Wednesday, April 29, 2009

What are you Creating?

My good friend serendipity recently popped by for a little visit.  I am always glad to see her, for she leaves wonderful revelations in her wake!

It is just over 3-weeks until I leave for my course and am starting to get very excited.  I have found a comfortable routine and happiness at home with mumsie and papa-sicle in Saskatoon, so I haven’t given much thought to my apprenticeship at the living centre.  However, spontaneous smiles and bursts of energy are becoming more frequent!  Part of the program is a 7-month correspondence course to be done at home, with one month or so dedicated to each of the 7 key aspects to living peace and empowering yourself in order to empower others.

 I am currently working on the second chapter, peace with the mind, and am thoroughly enjoying my latest assignment.   My assignment in reality is to do arts and crafts, what fun!  I am creating a vision/ dream board.  (Well mine happens to be a book, but more on that later!)  I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you rolled your eyes at the thought of a vision board, thinking all this new age mumbo-jumbo is a big pile of phooey!  Vision boards are said to bring you anything you wish for in your life, however this is only partially true in my opinion.  They do not cast a magic spell over your life.  Just because you put a sentence or desired image onto your board does not mean that it is automatically going to happen.  I believe that we will only manifest things that are in harmony with our deepest desires, wishes and wants, as well as, situations that will teach us and give us tools in order to achieve these desires, wishes and wants.  For example, when I started having feelings about quitting bobsledding I got scared.  After watching ‘The Secret” I got the bright idea to create a dream board to force myself to stay in the sport.  I filled it with images and phrases about wining medals, pushing start records and achieving things no one else in the world had ever done before.  I figured if I were to achieve these things it would bring me happiness and I would stay in the sport.  As I was creating my vision board none of what I put down really resonated with me or inspired me.  I never really felt good about what I put down.  None of these things came true, which is not a big surprise.  But, I learnt many valuable lessons during that time.  I also started observing my feelings and their connections to outcomes.  The journey to embodiment starts there - with observation.  Since then I have created new visions.  However, instead of creating a vision board I let the vision board be created through me!

Vision boards may not be magic, but they certainly are a powerful and enlightening tool for our subconscious mind to communicate with our conscious mind.  In creating a vision board you start to define the who, what, and where of your life.  Who you are right now?  Who do you want to become?  What tools do you need in order to get to WHERE ever that is?  As well, you begin to make connections in regards to your current state of mine.  Are you ecstatic because you are walking down the path that is in harmony with your authentic self? OR are you moody, angry or depressed because somewhere you have taken a detour and are now lost without a map to guide you back?  Either way a vision board can help you visually see what it is you want in life.   Basically, a vision board is a creative way to externalize your goals.  Once you become conscious to the who, what, and where you automatically attune yourself to that particular frequency, thus “calling” those things into your life: what you think about, you bring about, right!  Each of us has the power and the ability to create our own lives as we see them, as long as it is something we truly want.   So to quote another cliché phrase: be careful what you wish for….. because you might just get all those amazing things you have been wishing for!

As I mentioned before, I recently had a fascinating serendipitous moment!  When I got home from India I decided to create a Dream Book for myself.  I was going to fill it with pictures from happy memories of the past, as well as, things I wanted to experience in the future.  (Without attachment of course!)  I was inspired by one of the girls on the trip who had a book filled with cutouts of things that she wanted to surround herself with.  I took that idea and evolved it to fit my needs.   I was very motivated at the beginning.  I printed off pictures from my albums, information on trips I wanted to go on.  However, life as it so easily can, got in the way and my dream book got put aside.  But, a couple weeks ago I suddenly had the urge to finish creating this book, so I did.  I started scanning magazines for inspirational words and pictures.  I made a cover, and collaged the back and inside pages.  The very next day, the very NEXT day after I had finished decorating my book I came to my next assignment, “Creating your life.”  Where I was to create a vision board.  My jaw dropped!  I couldn’t believe it.  How had I known that this was something I needed to do, that I needed to get this book ready?  The universe is a wondrous place! 

My original plans for this book have now expanded to include this assignment, and more, and am very happy they have!  My teachers sparked new ideas and ignited a creative fire!   I am very proud of what I am creating, and am filled with a lot of happiness when I flip through the pages!  I have always had a creative side, but have not made time to tend to that flame.  It feels very good to be artistic again and my ideas are getting more and more complex!  But really, I don’t think I could do it any other way!  I also love that my creative goal setting is in a book, which makes it very portable for a gypsy soul!

