Moving Beyond the Pain

Pain happens. And when it does, pain is real. It’s a fact none of us care to dwell on even though we all deal with its many forms at one time or another. In recent months, a number of people I know have had to deal with pain from accidents, health issues, family issues, and loss of loved ones. My thoughts on this subject, while personal, stem from the deep feelings I have on this very subject, and since I’m not there with you to talk about it, here’s what I’ve got to say...

There are many words to describe pain, but it boils down to two characteristics – physical and psychological. How each of us deals with it is truly a personal thing, but in the end, there is a reason why it’s there, so we must learn from it, and move through it. Reasons – well, there could be a number of reasons why the pain is there, but that would be a different post, so I’ll leave reasons for you to figure out. Learning from pain may not be something you’ve heard before. If you haven’t, perhaps that’s why you are still dealing with it in the same old way. Pain is not a friend to anyone, and I’m sure most people would not consciously choose it as a friend; but yet, I know many people who give up on it and just live with it – and that, right there, is a choice.

I would have to ask myself why, why, why is it there? I’ve done this many times and the more I ask, the more I try crafting my question in a different way – it may take time, but the answers do come. The secret is to figure out how best to craft that question. Believe me, you are not a wimp, and I know you can do this. The sooner you do it – the better for you! Although, I should point out here that sometimes you may just be afraid of what answers do come when you start asking the questions? If that’s the case, you better get on it soon and just deal with it! This is not woo-woo stuff. If you think this is a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, then how’s what you’ve been doing working for you so far?

Talking to your pain can be as real as the pain you feel. What have you got to lose? Here’s what I do – I fully bring my attention to the pain, noticing not only where it is located, but how it moves, and how it makes me feel. I try to picture it, talk to it and craft my questions accordingly. You may find that asking the more difficult questions is a journey on its own!

I don’t accept – this is my lot in life, or that it will always be this way – always and life are a long miserable time if you carry the burden of pain with you. So, don’t accept the status quo. If I can do this, so can you, and it doesn’t matter if the pain you feel is old or new. Fight the pain, be it physical or psychological, do battle, go to war and say yes to getting your life back. I realize you may not like hearing this, but it is as simple as bringing awareness to the pain, asking the questions, and letting it go.

Right now, this moment, accept what is, release the pain, and be better than you were a moment ago. Resistance to acceptance is a form of negativity and there are no possibilities in negativity - ever. Accept, and release the pain - open yourself to a new beginning. Allow the possibilities of the moment to flow into your life. There is another side to it, like a light at the end of a tunnel, but it's up to you to illuminate the way.

Bring attention to it - and let it go!

PS - don't bother asking me if this was written for you - if you think it was, then it was, like all my other posts...

Love, Michelle

Light at the end of the tunnel photo courtesy of Dawn Huczek

Happy Anniversary

In August of 2010, I posted to this blog for the first time. I started It Is What It Is as a way for me to continue to write after I finished the book I was working on. While slowly making my way through the book editing process I missed the writing process. As I approached the end of my fifth blogging year, I considered putting a wrap on it as my intention had been to blog for five years. Obviously, I haven’t stopped. I still love the idea of instant publishing and work hard to continue to inspire others through all the changes going on in my life – from living life in a somewhat normal fashion while living with chronic health issues to living out of my suitcase and traveling full-time – chronic issues be damned!

Why do I continue to blog? As with my initial posts, I believe we can all learn from one another as we strive to be our best selves through the ups and downs of our lives. Why do I believe you would be interested in what I have to say? Because I look at my life in a positive light. I wasn’t always this way, but adopting a positive mindset changed my outlook, changed my life, and I hope to inspire the change you may be looking for.

Since 2010, I have continued to work on my book in various stages of editing, formatting, cover design, and on, and on. Early in the process, I decided not to go down the formal publishing road for many reasons, and self-publishing seemed to be a better fit for me. It has been a lot of work to wear so many different hats in the publishing process. It is also a bit more difficult with my traveling lifestyle to work-in when I can focus on the final stages of my book. I’m happy to report I was able to find two months during the spring of 2017 to move the book along. I am now closer than ever to making the self-publishing thing happen. While this may sound like a teaser – well, it is! Let’s see what happens with all this by year end. And, in case you are wondering what this book of mine is called – It Is What It Is. Of course! You will finally be able to follow in the footsteps of my journey, and learn how I found the positive mindset that inevitably changed my life.

