Happy and worry-free is the only way to be

Posted in Chiropractic, Wellness at 11:32 pm by Ray Pope

The Stanwood/Camano News did me the honor of publishing the following article last Tuesday. My title was Don’t Worry, but I like the liberties they took. They did a nice job with the rhyme and it will certainly fare far better in search engines. HAPPY and WORRY are great, but FREE…that was a stroke of genius. Wish I could think *SEO like that.

You will find this article is as much about chiropractic wellness as it is worry, but then, in my life most things are.

A Fun Passing Note: Over the last few years this local news paper has published just about everything I’ve sent them, but my favorite was to see one of my health and wellness articles in there. That might not seem too amazing, since everything I’ve sent them is on health and wellness. What was amazing is that this particular article was published sans the last third of its text and placed in the Auto and Motor section! If anybody is curious, I might be tempted to post it in this blog, but I’d need to know what version you’d like; the one for you, or your car?

Happy and worry-free is the only way to be

In my quest for fitness I do this thing about twice a week where I strap on a pair of running shoes and set out on foot determined to make it around a four mile loop. There was a time when I’d sprint four miles, but speed doesn’t seem so important anymore. That’s why I normally jog were its flat, chug up the hills and walk down the other side.

The house was quiet one morning, so I decided to “run around the block.” There is plenty of woods along the route and when it’s dark, it’s really dark and I always forget a flashlight, but I know the way and the road is straight and fairly smooth. Just shy of the half way point the dawn broke free of the mountains and I was glad to see the subtle hues of red spill across the sky. There was nobody to share the eerie glow with, in fact I’d not seen another person or a car since I began. Probably the early birds were already gone for the day and the sleepyheads remained snug in their beds. The lack of activity was a little unsettling as I walked alone down a small hill and reflected.

The moment didn’t last long as the dim light and all of the red disappeared. Clouds pushed tight against the Cascades. I could still see; my eyes had become accustomed to the low light, but still I wished I’d waited another fifteen minutes as I plunged through another canopy of trees. Hills mean – chug!, so I put my thoughts behind me and raced up the incline, heart pounding and lungs straining for air. Breaking out of the shadows, I reached the top of the hill and was relieved to slow my pace as I started my decent. Then I froze in my tracks.

A chill ran down my spine as the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. There was no way to get out of this. It was right behind me. It’s growl was breathy and resonated loud against the quiet. My guess was coyote, but in the back of my mind I thought cougar – rabid dog? Slowly I turned, knowing I couldn’t outrun any beast with twice the legs.

Nothing was there! But there was that awful noise again. Heart still pounding, I laughed out loud when I looked down at my feet to see a wildly panting French Bulldog barely a foot tall. “Arthur, you scared me.” Reaching down I petted my little friend. When I run I usually see Arthur at the bottom of the hill and give him a pat on the head and a scratch under the chin. This day his short legs worked hard running up the hill to get my attention. Genetics is not on the little dogs side for running and the pug nose combined with exertion led to his terrible growling sound. “Go home now. No sneaking up on me next time.”

Over the next couple miles I chuckled to myself about my silly concern, about my physical response to worry, about the unfounded fear. It got me thinking. How often are we concerned about things that never come to pass. How often in life is our worry unfounded? Do we furrow our brow, loose sleep and pine away over silly concerns?

I know many people are concerned over aging. It seems normal in our culture to worry about growing old. Isn’t it ironic that the stress from worry actually contributes to dysfunctional aging? The best way to approach the aging process is to focus on health and well-being. Life is not meant to be consumed with worries and concerns about sickness and disease. So when we strive to achieve wellness, we not only avoid many problems that go along with dysfunctional aging, but enjoy the collateral benefit of an active, fulfilling life.

Chiropractic wellness care is vital in our pursuit of a quality life experience. Freeing interference to the delicate spinal nerves in order to created harmony throughout the body is the goal of chiropractic. Exercise, eating right, rest and a positive mental and spiritual attitude are also important. Work diligently for wellness now and in the future and remember these famous words. “Don’t worry. Be happy.”

*Search Engine Optimization

Top Priority

Posted in Living at 4:37 pm by Ray Pope

I’ve been chastised for many things, but I had to laugh when a reader/participant of my online wellness program The Power of 90 scolded me for the order in which I placed one of the weekly articles. Please read his message carefully and make a note for the future; while he expresses his frustration (trivial as it may be) he follows with a very fine compliment to the author (always appreciated). Another interesting thing is that in a previous email to me this same individual remarked that he has lost a considerable amount of weight while on the program (results may vary).

“You wait until Day 82 to send this message out? That’s worse than the host at that wedding a long time ago who served the best wine at the end of the evening. Riveting story, very well written.” — Neill

Private Message: Neill, please don’t say I never did anything for you. Here is “Day 82″ right here where everyone can read it. Go to the head of the class. — Dr. Pope

Public Message: Blog Readers, the following is Neill’s favorite article from The Power of 90. If you choose to subscribe, you will find it emailed to you on Day 82. Enjoy! — Dr. Pope

Top Priority

Years ago, I was a lifeguard on the Atlantic Ocean. In spite of the popular image, the job is far from glamorous. The majority of our time was spent sitting. For the most part, we simply watched the bathers and tried to prevent problems. Since it was our duty to always be ready “just-in-case,” the rest of our time was spent training. In three summers of work, I only responded to a half dozen actual crisis-type rescues.

On three of these rescues, I was the first one to the victim. After all these years, it is their eyes that are still etched in my memory. I’d like to believe that I saw hope in their eyes, but they just stared. Not a haunted stare, but the kind you’d expect when all panic has been used up and all fear has been abandoned. Exhausted, they had no energy left, their muscles had lost all strength and each slipped under the surface.

Even though their limp bodies yielded to the insurmountable water and they were seconds away from death, all three reached toward the surface in one last grasp for life. In the brief minutes between a carefree time at the beach and drowning, it was life that had become top priority.

With one man, all I could see through the turbulent water was his right hand, held up, just inches beneath the surface exactly in the spot I’d seen him disappear. The second victim, an older boy, somehow pushed his elbow above the surface more than a dozen feet from where I thought he’d gone down. And the third, while not obscured beneath opaque water, was perhaps the most bizarre. The young man’s body was being swept out with the clear water of a deep channel. It was doubtful that I could have reached him in time if I tried to swim directly to him, so I ran along a sand bar in knee deep water until he went under. At that point I had to intercept him by diving in. Amazingly, when I got to him, his body was three feet under, his hands reaching out like a baby’s, with hollow eyes piercing the saltwater looking directly at me. Fortunately, each victim held onto life. In each case, the beach patrol did its job: Within seconds, I was supported by a number of other guards, lifeboats, a tow line, a medic – everything needed to save lives.

My time on the beach patrol seems so long ago, but like everything in life, there is something that can be learned from any experience. Rest assured, prevention is always the best strategy. Training and teamwork really payoff, and seconds truly matter. But most importantly, LIFE must always take top priority.

Excerpt from The Power of 90: Dr. Pope developed this ninety day program to help his patients improve their health and enjoy greater levels of wellness. Today, this same successful program is available to you absolutely FREE. Simply go online to http://thepowerof90.com. The Power of 90 will guide and inspire you to live more fully than you ever imagined. (Don’t say I don’t follow my own reprint/copyright instructions… find them at http://openthegift.org/power/html/reprint.htm)