“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.” ~Hippocrates 

As I prepare to embark on my bi-annual detox tomorrow I am of course joyfully preoccupied with health. As an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, and one who has had a passion for health and wellness for thirty-seven years, I am excited to see the world beginning to wake up to the reality that we have to change our relationship with the Healthcare System. It is time for the “Individual” to be proactive and aware, while having a system that offers knowledge, support, encouragement, and “how to”. Hippocrates shared the interconnected truth about our health and well- being (https://www.biography.com/people/hippocrates-082216). It is amazing to me that we still struggle to hear the truth of such teachings centuries later.   

It struck me recently as I looked at our present day Healthcare System that it completely mirrors how we “treat” the individual on the journey with their health/wellness. It is broken, disjointed, separate, disrespectful, demeaning, scary, and overwhelming. I just glance out at our local hospitals and doctors offices, you must go here for your eyes, there for your teeth, to the other side of town for the speciality doc, up ten floors to the Ob/Gyn, down the street for the chiropractor and… Then believe it or not, health is not just about your internal organs and body function, it is also about your mental well being, so don’t forget that you must go somewhere else to see a therapist, take a wellness class, etc.. Last but not least, don’t forget your trip to the gym, yoga center, or…. It is just exhausting to go from one place to the other, much less try to heal your body, mind and spirit in the process.

Why have we not yet made “Healing Campuses” where we can go for all our health needs. A place where west meets east, nature blends with nurture, science embraces spirit, and community supports and educates. It has been a dream of mine for years now to see a place where it all comes together. A community where people learn from each other as much or more then they glean from their doctors. A center where WHOLE BODY, MIND, and SPIRIT is the central theme.

Each and every human is unique in their natural health journey. The one treatment, one diet, one quick fix is not the cure for our unhealthy epidemic. It is instead a dance of individual empowered action, paired with professional knowledge, teaching and community support.

If you have read my “About” for this blog, then you understand “Walking Naked Truth” – a name fueled by my belief that it is our “Naked Truth” to be happy, healthy, and vibrantly whole – “Walking” through life with passion and joyful vibrancy. I have a dream that someday we will all come home to our TRUE INNER HEALTHY HAPPY way of being. Part of that becoming is having a world that shifts its relationship from “treating the symptom, dissecting the body and treating disease through isolation” to honoring the WHOLE BEING as a complete system. I look forward to the shift from “Treatment Centers” to “Healing Campuses”.

It is happening, here are a couple of examples – https://www.parsleyhealth.com/, http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/.

May today be the day you take back your health by becoming interactively engaged in your own journey; taking responsibility and action towards your WHOLE BEING. Hale to a you!!

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

~Eleanor Roosevelt

How many people do you meet that seem to enjoy staying stuck in their old stories? They live their life stagnant and caught on the repeat cycle. Often victims of their own inability to forgive, let go and move into the present moment. Instead of moving into today, they carry around a backpack full of stories, the “life done me wrong” noose.

Now, how many dreamers and optimistic souls do you share time with? How does it feel to spend time with them? These people seem to embrace their moments, glean a powerful personal character through the journey of life. If you listen to them, you hear them connect the dots of discovery via the life experiences. They walk more upright, for they are not burdened with the backpack full of stories.

Now, please understand that I respect our stories, all of them. Our life stories create our uniqueness. Moving us down our individualized path, which formulates how we interact with that which unfolds in our daily life. A challenge can become an opportunity, a painful loss a reminder of the preciousness of our moments, an exalted experience may open new doors, the incredible diversity weaves a beautiful tapestry titled “Your Life”. We are blessed with a spectrum of emotions, all share qualities and value. It all comes down to how we choose to engage in the emotions. Do we bury them, explore them, embrace them, avoid them..? Through the fog of our stories, we are at choice to dream or give up. To pursue or flee. To engage or isolate.

I see dreams as those stories waiting to be written. The blank page awaits with grand excitement for the verbose experience to ignite full imagery . The canvas pants with anticipation, awaiting the inspired brushstrokes full of color and form. The garden lies fertile and ready for the new seeds… The dreamer carries the future in their heart and soul pockets. The negative naysayer may come along and try to steal the seeds, attempting to toss them in the wind. This matters not to the true dreamer, for they have already envisioned their dreams into the reality they can see.

