The answer is writing, now I can ask any questions I like. Blogging without boundaries.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Gimme a smile
I don't ride trains very often, I ride metaphorical trains more often than the regular sort (just see my previous posts). However, it's usually a kind of half hearted intention of mine to use public transport more regularly, sometimes when it rains it pours and then there's times when I can go on a months long drought of PT (public transport) experiences. In the last few weeks I've spent my fair share of time on trains, more out of necessity than good 'green' intentions, it's been to save my energy for things other than driving and navigating traffic.
Most times I ride on PT I am reminded of why I don't like it and occasionally think 'oh yeah, this isn't so bad'. Today for example, I experienced both sides, the dual nature of riding a train. My trip to the destination was fine, the return home not so. As I stepped on board to head home I noticed that I'd chosen a carriage that was pretty much full, quite the contrast to the roomy trip I'd had just a couple of hours earlier. A seemingly nice and fairly regular kind of woman shifted to make room for me, I thanked her politely and sat down. I quickly recognised that there was a group of teenage boys (early teens) sitting to my left side when I heard them laughing over silly jokes in the paper and using the 'f' word. I considered turning around and requesting that they not swear because I found it offensive, but then considered that it could make the next 25 minutes kind of awkward for me.
I solved the problem differently by popping my headphones in and turning up the music. In my head I imagined an ipod ad being made in this very a scenario, with the slogan borrowed from another company 'it's times like these....you need headphones'. Unfortunately the headphones did not block out the smell wafting from the feet of those teenage boys, that was to be something I just had to grin and bear. (As an aside, I think that the only time teenage boys are of any appeal are when they're your own or you're a teenager yourself). Speaking of grinning and bearing, I don't mean grin too literally, because people who do that when they're alone and on PT can quickly become dubbed a person to steer clear of. Note to self, consider this approach next time.
As if the story thus far isn't enough 'fun' for a 25 minute train trip, I then noticed the seemingly regular woman who sat next to me had started to tickle my bare shoulder with her long bobbed hairstyle. I glanced sideways through my sunglasses (essential item when on PT, helps avoid that uncomfortable eye contact that can happen) to see that she was nodding off. I wondered if she would wake up before her head actually hit my shoulder. In my head I was debating whether or not it would be ok if she rested her head on my shoulder. As I dialogued with myself in my interal debate she jerked upright, seemingly realising she was dozing. 'It's that time of year' I thought to myself, I can't blame the woman for feeling tired, surely now she will sit upright the rest of the trip or get off soon. Nope, she did neither, she continued every 2-3 minutes to touch my bare shoulder with her hair and scratch that same shoulder with her her jacket , followed by realising after around 30 secondas and tilting herself upright, only to repeat the pattern. I would say I continued the conversation in my head for around 5-10 minutes about whether or not if she chose to actually use my shoulder as a pillow whether I'd take it up with her, or just have compassion for my fellow human being and leave her be.
I came to decide that no I did not want her head on my shoulder and should it occur I'd be nudging her promptly. I tuned out from all that was going on around me and just enjoyed my music from that point on, vowing to blog about trains upon arriving home.
Before I finish up here, I need to mention my 5 hour trip between the country and city the other week. Who you sit next to on a longer journey like this is pretty critical, I like to suss out the others and get a vibe. Our seat numbers were chosen for us, so it was pot luck really. When I found my seat I felt grateful, I was sitting in a 2 seat row facing another 2 seats. The girl next to me looked decent and like she wouldn't cause me any distress and the older 'Grandma' looking woman opposite seemed fine too. However I still secretly hoped they'd both be getting off before our final destination so as I could have leg room.
Early on in the trip I became hopeful that 'the Grandma' would be leaving us soon, I mean, getting off the train. This false hope was ignited by behaviour that made it seem as if she was touching herself up before she was to meet her family, yes I decided she was going somewhere to stay with her family for a while. The way she spruiced herself up was a little strange though, she was pouring water from her waterbottle onto her hand and using it to moisten her short grey permed hair. Now, as you could imagine, pouring water into your hand and getting it to your head is no easy feat and not really the sort of thing you do on a train. I reconciled this strange behaviour in my head by telling myself that it's probably just a generational difference in 'social norms'.
A little later I realised something strange was going on with this well presented 'Grandma', as for the second time in the trip she took out a packet of 'wet ones' or the like and lifted her handbag up to wipe the entire thing, then setting it back down on the seat next to her. She did this at least three times during the trip, my mind quickly went to making sense of what she was doing by diagnosing her with 'Obsessive compulsive disorder'. Upon diagnosis I decided to let it go and went back to reading my book properly (rather than just staring at the pages, distracted by my fellow traveller). The woman's beahviour actually caused me no trouble whatsoever, until she purchased some kind of disgusting hot quiche from the train kiosk. The smell of it made me feel sick.
So that's my most recent public transport stories, if you didn't laugh atleast once this whole time then I think you could atleast give me a little smile now, couldn't you?
I know I'm not alone in this, please do share your own experiences in the comments section!
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Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The practical aspect: How I healed in 2010
This post is in response to the December 19 promp from Reverb10– Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011? (Author: Leonie Allan)
If only I truly knew what had healed me! I think it was a combination of factors, I tried many therapies this year and I believe each and every one had a positive effect and contributed to my healing from hyperthyroidism. I tried to cover all my bases including western medicine and alternative practices.
