By Cyndi Myers
It’s been a minute since I last penned a blog. I’ve been a bit busy with my last baby’s upcoming high school graduation, an adventurous drive from Albany, NY to Tampa, FL with my daughter and her new car, spring cleaning my gardens, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera… But (to quote my kids), I’m not gonna lie, it’s really been about the struggle to choose a topic. There are so many, and they’re all “top of the list” important. So, leaning in to my own advice, I waited for it to come to me. And after seeing “Lost & Found” multiple times within a 2-day span, I knew the Universe was sending me the sign I needed.
You see, since the beginning of my leukemia journey, I’ve been diving deep into myself. The long, arduous treatment stripped me down, exposing all of my innerworkings. All of it. Bubbling to the surface for ME to see. As I’ve said many times, I truly believe leukemia was always supposed to be part of my life. I knew that from the very beginning (well, after the initial shock of the diagnosis, that is). But what I didn’t know was that it would take me on a trip to find my true self, to locate my soul and consciously join it with my humanness. Of course, it’s always a work in progress, but what I did find was that proverbial path. MY path.
It’s funny how life works; how events unfold and tell a story or shine a light on the parts we need to see (or are too afraid to see). But, what I’ve learned is that we’re not always open to actually seeing what’s right in front of us, or facing the things we think are our enemy. We feel lost and oftentimes don’t even realize it until something smacks us in the face and says, “HEY YOU! SNAP OUT OF IT! You’re missing out on SO MUCH!”. That was me, 100%. I didn’t realize I was lost. I was chugging along, raising my kids, working out hard and doing things I truly loved. I had a perfect part-time job that I enjoyed and that paid well. Why would I even think there was something missing, or rather, something I wasn’t seeing?
My journey with leukemia certainly was that slap in the face. And I couldn’t have welcomed it more. Even in my darkest days I realized that starting each day with a dose of gratitude reshaped my perspective and, more importantly, how I felt. I would actually start my daily routine by meditating at night. That seemed to open me up to receiving the messages the Universe was sending, the ones I was ignoring in The Before. And, as I awoke, I would “download” the messages, meditate on them to truly understand them, and share them with a small group of friends via text. I actually saved all of those text messages, and recently began looking back on them to remind myself of the place from which I came; reminding myself not to close the door on the infinite possibilities of this life like I naively did before cancer. But it’s definitely a journey, and constantly reminding myself - and RECOGNIZING the reminders when they’re put in front of me - that there’s no one final destination, that it’s a lifelong journey, is the only way to continue to grow. It feels incredible to know I’ve found myself and my path in this life. While it’s not carved in stone, I’m enjoying the flow of it all. I’m enjoying my newfound openness and everyday growth, and in absolute awe of the ebb and flow of the tides of life. In transcending my humanness and diving in to the realization that I was “lost”, I’ve found the joy of exploration and the beauty and unending love the Universe has to offer.
You, too, can “find” yourself if you so desire. Here are 5 ideas to start you on your journey:
Meditate, meditate, meditate. As I’ve said before, I really struggled with quieting my mind and would give up on meditating within minutes of starting. I would get frustrated by my monkey mind and had resigned myself to a life without meditation until I decided to start small. I would sit in silence for just one minute to start, and discovered it had enormous results in settling my entire body. I eventually graduated to guided meditations when I was living in the hospital for a month at the outset of my treatments, resulting in amazing connection and quietness, especially after that first Reiki session (see my blog That Voodoo That You Do for more on that life-altering experience!). A great resource for guided meditations is the Insight Timer app, which you can download in your app store or on their website here.
Put down your device and pick up a book (of course, after you check out all of our blogs and Transcend Mind & Body Wellness’ offerings, wink wink)! I have discovered so many amazing books and resources for opening up and discovering who I truly am. The Untethered Soul, by Michael Singer; The Seat of the Soul, by Gary Zukav, The Fear Cure, by Lissa Rankin, MD; and my current favorite, Dying to Be Me, by Anita Moorjani are just a few of the many great books I’ve read and cannot recommend highly enough. Another benefit of ditching devices is that you experience life through your own lens, versus the lens of everyone else.
Take a walk or go for a hike. Getting outside and exploring the beautiful world around you IRL helps relieve stress and allows you to breathe a little deeper. It gives you the space your brain and body need to be able to open up.
Connect with family and friends! Enjoying the company of the people who mean the most to you is absolutely priceless and can do wonders for letting go of your stress, fears and frustrations. There is tremendous value in connecting with people and sharing a laugh or just having a good conversation. As they say…laughter is the best medicine!
Book a massage, energy healing session or health coaching session! Taking care of your physical and mental health is essential for optimal well-being and for giving your mind the space it needs to open up to new discoveries about yourself and your journey. It’s amazing what we don’t realize we’re storing in our bodies that blocks the flow of energy. Even the smallest of traumas can get stored in the body and create a block that keeps you stagnate. Check out a local massage therapist, or our services page for Distance Reiki, Health Coaching, Nutrition Coaching and/or Fitness Coaching!
Finding what works for you is always where you want to land. The power to make your life what YOU want it to be is right inside of you right now. Setting aside your fears, your apprehensions and your self-doubt by giving yourself the space to, first, SEE what it is that’s blocking your way is the first step toward reaching your goals. You’ll never know until you try!
With light and love,
The Transcend Team
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