Natural Medicine … The Big Blue Sky

Sep 30th, 2011

Am spending as much time outside today as I can because it’s the most beautiful fall day.  So far I’ve done these things outside (mostly on my deck):

• had coffee while writing my “to do” list and jotting down ideas for my business
• recorded my dreams in my dream journal
• walked Toby on the levee
• ate lunch
• did some writing
• took pictures in my yard (including the big blue sky to the right)
• watched the birds and butterflies
• made phone calls
• just sat and surveyed my little corner of the world

After a bit more lounging, I’m going to splice wires and hook speakers up to my “new” audio component set purchased at Goodwill a few days ago for $9.00.  I need to make sure it works and get it set up in my loft bedroom where I exercise, watch movies, and sit in peace.    Adding electrical outlets on my porch and deck was one of the smartest decisions I made when getting my house rewired.  I’ll be able to plug in the audio set and work outside soaking up this glorious fall energy. 

Why am I telling you all of this?  Good question.  Spending time in nature is some of the best medicine we all have access to, but we don’t often take the medicine because we’re busy, we forget how healing nature is, or we don’t  know that nature can be so enjoyable and healing.  I highly recommend that you start taking more of the natural medicine available when spending time in nature.

Comments Please – Do you spend time in nature?  Why, why not?  Have you experienced the healing effects of nature?  Share your comments at the link below.

Your Daily Routine: Shake It Up Baby!

Aug 28th, 2011

I have walked my dogs on the levee of the Kaw River most every day for years (and years).  This section of the levee is outside of town in the country, quiet, and quite lovely as you can see in the photo.  Trees flank the levee on one side and corn fields stretch to the horizon on the other.   Dragonflies, swallows, blue heron, night hawks, eagles, migrating birds, vultures, deer, toads, frogs, snakes, and other wildlife make it extra interesting.  Toby chases and hunts while I decompress, relax, and commune with all that is. 

Recently, I found myself turning around to head back before my usual sign marker.  Granted it was during our “bake an egg on the pavement” heat wave, but still it was a sign that I’d gotten bored with the route and needed to shake it up.  How could I get bored with that beautiful stretch of nature?  It happens.

I know of many places to walk, but this one is convenient and efficient, and my busy life welcomes efficiency.  And so does Toby because he doesn’t have to be leashed and he’s sure of a walk, no matter what. 

But enough of a good thing.  Today we went to the off leash park near Lake Clinton.  It’s some distance across town, but I’m going to build it into my mix as a special treat.  Now that I’m thinking outside the box, I’ve got a short list of other ideal walking locations.  Feels good.

Before walking today I followed Qigong master Chunyi Lin’s recommendation to bring awareness to my movement with this statement:  “On my walk, all my channels are going to become clearer, I will open my heart to nature, and by the time I’m finished, my energy will be much stronger.”  I wrote this on an index card and will keep it in my car to reference until I no longer need the reminder.

What habitual routines are you growing tired of?  Same sack lunch?  Same evening prayer?  Same meditation routine?  What daily routine could you shake up a bit to make it more plump, like fluffing a feather pillow?  Please comment at the link below.

How to Be One of the Village People

Jan 4th, 2011

First read the description below to better understand what’s involved in being a Village People team member. Then fill in your name and your primary email and click the button. You will soon receive a welcome email with a special gift for joining.

Who Are the Village People
and Why Would You Want to Be One?

The Village People are a special group of like-minded folks who want to share, socialize and get the most out of the CherylMillerVille wellness community. If that sounds appealing to you, read on…

I’ve been building The Ville (cherylmillerville.com) since 2003 with a small team of talented people. Our mission is to create a community that helps people take action to live healthy, happy lives . . . in this lifetime.

It is now time to open it up to a bigger team that may include you (if you’re interested) because there’s a bigger vision that needs bigger thinking to create. If you’re a big thinker, someone who likes to help and wants to be part of a movement to live healthier, happier lives, I invite you to become one of the Village People at The Ville.

Why does the CherylMillerVille community need you?

