dmax wrote: 
Practically from the time I was born, my mother projected her own extremely negative feelings about herself onto me. So I spent almost my whole life trying to please the people in my life, of course with very little success. When I was married we moved 14 times, 5 of them with little children, and this put tremendous stress on me. Plus, I was doing everything I could to keep my nasty, judgmental mother from committing suicide, due to her own abilities to cope. I used to say to myself " If I could only make (Husband, mother, children) happy, then I will be happy too. Ha ha. I was always worried about supporting my family, keeping it from going down the drain, compensating for a withdrawn husband, neutralizing the affects of my mom on my family, etc.

Eight years ago I found the book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, and I went "Wow! I am not the person that everyone projects onto me," and since then I have been on a path to release this identity and live in the now and determine who I am as opposed to who everyone else projected onto me. The Power of Now has played an important part in this journey. Sure wish I would have discovered this earlier, but I can't redo, but I can rewrite, and I work on doing this.

 buzz wrote: 
I'm not hc.

YMMV, but a lot of the material was something that I'd already felt was true, but it wasn't being taught as truth. For instance, identification with "things" or success seems to be pervasive. But, in a big sense, all things and situations are temporary. They decay or change, eventually. Any "thing" is not eternal, therefore. So, thinking that things are important - in a Big Sense - is misguided, and we all know this in our hearts already.

It's fine, I think, to enjoy a nice meal or comfortable clothing or a position of importance for the pleasure of that experience. But, when you hear people say "My life is shopping!" or "I'm important because I have a yacht/Masarati/million bucks" it takes the focus away from what "you" are. You are not what you own or what you do. If you're robbed, are you still you? If you're demoted or promoted are you still you? Certainly. Just you in a different situation.

Something like that helps a lot - helps me a lot - if something goes wrong at work, or something breaks down, or if I get ill. It's still me, just in a different situation. And that situation will change, too. It always does.

Some of the anxiety that folks feel is because of their worry about the future. Will I have enough? Will I die? No matter the worry, it doesn't make a difference. Making steps now to get to a goal that you plan for is reasonable, but the actual worrying means nothing. It's thinking, immersion in the chatter of the mind, while you miss out on the stuff that's actually going on with you right this moment as you try to fight a future that doesn't yet exist. And you can't beat an imaginary opponent.

Other folks remember things that they've done or what's happened to them (even decades ago) and it's part of today's story - but only in their mind. But, it's not part of today's story, what's happening right now. It's just a memory being replayed. Today is a separate thing, and taking up that time thinking about history that can't be changed seems rather like a waste of today. Acknowledge that it happened, learn from mistakes/successes, and be where you are. If you're not where you are, then you're missing out on the life you have.

 I yield the soapbox.

 buzz wrote: 
Because I have had so much of this in my life, I have turned to Tolle to help me overcome it, and his philosophy has helped to do this.

Much of my stress has come from my early years, in fact from the time I was an infant, so I have needed help in overcoming it.

 hippiechick wrote: 
so...what's the point of all your self help, Tolle, live in the moment stuff? 

 kurtster wrote: 
I have had a whole lot of that. Surprised it hasn't killed me already.

 hippiechick wrote: 

The smart ass response is stay out of hospitals to avoid c-dif. 

But seriously, you actually have to touch infected stool or contact a bodily fluid to get it.  This much I know for sure, from my experience.

As to the other comments below, eat smart and exercise, for sure, do one's best to maintain a healthy body and mind.  Cancer, shucks, ain't no tellin' when it can hit you.  My massotherapist (RIP Debbie) was a fully committed health nut, who long story short, was perfectly healthy, did all the right things, but had cancer.  She battled breast cancer for 10 years and finally colon cancer took her out.  Me, other than smoking, I was very healthy when my cancer hit, and no known reason or cause.  One must consider getting cancer the same as walking across the street and getting hit by a bus.  You can do everything right to try and prevent it, but sometimes, shit happens.

Worry and stress are for sure, x the unknown variables than can cause all kinds of insidious physiological damage.  So, don't worry, be happy, count your blessings and stay positive.  I shirley () believe in self fulfilling prophecy.  So don't go looking for trouble and anticpate the worst, it will usually arrive without help.

 rachlan wrote: 
The verdict is still out about the red meat, although my father used to eat everyone's fat from the steak, and eat lots of red meat, and he died of colon cancer at age 62.

