deeper still, I realized how I am always reaching for perfect wellness and while that is a good goal to have for lots of reasons,  is it healthy to expect any aspect of my life to be perfect all the time? The imperfection of life is what makes it so beautiful.

-Amy Roemer 3-15-10

Life Art Healing is honored to present an article from guest writer, Steve Garrison, Author of The Five Secrets from Oz!

Steve Garrison, a single dad and a student of personal development study, has summarized his 20 years of learning into five secrets to truly transform. Steve works as a motivational speaker, personal coach and author to help others find their inner light. With his passion, energy and enthusiasm, he shares his profound knowledge of these secrets with people who are ready to make a change in their lives. A native Bostonian, Steve now lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his three children.

Now recently endorsed by the prestigious Cleveland Clinic as a powerful book who help patients to cope with surgery and to recover with the most optimal attitude and mindset. The Clinic will begin medical trials in 2011 using “The Five Secrets from Oz” as a guide to help patients heal after surgery. www.thefivesecretsfromoz.com

Waterskiing 101: Rule #1: Let go of the rope!

I like to think of myself as a very good athlete. One of the sports that I have a little fear of is waterskiing. I think it is because I had a traumatic event when I was 10 trying to get up and out of the water and failing time after time. When I finally got up I proceeded to fall. Now the normal person would let go of the rope. This by the way is the number one rule in waterskiing when you feel like you are falling or about to wipe out. So, not me…not Mr. “I don’t listen to instructions” (typical male right). Anyway, I was dragged what seemed like a mile (actually it was 50 feet or so) before I actually let go. Now, here I am, 28 years later and on a boat with my two nephews, both great athletes in their own right. As my nephew David was driving the boat, he looked at me and said, “Uncle Steve, here is the life jacket, do you want to ski!”

Now I had a choice to make and I know what most of you are thinking. “Oh, what a great story, after all these years he got right back up…awe…good for Steve!” Well, I wish I could have told you a Rudy or Karate Kid story with a happy ending, but alas, I chickened out. I am not sure if it was because I was having a flashback of when I was ten or if it was because I was terrified of looking like a complete idiot in front of my two nephews?

What does this all mean you ask? Sometimes in life, we need to just have faith to let go of the rope. We as adults are constantly getting in our own way, just like I did when I chickened out from waterskiing. We make excuses as to why we can’t do something. We convince ourselves to not let our new boyfriend/girlfriend see our feelings for fear of being hurt. We make excuses as to why we can’t start a business or tell someone we love them for the first time for fear of rejection. We are forever letting our past dictate our present reality because we can’t let go.

No matter what ropes are dragging you through the water, remember the first lesson of waterskiing. Don’t be afraid to let go. Understand that you have a life vest and it will keep you from drowning so just let go. Many of us think it is acceptable to allow ourselves to be dragged through the water. That is not O.K. and it will only keep you from getting back in the water of life.

As for me, I have decided that next summer when I am at my family lake cabin in Maine that I will put on the water-skis and enjoy the ride. Now that I realize that it is O.K. to let go and to get out of my own way!

Remember. The past is HISTORY so finally let it go, the future is a MYSTERY, but today is the PRESENT. That is why they call it a GIFT.

Happy skiing!

-Steve Garrison  March 1st, 2010  www.thefivesecretsfromoz.com