I AM A WITCH DOCTOR!!! but seriously.

Long story. A surprising twist to my life. Where to start. So a good friend of mine (Sarah C.) went to see a "Renewist" and recommended I do the same. I was uninsured, battling with health annoyances, and just plain curious, so early in '09, I went to see Jamie, a SureFooted Health Renewist. I guess its like Reflexology on 'roids. She was amazing and I was amazed. She did these moves on my feet and proceeded to tell me all about MY medical history. It felt like voo-doo, but it was so scientific and specific. She knew I had bladder problems (thank you Avery), knew my back was sore (thank you car accident) and even knew I was having current food allergies in my throat (thank you OJ). She was dead-on with her observations. BUT, would it help FIX my maladies? Okay, sit down for some TMI. The very main reason I went in was because I have struggled with anxiety bad for a few years now. It has been constant since Quincy was born. Meds took the edge off, but I was tired of the drugs. And they kept me fat. SERIOUSLY, after she was done working her magic, I felt great. Balanced. Peaceful. Palpably so. It lasted about 4 days. I went again. Lasted about a week. Went again. Lasted a couple weeks. Went again and it lasted a month. Wow! WOW! I felt like myself again.

THEN life hit. HARD. Michael is self-employed. Around April, his business could only stay alive by cutting us off the payroll. So we lived off savings for a while. When they ran out, we struggled for life, for air, for sanity. Ironically, right before all this went down, I decided to cold turkey any meds I was on. You know, since I was doing so good. But then... STRESS! And no money to see Jamie! So I went to a very hard place. Anxiety attacks, even panic attacks. I felt TERRIBLY unsafe. I could not see the light of day. I was a beast. Cool. Michael felt strongly that he should be the one to provide for us. I felt the same. However, his job search was slow going. He needed to find a job that would pay the bills and still allow him to keep working at his own business (you know, for free). It was a tall order in this economy. I do have a degree, although arguably useless (History). If I did put my education to work, I would have to leave in the day and I REFUSED to put my kids in daycare. I'm super over-protective that way. I filled out loads of night job applications, but again couldn't kick the feeling that Michael was to get the job. With nothing short of a miracle, he landed a 2nd job at Pepperide Farms loading freight early in the mornings. The hours and pay were perfect to pull us through. I was so proud of him for putting aside pride and sticking with his dreams at the same time. He works 2 jobs now, and it takes its toll, but he gets to keep building his business dream and he pays the bills.

Now, as we began to pull out of that mess, I decided to get back on meds. I had to. No choice. Fatty or not. I had no money to pay for the voo-doo. Being on a better medicine this time, I began to think clearly. As I assessed the last couple months, I knew that I couldn't ever stand to feel so helpless again. I needed a trade. Something I could fall back on and pick up immediately if I didn't know how to buy TP again. I considered hair, massage, esthetics, you name it. But what really kept coming to mind was my trips to Jamie. I wanted that skill. I wanted that knowledge on so many levels. I wanted to be able to keep my family, my loved ones, and myself healthy. I wanted an escape route from the meds. As I looked back, I felt so strongly that recent events were acutely designed to lead me to this part of my life. A path I NEVER would have chosen on my own. So with the help of my parents, I enrolled in the same school Jamie had attended. I graduated in November and it has changed my life. Not only did I learn that foot magic (AMAZING), but I also learned so much about the body, food, herbs, oils, etc... . I have become THAT girl. That crazy girl who would rather try natural remedies first and who has an essential oil for that and who wants to look at your feet and see what's wrong. I am that girl who is loading her family with veggies and decreasing the milk and meat significantly. I am even that girl who is making WHOLE WHEAT bread for health purposes and who NEEDS a Vita-mix so I can make green smoothies. I AM THAT GIRL. And I plan on being that girl for life. I love what I do, the things I know, and how I feel about taking care of our bodies. I even learned to love my body (despite its imperfections) because it has been good to me and every day a million trillion things work together miraculously to keep me alive. I struggle trying to find time to do my own feet, but when I do, my chronic conditions immediately improve. I'm certain that when I do commit to work on myself, I won't even pee my pants anymore! So there you go! I AM A WITCH DOCTOR!!!