“Do you ever feel like a plastic bag drifting through the wind?” Katy Perry

A time for change

For many years I struggled with depression, weight gain, extreme fatigue, and a variety of other frustrating symptoms. Running agility with my dogs was becoming more difficult. It was a daily fight to keep my energy up during the day. I had a lot of achy muscles, back pain, and foot pain. My body felt inflamed and sluggish. The traditional methods of dealing with these symptoms were not helping at all.  I was told I was getting older, and that was just the way it was. Thankfully I am too stubborn to accept those answers! I always look for alternative ways to achieve better health.

In October of 2016, I began to work with Jim Fazio and Unified Therapy. The changes I felt were immense. The single, most dramatic change I felt was a confidence that I had not experienced in years. I was working towards a deep emotional detox, beginning to find renewed strength and find my voice, literally and figuratively.

Another door “opens”

When October of 2017 rolled in, I made another life-altering decision to change my eating habits for good. I set out on an herbal detox program that slowly but surely ended most of those frustrating health challenges. I cut out dairy, eggs and gluten, and grains of all kinds. My goal each day is to eat 7-10 cups of raw fruits and vegetables in addition to a variety of nuts and seeds. The first couple of months were very difficult and I had to work hard.  As time went on it became easier and I really began to enjoy it. I slowly and steadily dropped 45 pounds.

March arrived and brought with it some unexpected life changes.  I was hit hard,  my whole life turned upside down. My husband of 31 years announced that he was leaving me on March 28th, 2018. Read about that day here. In spite of the turmoil and stress that I faced, I was determined to stick to my detox and new eating plan. I reached a full year of this detox in October of 2018 and then gradually weaned off of the herbs. My diet will remain this way for now.

Endings lead to new beginnings

It is January 2019. Quite amazing. I feel great. I find that I can “cheat” with an amazing variety of vegan, healthy food and I feel happy, full and satisfied. My energy is better than ever as I run with my dogs. I rarely have any aches or pains, digestive upset or fatigue. When I do, I know it is because I am eating foods I normally do not, and I feel the effect immediately. In the past, holiday eating would cause huge weight gain and fatigue. It would take me months to find my way back to eating healthy again. This year, I only gained a couple of pounds, I am finding it is much easier to get back on track, and I feel great.

As I let the life-altering events of 2018 pass, I begin with new adventures and continue to progress with other changes that have served me well. A new year, new choices, new friends; I am reconnecting with many old friends in an amazing way. While I was in Key West with my new friends and my dogs, I ended up at the southernmost point of the US, and at Mile Marker Zero. It could not have been a more symbolic expression of my life at that moment. The end and the beginning; and I wrote this poem the next day.

Mile Marker Zero  by Marie Davino

Done with the grieving I have learned to know
Endless fear I am letting you go
Done with goodbyes burning tears in my eyes
Breathing deeply, releasing the sighs

Done with the sadness of living alone
So much of life lived under a stone
Done with regrets, and “what have I done?”
Put aside, left behind, giving all to just one

Done with the pain of all that was said
Grateful to loved ones that held up my head
Saying goodbye for the very last time
Accepting new love that forever is mine

Out with the old, in with the new
Beginnings are real at my ending with you
Done with the marshland, stagnant and still
It is time to look forward, keep moving until

The Sun shines its light so bright on my face
The sea washes fully, returns me to grace
Grateful to angels protecting me so
Time to move forward
Time to let go

More than a New Year’s Resolution

I continue to detox my body and mind from years of emotional stagnancy and years of accumulated environmental toxins. Patience has paid off.  I am amazed at the progress I have made and how great my body feels. I feel a new balance, passion, and love for myself and others that had been missing before. There is an enjoyment of everything I love in a deeper way. It is funny how you can be so unaware when you are in the midst of turmoil, but looking back, things are so much clearer.

Are you at Mile Marker Zero?

“After a hurricane comes a rainbow” Katy Perry

 

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