Another serendipitous moment occurred this morning.  My mother likes to read our horoscopes at breakfast.  I had to laugh when she read my horoscope this morning.  Capricorn: Stop worrying about whether or not a project is going to take off.  You will learn what you need to learn to make all your dreams come true.  Keep at it.  Time is on your side.  Okay, Okay universe I’m listening.  I’ll back off with the whole control thing and just let it happen in time!  I am not done creating though! 

So now what are you waiting for, you powerful divine child of the earth?  Go create the life YOU want!

Peace, love and laughter y’all!

 

Friday, April 24, 2009

LONDON, Baby - Part 1

As I was riding up the chairlift to Blackcomb Mountain, regaling my good friend Robyn with crazy stories from the last few months of travel, I realized I needed to share these experiences with you all.  So I am going to tell the tales bit by bit until all the stories are told!

Since leaving the bobsled team I traveled to London and Paris, Venice – California and most recently India.  When I recall some of the crazy, insane, wacky, weird, humorous events that took place I can’t help but shake my head and wonder, “How do these things happen to me?” 

This first blog is about my first day in LONDON, Darling.

In the summertime, back when I still viewed myself as a bobsleigh athlete I had decided to stay over in Europe for the Christmas break.  My family, not wanting me to be in Europe at Christmas time all by my lonesome bravely volunteered to make the voyage over to meet me.  That’s when the idea to spend Christmas in Paris was born.  I mean really, the poor souls having to spend Christmas in Paris!  My mom immediately started planning a memorable Christmas vacation for us in the city of love, or should I say Amour?  Everyone tossed in their ideas, wishes and wants and the trip sprang to life.  We were all very excited about the romantic idea of being in Paris for Christmas, well until the day the heaving, crying phone call came explaining my change of heart.  Now what?  I no longer needed to be in Europe for Christmas, so what should we do about this fantasy trip to Paris?   After massive amounts of deliberation (of about 30 seconds) we thought, what the heck, the trip is already paid for LET’S GO!

That’s when I got the bright idea to go to London before hand.  I was going to be in Paris, so it was only logical that I go to London before hand, right?  I mean really, I was going to be over in Europe anyways, and my good friend Paul had been nagging me to come and visit him, so I had a place to stay!  AND, while I was there I could see my friend Leanna in Wales and also see the Turnbulls (A family we had kept in contact with from a trip to the Caribbean 5 years ago) who had also been asking me to come and visit for YEARS.)  Really it was my duty to go, and who could argue with that?!  I wasted no time booking my flight, and not long after that I found myself in the familiar departures area of the Calgary Airport, bags packed ready for another European Adventure.  This time runner polishing, sled work, training and spending hours upon hours at the bobsleigh track were the furthest things from my mind.  All I could think about was MUSICALS, shopping, and being a tourist! 

The flight over was delightful.  I had a window seat AND a whole row to myself.  I had brought my own meals, so naturally the food was amazing!  Going through immigration however was not.  I had a wee bit of trouble getting into the country.  Apparently, “My friend Paul’s flat” is not a detailed enough address for the British Government.  (Sheesh, so picky!)  I didn’t have an address to give the lady, who, by the way, held the power to let me in to the country, or not, in her hands.  Since Paul was going to meet me at London Bridge station he didn’t give me his address, and I didn’t think to ask.  Something was telling me that she wasn’t going to accept that answer either.   I explained to her that I didn’t have an address, and all that I had was his phone number.  That was good enough for her.  She stamped my passport and gave me the green light.  PHEW!  Basically they just needed someone to blame if I ran amuck and became a burden to the country.  Luckily for Paul my idea of a night on the town was going for dinner, seeing a musical and then being in bed by 11:00! 

With my map of the train lines in hand, my route kindly highlighted by the ticketing officer and my two rolling suitcases, backpack and reusable shopping bag full of Christmas presents (I know, I pack light!  What can I say it’s a skill) I was off to meet Paul.  Prior to embarking on my trip, Paul asked me to call him before getting on the underground, so he could get to the station in order to meet me.  As soon as I got off the train I found the nearest pay phones.  Seriously, the pay phones in the London train stations are the most frustrating devices in the entire world.  I know your thinking, “it’s a pay phone, and how hard can it be?  You lift the receiver, put your coin in and dial.” But that’s were you have it wrong!  I couldn’t get any of them to work and was starting to panic a little bit.  I was about ready to take a baseball bat to the payphone when someone finally came to my aid.  Luckily for the pay phone I didn’t travel with a baseball bat and luckily for me the person who came to help was a Canadian who knew exactly what I was going through.  He helped me navigate the ludicrous machine and told me to speak fast because my two pounds (about 4 dollars) would get me approximately 30 seconds of talk-time.  Our Conversation went something like this:

“PAUL, It’s me. I here in Boney old England”

“HELLO DARLING, welcome to God’s Country”

“Can’t talk, no time, almost there, I’m at Green Park station.  I hate your pay phones.  Where do I find you when I get there”

“I’m here already.  It’s cold outside.  I’m in the bar across the way.  Ask anyone they’ll know what I am talking about; really it’s just across the street.  Kisses darling, can’t wait to see you!”