Quite frankly, in order to see this community grow and have an impact on the health and happiness of as many people as possible, I need your help. While I’m the kind of person who gets a lot of things done, I’m also the kind of person who has a bunch of good ideas that never go anywhere. I get divinely inspired ideas and then wonder: will anybody be interested in this idea, will it be a lot of work and go nowhere, will it be fun for me and others? These questions have a way of draining my enthusiasm, and I subconsciously move on to something else. When inspiration comes, I’d like to be able to ask you what you think.

Having a team of people working with me to make projects and ideas come to life will change everything. You can help me see what’s half-baked, what will work and what won’t. You can help open up my thinking about a topic, and offer a different way of seeing it. Plus, I need you because I’m a creative person who needs a little support and encouragement now and then to keep going. And I want to hang out with people who “get me” and who I can be inspired by. Is that person you?

Six Reasons You May Want to Be One of the Village People

1. You enjoy receiving private invitations, gifts, freebies, and discounts in appreciation for your contributions and participation on the team
2. You want to belong to something neat – shaping the development and evolution of a wellness community that you and others want to be a part of.
3. You want to spend more time with me and other like-minded people. To see things first, to feel close to the source, close to the front of a new way of being, thinking, and living.
4. You, like the CherylMillerVille community, are a little counter cultural – when others are going down the well-worn path of eating a diet of highly processed foods, over spending, over eating, and over consuming in general, we’re exploring the road less traveled and making our own way, against the crowds, against the trends that don’t contribute to our health and well-being.
5. You want support for your own wellness journey. You want to increase your own commitment to living a healthy, happy life. Being a member can enlarge your thinking and provide a supportive environment for your own health and well-being.
6. For those of you working on your own businesses, you will learn how to set up your own team and interact with them to create synergy for your programs and projects.

Join the Village People!

As One of the Village People, Here’s What to Expect:

You will receive periodic emails inviting you to give feedback, input, suggestions, and reactions on a topic under discussion by the Village People team. These emails might include items like the following:

• An idea for a program that I want input on–even invitations to be a beta tester (yep, free programs and sneak peeks!)
• Invitations to participate as a content expert on health/wellness topics (good advertisement for your website/business).
• Project announcements, request for inspirational quotes or stories on a particular topic.
• Invitations to participate in occasional private teleclasses related to topics discussed in our email exchanges. On the teleclass calls, you’ll benefit from the expertise of a wellness coach as well as the other Village People on the call.

You can comment or not on the email requests I send—usually no more than 4 a month. If the topic isn’t of interest or if you’re too busy, you can ignore the request. However, please join the Village People team only if you’re interested in contributing . . . when you have the time and when the topic is of interest. We want the Village People to be a vibrant, active team who really makes a difference in the development and direction of CherylMillerVille.

Emails sent to the Village People are confidential and not to be shared with others. You can, however, feel free to invite others to join the team. Any ideas or strategies you share may be used as is or adapted into a product or service offered at The Ville. Unless I get snowed under with responses, I will acknowledge every email response and of course I’ll carefully read them all. You may unsubscribe from the Village People team at any time. There will be a link to manage your subscription at the bottom of each email you receive from me.

Join the Village People Today!

I am really excited about this team and the work we can do together. I’ve always believed that together we’re better. When you join the Village People team, you will have a stronger voice in creating a world you’re happy to live in – a world that supports healthy, happy living . . . in this lifetime. Will you join us?

Just fill in the form below to get started. You will receive an email welcoming you to the team along with a special gift.

Power to the (Village) People!

Cheryl Miller,

Wellness Strategist, Life Coach, and Mayor of The Ville

Join the Village People!

Hang It, Dang It (how to become a finisher)

Sep 28th, 2010

FREE Teleclass, Thursday, October 7, 2010 
(5pm PT, 6pm MT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET)

Are you somebody who finishes what you start, or are you someone who stops just short of finishing?

I used to be a non-finisher then I got really, really tired of it and trained myself to be a finisher.  I started finishing everything:

• putting the laundry away
• unloading the dishwasher
• nailing down the final strip of trim
• taking the weed pile to the compost (instead of leaving in the middle of the yard)
• putting a stamp on an envelope and mailing it
• and the beat goes on!

