Having been in the business end of natural or alternative health for over 28 years, I have experienced many ups and downs. Of course, there have been financial highs and lows as dictated by the economic climate of each period. There have been personal challenges each time a new addition was welcomed to our family; when I purchased our home; or while I attended university to finish a dual major bachelors. Through each and every challenge of my life and subsequent time of stress, I have learned a bit more about myself. I have learned I tend to be cyclical. I go through periods of increased activity and periods of less. I am, however, more of an “all or nothing” person. I tend to go “balls to the wall” if I am going to pursue an interest in which I am truly passionate.

So while I have also learned these tendencies place me in the “Type A” category, I have also learned it also puts me at risk of burnout. If you are one of the people who regularly fly through life like your ass is on fire, only to have a subsequent crash accompanied by physical illness(es), you may very well be a part of the same club.

Here’s the painful part of the gnosis of being this kind of person: I know better. However, simply knowing better doesn’t help me mitigate it. That has been a life-long pursuit. A pursuit that can be rather boring at times, but a pursuit nonetheless. And so, after mentally kicking myself around a bit, I pick myself back up and start over in the daily struggle to find and maintain balance.

I think the most painful part of this whole cycle of reset is the perceived public shame. I have had customers scoff when I discuss times I’ve been ill. It’s as if the use of natural substances means a person is encased in some miracle bubble impervious to illness and/or accident. Well, here’s news to the haters: EVERYONE GETS SICK SOMETIMES. It is a different experience for everyone, but everyone gets ill or falls down or has a cavity, or experiences some type of issue. If you are a person who prefers to stay busy and check things off lists – a more-is-definitely-more kind of person – you may just be prone to having this happen more than your average neighbors. I know I am a proverbial poster child for this club and I struggle to slow down to take care of myself when I am running a business, working side jobs, taking care of my kids, taking care of an aging parent, and pitching in with grandkids. So why am I beating myself up about being sick sometimes? Why do I let the opinions of what we now call “trolls” govern my sense of self-worth? I really do not know. It is something I am working on.

You see I have not offered any herb or vitamin or elixir advice or suggestion in this blog entry. It may seem odd, that after such a long pause in posting, I choose to type this one. Sometimes, the best thing we can do to aid our best holistic well-being is to accept our humanness and extend love, care, and forgiveness to ourselves.

So feel free to peruse my past blog entries. Listen to my podcast episodes. Watch my YouTube videos. And, please, follow my social media profiles on all the outlets. You’ll find MUCH in those to aid you in your earthly journey. Then, be sure to take the time to handle yourself with care.