Try eating bison, which is lower in fat and always naturally raised, although now that it is gaining popularity, it is getting more expensive and harder to find. I buy it at WF when it's on sale, and TJs sometimes has it in prepacks. Limit your consumption as much as possible. I love red meat, but I feel so guilty eating it.

 musik_knut wrote: 


I eat red meat. And my insurance ends at the end of the month. Uh oh.

 musik_knut wrote: 
My diet consists of unprocessed food, fruits and veggies, whole grains, organic whenever possible. Don't drink, quit smoking, wouldn't touch microwave popcorn with a 10 ft pole. Actually I try not to eat any corn, unless it is organic, because otherwise it's gmo. I have even stopped eating in most restaurants, unless I can get something natural. I love red meat, but I only eat it once a week, and I try to make it grass fed or organic or bison.

I used to avoid the antibiotic hand wash because it supposedly lowers your resistance to antibiotics, but I use it more often at the health club mostly. I work out 2-3x/wk at the health club, and I do yoga almost every day.  During the summer I ride my bike 30 miles a week. I spend a lot of time deep breathing, and occasionally I mentally wash out all my organs with clear clean healing "water".

But still, it's not that hard to pick up a staph infection, and I could still get some kind of cancer.  It's something I live with right now. Not having health insurance has definitely made me bump up my health habits. It's scary though, very scary. I am turning 60 this year (WTF??????) so it is on my mind even more.

To your health as well!

 hippiechick wrote: 
hc,
Bokey raises some great points: see to yourself. Take care of yourself. Eat sensibly by avoiding nothing but red meats, eat more fish, eat fresh fruits and veggies. Don't reach for a bag of microwave popcorn, munch on some baby carrots. Don't drink to excess, don't smoke, don't fail to regularly exercise.
I keep a squeeze bottle of Germ-X in both of my vehicles. When I leave a public setting or pump gas into a vehicle, I rub my hands with the Germ-X. Thus far I have avoided the bubonic plague, dengue fever and the loosely defined heebie jeebies.
Do what you can for your health. Many health problems are traced directly to lifestyle.
To your health
mk

 bokey wrote: 
No offense! You are totally right, I watch my diet, I work out, quit smoking, do what I can to take care of myself. But that doesn't mean that something won't come up that needs medical attention, and it scares the sh** outta me. What if I get pneumonia? Really, the thought is very scary.

And my point also is, that by denying more than 20 million people in this country the ability to have health care, we have the death panels that the Republicans talked about.

 hippiechick wrote: 
OK- I don't want to start an argument, but your health is relatively fine, correct?

 Take care of yourself by a healthy diet and exercise, and then pray that it works.

 My Dad abused his body with sugar, cholesterol laden products, red meat and about half of all the pigs that were ever born but his excellent heath care from his retirement plan keeps him going.
  I believe the key is not to rely on health care, but rather to take care of yourself.

 No offense meant, just my 2 cents.

 kurtster wrote: 
I guess people with no health insurance (like myself) would just die or suffer, not being able to afford the surgery or the medication.

 triskele wrote: 
... not! I should have known...a slip like that in school and you lose easy points on an exam... LOL          grrrr.

 musik_knut wrote: 


It was pretty funny, though!

 romeotuma wrote: 
C-dif has been a major problem in my family lately.  Both parents (83yo) and the wife have been battling it for some time.  All 3 picked up in hospital stays.  Somehow with my impaired immune system, I have been spared.  This is interesting.  The wife had colon resectioning and gi surgery, so her case was not unexpected.  Your stomach lining basically turns itself inside out and purges itself.  Once you get it you are highly susseptable to a recurrance.  Vanco and Flagil were her treatments and it lasted for several months.  On scrip of Vanco cost us nearly 5k for a months supply of capsules.  We needed several months to treat her.  Liquid Vanco is much cheaper at a $100 to $200 per month as in the parents' cases.  My dad is still battling it, his immune system was wiped from radiation for prostate cancer.

I have had bags and bags of Vanco, Levaquin and a host of other antibiotics during my cancer treatment.  They are the macdaddy of antibiotics and once used, greatly reduces their effectiveness in treating other infections and in the case of Levaquin, Anthrax, and Vanco, staph. 

Any alternate to these heavy duty antibiotics such as Vanco is indeed welcome news.  Another example of how older and lessor used and much cheaper alternatives can be effective.  We learned this lesson about a decade ago with hypertension when it was revealed that old diuretics (water pills) were just as effective as all the newer and infinitely more expensive treatments. 

Something can be infered about Big Pharma in the case of hypertension.  In the case of C-dif, I do not believe falls into this category however. 

 OCDHG wrote: 
Congratulations! You have worked so hard for this. I'm really happy for you and proud of you as well!

 buzz wrote: 
First I have to drop some papers up off at the insurance company. What's your home address?

 romeotuma wrote: 
Interesting

 dmax wrote: 
that's interesting.
 
you may want to send this info to Jrzy. and maybe my co-workers