Decided to share a little bit of my “ME” time with all of you!
Xoxo,
UD
Tag Archives for South West Florida
Getting to know the new me…
Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.
I have searched for the eject button on the recent path of my journey, to no avail. In the years since my diagnosis I have done what I always do, plow through, head held high, never looking back. As of late that methodology has not been as comforting. Life’s lemons are still sitting on my porch waiting to be made into it’s potent beverage. I have stared at them not quite understanding what to do with them, as my normal kick ass, straight forward approach has had me coming up drained and in the same place. Stagnant and drained are pretty substantial words to describe my current state of being. I have pondered and scoured for an answer to the “why” and it wasn’t until several days ago that I found the answer.
Let me be clear, my friendship with my chronic illnesses is nothing new. We are several years in and I thought that I had gotten a nice hold on them. What I wasn’t ready to admit to myself or the world around me was that, I no longer knew who I saw in the mirror. She looked familiar, she sounded familiar, but all in all not the same person. Really, it should have come as no surprise to me but it surly was. As I was in my beautiful world of deep cleaning and ridiculously loud music this week, the answer to the why was so very clear.
I no longer knew myself.
For someone that knew who she was and where she was going in life at a ridiculously young age this was a catastrophic blow. It all made sense though. The feeling of being lost and alone even when I was surrounded by the people that loved me most. The feeling of unease and uncertainty when I had the best support system someone could ask for. It all made perfect sense. When all you know is this semblance of a person that handles life with a vigorous fire that can never be snuffed, then you find yourself confused and depleted from life’s lemonade, you can’t help but feel shaken down. Right now, in my life I am getting a shake down. One day I woke up and I was in another body that had unimaginable pains, unclear thoughts from what could only be described as a foggy state, and a back bone that no longer stood straight. Who was this person? How did this happen?
Getting diagnosed wasn’t the hard part, reacquainting myself… well, with myself has been the most excruciating experience. Trying to do this while living life on life’s terms, well now your asking for too much. Having to work, be a wife, a daughter, and fuck it a productive member of society… All the while trying to understand what happened to you… Now that’s a damn epic mission. Nevertheless, I realized it and all of the missing pieces came together. I hadn’t realized that it was going to be a grieving process or even a process period. The vibrant woman was now a slower moving version of who she used to be. A more jaded and fatigued version of who she used to be. The woman that looks back at me in the mirror is tired, depleted, and honestly a little angry… Not the old me that was the fire spitting free spirit with endless energy. Can I place all of the blame on chronic illnesses? Well sure I can but that’s not who I am. I take responsibility for my actions and my part in the situation. I could have done more about my illnesses. I could have done some more soul searching. In the end, I won’t look back at what I could have done, to me thats a waste of perfectly good brain cells that I should preserve for days that the brain fog sets in.
So where do I go from here I asked myself. Well to the beach of course! So I find myself at the beach, searching for answers to questions I thought I already had the answers to. I am searching for answers and way to steer this new way of life for me. To figure out how to still be that firecracker powerhouse that is determined to teach the world all the while possessing a body that does not match the soul.
What I have come to realize in all of this is, this is normal guys. I am no different than anyone going through any struggle. It is real, it is normal, and it is going to be O.K. Now I just need to find sticky notes to help with the brain fog and some great heels!
Until Next Time.
XOXO,
Undefeated Diva!
Healthy Alternatives- Miss Lotties Farm Review
A healthy outside starts from the inside.
** Disclosure: Remedies are not one size fits all, this is what worked for me**
To say I have never felt so welcomed in someones home, would be an understatement. After several Facebook conversations with Robin, the matriarch of Miss Lotties Farm the time had come to meet her. The excitement was beyond words.
Let me start at the beginning. Hey, I live with Lupus just in case none of you knew! The pain that has accompanied my Lupus has been astronomical as of late. My amazing father (President, Technical Edge Electric) so happened to be doing some work at Miss Lotties Farm, when a conversation was had concerning what the farm represented and his beautiful daughter. (Hell Yes… That’s me 🙂 )
After doing what of course was a phenomenal job by my father, he “harassed” me to come by and drop something off. When he arrived he handed me an insulated bag and instructions. He proceeded to explain the day’s happenings and how Miss Lotties Farm came to be and why what looked like a suspicious substance was now sitting on my counter. He explained that the suspicious substance were in fact leaves in the package, called Anamu (what a relief I was not going to be a suspect in any crime 🙂 )He went on to tell me about what Robin told him and how she wanted to be sure I researched all of the plants that Miss Lotties Farm has, prior to making any teas from the leaves. This woman obviously did not know I had a 10 degree PhD from Google University!!!