Join me as I begin my eighth year of It Is What It Is. I promise to keep you up-to-date on the final process of publishing later this fall and winter. As always, share the love of a post or this blog. If you would like to follow my traveling adventures, you will find a link to my travel blog in the sidebar along with links to Instagram and Facebook. Thank you for your wonderful comments over the years. 

Michelle

Connecting The Dots

As full-time travelers, many say we are living the life – perhaps we are, but living the life has its own challenges. To begin with, it’s more work than anyone can imagine. It’s not just merrily going from point A to point B, but figuring out a general route, and trying to connect all the dots – and there are a lot of dots! There’s plane and train schedules and canceled connections while en route, car rentals, length of stays, and of course finding beds within our budget criteria. Oh, and don’t forget making all these plans while working with subpar internet connections. And, it’s not about just finding the beds but determining best location for local transportation, what we might want to see and do, how close the market is, nearby restaurants, and on and on. Connecting the dots takes a huge amount of time and energy, granted it’s time and energy we have now, but it is tedious work nonetheless - and quite frankly at times has my head spinning. Don’t even get me started on what happens when we actually live the planned dots by schlepping our bags through crowds and hopping on the train connections, hauling them over cobblestone streets, and up several flights of narrow spiral staircases.

You might be surprised to find that we seldom have the time to research the things to do and see in locations we are traveling to until we are actually there!

The main thing is that this type of living is not for people who have issues with detailed planning or adapting to change. This type of living is not for come what may attitudes because the results would vary greatly and create unnecessary levels of stress. In short, living the life is mentally and physically challenging, exhausting, and wonderful all at the same time! Fortunately, there are two of us living the life and connecting the dots as a team. With every change, there comes a certain amount of stress even for the most unflappable laid-back type – I’m thinking of my husband Dennis here. For me, the key is to move through any stress I may feel while living the life and get to the other side of the situation as soon as possible – and of course, believe I can. I wasn’t always able to embrace adapting to change in this manner. I’ve learned what I am capable of and trust I can get through whatever is ahead as we continue to connect the dots and live the life.

Michelle

Some cheerful data photo courtesy of Dirkcuys

Moments of Gratitude

Recently, when I was visiting family and friends in the Pacific Northwest, my friend Ann was telling me how amazing she’s been feeling these days, and how happy she is. While she has had some low moments and a myriad of health issues the last few years, hearing Ann talk about how great she was feeling filled me with joy! Ann’s a trouper, the grins and bears it type. I was curious what she attributed this new-found happiness to. Smiling, she told me started bringing more gratitude into her life and the things that used to upset her no longer do. Three months previously, it was suggested to her to start a gratitude journal, and that’s all it took. She realized how many things go on throughout her day that she feels grateful for. It’s just that she hadn’t taken the time to consider the moments of her day in quite this way. And it’s not about all the big things one would imagine, it’s about the small stuff. Ann began to find joy in the little moments by taking the time to realize how significant the little moments are.

A number of years ago I realized I wasn't taking the time to be grateful for the things in my life that made a difference to me. Instead of keeping a journal, I decided I would temporarily isolate the moment of gratitude and focus on grateful feelings as they happened. I even found myself saying a quiet thank you at times as I enjoyed my moment. I also began reviewing my gratitude moments as I fell asleep each night and found it to be a lovely way to end my day. I have continued to honor gratitude as it happens every day since.

Being grateful moment to moment is sometimes all we have when dealing with whatever we are dealing with. The key is to bring attention to gratitude when we see it – when we feel it. Happiness is a good thing, and I don’t think we take the time to allow ourselves the happiness being grateful can bring. Like Ann said, it’s really just an attitude change, but it has made such a difference. As Ann was sharing with me her new found gratitude practice, I felt myself thinking that I should have shared my gratitude realization with her years ago, and I decided I should share this with you so you, too, may find the happiness being personally grateful has brought to me and now Ann.