Eleanor Roosevelt seemed to have many seeds in her pocket. A woman who dreamed  the possibilities, then set out to manifest them. I have always found her to be quite  inspiring –http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=33.

May today be graced with seed collecting, recalling to mind, body and spirit the dreams which await your attention. In noticing and remembering your dreams, the heavy stories and burdens seem to fall away, freeing you to lift your arms to soar higher…

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” ~Albert Einstein

When I taught junior high language arts I had one driving wish for all my students, “Never stop asking questions, never stop inquiring into why, what, how, when..!” I am not one who puts up with “Apathy and/or Complacency” well. Personally, I prefer to spend time with people on a passionate exploratory adventure with life. People who question, want to know why, do not accept the status quo, and definitely do not live a life of victimhood and blame.

ap·a·thy  (ăp′ə-thē)

1. Lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference.

2. Lack of emotion or feeling; impassiveness.

com·pla·cen·cy  (kəm-plā′sən-sē)

1. A feeling of contentment or self-satisfaction, especiallywhen coupled with an unawareness of danger, trouble, orcontroversy.

2. An instance of contented self-satisfaction.

I look out onto the world and there are never enough seconds, minutes, or hours in the day to investigate, explore, or experience all the things I am curious about. Each day is this grand opportunity to expand, learn, grow and become even more. I do not limit it to the concrete gaining of knowledge for I completely agree with these wise words from Einstein – “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”

On a walk I might meander in wondering how nature knows so intrinsically how to survive against the onslaught of the human encroachment? How a tree seems to grow out of a rock? What does a leaf feel as it floats down the river with abandon? As I work with clients on endogenous and health growth and expansion, I am fueled by a passion to have them inquire “What would it feel like to live completely and wholly in my full vibrant, passionate, loving self? What is my life dance and how do I share it?” Digging into what holds them back, what keeps them stuck, why are they afraid, why are they living in limitation…

If in our IMAGINATION we used our QUESTIONING to open up into a space of pure euphoria and unlimited creative abilities, what might we each express and share with the world? Isn’t that what “WORLD CHANGERS” have done? They never stopped questioning and they never gave up! Where did this pioneering adventurous spirit go? I rarely meet people who look out onto the horizon with a curiosity. What’s over the next hill? What might I manifest if I try? What could I create if I step towards my dreams? Who might I touch today if I walk with compassion and love?

If someone told me today that I must accept “what is”, that I could not question or use my imagination to dream, my request would be, for them to help me take my last breath. Life is a grand pilgrimage, a passionate journey, an infinite exploration of potential possibilities and endless expansion. Why would one ever want to stop asking questions? Why would you ever stop imagining?

May today be a day full of curious questioning. A day engulfed by your imagination and sensory delight – the dance of “What If” and “Anything is Possible”…

“The person who has lived the most is not the one with the most years but the one with the richest experiences.”  ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Years ago, during one of the many times I went back to college, I discovered Rousseau in a Communications class. I loved this class, for I got the privilege to explore some of the great philosophers of our time. I had never heard of Rousseau prior to that, he was not as well known as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes…. However, the minute I started to read and explore his wisdom, I became engrossed. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Jacques_Rousseau, http://www.iep.utm.edu/rousseau/)

Rousseau was a major influencer during the Enlightenment period of eighteenth century Europe. He has been blamed for being pivotal in creating the undercurrent for the French Revolution. A man who questioned “advancements” and the loss of “community”. He also explored the truth of nature and humanities disconnect from it. Of course I could go on and on about him, however, we are here to look at the quote.

Read the above quote again. What does it make you think about and feel? For me, personally, it holds great truth, for when I sit to view and reflect upon my life, what is called to mind, heart and soul are the rich experiences, the touching memories. I embark on my every day as an opportunity to create more, to be open to the miraculous, to curiously be aware and present, for you never know what might gloriously unfold and become. Living this way, makes life quite the adventure. When I lie down at night to close my eyes, I smile at the sweet moments from the day, moments in which true connection were made. Laughter was shared. Complete presence in the gifted moment was indulged. In being present I am not stuck in my past or worrying about my future, I am here, now. As I drift off into the world of dreams, I breathe joyfully deep into the wonder of my waking time, for not a day goes by that I have not been touched by the infinite way life weaves it’s tapestry of grace.

