Everyday Miracles

Remember Freddie? That was just the beginning.

I wrote a post a while back talking about my experiences with my first husband, Freddie (yes, I changed the name…). I wrote about how that experience made me so much stronger. What I didn’t know at that time though, was how much stronger I was still going to have to be.

I also mentioned the birth of my daughter, and that while I was in the hospital recovering from a C-section, Freddie was out scoring drugs. I believe this was the root cause of the hypertension that I am now dealing with.

I think my baby could sense that I was stressed. Either that, or my body decided it was time and said “Enough! Time’s up! She’s coming out now.” Either way, my baby was born 5 weeks premature.

What I didn’t know, was how dangerous a hospital can be to a premature baby. There are germs in a hospital that won’t affect you and I, however, those same germs to a premature baby can be life-threatening. In this case, they were.

The six days in the hospital were bliss. I had nurses looking after me and my daughter. We learned how to take care of her, how to feed her, and all too soon were sent home with her. What a joy!

However, on the 12th day of her life, my whole world came crashing down. My 5-week premature, 5-pound baby starting convulsing. She stopped eating. She didn’t even have the strength to cry. I had just had major surgery and my husband was at work when I received a call from a good friend – just checking in. I practically screamed at him — “Come over and take me to the hospital right now!”

He did. I got my daughter into Emergency where she was checked over right away. They couldn’t figure out what was wrong because she was so small they couldn’t do some of the tests they normally do. So they decided to treat her for all their suspicions. They gave her what I call a ‘molotov cocktail’ of drugs designed to blast whatever germ she had picked up before it killed her. Thank god they managed to save her life.

However, later that night they sent her to Children’s Hospital to have more thorough tests done and for long term care. There, they determined that my daughter had meningitis.

Meningitis has a 10 day incubation period. My daughter was only 13 days old. We were in the hospital for 7 days. Do the math. And stay out of hospitals, if you can help it!

Once they determined what the problem was, they cut back on all the drugs they were dosing her with and only gave her drugs for the meningitis. But the original ‘molotov cocktail’, although it saved her life, had long-lasting consequences.

My daughter lost partial hearing in her left ear. I can’t tell you how many times the school has notified me that they ‘discovered a significant hearing loss’ — I just laugh and roll my eyes, and wish they would read her paperwork each year!

Since then, she has had every doctor’s test known to god and man. Her blood work has never been quite right. Her joints aren’t very strong, her immune system is poor, she has allergies, eczema, asthma, and is accident-prone. The school nurse actually put a term to it — she says she has “oto-toxicity”, which basically means that since birth she was contaminated with toxins (remember the ‘molotov cocktail’ that saved her life?) and her little body has been trying to deal with them ever since.

I did some research and discovered that she need ‘bioflavanoids’ to boost her immune system to help her deal with the variety of issues she has for the rest of her life. But did you know that there aren’t any children’s vitamins that have ‘bioflavanoids’ in them on the market? Until one day I discovered Usanimals. These amazing children’s chewable vitamins helped my daughter rebuild her immune system.

She is turning 21 next week. She still has all these issues, but she has found ways to manage every one of them.

Just remember, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. She is very strong. So am I.

But what I want to know is – who decides how much strength you need to have in life? Because I’m not done yet.

Wishing you health and happiness,

Wendy
www.facebook.com/wendy.keen.watson

It’s always darkest before the dawn. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Every cloud has a silver lining.

There’s lots of platitudes for every situation. Hell, I’ve even said all of these at one time or another.

None of it helps when you are ‘in the moment’.

What I want to know is – why is the light always at the END of the tunnel? Why can’t you have a light at the beginning of the tunnel?

Not to mention that with all the tunnels I’ve been through – why is there still that moment of panic as you enter the darkness – madly groping the walls looking for a light switch? All the way through the tunnel…

Of course, the thing about a tunnel is that you don’t really have to see where you are going. You’re going to wander around, through the twists and turns as long as it takes until sooner or later, if you just keep moving forward, you find the way out. Sooner or later you will get to the end. You will see the light. It doesn’t even matter how long the tunnel is, or how long it takes you to find your way. The light will still be there.

Once you reach the light, you can see that there are so many ways to turn, so many paths to follow… so many choices…….