A 45-minute over ground train ride, a frustrating experience with a pay phone, 20 underground stops later and I had finally arrived at London Bridge Station!  I felt as giddy as a schoolgirl as I lugged my suitcases up the escalators and stairs and emerged into the daylight.  I was in LONDOND, BABY and ready to hit the town.  I took a second to marvel at the grandness surrounding me and then set off to find Paul. 

Since this trip, there are a few things I have learnt to expect from Paul.  One, if there is a bar around he’ll be there with a glass of Pinot Grigio in hand.  Two, his ability to give directions is atrocious.  From his nonchalant description of how to find the bar I figured finding this place was going to be as easy as pie.  I mean really, it was right outside of the exit.  How hard could it be?  Turned out a lot harder then I assumed since there are about 6 different exists to the surrounding streets.  After 10 minutes of wondering around the area trying to find this stupid bar that was ‘across the way’ I decided to stop and ask someone, because there was no WAY I was going to use the payphone again!  The Russian street meat vendors who barely spoke English were not able to help me.  Neither were the 5 other people that I had asked.  Apparently nobody knew what Paul was talking about.  THEN, it was as if the clouds parted and the sun came out to shine down upon ‘Bar One’, the one bar that I was looking for, while the angles sang a harmonic, AAAAAAAAHHHHH, in the background.  I had finally arrived, Hallelujah!  I ran as fast as I could with two rolling suit cases across the cobble stones, while “minding” the taxis and double decker buses, who apparently don’t stop for anything, especially meandering tourists.  I excitidely threw open the door and made my grand entrance into the bar where I found Paul, a glass of Pinot Grigio in hand, and one on the table waiting just for me.

It was truly heavenly to sit down with a good friend after a long day of traveling.  The wine was a nice touch as well, although it went straight to my head!  And, even thought I was exhausted I could barely hide my excitement.  We sat and laughed as we exchanged stories and sipped our wine.  After a few hours of carefree banter it was time to head home.  I was glad to have Paul guide the way, since my navigational skills had gone out the window due to wine added to extreme exhaustion mixed with the insanity of London!  On the way home Paul and I were probably the most obnoxious people on the train to Hither Green – the classy part of the shady district of Lewisham (pronounced lew-ish-HAMMM with a finger snap on the ham according to the book of Paul “Brookland” William’s!) 

After we dropped my bags off at the apartment we sauntered down to the “thriving metropolis” of Lewisham (*snap*) to pick up a duvet for the guest bedroom aka me!  We perused the local equivalent to Zellers and came across one with a good amount of “togs”.  However, Paul deemed it too expensive and decided to pick one up from the street vendor outside, who actually had MORE “togs” for less money.  Thinking it a bit doggy, I asked Paul if he thought it was a good idea to buy his “togs” from the street vendor?  I wasn’t going to be sleepy with no shady blanket!  He looked at me, shrugged and told me that it was a good duvet just cheap, since his plethora of “togs” were most likely stolen out of the back of a truck!  Oh well that makes it SO much better.   Turned out the “togs” weren’t actually good, because they were GREAT!  Oh I loved my togs.  Partially due to their snuggly softness that made it feel like you were being hugged by a cloud, but mostly because Paul’s flat was so BLEEPING COLD, it was a treat to be warm.

I am still not entirely sure what a “tog” is, but it was a source of many laughs throughout my stay in London.  I slept on the pullout couch in the living room and each time before we made up my bed he would declare, “Alright gurl, GET your togs out!”  I was supposed to sleep in the spare bedroom, however the ceiling was leaking and there was condensation on the walls, so we thought it best I stay on the pullout couch.  That first night I was so grateful for a place to sleep I could have slept on the floor!  I actually think that I might have for a couple of minutes while waiting for Paul to convert the sofa. Standing was just WAY to much effort!  OH the joys of jet lag!  The bed was not my usual temprapedic but I actually had a lot of fun sleeping in the living room.  When we got home at night, after Paul declared it tog-time, we would make up the pullout, snuggle into the togs and watch an episode from the box set of the quirky sitcom, Pushing Daisies.   Well every night except for that first night.  Paul left to teach a Pilates class while I let the jet lag carry me into a fatigue induced sleep coma!  

                      "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"

   Tune in next week for my adventures on the under ground, my first London musical, getting lost, and the district of South Wark.

