Those of you who know me know that I really enjoy food - whole, fresh, and simple! Food and the experiences surrounding food bring me so much joy. I'm not really sure how to explain it other than I love raising our own produce in our gardens, hunting deer/geese/ducks, raising our girls (chickens), pulling weeds from the garden, harvesting our produce, washing and slicing/dicing, preparing the nutritious meals and decorating and setting the table. It can just be the two of us and I will set the table as if we are having Christmas dinner. It is important to me to share this special time with my hubby as we both work full time and this is a time we get to sit and visit, catch up with each other.
I am like a kid in a candy store when I go to Farmer's Markets or local grocery stores (People's Coop here in MN) with local fresh produce. I by no means am a gourmet cook, but you know what I'm saying....simple, whole, natural, ingredients - how can it be bad? Keeping it simple doesn't mean it is tasteless...it's just in it's original form....a tomato = a tomato, an apple = an apple, a steak = a cooked piece of protein. I get to experiment with fresh and dried herbs, different homemade sauces, honey, ginger, etc. To me, this is a gratifying experience from getting the food to the table to the moment we sit down to eat and share it together.....all part of the glorious food and fellowship experience. Eat together, stay together.
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| My delightful breakfast this morning consisted of the eggs that our chickens laid, left over quinoa and carrots, roasted sweet potato, goat cheese, with a freshly sliced tomato with salt and pepper. YUM! |
ANNNDDDD.... got my lunch packed! Heath said that I shouldn't be hungry today!
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| Banana chips and walnut trail mix. Garbanzo beans and sweet potato. Mixed salad mix with avocado, peppers, and pumpkin seeds. Fresh apple. Cooked old-fashioned oats with a mashed banana and salt. Cooked zucchini, onions, and peppers. |
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| God's got this! |
Two PT appointments today, a nutritionist, and a women's health visit. Progressing right along in the PT. Day three she said is just like any type of training, your muscles get fatigued. Hard to believe when the program is based upon relaxation however, it is work for me since it is all new for my body. I had a good visit with the nutritionist who just confirmed and hammered a few things home. I finally found the stairs today and took them up to the 12th floor found out then they ended, so I went back down to the 11th floor to catch the elevator up to the 14th floor, random. LOL. Good exercise and excuse to go early.
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| Beauty is everywhere from their landscaping to their pieces of art on each floor. |
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| Got to read and rest in between appointments. |
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| Noticing the awesome sky above Mayo. |
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| PT session with Rose |
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| PT session with Rose |
The PT sessions are nothing like I expected. They are waaaay better! Rose and I just get to visiting and before I know it the session is over. All the while, I am hooked up to this monitor to measure the biofeedback to retrain my muscles and brain to know the difference between tightening and relaxing. It is actually quite fascinating how it works. Pretty simple and yet so many ramifications if you aren't doing it naturally. So glad that we found this program and that it was recommended to us! On the road to recovery. When I asked Rose if it'd be weird if she took my picture, she said, "Of course not!" And so she took it!
So talking about experiences, I would like to share the one at the running store today (yes, I went back). After PT was done, I headed back to the running store determined to walk out of there wearing my new shoes whichever ones I ended up choosing. I only had about 45 minutes or so to make a decision and I used every last minute of it! Ms. Kim pulled out all the favorites from yesterday as she has a great memory....and then I added another one. One of the ones I had narrowed down from the other store BUT this one was BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL and not gray therefore better representing my personality. I put the Brooks white marshmallow - cloud on one foot and the teal/pink Asics on the other foot. Oh man, tough choice....both super cushy and comfortable with a great heel cup/no slip, great laces, however, I finally found a difference that set the teal ones apart! The cushy-ness was a bit higher on the ball of my foot which is where I am trying to do most of my running instead of heal striking first. And so....I donated my old shoes and walked out of the store with my new BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL Asics with a BIG ole' smile on my face. (P.S. I told you Heath is always right, I was overly thrilled with the results!)
