Hi everyone- I saw Dr. Tritos at Mass General on Friday and I had testing which resulted in me being cortisol independent!!  NO MORE STEROIDS FOR ME!!!   No more emergency alert bracelet. No more carrying around rescue meds with me everywhere. Yay!!  I am so very happy and excited that I don’t have words to truly express it!! Hormonally I have recovered so now my body just has to recover from everything it has been through the past few years.  So, this will be my last post. I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you for all the acts of love, support, and kindness from meals to cards and gift, to listening and spending time with me, to prayers, Reiki and loving thoughts. All of it!!  I am so grateful. I have amazing humans in my life, and I am so exceptionally thankful for each and every one of you. I will continue to live my life as fully and wholly as possible trying to put light and love into this world. And I hope it comes back to you 10-fold!!  I thought I would share some of what I have learned through this process….

A few things that I now know deeply after the past two extremely challenging years….

1. At times life is really hard, like impossibly hard but guess what…. we can do hard things! I can do hard things! You can do hard things!  We all can do hard things!!  And guess what we can come out the other side better for it. Amen!  
2. Laughter ALWAYS helps the situation…healing mind, body, and soul.  Laugh every single day.  Life is too short to take things too seriously. 
3. Prayers, loving thoughts, manifesting, positive affirmations…. It all has power to heal yourself on every level and create the life you want and need. And this works the same in doing this for others. They will feel it and you will feel like you are doing something for them at a time when you often feel helpless. Respect it, honor it and use it when you need something. And then do not forget to give it freely to others. 
4. Your people are what matter the most in life- family, friends, work family- those you love and care about deeply. That is what it is all about. 
5. Sleep is crucial to healing and crucial to thriving.  Make it a priority. 
6. A deep breath. A quiet moment. Both are so simple yet so powerful. Almost always just that is enough to transform a moment and an experience. 
7. If you know someone, or someone’s child that is taking life-sustaining medication(s) know that this is extremely difficult.  Waking up every single morning and knowing that you need to take medication that will keep you alive, like imminently alive is mentally, physically, and emotionally draining and challenging. You cannot fix this or change this for your loved one, but you can see them and hear them with love and compassion.  Whether you are a friend, a family member or a healthcare provider to this person please, please, please just support them by truly listening and being present in connection with them (in person is best if it is possible). Being heard and seen is all they need (prayers, laughter and healing thoughts help too).  *This applies to all the super hard stuff in life!!  
8. Watching our loved ones suffer sucks. Like really, really sucks.  Listen to them, ask them how you can support them and please respect their wishes. That is how you can love them best and honor them. By doing this you will be given back the most amazing gift of deep connection and presence, I promise, so do not miss the moment. 
9. Loving yourself today, no matter what, unconditionally is challenging for so many.  But please, please, please know your worth. Know that you are worthy of being loved wholly by yourself and others, feeling your best, and living/creating the life YOU want.  So please love yourself deeply, know your worth fully, and take one step towards creating the life you want TODAY!  Love is honestly the answer to everything. 
10. People are utterly amazing. Generally, people are good, kind, loving humans.  Yes, people can disappoint you, and that can be really challenging but sadly that’s life.  It is rarely intentional.  In general people are doing their best and if their best does not work for you, healthy boundaries are your best resource.  However, if it is intentional-run as fast as you can in the opposite direction- like super speed fast and do not look back. 
11. Saying “Can you help me” and “No” as a regular part of your vocabulary are an integral part to successful adulting. If they are not part of your vocab look in a mirror every day and start practicing them!!  It isn’t easy but you CAN do it!!!  And guess what… when you do this you connect more with others and others will learn from you and lean on you when they need someone most. What an amazing example of healthy living you will be setting for your children, spouse and loved ones.  Living our best life with healthy boundaries is the BEST thing we can do for those we love. Lead by example. 
12. Perfection- it is mythical, it is unattainable, and it is boring.  Who cares if your house is a mess, if your kids hair is pointing in 10 directions or if you wore two different shoes to work?  Nobody!  Nobody cares!  People will actually like you more when they see your vulnerability and your humanness because they can relate to you being a hot mess and they can laugh at the craziness of life WITH you! Do not wait for things to be perfect to have people over, plan a vacation or do something you love. You will be waiting forever.  And that’s too long!!! 
13. All the feelings- “good”, “bad” and indifferent are important and part of being human!  So feel all the feels without self judgment and with kindness and acceptance. It is the only way.  Remember you are a human, having a human experience. Give yourself some grace. 
14. When you literally have a finite amount of energy (remember the spoons chart?) for any given day (months straight for me), it becomes exceptionally clear what you want to put your energy towards. Perspective is everything, right? This is the deal; your energy is a gift. Wasting that gift on things that are not important and that only foster negative energy within you and others or drain your energy is senseless and a waste of this precious gift. Using your energy to take in nature with awe and gratitude, move your body, connect with those you love, work hard at something that gives you purpose, to fight for what you believe in, to give to yourself and give to others in whatever way fills you up honors this gift. To live your most authentic life wholeheartedly is the most important choice you will make every minute of every day.  This can only be done by honoring this beautiful gift of energy and time. Giving our love freely is infinite and necessary. Giving our time and energy is also necessary but is finite. We cannot give our time and energy if we have none to give. So, cherish it. Give it wisely.
15. We do not always get what we want. Not everything is up to us. Sometimes we get something better. Sometimes we get suffering.  Sometimes we get what we needed but not how we thought it would come. ALWAYS if we are open, we will be given the strength, resilience, and heart to persevere. When we open to this, the silver linings in our lives will become abundant and very apparent and will make our lives feel full and magical even during the hardest of times. This is my wish for you. 

I hope these thoughts sound true for you, that you can feel them in your bones so deeply they become part of your DNA…. that is my personal goal and my dream for everyone. 

So much Light, Love and Gratitude to you all-

Amy