 

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Mama always said to eat your greens, now I say Drink 'em

This blog is about Green Smoothies.  Your mama always said eat your greens, now I say Drink ‘em!

The first book on Raw-food-veganism that I was inspired to read is called, ‘12 steps to being Raw’ and is written by a lady named Victoria Boutenko.  It is about her familiy’s remarkable journey to thriving on a raw food diet.  Their key to success is Leafy Green Vegetables, which they get through their green smoothies (detailed information below, but basically they are leafy greens blended with fruit and water.  I know they sound disgusting, but trust me they are delicious).  After reading her book I was inspired to start drinking these green elixirs of life!  I still can’t believe the remarkable difference they have made in my life.  I have always had a fairly substantial amount of energy, but since getting my daily greens in their most readily absorbed form, I have experienced a remarkable boost in energy that sustains me through out the day.  Also, the mental clarity I experience is astounding.  No more mental Fog!  My body is head-over-heels in love with green smoothies, so much so, that every morning I crave them!

 I recently had the pleasure of attending one of Victoria’s seminars on Green Smoothies and was further inspired.  Victoria’s family has been on a raw food diet for the past 15 years, and they all flourishing!  However, they hit a road bump after 7 years of success and their health slowly started to degenerate.  And thank goodness it did!  It wasn’t until things started regressing that Victoria discovered just how important leafy greens are to the human body.  The Food guide considers leafy greens and vegetables to be one in the same.  Naturally, Victoria thought that since leafy greens were the same thing as eating more desirable vegetables, such as carrots and garden peas, she could gain the same benefits by eating those instead.  However, leafy greens are not vegetables.  In order to be considered a vegetable a food needs to contain starch.  Leafy greens do not.  They really should have their own category since leafy greens are practically the perfect food.  They are high in chlorophyll, which is basically liquefied sunshine!  Life is not possible without sunshine, and life cannot be sustained without chlorophyll.  Chlorophyll is responsible for cleansing our internal organs and destroying unhealthy bacteria while promoting healthy bacteria.  Greens pack a mean punch in the chlorophyll department, so there really is no better way for our bodies to get our chlorophyll then by drinking Green smoothies.  Leafy greens also contain virtually every nutrient our body requires to function, all except for B12.  As if that wasn’t enough, one of the best things greens give to our bodies is a high source of protein!  Say what?

I know it is an odd concept to think of this so-called rabbit food as an amazing source of protein, since we are taught to think of protein in tangible ways, such as beef, chicken, fish and other animal flesh.  So let me break it down for you.  Our bodies use amino acids as the building blocks to create protein.  Protein is used by the body for a variety of different reasons, such as, brain functions, cell regeneration, muscle contractions and recovery, blood clotting, oxygen transport, and producing hormones just to name a few.  Basically, without protein our bodies would cease to function.  Every protein molecule consists of a chain of Amino Acids.  Our bodies need adequate amounts of 9 different essential amino acids (EAA’s).  Our bodies can’t generate EAA’s on their own so we must get them through our diet.  Animal proteins contain complex, long chain amino acids. Meaning they are a complete protein.  This is the reason why many of us think, “Great.  A one stop shop.”  However, like everything in life it is not that simple.  Our bodies are actually looking for the individual amino acids not the complete proteins.  Each person is unique and needs different building blocks, or combinations of the EAA’s to create proteins that suit the individual’s needs.  When we ingest complete proteins, as in animal flesh, our bodies first need to break them down.   Then our bodies take the individual amino acids and piece them together creating the complete proteins that fuel our everyday functions.  To make matters worse, these so-called “perfect proteins” are not completely compatible with our systems.  Our bodies only take what they need and the rest becomes waste by-product creating an acidic environment, and causing allergies and other health problems. An acidic environment also causes our bodies to create more fat cells to store the acid, which leads to weight gain.  This makes one think, “Great, now what am I suppose to do?  And WHERE am I going to get my protein from?” 

Well friends there is a wonderful solution out there, and it is what I am raving about, Green Smoothies!  Most people are in the dark about the readily available amino acids in the mighty green leaf.  I sure was.  In Victoria’s book, ‘Green’s for Life’, she explains that since we have “erroneously (placed) all parts of plants (roots, stalks, blossoms, spears, greens, ect) into the same category of vegetables, and assuming that they have the same properties, we have mistakenly concluded that greens are a poor source of protein.”  In her extensive research Victoria has found that by consuming different types of greens you will not only meet the recommended daily amount of essential amino acids, you will actually exceed them!  Also, your body does not have to work as hard to convert the readily available amino acids from the greens into proteins.  This is because they are given to the body in a ‘raw’ state ready to be converted into protein.  You just have to look at a horse to see greens in action.  I have never scene a horse eating a cow, or a chicken and their lean, muscular physique, raw power and graceful demeanor is something that humans have idolized for centuries.

