It is not a coincidence that I am writing this article a couple of days after Halloween. As you have probably noticed, lots of people are sick right now (flu season) and it is likely going to get worse over the next few weeks as the immune suppressing effects of eating junk food fully kick in.

Obviously, the best way to avoid being sick this season is to eat high quality food and live a healthy lifestyle. The fact is, not everyone is going to do that – regardless of how many articles I write about it. And, even for those who eat great and focus on living a healthy life sometimes we need some help by the way of high quality supplements.

For a variety of reasons, there are 3 supplements that I recommend everyone take – especially during the cold months – and a few others that you may want to consider. I personally use all of these and have noticed a significant improvement in my health and immune system as a result.

Vitamin D – The sunshine vitamin is crucial to supplement with in Canada in the winter time. Many northerners are deficient in this vitamin that is essential to immune system function, bone development, protection from cancer and preventing musculoskeletal pain syndromes.

Unless you are getting significant sun exposure over a large area of exposed skin, you likely need to supplement with Vitamin D. Some medical doctors and most naturopathic doctors can order Vit. D level blood tests if you would like to be sure where you stand so you can dose accordingly.

Fish Oil – There is a popular internet meme that says ‘If it can’t be fixed with squats and fish oil, you are probably going to die!” While that may be a bit of hyperbole, a high quality fish oil supplement is something everyone in our western culture can benefit from. Due to modern farming methods and the processing of food most of us get too many Omega-6 fatty acids, and not enough of the beneficial omega-3’s.

Fish oil helps to bring us back into balance. Fish oil is essential for the health of the nervous system, skin, cardiovascular system, immune system and for reducing systemic inflammation.

A word of warning though – because of heavy metal contamination you MUST be sure to take a high quality supplement that is independently tested to ensure safety. It is for that reason I do not recommend buying any old cheap bottle off the pharmacy shelf.

Probiotics – Believe it or not, our bodies are made up of about as many bacterial cells than ‘us’ cells (look it up)! So, it is important that we have bacteria (especially in our guts) that help us instead of hurt us. Because of lifestyle factors such as high sugar and grains intake and the overuse of antibiotics (both in us and the animals we eat) our gut flora gets messed up. Probiotic supplements help to get it back to normal.

Having optimal gut flora not only helps digestion, but immune system function, energy levels, and has even been shown to help with behavioural and cognitive disorders. There are a variety of good supplements out there and if you are more dedicated you can get beneficial bacteria by consuming naturally fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, apple cider vinegar and others on a regular basis.

While not in my top 3, there are two other supplements I use regularly that I use and you may want to consider. The first is Magnesium which I take before bedtime and the other is a Green Drink supplement. Magnesium helps with relaxation and recovery amongst many other benefits. Eating enough vegetables is difficult for some people and while a supplement does not replace food the green drink makes it a bit easier and helps to balance your pH levels.

So, how do you choose what brands to buy? Admittedly, it can be a bit confusing. Nexus Chiropractic carries the Vitamin D, Fish Oil, and Probiotic brands that I use, if you live in Cornwall. If you are elsewhere, I suggest you find a healthcare provider, or even gym you trust who can advise you.

A few simple steps can make a big difference in your health. Take action now to ensure a healthy and happy season.

I was looking through some of my old articles recently and thought that this one was a great one to revisit as 2017 comes to an end and we get ready to face a new year. Here it is with our updated Special Presentation schedule for the first part of 2018………..

This weekend I participated in a technique seminar in Toronto. This particular seminar was a ‘Basic’ or ‘fundamentals’ course in the system that we use as the core of Neurspinal Optimization in our office. I have probably done this specific seminar 10 or 12 times over the course of the 15+ years I have been studying this technique.

Why would I take the same course a dozen times? Is it because I am slow? Do I lack talent? Even if that were true, I would never admit it BUT that is not the reason I keep going back. I believe that in any important endeavour it is imperative to continually sharpen the saw.

