How I Learned... "The Devil is in the Details", and ended a lifetime of migraines without meds.

Being a realtor takes an incredible amount of energy.  Your days are long, and it is demanding to deal with the fires we put out, and the changing issues we deal with.  Try doing it with a migraine!

I've had migraines since I was tiny... at least 5. Two to 3 a week. When I didn't have a migraine, I felt crappy - tight shoulders, tight neck, throbbing base of my neck. Generally like I wanted to lie on the couch all day, but I didn't. Yet I was so happy to not have a migraine, I paid no attention.

Never dawned on me it might be something I was eating. But I've discovered 13 nondescript, bizarre little stealth bombers that are the culprits. Things like guar gum, red wine vinegar (not balsamic, thank god), and whey. Pesky little details... Go figure.

How did I do it? I read a book called Eat Right for Your Type, about what foods conflict with the 4 blood types. Sounds pretty hocus pocus, if you ask me. But I liked the things on my "good for you" list (meat, veggies, fruits, no dairy, no wheat, no spuds... I'm an "O"). I could handle it. I went cold turkey, reading every label thoroughly, and making lists of ingredients that didn't bother me, and those that did. It took 2 years.

I had figured out on my own that whey gave me migraines (and eating betaine enzymes helped with that), but not the other stuff. I started noticing I was feeling pretty good... consistently. Like.. a normal neck and loose shoulders. Like... great! Dang, I liked it! I didn't know people could feel this way. WooHoo, I can tackle the world. I'm raring to go!

First I noticed guar gum.. WHAT IN THE HECK'S THAT!. Then, capers... pffffuuhh... I love capers. Then sunflower oil, red wine vinegar, all cheeses except mozarella, feta and farmer's (yeah, so pizza's mostly out), and arabic gum, for crying out loud. Who ever heard of that? But my blood had, and they were mortal enemies. My blood went into attack mode, bringing out the heavy artillery to fight off the invaders, wreaking havoc in my brain.

So how did it take me 57 years to figure this out? I honestly never had a clue it was what I ate. From the time I was little, they poked, prodded, hooked me up to needles, you name it. "Oh, your daughter has a mild brain anomaly,... a short circuit, so to speak. Let's put her on phenobarbital, see if that helps." I was 10.

Other drugs and mumbo jumbo came and went, all to no avail. It was still 2 - 3 a week. There was no test that gave a definitive answer. Fortunately Imitrex came along a relieved the migraines, but nothing stopped the funky feeling. The sad part is how I would never commit myself to anything where I would need to be counted on, because I didn't know how I would feel. I'm amazed I tackled college, but remember sitting through finals on the verge of puking, and dropping my grade a whole notch in a class I adored and should have aced.

Today? I'm Queen of the World!!!!! I feel great! (cept when one of those pesky little details slips into my food). I have so much energy, I'm exhilarated, and so charged up I can barely stand it! The down side?... I'm a real hit at dinner parties - I don't eat it if I can't read it. Otherwise I pay the price for 1-1/2 days. And going out to eat is no fun any more. Small price to pay, however, for finally finding bliss.

Woo Hoo..... Big time!

flickr photo by joana roja-left hand/arm & migraine chick

Bummed Out... Focus on 2020 Vision

Brad Paisley has a killer song out called "Letter To Me" where he writes a letter to himself at 17. He tells his young self it's not the end, now that he's been dumped by his girlfriend. Oh, and be sure to fill up the tank for your date with Bridgett... "on second thought that one turns out all right". Be sure and thank Mrs. Bringham for seeing the rough diamond underneath and polishing you til you shined. It's a tear jerker, for sure.

But his capper is the best part.. wait til you see you wife and kids.. you wont believe how great they are. These are nowhere near the best years of your life!

Now zap the message into our lives today. The economic situation we're in is only for today. It's temporary. It's just the crap we're going thru for now. We have great years ahead. We will look back on what we are going thru today and realized how much we learned.

* Our kids were able to learn that easy money doesn't last
* Prices don't go up forever and maybe our home is not an investment... it's our HOME.
* That you should consider ALL variables when you make a big decision, (like that you may not be able to refi when the ARM adjusts)
* We've learned to love board games and Family Friday Nights
* We've learned to be OK without our nails done (have you looked at a group of business women lately... plain nails!)
* We've learned it's pretty fun to go to Lake Tahoe instead of Hawaii on vacation... or to stay home and chill.
*We've learned to be open about our finances... which is unbelievable... that's good!
*We've learned to live within a budget... maybe we CAN clean our own pool.
*We've looked at our "conspicuous consumption" and questioned the "stuff" we've bought... who can believe what we have accumulated... mostly that we didn't need. And look where it's gotten us.