Something else to ponder is the fact that we share 99.4% of the same DNA code as chimpanzees.  Therefore, it is debatable that we should share a diet that is 99.4% the same.  A chimpanzees diet consists mainly of fruits, a small amount of nuts, seeds, bark and insects AND a whopping 40% of their diet is leafy greens.  That is equivalent to two bunches of greens, which will make a person think, “holy crow!  Two bunches of greens is a lot of the green stuff.  There is no way I could even eat two bunches of greens EVERYDAY!”  Don’t fret just yet.   Since we put our mighty greens through the blender the blades unlock all the vitamins, amino acids and all that good for you stuff, so one bunch will suffice!  Essentially by blending the leafy greens you unlock all of their potential nutrition in a pre-chewed state!  In order for us to manually unshackle all of the nutrients ourselves we need all of our molars (including those pesky wisdom teeth that most of us got yanked as soon as possible!)  Furthermore, we need to chew the greens long enough to churn them into a creamy consistency.  Your jaw is more likely to fall off before you get one bunch of leafy greenness into a creamy consistency, never mind two!  And really who has the time?  Horses and cows and monkeys and other such mammals that haven’t forgotten the importance of leafy greens and don’t have a 9-5, that’s who! 

The thing that gets me SO excited about green smoothies is that ANYONE can incorporate them into their daily food selection no matter their diet of choice.  It doesn’t matter whether a person is an all the way raw-food-vegan, vegetarian, An almost-vegetarian (the one who still eats fish), or a full on carnivore, because getting your greens is essential to living a healthy, high quality life.  My mother was an easy inductee to the Green smoothies for life club.  Every morning we congregate in the kitchen and excitedily come up with new creations.  My dad is even enjoying a “Greenie” (as he calls them) everyday!  This is the man who threw his hands up and asked the heaven’s “WHAT did I do WRONG?” after I informed him about my choice to join the rawvolution!  My papa, a member in good standing of the carnivore club, cannot see meals without meat.   However, since he started drinking his daily Greenie (or rather forced by my mother and me!) his perception of food has changed.  He is even talking about eating less meat.   Less meat, oh happy day!  He probably will never be a raw-food-vegan, or even a vegetarian at that, but really it’s okay.  We all make our own decisions about what to put into our bodies.  Greenies can help us to make better choices, or at the very least help to offset our other not-so-good ones!

So now that I have you salivating over Greenies, or at least intrigued enough to give them a whorl.  Below you’ll find some pearls of wisdom.  Also know as the basics, general information and tips on how to get started.

Basic Greenie Recipe:

Leafy Greens

Fruit (Sweet and/or savory)

2C Water

 It that simple!

Tips:

·      First thing in the morning prepare enough green smoothie for the entire day (1-2L).  Whatever you don’t drink right away store in the fridge for later, like as an afternoon pick-me-up.

·      Sip your Greenie slowly mixing it with your saliva (this is stage one of your digestive enzymes).  If you are on the go, take your Greenie with you.  There is an amazing invention called travel mugs that are ideal for this! 

·      Drink your Greenie by itself, and not as part of a meal.  Your mission is to get the most benefits and as many nutrients as possible out of your Greenie, so it is important to wait 40 minutes before AND after any other food.  After that 40-minute window you are free to eat whatever your heart desires

·      A word of caution: do not combine anything other then the greens, fruit and water.  This means, no starchy vegetables, nuts, seed or supplements.  These can and will create gas and trust me it is not fun for anyone!

·      Be creative and let your body be your guide.  Listen to it because it will tell you what it needs.  However, avoid going over board with the combinations.  When creating your desired combination choose a leafy green or two, and a few fruits.  You may want to start off with sweeter fruits, and as your taste buds change so will your fruit selections.

·      Keep in mind when coming up with Greenie combinations that there are two kinds of fruits, sweet and savory.  Sweet fruits, which are all the yummy fruits that come to mind when you think fruit, like apples, mangos, plums, oranges, watermelon ect, ect, ect.  Some “vegetables”, like avocado, cucumber, peppers and tomatoes are actually fruits.  These are your savory fruits.   So, as you see, the combinations are endless! 