Even though I already KNOW the material being presented and I put that material into practice at Nexus Chiropractic on a daily basis, it does not mean I cannot revisit it as a student, gain a deeper understanding, and refine my application with other doctors with the same objectives.

Major league baseball players have taken thousands of ground balls and seen thousands of pitches during their careers yet still practice daily and often work on specific improvements during the off season. Professional musicians practice for HOURS between performances. World class performers in all fields spend time refining their craft away from battlefield.

How often do we need to sharpen our saws? It depends on the person and it depends on what is being sharpened but in my experience quite often, especially if it is important to you.

What keeps most people from sharpening their saws on a regular basis is that it is not an urgent endeavour and therefore must be consciously planned. I don’t NEED to go to chiropractic seminars in order to do my job competently. It is a conscious choice.

At Nexus Chiropractic our Protection and Optimization plans – which are optional programs after an Initial Phase of Care (IPC) is completed – are essentially plans that sharpen your saw when it comes to the health of your spine and nervous system. Unlike the IPC where our goal is to make a correction and bring things back towards normal, Protection and Optimization are about preventing future problems and actually increasing your adaptability, health and performance. There is no crisis to deal with which allows us to focus more on progress.

To further sharpen your health saw, we also provide you the opportunity to participate in classes and special events through the office designed to help you get the most out of your care with us.

We have a very busy 2018 ahead of us and a lot of saw sharpening. Upcoming events for patients will be:

January 16 at 7pm – Head to Toe Neurospinal Show (Introductory Presentation)

January 23 at 7pm – Advanced Care Workshop – active patients and guests only

February 20 at 7pm – Head to Toe Neurospinal Show

March 13 at 7pm – Head to Toe Neurospinal Show

March 20 at 7pm – Neurospinal Optimization Decoded

April 10 at 7pm – Reorganizational Healing

April 24 at 7pm – Head to Toe Neurospinal Show

All of these presentations are at no cost and are invaluable tools to help you to get where you need to be.

Your health is important. If you can shift your focus even slightly from crisis management to sharpening your saw you will see benefits both short and especially long term. There are lots of ways to do that, and we are here to help.

Over the years I have consulted with many people experiencing pain in my chiropractic office as well as spoken to many more out and about regarding both the pain they have and are experiencing. I have been amazed at how differently people perceive this pain, the meaning they give it, and the outcomes they receive as a result of their perceptions and actions.

After 16 years of observing these patterns I have noticed what I call ‘The Pain Paradox,’ and the havoc it reeks on some people’s lives.

Imagine that you own a car. Cars require a certain amount of care to keep them running smoothly. Some people invest a great deal of time, effort and resources into maintaining their automobiles. Others…not so much.

Let’s say that you are a ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ kind of person. Meaning, you place no attention on car care unless there is something noticeably wrong. When the gas light shows empty, you fill it up. When the oil light comes on, you change the oil. When the car won’t start, you call a mechanic. Your entire car care focus is fixing problems.

     Here is where the paradox comes in. What is the outcome that results from focusing on fixing problems – compared to someone who focuses on proper maintenance or optimal performance? That’s right, lots of problems to fix.

‘The Pain Paradox’ works the same way, except that it is much more prevalent (most people understand the wisdom of proper automobile maintenance).

Many folks do not give their health a second thought until something goes wrong. There is no focus, no attention, no investment in health until there is pain or disease. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

To go further, when confronted with pain many people are happy to just place a Band-Aid over the symptom, or secondary condition. There is no thought about addressing what may be the primary cause of their discomfort. This would be akin to filling the engine with motor oil only to have it leak out of a hole in the line.

So, we have a (fairly large) population whose main health care focus in getting rid of pain, yet – like the person who only pays attention to their broken car – this approach is actually a significant contributor to them experiencing the pain they want to avoid. THIS is ‘The Pain Paradox.’

