People often feel sorry for me because I have asthma. I assure them there is no need. While I continuously work on creating a healthier environment for myself to breathe more easily, such as cutting out dairy completely, utilizing various breathing exercises and performing EFT and Reiki on myself, I also see the gifts asthma has brought to me.
My step-father practically showed up in my life when I was eight-years-old with a football and baseball in his hand. After work he would play catch with my brother and me every day and not long afterwards, we both became exceptional throwers and catchers. When our family moved out of the apartment complex and into a home on a quiet street that could be used as a football field, my brother and I took advantage of our new find. We brought all the neighborhood kids together every day in the street to play tag football. I could not run very easily, so I made it a point to be the best quarterback on the block. Even though I was the only girl, I was the team leader.
I distinctly remember starting a new school at ten, where on the first day the boys snickered when it was my turn to throw the ball, saying I would make a better cheerleader than a player. After the first throw, they quickly changed their tune as they clamored around me to be their quarterback at school. Would I have tried so hard to become a quarterback if I did not have asthma? It is unlikely.
Then there was baseball. This was my true passion. I dreamed about becoming the first female major leaguer. Playing outfield was certainly not an option for me; there was that running thing again. So, I practiced catching fly balls and ground balls and every kind of ball you can imagine while in the infield and in the process became an extraordinary second baseman. Where I truly excelled, however, was up at bat. I would never be able to steal bases. I would have a challenging time just running to first base after hitting the ball. So, I practiced until almost every ball I hit was a home run. I could then jog lightly around the bases at my own pace. Asthma created a home-run-hitter!
Decades have since passed and I have long since hung up my cleats, but even now I see the gifts I have received from asthma. At forty-three I battled a challenging year of chronic bronchitis which exacerbated my asthma. In and out of doctor’s offices, culminating in an evening at the emergency room strapped to an IV and ventilator, I was thankful that I made it there in time. Even through this hellish ordeal, I still saw how asthma had changed me.
After my stint in the emergency room, I realized it was time to figure out what I was allergic to in my diet. I tried cutting out breads and other grains, eggs, and then finally dairy. At last I discovered that dairy products were the culprit. While living in France, when I made my discovery, I found that it was challenging to find food products without dairy in them. Using milk and cream in everything is part of the French culture. I sometimes would become frustrated that as a passionate foodie I would now have to limit my food intake, but what I also noticed is that gradually through this transition I was becoming more spiritually aware of my body. I felt more connected with the Divine as I treated my body with the respect that it deserves.
All people in fact have varying degrees of lactose intolerance after the age of about two, when we no longer need our mother’s milk and graduate to eating solid food. When you think about it not one other animal drinks breast milk from another species. We are the only one. Dairy products were never meant to be a commodity. Milk is supposed to feed a mother’s child and that is all. While I admit to be a recovering cheese-aholic, when I think about dairy along those terms, I am grateful to leave the milk where it belongs. Asthma brought me this information and I am grateful.
My illness also taught me to find out about several breathing techniques enabling me to fully inhale life to its fullest. I learned that most Westerners breathe only through their chests, not allowing for the entire lung to accept the energy it needs. When we look at babies breathe, we notice that their tummies pop up with each inhalation. Yet, somewhere along the road we build up fears and forget our True Nature. Breath is what allows our bodies to function properly and it connects us to the Divine. When we stifle our breathing, we stifle our interaction with Source. Asthma taught me to pay attention to my breathing.
I also know that car fumes and smoke coming from the huffing and puffing of a cigarette that so many use in Paris, is not so easy for my body to withstand. Instead of becoming morose about it, however, I notice that in reality, clean air is what we all need, not just asthmatics. If I did not have asthma, it may not have fully connected in my mind how important clean air is for our bodies, our neighbors and our planet at large.
As I watch the many smokers around me, and as a former smoker myself (yep, I did it too) I see how the act of lighting up, serves only as a bandaid, covering up the insecurities that one feels inside. It also stands as a beacon for disrespect; disrespect for that temple that is your body and disrespect for the temple that is the body of everyone that is in breathing distance. The higher my vibration becomes the less tolerant my body is of these destructive forces. Perhaps as more and more people connect with their Spiritual sides, they too will see the need for eliminating these elements in their lives. This would, in turn, create a fundamentally different Earth; a peaceful, serene space, where human beings can learn to co-create in harmony.
It may not be physically easy for me to be in a smoke-filled space, but I do feel the presence of the Divine calling me to take action in my own life to create a peaceful environment around me. Hopefully, when there are enough of us, a critical mass will take place and we all, people and everything in Nature will luxuriate in taking fresh clean breaths every moment of our lives.
These are the gifts that asthma has given to me.
When something is presented in your life that doesn’t fit into your version of what a perfect life should look like, stop for a moment and take a breath. Then notice what gifts and opportunities were presented to you because of this situation. They are always there. You just have to look for them.
