Category: Yoga

Do you think before you speak or do you just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind?

I happen to be one of those people who do think before I speak, especially in this world of political correctness (eye roll). Nowadays it seems like if you fart and the wind blows it the wrong way somebody is either offended or wants to sue you. It’s getting to the point where you have to be careful even with a compliment cause that can offend somebody too!  Anyway, I’m old enough to know better & young people have the excuse of youth & inexperience but I don’t give them too much room for lenience.

What about people in the public eye or celebrities? They have a forum and the one thing that gets under my skin is when they say something stupid (in today’s world) and ONLY when there’s an uproar they “apologize” for it. Really? I say to those people “Grow a damn backbone! If you said it, you obviously meant it and if you didn’t mean it and said it for shits & giggles then you’re a moron. When are adults gonna learn to think before they speak or own what they say?

I’m a big believer of “own your words” if you didn’t mean it then put your big boy or big girl pants on and APOLOGIZE but DO NOT BLAME someone else for your mistakes or use the old “temporary stupidity defense”.  I’m old school & upfront about things and I don’t have the patience for stupidity, sensitivity, political correctness or bullshit in general. Life is too short to be tiptoeing around every last word that comes out of my mouth wondering if anyone’s feelings are gonna be hurt. I’m compassionate, polite, mind my own business and I have common sense. I teach my children to respect their elders & mind their manners. I think I’ve done my job & have been a respectful & contributing member to society.

To everyone else, my suggestion is: if you’re wrong own up to what you didn’t do right. That’s how you learn and earn respect.

When was the last time you tried doing something new?

I’m an introvert & have social anxiety. So being around new people and new social situations makes me feel uneasy. I signed up to be a parent volunteer at my daughters dance school for their big annual show. I’ve never done that before and I don’t really know any of the other moms besides a passing wave or a quick hello after dropping my daughter off at the school.

So I reluctantly wrote my name on the volunteer sheet so that I could get out of this social rut I’ve been in for the past “X years”.  Being a fulltime caretaker for both of my boys (Cancer & Autism) and my elder parents left very little free time in my schedule to socialize.  I always put everyone’s needs ahead of mine (which I don’t have a problem with) but as a result it left me socially inept. The morning of the show I did have a little anxiety but nothing requiring me to take anti-anxiety medication, lol.  I was paired up with another mom and to my surprise it was her first time volunteering as well. She was extremely nice and we got along instantly. After a couple of hours she confessed that she was initially nervous at the thought of working with people she didn’t know and I told her I felt the same. She was stunned because she told me I appeared as cool as a cucumber.  We exchanged phone numbers and said we would contact each other to team up for the next volunteer day.

I am really pleased that I stepped out of my comfort zone to try this new experience. I feel like I’m slowly starting to come out of my shell and I made a new friend in the process. It all goes to show that sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith, let go and be present in the moment.

Trauma permanently changes us. You are scarred for life. There is never getting back to “your old self” again there is just a different you now. You have the choice to decide what kind of “you” you’re going to be. Are you going to be a weaker version of yourself or a stronger model? Healing from trauma happens in different stages and in order to allow those changes to happen you have to be open to it. Each day is a lifetime when you’re recovering from trauma. You have good days and not so good days. But you have to find strength and joy in the good days and embrace them with your whole heart. On the weak days, you reach in to your reserve from the good days and that’s how you get your strength. The joy you felt on your good days is what helps you get through the bad days.

Wear your new life with courage and know you’re not alone. There are millions of trauma survivors out there. Maybe not all your identical story but the goal is still the same….to survive each day and heal. Do not let the damage control your life but make a decision to go forward despite of it. You are not broken, you are different and “different” isn’t a bad word. Nowadays, I wear “different” like a badge because in a lot of ways it’s made me so much stronger. It doesn’t mean I’m not sad, it means I’m learning to control the sadness from the trauma and use it as a strength not a weakness.

Sometimes to heal properly you have to force yourself to turn that page.

I feel like I’m finally turning the corner on my depression. The 1 month anniversary of my sons death passed and it has been the most difficult month of my life but you know what? I survived.

