In 1989, my husband Bob and I felt an urgency to leave San Pedro, CA due to high crime rate, earthquakes, traffic, stress and my son's needs. We moved to Colorado Springs, CO with my special needs son, Thomas. This move placed us right in the middle of NATURE.
When Tom was 8 yrs.old, I was told by the "professionals" that Tom should be placed in an institution when he was 21 yrs. old. I refused to take this advice, and moving to a small city was the answer. Not only for Tom, but for Bob and me as well. It was difficult to leave behind my daughter, Laurie, her husband and my grandson. But we had to make this move.
In Colorado Springs we have a great support system for Tom. Being an occupational therapist and parent, I connected Tom to all of the agencies that helped him become independent. He is now independent with using the bus, works at a movie theater as an usher and lives in his own apartment one block from us. I manage his money and help him with shopping and cooking.
Having a son with developmental disabilities has not been easy, and there has been a lot of STRESS to deal with. But I have found a "STRESS BUSTER".....
NATURE ..... along with a wonderful husband.
Bob and I have found tremendous joy working as docents (teachers) at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, CO. Every Saturday, from 1-3 pm, we educate with the 9 month and 11 month old wallaby joeys. We hold the little guys (not so "little" at 11 lbs.) in a pouch or bag simulating the mom's pouch. We instruct the public in how to "touch" Yapa and Alif on the back. The interaction with the people and nature is amazing. The experience is calming, bringing an inner peace.
The word RESPECT plays an important part with NATURE. For instance when the joeys have had enough touching, they begin to rebel and it is time to put them in their pens free to jump in the grass and please the public in their natural environment. We must keep reminding ourselves that these little guys are wild animals and not pets. The public sometimes has trouble remembering this.
Bob and I live in an area in Colorado Springs that is inhabited by bears. The word 'respect' is a huge part of my vocabulary when it comes to bears. One afternoon a large bear climbed up on our 2nd story balcony and was walking on the porch railing looking for bird seed. Bob and I scared him away and he got off of the porch.
But not for long! The bear returned. As he was climbing back onto the porch and hanging onto the outside of the porch railing, looking through the railing slats, I squirted him in the face with a squirt gun. NOT SMART ! He got down alright, but he returned with his buddy that night and the two of them raised havoc with our deck furniture.....breaking the glass furniture and trying to attack us through the glass window.
I am in control now of our bird seed, no longer tempting the bears. I have respect for the bears as I enjoy watching the birds eating the feed I give them in a controlled manner. Last December, we had a bear sleeping on our hot tub cover. What a great spot for a bear on a cold night!
While nature can have its wild side, the serene side of nature is the calming aspect. I can never become tired of watching the beauty of hummingbirds. I marvel at their tiny wings and their abilities to fly in any direction.......upward, forward, backward, sideways and upside down. Their wing beat can be between 22 to 78 beats per second. They even have a "pecking order" with the Rufous acting as the guard of the bird feeder.
We aren't the only ones to enjoy watching the birds. We have three marvelous ragdoll cats that constantly entertain us. Their names are Lulu, Mimmie and Bubba. These are REAL stress busters and close companions. They bring joy into our lives. I love dogs but they are not practical in a townhome.
I know this might sound strange, but the big yellow swallow tail butterflies are like my little angels. I have always had a strong connection with this beautiful creature, even as a little girl. My Mom said these butterflies used to fly around my head when I was in the back yard. They seem to appear as an affirmation during difficult times as if to say, "don't worry, it is going to be OK!"
Again, this next statement might sound weird but it is true. Intuitively, I am able to pick up on a person's connection to nature. I guess I am "on the same wave length", so to speak. I am not adequately able to write about it, but it is just a "knowing."
I hope this writing has struck a "happy note" with you and given you some fun food for thought.
:) Petie....the OTR
Mardy's Note:
www.hummingbirds.net/ -- WONDERFUL website with facts about hummingbirds (from which we're sharing the photo of the Rufous. Please support them if you're interested in hummingbirds! (and hope they like the 'shout out' in exchange for using one of their many beautiful photographs).
www.weforanimals.com/index.htm -- NEAT website about animals and other things in nature (such as butterflies)-- domesticated dogs and cats through wild and unusual! They're SMART (in my opinion) in having FREE photos of animals and naturally, we always give credit where credit is due AND encourage people to link out and go learn more. That's the 'essence of Lumigrate'. Bear and swallowtail photo, courtesy of WeForAnimals' generosity with photo images, but this look like something from around Petie's house, which is why I chose it to embellish her piece. ~~ Mardy
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Those who read Petie's pieces at Lumigrate.com (found regularly in the forum related to therapies/functional and occupational -- link: http://www.lumigrate.com/forums/integrative-medicine-parts-m... ) learn she grew up in California with "Bobby" Redford and has had an interesting life from beginning to today. She graduated from USC in technical illustrating and drafting and was the first female draftsman for The Wall Street Journal in South Brunswick, New Jersey. She returned to USC to become an occupational therapist and enjoyed the 'heyday' of therapy in prestigious programs in California, and was an entrepreneur for many years. She had a daughter then adopted a son, Thomas, who she writes about regularly; they have been each others' greatest teachers, as it turns out he had developmental disabilities. Remarrying in middle age, she and her husband Bob moved to Colorado and now enjoy 'active retirement'. Petie appreciates the opportunities to continue teaching through sharing at Lumigrate and hopes those who read find as much enjoyment in reading as she does in writing.
Comments
Petie,
Having seen you in your element, both at your home and at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, I can really appreciate what you have written and shared with us today. Thank you, as ALWAYS. I have such RESPECT for you!
Enjoy those joeys, it will be winter soon enough and you'll be having to go to more movies and haunt your son, Thomas, at work!
And I've been with you for that too, and he loves to have you popping in. I'm glad to hear he got a vacation to California to visit his sister and am eager to hear more in the coming days about the transitions you are all going through. I really appreciate that you and Bob became docents and know that is such a part of your post-professional lives as professional retirees! GRINS!
Mardy
Photo(s) by Philip Fritchey, M.H., N.D., CNHP
All Rights Reserved - HISgoodherbs.com
PS -- We had tons of hummingbirds where I grew up and we had two feeders. I always went "Boo Hiss" to the Rufous (they're the orangish colored ones that show up later than the greenish ones and are aggressive, though clearly it is part of nature, though I don't know what. Don't they know bullying is not okay these days?
) In the fall when they'd take off for the warmer places, we'd hang in the feeders' places huge pine cones sold to put birdfeed and fat mixed together in, but without the added goodies, just as place fillers on the string/pulley under the eaves of the house. It was one of 'those things' that my dad wasn't interested in maintaining after my mom passed on, and it amazed me how many years those hummers would come and pester in the spring. One year a little nest was built on the top of one of the pine cones, so a foot or two from the window we got to watch baby and mama hummingbirds! My neighbor has feeders and lots of flowers and the cat and I head that way quite often to watch 'the action'. Great fun, and you're right, that connection with nature is so important! To me, at least, and I believe to some degree or another, everyone. So thank you for the reminder and insights.
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [5] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!