Today’s post, This I know is brought to you courtesy of my Writing for Wellness Blog. I’ve copied and pasted it here for your convenience!
This I know
There are many, many things I don’t know about health and wellness. I have much to learn about the journey of healing and being truly healthy in every way – body, mind, heart and soul. We live in a world of discovery and almost every day, it seems, we are finding out more about how the human system functions and interacts. Science is uncovering more and more truths for us to resonate with. Truths that we have known in our hearts since time began. I love being alive at this time. A time when the Universe is not only unfolding as it should, but is also revealing to us some of the deeper mysteries of our sojourn here.
Many years ago, when my Fibromyalgia was in constant flare-up and I seemed to be losing bits and pieces of my life every day, I was sitting in the dentist chair when he shared with me that there was a healer coming to his church for a week and he was encouraging me to attend a healing service so that my Fibromyalgia might just simply disappear. This man, my dentist, knew me to a certain extent. I had been the French Teacher at the school his children attended and for some time, had also attended the church he was speaking of. So he was aware, for example, that I’d had to leave teaching and that my circle of activity was becoming smaller and smaller. He was a good, kind man and was wanting so much to help me.
I listened, I pondered, and I responded that I chose not to seek healing in this manner. I told him “I believe that Fibromyalgia has come into my life for a reason and that I will have this until I have learned all that I am meant to learn.” He then asked if I would be willing to have the church elders come and anoint me with oil for healing. And I responded that the scripture says “If any of you is sick, let him (her) ask….” and that I was not asking and that this was my prerogative. His response was that I was way too hard on my self! And that’s okay. He spoke from his reality, just as I spoke from mine. Was I saying that this is true for everyone? That whatever your illness, your distress is, you should walk with it and not seek healing in whatever form it presents itself?
In today’s world of the internet, we pretty much have the world’s libraries available through our keyboard. Whatever your condition, your state of body or mind, your field of interest, you can find articles, research, books, opinions and expert advice for it. For every question about health and wellness, there seem to be a myriad of answers and many claim to be THE answer, THE solution, THE method. Am I saying you shouldn’t look for answers?
As many things, modalities, answers, truths that are out there that I don’t know about, there is one thing I know and it is this: your journey to wellness is yours, yours alone. It is not mine, or the neighbour’s, or your doctor’s or your mother’s….it is your journey. There are going to be those who have suggestions, those who are sure they have the answer,and those who think you should do this one thing. There are going to be those who think you’ve lost your mind to be choosing to do what you’re doing, those who are sure you’re on the wrong path, those who don’t know what the hell you’re even talking about.
I know this: there is no ONE answer, no ONE method, no ONE diet or eating plan, no ONE healer or doctor or specialist. There is, however, only ONE you and it matters that you honour that ONE person. You do that by listening to your own self, by evaluating for your own self, by researching for your own self. It’s your body, your health, your life and at the end of each day, the only person in your skin is you.
For me, the path to wellness has had some deep valleys, some boulders to crawl over, some heavy mud to shovel out of the way. There have been mountains to climb and an abyss so deep it almost swallowed my soul. There has been agony and angst, defeat and despair. Does your path look like this? Perhaps, perhaps not. Your path to wellness may be strewn with daisies and four-leaf clovers. Does that mean I lost my way? Did something wrong? Didn’t see the signposts set out for me? Does it mean you are living in la-la land? No, it means that my journey is mine and your journey is yours. The beauty is that, whatever our journey looks like, we can connect, we can sit together for a while “side by each” as they say in Newfoundland, and catch our breath together, or share wisdom.
This I know!

Mar 14, 2013 @ 09:30:19
This reminds me of a line in a random article I read recently: “Don’t worry about what is perfect; figure out what is perfect *for you*.”
Feb 13, 2013 @ 14:12:34
Beautifully put, Joss. I loved the line: “I believe that Fibromyalgia has come into my life for a reason and that I will have this until I have learned all that I am meant to learn.” Makes me feel good about myself for reasons I can’t figure out.
You certainly have a way of describing our journey’s with such heart and poetic verve. This has lifted my day and I thank you!