I’m having more good days than bad days and that’s definitely a step in the right direction. What’s helping me is remembering his words a month before his passing. He said “I’m tired of feeling like this” That’s how I’ve been feeling. I’m so tired of feeling sad, hopeless & helpless. The last year of my sons life he did everything he loved to do regardless of his diagnosis or how sick he felt! He did not allow Cancer to get in his way & I decided neither will I.

My son will forever be my hero. He lived the last year of his life on his terms. I decided to take a page out of his book and live each day to the fullest because as cliche’ as it may sound tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us. So why should I live out the remainder of my life in despair when I could be enjoying every moment until the day I join my son again.

Whenever I feel sad I remind myself of his words “I’m tired of feeling like this” and I know he’s no longer suffering or in pain. He’s at peace now and one day we will all be together again. Until then I’m going to make the best of each day just like he did.

This past week has been a tough one for me, emotionally. Next week will make 1 month since my son passed and I’ve been doing everything imaginable to keep myself busy. The moments leading up to his death still find a way of creeping into my head but I realized that I have to learn how to live with those thoughts. The sad thing is he didn’t accept his fate & pass peacefully in his sleep like in the movies. The truth is he was in denial about his illness. The moment the doctor told him there was nothing more they could do except make him comfortable, he begged for his life. He pleaded with the doctor to do something, anything to help him. He fought hard till he took his last breath. That’s something that will haunt me forever.

My husband & I were the only ones that physically cared for him day in and day out for the past year while he was ill. We took him to his bi-weekly chemo appointments and to the hospital in-between those appointments. The nurses taught us how to change his feeding bags that were attached to his body when his body weight was dangerously low. The nurses taught us how to drain his catheters when they were attached to his lungs so he wouldn’t drown in his own fluid. My husband & I had to alternate giving him blood thinner shots because he was in danger of getting blood clots in his lungs. Not to mention the countless times he refused to take his other meds because they tasted terrible & I would plea with him to take it just to find the pills sitting there in the morning. I bargained with my son on a daily basis to take his meds, eat, exercise, rest and do all the things the doctor recommended that would help his treatment work better.

My son was stubborn and if he didn’t want to do something he wouldn’t do it. At one point over the summer, when his treatment was going really well, he refused additional treatment. The oncologist warned him that if he didn’t continue chemo the Cancer would come back with a vengeance. His famous last words “I’ll take my chances”. Oh my naïve son, how foolish you were. Six weeks later he was hospitalized for a month because the Cancer did come back and spread. He learned his lesson and accepted chemo at that point but he was never the same again.

Now, not only do we have to deal with my son’s death but we have to deal with my parents blaming us for not doing enough to help him. Can you imagine that? Not to mention no one volunteered to help us and we also had to care for 2 younger kids (one who is disabled). It’s been an incredibly tough year and we’re still reeling from the blame being placed at our feet for his death. My family also wanted, what I coined as a “Kardashian Funeral” and as a grieving & traumatized mother I wanted a private service. Well I got criticized for that as well. My family wanted to please my son’s social media “friends”. The very friends who threatened to crash the hospital when they found out where he was when he sent his last tweet. But the irony is no one once stopped to ask me how I felt or what I wanted.

The smoke has cleared & now I can see how selfish all these non-involved individuals have been. All these people who were trying to call the shots and go over my head only made cameo appearances in his life when it was convenient for them. Not one time in this past year have they ever called to say “Do you need a break?” “I’ll take him to his next appointment” The only two people that were EVER there for my son when it counted were my husband & I.  Yes the other people loved him but they were non-factors in his medical care.

Sometimes you need time alone to reflect and listen quietly for answers. They say to forget what hurt you but never forget what it taught you. Well my eyes have been peeled wide open.

Always be grateful for the peace you have in your life. It doesn’t mean you have no problems it means you can look past your problems & still feel gratitude for the good. Living your life with a positive outlook is always a good way to start & end your day. The things that happen in between is part of life.

It’s important to count your blessings especially when your day is not going well cause sometimes you need to remind yourself of the positive things. The good is not material, material possessions do not make your life better cause there are people who have it all and are still miserable. The peace you have within is first & foremost and no one can take that away from you. 

Each day that you can open your eyes with peace in your heart you should count as a blessing. 

Do you think before you speak or do you just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind?

