Oooof. Hello. Hi. It’s me. It has been quite a while since I’ve written up a blog post so here I am. I use this as a space to share. A space to put my thoughts. A space to share my story. A space to share helpful insights, travel stories, tips, recipes, quotes, mini meditations, yoga, workouts, and photos and to encourage others to create and design a lifestyle that is focused on nourishing the soul and becoming the best version of themselves. If I can inspire a person or two on the way, great, if not no worries, this is my journey in this weird and wonderful thing we call life.
I originally started this blog last year while I was recovering from surgery. I wanted (and continue to want) it to be a passion project, something that I get excited about doing, not something I feel obligated to do. And that is why I haven’t shared in a while. This year(s) has been insanely heavy and hard on so many levels. Jarad and I were working to focus on all the positive things in our lives and I did not find myself wanting to sit in front of a computer and add to the noise going on “out there”.
"...If I can inspire a person or two on the way great, if not no worries, this is my journey in this weird and wonderful thing we call life."
I have recently been drawn to write again and have been thinking about this space more. So in this blog post I am going to reflect on my health journey, the healing process, and what J and I have been up to this past year. If you care to follow along, awesome, but again, if not no worries, carry on and focus on making your life what it needs to be.
Oooookay, so just over two years ago I found out I had a large fibroid, I called Francine, growing on my uterus and large cyst, I called Sally, on my ovary (side note: I do not believe in coincidences and these tumours growing over/in my Svadhisthana, or sacral, chakra are something I think came from certain extreme emotional trauma. Maybe I’ll share that story one day when I am ready). Anyways, these large masses were taking up a lot of space and were causing many different inconvenient and uncomfortable symptoms. I’m talking like having to pee 5 times a night, pelvic pain, bloating making it look like I was 6 months pregnant sometimes, indigestion, and quite a lot of fatigue as Francine and her friend were building their own little blood supply and stealing all my energy. So rude! After many many months of waiting to see a specialist then more waiting to decide on how to proceed with treatment. I decided to go the surgical route. Last February I had what is called a myomectomy to remove Francine the fibroid and when they went in to remove her, Sally the cyst was gone (yay!). I am fortunate that this was the first surgery I have ever had and it went very well. I had the best doctor and healthcare team and after a few days at the hospital, sadly with no visitors due to the pandemic, I was able to go home. Jarad took care of me and was such an amazing support…like literally though…he had to hold me up in the shower (bless his heart) and I am so lucky to have had such incredible love and help from friends and family. I took eight weeks off of work and the recovery went well. This is when the Sunshine Soul Project was born. As I was healing I did a lot of reflecting on how I live my life, different outlooks I have on the world, and different insights on what self-care looks like to me and how I can share that with others.
How my uterus felt after Francine was gone...had a friend jokingly tell me,
"She wanted a womb with a view" haha
While recovering I did things that allowed me to heal physically, mentally, and emotionally. Even though I wasn’t able to do hardcore exercise right away (or quite a while afterwards) I did what I could with where I was at. That is the important part. Our lives are not linear. They don’t go in a straight line. We have ups and downs. Ins and outs. Laughs and cries. Hard times and good times. And everything in between. That is life. It is constantly changing and flowing along. We must adapt our lifestyle and how we choose to fill our cup based on where we are in our lives. It is in this adaptation where we truly give ourselves love. We just have to keep showing up in whatever capacity we have available.
"...It is in this adaptation where we truly give ourselves love."
Right after surgery my self-care looked like eating foods that would help heal my body, drinking enough water, getting lots of rest, and even just something as simple as showering. About two weeks later I tried to go for a walk and only made it a few blocks when I realized I couldn’t make it back home. I was slightly embarrassed but also just had to laugh it off. I remember thinking, “Okay so this is where I’m at”. J ran back home got the truck and picked me up. A week after that I was able to, very slowly, make it around the block. That progressed to eventually daily morning walks along the ocean listening to a podcast, stopping when I needed a break and just taking in the beauty of my surroundings. There were many times I got frustrated by not being able to do more but also was in awe at how absolutely incredible the body is. It innately knows how to heal itself. We just need to slow down, listen, and give it what it needs. This is something that I realized. It doesn’t matter if you are just out of surgery or if you are doing well just going about your life. Slow down. Listen. Give it what it needs.
"Slow down. Listen. Give it what it needs."
The rest of the year feels like it just flew by. I continued to heal and build my strength and was able to go back to work as a massage therapist. We spent the Spring and Summer mostly outdoors hiking and camping with our new wicked rooftop tent. J had a super busy wildfire season (one shift he worked 26 days straight!!!) and I started working part time as a dog walker for a super awesome company called Low Key Dog Walks. Our building that we own our apartment in very sadly does not allow any pets (awful I know!) so I have been super stoked to be able to fill the empty dog void in my heart by walking and loving on all the other doggos until we can get one (or 7 hehe) of our own. The summer was a hot one for the Island and we enjoyed lots of ocean time and visits from friends and fam. As we said goodbye to the heat of the summer and welcomed the coziness of the Fall I had a quick visit back to Ontario to meet and hug all my babes and welcome new babies to the world. J spent a few months up in Northern BC in a place called Fort St. John where he acquired his falling ticket, something he has worked so very very very hard to get. I went up for a quick two day visit while he was up there and under the vastness of sparkling stars….HE PROPOSED. It was the sweetest and most amazing thing. We are really really happy and are non-stressfully and slowly planning our wedding…aka the best day ever. I think this is where I will pause our little life update. Will be back with more soon.
Shine Bright Beauties.
Much love.
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