Tag Archives: life events

3 B’s and a Yahoo!

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1 – BICYCLE RIDE
Sunday we rolled out of bed at 4am and arrived near Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin by 6am to get our wrist-bands to ride 50-miles of the Harmon Hundred bicycle ride.

It’s very early and plenty cold; about 49-degrees. Roughly 5 miles into the ride we hear gun shots! Oh Lordy! we think. We look around only to see a duck blind on the side of a hill. At this we cheer the ducks and geese on:  fly, Fly, FLY! Then it dawns on us, some hunters are wont to drink and hunt simultaneously. In our high-visibility yellow jerseys we make pretty easy targets; we pick up the pace!

Len Riding Point

There are two designated rest stops on the 50-mile route. Long before we reach the first one, we’re overcome by scent mirages. We’re both certain that we smell French toast, waffles, pancakes, warm maple syrup, honey-whipped butter, raspberry jelly, and hot coffee. Our minds are playing wishful tricks on us.

First Rest Stop

In the state of Wisconsin, courtesy dictates that you give “a” finger (not “the” finger) when you pass another person. This is true whether you’re on a tractor, in a truck, or on a bicycle. It’s easy; you simply lift your index finger, while nodding and smiling at the other person until they’re past.

Giving "A" Finger (Not "The" Finger)

When we got to where the second stop should have been mile-wise, we realized that we missed a turn. I’m no longer sweet, loving, kind, and thoughtful. Rather, I’m tired, sore, cranky, and hungry. After multiple additional miles, we arrive at the second rest stop, butt weary.

Second Rest Stop

Our total ride was 62 miles, not 50. We averaged 11.34 miles per hour, with our fastest speed being 28.67 mph. The actual riding time—pedals in motion—was 5 hours and 26 minutes.

End Of The Ride

2 – BOOK SIGNING
We get home in the nick of time for showers and decent clothes before we’re back out the door and off to the Lakeside Legacy Arts Park (the historic Dole Mansion) in Crystal Lake where our friend, Kris Hayden, hosted a book signing for her newly published book, “Under the Eaves.” Here’s a LINK to her website if you’re interested in learning more about her book. From here we continue on to …

Kris Hayden Far Right (Short Dark Hair and Glasses)

3 – BIRTHDAY(S) PARTY
… a multiple birthday celebration for Eoghan, Kayley’s brother-in-law Ryan, and Kayley’s grandmother, Effie. As you can see, a good time was had by all.

Birthday Celebration - Effie, Ryan, and Eoghan

Kayley and Eoghan

 

Kayley and Eoghan - Smoochin'

YAHOO!
It was a whirlwind of a day, and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously. When we got home we crashed saying, “Yahoo, tomorrow we’re closed! We’ll just sit like two bumps on a log and contemplate the speed at which hair grows on our knees—nothing more strenuous than that!”

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
               – Laurie Buchanan

www.HolEssence.com
Copyright © 2010 Laurie Buchanan — All Rights Reserved.

Death is Not the End

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Over the past few weeks, we’ve learned that:

Health is a state
Wellness is an action
Wellbeing is an ongoing pursuit

They all attend the same church but sit in different pews, so to speak. They work hand-in-hand to bring about balance—body, mind, and spirit.

Wellness can’t be achieved from health. Neither can health benefit if there’s no wellness. However, we can experience wellness even if our health is questionable. Wellness is an inner state of being that supports health.

Health is the property of the body.
Wellness is a gift of the spirit.

Every single one of us—without exception—has an expiration date; the date that we’ll draw our last breath in our current body. Most of us don’t know when that will occur. It can happen in any number of ways: heart attack, car accident, natural disaster, illness, war, plane crash, or natural causes from the aging process.

I’ve shared with you before that my mother was a physically small woman, yet she was the biggest person I’ve ever known. She taught me by example that how we live impacts how we die. She lived a life of courage, beauty, and integrity; she died in the same manner.

As human beings we are energy. Each of us has a personal energy signature. One of the fundamental laws of physics states, “Energy can be transferred from one form to another, but neither created nor destroyed.”

As such, birth is not a beginning; it’s a continuation. That lends tremendous comfort because we then understand that equally true, death is not an end; it’s merely a continuation. In either case, it’s a change from one form to another.

Rabindranath Tagore was Asia’s first Nobel laureate by winning the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of the writings that he’s best known for is, “Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the lamp because dawn has come.”