·      Rotate your greens regularly.  Ideally rotate between a minimum of 7 different greens.  There are two main reasons for this.  One, you get different nutrients from different greens, so you want to make sure you’re covering all of your “bases”.  Two, in order insure her children get nourishment from all her green sources, Mother Nature in her infinite wisdom placed a little iddy-bitty, tiny amount of poison, known as alkaloids, in the leaves that vary from green to green.  Tiny amounts of alkaloids WILL NOT hurt you.  Small amount of alkaloids will actually help to build up your immune system.  However, an accumulation of these alkaloids from a single source, like consuming spinach everyday for two weeks, will cause unwanted symptoms of poisoning.  Unlike greens, fruits do not contain the same amount of alkaloids, if any at all, so it is not necessary to constantly rotate them, meaning if you like having your apple a day to keep the doc away, by all means go for it!  Although, it is a good idea to change up your fruits to create variety of flavor and nutritional content. 

·      Buy organic produce as much as possible.  Organic produce has 7 times the amount of nutrients then conventionally grown produce.  Conventionally grown produce also contains high amounts of pesticides and toxic chemicals.  Take advantage of your farmer’s markets and when you can pick your own fruit that has ripened on the vine for they retain a significantly higher amount of nutrients.

·      Our bodies crave routine.  Create a daily Greenie routine that works for you.  I have between ¾ - 1L in the morning and ½ L in the afternoon.  Routine is important, but also remember variety is the spice of life AND your key to continual enjoyment of your daily Greenie!  You will be more likely to continue drinking you daily Greenie if it tastes delicious!

·      And lastly remember to Laugh everyday, Live free and Love much.  Oh, and drink your Greenies!

Here is a list of some of the leafy green possibilities:

     Greens

Arugula

Asparagus

Beet Green Top

Bok Choy

Chard

Collard Greens

Edible Flowers

Endive

Escarole

Frisee

Kale (3 types)

Mizuna

Mustard Greens

Radicchio

Red/Green/Romaine

Lettuce Leaf

(No Iceberg, or

light colored leaf)


 


Weeds

Chickweed

Clover

Dandelion Greens

Lambsqarters

Malva

Miner’s Lettuce

Plantain

Purslane


 


Herbs

Aloe Vera

Baby Dill

Basil

Cilantro

Fennel

Mint

Parsley (2 types)

Peppermint

Spearmint


 


Sprouts

Alfalfa

Broccoli

Clover

Fenugreek

Radish

Sources: Victoria Boutenko and her book, "Greens for Life"

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Starting with the ABC's

This first blog is basically my life in a nutshell.  To help you understand where I am going, I thought it necessary to explain where I am coming from.  I tried to be as brief as possible, but it is still quite long, so brace yourselves! 

Since October 2008 my life has significantly changed.  This past fall I found myself standing in front of a fork in the road. I had been to this particular fork in the road many times before, yet never wanted to make the choice between paths, so I opted to go in circles instead.   This time was different.  I could not, and would not take the detour of ignorant bliss.  Consequently, I was faced with one of the biggest decisions I had encountered in all my 22 years of life.  The decision was: which path am I to take?  Do I got left, or do I go right?  Now, I am not talking about the little deviations to the path that we are continuously, consciously or unconsciously, choosing between.  Like, should I paint my walls ocean blue, or sky blue?  What I am talking about is: should I paint my walls Red, or Green? These colors are directly opposite on the color wheel!  Now that’s a dilemma.  Do I continue down the path that I know  or, do I turn my world upside down and venture down this new, slightly scary path that my unconscious mind is yelling at me to take?

I am usually the kind of person who will jump off the high-diving board head first into the deep end of the pool, when I am ready to face the decision anyways!  So that is what I finally did.  I took the plunge and now am skipping down the path to granola-headdom (with Cacao Chocolate chips and coconut of course!)  Happiness, Love, Peace the whole shebang! The really interesting thing about this grassy green choice is that the scarlet red path was elite athletics.  Prior to coming to this fork in the road I was competing on the Canadian Women’s National Bobsleigh team, which I had been an integral part of for last 4 years.  In those four years I was consistently one of the best push athletes (the one at the back!) in the world and had the honor of representing Canada at the 2006 Olympic Winter games.  Prior to that I competed for Canada on 4 other National Junior teams.  

At 11 I went on my first international trip.  A small group from my gymnastics club traveled to Portugal to host gymnastic halftime shows across the country.  I competed in my first international event when I was 12 years old at the World Age Group Trampoline and Tumbling Championships, in Sydney, Australia.  I was 1 of 4 from our team to compete in all 4 events and finished in 6th place.  Gymnastics gave me many valuable skills both mentally and physically. Trampoline and tumbling, in my opinion (not biased what so ever!), reigns supreme in building body awareness and self-confidence.  For goodness sake, at 10 years old I was jumping 4-5 feet in the air and doing multiple twisting flips.  There isn't much room for self-doubt that high in the air! 