As you go forth today, may you be open to the “Rich Experiences”! Become aware of your presence and what that co-creates when you engage in it…

“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

~Nelson Mandela

Today I present two quotes by a man who role modeled and lived the words he spoke. I gain great comfort on this day from his words, for there are those days that you question yourself, “Am I on the right path?”, ‘’Will something finally come together, so that the climb is not so challenging?”, “Can I find the stamina to continue the swim upstream?”

I read his words and I smile. I think about his life and I am overwhelmed with gratitude, for my life and path are easy compared to this great man. I pray it does not take me 27 years to achieve my dream, yet if it does so I shall step. For I have traveled the path of “playing small”, of “settling for a life that is less than the one I am capable of living” and now I have chosen to come back home to the path FULL of PASSION, the one that says “I’m Possible – not Impossible”!

We all have a gift to share, a dance to present, a song to sing, an idea to soar from the mountaintop. Why would we ever choose to dance someone else’s song or live a life  of robotic pragmatism and dead passion?

Let me ask you some simple questions. Who do you enjoy being around the most, the complaining victim or the passionate dreamer? Who do you like to work for and with, the unhappy disgruntled boss/employer or the happy boss/employer who loves what he or she does? What do you enjoy feeling more, begrudgingly waking to start your day or rising with enthusiasm for what might unfold and become?

As many of you know, my list of diverse employment experiences is LONG! In each and everyone of those opportunities I have been at choice each day, “How will I show up today?” “Will I share the best of me?” “Will I “play BIG” no matter the job?” Life is this glorious journey, full of valleys and hills, dark and light moments, rise and fall – in all of it we are CHOICE with how we react and then how we learn, grow, and take our next step.

I could go on and on about these two quotes, for they are profound in their wisdom offering. However, my day calls me forth and I know your time is limited too, so I shall kindly invite you to read the quotes again. Feel them! Hear them! And more importantly really ask yourself, “With this ONE life I get to journey, how am I CHOOSING to walk and be in it?”

Today is FULL of POSSIBILITIES and OPPORTUNITIES to play PASSIONATELY BIG!!

“Life is Not Measured by the Number of Breaths we Take, But by the Moments that Take our Breath Away”  ~Unknown

The above quote was sent to me by a dear friend. It is a powerful one to contemplate. I read it, close my eyes to reflect and feel into those moments that have taken my breath away. I smile as I sweetly remember my first true love, getting on the plane to go overseas for the first time, the birth of my children, sooo…many Big moments that caught my breath. However, there are many glorious small moments, that like butterfly wings touch the heart and soul, remaining etched in the memory bank of life.

In thinking about this quote I feel immense gratitude, for my life has been full of moments when my breath was taken, halted or stilled for a time. I love standing on a mountaintop to feel the wind against my skin, twisting and turning my hair in a dance. Nothing is more exhilarating and breathtaking than a skinny dip in a secluded mountain lake with no one there, just you and the nature that swaddles you. Looking at a new art piece my daughter has created, watching my son on the stage during a performance, a tender kiss with an intimate partner…. The list is glorious.

In the crazy chaos of our world today, I often worry that many people have forgotten how to feel the wind in their hair, enjoy the laughter of their children, truly connect with their partner, experience the awe of the setting sun or rising moon. I experience people looking to the computer, television, or phone to live a vicarious life, to watch for “moments” upon a screen. I wonder how many get missed in their own life through this distraction?

It is my dream that we do not forget the pure grace of such precious moments. For they truly are the things we carry tightly within our hearts, minds, and souls. When I worked in the nursing home, it was these breathless experiences that filled the patients stories. Their eyes would light up, their voice would rise, and a certain gaiety would embody them. I don’t know about you, but for me, when I am taking my last breaths, I intend to be smiling about all the moments that took my breath away throughout the years.