Come to my free teleclass and find out how I became a finisher and how you too can use my strategies to become a finisher.  If I’m feeling generous I may even give you the checklist I used to break the nonfinishing habit!  And I’m the generous type

Feel free to invite your friends to join in the finishing fun by sending them this link…

Info and Registration: 
http://www.cherylmillerville.com/zen/2teleclass-registration

Caring for An Aging Parent (EAP Services)

Jul 14th, 2010

Over the next several days, I will share stories and interviews about the journey my siblings and I are taking with our aging parents. I’ll post several short video interviews of my mom and dad. Many of you are currently on this journey. And many have already completed this journey. I welcome your comments at the end of each post. Just click on the comment link.

If you have an EAP program at your place of employment, contact them for services associated with aging.

As we live increasingly longer lives, more and more of us are finding that our loved ones need ongoing and long-term care. This care often falls to grown children, individuals in their forties, fifties, and sixties who are busy with work and often times have children still at home. Most of us have heard of “getting caught in this care-giving sandwich,” but it can be a real emotional and financial burden. This is especially true if you are new to the responsibility.

If you are about to become a caregiver, here are a few things that you might want to consider. First, you’ll need to think about some legal and financial matters. To provide good care for an elder loved one, it may be necessary to deal with care facilities, insurance, powers of attorney, and many more complex issues.

Figuring Out What Needs to Be Done

The following is a checklist that can help you determine what your loved one may need. Don’t let it overwhelm you. Simply use it to make your own list of things to do or to research, if necessary. Then you’ll be in a better position to ask others for help with the short and long-term tasks.

Remember also, there may be many terms or phrases used in the information below that you are not familiar with. Again, don’t be overwhelmed. A simple call to the HealthQuest EAP can be a real “clarifier,” and a great place to start. You can get an eldercare expert to help at no charge!

Type of Care Needed

To determine the types of care your loved one may require, ask yourself the following questions:

• What kind of care does my loved one need now and how will that change in the future?
• Could my loved one be taken care of at home if he or she had help from a skilled nurse and/or a health aide?
• Would assisted living be appropriate for my loved one?
• Will he or she require a skilled nursing facility now or in the future?
• Does my loved one’s mental condition require him or her to have special care and housing?

Health Insurance and Medicare

The following questions will help you understand what kind of health care coverage your loved one has or may need:

• What are the likely costs of the care my loved one will need?
• What do Medicare & Medicaid cover?
• What kind of health insurance does my love one have, and what does it cover?
• What if my loved one doesn’t have long-term care insurance? Does he or she need it?

Taking Over Finances and Decisions

The time may come when you or family members need to make basic financial and health care decisions for your loved one. Be sure to get answers to these questions:

• Does my loved one have a living will (advance health care directive) or power of attorney for finances? If not, how can I help get the necessary documents?
• Is my loved one no longer capable of making his or her own decisions or consenting to a power of attorney?

End-of-Life Issues

Finally, here are some important issues to consider about wills and other arrangements at the end of life:

• Does my loved one have a will? If not, how can I help them create a legally binding will?
• Has my loved one communicated any wishes for final ceremonies and the disposition of his or her body?
• Has my loved one shared information on where to find important documents and passwords regarding bank accounts, retirement accounts, safe deposit boxes, stocks, life insurance policies, and wills or trusts?

Get Personalized Help

After you’ve reviewed the list above and have an idea of the tasks and issues involved, take a deep breath and remember that you can get the help you need. To begin, you can encourage your loved one to be as involved as possible in his or her care. Avoid taking control of tasks that your loved one can still perform. The more your loved one is allowed to do, the longer he or she will be able to maintain a sense of ownership over the course of his or her own life.

Then, make some phone calls. Your employer’s EAP program is a good place to start.

Finally, remember that caring for an elder relative is not easy, and you deserve all of the support you can get. During the hard times, it might help to remember that what you are doing is noble and generous. Whether or not your loved one is able to express it, he or she is fortunate to have someone who is willing and able to do the job you’ve taken on.

This article was provided by AlternativesEAP.