Special Note: There was an older gentleman in the store trying on walking shoes. He was fabulous and such a joy! He helped me choose by encouraging me! I tried one on and then the other and back to the first one. LOL, he was also having a hard time with his shoes for different reasons. He had a wide foot and could not purchase super bright shoes or his walking buddies would not walk with him. I about died laughing and told him to rock the awesome bright colors and soon they, too, would be wearing them! I don't remember his name, but he will forever be a part of this memory.
Before I left, I asked if we could take a picture for my blog that I thought might be fun to start writing again. Kim *happily* took a fun picture with me! She gave me her card and asked me to Facebook her the photo, so I did. This is what I found later in the evening.....such kind words!
I met the most remarkable person yesterday. She came into the Running Room looking for a pair of shoes that would feel good on her feet and possibly alleviate some of the pain she was developing – potentially because her current shoes were so worn down. We spent a good amount of time together, trying on just about everything in stock. I was honored to have the opportunity to get to know her as a person and learn what she needed to feel good on her feet. We narrowed it down to three choices. She wanted to think about it some more, so she waited on purchasing anything. She came back today, and we immediately got busy trying on her final three shoes from yesterday, plus some new ones. She wore her chosen shoes straight out of the store (I just love it when people do that!) and she had other people throughout the day tell her how much they liked her shoes and asked where she bought them. This is the best part of what I do: Not only do I get to make people feel just a bit better in their daily walk through life, sometimes I even make a new friend in the process. It’s been a good last couple of days for me. 
As soon as I reached the elevator to go back upstairs to my appointment, a nice lady stopped me and asked me where I got my shoes because she really liked them. She was a Mayo patient headed to her next appointment as well. Within the brief exchange, I told her that I had literally just gotten them at the Running Room just down the road which was within walking distance of the Clinic. I was still clutching onto the card that Kim had just given me to connect with her on Facebook....so I (thinking very quickly) I snapped a picture of it (soooo thankful I did think to do that) and gave her the card. I hope she finds the shoes she is looking for! ~ Feeling so blessed to be able to connect people. It's kind of crazy to me how many people I have met on this trip so far "just by accident" or DIVINE appointment!
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| Through sickness and in health.... |
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
~1 Corinthians 13:4-8~
This beautiful grand piano sits in the main entrance/atrium where all these buildings come together on the lower level what they call "the subway." (Actually, there are several pianos all throughout the Mayo campus.) Anyone is encouraged to play and some people even sing too. It is an absolutely incredible experience to walk by and hear someone playing and see who they are and think about them and their story and why they are here. Music is a way of expression, hopefully leading to release from their pain or anxiety and a a beautiful way to share joy with those gathered around. It's so neat. So very touching. Just look deep into the picture above and think about that special couple. What a beautiful picture, it's their story and it's not done yet.
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| Lunchtime outside on the veranda just off "the subway." Colorful, oh, so colorful! |
While eating lunch, I had became super aware of my surroundings as I was so humbled by the gentleman playing the piano earlier. The things you notice when you live in the present moment. Incredible. Then, I saw the happiest thing. A grandfather figure was holding onto what looked like his grandson and they were smiling and skipping along. It was absolutely beautiful! Finding JOY no matter what age you are, or what your health condition is, or what your circumstances may be. I, of course, didn't get a picture, but that image is clearly etched into my mind. We know the ending of the story and GOD wins!
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| Then, I did it. I sat down at that grand piano and the notes started coming back to me. Fur Elise by Beethoven What parts I had learned as a child. |
Amazing because I didn't think much of it as so many of the people there had been playing amazing super complicated songs that were way off the charts as far as hardness goes. BUT, I underestimated that by me being brave enough to sit down, I was able to touch someone's life or rather he touched mine. The older gentleman who was sitting next to the piano in his wheelchair asked me politely to play it again. That was when I totally wished that I knew more of the song to play for him. I didn't, but he didn't care, he just liked the music and wanted to hear it again. We visited for a while and off I went. Touching moments like these just keep happening. God, only God!
