One Day Left...

Good evening! I hope everyone is enjoying their week thus far. I read an interesting article in a magazine today(I don't remember the name of the magazine). It was about doing what you want to do and living life to it's fullest. A doctor conducted a workshop to help people determine what they want to do with their lives. She first asked the students what they would do if they had one year left to live.They answered that they would eat whatever they wanted, travel to places they have never been, never hold back, ect.

What would you do if you had one year left to live? I would go sky diving, try as many chocolate dishes as I could, go deep sea diving, travel the world and be with my family and friends.

After the students had written down what they would do with a year left to live, the doctor asked them to think about what they would do if they had six months left to live. If you had six months left to live, what would you do with the time remaining? I would spend time cooking the things I have never cooked but always wanted to try, sing karaoke with my friends and family, dance until my feet were sore and not care about how silly I looked while I did it, read the books I love and spend time helping others.

After brainstorming what they would do with six months left to live, the doctor asked them to brainstorm what they would do with one month left to live. What would you do with one month? I would make sure my boyfriend knew how much I love him and how thankful I am for everything he has done, I would apologize to all the people I have ever hurt, spend as much time as I could laughing and making others laugh, write a book and dance no matter how silly I looked.

Now, what would you do if you have a week left to live? With one week, I would honestly probably feel pretty depressed about having to leave my boyfriend and cat behind but would try very hard to enjoy the time I had left. I would be sure my boyfriend knew that no one else has ever influenced my life so greatly, and I that I want him to be happy, I would be sure my cat had everything she would need as well, and spend as much time as I possibly could with friends, family and animals. I would dance, and laugh, try to live as stress-free as I possibly could and go camping. I love camping, but never get to do it. There's nothing better then sitting around a camp fire roasting marshmallows and making smores with the people you love. I would sing around that fire, and share stories and memories from the past.

One day left to live: What would you do with it? I would try some of the fruit that I always wanted to try but was too expensive to buy, spend lots of time with my boyfriend, family and cat, and spend the time around a campfire. I would go skinny dipping for fun and dance for the last time. I would be sure the last memory of me was one of joy and love, and nothing negative.

Now, think of everything. Why wait for next week to do something you can do today. You never know how short life is, so take advantage of the time you have TODAY. Tomorrow may not come.

I think this blog has been an entire positive though exercise, so I'm not going to re-write what I already have! Remember, there is no better time than the present!

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Happy Victoria Day Weekend(to those of you in Canada)! I don't normally do anything for the long weekend in May, but this year I did. I spent Saturday with my boyfriend, outside in the gorgeous weather! We went on a long walk, taking the Trans Canada Trail up to Shubie Park and then over to Dartmouth Crossing where we caught Iron Man 2-awesome movie. The picture to the left is a shot from Shubie Park, just thought I would share!

My pain has been absent for the last few days, although my fingers continue to be stiff throughout the day. I am continuing with my daily stretches, and it seems to be helping. My fingers are no where near as difficult to use as they were a week ago! I am sticking to the vegetarian diet, allowing myself to have dairy and eggs for now. I do not eat an abundance of egg or dairy, but allowing myself to have them is making the transition to vegetarian all the easier. I can eliminate them later.

Last night for supper I made a convincing mock-pork with tofu. I tried freezing and thawing the tofu before cooking it and than marinated it in soy sauce, some ketchup and mustard, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, black pepper, chili pepper and dried mustard. While it was marinating, I fried up half an onion and then added the tofu and sauce into the pain and fried it until the outside was crispy and the sauce was cooked in. It had a pork like texture, picture the most tender pork pieces you have ever eaten. We kept expecting to bite into a piece of grizzle, it was so meat-like. My boyfriend said he would consider going vegetarian if I continued to keep this up!


It has been incredibly hot today, reaching 29 Celsius and hovering in the mid 20's as I write this at 8:50pm. It's going to be a long, hot night, followed by rain tomorrow. I don't mind the heat, but this is a little too hot for the end of May!

And the positive thought for today is . . .

Don't knock somthing until you have tried it. You would be surprised to find that you might actually enjoy it.

Happy Victoria Day!

Bacon-like Tofu!

Today has been a little easier, with little pain(although a bit of stiffness). One of the best things I find for stiffness is warm water. I don't have a heat bag or heat pad, so running my hands under the tap with warm water seems to help, or if I hold them in a sink of warm water. Add a little lavender essential oil and you have a pampering, stress and pain removing technique!

I cooked some tofu last night, and although I was a little hesitant about using it in my recipe because of it's spongy texture, I'm happy I used it. I baked sliced tofu for about 20 minutes with some oil, chili flakes and chili pepper. When it was done, I cut the slices up into cubes and tossed it in the frying pan with some bok choy, onion, veggies and soy sauce. I then threw in some cooked rice and some pineapple, lemon juice and a table spoon of teriyaki sauce. When that was mixed together, I spiced it up with curry, chili and mustard powder. It was delicious, and the texture of the tofu was similar to bacon. I will definitely be using tofu again!

Tomorrow looks like it will be a busy day! I'll be getting up early to go hiking with my boyfriend and then be coming home to continue packing. This is my final week to finish packing before the move next week. I should really get to work on it quickly, but I can't pass up the opportunity to go hiking when the sun will be out and the temp will be up to 20 degrees!