Michelle

Enough is a feast photo courtesy of Irudayam for which I am grateful

How I Travel With Medication

Due to the autoimmune disease Crohn’s, I travel with the medication Humira and use the pre-filled pens twice a month. Humira is an injectable biologic (genetically engineered protein) that blocks inflammation and is used for treating a number of autoimmune diseases. Any kind of traveling with this type of medication can be a pain in the butt because it must be stored at 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit. But having to deal with this inconvenience is not going to keep me from living my life as I choose; and right now, I choose to live my life as a full-time traveler.

I have found one must be creative when traveling with refrigerated medication. Long travel days with layovers and such, or no in-room refrigerators can be frustrating. But I have found many people to be quite understanding and helpful in keeping my medication cooled within range. I have given my medication and gel-packs to complete strangers to store even though I can't monitor the temp. On layovers at airports, I extend the time my medication can travel safely by going to one of the lounges or bars and asking them to freeze gel-packs and refrigerate the pens. If they can, they are more than accommodating. In Barcelona, the hotel freezer quit so my gel-packs were not frozen when I was leaving for a long travel day. I found some ice, loaded zip-lock bags and filled my cooler. We were not flying so the ice was no problem. But what would I have done if we were flying? I would have found a restaurant or bar willing to help prior to takeoff, and once on the plane, I would either ice it down or the airline attendant would have refrigerated it depending on the airline’s restrictions.

It helps to keep an open mind and sense of humor anytime, but becomes even more important when traveling with refrigerated medication. Am I worried about keeping the temperature range? Absolutely not! Otherwise, I'd be a nervous wreck and I wouldn’t travel! I try and have a sense of adventure and look at any glitches as a learning opportunity for future travels. I can’t predict all potential problems and I don’t worry about not always being able to monitor the temps. I trust it will be okay. I’m sure you have a lot of what ifs going through your mind, so let’s cut to the chase, what’s the worst that can happen - if the medication is spoiled, damaged, or lost? If that is ever the case, I know I’ll take charge of the situation and sort it out. Pain in the butt, you bet. But I'm willing to deal with it so I can keep myself healthy and enjoy my traveling lifestyle.

I have been asked by a number of people how I manage traveling with this type of medication, so for those who would like to understand more, read on...

• Receiving medications: My health insurance allows me to have up to 3 months medication and my mail-order prescription company will send them to me anywhere in the United States. When out of the country, I must travel with whatever medication I may need for the time I’m gone, and fortunately my health insurance allows me to order one vacation override per year. That has covered the number of pens I have needed.
• Gel packs: Humira is shipped with gel-packs. I always keep a few in a freezer with someone at our home base. These are much easier than traveling with ice because they don't turn to liquid when they melt, and with a good insulated cooler can last for at least 18 hours in the proper temperature range.
• Monitoring temperature rage: I can monitor the temp by carrying a wireless thermometer. The sensor is kept along with the Humira pens and the small readout device fits easily into a very small compartment in whatever else I may be carrying. It’s also handy to monitor refrigerators before storing my meds. I find most hotel and home refrigerators are not in the correct range for the food even if they are currently storing food! Nevertheless, I adjust the temp and keep an eye on the monitor.
• Insulated coolers:
• Thermoelectric Cooler: When driving around North America I use a Koolatron cooler that plugs into a car battery, and has an AC adaptor if necessary for motel rooms without refrigerators. It's an easy way to store medication on long drives - particularly when it is warm outside. I can also add refrigerated or frozen gel-packs for when the car is not running.
• Insulated Cooler: Polar Bear coolers work well along with 2-4 gel packs.
• Air travel and airport security: There are strict guidelines for flying with carry-ons but medications are considered essential carry-on items. Even so, every time I fly I check restrictions prior to flying. Any medications or supplements we carry are labeled, and I carry more extensive information regarding prefilled injection pens in case there are any questions. Most of the time I'm asked by security screening personnel to open the cooler so they can insure nothing will leak. I keep each gel-pack in zip-lock bags for this reason even though Polar Bear coolers do not leak, but try explaining that to security! I’d rather not have to open the cooler as it lets the cool air escape and reduces overall storage time, but I have no choice in this matter either. And believe me, I’ve tried!

Michelle