But sometimes several months would pass before I started journaling again. Months were just gone.
Mid-2011, I decided to throw caution to the wind and tear down the walls I had built around journaling. Write (almost) anything and (probably not) everything. And worst came to worst, I could break every historian's heart and request my journals to be burned postmortem.
As I finally wrote with sincere honesty, I realized the severity of everything. It wasn't just a "bad day." I couldn't just take a quick nap for more energy. I wouldn't just "get over it." In my darkest moments, I would write of my despair, and for the first time be able to see what I tried so hard to forget.
Also around this time, I began recognizing another common theme in my interactions and encounters with others: the earth can heal us.
There were philosophies about milk! corn! pork! The woman who learned to manage her lupus by changing to a raw diet! The man who planked his bed so that his feet were elevated 7 inches above his head to increase blood flow to his brain while he slept!
I also heard that at the time of his death, John Wayne had 80lbs of feces in his colon (which isn't actually true, but made for an interesting conversation).
There is more to health, wellness, and healing. In 2012, I will learn, and I will heal.
And I would love for you to join me.
photo by gary barnes