From gymnastics I moved on to track and field excelling in sprint hurdles and long jump. I was blessed with more amazing opportunities.  I traveled to a lot of wonderful places and met a lot of great people from around the world.  I competed on the World Youth Team in Sherbrooke, Quebec, the Pan American Jr. Team in Bridgetown Barbados (where I was witness to Usain Bolt breaking 20.0 in the 200 for the first time!), and World Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy. I broke city, provincial and even national records.  One of the hurdle records that I broke was actually my Aunts from when she was in High School.  

Then came bobsleigh.  One of the most frequent questions that I get asked is, “How did you, a Saskatchewan, flatland prairie girl EVER get into bobsleigh?” The simple version is that it was just meant to be.  The short version is that I was recruited into the sport from track and field.  The funny and substantially longer version is that I got zero points in javelin during a heptathlon in July 2004 that was going to qualify me for a National Team in late august.  Up until this point I had considered myself a sprint hurdler, who also did long jump.  My coach, Todd Johnston, thought different, and was dragging me by the heels into multi-events.  I was fighting it the whole way.  He figured that with my muscular body type, my speed in hurdles, as well as, my competency in the jumps that there was no WAY I shouldn’t be doing multi-events, but it turns out I can't throw a javelin to save my life!  Instead of going to the Netherlands with the National Track and Field team I went to Calgary to meet with Matt Hindle, the bobsleigh recruiter who had talked to Todd about me.  The next thing I knew I had dropped out of university, given back my scholarship, moved to Calgary and was training for this ludicrous sport called bobsledding. I mean who bobsleds?  All I really knew about the sport is what every other person who had seen ‘Cool Runnings’ knew.  Which I found out is really only slightly based on an incredible true story!  I had made the national team without even being down the track!  See what I mean about head first into the deep end?  It was worth it though!  I had such an amazing ride throughout those four years and feel truly blessed for all the people I met and all the fantastic memories!

That being said, I was still standing in front of the infamous fork in the road.  I had learnt so much about myself, about people and many great lessons, but it was time to close the chapter. The hard part for me was that I wasn’t just closing the chapter on bobsledding.  I was closing a chapter on an entire way of life.  The only life I had ever really known since a very young age – competitive sport.  Leaving is always hard.  I knew it was going to be hard to leave bobsleigh, but I also knew it was necessary.  What I didn’t prepare myself for was how painful it is for an athlete to leave sport entirely.  Taking that first step was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do.  

I am a firm believer in the fact that we learn more from what we don’t want then by what we do want.  The important thing to note is the sooner you find the lesson and move on the less you have to “suffer”.  I remember the turning point in my bobsleigh career clear as crystal.  I had a list of things that I was determined to achieve during my bobsleigh career.  I wanted to go to the Olympics, I wanted to win a world cup medal and I wanted to set a world record start time.  The day Helen and I broke the International start record in Lake Placid, USA (by .05 – which is a lot in our world.) I had this weird feeling like it was time to move on.  I had no idea where this was coming from, since clearly I was on top of my game (so to speak).  I was angry with myself for having these thoughts.  So, instead of dealing with what I was feeling, I swatted them away like a pesky fly and continued on my way.  During the next two years I dealt with a lot of ‘crap’.  I injured my back, got really sick and hurt my ankle in a crash.  I was training well executing very well technically, yet the times never reflected any of this.  I unfortunately even got to a place where my self-worth was directly tied to my athletic performance.  A dangerous thing when you are in a sport where winning and losing can be separated by as little at .01 of a second.  YIKES! I was angry with myself for not being able to perform.  I was frustrated because I didn’t know what was “wrong”, since I was doing everything else “right” I cried a lot since I was angry, frustrated and scared.  I was scared because I knew something needed to change, but who was I if I wasn’t a bobsleigh athlete?  I didn’t know how to take that first step, and to be honest I was too scared to take it. 

The spring of 2008 I took a yoga teacher training course.  I have no idea what possessed me, but I did.  I planned to get more knowledge in order to continue my yoga practice while away training and competing on the World Cup Tour for 5 month of the year.  What I didn’t plan on was the course changing my life.  My whole way of thinking changed.  I was starting to see myself as something completely separate from what I did, or how I performed.  People started noticing how much calmer I was. I went back to training and was happy to be back, yet something was different.

I am not sure when it exactly happened, but the burning desire to compete and prove myself on the international scene began to die out.  I started envisioning myself traveling, going to school, and doing other things.  I thought to myself, “Whoa, there is still two more years to the Olympics no more of these crazy thoughts.”  But try as I might to focus on training and competing I was craving something different. It was time to go.  All I had to do was muster up enough courage to take the first step.  It was so simple, yet SO HARD.  WHY is the first step ALWAYS the hardest?  I know it’s a cliché, but the thing is they become clichés because they are true. 

