It is amazing what an injury can reveal.  Did you know you have an opportunity to up the ante on your self-care plan even when you are injured?  Don’t wait until you have a serious injury like mine before you start appreciating the precious gift of your body. Ask yourself,

1. What will I stop doing NOW that does not support my body?
2. What can I do NOW to acknowledge and appreciate my body?
3. What three things will I do NOW to support my body?

Years ago, too soon after a car accident, I was doing abdominal exercises in one of my classes and felt a sharp pain in my neck.  Ice, massage, and rest did not cure the pain, so I saw a doctor.  Several painful tests, especially the one where you have to lay down flat for the MRI, revealed a herniated disc pressing on my spine and nerves.  After several months of physical therapy, sleepless nights, and unbearable pain, in consultation with my doctor, I decided to have surgery. 

I was pretty frightened after the doctors reviewed the risks with me; death, paralysis, infection, stroke, swallowing difficulty, speech problems, or injury to the nerves or vessels of the neck…  However, the thought of living with chronic pain, and curtailing my activities for the rest of my life was definitely, not how I wanted to live.  I knew too many people who were “out of commission” for extended periods because their backs “went out”, and that was not for me.  I could not imagine having to be so careful all the time.  I wanted my life back and would face my fear and go “under the knife” to get it…

It had been weeks since I taught a fitness class, or worked out.  Having to wear a neck brace all the time to alleviate the pain prohibited a number of activities and kept me absorbed in my injury.
 
As my inactivity continued, I realized I was depressed.  After 20 plus years (at the time) of teaching weekly fitness classes, a sedentary lifestyle was foreign to my body, and I knew I had to get moving, somehow.  I figured I could not hurt myself any more, so I attended a few exercise classes.  Even though I worked out in pain, I started feeling better emotionally and somewhat physically too. I knew from research that exercise is a highly effective treatment for depression, and the treatment was working, even after a few workouts.  It’s amazing what exercise can do for your emotional state.  The cures for so many of our ailments are within easy reach…

Just before the surgery, my family and friends threw me a “last supper” celebration.  We laughed and joked, but secretly I my terror grew.  When I got to the hospital and met with nurses, and anesthesiologists, et al, they asked me how I was feeling, and told them I felt good (because of the effects of exercise…).  The next thing I remember was waking up in the operating room with my doctor looking down at me and asking if I had told everyone I was feeling good.  I groggily said yes, I was feeling better.  He  said, I am not going to operate on you then, and he sent me home…

Now I was really depressed because I had already resolved and processed the fear, the shaving of the back of my head, and recovery time, and I had my last supper…  I wanted this surgery, and now feared I would have to live a life limiting and pain filled existence. 

The next day I met with my doctor, and after a discussion, the surgery was rescheduled and successfully completed.  My pain was instantly gone, the recovery was tolerable and I resumed my fitness-teaching schedule in five weeks, which was pretty amazing.
 
When my neck injury healed, I had a new appreciation for my body.  I realized how much I rely on its strength and stamina on a daily basis, and how much I take it for granted.  I depend on its health and well-being, and in return, I gain freedom and independence in the world.  I became fully aware of how well my body had served me during my lifetime, and I was filled to overflowing with gratitude. 

I had been teaching fitness classes and offering personal training to help others.  I had never really worked out to help me, Patricia… My neck injury was a gift, which helped me, connect with my body and acknowledge and appreciate what it does for me.  With this knowledge, I vowed to up the ante on my self-care plan.  I became more gentle and caring in all things I did for me.  I vowed to become stronger, to apply my personal training skills on myself too. With this new purpose fitness took on a completely new meaning for me.
 
When I am practicing self-care, which includes lovingly tending to my body, intellect, emotions, social, environmental and spiritual dimensions, I am teaching myself to acknowledge, nurture, and value myself.  This not only enables me to be more effective in whatever I set out to do, it also fills me up and provides me with more to share with others.

It is interesting what an injury can reveal…  Many blessings to you all.
Patricia

Your comments & feedback are always welcome and encouraged. For an appointment call 206-459-2898 or e-mail me at: patricia@integritylifecoach.com Home page http://www.integritylifecoach.com Copyright© 2007 Patricia Eslava Vessey…All Rights Reserved

Hi everyone, Happy Thursday!

On February 24 I taught three workshops at the Kitsap Association for the Education of Young Children conference (KAEYC).  They were, Extraordinary Relationships (based on my just released book, “Vibrant & Lasting Relationships”, Leadership Coaching to improve your work environment, and Creating a Wellness Plan (I will also be teaching these workshops at Renton Tech in April, and hopefully in Tacoma at the WAEYC conference this year. 