For the first five months of being unwell I was diagnosed incorrectly with depression and anxiety. Once I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism I was told it was most likely an auto-immune condition, it took four more months and a second opinion before the truth was acknowledged that in fact my illness had been caused by about 2 years of consuming dangerously high levels of iodine in a soy milk. Hence, my healing journey had to be really holistic and depended alot on me trusting my own intuition to guide me to the truth. Once I knew the truth it still took time to get my medical professionals on board (eg. initiating my own tests to prove my theory).
The list of healing techniques I employed includes, but is not limited to:
health psychology
reiki
intuitive counselling
acupuncture
kinesiology
naturopathy (super dooper herbs)
chiropractic
bowen therapy
homeopathy
endocrinology (contact me for Dr's name)
medication
GP
meditation
Louise Hay's 'You Can Heal Your Life' approach
Home made vege juices
Caroline Myss's 'Anatomy of the spirit' & 'Sacred Contracts'
bio-feedback testing
Sarah Wilson's Thyroid related posts.
Alkalising the body (here is an example of a resource)
Knowing I wasn't alone in developing dis-ease as a result of excess iodine consumption.
Writing both here and at Inner Beam and self-expression in general (metaphsyically the throat/thyroid is about self-expression)
If I've provided a link it means that person or resource comes highly recommended and I'm happy to share with you, if you'd like any further info on any of the above practitioners or practices please e-mail me.
Aside from the practitioners I went to see and the books I read, it was my own intuition that also helped me to heal. I had to honour my own knowing and stay strong in the understanding that I know my body best, because what I was being told by others didn't always resonate as truth for me (particularly when it came to specialists). I know that following my nose and doing my own research helped alot in understanding what had caused my illness and how to treat it.
Another big factor in getting to the bottom of what was happening with my health was speaking with Lindy Stratford, who is a highly skilled psychic. She helped me through an hour long phone session and subsequent follow up, employing her counselling skills and working with her intuition to help clarify many of my questions. Her guidance helped me to feel confident I was on the right track and to understand the lessons I was learning during this phase of my life. Lindy also helped me to be able to identify more quickly the 'truth' in situations that would come up in future because I identified that we'd already spoken about it. Lindy was very accurate and has such a great way of being honest and supportive, I highly recommend her to anyone who's interested in working with intution and enjoying outcomes beyond the 'ordinary'.
In 2011 I would like to be healed by finding balance in my life, through love and laughter and working in a vocation that truly suits me and that I find satisfying and energising.
Please do share this post with friends or in places that you know people could benefit from my experience and learning, I know that the tips and support I found online were a critical part of my healing process.
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Friday, December 17, 2010
It's nearly Christmas time, things are a little quiet here at The Answer Is Writing, that's because there's alot of word action happening on Inner Beam. I'm participating in Reverb10, a challenge for the month of December where I've signed up to respond to the prompts they provide in order to reflect on 2010 and manifest for 2011. It's been quite the challenge I must say. Please do take a look over there, where The Answer is still Writing.
Wishing you a very merry festive period, may you enjoy a break and time with family and friends and stay safe.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Change is coming
I keep hearing from those around me who are 'in tune' that change is coming -and I can feel it too.
Today I felt inspired to start the process of change right here in a very tangible form. So you may notice that The Answer Is Writing has a new look, it's had a nip tuck in places and I've added 'Oriental Love', which is because I simply love oriental things. From time to time I will bring the oriental aspect into my posts; who knows I might just do a whole post dedicated to something along the oriental lines.
More change is likely to occur here, however the content remains the same- unpredictable.
Now is a great opportunity to say thanks to my readers and supporters; writing this blog has helped me to feel a sense of community and I love when people offer feedback or just let me know they're dropping by once in a while to keep up with the latest goings on.
It's also been great to hear from fellow thyroid warriors who have been dealing with all that it entails, healing is certainly a journey and to share in it with others is powerful. So to all of you please do keep in contact and feel free to post comments or questions here; while some of what I share is quite personal I am writing through choice and a sense of empowerment, I feel honoured to share with you. Apart from aiding my own process I also do it to encourage others to reflect and share- so don't be shy.
You might be interested to check out Inner Beam where I am blogging on a new topic (as chosen by Reverb10) every day until the end of the year, daunting and exciting! If you're a blogger or journaler I dare you to try it!
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Image from dharmagallery.blogspot.com |
I keep hearing from those around me who are 'in tune' that change is coming -and I can feel it too.
Today I felt inspired to start the process of change right here in a very tangible form. So you may notice that The Answer Is Writing has a new look, it's had a nip tuck in places and I've added 'Oriental Love', which is because I simply love oriental things. From time to time I will bring the oriental aspect into my posts; who knows I might just do a whole post dedicated to something along the oriental lines.
More change is likely to occur here, however the content remains the same- unpredictable.
Now is a great opportunity to say thanks to my readers and supporters; writing this blog has helped me to feel a sense of community and I love when people offer feedback or just let me know they're dropping by once in a while to keep up with the latest goings on.
It's also been great to hear from fellow thyroid warriors who have been dealing with all that it entails, healing is certainly a journey and to share in it with others is powerful. So to all of you please do keep in contact and feel free to post comments or questions here; while some of what I share is quite personal I am writing through choice and a sense of empowerment, I feel honoured to share with you. Apart from aiding my own process I also do it to encourage others to reflect and share- so don't be shy.
You might be interested to check out Inner Beam where I am blogging on a new topic (as chosen by Reverb10) every day until the end of the year, daunting and exciting! If you're a blogger or journaler I dare you to try it!
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