An Interview, Superwoman and Life Changes

Wow has this been a week! I feel like I have said that a few times before but this one tops them all by far! It truly proves life is a roller coaster filled with ups and downs and to hang on tight and try your best to enjoy the ride. I have given my first interview on my ebook with Nickolove Lovemore a wonderful life coach, I jumped into the street to protect my 5 year old daughter from being hit by a car on her birthday and my husband has just accepted a job five hours away from us so now we will only see him on weekends. And to be technical all of this has happened in the last 5 days!

AN INTERVIEW

I interviewed today with Nickolove who is a really inspirational person herself and who I met through selfgrowth.com. She has her own coaching program which you can learn more about at her Skyline Coaching Blog. She and I got along very well and I can definitely see working with her more in the future. It was wonderful to be asked about my healing journey and to share my Paging Me System in detail with her. The interview is available here and is an hour long.

SUPERWOMAN

On my daughter Christina's 5th birthday, last Friday, we went out to a new restaurant in town. It was my husband, my son Alex, Christina, my mom, step-dad and me. We were so happy to get a parking spot almost right outside the restaurant because street parking is pretty hard to come by in my town at that time and it was COLD outside for April 4th! When we left the restaurant we all walked to the car with me and my kids in front and my son opened the curb side mini-van sliding door for he and Christina to get in. Christina walked up to the door at which point the adults were talking, commenting on the restaurant and were approaching the car. Christina in a split second decided she was NOT getting in that side and would run into the street (in back of our car) to get to the side her car seat was on. I yelled at her to stop which she took as a challenge and she ran faster. Considering we live in a very low traffic area cars don't go by our street as fast as the downtown area that we were in. She is also very determined and strong willed with a mind of her own -- she has taken her hand out of mine several times in her school parking lot and tried to run and I thought I had made my point and she would not do that again. I realized she was a few inches from being hit, that the cars had the green light and were speeding and this is where the Universe took over -- I leaped, pulled her toward me and slid between the cars and we both narrowly missed the oncoming car which sped past us. Several cars after it slowed because they had seen what happened but there was no way that car would have stopped since she was walking between 2 cars that were both taller than her and allowed for no visibility. We both lay there on the ground a minute processing what happened. Christina felt embarrassed more than anything and just had some dirt on her knees. I had made sure I didn't weigh down on her when I landed so got pretty scraped up but the only casualty was my favorite black jeans that were ripped to shreds (as is my knee). My family was in shock and Ray said "that was like Superwoman". Yes, it felt like I was Superwoman and now I can relate to the stories about a mom's super human strength. I have heard stories of mothers lifting cars to get their kids and I finally "get it". I certainly hope Christina got the message of the dangers of cars but will be reviewing it daily nonetheless. Today when we walked by a particularly HUGE Suburban I asked her what she thought would happen if that hit someone or something going fast.... She grimaced which is a step in the right direction and it might sound morbid to keep rehashing it but I hope to NEVER be that scared for one of my children's lives again.

LIFE CHANGES

The same day my husband told me he had gotten a job offer from a company five hours away from us. It would mean being away from Monday 4AM - Friday 6PM but he would be making 4 times his yearly salary here. Due to many circumstances our finances could SURE use that boost and we have decided he will take that position. It helps that it is also a very good move for him to learn the latest technology in his field and that as a consultant there he will have more freedoms than he did here as an employee. He will also be doing something he loves and excels at so on many levels I am very excited and happy for him.

This decision was not made easily despite the money and opportunity offered because Ray and I are very close and it is very difficult imagining not being with him 7 days a week and the kids not seeing him every day. After thought and talk though this story came to mind that I wanted to share with you in case you had not heard it yet.....

In a small town in Louisiana during the fall, it started raining. The rain was strong and long and began flooding the area. This one man was in his house as his neighbors were all evacuating. One neighbor asked him why he was not leaving and he said "The Lord will provide." Time passes and the first floor of his house is totally flooded so he goes upstairs. Through his window he sees a rescue boat. The man driving the boat tells him to get onboard. He turns to the driver and smiles and says "The Lord will provide." Time passes again and the second floor is flooded so he goes up onto the roof. Another rescue boat comes by and the driver tells him to get onboard. Again, he turns to the driver and smiles and says "The Lord will provide." The rain keeps on coming down and now all that is out of the water is his chimney which he clings to. A helicopter flies by and the pilot calls down on his loudspeaker for the man to climb the rope ladder he extended. The man smiles at the pilot and says "Thank you but the Lord will provide." Finally, the rains keep on coming down and the man drowned. When the man got to the "pearly gates of heaven" he asked God "why didn't you provide for me in my time of need?" God said, "What are you talking about? I sent 2 boats and a helicopter"

Ray was offered a job a year ago and we did not take it because it was far away and we held hope that he would get something closer. This job is an even better opportunity and my thought is if he does not take it -- it would be like the above story and us saying "it's ok -- the Lord will provide". The Universe has provided him and our family with this opportunity in this time when the US economy has been making it challenging for many to find jobs -- we are grateful and we are not letting this opportunity pass.

