January 2019

It's been a jam-packed January. 

This blog is a little all over the place. I decided to just log it for posterity.

January 2019: 

I managed to get in a few joyous January walks and bike rides this month (but more on that later). I rode longer than before because we got Buddha a new bike carriage to join us on the Pinellas Trail. It's so fun to have him ride with us (instead of feeling guilty he's home alone). 

This time of year is beautiful here in Florida. I enjoy feeling the cool and warm air mingle during these January days; each day is a surprise-weather wise. This has been my fourth January in Florida. I still can't get over seeing leaves on trees in winter, and birds chirping and playing about, like they are on summer vacation. And I still can't get over walking the beach on a beautiful 65-degree sunny day. 

I took a huge leap to do something that I've felt called to do in the last few years: I'm starting Dr. T. Colin Campbell's online Cornell University course on Plant Based Nutrition. I'm adding plant-based educator to my teaching skills (of yoga therapy and meditation). I know that you can be healthy in your mind or spirit but not your body (and visa versa). I'm also taking a medical immersion in NC in June with the author of the author of “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn (and his team). Also his son, Rip Esselstyn (who works with Forks Over Knives, and Engine 2), will be there. This Cornell course and medical immersion is going to push me out of my comfort zone. They both are going to begin to prepare me to teach as a plant-based educator in 2019. 

I pay attention to what shows up in my life (people, the types of conversations that organically happen, where my mind rests when it's not busy or worried). One of the things that comes, up over and over again, is having conversations about health and eating a whole food plant-based diet. People are curious. They find out I'm a vegan and have a bunch of questions; all of the questions are positive. I think for a number of reasons: awareness that our planet and ocean resources are in trouble (partly because of the livestock industry); people are getting older and they are having real health issues that are not going away by the 'moderate' or 'fad' diets they have been eating through the years; people are genuinely worried about how much time they have left and want to know if they can reverse some of the diseases in their bodies. Many of them want to get off their diabetes, high blood pressure or cholesterol medication. Many of the conversations I have are people curious how to just add more enjoyable plant-based meals to their menus. They wonder if it's possible to really heal their sick bodies. They saw the Forks Over Knives and What The Health documentaries on Netflix and wonder if I can recommend any good books or recipe websites or doctors. I love these conversations. I could talk about the planet, animals, and healing foods all day long. 

What I'm not getting anymore is pushback starting with uninformed questions like 'where do you get your protein?' or know-it-all comments of 'I read an article that said that vegans are not healthy." Those conversations drove us nuts. Nobody questioned us for 50 years when we ate the typical fast-food diet that is completely absent of nutrition, and is a sure prescription for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks, and cancer. Now all of a sudden they are worried we're going to have protein deficiency and land in the hospital. 

I am happy that I don't have to have all the answers. My love is simply resourcing people. I'd rather point them in the direction of the top plant-based doctors in the country. They are the experts. I'm not. But I do have a passion for healing our planet, our bodies, being kinder to animals, and eating high vibrational foods that give you energy. And, after two years, I genuinely love eating this way and feel good. That should count for something. 

I've been blessed to be friends with the creator of Brand New Vegan, Chuck Underwood the last few years too. Rich and I would not be where we are in our ability to change our health or sustain our whole food plant-based eating with out BNV. Chuck and I are teaming up to create a remote coaching course for those that are brand new vegans in the BNV Community. If someone is a brand new vegan, they can have some personal support and feedback. This is all in the works and on paper right now. But it gets me excited to get up out of bed to think about how we can help brand new vegans eat healthy, establish a whole plant-based lifestyle....and sustain it. And in my own personal practice, I'm thrilled that a coaching program can support my new clients who also want to eat wiser as well as move and breathe with more ease.

I took my blood sugar this morning. It was mid-70s. This is incredible because I was one point away from being a diabetic two years ago. Getting off meat and dairy and saturated fat is healing my blood glucose receptors to metabolize blood sugar levels. My liver is still healing (probably my pancreas too)...but slowly. But my kidneys are doing great.

Also this January I did something that scared me shitless. I went to a program on snakes. My fear of snakes is legendary.

A friend told me about this snake program in town. At first, I was like, "OH hell no!" It was funny as many of my new friends and I processed our primal fear of snakes on a Facebook post. But for days, I had this little voice inside of me that said, "You should really go to that snake program." That little voice has guided me for years. It also pisses me off because it asks me to do scary things like reach out to people that I've hurt, or give someone another chance because of grace, take a risk and move across the country, and go to a snake program to BEGIN to face my fear.

At first, I thought it would be a Power Point program by the park rangers from the local community. I learned a few days later they would have lives snakes. REAL snakes in the room--like snakes on a plane. I shivered just thinking about it. Okay, they wouldn't be loose, but my irrational fears had already visualized that program going south quickly. I wanted to bail out of going but knew for some reason I needed to be there. The inner Kim that's brave was like, "Suck it up, you're going!" I brought Rich with me to hold my hand, or pick me up if I fainted.

About eight of my new friends also showed up. We didn't all sit together but knew we were there. We smiled at each other. Gave nervous looks before the program started. They all knew I was scared to be there.

