Friday 23 March 2012

It's Funny Where Your Feet Lead You

Yesterday I had a lovely day pottering about and going with the flow. I love those kind of days because you just never know what's going to come into your life. It turned out to be a day full of many fun filled little surprises but I'm going to tell you about meeting Steve.

It all starts with me having fungal toenails! A delightful thought I know, but I'm afraid it IS the beginning of the story. They started a few years ago but have gradually got worse and now they really are pretty disgusting. I love my feet, but unfortunately I have no such love at the moment for the nails on the end of them. In my head I have images of me padding about barefeet, a picture of health reflected through my now beautiful open and pink feet. But in reality it's only if no one looks too closely at what's hidden underneath the nail varnish! Action has most definitely been needed for some time. I knew i could easily toddle along to the doctor and get some potent drug which would course through my veins toxicating my system and resulting in seemingly beautiful toenails. But that's not really me. I wanted to try the homeopathic route first. It's much more my style, and belief system. The mud tasting tea, I'm ashamed to say, only lasted about 10 days (Sorry Jo!). The mineral supplements I took every day, but 6 months plus later I don't see any change. So I keep looking at my toenails with disgust. One evening after danceclass I threw the toys out of the pram and decided i'd just do the drugs. I desperately wanted beautiful toenails so I could fully show my amazing feet off!! I found myself a few days later blanking out the GPs warnings about potential liver damage and other horrific side effects while the junkie voice in my head was rattling over and over again 'yeah yeah yeah, just give me the drugs man, give me the drugs'. 4 days later, 4 days into the prescription, I was off work, my body in chaos, my liver screaming at me and my intuition shaking its head pitifully saying 'you knew this wasn't a good idea didn't you'. It was, of course, right.

So yesterday while on my wanders, I found myself in Napier's herbalists. I stood blankly looking at all the shelves of bottles hoping something would magically appear at me. Reluctantly I knew I was going to have to ask someone and admit to my less than perfect feet. I shuffled over to the man nearest me: 'eh, excuse me, could you give me some help please?'.

As he lifted his head and turned to me I was almost blown over by the health that radiated from him. Wow, this guy was beautiful. I mean, he was truly beautiful in the sense that I wanted to just stand back and admire the picture of health that he was presenting in front of me. It deserved to be admired. A look that healthy could only come from a great inner health. I was snapped out of my trance when he asked me what I think had caused it. 'Eh, too much time in trainers, not drying them properly and well, mainly a whole lot of emotional shit that I'm stuffing away there' was the reply that I didn't have the capacity to edit first. What the hell, I wanted some of what he was having! He'd get it, I was sure.

Like a magic wizard he started reaching for different bottles and potions, describing their ingredients, the benefits, how to use them and how they all worked in relation the each other. I was back in a trance looking at the luminescence of his skin, the depth and clarity of his eyes and the shine of his hair. His skin had this amazing glow to it and it was completely flawless. There were no patches of roughness, dryness, discolourment or marking anywhere. I know, trust me, I looked. His irises were huge big brown pools that you could almost see to the bottom of and they were surrounded by pure porcelain white. His carefully trimmed facial hair was shiny and I only then realised that I couldn't ever remember having noticed any man before with shiny facial hair. As I listened to all he was telling me I had to keep stopping myself from wanting to tell him how healthy he looked.

As our conversation progressed we talked about diet and the fundamental role it plays in achieving optimum health. This was evidently his passion. No, I'm wrong. This was evidently his way of life. He lives by a raw diet and I fully appreciated his passion and dedication to this system. Yet, I didnt feel I was being preached to. He was imparting just a fraction of his vast knowledge in the hope (I believe) that I would hear something that brought me further to my next level of health. He said something about living with cancers which I noted, but didn't dwell on. It did blow my mind a bit though. How could this man and cancer remotely go together in the same sentence?

So we talked herbs, oils, greens, nutritional medicines and I decided what it was that I needed at this point in time and what I would work towards. It felt really good to take forward action and one that I knew had no side effects, only long term healthful benefits.

It was at the till point that I knew I couldn't leave without saying what I'm been fighting not to say for the last 10 minutes or so. So I looked at him and said quite simply 'you are so healthy'. The story he then told me was inspirational beyond belief. He initially rolled his eyes and said' I don't feel it at the moment. I've been in America doing talks and I feel really tired'. If this was him tired then I definitely wanted some of what he was having!!!! He then told me that he is 40 in 3 weeks time and that he cant quite believe it (I would have put him at 30 if you'd asked me). As I told him that I was infact 40 in 2 days time he reminded me that it's only a number and we all having amazing potential to regenerate and increase our health as we grow older.

He then told me he was diagnosed with 2 types of cancer when he was 25 and given 5 years to live! Gobsmacked!

This man was the walking embodiment of just what is possible when we take our well-being into our own hands and find our own optimum health and way of living. A raw food life is not for everyone. I'm not sure if it’s for me, but I do know that I’m nowhere near to the diet and lifestyle that is optimum for me yet. I thrive on vegetables and fruit and wholesome foods, I love the cleanliness of clean pure water and I naturally reject what is not right for my body. Yet far too often for my liking I choose not to listen to my body's needs. So I shook Steve's hand, thanked him for our meeting and left armed with my marigold oil, a vision of what’s possible, a bucket load of inspiration and resolve, and Steve’s website written down on my receipt - ‘Radiant Health’* - now, there's the perfect name if ever there was! *http://www.wee-yogi.co.uk/healthcoaching

And if that meeting was what my foosty feet were hanging out for then thank you feet! You are wiser then I ever realised.

(NB: Written while feet soaking in Marigold oil)

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