Of course this means many more jobs and tasks for me during the week so this will affect the already small window of time I have to work. (2 1/2 hours/weekday while Christina is in nursery school and late at night when the kids are in bed and I am exhausted). I have gone through so many emotions these last few days. It is very calming to know even as wild as my mind may race for a little bit, I am now cognizant of my thoughts and aware enough to know "it will be okay" and that "life is as it should be". My first thought was to stop blogging until my daughter starts full time kindergarten in the fall. This thought was accompanied by severe sadness in emotions. While some might say "that's bad -- why did you allow yourself to get so upset?" I am fortunate that through my studies and by taking Mr. Tolle/Oprah's class to know that recognizing emotions and allowing yourself to experience them is not a bad thing. The emotions I experienced after thinking I would give up blogging for a while had me then looking for an alternative. I suspected I was too close to the situation to think clearly enough to see one but did have it as an intention that "there must be one".

As most bloggers or people who read blogs know, it is recommended that you blog AT LEAST 3 times a week. Not only that but it involves networking, reading other people's blogs, continually educating yourself so you have intelligent things to write about as well as social bookmarking, learning techniques, etc. and I LOVE ALL of it. I love the people I have met through blogging, reading other's ways of looking at the world, continuing to learn and the satisfaction of writing something I am proud of. I went to my chiropractor this week who made an excellent suggestion. My chiropractor's office is a place I LOVE going once a month not just for the adjusting and massage but for the whole atmosphere in his office. He is very "aware" and has seen my transformation and he and his wife run a wonderful practice together and are inspirational in the way they treat people. Anyway... ;-) Dr. Joe told me that it is a lot easier to cut back on something and pick up the pace again than it is to totally stop and restart. Yes, it sounds so simple but I have been so caught up in the "right way to blog" that it is something that never occurred to me. I had even read recently of one of my favorite bloggers, Albert of "The Urban Monk" cutting back on posting a little bit and remember thinking "good for him"...he is concentrating on his studies and his own life...yet when it was time for me to be creative and come up with an idea to keep it going I blanked.....

So... what this means is I will be writing 1 post/week for each blog; Heal Pain Naturally and Kid's Non Violent Computer Game Recommendations until the fall. I will also not be doing monthly newsletters but will do them when I get an opportunity. In the fall when my daughter begins full day kindergarten I will have more time to myself than I have had in the last 9 years of being an at-home mom. I will return to blogging MUCH more regularly and hopefully launch my new site jennymannion.com which will have both blogs, coaching information and much more. I cannot tell you how happy I am that I can continue to blog. I hope that this will also ensure I do 1 quality post a week because I will be able to really think about what one topic I want to write about.

This last week I feel like I have grown tremendously in so many ways. Yes, I am still human and have not by a long shot reached Mr. Tolle's level of awareness but boy have I made great strides. This was the first time the thought of giving up a job was met with sadness and it was important for me to reinforce JUST how much this blog and getting my message out means to me. I have found my passion and am living it. I love coaching and helping others and while for the next five months I might have to cut back on the hours doing so -- five months is not a long time and I believe there is a reason for this as well. I need to be more present for my kids these next five months. This is my last long alone time with my daughter at home with me most of the day, this is the first summer where my daughter is old enough to take a variety of classes and my son will be riding around the neighborhood on his bike and hanging out with his friends. I WANT ours to be the house that kids come to and I don't want to be feeling the pressure of finding 3 good topics to blog about while playing with my daughter and making sure my son and his friends aren't doing anything too dangerous (oh the lives of 8-10 year old boys)!

There are truly life lessons in every situation. Maybe Christina's experience was another way of the Universe telling me what is most important now. I am listening to the Universe and am so grateful to have learned my life's lessons when I did to be aware enough to receive them. I will continue to interact with readers, bloggers and learn so I can continue to share my journey with you. Thank you for your support and patience as I enter this changing time in my life. This truly is my joy, passion and I am so happy and grateful to have found it and to be able to continue it.

Heal Pain Naturally featured in Carnival Of Healing

Hi all, I apologize for my lack of posts the last week (Only 1 ) :-( It would take pages to tell you all that is going on and I am working on a synopsis of some of the occurrences.... In the meantime I wanted to tell you my post "Healing From Within" is featured in The Carnival of Healing found on Astrid Lee's wonderful blog, "Therapuetic Reiki". Please check it out -- it has many good articles from "Confessions From a Recovering Father" by my friend Alex Blackwell to "How to Quit Smoking or Help Someone Quit Smoking" by Debra Moorhead and many more. You will surely discover some great blogs to check out by visiting.

Thank you for your patience and I will be posting soon with some more details of the latest excitement in my life from saving my daughter from a speeding car hitting her on her 5th birthday to my husband being offered a job 5 hours away -- life sure has not been boring and I am just taking some much needed time to process it all so I can write about my learning experiences.

