Sunshine Journal

Dory was so wise. Three simple words that you can keep repeating over and over. Plus she said it so cheerily in a sing-song way, so how can you not smile when you think of it. I recently read a book where this phrase was used throughout the book. It struck a cord. We all have coping mechanisms whether we realize them or not. Some are simple, some may be elaborate, some may be harmful, and so on. But as we grow and navigate the world, we create them and lean on them. I've mentioned before that exercise was my crutch for a period of time. It got me through two postpartums, my father's death, and many other trials in between. It wasn't a cure all, but I found that many times it did truly release the endorphins I needed. There are obviously other things I did through the years. Pretty sure junk food was involved heavily during some periods of life.  But when you get in a pickle and don't have the physical means to exercise and your stomach can't tolerate much of any...

Several months ago I was on my drive home from an appointment in the Cities and the song "Rise Up" by Andra Day came on. The song had been on my playlist already for quite some time, but I never really absorbed what she was saying until that day. It spoke to me in so many ways. It is me. You're broken down and tired Of living life on a merry-go-round And you can't find the fighter But I see it in you so we gonna walk it out Move mountains We gonna walk it out And move mountains And I'll rise up I'll rise like the day I'll rise up I'll rise unafraid I'll rise up And I'll do it a thousand times again And I'll rise up High like the waves I'll rise up In spite of the ache I'll rise up And I'll do it a thousand times again For you For you For you For you When the silence isn't quiet And it feels like it's getting hard to breathe And I know you feel like dying But I promise we'll take the world to its feet Move mountains...

I stepped away from work to take care of me. I’ve been thinking a lot about this day approaching. It’s attached with many emotions, but mostly, I’m just so proud of how far I’ve come. I didn’t know what was going to happen when I took a leave from work. I mean I planned, but I knew that my plan might not work out. And it didn’t. I hoped a month would be enough and I could return part-time for awhile. I think I always knew deep down that it wouldn’t, but I’m stubborn and didn’t want that to be the case. So stubborn that I did make myself go back to work only to leave again after two weeks. I’ll be honest, it felt like failure. But at that time I sought out a new doctor and nutritionist after watching hours of virtual seminars. Besides being inspired by their knowledge, I ultimately just went with my gut. And I’m so glad I did. Was it easy? Did it work in an instant? Heck no! There was a lot of trial and error at the start. I think the biggest takeaway is that I learned how to listen to ...

you learn as you go. And now you all have that song in your head ;) I wish I had something positive to say about feeling like crap, but I don’t have it in me today. I kind of feel like I’m living this secret life amongst my own life, a life that involves parasite cleansing. It’s the most non-glamorous thing one can do, or at least up there on the list. It’s straight up gross. And I feel certain very few want to hear about it, so that’s why it’s a secret. And the fact that most probably think it’s bananas and possibly made up. It’s not, I promise you that. I’ve survived two cycles of Ivermectin and one full day of Praziquantel. And as promised, I felt worse during those times. It took me a good three days to recover from Praziquantel. But they did what they were supposed to do, help kill liver flukes, worms, and who knows what else. And if you recognize the medication names, it’s probably because you once gave it to your pet to get rid of their parasites. ...

hope noun 1. a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. When the world says, "give up". Hope whispers, "try it one more time". The last two months have been a whirlwind. I'm sure I'm not alone in this feeling. But hey, we made it to spring and the sun is shining (sometimes)! I'm just going to jump right into the nitty gritty. The last post we left off with heavy metals and me having elevated levels of about 9 kinds. Soon after that I was tested for mycotoxins (mold). We discovered I have three types in my body that are at elevated levels. This isn't the same thing as a mold allergy. This is the kind of mold that has accumulated in your body over time or from an acute exposure. Mycotoxins are naturally occurring in many foods, which we all consume and get exposed to. It can also grow in homes from water damage or excess humidity. Again, there's always going to be some of this happening. But some people are just more...