The Discovery Diet

6:03am Dad: Prayers for Uncle B. He is in the ICU. He collapsed last night and is now in a coma. As soon as I know more I'll let you know.

1:25pm Dad: I'm home from work. I'm flying out tomorrow and having Thanksgiving at Paul's. The doc asked us all to be at the hospital Fri morning.

1:27pm Dad: B's CT scan does not look good. He definitely suffered irreversible brain damage frm lack of oxygen. Not sure to what degree. Won't know more until Fri.

3:01pm Mom: The family has been called back to the hospital. Docs think Uncle B isn't going to make it.

My Uncle B. A few years ago, he suffered a work related injury. He worked in a warehouse, and a fellow employee drove a fork lift down the wrong aisle, crushing Uncle B's leg. Since then, B has undergone multiple surgeries to treat his injury and infections, eventually leading to the amputation of his leg. While spending all that time in the hospital, he became infected with MRSA, the life-threatening infection that most commonly gets picked up by patients during their stay in hospitals (the irony is sad and twisted indeed).  My dad visited Uncle B just last week, and said that he looked the best he has since the accident. I should have seen this as a warning sign. After spending a semester studying the social phenomena of death and dying, one very prominent phenomenon is that the ill almost always appear to be back to nearly-full health right before they pass away. '

So here's what happened:  I received the first text from my Dad at 6 this morning. Then a call from my mom telling me the details. Uncle B was staying at his friends last night. She is a registered nurse. It became late and she didn't want him driving home, so she let him stay the night. Before she went to bed she went to check on him and he wasn't breathing. She performed CPR and called an ambulance. He still is not breathing on his own and is in a permanent coma with very little brain activity. The family will have to decide by Friday what to do. Unfortunately this isn't the first time a family member has been this close to death during the holidays. Six years ago, on Thanksgiving, my Grampy (father to Uncle B, my dad, and their 6 siblings) died from a MRSA infection that occurred because of a stroke he had a few weeks prior.  Nor is this the first time the family has had to make this decision. Back in 1996, Uncle R was put on life support due to a freak firework accident, and the family had to decide whether or not to pull the plug. They did two days after he was admitted to ICU, on July 6. 

Today, I am tackling my ever-changing process with Feng Shui. Every year I invest a lot of time and energy into learning how to Feng Shui my personal space, and while the change is always nice (moving furniture is a very centering process for me), I have yet to find a setup that makes me feel comfy, secure and warm.  Since this is the first year I have lived completely alone, I'm committing my Feng Shui to every room in my apartment. This is the year that I believe I have finally figured out my personal Feng Shui, and today, I am remaking my bedroom. 

I have added more color to my room (I now have purple, green, brown, tan, and orange) and more decoration to my walls. It's important to hang art that makes you happy and at peace. I chose to put up a bunch of paintings from my good friend/amazing artist, Thunderclit.  They are abstract, creative, and make the walls of my room beautiful. Back to the Feng Shui of things:  No mirrors! I remember hearing once a Chinese proverb that goes something like this: "A man who sleeps with his reflection sleeps alone for forever".  I haven't had a mirror in my room for 2 years. Now, the most important thing I can relay about Feng Shui of the bedroom is bed placement. Never, and I mean never, place your bed in line with the bedroom door. It's best for the foot of your bed to be at a diagonal line from the doorway. I'm not sure how this improves energy flow, but it's always worked for me. I moved my bed to the opposite wall, still not facing the door, and ever since my dreams have been crazy vivid...I've finally been getting some restful sleep and remembering my dreams. It's nice getting back in that cycle again. I'm working on obtaining another night stand, so one will be on each side of my bed. It will help balance my room, and I'll have a second meditation spot in my apartment :)

Speaking of meditation, I sewed together my first meditation pillow last night. I want to gift it to my neighbors...they've been having a rough few months (a MRSA infection and a stillborn baby..) and some peace could really be helpful in their lives. They've been nothing but nice to me and some of that good energy really needs to be reciprocated back into their lives. It's what they deserve. It's what we all deserve.

"It's always 'Next time' with you.  I'll never get a This-timer out of you." This is what D said to me tonight. And I want to denounce it, say that she's wrong. But she's right. I'm open to so many things, however I rarely make commits to the right-here and right-now in life.  My next challenge I'm bringing to my plate is this: Say Yes to right here, right now. Say Yes to accepting the present fully and graciously. It's time I start living a little more and worry a little less. 

I recieved a job offer today for a second job, at the Café. I went in originally for an interview. I wore my power necklace (a chunky silver penguin on a chain that's far too long) and put this awesome side braid in my hair that gave my look that extra edge to boost my energy. I walked, sat with the manager, and she informed me that she already planned on hiring me without even interviewing me.  It's amazing what such small changes to my wardrobe completely changed the energy I gave out, thus completely changing the outlook of my day.  The give-and-receive of the Universe is something I've learned never to question. I give out what I want to receive. And I thank the Universe daily for everything that I have (and even things I don't have, like this job) and It reciprocates with all these amazing gifts, or whatever you want to call them.  So today, I'm thanking the Universe for this second job opportunity. And for friends telling me like it is.  And for being in the now. And for being able to learn from those around me. It's such a treasure that so many of us take for granted. I'm guilty of it myself. But I'm still a work in progress.

I attended an Optimal Nutrition class a few months back. I am in the beginning stages of discovering which foods are good for my body, and which I need to cut out. No meat (which I actually cut out a year ago due to 3 cases of food poisoning in an 8 month period) , no sugar, and no processed foods. I basically eat organic all day everyday. I also have no spare money at the end of each month. An expensive diet, but totally worth it! Living a simple life is incredibly satisfying. Consume only what is good (in food and in material things) and let all the bad out. I've never been so at ease with life than I am now.

Because I'm a veggie, I also started taking some supplements: Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, D, and E, and Flaxseed Oil. After a long day or a bad-food day, taking natural supplements completely rejuvenates my body. It's amazing how dependent our bodies are on vitamins and minerals (and herbs!), yet we rarely take the time of day to realize exactly how much of them we're putting into our bodies. 

Speaking of herbs, St. John's Wort is a miracle worker and everybody should get on it immediately! It adds a great mood boost to my day. And after going off of oral contraceptives, it's exactly what I needed to keep my body and mind in check. (*sidenote: don't take St. John's if you're using hormonal BC--it lowers BC effectiveness!)