The ranger picked the first tied up cotton bag up out of the bin. He pulled out the thick black snake out of the bag It was about 5 feet long. The snake began to slither and curl around the ranger’s arm and hands, and just at that very moment, without me knowing it, my friend, Nancy, came up behind me to be supportive and put both of her hands on my shoulders. I screamed like a teenage girl in a slasher movie and flew out of my chair. I'm not sure, but I think I may have knocked some people out of the way? It happened so fast. Everyone in the room turned around. I was crying and had to be coaxed back to my seat. My friends cried out, "Kim, touch the snake. You gotta touch the snake." I felt like I was 5 years old. But I touched the snake. It was really soft. And dare I say, it was pretty. I was able to regain my composure. More snakes came out of their cotton bags. The rangers walked around the crowded room to let everyone who wanted to, touch the non-venomous snakes. I'd recoil as soon as they got close to me. But miraculously, I found the courage to touch each one. That 'inner intuitive voice' had a plan all along.

I touched 3 snakes. ME! I touched 3 snakes. It was the first time, in my three years living in Florida, that I didn't go to sleep worried about seeing a snake show up in my dreams. Yeah, the phobia was that bad. Baby steps! 

I've since researched online the six venomous snakes in Florida (before this snake talk, I couldn't even watch the Harry Potter snake scene let alone go online to look at venomous snake pictures.) We only have to memorize those six venomous snakes. The others are not too much to worry about--thank God.

When things are not working, it's easy to be negative and feel hopeless. When nothing is going right we wanna reach for the chocolate chip vegan ice cream at 11:45pm. (Not that I have any experience with eating freezer-burn ice cream out of desperation just for that dopamine hit that lasts until 11:46pm with the self-loathing kicking in about 11:47pm).   

Our Government is also not working. The 35-day shutdown is over (for now) but it made a helluva mess. Once again, the political stances put people on polarizing opposite ends of defending a position. It hit me relationally again too. It's hard to listen and understand via social media. It's even harder when you lump people in groups and suspect them of disrespect and wrong thinking just for disagreeing or having an opinion. We have to press-on and seek to heal and learn from one another via dialogue versus one-sided debate. I don't know how much more our country can take? I don't know how much more I can take having relationships that have been so altered because of politics. It crushes me. I may have to just ride out the next two years as if we are in a permanent polar vortex. Maybe in a few years, people will remember that they love each other more then they love being right? Maybe in a few years, people will see where they misspoke and own it? Maybe they will see how they pushed people away? Maybe we will all have learned a thing or two about ourselves? Maybe we'll evolve because we're so sick of the state of our Union and the state of many relationships?

Vertigo it's a real thing. It's random though. It feels like I've been drinking too much wine. Kinda have to ride that out too when it happens. 

Insomnia it's a real thing too. My new record is only 3 hours of sleep a night for no damn good reason  other than it's Thursday.  

My back went out on an off for most of this month. It was so frustrating. I could walk one day, then I'd be horizontal for 3 days. If I rode my bike, I always paid the price. I ignored those signals because I told myself it was worth a little pain in the moment if I could still go for a bike ride. How dumb is that? I had flashbacks to 2005 when I was down for three months and couldn't work. I got to know my chiropractor so well, he asked me to come work for him when I got better. 

I'd try everything at my disposal: ice, yoga therapy, heat, hot baths infused with CBD, slow walks, massage, fascia blaster treatments. I don't know if it was physiological or truly a food miracle, but turmeric capsules a few times a day does wonders for inflammation. Maybe it was just the healing factor of time? I'm hoping it lasts. 

For the first time in 40 years, I hit someone's parked car (pretty good dent, too).  I looked to the right but not to the left. I should have known better. I've never had an accident where I was driving before. I was on the phone. Distracted. It's a cardinal rule of mine not to use the phone while driving---I try hard not to break it. I’m grateful nobody was in the other car. The only thing that really got hurt was my pride. Thankfully, our car insurance covered liability; costs of repair for the other person will be taken care of. We will have to pay $500 out of pocked for our deductible and get our own rental car. 

Also, my 55-year old teeth have a shelf-life.  I have a mouthful of teeth that are cracked; teeth that won't last until I'm 60yrs old. They have finally come to their end. Sensodyne Rapid Relief doesn't work anymore. (BTW-did you know there are over 21 different types of Sensodyne Toothpaste?) I had my first root-canal and crown last year. That cost was $3000. However, it didn't work. So the tooth had to be extracted with a bone graph. That surgery cost $2000. I still have to have the implant put in when the bone heals in five months. The implant will cost $3000. Then, I have to have another new crown with an abutment. That should cost about $1000. So this one damn tooth, is about $8000-9000 dollars. My dentist was kind enough to give me a break on the crown and said he'd whiten my teeth for free because he felt so bad about it. We don't have traditional dental insurance. What we have to pay for dental work keeps me from seeing other doctors to figure out why I have vertigo or Insomnia, or going back to the Chiropractor again. The cost of dental work in America is NOT working. My friend went to Mexico and got a bunch of teeth done for $1500. I could have done the same thing and had a vacation. This is just ONE tooth out of many in my head that has to be replaced. I can't even wrap my brain around the cost of all my future dental work or being toothless at my age.  

The only upside of dental surgery is that I spent a few days on the couch, in my jammies, watching Netflix, and being waited on like the Queen of Sheba by my wonderful husband. Buddha would not leave my side either. I'm blessed. 

January has been noted. Lots of special moments were experienced. The less desirable things that happened are relatively minor in the grand-scheme of life. We are one month into the New Year 2019. I hope better days are ahead for all of us (especially people going through severe hardships). But we don't know what the future holds; it will probably be a mixed bag of both good and difficult. Right now, I'm sitting on the couch. I'm still in my PJ’s. In this moment, my jaw hurts like hell. But my back feels great. Go figure?