Healthy Living Archives - Page 5 of 13 - Sacred Healing of Grief Wounds

When You Were a Kid

Do you remember when you were a kid? Life was simple. Make your parents happy and your world was happy. But was it?

When You Were a Kid

The Neighborhood Kids

We lived in the midst of a 10-acre orange grove, sited on a lake. There were no nearby neighbors, no neighborhood kids, except one year when a family rented a nearby Florida cracker house, nestled between grapefruit trees, native oaks and the lakeshore. By chance, we heard the laughter of children playing on the clay road leading straight to the answer to our loneliness. Of course, before we could even meet them, Mom had to visit their mother.

Permission to play was granted and after a tentative shyness, we were soon scrambling up trees, playing on the natural trampoline of a tangled mess of flame vine, and swimming in the lake.

My sister and I were expert tree climbers, scrambling up a giant grapefruit tree together most of the time. With our new neighbors, we joined them to climb a humongous live oak tree close to their home. Although the bark was rough, we attacked it like a gang of pirates, intent on claiming a treasure chest. We weren’t afraid of strangers, or snakes, or anything else then.

The joy of having neighborhood kids to play with was short lived. Within a few months, they moved on. Life was back to playing.. and fighting with my sister.

Although my older sister, was someone I looked up to, yet I still preferred the natural world. One of my favorite actives was watching a giant velvet ant walk across the Florida sand. Isn’t she beautiful? Dad taught me to be careful. Her stinger was a real danger. Conversely, my sister followed other pursuits, like reading. A lot.

Playtime for Two Again

Television was in the toddler stage and we were allowed one program in the afternoon after school, Howdy Doody. Is “It’s Howdy Doody Time” playing in your head? Puppets didn’t appeal to me, yet I loved Howdy Doody. Perhaps because it was the only choice. Limits. There’s something to be said for simplicity.

So what else did we do? We played silly active games like ‘Hide and Seek’. We ran. If it rained, we played board games. Monopoly taught us about strategy, high finance, and sibling hierarchy where my sister always got the race car.

We’re Not Kids Anymore

Let’s Find Ways to Play

How did you play when you were a kid? I had a lot of alone time, so it’s easy to slip into childhood pursuits like exploring the yard, looking for caterpillars. Perhaps you enjoy visiting a public park.

Fun with Grandkids

Playing with grandchildren is another way to engage in play. Furthermore, you open them up to other types of play even their parents don’t know about.

The most precious gift we can give is time. My grandchildren are far away. Since I can’t share simple playtime, I write to them. By hand. Of course, I’ve learned that cursive handwriting is considered archaic. As a result, I practice my handwriting in a printed style, sharing glimpses into my life.

Other Ways to Play

Gone fishing. When you were a kid, the fish were plentiful, easy to catch. Yet, wasn’t it fun to learn how to cast? I remember testing myself. “Can I get close to that half-submerged log? There’s a bass lurking down there.” That was fun. It didn’t matter whether there was a fish on the line. It was just fun.

Remembering Leads to Doing

I invite you to find one way to play this week. Just one. Let us know what you’re going to do for fun in the comments or contact me.

To answer my original question, “Yes! Life was and remains fun.”

Now I think I’ll go find some bugs…

Warmly,
Dawn

My Walk Toward Healing

My walk toward healing is a continuation of my last blog, My Walk on the Wild Side. I promised to write the following week about my personal shamanic healing with The Healing Hummingbird, Meredith Johnson. Rather, during these last two weeks, my healing slowly increased in volume in subtle, yet concrete ways.

My Walk Toward Healing Guidance

The Big Project

If you browse through my blogs, you’ll find I’ve been taking small steps toward fulfilling my life purpose for years. It is a lot like a huge project, My Life Purpose, with many assets (people), contributing skills toward the successful completion of the project.

Yet, one thread is consistent. Me. It is in my control what I notice, whom I choose, where I go.

How did I find The Healing Hummingbird? Slowly, I’ve followed my intuition toward making new contacts, friendships, decisions that became a new circle of friends. While in Denver, Colorado, I met them in person. It was easy because it was like dipping a cane pole in a trout pond. The density of fish increased my likelihood of bringing one to shore.

In Florida, the energy is quite different. Then add in a pandemic, and I’m forced to make new connections via electronic sources. Often these connections come via email, which is a modern connection. Or perhaps I’m searching for a practitioner on the Internet. Rather than finding my initial quest, something new in the results catches my eye and I head down that side trail.

Similarly, an ads stops my scroll on social media. I click on it. Perhaps that click didn’t seem to be the answer. My curiosity pushes me on, digging a little deeper, scrolling a little farther, and finally the person I’m meant to choose draws me in. It’s like a bigger force has gently taken my hand to guide my walk toward healing.

What Healing Occured?