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend, I'll try to post a few pictures of the hike!


Oh and I almost forgot, the positive thought for today is . . .

Do something you enjoy. Do it for yourself every day. It is much easier to get through the hard times when you have something positive to turn to or look forward to!

Have a great weekend!

Western Medicine

Today was Day 1 of being red-meat free, and I will be cutting out chicken and turkey in the next few weeks to come. I've been vegetarian before, although it was only for a year. I felt very healthy at that point in my life, and was involved in Yoga, ate lots of fruit and was pretty darn active. I don't remember what my arthritis was like at that time in my life, but I do remember it bothering me while writing, doing dishes, ect.

I made an appointment with my doctor today, and won’t be able to get in until June 14th. That's better than the original date of July 2nd! I am still against going on medication for the arthritis, but am slightly more concerned after talking to my boss's daughter, who has RA in her hands and feet. She told me that not only can RA cause heart disease, but it can also cause cysts on the lungs and other complications. Once I get in to see my doctor, get a check up and a referral to a rheumatologist, I hope to see if it is absolutely necessary to be on medication for this.

I think our idea of healing is all wrong. Why put something into our bodies that is filled with harmful chemicals, throwing the body’s natural healing abilities off course, that only cause more problems in the future? I have RA now, but I sure as heck don’t want liver disease, possible stroke, and other complications all because I put something into my body that was never meant to be there in the first place. Medicine isn’t food. It’s poison. It doesn’t heal us, it hurts us. We have everything we need to heal and live healthy lives right here, we don’t need to swallow pills in order to be healed.

Disease is the body’s way of telling us that something is out of balance. When the mind, body and spirit are balanced, disease is not present, and if it is, it can be healed by spending time with the mind, body and spirit in meditation, proper eating and gentle, loving thoughts. I’m just having trouble getting myself back into balance...it is much easier said than done.

Positive thought for today...

Be good to your body, it's the only one you have.

One Of Those Days...

Please pardon the lack of blogging yesterday, it was "one of those days". For those of you with arthritis, you know what those days are like, days where you are in so much pain that you cannot think of anything except how much you hurt, how much it hurts to move and yet there are still things that need to get done.

It was a little odd, because I had had a wonderful, easy going day with very little pain and than out of no where, with little warning, it started. I had been stiff, but when am I not stiff? Supper still needed to be cooked, so I made a simple casserole dish that required very little work then curled up on the couch and waited for my boyfriend to come home. I hadn't eaten since mid-afternoon, but I wasn't hungry. I didn't want to be touched, and my patience was incredibly thin. So I got myself to have a few bites of food, ran a warm bath with some lavender essential oil and sea salt than laid in bed and watched "Hot Fuzz"-a comedy about a cop who goes to a small town.

This morning I had no pain, but the stiffness was still present so I did a few finger exercises. I was fine for far for most of the day, I had even walked home from work, ran some errands and went to the library for a little bit. Tonight I am in pain again, although no where near the amount I was in last night. My hands are very stiff, particularly my right index finger. I've also been noticing that when my hands become stiff, my skin starts to feel dry, and even though it is soft to the touch, it feels like I need to pile moisturizer onto it. Do you experience any skin irritation or changes when your hands become stiff?

Positive thought for the day(I'll make it a good one since I missed yesterday) :

Arthritis didn't develop in a day, and it will not be cured in a day. Every step we take is another step on the ladder that brings us closer to our goal: to live pain free without the help of medication, to have a cure for arthritis.

Getting Old

It's hard to believe that we are half way through May already. June is fast approaching, and with it comes stress, excitement and a little bit of mystery. My boyfriend and I are moving on June 1st, and there is so much left to do! I have just started packing up some plates and glasses that we do not need out right now, but have so much left to do. I'm at a loss as to what to pack next, there is just so much stuff!

June also brings around my twenty-first birthday. I've been having a lot of trouble with aging lately. I know there is nothing I can do to really stop it, and it's a little silly, but I can't help thinking about what my body will be like five, even ten years down the road. There are days when my body creaks and groans at me, days where I feel like I am much older than my soon-to-be twenty years. To be totally honest, it scares me. It makes me wonder how much strength will be in my hands later on in life when I have children of my own. Will I be in too much pain to hold my own children, to carry them into their beds when they have fallen asleep? Will I not have enough strength in my hands to tie their shoes or button their coats(tasks that I already have trouble with on some days)?

I know this kind of negative thinking will not get me anywhere I need to go, but there are days when the voice of doubt is louder than the voice of reason, hope and strength. I know that I have the power to change my thoughts, and that my body is an amazing healer that does not need the assistance of chemicals or drugs. There are people who have cured themselves of cancer and other diseases without medication. Why should arthritis be any different?

Positive thought for today:

The human body is an amazing healer. It can heal itself if given the right materials: healthy food, positive thinking and exercise.

Laughter

Laughter. One word, one action, yet it can change your day. Laughter was present for most of my day, and I have to admit that what had started out as a "I really don't want to get out of bed" kind of day, turned into a "I'm laughing so much my cheeks are starting to hurt" day.

Tomorrow I will be jumping back into my exercise program in hope of losing this extra 70 pounds. I know I can do it, I just like to see immediate results, and well, you don't always get that with weight loss!

Today's positive thought is:

Love yourself. You are worth it!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!