Time for me to walk the talk.

Here's your chance to observe, through photos, the innate healing wisdom of my body at work.
This past Friday morning I sustained a serious gash to my lower left leg.(See photo below.) My loving son hastened to my side with our large first aid kit. (Well..OK...he didn't exactly hasten.) I chose not to use anything from the first aid kit. He also told me I should go to urgent care and get stitches. I never even considered it.

I don't need any of that to heal. As I have said before, our bodies have an incredible capacity for self healing. This wound gives me a great opportuniy to use my own body to illustrate the point. I took the picture below about two hours after the injury. Each week for the next few weeks, and then every few weeks thereafter, I will post an updated picture so you can see the healing progress.

Here's the story behind the cut: As I was shaving on Friday morning, my cat, Angel, was on the counter drinking out of a heavy pyrex bowl that I keep on the counter for her to drink from. She likes pushing the bowl around on the counter with her paws and has never knocked it off of the counter. Until Friday. The bowl came down with a crash and broke into several large pieces, one of which carved a nice new groove into my leg.

I have not used anything external to treat the injury. I didn't scrub it out; I let it bleed for awhile to cleanse itself. I didn't use any antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment, aloe vera, tea tree oil or anything of the sort. None of that is as powerful as Nature's design. I did apply some of my own saliva to the wound. Saliva contains a protein called secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) which has anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and other healing properties. (Why do you think animals lick their wounds?) In fact, if I could, I would lick it. I usually do that for cuts and scratches. But for me to lick this one -- on my lower leg -- I'd need to do a bit more yoga.

I invite you to follow me on this healing journey. You will see first hand that the innate wisdom of the human body -- unassisted -- is brilliant!

If we are to have peace on Earth, we must first make peace with our own bodies.

This weekend we will celebrate Memorial Day, honoring the countless thousands Americans who have fallen in war. Tragic losses – all of them. Many decry war and feel that we should work toward peaceful solutions to conflict. But, realistically, can we have peace on earth when we are all fighting within ourselves? How many times have you said something like, “I’m fighting off a cold.” If we’re fighting ourselves, is it any wonder that we fight within our families…faiths…nations…?

The truth is that when you have a cold, your body is not fighting anything. What is happening is that your immune system is keeping you in harmony with your environment. Any health challenge, be it a cold or a chronic disease, is an opportunity for growth. When we understand that philosophy -- when we treat our selves with love and reverence -- then it becomes easier to embrace the idea that differences between people can be an opportunity for deeper understanding and love.

Love yourself; love your process. Peace will grow from there.

Happy birthday...

...to me!

I'm 50!

And life just keeps getting better!!!

You have infinite potential -- accept it!

We all have infinite potential. All of us. But for many people, there’s one thing that gets in the way of actually realizing that potential.

Ourselves!

In my last blog entry I mentioned that challenges in life present an opportunity for a “creative expansion” in our lives. Most – maybe even all – of the growth we experience in life comes as a result of rising to the challenges that life presents. But to experience any growth and evolution, we must first do one thing:

We must accept the challenge!

To accept a challenge is to embrace our potential. But accepting a challenge is often difficult because it necessitates a change. It takes us out of our comfort zone, and that can be scary even though we may not necessarily like the comfort zone we’re in. For many of us, it feels safer to just accept the status quo and feel that there’s no way out.

The truth is that, regardless of our circumstances in life, we always have the potential to change them. It takes time and effort – sometimes a lot of time and effort – but we can always make positive changes in our life. When we rise to the challenges that life presents us, we begin to realize the infinite potential that we all have.

Embrace your own breathtaking, infinite potential!

Just Love Yourself!

I have a disease.

At least that’s how I thought for many years. After all, that’s what the doctors all told me. And I had the pain to prove it!

The truth is, and always has been, that I am a uniquely beautiful and perfect expression of The Divine. So are you!

Often when we experience pain and disease we rush to judgment against ourselves. We see our new challenge as something that is wrong – that needs to be fixed – something we need to fight. Remember that such experiences are not something external; they are an integral aspect of us. When we try to fight them, we are only fighting ourselves.

Rather than fight or try to “fix” yourself, just love yourself. It’s OK to seek medical care if that’s what seems right for you. Listen to your doctors, embrace what calls out you, ignore what doesn’t. Whatever decision you make, make it from a place of self love.

When we operate from self love, health challenges become an opportunity for creative expansion in our lives – life changes of our own design that open new doors and lead to positive new experiences. In my case, I was called into the healing arts. And facing my challenges has even made possible my current foray into endurance sports. Years ago, before I was diagnosed with arthritis, I never would have considered such craziness. Now, despite years of pain, I'm within two months of running my first Ironman.

Loving yourself goes deeper than accepting yourself. Just love yourself without feeling the need to accept or reject anything. And just loving yourself is more than loving yourself “just the way you are.” Just love yourself without regard to what you are, were, or might someday be.

Just love yourself!