How I Won the ndy (Not Done Yet) Contest And What It Means To Me

A few weeks ago, I was introduced to an extraordinary person and company, Carol April and ndy through a giveaway.

The story of Carol and ndy touched my heart on many levels.

The mission of ndy and Carol intends to support women's dreams and to live agelessly while doing it.

The anticipation!

With my lengthy background of working for nonprofits and fundraising for different causes, I found Carol's support of The Noreen Fraser Cancer Research Foundation, Alzheimer’s research, and the Our House Grief Support Center in line with my desire to pay it forward to helping others.

So I was pleasantly surprised and thrilled when I learned I won the ndy giveaway!

I forgot all about the contest until one day; a box appeared on my doorstep. I was happily surprised to open it and find all of the beautifully packaged gifts from Carol.

Beautiful gifts, and so many!

The pin, post-it notes, notepad, travel mug, and two beautiful t-shirts displaying "Not Done Yet" and "Gen-Ageless" were welcome newcomers.

I will proudly display all of these beautiful gifts at every chance I get, hoping to spread the word:

"..whether you’re happily married or successfully single; healthy and strong or battling illness; struggling financially or set for life; running a marathon or holding down the sofa – where ever you are, remember:

I love my new shirt. It's so soft and says it all!

WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER and NOT DONE YET!!"

Thank you to Carol for her lovely gifts. You are extraordinary!

A Post About Nothing But Friendship

Call me crazy, but this post is for me. Right now, I need to write for the sake of writing, to find words, sentences and paragraphs that will lift my spirit and soothe my soul.

I hope it will lift your spirits, too.

Writing is cathartic for many; I am no exception.

This week I wrote about ways to cope with stress, including being silly with friends and spending time with loved ones.

Life is getting in the way of taking my own advice.

BFF My three closest friends live far away. We've known each other since grade school. The last time we were all together was thirteen years ago. Two are identical twins. The four of us drove to New England to spend a long night of partying to celebrate their fortieth birthday. It was pure Nirvana.

My other friend lives close by, but as a filmmaker she's constantly travelling the world. We are as close as sisters. So I know when I don't hear from her for awhile, she's firmly ensconced on a movie set.

I took two enjoyable philosophy courses in college. Boston College is a Jesuit school, and this Jewish girl learned a lot from the taskmasters who were my professors. I am deeply indebted to them. Besties

I remember learning about Plato's Perfect Plane, interpreting his theory to mean we are all meant to find an ideal world to live in. My ideal world would be living near my best friends who lend me comfort, understanding and unconditional love. As I've written before, like Lucy and Ethel or Mary and Rhoda, they are my BFF, my besties, my BFFL. They are my comrades in arms as we journey through midlife together.

I have one more new bestie who is my MS bestie, yet she's so much more. We met through our shared job as Peer Advocates for Teva. She calls me her Yankee and I tell her she's my midwestern mama. We laugh, cry and empower each other. She's my new BFFL.

We are each blessed if we have one best friend for life. I've been blessed four times.

I've also made new, good friends since turning 50, ones I hold dear in my heart. They hold my hand as I learn this new thing called blogging. I hope they hold me close to their hearts as well. They are each intelligent, compassionate and extraordinary women. I am blessed once again.

There, I finished my post. I was right. It WAS cathartic. I've felt my friends surrounding me with outstretched arms, loving souls and understanding hearts. To each of you, I say thank you.

What Did Paul McCartney Remind Me And What Does It Have To Do With Handling Stress?

“When I find myself in times of troubles,
Mother Mary comes to me,
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be.

English: John Lennon and Paul McCartney at Ken...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What’s a nice Jewish girl doing writing a post that begins by singing praises of Mother Mary?

Yesterday, I re-watched Sir Paul McCartney being honored at The Kennedy Center Honors. This is my favorite award show, when peers honor the best and the brightest artists. Musicians such as Nora Jones, Steven Tyler, James Taylor and Mavis Staples belted out McCartney-Lennon songs for Sir Paul. I broke out in goose bumps.

And when the broken hearted people living in a world agree,
There will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see.
There will be an answer. Let it be.

When James began strumming on his guitar and singing “Let It Be”, I realized what the next topic for my blog post would be.

When I was first diagnosed with MS, I was told to learn to handle stress for optimal health. Through the years, I’ve read about and tried many different ways of coping; some have worked and some have not.

After all of my searching, I realized the most important lesson I’ve learned.

Mandala Spiritual Art It doesn’t matter what anyone else believes in. (At least not to me.) It can be Mary or Jesus, Moses, Buddha or The Golden Rule. As long as you have something of your own, something tucked safely within your heart and soul that is your personal belief system. That is what matters. Because inevitably, someday, somehow, when your faith is tested, your beliefs will step up to the plate for you, ready to help you navigate your bumpy road. It will give you comfort, courage and hope for a better tomorrow.

And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me.
Shine until tomorrow. Let it be.

My personal beliefs are a recipe of sorts. I start out with my Judaic beliefs, lines from great poetry and the teachings of Buddha. Add to that the many lessons learned from my father and my uncle, great readers of literature and poetry. Blend in large amounts of the wonders of nature. Top it off with meaningful stories shared by close family and friends.

These beliefs are the ones I turn to at the end of the day. They renew my spirit, and give me courage and strength.

I wake up to the sound of music, Mother Mary comes to me.
Speaking words of wisdom. Let it be.
Let it be, let it be. Let it be, yeah, let it be.

Through my advocacy work and my writing, I’ve spoken to hundreds of people Hiking Along Country Road struggling with the burdens of living with an autoimmune disease. I tell them how I’ve learned to deal with stress. I hope someday they will think of me, and discover what beliefs work best for their journey.

There will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be, let it be,
yeah, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be." ~John Lennon/Paul McCartney

Let me offer a few ways I’ve learned to try to lower my stress levels:

Go on news fasts. This was sound advice I read years ago by Dr. Andrew Weil. The world will keep on spinning whether you stay on top of the daily news or not. Any local news channel will first air violent stories in order to grab your attention. In the past, my hands and feet would start to tingle when listening to the news. No more. On most days I read top stories delivered to my inbox from The New York Times, Forbes or The Wall Street Journal. Of course, there’s no way to avoid the news completely. But, every once in awhile, do yourself a favor and take a break from it.
Give yourself a gift. Act silly with good friends. Go on a romantic date with your spouse or companion. Enjoy quality time with your children. Curl up with a good book. Play with your pets. Go for a walk in beautiful surroundings. Listen to uplifting music. Give yourself the gift of joy and laughter.
Take the negative out of your life. You know, the negative. Negative people, negative events and negative thoughts. Let your intuition guide you. It will tell you if something doesn’t feel quite right. Try replacing any negative thoughts with positive ones. (See Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).
Exercise. Regular exercise has been proven to decrease your levels of stress. I try to take walks every day. Some are shorter than others, and on bad days I use our treadmill. A short walk is better than none at all.

So, whether it’s Mother Mary or Moses or The Golden Rule that you believe in, each ARE standing right in front of you. Waiting to help. Waiting to keep you brave. Waiting to give you wisdom. Waiting to give you hope.

What beliefs help you handle stress?

DISCLAIMER: Comments from An Empowered Spirit are brought to your attention on topics that could benefit you and should be discussed with your doctor or other medical professional. I am not medically trained and my posts are of a journalistic nature and not in lieu of medical advice. An Empowered Spirit and its author will not be held liable for any damages incurred from the use of this blog or any data or links provided.

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