‘The Pain Paradox’ has nothing to do with intelligence – it is just what most of us have been taught. It is an unconscious default for most. That fact, however does not diminish the suffering it causes for so many people.

Those caught in this paradox not only experience more pain but they are frustrated by the fact they are getting what they don’t want. Also, by nature, their problems tend to get worse over time and they will often complain about the negative effects of ‘getting old.’

The people with whom I work who tend to be the healthiest and happiest are those who have escaped ‘The Pain Paradox.’ At some point they realize that it just wasn’t working. The first step is they start looking for the underlying, primary conditions or patterns that lie deeper to their secondary symptoms. They replace the oil line instead of filling up the old, leaky one.

Once the primary conditions are handled, the healthiest people I know shift their focus not only maintaining their health, but building it. They take regular action that builds their health, whether they are experiencing pain or not. As a result, they tend to get healthier as they get older instead of the opposite.

Everyone wants to be healthy and have a body that allows them to do what they want to do. Don’t get caught in ‘The Pain Paradox.’ If you have been, it is okay – acknowledge it. Now, a healthier future is possible.

A pair of relatively recent scientific discoveries have come to light that provide a possible mechanism for some of the dramatic results I have seen in my office over the years. These discoveries also make it more obvious how important it is to have an optimally functioning spine and how a trauma or insult TODAY can have dire consequences many years down the road.

The first revolves around a new syndrome that many clinicians are not even aware of – Cerviocranial syndrome. Much of the research on CCS has been conducted by Dr. Raymond Damadian, the medical physician who invented the first MRI scanner. CSS is a misalignment (caused by trauma or degeneration) that can lead to secondary conditions such as neck pain, dizziness, sinus pain and headaches.

Dr. Damadian’s MRI research has also been able to connect neurodegenerative disorders such as MS, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease and even autism to CCS. The proposed mechanism is that the neck misalignments restrict the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) into the brain, thus leading to a breakdown in function.

When linked to a trauma they found that the average amount of time between the incident (a car accident, for example) and the development of the condition was 11 years!

Another incidental finding was that when the cervical (neck) misalignment was corrected, remote conditions such as low back pain sometimes improved, which certainly matches up with my clinical experience using Neurospinal Optimization.

You can watch a 13 minute video of one of Dr. Damadian’s presentations with some fascinating graphics and video by clicking HERE

The second discovery by researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine was that there were lymphatic vessels present in the brains of mice. It was previously believed that there was not lymph tissue present in the brain. These vessels serve to bring immune cells to the brain as well as circulate our old friend CSF, thereby removing waste from brain tissue.

It is hypothesized that restriction of lymph flow – like previously with the CSF – can result in a build up of waste and contribute to MS, Alzheimer’s and meningitis. You can read the article by clicking HERE.

So what do these findings mean to us? Obviously, none of us want to develop neurodegenerative disorders down the road so taking care of our spines regardless of pain or symptoms is probably a good idea.

Even if we are not in danger of developing one of those terrible diseases, what these discoveries tell us is that there is a closer relationship between the spine and brain than we previously thought. Could smaller, less obvious shifts in the structure and function of the spine negatively impact the function of our brain in a sub-clinical way? I think so.

Most of our patients choose to use Neurospinal Optimization as both a tool of prevention and to optimize their health and performance in life. They choose this because they experience the difference. These scientific findings give us a greater understanding about why they have those experiences.

I am writing this article sitting in my home having missed my second day of work in a row due to being sick. This is a big deal because since opening my practice in 2000 (that is 16 years ago) I had only missed one half of a day sick prior to this week.

Save for a couple of serious illnesses as a child this is the ‘sickest’ I can ever remember being. Up until a few hours ago there would have been no way I could have written this article because I could neither drag myself off of the couch nor think straight. The strange thing about this experience is that while I am annoyed about missing work and disappointed that I allowed myself to become vulnerable to the illness, I am actually grateful and know it will have a lasting positive impact on my life and health.