Recently in her blog post – Poem and Book about Death and Grieving – my friend, Sheila Glazov, shared about a wonderful book that explains death—especially to children. I purchased it and fully agree. It’s titled, The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages by Leo Buscaglia. It’s a beautiful, strikingly simple story that illustrates life and death through a leaf and the changing seasons.

When recognized as a continuation, death is no longer a threat or a tragedy; it’s not a defeat or necessary evil that we have to brace our self against. Rather, it’s the way we embark on the next part of our journey. A journey we can undertake without fear.

 

© TuesdaysWithLaurie.com

When Pigs Fly!

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Jockeying for Position by Laurie Buchanan

When Pigs Fly by Laurie Buchanan

Yesterday—Mother’s Day—I thought a lot about my mom. She died in 1991 from breast cancer at the age of 53. Although she was small in stature, she was one of the biggest people I’ve ever known. She taught me by example that how we live impacts how we die. She lived a life of courage, beauty, and integrity—she died in the same manner. And she was hysterical! When I was growing up her way of saying “no” was, “When pigs fly!”  The quirky way she said it took the edge off of her denial to my request … and trust me, it was always for my own good.

Outside my office window at HolEssence I keep a bird feeder. We buy seed in 50 lb. sacks and go through it quickly. Watching these birds, I thought, “These guys are pigs … little pigs that fly!” Last evening as I was enjoying (okay, pigging out on) the full bag of sinfully delicious Hawaiian Kettle BBQ chips and red licorice that my son gave me for Mother’s Day—my favorites—somewhere in the distance I swear heard my mother’s voice, “When pigs fly!” Trust me; it would have been for my own good. Had I listened, I wouldn’t still be waddling around like a plump goose this morning.

© TuesdaysWithLaurie.com

Pins and Needles

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Pins and Needles by Laurie Buchanan

Pins and Needles by Laurie Buchanan

Do you find yourself dancing a wicked two-step with emotions such as depression, anxiety, or stress? Do these feelings jab at you like pins and needles in an otherwise beautiful existence?

Depression is about the past. It’s about something we lost, or perceive that we lost. It takes a great deal of energy to dwell in the past. For many, this is a place where anger and resentment reside. What’s more, worrying about the past can’t change anything that’s already occurred. That’s impossible. What’s done is done. It is what it is.

Anxiety is about the future. It’s about uncertainty; the unknown, the “What ifs?” Like the past, it also takes a great deal of energy to dwell in the future. For many, this is a place where fear resides. There’s not a single person in the history of mankind who has changed a future outcome through worry.

Stress is current. It’s how we cope with the present moment; the here and now. As a Holistic Health Practitioner, I can tell you that up to 90% of all illness is stress-related. Prolonged stress leads to a weakened immune system and the development of illness—body, mind and spirit.

As my friend Mary says, “Stress is not an event — it’s a reaction to an event.” We don’t always have a choice about the circumstance in which we find ourselves, but we always have a choice about how we react to it.

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
               ~ Laurie Buchanan

www.HolEssence.com
Copyright © 2010 Laurie Buchanan — All rights reserved

Heading Home

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Bahamian Sunset by Laurie Buchanan

Bahamian Sunset by Laurie Buchanan

Tomorrow we head home. The term “home” is used all the time, but what does it really mean? Maybe there’s as many different meanings as there are people. For some it’s a geographic location … the place they were born, grew up; or perhaps the place they currently reside. When my mom was alive, wherever she was is where I considered home. Does that mean when she died I no longer have a home?

Being married to a now retired military man meant that we moved a lot. Does that mean we changed homes each time, or does it mean we simply changed geographic locations? It’s been said that “home is where the heart is.” I have the sneaking suspicion that once this journey’s over—this journey we call life—I’ll be heading home.

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
               ~ Laurie Buchanan

http://www.holessence.com/home.html
Copyright © 2010 Laurie Buchanan — All rights reserved.

The Journey

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The Journey by Laurie Buchanan

The Journey by Laurie Buchanan

We are getting ready to take a journey; one that’s been planned for over a year. Am I excited? Certainly. But in a way, I’m saddened too. You see for me, the anticipation—the journey—is equally important, if not more so, than the destination. 

This is just as true about how I view life and its events: births, marriage, moving, anniversaries, promotions, publication, graduations, retirement and even death. It is purposeful living—being present in each moment leading up to the destination—that is essential.

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
               ~ Laurie Buchanan

www.HolEssence.com
Copyright © 2010, Laurie Buchanan — All rights reserved.