After another appointment today, I was standing waiting for the elevator to go downstairs to get some fresh air. You won't believe this one either....this older gentle grandpa man walked up behind me to wait for the elevator as well. He said kindly to me, "You just look like someone that I could give a big hug to and everything would be ok." So, being a hugger myself (how did he know that?), I turned around and gave him a big bear hug and I said, "I hope you have a great day Sir!" His wish came true. We started visiting on the way down the elevator and he pointed to his neck and asked me if I saw the bump under his weathered fingers. I said gently, "yes." You never know what people are going through, especially at Mayo because it seems that most people here are pretty sick to make the journey to Rochester. He said, "This is cancer. I just got my two $2,000 shots in my stomach...." and continued to tell me about it. Woah, humbling. We got to visiting and we somehow went into marriage and anniversaries and rings and he said that he didn't wear a wedding band because the lady at the ring shop many years ago, said (of his size 24 ring finger), "We don't sell rings to fit sausages." We giggled together on this more light hearted topic. ~Never judge a book by it's cover.~ *LIVE*LOVE*LAUGH* and just let your light shine because you just never know who's day it might change. He changed mine! Sure put things into perspective for me. Thank you God for moments like these.
In the big open foyer, lies the Mayo Cancer Education Center which offers classes to all patients, their families, and the public for no charge. They have an incredible schedule of class offerings each day. Tonight they had a Mindful Meditation class available. Since, I was already there so late in the day (aaannnddd because I still had some snacks left), I decided to stay for the class. I am very glad I did as I was so relaxed in the 10 minutes (which seemed like hours) that we practiced "mindful meditation" I almost fell out of my chair. The whole walk home, I had to keep reminding myself that I was walking and needed to pay attention to traffic. I was totally in the moment and focused on the NOW. It was pretty cool.
After another appointment today, I was standing waiting for the elevator to go downstairs to get some fresh air. You won't believe this one either....this older gentle grandpa man walked up behind me to wait for the elevator as well. He said kindly to me, "You just look like someone that I could give a big hug to and everything would be ok." So, being a hugger myself (how did he know that?), I turned around and gave him a big bear hug and I said, "I hope you have a great day Sir!" His wish came true. We started visiting on the way down the elevator and he pointed to his neck and asked me if I saw the bump under his weathered fingers. I said gently, "yes." You never know what people are going through, especially at Mayo because it seems that most people here are pretty sick to make the journey to Rochester. He said, "This is cancer. I just got my two $2,000 shots in my stomach...." and continued to tell me about it. Woah, humbling. We got to visiting and we somehow went into marriage and anniversaries and rings and he said that he didn't wear a wedding band because the lady at the ring shop many years ago, said (of his size 24 ring finger), "We don't sell rings to fit sausages." We giggled together on this more light hearted topic. ~Never judge a book by it's cover.~ *LIVE*LOVE*LAUGH* and just let your light shine because you just never know who's day it might change. He changed mine! Sure put things into perspective for me. Thank you God for moments like these.
In the big open foyer, lies the Mayo Cancer Education Center which offers classes to all patients, their families, and the public for no charge. They have an incredible schedule of class offerings each day. Tonight they had a Mindful Meditation class available. Since, I was already there so late in the day (aaannnddd because I still had some snacks left), I decided to stay for the class. I am very glad I did as I was so relaxed in the 10 minutes (which seemed like hours) that we practiced "mindful meditation" I almost fell out of my chair. The whole walk home, I had to keep reminding myself that I was walking and needed to pay attention to traffic. I was totally in the moment and focused on the NOW. It was pretty cool.
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| Supper: Salmon, Sweet Potato, Forbidden Rice with a glass of good ole' cold ice water. |
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| Dessert: Frozen assorted berries with my homemade granola from HOME SWEET I MISS HOME and Heath |
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| I sat outside after supper to unwind and to reflect on a day touched by God. |
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