During the workshops I mentioned the Collaborative Leadership Institute and encouraged you all to attend.  Then I realized that many of my blog subscribers are from the Early Learning Field, and so what better way to get the word out about this fabulous resource then to post the details here on my blog!

I attended the very first CLI and I am on the Alumni Committee several years ago.
Let me tell you it was an incredible experience.  I met people in the Early Learning field, from all over Washington State, and I learned so much from them, and I stretched and grew in my leadership role.  Attending the CLI added leadership skills to my management toolbox, and I was able to create a project that I believed would help others. Believe me; you do not want to miss this wonderful opportunity. So, if you have to beg, borrow or steal your way to attend this institute, you want to do it now.

We are creating a scholarship fund to help others attend.  You will definitely be hearingmore about this if you are in the Early Learning Field in Washington State, so stay tuned… 

By the way, if you know anyone who would like to donate to the scholarship fund, please don’t hesitate to let me know, or Katy Warren, listed below.  Here’s the info:

The Collaborative Leadership Institute (CLI) is a 10-month intensive leadership
development program for early learning leaders in Washington.

Our goal is a renewed and lasting network of leaders prepared to advance innovative
approaches and promote collaborations that benefit children and families.
Sponsors include Department of Early Learning, Washington State Association of Head
Start & ECEAP, Foundation for Early Learning, Child Care Resource & Referral Network, and WAEYC.

CLI Graduates will:
• Develop an innovative project to benefit the community
• Increase self-awareness of personal leadership style
• Explore leadership research and literature
• Understand early learning as a system
• Cultivate a broad range of strategies to achieve goals
• Gain ability to harness resources to fuel your actions
• Create change and make an impact in the field of early learning

Who should apply?
Emerging leaders working within the early learning, early care, and after-
school fields. Applications for the 2008 cohort are being accepted through January 15, 2008. See reverse for more information. Applications will be available November 1, 2007, at www.wsaheadstarteceap.com/cli.html

For more information, please contact:

Phone: 253.373.9100
Fax: 253.373.1321
Email: katy@wsaheadstarteceap.com
841 N. Central Ave, Suite 204
Kent, WA 98032
WASHINGTON STATE ASSOCIATION OF HEAD START AND ECEAP
2008 COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Great Opportunity for Emerging Leaders in the Early Learning Field!

Who can apply
Applicants will be considered from Head Start/Early Head Start; ECEAP; Out of
School Programs; Resource and Referral Network; child care centers/homes;
health; schools; and at-large including parent cooperative preschools, board
members, affiliated businesses and libraries.

Candidates must have access to e-mail and the Internet. Applicants that reflect
diverse perspectives, cultures and experiences are encouraged to apply. The
strongest candidates will demonstrate commitment, curiosity, risk-taking and
vision.

Teams are welcome
Individuals from different organizations within a community are encouraged to
apply as a team. Team applicants will be considered for selection as a team.
To qualify as a team, team members must agreed to work together to complete
a project for the benefit of their organizations and the community.
Participant Expectations
• Full-time attendance at the three on-site forums
• Establish an individualized development plan
• Participate in telephone and/or e-mail coaching with instructor
• Participate in on-line discussions with the cohort
• Complete individual and group assignments including assigned reading,
focused written reflection papers and activities
• Complete and present an individual or group project

Key Dates
Applications Available: November 1, 2007
Application Deadline: January 15, 2008
On-site Forums: March 17-19, 2008 at Dumas Bay Centre, Federal Way
June 23-25, 2008 at Central Washington University
November 12-14, at Dumas Bay Centre, Federal Way

Tuition
Due to the generous support of the Institute’s sponsors, participants pay only
30% of the true cost of the program. Fee per student is $800, which can be
paid by the participant, his or her program, community partner, or any combination
thereof.

Faculty
Helen Jones, Ph.D., CLI Coordinator, owns Jones Consulting based in Spokane
and has a doctorate is Human and Organizational Development. She was formerly
a full-time faculty member for the GU Master of Arts in Organizational
Leadership Department and adjunct faculty at Whitworth College.
Debra Ren-Etta Sullivan, Ph.D., is the co-founder and President of the Praxis
Institute for Early Childhood Education, Seattle, WA. She was formerly the
Dean of Pacific Oaks College Northwest. She has a doctorate in Educational
Leadership and has worked in public and private higher education for the last 23
years as a teacher, researcher, curriculum developer, and an administrator.
Collaborative Leadership Institute Information

Here is the website:  http://www.wsaheadstarteceap.com/cli.html

Let me know if you have questions!
Take awesome care of yourself,
Patricia