just jump in!

This summer, when we were in Nova Scotia, I realized how important it is for me to be around water. I grew up in a part of Canada that is surrounded by water. I learned to swim in the ocean. I learned to skate on a pond. And I learned to paddle a canoe on a lake. All within walking distance of my childhood home. And at the end of our street was an oceanside park where I would go and look out to sea whenever I was stressed-out. When my husband and I visit our hometown province, we now stay at my in-laws' cottage on a beautiful lake in the centre of the province - and our kids think of it as their second home. This summer my mother-in-law started calling my daughter a mermaid cause she was constantly in the water, which is what I was like as a kid. And of course my first thought was, "I 'need' the mermaid charm!" (even though people think it looks like the mermaid from Starbucks). But first I would "need" to figure out a way to "earn" it. I remembered how much I enjoyed swimming in the lake too, so I decided I needed to be in the water more - it's therapeutic for me.

 

So I decided to just jump in and give it a try! I set myself a goal for September, to try one different water fitness activity every week for four weeks. The first one was aqua yoga which was A M A Z I N G! It was in a small pool with warm water and dim lights - we even did the corpse pose at the end, lying on pool noodles. Then I tried a Friday morning class, where I was the only person under 60, but it was a great workout, without too much impact, and I discovered that I love stretching in the water. I tried a weekend TMC (Total Muscle Conditioning) class which was very tough; but I could work at my own pace. And the best part is that nobody except the intructor can see what you are - or are NOT - doing under water. And finally today I tried a Wednesday morning class and discovered what you do with those foam "dumbells" - and how challenging they could be! I think I will be feeling the effects in my arms tomorrow! So, mission accomplished! Gradually trying just one new activity a week, without expecting to go three days a week right off the bat, made it feel manageable. And, as always, earning a Pandora charm was a good motvation. Now I plan to continue doing the Wed and Fri morning classes, as well as the Sunday afternoon aquayoga. I even have some friends who will join me, which REALLY helps with exercise adhernce. Next up is an eight-week challenge to earn some faceted muranos and a few more charms for my "Gifs from the Sea" bracelet. Anyone care to join me?

like kissing your sister?

One of the things that is central to my health is a healthy marriage and emotional support from my husband.  So I wanted to share a bracelet that represents my marriage.

My husband and I met in September 1982 when we were both frosh at Mount Allison University.  We each had a boyfriend and girlfriend but we went to some semi-formal dances together – as “just friends.”  In our third year we dated but broke up when Mike said that kissing me was like kissing his sister!  Years later he explained that at the time he didn’t understand how he could feel so close to someone – have them feel like family – but also be attracted to them.  His 20-something-year-old brain couldn’t contend with those conflicting emotions.  I remember at the time telling a friend that I believed we were meant for each other, and that we would get back together if we both ended up in the same place at the same time.  Sure enough, when I got a job in Ottawa after graduating with my second degree, I called Mike and asked if he knew of a place to live, and as fate would have it, one of his roommates had just moved out.  It was not long before we were more than “just roommates,” and moved into our own apartment that summer, 23 years ago.  The charms on my “Always and Forever” bracelet tell the rest of the story. Each charm represents an important reminder of what keeps us happy and keeps our marriage healthy.

treasured hearts

The last five years have been very difficult with my health, in addition to grieving the loss of both my mother and father, and battling an eating disorder and depression.  This retired genesis dangle can be seen to represent the womb with a growing fetus, and for me it is very significant. This is the beginning of my “Treasured Hearts” bracelet.

 

 

In 2009 I started to experience uterine hemorrhaging so severe that it was incapacitating.  It was very isolating for me and I was not getting any exercise, both of which wreak havoc with depression.  This went on for two years and my iron got lower and lower, I got weaker and weaker, and more and more tired, while my fitness level and mood kept falling.  I could barely walk up the most gentle slope.

 

After two years of procedures, including ultrasounds and numerous biopsies, it was discovered that I had developed a condition, similar to endometriosis, where the lining of the uterus grows INTO the wall of the uterus, causing pain and severe bleeding.

 

At the same time that all this was happening I developed a DVT (deep vein thrombosis) – a blood clot – and had to immediately go on blood thinners. It was pretty scary because a blood clot can travel to your lungs, heart or brain.  And the reason people get blood clots, usually, is bed rest, surgery, a broken bone, or cancer – and since I hadn’t had a broken bone or surgery they had to investigate cancer.  And of course having hemorrhaging and being on blood thinners was a bad combo.
 

It turns out that the DVT was due to an autoimmune condition, similar to Lupus, which increases the risk of blood clots in both veins and arteries – so I will be on blood thinners indefinitely.  This condition is one of the causes of multiple miscarriages in some women, and with it I would not be able to have children.  Luckily I already have 11-year-old boy-girl twins and was quite content to stop there.  So this genesis dangle for me represents my gratitude for my “girlie parts”!  Gratitude for coming through these health challenges with all my parts intact, even if I am done with them, thank you very much.  And of course gratitude to this “belly” which allowed me to carry my two “treasured hearts” for 38 weeks!

A fresh start in a New Year

Gong Hey Fat Choy! “Wishing you a prosperous New Year.”  I know, I know, I am a little early for Chinese New Year (Feb 10).  But I am celebrating the fact that we are free of debt! Yup you read it correctly NO MORE DEBT!!

My husband and I worked very hard, together, over the last 5 years, to pay off ALL of our debts. I’ve been saving this charm since I bought it on the Pandora’s Angels page because I knew that this “unforgettable moment” was coming up at the end of December.  And I thought that this accomplishment warranted a charm – of course!  Financial problems were a huge issue in my mother’s marriage, and hence in my childhood and beyond.  So I am very happy – no proud – to put this charm on my love and marriage bracelet to signify that “we are financially responsible.”  We did it – together!

This charm called the “hong bao” is like the Pandora “money bags” charm with the Chinese character for “blessings and good fortune” or “abundance.”  The term “hong bao”, meaning “red packet”, refers to the Chinese tradition of adults giving children little red paper envelopes filled with money.  According to the China Folklore Society the original meaning of the envelope ritual is a New Year blessing passed from the old to the young, and the “lucky money” inside a hong bao can ward off evil spirits and maintain children in peace and safety for a whole year.  It seems appropriate to have this charm on my RED “Always and Forever” bracelet because the red colour of the hong bao envelopes symbolizes good luck, and the giving of money signifies a fresh start in the New Year.

With our debts paid off we are making a fresh start, celebrating our ability to “maintain our children in peace and safety,” and welcoming good fortune and abundance.

My children go to a multicultural urban school and have learned a song that they sing for Chinese New Year.  So when I say Gong Hey Fat Choy, I am sending New Year’s blessings to all my friends and family, and also sending (as the children’s song explains), “wishes of happiness… longevity… good marriages... and prosperity.”