MORE ABOUT LORA – 10/19/2017

When I was twelve years old the patriarch of my parents’ church gave me a blessing: “You will live as long as life is a blessing to you.” Even as a kid hearing a long blessing, I knew that the gem of that experience was knowing that I have a “say.” We’ve all seen goldeners (our term for seniors/elders coined in our book) who don’t seem to be fully enjoying their time here. The purpose of our blog is to share with you some of the tools and successes we have experienced as a result of following the practices/correctives of restorative exercise created and taught by Katy Bowman (www.nutritiousmovement.com.)

In my 30s I got to deal with two ruptured lumbar discs about which an orthopedic surgeon stated I needed immediate surgery. As a hospital nurse I gathered lots of knowledgeable information, and took up a gentle yoga program. It was a decade before I could comfortably do child’s pose, but everything comes to those who wait (or so I’ve heard). Also, Katy Bowman was not on this planet in my 30s.

To not drag you, dear courageous reader, through all the muck of most of our lives, each decade has had challenges that I felt competent to deal with. My 60s saw retirement, but also cancer and medical care for which I’m very grateful. But scariest of all, one knee froze at a bent angle and I was told a knee replacement was mandatory. The ability and desire to walk became of paramount concern and importance.

HELP! I not only needed help, I needed a whole new body paradigm. This time Katy was not only alive, but she’d done the research and math: I had and have options where I can do the work and enjoy a variety of activities. This is me in my 70s – rafting the rapids.

I walk everywhere to do my local errands. Here I am getting ready to hike and camp out for a week with my two sons, Randy and Tom, and grandson, Tommy. Pretty awesome considering my history with my knee.

To brag, I was in Budapest last month which has lots of bridges crossing the Danube River between Buda and Pest. The Danube is wide and crossing it was part of the adventure. Here I am on the bridge with my daughter, Amanda, age 53, just after she completed walking 223 miles in 20 days on the Camino de Santiago in France (through the rain with a cold)! A year or so before she hiked 496 miles in 35 days over the Camino in Spain. Now at 76 I feel as though I could walk it – if I chose.

And, what I realize is that even in the help-seeking mode, one muscle we must always maintain is the one that resists the temptation to allow others to define us and our potential future.

Some of us are uncomfortable about not knowing our fate. As long as I ask lots of questions and don’t rush to conclusions, I can accept and use the many gifts of knowledge available to me. I hope you join us, as I’d like you to be another point of light.

Our blog encourages alignment and the healthy practices that brings. Yet there may seem to be no justice in many lives. With this blog, we want to offer to all a place for greater information, honesty, acceptance, and tapping the awesome creativity of a wider forum.