You might begin to wonder what the panic was about. You might even remember to turn around next time, before you enter the next tunnel.

Wishing you health and happiness,

Wendy
www.facebook.com/wendy.keen.watson

Sometimes people seem to be happy, but are really just covering up what is inside.

Happiness is a choice. Choose it everyday.

I was quite disturbed one day to see how depressed a friend of mine was. He always seemed so happy and in control of his emotions. However, one day he confessed to me how he was really feeling. I was quite concerned. So I talked with him for some time. We talked about times in our lives that were tough, times that neither of us really wanted to remember, much less discuss, but somehow it helped by getting in touch with those deep, dark feelings. He told me how he had quit his job, travelled half way around the world, looking for happiness. He found he was just as miserable, and came back home. Now he wanted to leave again, move somewhere else and start fresh, create a new life and redefine himself. I said that if he chose to do that, I would miss him. And so would his family, and I asked him why he thought that would bring him happiness, moving away from all the people in his life who loved him and cared for him?

I remember a time when I felt very lost. I had just lost my husband to cancer, had two young children at home to raise, and felt like I was just going through the motions. I became quite depressed, to the point where I had to go on medication for a time. My friends were calling me to see if I was okay, but I couldn’t even pick up the phone. And I certainly couldn’t call them back.. so time passed by, and the phone calls eventually stopped. I couldn’t do the simple things that keep your friends close to you, so eventually they left me alone. Which, of course, increased my depression.

At some point, I don’t remember when, a friend of mine told me about an interview she had listened to with Deepak Chopra, where he had said that we are all in control of our feelings. We are able to choose how we react to what others say and do. We don’t have to be subject to our first reactions. He said that if someone does something offensive to us, we can choose if we wish to be offended by that action.

I thought about that and realized – if I can choose whether or not to be offended, then I can choose whether or not to be happy in the same way. I don’t have to be a victim to whatever circumstance comes my way.

I looked at my life and discovered that even when situations are at their worst, it is still my decision on how to react. Even in the darkest moments, such as losing a loved one, you can choose not to despair. You can choose to embrace life. Pick up that phone. Talk to your friends. Realize that they just want to help.

Further, it occurred to me that there are those who can be happy even if they have lost everything — those who lost their homes in hurricanes, or other disasters — they choose to be happy that they are alive. Then there are those who are never content, even when they have everything they could hope for. They choose to see the worst in their situation, and are miserable.

You can’t spend your life searching for happiness. It is not something you can chase after. Happiness is a choice. And you have the power to choose it. Make the choice. Consciously. Choose to be happy – everyday, every hour, every minute.

Wendy
www.facebook.com/wendy.keen.watson

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “in order to succeed, you must be willing to do what it takes.”

Most people hear this and wonder what does it take? What do I have to do? But they’ve missed the whole point.

The point is not doing what it takes – being successful is all about the willingness to do what it takes. It’s a mindset. Just be willing. It’s not about learning the steps to success, or about who you know, or even about the process of achieving success. It’s about your mind – your attitude – being willing to do what it takes.*

This is the essence of what makes successful people different from regular people. They have no fear — they do not judge. They see an opportunity, and they go for it. They are willing to take risks, they are willing to look beyond negativity. They are, simply, willing.

For these people, success will come to them. It’s not because they are just lucky, or work harder than others, they are open minded and willing to seize an opportunity that others won’t even see, because they are too busy doing what they do.

Remember in the Wizard of Oz, when the Good Witch tells Dorothy at the end that she had the power to go home the whole time, she just had to be ready to see it? It’s the same with success. We all have the power to be successful, we just have to open our minds to it.

Willingness isn’t something you can learn. You get it by having it. Open your mind to it.

Be open to possibilities, without judgement, reservation or refusal. Or fear. Be willing, and you will experience an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing or accomplishment, otherwise known as a “miracle”. An open mind is what creates miracles.

Real miracles are not magical or mystical, they happen everyday to real people. Like the man with one leg who ran from one coast of Canada to the other on one leg – he was willing to succeed – and so he did.

Open your mind. Create your own miracles. Be ready to succeed.

Wendy
www.facebook.com/wendy.keen.watson

* These concepts are from a book called “The Ultimate Secret to Getting Absolutely Everything You Want” by Mike Hernacki — this book is fantastic! I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of it!