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ONE WORD FOR 2016

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SOME IDEAS FOR YOUR ONE WORD FOR 2016

The holidays are over, the tree is at the recycle center, the house is quiet and all that remains is some stubborn glitter from who knows where, which I find in the most random places throughout the house. I like it though. The glitter, that is. When the light hits it a certain way it sparkles and there’s movement to it. If I move my head slightly, I see a different reflection of light. My viewpoint affects how it shines. It’s not magic, it’s science. Anyway, I wasn’t planning on writing about glitter, I just realized how cool it is. Yes, I’m a science nerd. (See my PPS below for the glitter reference!!)

Up until 2 years ago, I always made New Year resolutions. I’d usually write them in November, put my list in an envelope and open it on the following New Year’s Day. I actually never called them resolutions, I called them goals. They’d be very specific, outlining things I wanted to accomplish, relationships I wanted to foster, relationships I’d let go of, books I wanted to read, places I wanted to visit and every year I would write “take piano lessons” on my list. You see, Ron’s very first Mother’s Day gift to me was a baby grand piano. He surprised me with it. I surprised him with this confession, “I can’t actually read music…yet, but I can kind of, sort of, play by ear.” I mean, Heart and Soul is my jam and I can play the first few lines from Brian’s Song pretty well. To this day, I have never had a single piano lesson. So every year, I’d look at my list and cross off all that I accomplished and those *&^% piano lessons would be staring me right in the face, shaking their head in disappointment. So two years ago, Ron gave me the book “One Word that will change your life” written by Dan Britton, Jimmy Page and Jon Gordon, and it resonated with me. I decided, no more New Year goals. Instead, I choose ONE WORD  to focus on for the year. Click here to order the book.
In 2015, my word was PRESENT. As in, being PRESENT. January through April I was helping my daughter Lauren plan her wedding and I enjoyed every minute of it. The wedding was magical and I made sure I was 100 percent PRESENT that day so that I could capture the moments and feelings without any distractions (mission accomplished). A great family vacation, dinners with dear friends, more beautiful weddings, an IRS audit (which in the end turned out to be a rather pleasant experience), some great events put on by our non profit, our second daughter, Morgan, graduating from Chiropractic College (making her the 7th Chiropractor in the family) gave me many opportunities to be/stay PRESENT in the moment. How was I PRESENT? I quieted my mind, cleared my thoughts, allowed myself to “feel” more and think less and simply BE there mentally and emotionally. What I felt was that I was more a part of everything and more connected to the people around me.  I was living in the moments rather than thinking about them. (Future blog post about chronicling your life on face book in the works).
It was a good word and a great year. I did not want to find myself looking back at 2015 struggling to remember what happened and having regrets that I somehow missed out. I lived it. I learned a lot. I loved most of it. I was PRESENT.

What ONE WORD for 2016 will you choose?

Mine? I’ll save that for my next blog!

PS- One of my future grand-kids is getting piano lessons for their birthday. I might even throw in the piano!
PPS- Life is like glitter. Sometimes, all you have to do is change your perspective, even a tiny bit, and things can change and shine more brilliantly. I wanted to make sense of the initial glitter talk. 🙂

Happy 2016!

Kid's Health Uncategorized

Living in Gratitude

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Dr. Mary adjusting a baby in India

I just returned home from a 10 day mission trip to Delhi, India where myself and 25 other Chiropractors, chiropractic students and friends provided adjustments and love to over 5000 people during a four day festival put on by the Sant Nirankari Mission. I’m struggling to describe my experience as words cannot convey the impact this act of service had on my soul. Before this trip, I thought of myself as a grateful person. Now, I know what the true meanings of Service and Gratitude are and I can say that I am Living in Gratitude!

Every time a parent (who rarely spoke English and had little knowledge about what Chiropractic was) handed me their child, I felt a deep sense of gratitude. I would check the baby’s nervous system, address the concerns that the parents had (through a translator), remove any interference in the communication between the brain and their body, and give them hope when I could. I worked on kids with Muscular dystrophy, Cerebral palsy, blindness, injuries from vaccines, autism, to name a few and each time I handed those children back to their parents, I would bow my head and say “thank you.” I was grateful to be able to serve others by laying my hands on them, allowing a shift to occur in their bodies. They were grateful for the love and the healing. It was the perfect symbiotic relationship where we mutually benefited.  The people we served including the volunteers, translators and organizers took such good care of us and allowed us to serve out of abundance. There were thousands of volunteers who were there to serve mankind. Some slept in big tents with one blanket, hoses as showers and still showed up smiling and ready to serve.

On one particular day while I was adjusting a “Holy Man” I heard a voice in my head that said,  “This is it. This is your reward for finding your calling. You listened. You trusted that you would be blessed beyond measure and you are. Enjoy the moment!”  At times, leaning over people while I made that connection, tears of Gratitude would fall onto them and I had to breathe deeply to stay present. Being present has always been something I work at and this experience felt like the final exam. I passed!

