My Stupidest Mistakes Ever!!!
This post originally appeared in the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz.
A lone soldier in a foreign land, I was but 19 years young when I made Aliyah. Visions of passion, tenacity and a good measure of chutzpa moved me to the Promised Land. These are integral parts of my DNA code that continue to guide me to this day.
Not so long ago I found myself dealing with any number of medical anomalies. Time and time again it was me, Heleneie BeaNiE, aka Sherlock Holmes, who found the solution. It’s not easy to admit, but, more often than not, I was misdirected, overzealous and I myself at fault. See if you too can detect an explosive collision course in the making. These are but eight of many spills along my path:
1. Upsurge
Hubby gifted me with the best gift ever for our 25th anniversary: a brand new full suspension mountain bike, a ride especially suited to a young woman like me. The rolling hills in the area surrounding our home called to me. I came out to play with fervor. Playing hard translated into zero recovery time for me, I could be found biking day in and day out.
2. Blindside
Progressively, bit by bit, I began to feel strange sensations, aches and pains. I had no idea what was happening within my body, no familiar reference points. Little did I know that most of these feelings were directly related not only to the length, strength and frequency of my training schedule, but to the quality, quantity and timing of my nutritional intake as well. Self-reliant and resolute as always, it never occurred to me to brainstorm with others. Although it is unclear how informed they themselves were, none of the other veteran bikers ever volunteered any specific tips regarding nutrition and physical activity. I began to heavily “self-medicate” with sport drinks and gels.
3. Fall
Fast-forward in time to another celebration. It was Hubby’s 50th birthday and I pulled out all the stops, splurged on a private guided mountain bike “camel track” playdate in a picture perfect desert oasis. When the guide in front of me bunny hopped over a fallen log in our path, I followed suit without thinking twice. Suddenly I found myself in a precarious hand stand ahead of my bike. Quickly, before anyone could notice, I picked myself up and plucked myself back in the saddle. There was no way that I was going to allow my fall to rain on our celebrations!
4. Pain
The pain radiated its way from head to toe. I began to panic and did not know which way to turn. My physician pushed antidepressants, SSRI medication. That was the moment I understood; I was on my own and would play no part in her plan. I found myself running from one specialist to yet another.There had to be a white coated savior out there somewhere. Not for one minute did I stop to breathe, relax and try to think it out (perhaps Dr. SSRI was onto something?!).
5. Bandage
When a neurosurgeon speculated that all of my pain could be the result of a compressed cervical nerve, I jumped on board and hailed my savior. In the midst of preparations for cervical fusion, my body signaled loud and clear: “What if? What if this is merely a bizarre manifestation of an allergic reaction?!” I was unable to completely follow up this train of thought, but I did inquire as to potential allergies to the implants. With a long history of strange and bizarre allergies, I was relieved to learn that there was no such thing as an allergy to titanium. Of course, I proved otherwise… Once again I found myself suffering from strange and foreign sensations. Once again I set out in search of a solution to my ordeal. My quest led me to Germany; there I found the answers I sought. Once again I found myself under the surgeon’s knife, this time to rid myself of my metal implants: one plate and four screws.
6. Alarm
The roller coaster ride twisted and turned as I continued to shake up my health. In a quest for whole health, I began to read many popular books on health and healing. After discovering that the soil has been depleted of many essential elements, minerals, gases, liquids and various microorganisms, it was clear to me that I had to protect and salvage my health through a strict protocol of vitamins and other supplements.
7. Gulp
Thus I found myself swallowing a hefty “healthy” cocktail of colored pills on a daily basis. Of course, once again overzealous me outdid myself. More and more supplements became more and more abdominal pain. One thing led to another and my digestive tract became a haven for Helicobacter Pylori bacteria. While the triple therapy (three very potent antibiotics) brought me relief, uncertain that the HP had been totally eradicated, I insisted on yet an additional round. This only served to heighten my pain and suffering. Later I discovered that certain foods added to my discomfort but not for one moment did I consider revising my diet. One doctor urged me to heal myself through whole and healthy foods. He coached me, even showed me samples of whole grains, beans and lentils, but all that I could see before me was “the forbidden list”. I listened to his guidance but all I could hear was poor, poor me and the path of misery which lay ahead.