Fast forward to the year 2020. Do you think you will be looking at the same crap as today? Heck, no! It will be different! Things will change. You will have new grandkids, new spouses (if you are married and said "yay"... slap yourself), different jobs, different joys, new challenges, new talents you discovered, and a whole new and exciting world to discover. What we're facing today, is just for today.

So buck up, deal with it, and don't take it all so seriously. And go download Brad Paisley's "Letter to Me" on iTunes... it's only 99 cents. Then write yourself a letter from yourself in 2020 about how this stuff won't last. It's nowhere near the best years of our lives.

Flickr Photos by a.drian, dotbenjamin, zpinkster

A Full Day of Motivation...

Yesterday I went to the all-day "Get Motivated" Seminar at ARCO Arena - the one with Colin Powell, Rudy Guliani, Michael Phelps, Steve Phelps, Zig Ziglar and more. It was awesome. People are feeling so down these days, I wanted to share some of the highlights for me.

Steve Forbes - "The world can only end once, and this isn't it". While this is a time of pain and loss for many, it is a time of great opportunity for others. Focus on the opportunity. During this time we will see small players rise to be the big players. Who had ever heard of Oracle, Apple and Microsoft before they became big? Those who sit and lick their wounds are going to miss the great opportunities that are out there.


Forbes also said to quit reading the negative news, because we then believe that's all there is. There are tremendous innovations coming, yet we don't read about them. He mentioned a bundle of fibers inserted in a straw, that has the power to sanitize filthy water by the time it reaches the lips. Life-changing for a 3rd-world country! There's good stuff out there. Let's focus on that.

Colin Powell -What a guy. Very funny... and loose. Whodathunkit? He says there is an emptiness after coming down from such a lofty position as Secretary of State ... so he bought a Corvette. It worked! Seriously, he says he leads his life looking through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror. And though he has met with all the world leaders and had a 747 at his disposal, he focuses on what's to come, not what he used to be. And he listens to his wife!


Zig Ziglar was the emotional hot button for the day. He got a head injury in a fall 2 years ago, and now has short term memory loss and vertigo. But that man has a smile permanently etched into his 82 year old face that lights up a room. With his daughter lovingly guiding him back to the story at hand, and away from his 3rd repetition of others, Zig spoke of how doing the right thing is always what has worked in his life. And how the way to have success is to help other people get what they want. He talked about how money will buy you a house, but not a home... a bed, but not a good night's sleep... a companion, but not a friend. He showed us his "Wall of Gratitude", with photos of those who have inspired and helped him along the way. While it was sad to see his decline, it inspired me to see an 82 year old icon still giving, and sharing his wonderful attitude. And still cracking jokes. When his daughter stopped him as he ramped up into his 2nd rendition of a story, he'ld crack "but there were 3 people in the 2nd row that were sleeping. They need to hear it again."

Rudy Guliani - Spoke about leadership. And he reflected on not letting failure get you down, because it is inevitable. "Leadership is about managing failure". In these times, with so many people being forced to let go of their dreams, this seemed poignant.

And fear? Who isn't facing fear right now... if not for themselves, for someone they love? "If you are not afraid, you should be in therapy", he said. "But use the fear to guide you to minimize your failure." Well said. Build up your preparedness for what you fear. Use it to motivate you, not paralyze you.

Guiliani also spoke of 4 hours of preparation for every hour of performance, so you are equipped to adjust to unexpected events. 911 was not specifically prepared for. But each of the emergency responses he ordered came from a portion of a preparedness plan they had in place for a different disaster. He was an awesome speaker.

And the highlight of the day?... Michael Phelps. My friend pulled her 10 year old swimmer daughter out of school for the day. She wanted to see her hero enough to sit through Rudy, Steve, Zig, Colin and other speakers on finances, the stock market etc. Not fodder for a 10 year old, believe me. But she finagled a front-row seat for Michael, wide eyed and full of hope. Michael spoke of how he trained every day for 5 years without a single day off. How he had wanted this forever, and how the nay-saying articles just became the backdrop in his locker that inspired him daily to do what "couldn't be done". He acknowledged making mistakes along the way, but that he has learned from each one. It was clear he is not one to let adversity stop him. He spoke of the race when his goggles filled with water, so he improvised by counting the strokes he had done a bazillion times. He knew where the end was. And he won gold. It was clear he has the attitude of a champion to take what comes (whether self-inflicted or imposed by fate) and make adjustments to what is. He proved Rudy right... 4 hours (or 4,000 in his case) of preparation will give you the knowledge to make adjustments when disaster hits.

It was an inspiring day... so pertinent to our life. In Sacramento, and the rest of the country, people are losing their homes, losing their jobs, making sacrifices. But, keep looking ahead, and face your fears. Shore yourself up to avoid catastrophe when that which you fear happens. And keep practicing and getting better, so you can shift and make adjustments when the unexpected happens.

Flickr photos by Photograham, xDaniel, GTM Photography, Parker Young Photography, xtrapopp, and Marcopako