I normally think before I speak and if I’m upset I try not to speak at all but a few times in my life I’ve erupted when backed into an emotional corner. It’s not what I said but how I said it. I don’t lie or exaggerate to hurt anyone’s feelings but if I’m angry….really angry I yell & curse and that’s not something I’m proud of, but I’m human.

Everyone makes mistakes and the key is to recognize your mistakes and learn from them. I’ve been working really hard to forgive the people in my life who have hurt me time and time again. A very wise person once told me to remove the toxic people from my life in order to see an improvement in my self worth. What if those people are my parents?

I always thought your parents are supposed to love and protect you? Not mine. My parents have been the center of every drama filled moment of my life. I keep giving them chance after chance and nothing ever changes. This time I’m changing, I’m walking away for the sake of my children. I find it necessary to break that ugly, verbally abusive cycle. I was raised to be respectful, mind my manners and respect my elders but what if the same isn’t being reciprocated? What if you find yourself the center of blame, ridicule & verbal abuse time and time again? Then it’s time to walk away.

If I had a friend who was in a verbally abusive relationship I would advise them to walk away. Just because it’s my parents why should I stick around and take it? It’s about time I take my own advice.

It’s all about self preservation at this point. It’s time I start loving myself again.

Are you satisfied with where you’re at in your life right at this moment? Are you comfortable, getting by or struggling? I don’t mean financially, I mean in general. We all struggle with something, that’s to be expected but are you happy with the choices you’ve made thus far?

Life is totally what you make of it. If you’re not satisfied with where you’re at you should be working towards your goal or have a game plan in mind. You have to prioritize things in your life if their getting in the way of your goals, which means you and only you have to sacrifice. In addition to working towards your goal you should also chose to make yourself happy.

Only you have the power to choose how your day turns out! Do 1 thing every day that makes you smile, happy or laugh. Life is tough but it doesn’t mean you have to be miserable. A bad day doesn’t mean a bad life. Ok, you had a bad day, now what? Do something to cheer yourself up, don’t wait for someone to cheer you up. Cheer yourself up and continue to work towards your end goal.

Think about where you were 10 years ago and think about where you are now. Has there been an improvement? Think about where you want to be 10 years from now. Only you can make it happen.

I think the death of a loved one is the most profound pain you can ever feel. The first week after my son’s passing was the absolute worst but I can assure you it does get easier. The pain lives with me but it’s not as heavy. What’s been hard for me is replaying his last week over and over again in my head. I’ve thought about his last few months & second guessed myself.

Pain is a part of life and you MUST learn from it. My son’s death impacted the gaming community a great deal. The lesson they learned was to go for regular check-ups and to address any strange symptoms. My son ignored all symptoms until the pain got so bad it forced him to go to the Emergency Room.

It’s so easy to lay down & let the pain consume you but I refuse to do that. My younger kids are watching me and my husband is also deeply affected by this. We all get our strength from one another. They say make the most of each day and that holds true for me now more than ever.

So a lesson to everyone: each day you wake up make sure you kiss slow, play hard, forgive quickly, take chances & have no regrets cause you don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

Today my son was finally put to rest. The service was beautiful. Father Dan discussed the story about how Judas betrayed Jesus, which I thought was coincidentally so fitting for all the drama that has taken place since my son’s death. *Maybe this sermon wasn’t a coincidence but a message? He stressed how in life we must pray for those who do us wrong. He said to always have love in your heart because God see’s all & deals with things in his own way. I left todays service with calmness in my heart because I knew my son was at peace & I felt that I was being sent a message. I know my son is looking down at me and smiling because I did right by him.

When people betray you for no good reason it stings at first but there’s nothing you can do about it. You have to learn from every experience whether it’s good or bad. You can’t make someone love you. You can’t make someone be loyal to you. Love & Loyalty comes from the heart & that’s something that has to come naturally.

Jesus continued to love Judas and keep him close until the end even though he knew Judas was enshrouded by darkness. I will not allow the darkness of betrayal to overcome me. I must keep love in my heart because at the end of the day God is the principal actor in what is being played out.

When my son was still in the hospital a priest came to bless him while he was still alive. That priest told me that God has a plan and that one day I’ll understand it. I hold on to those words & hope someday I can figure out the meaning of everything that has taken place this past year.

God has a plan. I will keep my faith strong and my love flowing.