Doing things the first time!

I just watched a most lovely video of two older ladies flying for the first time. First time flying It got me thinking about how many things in life we just skip because it is a little, or a lot scary for us?? To think of all the adventures they avoided because they were uncomfortable with it or were with someone who was uncomfortable with it... The thought of that is very sad for me.

I think the default setting for most people is to not do things out of their usual.  Just eat the food they are used to.  Go to the grocery they are used to. Change is difficult.  We have to make new decisions, make a new space in our head for alternative possibilities. That brain stretching is difficult! 

I would like to tell the people who make very few changes in their lives because it is difficult to just jump.  Just try, one little thing at a time.  Just give something new a whirl.  Change, new things, new experiences always give your stomach a little jump.  The difference is just if you move past that odd feeling and press through it against all odds,  what will you find?  Something amazing?  Something awful? Something delicious? Something breathtakingly beautiful?  Sadness?  The point is that pushing past that weird feeling in your stomach and that voice of fear in your head, you don't know what you will find. The finding out that makes life worth living.

Life is an adventure.  I made a decision many years ago that I would give up allowing that feeling in my stomach to rule my life. That does not in anyway mean that feeling went away.  Or that it was suddenly easy to venture out of comfort. It wasn't at all.  It was just a decision to just allow myself to jump and move past the awful feeling and find out what is on the other side.  Sometimes like everyone I get into a rut and sit on my laurels again.  But life always finds a way to stir inside me pushing me to try something new.  Do a first time again, a first time of something!

I challenge myself (and you, whoever reads this) to go out and find a first time, push through the uncomfortable feeling and report back how it felt!  Not dangerous/hurtful/mean things, but things that stretch you as a person in a loving/learning/adventurous way.

Off with you now, do something good!

Adopting a MWD

My husband knowing that in the next few years will retire from the Army decided that he would enjoy retiring with another military member.  That being a military working dog.  He put in an application.  A number of months after submitting his application he emailed, just to get an estimate on where we were on the list.  They emailed back the next day saying they have a dog for us.  Her name is Ebby and is a 3 yr old German Shepherd.  She was used to train the handlers but started teaching the handlers what they were suppose to be doing instead of letting them handle her.  We are very excited that we will go to Texas and pick her up in a week or two.  We were sent a photo and she honestly looks a little bit happy crazy.

We currently have a turtle, white mouse, two guinea pigs, a tank of fish and an old orange and white cat.  It will be very interesting to see how Ebby fits into our busy crazy happy family.  My husband is working on making sure the fence is secure.  We have 1/2 an acre all ready for a good run for our new family member.  More to follow when we get her :)

Thyroid Study Completed

The end finally came for the thyroid medication study.  I got a letter in the mail and everything, thanking me for my participation.  Looking back I have to say that it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.  Switching thyroid medication/doses is never easy and doing it so many times in the span of 6 months or so was draining. 

My conclusion: I was on Armour and Synthroid.  By far the Armour made me feel better and increased my memory.  I don't know if it works that way for every single person but it was for me.  My thoughts on it are Synthroid is only the thyroid hormone 4.  A fully functioning thyroid turns the T-4 into the other thyroid hormones.  If your converting function doesn't work properly you then will have enough T-4 but not enough of the other thyroid hormones.  Armour because it is actual dried up ground up thyroid from pigs it contains all the thyroid hormones and no converting is needed. 

My cholesterol went down on the Armour.  My hands and feet are warm for the maybe the first time in my life.  My brain also seems to be clearer, making my memory seem to work better.  It seems to me that I can make the decision on how to make a plan to remember things.  The memory test included a board with squares and you have to remember the shapes in the grid and where on the grid those exact shapes were located.  Too much information to record in your brain at one time no matter how good of a memory you have.  So on the Synthroid my brain went "tilt" and I could barely remember anything.  On the Armour I could decide to remember the shapes and not the exact location.  My accuracy was much better on the Armour. 

I am glad I was able to participate in the research study comparing the two medications.  It was truly amazing to me that no one has ever done a study to see what the memory/cholesterol/and personal reactions were to the two generally well known, long term used medications.  In conclusion for me anyway the inclusion of all the thyroid hormones makes a marked difference in how I feel.  I would not want to go back on an only T-4 based medication again.  I have been put on the Armour since the end of the study and intend to stay on it for the duration.