Why would anybody feel gratitude towards being so sick they thought they were going to die (not really, but it sure felt like it)?

The first reason is that this sickness has me completely motivated to make some positive changes in my lifestyle. This requires the individual to not see themselves as the victim for being sick. This is rare in our society and that is too bad. I recently wrote an article about how to stay healthy over the holidays and while I generally followed my own advice (continued doing the good, healthy stuff) I went a bit too far with late nights and unhealthy food and drink. I tempted fate and I got burned.

The positive spin on this was that I was planning on changing some things regarding my health in the New Year. After the experience of the last few days there is now no way I will not make it happen. On the other hand, had I perceived this illness as bad luck caused by germ A or virus B there would be less impetus to change. Pain is a wonderful motivator and if you are going to experience it you might as well use it.

The second thing I am grateful for is that it gave me the opportunity to do absolutely NOTHING. In fact it forced me to do nothing as I could barely read, let alone move.

I live a lifestyle that moves pretty fast – work, seminars, coaching, and two kids in multiple sports. We take vacations but even then we are either doing activities or I am plowing through books I don’t have time to read the rest of the year.

The last couple of days I spent most of my time doing nothing. Just lying in my bed or on the couch. While it isn’t fun to feel like crap you learn a lot when you literally cannot do anything. Without actively pursuing that line of thinking I became much clearer on what I wanted my life to look and feel like and I am much more motivated to get going on that life.

It was also kind of nice to sit on the couch with my family watching a crappy movie without thinking about all the stuff I have to do – and that NEVER happens in my normal life.

Being sick is not fun but it can provide you with value when it occurs. If you don’t see yourself as a victim you can take the experience and turn it into something great. This idea of taking the experience of pain and turning it into progress can be the greatest concept to embrace in making 2016 the best year of your life. I will be expanding on that idea in the next article.

Happy New Year!

Whether we like it or not, the holiday season has begun. The lights and trees are starting to go up and soon it will be time for parties, treats, libations and visiting with family.

As all of this fun is happening one of the biggest challenges many people face is that they tend to get sick and cannot fully enjoy all that the season has to offer. It is not a coincidence that flu/cold season tends to start now and I know that chiropractors also see more back and neck pain ‘emergencies’ at this time of year than any other.

When you combine more junk food (which starts with Halloween), a decrease in sun exposure and fresh air, staying out late, more alcohol than usual, and increased financial and family stress you have a recipe for failings in our health that often show up as illness and pain.

So, how do you enjoy the holidays and not end up out of commission? Can you indulge and still stay healthy? The answer is yes if you are smart about it.

The key to staying healthy over the holidays is to continue to do the good things while you indulge in the ‘treats.’ What that means is that while you indulge a little, be sure to continue to keep the habits that make you healthy all year round. Unfortunately many people let it all slide this time of year and end up paying for it.

So, if you know you are going to eat some junk, make sure you are loading up on fresh produce and high quality meat as well. Drink lots of water. If you know you will be out late, schedule some naps and a few quiet nights to minimize the effects. Don’t drop your exercise program. Schedule walks or mediation sessions to be sure your stress levels are handled.

Personally, as the holidays approach I pay even more attention to doing the good things so that I can have lots of fun, stay healthy and go into the new year floor running. Here are some of the steps I take.

Diet is crucial to staying healthy and while I am a self professed sugar addict and love baked goods, I make absolute certain I am eating lots of healthy food each day. Breakfast is a great way to start. I also make sure I load up on green veggies (as well as a green drink supplement) and meat at meal times.

While obviously it is better to get our nutrients from food, supplements really are essential to maximize our health – especially during the winter months. Everyone can benefit from high quality vitamin D, fish oil, and probiotic supplementation at this time of year. I also supplement vitamin C, magnesium and zinc and have seen wonderful results since doing so.