Throughout those 4 days, I watched our team serve together. Connecting through a glance and a smile, no words were needed to bond in that experience. The energy in the tent was so surreal that even with hovering news crews, photographers, VIPs and an amazing team of translators there was a peacefulness knowing that the only person that mattered at that moment was the person lying on my table.  Everything else was blurred and muffled.  I got to stay in gratitude and I never wanted to leave. So on the day after “Thanksgiving” I am making everyday Thanksgiving!

Today, I am grateful for the amazing toilet paper we have here in the US. If you’ve ever been to India, I’m sure you understand.

In Gratitude!

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Big Picture!

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What is truly Important in my Life!

Stressed? Here is what works for me.  When I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, juggling a dozen things, dealing with challenges and I start to feel that tightening in my shoulders(stress), I have programmed myself to think of these two words… BIG PICTURE. That’s all… I think Big Picture!

What I’m doing at the time is usually somewhat important and it may seem to me that if I don’t complete everything or at least some things on my to-do list, I will get buried in tasks never to resurface again(jk of course). Let’s say I’m handling a situation that is uncomfortable for me. I immediately put things in perspective. I think of my family, my friends, my patients and how much they mean to me. I think about people, maybe strangers sitting in Children’s Hospital living with “real” stress.  I think about how important the task at hand really is in the scheme of life. Is it significant enough to warrant the attention I’m giving it? I usually will keep moving ahead however, I refocus my energy on the things in my life that really matter.  In other words, I get clear on the importance of what it is I’m doing and that starts the shift in my attitude toward it.

Something that felt like I had to handle right then becomes something that may not even concern me and I can let it go.  Sometimes, I just lighten up and don’t take myself so serious and watch how that affects those around me. I pay bills sitting at my desk which is surrounded by photos of my family and friends, vision boards, healing boards, affirmations and more photos. They are plastered around me. How can I possibly forget the “Big Picture” in that environment? It reminds me of what is really important in life!

This works for me! What works for you? What helps you shift your energy and focus to live with more enjoyment in your life? I’d love to know!

 

Family Uncategorized

Lesson #1: Encourage him to golf!

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being the right person

Let’s talk about relationships. Specifically the relationship with your significant other. My husband and I will be married 27 years on 12/12/14. When I tell people how long we’ve been married, I usually hear, “Wow Congratulations!” followed by a comment implying that we have accomplished some amazing feat. Add the fact that we also work together and raised three healthy, happy daughters and the next logical question is… wait for it… here it comes… WHAT IS YOUR SECRET??

There is no SECRET. There IS a philosophy.  Be KIND, be RESPECTFUL, be LOVING, be SUPPORTIVE, be the kind of person that you would want to be married to. Women sometimes dislike when I make the following statement: ‘I love when Ron golfs.’ I actually encourage him to golf. It makes him happy and I love the thought of him walking the greens on the beautiful Torrey Pines golf course, breathing in fresh ocean air, meeting new people or hanging with his golf buddies and doing something he loves to do.  He’s up  and out early so he’s usually home by 11am and we have the rest of the day to either spend together or not. I don’t love golf. According to my ex-golf instructor, my swing resembles that of a Major League baseball player and the term “swing easy” does not register at all in my brain. However, I do love to work out, go out to dinner or spend weekends with my girlfriends, travel back east to visit family and I love that Ron encourages me to do things that I love to do as well.  I would not be in a relationship where I had to ask for permission to do things or had to justify my plans to satisfy my partner’s needs.  We have a mutual agreement to want the best for each other.   I said “I do” for a reason, I love him and want to share my life with him. From that day forward, I decided I wanted to be a the best wife I could possibly be. I continually work on myself so that I bring my best self to our relationship.  I AM and have always been Ron’s biggest fan! In my eyes, he IS the most amazing man on this planet!

Here is another thought on why I think our relationship works. Ron and I have common goals and we are in alignment (yes, that’s a chiropractic pun) when it comes to our sole purpose and the mission that we share. We are on the same team ALWAYS… And it’s sometimes necessary to remind each other that we are teammates. I believe that if you communicate from a place of kindness, your life is just better! If someone is defensive during a conversation, be more kind and use gentler words and watch what happens. Of course, the one ingredient that makes the relationship flourish is LOVE. Love permeates through our ideas, our dreams, our decisions, our family, our home and our world. Do we have a perfect relationship? No. Are we perfect for each other? Yes.

There you have it. Lesson #1: Encourage him to golf! Advice for a lasting, loving and successful relationship. My daughter Lauren, who is engaged to be married next year, gave me the idea to write a blog about relationships. Interestingly enough, she also has my golf swing and will appreciate our ex-golf instructor reference. Lauren, this blog is for you! XO