Happy Chinese New Year….Gung Hay Fat Choi! “Dragon years are expected to be full of benevolence and grace, especially a Water Dragon Year. A warning in the Year of the Dragon is to manage energy wisely, so you don’t get exhausted. This may be hard to do in a year of abundant good energy, because it may seem unlimited.” Volatility is in the air so be ready for a big year!
*Winter Special*: the practitioners at the MWC are offering our current clients the chance to experience other forms of bodywork available at the Center! $20.00 OFF your 1st session with another member of the MWC team! See your current practitioner for more info or call to become a client!
So what do the NE Patriots and Acupuncture have in common: 1. Many of the players receive acupuncture to improve their sportsmanship and manage their injuries; 2. Beating the Patriots this weekend will be like trying to find a ‘needle’ in a haystack!; 3. Just like Vegas has their betting lines, Acupuncture has their own lines also known as meridians! Therefore, if your body is your home, then as the Under Armour ad says, “We will protect this house!”
As of April 1st, 2012, MWC is no longer accepting credit cards. Due to increased merchant fees and recent issues with PCI compliance/local credit card fraud, we respect our clients too much and will begin to accept checks and cash only. For those of you who utilize your Health Care Saving Accounts, we will continue to give you a receipt with the insurance codes on them for you to submit directly to your insurance company for reimbursement. Thank you in advance for your understanding and we look forward to your continued patronage for health and wellness!
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” – ‘Closing Time’, Semisonic
This is the song that keeps playing in my head this morning. In fact, it woke me up.
Almost five years ago, I met my business partner and we ventured onto a path to create an out-patient pediatric therapy facility together. We had visions of large sensory gyms, helping families find the answers they were seeking, empowering our community through education, and truly integrating children’s therapies. I had a place to do research on sensory integration and pediatric acupuncture, a place to add to my list of things I had created as an accomplished woman. But no matter what insurances you may have or knowledgeable advisors may be there to help, one can not change the course of one’s path.
It became clear after I hit bottom at the beginning of this year, that I needed to really evaluate my life and what my priorities are. I had defined myself by my career for so long that in the process, had overlooked the most important success to date: my family. My son who craves attention and Star Wars, my daughter who dances in a tutu to Beastie Boys and Lady Gaga, and my husband who truly is my best friend and co-pilot on this flight of life. And where I was investing the most of my energy was not yielding the return I really needed. Again, it became clear.
So I began the painstaking process of ending a partnership and focusing on what was most meaningful and what most defined who I am. Painstaking doesn’t even begin to describe the past three months and it’s not quite over. But what is over is my physical time at the space I created with positivity and excitement. And I wish that space only success and prosperity in the future.
So today is a day that will define me in many ways. I have a lot to accomplish today and I am going to try to keep my focus but I accept that there will be tears along the way. I have support today that I am so grateful for and too many future opportunities available to count! I am truly thankful for all abundance and know I am safe and secure in this life.
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” Perfectly poignant…don’t you think?
The Marlborough Wellness Center relocated to 14A Winthrop Street in Marlborough on March 1st, 2010, and provides a place for medical wellness and education. We believe that there are two worlds: one with experts who fix people, and the other world of wellness that educates and empowers them to fix themselves. It is here where you will find professional practitioners who can meet all your health and medical needs. Judy Shields, Doreen Yenovkian Carlisle, and Hilary Athame, our licensed massage therapists, are going strong and specialize in different styles of massage! Julie Dalbec, owner and licensed acupuncturist-herbalist, continues to focus her practice in the areas of Japanese style, non-insertive pediatric acupuncture technique as well as a variety of men’s and women’s health issues. Diana Fernandes, our other licensed acupuncturist- herbalist, has focused her practice on the area of geriatrics as well as other various health conditions. You will find us out and about in the community this year at various events so please feel free to stop at our table! Ask questions, introduce yourself to the clinicians, and know we are here to help you live the fullest life possible! You can find us on Facebook or at our website www.MarlboroughWellnessCenter.com
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(excerpted from Cooking Light magazine, December 2008)
Mayo:
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice 1 garlic clove
Chicken:
1/4 egg substitute, 3 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Tabasco), 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, 4-1/2 ounces baked tortilla chips (about 6 cups), 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Remaining Ingredients:
4 (2 ounce) Kaiser rolls, split, 12 (1/8 inch thick) red onion slices, 4 lettuce leaves.
1. To prepare the mayo, combine the first 4 ingredients.
2. To prepare the chicken, combine the egg substitute, hot sauce, oregano, and salt into a large zip-top plastic bag. Cut the chicken breast halves in half horizontally to form 4 cutlets. Add chicken to the bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 2 hours or up to 8 hours, turning the bag occasionally.