8. Stuff
After a second round of antibiotics I was left feeling very weak and vulnerable. I resolved to make a concerted effort to heal myself and embrace my healthiest self. Green smoothies welcomed my mornings. My Vitamix (blender) became a vessel for every healthy green or superfood. A long time and passionate supporter of the “Less is More” team, suddenly I found myself bailing ship for “More is More”. Anything that was healthy found a place of honor in my morning smoothie, the more the merrier: more ingredients and more of each one. Wouldn’t you know it, healthy is a relative concept? There are healthy foods that my body welcomes, while there are healthy foods, even superfoods, that make my body cringe in pain. Healthy is as healthy does: a food deemed “healthy” is not healthy for every-body, certainly not in every amount.Alone and aching, once again I found myself riving in pain, sparring demons of my own creation.
The Moral of My Story
I was lucky. While my pain was real, I was healthy, unscathed by any deadly disease. I took many a spill, but always found my way back up. I am by nature determined, curious, STUBBORN and adventure loving. The word surrender is foreign and unwelcome here! Not so long ago we could draw upon tribal wisdom. Valuable information concerning our foods their preparation methods were passed down from generation to generation. Today we are taught to read and write but lack basic comprehension skills. We are unable to read and interpret our body’s signals, all but CLUELESS about the basic relationship between any number of factors to our whole health “score”: factors such as food, physical exercise, education, career, creativity, finances, home cooking, home environment, relationships, social life, spirituality and happiness. And if all that were not enough, even those who feel the desire or need to make changes stand helpless, alone and uncertain where to begin.
It is no secret that we are unique beings, each different in so many ways. Often your best potion can be of my demise or vice versa. In order to facilitate healthy sustainable behavior change, we must learn to communicate freely along the elusive body – mind – soul triad.
Health coaching is a novel approach to pursue your agenda, your goals and your path. A good health coach will help you to facilitate change, sustainable change, and allow you to embrace “healthy” as a way of life and not just as a fleeting phase.
The health coaches waiting for you out there are as different as you and I. There is bound to be one who is a perfect match.
Upsurge? Are you ready to get into shape, start eating a healthy diet? Take your time, step by step. Go with the flow, embrace mindfulness and become in tune with your body.
Blindside? Be wise. Silencing our feelings, sensations and words hurts us in the long run. Deal with them today or beware as they blindside you dearly down the line.
Fall? We all slip up, wipe out and drop out. Fall down and pick yourself right back up. Isn’t that what life is all about? Just before you rise up to continue, take a moment to recalibrate. Perhaps you need to alter your course. Be flexible and ready to change direction if necessary.
Pain? Change hurts. Often pain signals us, therefore, allow yourself to feel the pain and understand its source. Move on only after you’ve connected with your discomfort, be it on the same path or 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Know that sometimes by sensing our pain we take the first step towards reaching safer shores.
Bandage? Change can create pain and injury. Be mindful. Understand pain’s source before bandaging. Avoid further pain, injury and even needless surgery.
Alarm? Proceed with caution; connect with reason and logic. Don’t allow your pain to dictate a swift and massive change in direction. Slowly but surely choose your way forward.
Gulp? Don’t be gullible and gulp down massive amounts of medication, vitamins and/or supplements. The real magic is to be found beyond the pill: within our food, activity and thoughts.
Stuff? A “healthy” label is not a license to stuff yourself. Practice moderation. Too much of a good thing, even a superfood, is simply too much. Beyond a certain point, our potion becomes our poison.
Upsurge, blindside, fall, pain, bandage, alarm, gulp, … stuff it! Perhaps we should save ourselves the heartache?! My journey was rough and rocky but brought me to the wonderful place where I now stand. As Dr. Seuss once said in his book:
Oh the Places You'll Go
Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.
OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.
Oh, the Places You'll Go at Burning Man!
Based on Dr. Seuss's final book before his death, this is a story about life's ups and downs, told by the people of Burning Man. "Best Short" – New Media Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA. "Best Short" – Ascona Film Festival in Italy. "Best Score" – Moondance Film festival in NYC.
If you have not yet read about the rocky part of my journey, you can read it here.
I would like to thank you for your patience in reading this post to its end.
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You Tell Your Future – The Power is Ours!
Imagine you had a looking glass where for a very short window of time you could observe, live the final moment, day, year or years of your life. The picture that you see is clear. Startled, you clearly do not like what you see. A wave of sadness and fright paralyzes you.
Join me: CHOOSE abundant whole health!