Thoughts Affect Your Body

This week I have found two GREAT things to read on how thoughts affect your body. My good friend Angela told me of an article written by Robert Moss of Parade Magazine and featured on MSN titled "Thoughts Can Heal Your Body". Anyone that has read my blog or e-book knows this is EXACTLY what I talk about and how my thoughts were instrumental in healing myself of chronic pain and several chronic illnesses. I also have been participating in the Tolle/Oprah Webinar and this week Chapter 5 "The Pain Body" from Mr. Tolle's "A New Earth" was being discussed. Mr. Tolle is wonderful at explaining how the "voice in your head" and your thoughts play an integral part of who you are and how your body is affected.

Robert Moss's Article

Mr. Moss points out that new age thinking has been saying thoughts affect health for a very long time and now medical research is proving it true. I have talked before about pysychoneuroimmunulogy and am thrilled that there are many studies being done now to prove JUST how powerful the mind is and how our thoughts are connected to our health. I highly recommend you read Mr. Moss's article "Thoughts Can Heal Your Body" because he does an excellent job of citing studies and making recommendations to help you change your thoughts. From meditation as a stress relief, to the placebo effect, to hypnosis and visualization.... Mr. Moss shows how all of these are evidence of thoughts contributing to your health. Mr. Moss cites studies that sports psychologists have done that prove skiers whether just visualizing a race or actually performing the race -- the body reacts as if it is the same. In the movie "The Secret" they talk about the same thing with other athletes picturing a race versus running the race -- the body believes you are participating in whatever activity you are visualizing and will react the same way. Again, Mr. Moss has lots of studies referenced in his article and I highly recommend reading it.

My Experience with Thoughts Affecting MY Health

You can see how if you are always thinking "I am sick" your body will believe this and respond accordingly. In my last article "Healing from Within" I go into how you must face some issues to really understand what your body is trying to communicate to you by manifesting physical symptoms. I BECAME my illnesses for years because tests and doctors were telling me JUST how sick I was and that I would not get better. NEVER did anyone suggest that my thoughts might be contributing to my illnesses and might also help me heal my illnesses. With my "Paging Me System" that I summarize on Alex Blackwell's blog, "The Next 45 Years" several of my points deal with thoughts. Shifting Attention, Gratitude and No Negative Self Talk are all points where you have to become cognizant of your thoughts and work to change any negative habits that have formed.

Shifting Attention

Upon waking when I was sick every ounce of my attention would go to my hurting limbs. Shifting attention to the one tiny part that was healthy and feeling grateful for that part -- was a powerful way to "think my way healthy". Certain thoughts become habits and we all know habits usually do not change over night. The most important part is to be patient with yourself. I had heard for 6 years JUST how SICK I was from doctors and I believed it because tests "proved it". It took a few weeks for me to catch myself any time I told myself I was sick or was concentrating on a part that hurt and to become actively conscious of those messages. Turning those message around to "I am SO healthy because my fingers feel good" took some time and effort but soon became effortless because THEY were my new habit. Psychologists say it takes 3 weeks for a new habit to become just that -- a habit. Three weeks is not long at all considering how long most habits have been in place. I know I had at least 5 years of concentrating and telling myself JUST how ill I was and by 3 weeks the new habit was formed.

"The Pain Body"

Tolle explains in "A New Earth", "Any negative emotion that is not fully faced and seen for what it is in the moment it arises does not completely dissolve. It leaves behind a remnant of pain". He later states, "The remnants of pain left behind by every strong negative emotion that is not fully faced, accepted, and then let go of join together to form an energy field that lives in the very cells of your body. It consists not just of childhood pain, but also painful emotions that were added to it later in adolescence and during your adult life, much of it created by the voice of the ego. It is the emotional pain that is your unavoidable companion when a false sense of self is the basis of your life. This energy field of old but still very-much-alive emotion that lives in almost every human being is the pain-body."

When I read Mr. Tolle's description of the pain-body it resonated thoroughly. I addressed consciousness and forgiveness in my last post "Healing From Within" and this very much comes into play with facing and dissolving the pain-body. If you are carrying around a heavy burden from the past and every time you think about it you become upset all over again -- how do you think that will affect your body? If you are bearing a grudge or are blaming someone or yourself for something -- how will THAT affect your body? Similarly if you are caught up worrying about your future and what WILL be and what might never be -- how will your body react?

Everyone has had many ups and downs in their own lives -- that is life. Dwelling on the past or worrying about your future does not serve you in a positive manner. Mr. Tolle talks about the "Power of Now" and being conscious and I believe this is the easiest way to start accessing your thoughts and REALLY start to listen to what you are telling yourself. Consistent negative thoughts will affect your body -- emotionally and physically. After all if you are not controlling your thoughts, who is?

Take steps to become more conscious. Follow the steps Mr. Moss outlines at the end of his article, start reading "A New Earth" and do Mr. Tolle's exercises as well as participate in his Webinar with Oprah, read my e-book and start applying the Paging Me System. There are a lot of ways to actively become more conscious, start recognizing and changing past habits and ensure that your thoughts are actively improving your life and making it the best it can be instead of hindering it and causing you emotional and/or physical pain.

I am a Mind/Body connection mentor and offer a free 1/2 hour consultation. Please contact me at jennymannion@yahoo.com or via Skype at Jennifer.Mannion if you would like more information.