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You met Rowena Nichols in a previous issue of Garden Spices, where she gave us insight on her Lucky Stroke. We are proud to introduce her new column, Row. She is an ageless being with momentous perspective. She is a gift to this magazine and to the universe. Gate open.
“In the name of the power within cleanse my body.
In the name of the power within cleanse my mind.
In the name of the power within cleanse my soul.”
These words were given to me by a friend, many years ago, when I asked her how I could contact my ‘spirit guides’. They were effective then, and they still are.
What is power within and how can one recognize it? True power within supports life, is dignified and appealing to the senses. It never requires justification, nor does it create a win/lose situation.
In November of 2012 when I had a hemorrhagic stroke, everyone thought it would totally change my lifestyle. Who could possibly recover, at the age of eighty plus years, from complete paralysis on their dominant side, memory, hearing and speech difficulties? My entire body was weak so I knew I must eat balanced meals and get a good night’s sleep to regain my strength. I never doubted that I could.
Changing my lifestyle was inevitable. I knew this, not because a doctor said so, but because I mentally examined every part of my body and then set out to change everything I could. I viewed the paralysis as a temporary interruption of my former lifestyle. With my background of providing therapy to patients that medical doctors gave up on, and meeting with success because I viewed their problems as temporary, taught me that positive attitudes and internal ‘power’ would start us in the right direction; me, as the therapist, and the patient as the one with the greatest power.
You may not be aware, but you have power within you. There is no trick, and there is no university degree required. It all boils down to belief that Power vs. Force, can overcome most dilemmas in life when one also employs the catalyst, belief.
In our society today we have become accustomed to allowing others make our decisions for us in nearly all areas of our lives. We blindly follow magazine and TV ads about the foods we should eat, makeup we use and over-the-counter medications needed for myriad conditions we don’t even have. We allow the media to strike unimaginable fear in our minds, indicating we possibly have, or most certainly will get ‘whatever’ unless we follow the advice of a neighbor, dressed in a lab coat, and with a fictitious name tag, who is being paid to memorize a script. We haven’t a clue about what we can do for ourselves.
There is not enough time, or space, to tell you everything I thought about and physically tried, to gain some semblance of normalcy. A human body is not an accumulation of parts, to be treated individually. Everything is connected to everything else by systems of nerves, blood vessels, lymph vessels, muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones and the brain. Nothing works alone so, I began to talk to my body.
I selected something I wanted to change, concentrated on that area and said; “Thank you for being a part of my body. Thank you for functioning to the best of your ability.” When a part of my body responded I changed to, “Thank you for responding.” I focused on positive words rather than, “I can’t walk, or I can’t drive.” Daily I used the power within to do whatever exercises I could. Today the list of the things I can do takes up a little more than a page, and it is still growing.
We are individuals but we each have our own power within to believe in and use!
– Rowena Nichols, Columnist ‘Row’
Rowena Nichols, RN, Dr.MMT, PTA. Registered Nurse with BS in Nursing, Dr. of Medical Massage Therapy, and Physical Therapy Assistant.(Certification). Beyond the use of her mass credentials, she has had a “full and rewarding life,” including living and teaching in Chile and returning to nursing at age 80. Currently, she is writing articles for several Newsletters and magazines, including problem solving for tutors of English at a Literacy organization in New Mexico.
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