Physical exercise is a great way to stay healthy over the holidays, yet so many people let this slide. I use the extra time off of work to make sure I am physically active on a daily basis over the holidays (it is now a tradition in my house to do a squat session on Christmas day). It does not have to be complicated or elaborate, especially if you are travelling. Go for a hike, do some bodyweight exercises, visit a gym in the town you are in. It doesn’t matter, just move! It will keep you healthy.

Despite my Nordic appearance I really don’t like being outside in the cold and this is a challenge because fresh air is very important to our health. Shovel some snow, go skating, build a snow man, walk to the coffee shop. Get out and breathe the air.

Because it is impossible to eliminate or ‘fight’ stress at this time of year it is important to make sure the effects of that stress are not physically accumulating towards a crisis. I meditate daily which helps with this and my biggest weapon is the Neurospinal Optimization chiropractic care I receive for myself. I much prefer to stay on top of things instead of waiting until I have an emergency on my hands.

Start now to ensure you have a fun AND healthy and happy holiday season. Commit to the good so that you can indulge in some ‘bad.’

If you are looking for high quality supplements, Nexus Chiropractic does carry the fish oil and vitamin D that my family uses. Feel free to contact me to find out where I purchase the rest of the supplements I use.

Happy Holidays!

When I sat down and started the car to drive my kids to school this morning I was a little stressed out. There had been a disagreement with one of my sons, we were running late and just as I was about to pull out of the driveway I realized that my windshield was covered in ice.

My initial instinct was to just start driving and hope that I would be able to see well enough until the defroster did its job – after all, I was in a hurry. Of course I did NOT do that. I got out of the car, retrieved the scraper from the trunk and proceeded to clean the windshield.

What would have happened had I not taken the time and due diligence to clean my windshield before departing? Certainly a series of less than desirable outcomes could have occurred. Minor consequences such as getting a ticket from the police or perhaps bumping into something and damaging my car would certainly be possible. Hitting a person or other vehicle and hurting either my children or someone else would have had much more severe consequences for all involved.

Obviously, the smart thing to do and the only REAL choice was to stop and clean the windshield BEFORE leaving my driveway. Convenient? No. Necessary? Yes.

I see several parallels between my windshield and your health. Very often the bumps and bruises, aches and pains, diseases and challenges we end up with are secondary to dirty windshields.

Regardless of how careful we are, life throws a lot of mud, and crap – and in Canada, ice in April – at us. Things can get pretty dirty over time and it makes navigating difficult at first, dangerous after a while and then next to impossible if it goes too far.

Trouble happens when we focus on what usually begins as bumps and dents in our car. Like aches and pains these small secondary effects are quick and easy to handle. A little paint or a new signal light will do the trick just like an aspirin, massage or good ‘crack’ will.

What will happen if the windshield stays dirty and then continues to accumulate filth? The bumps get bigger until someone really gets hurt.

At Nexus Chiropractic we know that to really get healthy the first thing that needs to happen is that the windshield needs to be cleaned. In fact, most of the people we work with have already spent years treating secondary conditions (symptoms) and know they need a different approach.

Our Initial Phase of Care (IPC) is focused on normalizing a primary condition known as a Neurospinal Shift (cleaning the windshield) that commonly underlies the secondary conditions people suffer from.

As your windshield clears up suddenly there are less bumps, bruises, aches and pains. And…because your body is not made out of steel and plastic it has the opportunity to heal old wounds.

Once the windshield is clean some people choose regular, less frequent care to make sure it stays that way. Others love their clear view so much that they continue more frequently in order to navigate towards the best life possible.

Click HERE to read another article I wrote about addressing the primary cause.

If you would like to know more we have an introductory presentation at our office on Tuesday, April 21^th at 7pm. We will also be having our Level 2 – Transform workshop on Tuesday, April 28^th at 7pm, which I encourage all current patients to attend. Both workshops are at no cost and you can reserve a seat by calling the office.