What are some of your moments? As you think about them, do they make you smile and think of even more?  I hope today’s quote reminds you to notice, be aware and help to co-create such breath taking moments.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

I would be extremely remiss, if I did not share this quote, for it is one that has guided me for as far back as I can remember. Plus, it is from one of my hero’s who inspires me immensely. Being the “Change” is not always easy, it can often be quite challenging. The other reason I share it today, is that it’s my son’s 19th Birthday, the perfect day to share a quote that I have watched him embody since he was a child. At four years old I found him bagging granola for the homeless, we had not even talked about homeless people, he just knew. I have been blessed to watch him treat others as he wishes to be treated, stand in his truth when it was not easy and struggle when he feels his actions may not be what someone else wants him to do.

Why do I love this quote so? For me personally it summarizes and invokes the one thing we can ALWAYS do and be, “The Change We Wish To See In The World”. We cannot change another person, we can only change ourselves. If we “Do as I say, not as I do”, our credibility is completely nonexistent. Who wants to follow that type of role model, not I.

As a parent this quote was HUGE for me. How can I ask my children to “go for it”, if I am not willing to? How can I encourage them to dream, if they do not hear and see me going after my dreams? Who am I if I share with them to forgive, when I myself cannot forgive? What truth can I expect from them, if I cannot personally be open and share my REAL TRUTH with them? How can I expect them to be funny, light, silly, and full of life, if I myself do not embody such actions?

The awareness that I must be the change I wish to see in the world has played in my heart, mind, and soul throughout my life. As a junior high teacher, oh my!! They are smart, they are watching, they are observing to see if you “walk your talk” – you better believe I stand up to embody what I teach and admit with truth the times I fall down.  As a manager, as a salesperson, as a caregiver, as an optical specialist, etc.., it does not matter what I do, how I do it and show up is what gets noticed, it impacts everyone.

For me this one simple line shares the most profound truth. If we all choose to be the change we wish to see in the world, what might happen? Do you tell others to do something you yourself will not do? Do you ask your children to behave a particular way that you are not willing to be? Here is a big one, do you look out at others living a life you wish you were living, yet you are not willing to take action steps towards manifesting that for yourself? Is it everyone else’s fault that your life is the way it is, you expect it to all change, yet you will not change yourself?

A seed does not grow without changing. An author does not become published without writing. One does not become a dancer by only watching. The canvas of your life is what you paint it to be. How do you want the world to be? Are you being that?

May today be full of joyful embodiment of that which you dream possible, even in the sweet small moments.

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” 

― Henry David Thoreau, Walden

My son and I watched “Dead Poets Society” the other night, for him it was the first time, for me, it had been years and I had forgotten so much of it. This quote was mentioned a few times in the movie, it is one I have contemplated for years now. There are many Thoreau quotes I enjoy, for while they are old, they are poignantly applicable.

Desperation is an intense word. Defined as – des•per•a•tion 

1. the state of being desperate or of having the recklessness of despair.

Despair hangs like an empty noose with no hope. Defined as – de·spair

1. 1.
the complete loss or absence of hope.“driven to despair, he throws himself under a train”

verb

1. 1.
lose or be without hope.

As you look around your world, how many people do you observe living a life of quiet desperation? How many do you see walking a life of passion, purpose, contentment, love? Where do sit on this pendulum, the bar graph of life. Within this quote I see the opportunity to explore deeper the “meaning of life”. What is the space of happiness, contentment, joy, peace, love, gratitude. Where does it all sprout from? Why do the majority seem to choose and beckon a life of quiet discontent, sinking into despair.

Taking a peek at the movie I mention above, I think about Robin Williams the main character and wonder why? Why did he take his life. He was a man who seemed to have everything, who brought immense joy to so many, why? When did his life sink into quiet desperation? Things outside of us do not lift us up, it is that which resides from within that lifts us, carries us, and guides us.

As we step into our third day of the New Year, it is a great time to explore. What shall you encourage to expand and become? What do you desire to nurture and care for? How do you want to walk within that which is, for only you can make that decision? Will this be a year of quiet desperation or joyful love or? Will it be a dance or crawl, a combination of all, as you navigate the terrain?

As you go forth today, it is my hope that your day shall be full of quiet curiosity, inquisitive reflection, and probing questioning.