3. Place tortilla chips in a food processor; process 1 minute or until ground. Place ground chips in a shallow dish.
4. Working with one cutlet at a time, remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Coat chicken completely in chips. Set aside. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken and chips.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned and done. Spread mayo evenly over cut sides of rolls. Layer bottom half of each roll with 3 onion slices, 1 lettuce leaf, and 1 chicken cutlet; top with top half of rolls.
Yields: 4 servings (1 sandwich).
Last night, as I put the kids to bed, the thunder rolled in the distance and I could feel the heaviness in the air. I had seen the darker clouds above me as I drove home but they had been silent and yet very present. As my son crawled into bed, I could smell the rain. You know what I am talking about here. The smell of the warm pavement, cooling as the rain washed over it. I breathed in and out, enjoying the memories that went along with that smell.
I knew I would always be someone to love nature and help people. Little did I know that my life would veer me into Chinese Herbal Medicine in order to combine the reality. But one memory in particular always sticks out: The Grand Tetons and the passing storm. You see, my family traveled in a Ford Four Star motorhome in my childhood. My father loved to drive and experience nature with us. My mother, a teacher, loved the new experiences and seemed to always have of way of making learning fun. We would go for 1-2 weeks at a time, driving the entire West Coast.
One vacation, we went to the Grand Teton National Park. At that time, the majestic beauty of it all didn’t really sink in but now looking back at the beautiful landscape and rich forest, it was absolutely breathtaking. There is a lake there, Jenny Lake, where we parked the camper and had lunch one day. The slope down to the lake was rocky but the view was awesome! The Grand Teton mountain itself was in the center of the range on the other side of Jenny Lake, it’s reflection in the still lake was amazing. My bother and I wanted to go swimming (we always wanted to go swimming) so off we went, in our bathing suits, into the freezing water! Of course it was melted snow water from the range so needless to say, we didn’t last long. Out we came, warmed up in our towels and then by the sun. My mom started lunch and everyone went inside, except for me. I stayed out, to sit in the sun for a while. My mom told me there was a passing storm approaching at the far end of the lake and that I needed to come inside. She showed me how to ‘read the water’. I saw the clouds but didn’t move. I like to think she knew it would be a warm front so she let me stay out but either way, I watched the front move towards me. It was slow and deliberate in it’s movement. I was fascinated by the fact that I could see the pattern of the falling rain move across the lake as it drew near where I was laying, face down on the rocky beach. When it had finally gotten to where I was, I noticed it was quiet and sunny at the far end of the lake, as if the front had never been there. Yet, here I was feeling the rain on my back, watching the rocks soak up the drops. It was a warm rain and it was beautiful. The clouds continued to move on and the sun came out from the shadows. I remember looking across the lake at the mountain range thinking, if they see this on a frequent basis, no wonder they are so majestic. I got up from my lying place and I could see the rocks under me were dry, never touched by the experience of the rain this time. But I know I was.
And as I sit here typing, I notice the meadow flowers my daughter had picked last Sunday are in need of water. So do the sunflowers I had picked. I watered them and thanked them for their beauty.
With the smell of rain still on my mind from last night and that memory at Jenny Lake, I remember speaking aloud to my son last night, “Ooh buddy, you’ll be able to go to sleep smelling the rain.” A blank stare was seen as he tried to figure out what I meant by that comment. I know some day he will honestly know what I mean.
When my husband said to me the other day, “let’s go camping with the kids this weekend”, I almost fell over. Are you serious? I took Nathan camping a year ago ms he didn’t stop talking about it for a few months. But we’ve never take my girly-girl and I was a little hesitant to try anything new with all the stuff going on right now. But I agreed and off we went this afternoon.
Now, setting up the North Face tent that my husband treasures more than life itself with two kids who were very eager to “help” was more than a feat of patience. Then off to swim and returned to enjoy dinner and good old s’mores.
Let’s discuss the s’mores for a moment. I love the marshmellow toasted lightly brown, non burnt edges, smooshed between three small piece of Hershey’s chocolate and grah crackers. I get the lightly toasted skill set from my mom, thank you Mom. My kids like to light fire to the marshmallow on the stick only then to refuse to eat it. What do they want? A plain marshmallow. That’s it. Wow…speechless camper here.
But the best part was putting them to sleep. Laughter, tackling, glow sticks being hung from the top of the tent and swinging. “I have baby on my hands, don’t touch me!” to “mana manah, sing it Samantha…”. These are the moments that bring tears to my eyes. Even the part when my parents told us to be quiet three times!
Thank you to our parents for teaching is the importance of camping with children and here’s to the 30th mother-daughter trip we learned about from a passing stranger. Memories are important, more than anything else….solidifying my decision to simplify was the right one.