Often, by the time I sit down to do a consultation with someone who is considering becoming a patient in my office, they have already sought out the care of multiple other doctors, therapists and health care providers. In most cases they have had some success, yet have not had the sustainable, long term results they desire.

Typically these patients have had their muscles addressed through some form of therapy, exercise and stretches. Many have had the alignment of their bones addressed with structural adjustments and posture exercises. Many others have also had guidance in regards to their nutrition.

All of these approaches can be excellent and in many cases need to be addressed to provide long term results with any symptom or secondary conditions such as pain and dysfunction.

Most of the people I see in my office have had a very important body system either passed over or completely ignored and that is why I refer to the NERVOUS SYSTEM as the forgotten body system.

Why is the nervous system so important? Essentially the TONE of the nervous system will determine the tone – and therefore function – of the tissues and organs of the body.

The messages travelling along the nerves determine the tension (or lack thereof) of the muscles. Let’s say you have a tight muscle. You can take a warm bath, get a massage or take a muscle relaxant to get some temporary relief. The fact of the matter is that if the nervous system continues to tell the muscle to be tight, nothing will produce a long term change in that  muscle until the nervous system is addressed.

If you had electricity surges causing the light bulbs in your home to burn out you can change all the bulbs you want, but the problem won’t truly be solved until the electrical system is repaired. It is the same with the nervous system.

How does the nervous system impact the structure or posture? Muscles move bones and therefore determine the position of the skeleton. What controls the muscles? NERVES! In our office we objectively measure and monitor our patient’s structure and it is amazing how consistently and how profoundly structure improves when the function of the nervous system is normalized.

At Nexus Chiropractic, we focus on what is called Neurospinal Optimization which aims to correct a primary condition called a Neurospinal Shift. There are added benefits to addressing the underlying shift in the nervous system when looking for relief in the common secondary conditions that people see chiropractors for, such as back and neck pain and headaches. In addition to setting the tone for the muscles and structure, the nervous system also contributes to the function of our internal organs and to the tone of our mental and emotional state.

So, while as chiropractors we do not treat organic diseases or act as psychotherapists, it is not uncommon for people to notice that they digest food better, have better energy levels, and handle mental and emotional stresses more effectively when their Neurospinal Shifts are normalized.

We live in a world where our nervous system is bombarded with stimuli that have the ability to create an unhealthy state with far ranging consequences in many areas of our health. There are many great interventions to address the effects of an abnormal nervous system. Don’t forget to get to the underlying cause and take care of the forgotten system.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone in the Nexus Chiropractic family a Happy New Year! I would also like to thank everyone for spoiling us with the thoughtful gifts we received over the holiday.

2014 was an exciting year – we added some new technology, continued to refine our clinical expertise and were joined by a new RMT who has fit nicely with our specific approach to care.

In the past year Nexus invested in new equipment that allows us to more effectively assess, monitor and correct the Neurospinal Shifts that our care focuses on. This equipment allows us to more specifically pinpoint abnormalities in your physical structure that result from a Neuropspinal Shift. These abnormalities often occur way before any secondary conditions, symptoms or pain start to arise.

I have always been a huge proponent of continually refining clinical skills and learning from the best, and this past year I attended my 10th consecutive advanced technique seminar in NSA – the core discipline we use in our Neurospinal Optimization focus. Additionally, I continued to study and train with leaders in different fields to ensure you are receiving efficient and up to date care.

We were also joined this year by Jaime McRae, RMT. Jaime is a massage therapist who focuses on NeuroKinetic Therapy, which is a discipline that works very well with my approach to care. Instead of merely ‘attacking’ tight and sore muscles, she determines ‘why’ muscles are firing a certain way and her care focuses on getting to the underlying cause.