It took several day’s to finally sit and research and actually make the tea. After day 1 of drinking the tea, I was pissed at myself that I did not make the tea sooner! Although it did not fully expel my pain, it allowed for several hours of uninterrupted sleep. About a week or so after their initial meeting Robin did the one best customer service move, she reached out to both of us personally to see how things were going. After finding her email and speaking to her for several days, we set up a face to face meet and greet. There was no way I would keep this information to myself if it actually worked but I had to be sure that I went to the farm personally and legitimized the process before sharing it with all of you!
*See peeps, I have your back. Always know I will never put something out there that I have not tried personally.*
So back to the top. Myself and a friend drove the 45 minutes or so from my home to Miss Lotties Farm. The farm itself sits on the land just behind their home, which is actually their back yard but it’s to big to constitute as a “back yard” more like a back half of a football field. Before even getting out of the car completely, I already felt welcomed. We were greeted by Robin and Ron standing at their door, and ushering us in to their beautiful home. We quickly sat on their couches and without hesitation Robin says, “I do not know much about Lupus, what is Lupus?”. I respected that she did not attempt to hide behind some Web MD facts, or some hear say. She gave me the opportunity to do what many don’t, explain that it’s not a one size fits all disease!
After a nice conversation, we were ushered outside to what was the most beautiful sight. Rows and rows of healing possibilities just outside the confines of their porch. Now, Miss Lotties Farm carries three types of trees, Anamu, Moringa, and SourSop. Both Robin and Ron walked with us and discussed the inner workings of the farm and how it came to be. We were shown to the edge of the farm and were explained the plants, the way they run the farm, and the inner functionalities of each plant they have. Not once did Robin or Ron pretend they knew everything there is to know about healing alternatives, but for just starting the farm 14 months ago they were well versed in positivity and finding natural ways to heal the ailments. They both shared several amazing stories about how the plants helped people and you know what made me smile most? The fact that telling the stories brought such amazing smiles to both of their faces. Listening to both of them and visiting the farm cemented what I already knew. It cemented that these guys were not doing this for the money or notoriety, they were in the business of helping people and they took immense pride in this.
As the visit was coming to an end, I was almost saddened that I had to leave. I felt as though I had made friends for life. I left with a bag of each plant leaves and promised them I would return soon. On my way hope I went over the day’s events and smiled at the endless possibilities. I looked down at my packages and swore to my body I would do whatever it took to heal it.
Many of you out there know that sleep deprivation is one of the top complaints from someone with a Chronic Illness. I have made tea from Soursop leaves and have to say… I have slept every night I have had the tea, and I mean slept! For someone who was so very skeptical, I am a believer! Although, I still approach every situation with a skeptical eye because remember “If I can’t trust my body, how am I supposed to trust anything else?” Christina Gorgon.
I hope if any of you get anything from this, it’s to do some research on some natural alternatives. If you decide to order from Miss Lotties Farm, know that I have personally gone there and what you will get from them is nothing short of stellar!
Heres to kicking Lupus or your chronic illnesses ass!
XOXO,
Undefeated Diva!
Some Information:
Electrical Company Mentioned:
Technical Edge Electric:
http://technicaledgeinc.com/about-technical-edge-inc-electrical-contractors/
A small snippet of how Miss Lotties Farm came to be:
“January 2013 our 8 year old great niece Lottie had some health issues, so her mother put her on herbal supplements. Although they were purchased from a supplier’s website outside the United States, she made some improvements. Our family had some concerns regarding the quality of the herbs, such as how and where they were being grown and processed. ”
For the rest of the story, please visit:
Miss Lotties Website:
http://www.misslottiesfarm.com
You can also get up to date information at:
Miss Lotties Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Lotties-Farm/1441952372724251
Below I have included a small bio for two of the three plants at Miss Lotties Farm:
Anamu:
| ANAMU | ||
| HERBAL PROPERTIES AND ACTIONS | ||
| Main Actions | Other Actions | Standard Dosage |
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Whole herb |
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Infusion: 1/4 to 1/2 cup 2-3 |
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times daily |
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Capsules: 1-3 g daily |
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SourSop:
Family: Annonaceae
Genus: Annona
Species: muricata
Synonyms: Annona macrocarpa, A. bonplandiana, A. cearensis, Guanabanus muricatus
Common names: Graviola, soursop, Brazilian paw paw, guanábana, guanábano, guanavana, guanaba, corossol épineux, huanaba, toge-banreisi, durian benggala, nangka blanda, cachiman épineux
Part Used: Leaves, fruit, seeds, bark, roots
From The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs:
| GRAVIOLA | ||
| HERBAL PROPERTIES AND ACTIONS | ||
| Main Actions | Other Actions | Standard Dosage |
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Leaves |
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Infusion: 1 cup 3 times daily |
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Tincture: 2-4 ml 3 times daily |
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Capsules: 2 g 3 times daily |
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UNDEFEATED DIVA 