Reflecting on life relationships

It’s been a while since I posted anything. Life has been busy and fun, traveling around the Pacific Northwest the last couple of months. What better way to spend the summer of 2020 but to camp. People are more laid back in campsites than the city. People go camping to unwind, distress and get back in touch with nature. It’s been quite nice to mostly disconnect from the craziness of politics.

A month ago my travels brought me to see family and I saw my nieces and nephew. It was great to see them and catch up. I also saw my sister on this trip after not seeing her for 2 or 3 years. The last time I talked to her she was having a mental break and needless to say it did not go well with our relationship or a lot of her families relationships for that matter. She had gone undiagnosed with manic depression and had been self medicating for years. After this episode she was forced to go on conventional medication to help regulate her mood and save her marriage.

Sometimes people need a little help to get them back on track. I don’t think long term use is the answer though. I believe if we work on ourselves through diet & lifestyle that we can overcome anything.

~ Now there is a lot to that “lifestyle” part to be aware of, don’t let that one little word make you believe it’s just a little thing. It’s learning how to take control of your mind, connect with your fears, your past and live in the now just to name a few things. ~

When I saw my sister for the first time in years, I saw how much she changed. These are not changes for the better either. She has gained weight, she looks sedated in a sense which I think the medication does to her. It was sad to see her like this.

A little background on her… before the move that brought on her mental break, she was getting her digestion in order and I was helping her do some things to help with that. We were able to talk openly about spirituality and our relationship felt good. I thought it was getting stronger. Things appeared like they were going good for her. Come to find out as the move got closer her mental capacity for all the stress got worse. I don’t know if she was taking care of herself during this transition or not. I think probably not.

What did I learn from this meeting with my sister, my nieces, my nephew, my past, my present and my future?

Life is too short to be lived in a way that doesn’t serve the individual that is living it. I realized that my sister is only existing now. She is not living a full life. She is not being the person she should or could be.

To be that person takes strength and courage. We all have the strength and courage within us but we must find it. Some of us have stuffed that part of us away for all kinds of reasons.

In order to find our true selves we must work at unraveling the lies we tell ourselves or the lies that others have told us while growing up. This is not part of us and we don’t need this to be part of us any longer. We must break the chains in order to find and become our true nature.

I won’t lie to you… it takes work. It is a life long process but in the end you will be satisfied with your accomplishments. If you only live to exist you will regret life when you take your last breath. I have seen and heard this numerous times.

I always want to leave you with things to work on…. this is what I recommend…

Do these 3 things everyday…

• Meditate

• Journal

• Write what you are thankful for, even if your not in a good mood. (There’s always something to be thankful for even if it’s just your bed, the roof over your head, food, ect.)

Over time you will see improvements in the way you act and react to others. The way you think will change. The way you see the world will change. You are birthing a new you. One day you will wake up and realize that you are different. I guarantee, if you do these things you will see you changing right in front of your eyes.

I did !!!

I send all my love,

Mandy McKitrick