Snowflakes and Spoons

2016: From Wheelchair to first place This year has been one of   miracles   and hard work. In January 2016 I went on a family holiday to Dullstroom. I was so physically weak, my husband had to push me around this tiny tranquil town in a wheelchair. For short distances, I was able to use my walking cane, but facing a set of stairs felt like trying to climb a cliff face. I didn't know how I was going to keep on going much less working. Flash forward to December 2016. I am working 27 hours a week. I am independent in driving and all my self-care.  Even better than that, I have been able to not just start competing in dog agility but, win a few first places! What was my secret potion, you may ask? Honestly, there was no one specific thing, but a combination that worked for me. Just like replacing the blocks of my Jenga Tower . 1)      Having the right medical team I am privileged to work within the medical field and always have a...

Connect with me on Facebook : https://m.facebook.com/snowflakesandspoons/ I'm no longer a slave to fear… How do I go from singing this song on Sunday to actually believing and living it out on Monday? It's so easy to seem confident, raising my hands and proclaiming this when I'm safe and protected. It's not so easy to remember this in the face of fear. On a closer look at the lyrics, they don't state 'I am no longer afraid', but rather that 'I am no longer a slave to fear'. Being a slave means being bound and forced to participate in actions without free will. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love." ( 1 John 4:18 ) What are you afraid of? Sickness, violence, spiders? Being a slave immobilizes us to fully participate in life. We struggle to move forward, to be confident. It makes us anxious and we feel betrayed. Fo...

I really enjoy watching TED talks. I find that they are a great way to gain a new perspective within 10min. I recently watched a TED talk by Benedictine monk, David Steindl-Rast, on the topic of Gratefulness. While his Austrian accent was at first a little distracting, the core of his message is powerful. ‘it is not happiness that makes us grateful. It's gratefulness that makes us happy.’  If we take a moment to stop, be mindful of the given moment and be thankful for life's opportunity,we hold the key to happiness in our own hands. In his words: ‘Stop, look and Go’. Here are some ways to implement this in your own life: STOP: Take time to ‘be’. Whether is it through meditation or just allowing yourself 10min of me time. Your brain needs to be allowed to hit the refresh button before you can truly be Grateful for your situation. You can do this through meditation or just allowing yourself 10min of ‘me’ time. I find that my brain loves the competitive cycle of complain...

To follow this blog on Facebook, like the page! https://www.facebook.com/snowflakesandspoons/ The Sacrifice behind Passion  My friend Lani SO LOVES running that she is preparing to run the comrades ultra marathon. She has adapted her diet, pushed through extra training sessions, sore feet, blisters, ITB and sunburns. Lani SO LOVES to run that she is willing to give up time with her family, wake up at the crack of dawn to get to races and push her body to the limit to reach her goal.  “ When I am on a long run, I have moments where my body feels in sync. My breathing, arms and legs are all in rhythm. I forget that I am running and I just feel happy. Then I get times where I run out of fuel and 'hit the wall.' Suddenly all my limbs feel very heavy, my shoulders droop and I break out in a cold sweat. It feels like the sun sucks the energy right out of me. I can feel the salt on my skin and sweat pouring into my eyes. I try to drink water, but it feels like it'...