A New Direction?

I apologize for the several days of silence...
I've been exceedingly tired. Fatigue is a symptom of the PsA (Psoriatic Arthritis) and it has finally caught up with me, I think. I've been taking several naps a day in the past three days...sometimes for several hours. This is completely uncharacteristic of me as I've never been able to sleep during the day, unless I'm very sick. However, recently, my body will just decide "SLEEP, NOW!!" and off it will go and I have no ability to fight it (I've tried.). I must say though, that sometimes a midday nap is just SO nice. I've always regretted my inability to take them.

To "top" it off (you will get that joke in a second), a friend of mine bought a mattress topper for my bed, one that has a two inch Tempura-Pedic pad under it, and then the mattress cover itself is another 2" thick...so it makes my bed so cushy and yet still firm that all I need to do is lie on it for a minute or two and off I go. My friend's hopes were that this would solve some of the pain and consequential sleeplessness I've been experiencing ...and thus far, it looks like a promising solution. I still wake up very stiff from being in one position for too long, and must get out of the bed to move around a bit...but am able eventually, to go back to bed and back to sleep...So although, my sleep is broken, I am getting more total hours, which is a wonderful gift.

And one of the most exciting things on my horizon is that I've found a school which offers a distance learning program (both online and in listening to lectures loaded on an iPod that they provide for you.), which offers certification as a "Health Coach" with an emphasis in Nutrition...but it is more than just becoming a Nutritionist (which is something I have looked into)...it involves a more holistic view of the person as a whole...their habits, relationships, general health, etc.. When I found this, I was SO excited. I've wanted to go to school online in some type of certificate program (being 48 I do not wish to spend 4 years in school, I need to get on with things.), and wanted it to be for JUST THIS VERY THING! I've been interested in holistic nutrition for about the last five years, when I first ventured into vegetarianism and then into the raw vegan lifestyle. (I do not maintain that manner of eating any longer...but am still mostly a vegetarian). Food as medicine fascinates me, as does herbology which I believe is the manner God has gifted man to be able to treat and heal his diseases and discomforts. This program looks at both of those things. It explores over a hundred different eating methods (or "diets" ) that have been popular in the USA...and its premise is that there is no one "right" way to eat that will suit everyone...but that food and diet are individually oriented and must be determined through listening to our bodies and by experimenting.

The program is one year long. Upon graduation I would be able to work in conjunction with , say, a chiropractic office, or a health food store, or an MD's office ...or as a personal consultant and even may offer consultation via phone and internet...This excited me greatly...as I do not have the ability to market myself as an individual business necessarily and also it is great for me if my physical limitations should increase even more. I can offer consultation within my home as well...

The price of the program is much more affordable than is a year at college...and it may be covered completely by the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation whose goal it is to get me off of Social Security Disability and working once more.

Also, another "new direction" that I've been taking is that my husband has presented me with a birthday present (my birthday is next Thursday) of is the Kindle - the e-Reader made by Amazon. I am loving it. It makes reading so much more fun and interactive ...It is easier by far for me to hold than a book and I can adjust the print size to compensate for my eyes which badly need new glasses.

So my horizons have quite suddenly expanded. And this leaves me with both excitement and trepidation. Change brings challenge. And I always feel quite precarious in the face of it. But in this case, my excitement trumps my fear...and I'm praying that doors will open and provision will come. Just when I thought my life was over and I would be consigned to this recliner and bed for the remainder of it, some new doors have appeared and appear to be opening, offering vistas which just weeks ago were unimagined.