During my Shamanic healing, there were beautiful moments of my chest opening up, feeling full, then lighter. Most notable were the self-care reminders that came through, like these:

Dissolve epsom salt in a bucket of warm water, pouring it over your head in the shower
Drink hot tea with ginger
Massage your feet, then wrap them in warmth
Indulge yourself with your morning coffee
Waft the smoke of Palo Santo around your body

Perhaps one of my self-care options appeals to you. My favorite new understanding was using epsom salt in the shower. With my arthritis, it’s difficult to get up from a bathtub, keeping me from enjoying the benefits of a soaking bath. As I pour the ion-rich warm water over my head, I literally feel unnecessary layers slough off my skin.

Your Walk Toward Healing

The Most Important Tip

Above all, finding your own way is paramount to achieving fulfillment… happiness.

By learning to feel sensations in your body, you move toward an understanding of your unique path.

And the Way is

Plain and simple – deep breathing.

Deep Breathing —> Meditation
Meditation —> Being in the Moment
Being in the Moment —> Feeling Sensations in Your Body
Feeling Sensations in Your Body —> Where You Want to Go

There are other paths that are available to you when you start down your walk toward fulfillment. Deep breathing can be the first step. Be curious.

See you on the path,
Dawn

My Walk on the Wild Side

My walk on the wild side spanned the past eleven days, encompassing not one, but three walks. How am I defining wild? I’m referring to a natural state, untethered by conventional rules. However, it doesn’t mean unruly.

The Basis for This

I’ve always been a very spiritual person, whether sitting in church as a child, enthralled by the light streaming through the stained glass windows or walking alone in the forest. I have a deep, abiding belief in God and His plan for me. This belief extends to a network of spiritual guides, helpers, angels, and loved ones who are always with me. Intuitive thoughts guide my life and brought another loving soul my way recently, The Healing Hummingbird, Meredith Johnson. She performs shamanic and reiki healings. Furthermore, I was led to engage her to heal three aspects of my life.

The House First

How did I know the house needed healing? First, it felt heavy. Second, there were so many electrical disturbances during Zoom calls and even phone calls, I felt the house needed clearing. Although Meredith normally used Zoom for this, we decided a phone call was more stable. I have an app, Otter.ai, which both records audio and creates a text file. With my iPhone on speaker in one hand, I carried my iPad with my other hand. Otter on the iPad recorded all the information and messages Meredith relayed to me from Spirit.

One concern was the numerous animal heads on walls. The bull elk communicated to Meredith that he felt crowded and needed a space just for him. Afterward, I moved all the stuff elsewhere. I feel calmer and Mr. Bull Elk looks happier to me.

Consequently, now the house feels calmer, my electronics are much more stable, and it even helped me talk to Wayne, my husband, about his feelings during his stressful recurrence of cancer.

The Dogs Came Next

My second walk on the wild side was the shamanic healing of our dogs. We have three; Daisy, Dynamite, and Sugar.

Daisy – the American Bulldog

Daisy, a young dog, arrived in Wayne’s Georgia hunting camp years before we married. Her rear right paw had been mangled in a trap. Of course, Wayne took her in. He was unsuccessful finding her owners and brought her home with the intention of finding a good home.. You know where the good home is – here.

At the time, Wayne placed her in the dog kennel with Dubba, the male Brittany. Being a bulldog, Daisy is a physically powerful breed, not the best choice for an elderly household. But the most difficult trait was her barking, almost nonstop. Meredith found all her chakras were closed, except the throat chakra, hence the barking.

Daisy – This morning I had to wake her up!

Since her healing less than five days ago, the barking has all but stopped. Furthermore, she is much calmer in all ways.

Dynamite – the Beagle

Dynamite was bred to aid deer hunting. Before coming into our household, she had lived in a communal, raised, kennel with a pack of beagles. Her name alluded to her incredible stamina and tracking ability. Dynamite is sweet and loving, especially toward me, but she appears to be stubborn. In actuality, she had energetically stopped up her ears to protect them from all the noise in her young life. Also, she showed Meredith that she was trained with a stick and hand signals. Now I use hand signals to direct her. She responds more quickly to my requests and seems even more loving.

Sugar – the Brittany

Finally, we have Sugar, our three-year-old Brittany. Although I knew she and I are very close, I didn’t realize how close. When I’m away from the house, if I am distressed about something, Sugar can feel it, becoming anxious too. We have an energetic cord that binds us, which was mostly healthy, but there were some dark spots in the chord that made Sugar overly anxious. It was especially noticeable when I arrived home. She would emit a little cry as she ran circles around me. Now, she is calmer, happier, no longer crying when seeing me after I come home from grocery shopping.

My Healing

My walk on the wild side was so healing and informative, I’m going to write a separate blog about it. I invite you back here next Friday for the full story.

Continuing to Heal,
Dawn