Thank you for reading and Namaste! (The Light in me recognizes the Light in you!)
My step-father practically showed up in my life when I was eight-years-old with a football and baseball in his hand. After work he would play catch with my brother and me every day and not long afterwards, we both became exceptional throwers and catchers. When our family moved out of the apartment complex and into a home on a quiet street that could be used as a football field, my brother and I took advantage of our new find. We brought all the neighborhood kids together every day in the street to play tag football. I could not run very easily, so I made it a point to be the best quarterback on the block. Even though I was the only girl, I was the team leader.
I distinctly remember starting a new school at ten, where on the first day the boys snickered when it was my turn to throw the ball, saying I would make a better cheerleader than a player. After the first throw, they quickly changed their tune as they clamored around me to be their quarterback at school. Would I have tried so hard to become a quarterback if I did not have asthma? It is unlikely.
Then there was baseball. This was my true passion. I dreamed about becoming the first female major leaguer. Playing outfield was certainly not an option for me; there was that running thing again. So, I practiced catching fly balls and ground balls and every kind of ball you can imagine while in the infield and in the process became an extraordinary second baseman. Where I truly excelled, however, was up at bat. I would never be able to steal bases. I would have a challenging time just running to first base after hitting the ball. So, I practiced until almost every ball I hit was a home run. I could then jog lightly around the bases at my own pace. Asthma created a home-run-hitter!
Decades have since passed and I have long since hung up my cleats, but even now I see the gifts I have received from asthma. At forty-three I battled a challenging year of chronic bronchitis which exacerbated my asthma. In and out of doctor’s offices, culminating in an evening at the emergency room strapped to an IV and ventilator, I was thankful that I made it there in time. Even through this hellish ordeal, I still saw how asthma had changed me.
After my stint in the emergency room, I realized it was time to figure out what I was allergic to in my diet. I tried cutting out breads and other grains, eggs, and then finally dairy. At last I discovered that dairy products were the culprit. While living in France, when I made my discovery, I found that it was challenging to find food products without dairy in them. Using milk and cream in everything is part of the French culture. I sometimes would become frustrated that as a passionate foodie I would now have to limit my food intake, but what I also noticed is that gradually through this transition I was becoming more spiritually aware of my body. I felt more connected with the Divine as I treated my body with the respect that it deserves.
All people in fact have varying degrees of lactose intolerance after the age of about two, when we no longer need our mother’s milk and graduate to eating solid food. When you think about it not one other animal drinks breast milk from another species. We are the only one. Dairy products were never meant to be a commodity. Milk is supposed to feed a mother’s child and that is all. While I admit to be a recovering cheese-aholic, when I think about dairy along those terms, I am grateful to leave the milk where it belongs. Asthma brought me this information and I am grateful.
My illness also taught me to find out about several breathing techniques enabling me to fully inhale life to its fullest. I learned that most Westerners breathe only through their chests, not allowing for the entire lung to accept the energy it needs. When we look at babies breathe, we notice that their tummies pop up with each inhalation. Yet, somewhere along the road we build up fears and forget our True Nature. Breath is what allows our bodies to function properly and it connects us to the Divine. When we stifle our breathing, we stifle our interaction with Source. Asthma taught me to pay attention to my breathing.
I also know that car fumes and smoke coming from the huffing and puffing of a cigarette that so many use in Paris, is not so easy for my body to withstand. Instead of becoming morose about it, however, I notice that in reality, clean air is what we all need, not just asthmatics. If I did not have asthma, it may not have fully connected in my mind how important clean air is for our bodies, our neighbors and our planet at large.
As I watch the many smokers around me, and as a former smoker myself (yep, I did it too) I see how the act of lighting up, serves only as a bandaid, covering up the insecurities that one feels inside. It also stands as a beacon for disrespect; disrespect for that temple that is your body and disrespect for the temple that is the body of everyone that is in breathing distance. The higher my vibration becomes the less tolerant my body is of these destructive forces. Perhaps as more and more people connect with their Spiritual sides, they too will see the need for eliminating these elements in their lives. This would, in turn, create a fundamentally different Earth; a peaceful, serene space, where human beings can learn to co-create in harmony.
It may not be physically easy for me to be in a smoke-filled space, but I do feel the presence of the Divine calling me to take action in my own life to create a peaceful environment around me. Hopefully, when there are enough of us, a critical mass will take place and we all, people and everything in Nature will luxuriate in taking fresh clean breaths every moment of our lives.
These are the gifts that asthma has given to me.
When something is presented in your life that doesn’t fit into your version of what a perfect life should look like, stop for a moment and take a breath. Then notice what gifts and opportunities were presented to you because of this situation. They are always there. You just have to look for them.
Thank you for reading and Namaste! (The Light in me recognizes the Light in you!)
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