In 2014, Nexus Chiropractic also recommitted to helping patients, their families, and the community at large to help themselves through workshops. The people who take advantage of these events get some of the best results in their health that I have seen. We have a series of workshops held in the office at no charge (some open only to patients, some open to the public), I speak regularly for the Encore Seniors Group, and several times per year we hold intensive ‘Clear Days’ for patients and practice members who have already made progress in their care. Please take advantage of these valuable health resources.

Now, what is to come in 2015? First, we are working on implementing a new diagnostic technology that will allow us to measure and monitor a powerful indicator of nervous system function and overall health – stay tuned.

Next week I will be heading to Denver to attend a brand new program that is an extension of the NSA training I have been doing over the past 14 years. This will be a more advanced application towards the achieving the objectives of our care at Nexus. In case you can’t tell, I am pretty excited about this!

We already have several workshops and events lined up for early 2015. Tonight (Jan. 6) will be the first of many Introductory Workshops. Even if you have attended in the past, the information presented evolves, so feel free to attend again. Also in January will be The Best Year of Your Life workshop, which will teach how to have…….! Our next Clear Morning will be on Saturday, Jan. 31^st. This will fill fast so please speak to Cindy or Adele if you would like to attend. I will also be speaking to the Encore Seniors group with my friend Tyler Touchette in March. Encore is a great organization, so if you are over 50 I encourage you to check out their programs.

I want to thank you all for being a part of Nexus and being a part of my life. As I approach my 15 year anniversary of graduating from chiropractic school I am very grateful for having the opportunity to work with such great people and help them to produce such extraordinary results. Here is to another great year for us all!

A few weeks ago the world lost an amazing woman. Almost anyone who has spent any time around Nexus Chiropractic knew and admired Mary Price.

I considered Mary a friend and a teacher. For many years she was considered our ‘ideal’ patient and practice member and it was she who seemed to dictate how we defined that ideal. Mary and the practice and myself as a doctor grew together over the 10+ years I had the pleasure of knowing her.

I had the opportunity to travel to Denver and other places with Mary where I got to know her outside of the office setting. It was incredible how this quiet, unassuming lady had lived such an interesting and unique life.

I have been planning to write this since Mary’s passing, yet something had kept me from it until today. While I shed some tears upon hearing the news, I must admit that I have been feeling some guilt over NOT being more upset to have lost someone I loved. I thought I should feel worse.

It has come to me recently however that even though I miss her, there is no reason to feel bad because perhaps more than anyone else I have known she lived her life exactly on her own terms. She lived a great life and continued to do so through her challenges right until the very end. That is an incredible gift she gave to both herself and those who cared about her.

When Mary’s illness began to progress and she became more or less house bound I contacted her a few times to see if she would like me to visit. I could tell that she really did not want me there. Once she arrived in Hospice she let me know she was ready for visitors and I am so grateful for the time we spent talking. She explained why she only wanted certain people at her home while she was sick and great it felt to be in Hospice where she was more free and at peace.

Again, always on HER terms!

Mary Price was a walking and talking example of someone who continued to grow and evolve until the very end. She was always learning, trying new things and was open to new ideas. Many people give up on those things in their 40s. She was still going strong into her 80s. That was what kept her young (I never really thought of Mary as any ‘age’).

Mary was also an example of quiet courage. I learned from her that being courageous doesn’t mean shouting and stomping and being in people’s faces. She was just courageous in the dignified and quiet way that was her.

As Mary faced serious illness, she never wavered in her courage. Did she make some tough decisions that she wasn’t always sure of? You bet. Once she made them she took ownership of them and did the absolute best she could.

Again, I miss my friend and I guess I am not sad because she lived a life fulfilled. The type of life that I think most of us can aspire to. A life that was lived with dignity and ended with dignity.

Thank you, Mary. Thank you for making my life better. Thank you for all of your contributions to the people who got to know you through our office. Thank you for being a shining example of what is possible for us all.

Psst. There will always be place reserved for you at our Clear Days!