My big ‘ahha moment’ came September 2008, at the final testing camp before the start of the Bobsleigh season.  I was eerily nonchalant about testing and okay with it, which was so strange for me since I was normally all fired up.  This freaked me out.  Not that I was eerily nonchalant about testing, but that I was actually OK with it.  However, the real ‘ahha’ came when I stepped out of the “me ego” and saw how intense the new recruits and my teammates on the development team were, and that I was standing in their way.  It wasn’t just about me, and my issues anymore.  That was the shove that I had been looking for, because I knew I couldn’t do it on my own.  I grabbed my cell phone and snuck out of the side door before testing was even finished.  This was it.  This was the moment.  The decision had been made and there was no turning back.  I scanned the area for someplace to shelter myself before the dam exploded.  My fingers dialed my mom’s number before I even realized what I was doing.  I needed to talk to someone, and she was my person.  I burst into tears as soon as she answered the phone.  I cried so hard my body was heaving and my eyes were blind with tears.  I am still not sure why I reacted that way?  It was such a crazy experience.  It felt like I was letting go of a part of me, a part that had been a huge piece of my life. I have never been great with good-bye. So here’s me, going through this heart wrenching letting go process, sobbing into the phone with my poor mother on the other end feeling helpless and then, as quickly as the sorrow came it left.  I went from feeling like my world was ending in one moment to being totally content in the next moment! Okay, so my process was slightly overdramatic, but it’s my process and its all a part of becoming Jaime! 

So you may be wondering “was the all the crying and woe-is-me stuff really necessary?”  Who knows?  But  what I discovered was the world did not end!  I realized that even though I was not going to be an elite athlete anymore, I was still me and that I was in charge of my life and that people were going to love me for who I essentially was, and not what I happened to be good at. 

Looking back, I am proud of the amazing things I was able to achieve in the 14 years I dedicated to competitive sport.  Like being the 6th best12 year old gymnast in the entire world!  Being elected team captain and getting to carry the Canadian Flag into the stadium during the opening ceremonies for World Jr. Championships.  Going to the Olympics, a goal I set for myself when I was 8 years old.  Becoming one of the best technical push athletes in the world.  I am also proud of the fact that I was able to help pioneer our women’s bobsleigh team from struggling to successful.  I also feel truly blessed for the knowledge that I gained and lessons I learnt.  The fruits of these struggles are worth their weight in gold.  The people I met, the coaches I worked with, my teammates are all really important to me and I am so happy to have had them in my life.  They are all part of who I am today, as well as who I am to become.  THANK-YOU everyone for everything! 

Putting the pieces back together.......

Since I left the wonderful world of athletics I have been loving the newfound freedom to go out there and explore many new and exciting things.  As well, the freedom I have given myself to live through my heart has been intoxicating, which is continually leading me on some fascinating adventures with great stories.   I went to Duluth, Utah for a long overdue visit to my cousin.  After that I went to London DARLING to visit a bunch of wonderful people, see all the amazing history, and of course take in the MUSICALS.  From London I hopped on the Chunnel to France for Christmas in Paris with my family.  I got to be home for my birthday and Ukrainian Christmas for the first time in 4 years.  In February I went down to Venice, California to study with Shiva Rea (a revolutionary yoga teacher!) and spontaneously decided to travel to India with her for her yoga retreat in Kerala. 

Which brings us to the present.  My days consist of working at an organic grocery store, teaching my mom and aunt yoga twice a week, and studying for a 3 month apprenticeship in holistic health coming up at the end of May.  (Although presently I am in whistler snowboarding, but thats beside the point!)  I had been searching for a tools to help me gain the knowledge I needed to help me achieve my (next) ultimate goal.  When I stumbled onto the program by chance I was so excited, really I danced around my house like a crazy buffoon at how perfect this course was for me!  It was everything that I was looking for and more.  The program is called the 7-fold path to peace.   Now, if you were anything like me you would have rolled your eyes at the word peace.  Even though I was so excited I thought, “geeze I have got to come up with a better word for this.”  But seriously once you get past the fact of how over used it is and that it has become a one syllable sound to be used willy-nilly, and not a powerful word designed to cultivate harmony, serenity, tranquility and so on and so forth you see that there is really no other word to replace it!

The thing I love about this program is that it is designed to empower people to bring about a state of peace with their own body, mind and emotions, family, community, culture, ecology and then ultimately the creator.  We are being empowered to be the change we wish to see, so that we can go out and empower people to make positive changes in their lives.  It incorporates healing modalities for the body, mind and soul!  How fantastic is that?!  I know I thought so too!  And this is just the start.

Peace, Love and Laughter Y'all