Feb 13, 2013 @ 03:13:08
A couple of weeks ago while looking for information on naturally fermented food (kefir, or sauerkraut – I can’t remember which) I stumbled across this piece on Donna Schwenk’s blog “The Nourished Kitchen”. You may find her story somewhat familiar – I found it to be packed with super-interesting, thought-provoking information…
http://nourishedkitchen.com/flu-prevention-cultured-veggie/
Feb 12, 2013 @ 23:26:02
When the student is ready, the teacher will come —
Zen saying.
When the sufferer is ready, the healer will come?
And they may be one and the same. Ultimately we do heal ourselves.
But there is not only one teacher or one healer in a life, there are many. That is what I believe.
Feb 12, 2013 @ 22:07:04
The conclusion of this you said so well. I did my bit of healing all on my own. For nine years [starting 1984] I suffered from severe — what I know now was — panic anxiety. How I would have loved to 1. known what it was I suffered from 2. had internet at my fingertips 3. had had other people to talk with … people that knew what it was!
Then perhaps, my journey would have been nine years long … maybe I wouldn’t have lost those jobs … maybe people wouldn’t have thought I was odd, due to my strange behavior [getting off buses, walking in pouring rain et cetera]… But that was all part of the plan, I guess, and I did what I had to do … what made sense to me. The first time I went to a movie alone and sat through the whole film … Priceless!
Feb 12, 2013 @ 18:41:02
Hard to know the right path. Perphaps, by denying that offer to heal, you were in fact setting back the progress of the offerer?
Feb 12, 2013 @ 20:52:52
Well, the thing is, I had to, have to, do what makes sense to me, not what makes sense to someone else. Otherwise I end up living a very inauthentic life. part of why I got into the mess I was in was from living according to other’s values instead of my own.
Feb 12, 2013 @ 18:34:55
“The beauty is that, whatever our journey looks like, we can connect, we can sit together for a while “side by each” as they say in Newfoundland, and catch our breath together, or share wisdom.” So true, Joss, and so important. The connections we make in life can be critical to how we cope with the challenges in our journey. We all have the strength within and sometimes need help to find it.
Feb 12, 2013 @ 20:54:36
That’s exactly it!
Feb 12, 2013 @ 18:28:11
On a bit of a healing journey myself these days, and this post makes me feel like I’ll have some good company along the way. Thanks Joss!
Feb 12, 2013 @ 20:55:21
Always we can find those who will sit beside us, or walk beside us. Those who will listen and allow us to be and to find our way.
Feb 12, 2013 @ 11:00:37
Breath together to create together with our thumbs and fingers entwined around the world.
Feb 12, 2013 @ 11:07:26
ah, yes. So be it.
Feb 12, 2013 @ 09:38:31
Very well written, Joss, and I agree with you so much on this. I have to wonder, though, how much luck of the draw has to do with this, how somehow we have learned to survive and take care of ourselves by instinct alone. I think you are also saying we have to take responsibility ourselves for how we live, think and generally turn out.
Feb 12, 2013 @ 20:56:28
We do each have to play out the hand we’ve been dealt………..or we can leave the table and go find another game to join. Took me a long time to realize that.
Feb 12, 2013 @ 06:22:02
by the time we have discovered the truths we need to know our life is usually at its end!
Feb 12, 2013 @ 20:58:56
I’ve often thought that when we stop learning, we die.
Feb 13, 2013 @ 03:19:09
LOL! My grandma used to say that “If the day comes that I don’t learn something, well then I might just as well pull the grass over my head!”
Feb 12, 2013 @ 01:15:24
SandySue offered me a rock and we have half a sandwich left come sit a spell
Feb 12, 2013 @ 20:57:12
ah thank you for that lovely offer to sit a spell, share a sandwich and rest.
Feb 12, 2013 @ 00:20:02
I could just hug you right now, Joss. Great post! xoxo
Feb 12, 2013 @ 20:57:41
aw, I am therefore sending you a gentle hug for your journey.
Feb 11, 2013 @ 23:58:53
Thank you Joss, for your insights and wisdom….
Feb 12, 2013 @ 20:59:19
right back at ya my friend.