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Walt Disney

I like this one, it is fun to ponder and think about. Look around you right now. Take in the objects that adorn your space, your home, car, the things you do. How many of these things would exist if someone had not believed in creating the “impossible”? What about those of us that live in the United States, would we be here today if people before us had not believed in a far off land? After all the earth was flat!

What about how you are getting this blog entry within seconds of me hitting publish, no matter where you live? Hmmm…, I wonder how that possibility came to be? The car you drive, or the public transportation you ride in, where did that creation come from? I could go on and on, for that which exist came from someone’s imagination. Thank goodness for those who do not see limitation, but instead see unlimited possibilities!! The dreamers who do not listen to the naysayers, instead they keep trying and believing in the “impossible”.

I personally love stories about people like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Amelia Earhart, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Stephen Poplawski, probably don’t even know who he is, yet his invention is one you likely use – the blender (https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-blender-4077283). It is not just believing in the impossible for invented items, it is also the faith in the impossible for “ways of being”, people like Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., check out these people – https://www.powtoon.com/blog/23-most-inspiring-people-alive/ (read #3 and #8).

Is there a dream you have tucked up your sleeve? Are you afraid to believe it might come true. Life is definitely a vast wonderland when we believe we can do and be anything we desire. If everyone followed along baaaaa baaa baaaing…with the flock, where would we be today? The other glorious thing I love about people is that our dreams are diverse, the passions we enjoy come in all shapes and expressions! Isn’t it awesome how endless it is?! For me personally, it is about going after the life you wish to live and then being in it fully with passion. This dream may be to have a small organic farm, create the best french fry, travel the world, have a family, live in the country, become a bodybuilder, the possibilities go on forever. YOU are the author of your life story, the painter of your life canvas, the composer of your life song, the photographer of your life image!

I ask you today, “If there was one impossible thing you could go after, what would it be?” It is a New Year, it is a New Day, it is a New Moment! I can’t wait to see your “IMPOSSIBLE” or better stated, “I’M POSSIBLE”.

Send me your quotes – walkingnakedtruth@gmail.com or comment below.

New Year’s Day 2018 Quote

“Just imagine becoming the way you used to be as a very young child, before you understood the meaning of any word, before opinions took over your mind. The real you is loving, joyful, and free. The real you is just like a flower, just like the wind, just like the ocean, just like the sun.” ~Don Miguel Ruiz

This is my dream for everyone, no matter their demographics!! Close your eyes, get very quiet within yourself, breathe deeply into your belly and call into your minds eye the innocent child you once were. Look at that amazing young person, the little boy or girl who used to run, dance, pretend, sing, play and find joy in the simplest of things. Feel that child, really look into their eyes, do they know and remember you? Do you know and remember them?

What did that child dream? Have you reached for the stars they believed could be touched? Have you forgotten how to laugh as they did? Are you still as fearless and open? Do you love as they did with trust and full on excitement?

As you sit with your inner child, allow yourself to feel their thoughts, their curiosity, their spontaneous joy and wonder. Remember how you could feel everything, sad, mad, happy, silly, crazy, wild, quiet… the emotions did not stay stuck within you to become blame or victim, they moved through you like the passing wind. Like the flower sometimes you bloomed full and extraordinary, other days you stayed tight in the bud, absorbing and watching.

When asked a question, you immediately responded with what was true for you. You did not get lost in thought about it needing to be right or wrong, your truth was your truth. It came from the pure gut place of your inner being.

What would happen in your life if you invited your inner child to become a part of your daily life? Would your son catch you dancing and singing in the kitchen while making dinner as mine did last night? Would you laugh loud at a restaurant and have people look at you? Would you dance in your chair at a movie theater while watching a great musical? Maybe you would sing loud and not care if anyone heard? Perhaps you would engage in a water fight, a bubble blowing contest, hide-n-seek.., the fun possibilities are endless.

I conclude by querying you, what if you could  “become the way you used to be as a very young child” – how would your daily engagements change, what would the ripple effect be, how might everything shift?

Happy New Year Everyone!! May this year be full of child-like PLAY, WONDER, LOVE and ADVENTURE.

Would love to hear your thoughts about today’s quotes and of course keep sending me your quotes (email walkingnakedtruth@gmail.com, put Quote in the Subject heading), today is day 1 of 2018, lots of quotes yet to be explored!!