New Beginnings
I love new beginnings. Mostly. Spring, with its flowers and green leaves. A fresh cup of hot coffee first thing in the morning. Starting a new book (reading OR writing). I didn’t, however, love the new beginning that came along with my alpha-gal diagnosis. Yes, there was relief in knowing the reason for being so sick for so long, but the idea of a new beginning that meant giving up so many wonderful things that I loved felt like more of an ending.
This was a great opportunity to employ the advice of our friend Tamara Hubbard, beautiful soul and founder of the Food Allergy Counselor, Inc., who talks often about the power of mindset. Giving up mammal was an ending. But with the end of bacon and filet and brie, though, came the end of the brain fog, joint pain, and GI distress.This next stage of my life was not just an ending - it was the beginning of feeling better.
With the onset of spring every year, I feel called to go outdoors. I’m ready to strap up my hiking boots the moment the daffodils bloom. This, too, felt like an ending a few years ago - would I be able to enjoy being outside knowing I was surrounded by nasty, little, eight-legged f*ckers? To keep my love of the outdoors in my life, I had to reframe this as a new beginning as well. This meant building a safe way to go outside every time I stepped off the porch. I cover up. I spray. I stay out of the tall grass. And I check for ticks when I get home. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
Candice and I hear all the time from this community about the fear of going outside again and facing the unseen ticks - fear of walking the dog, fear of hiking in the woods, fear of picking berries with the family. But being prepared and equipped to avoid tick bites makes embarking on these adventures possible. It allows us to live AWARE rather than in FEAR. One company helping us do just that is Insect Shield. We’ve talked at length with our friends over there about their amazing bug repellent clothing and gear. And if, like me, you need the scientific proof, check out their data on knockdown testing on ticks. Give them a try, and use code TWOALPHAGALS to save 15% on your order.
Tamara is right - I feel so much more hopeful reframing my loss as a new beginning. I’m prepared to overcome the fear and step outside to smell the flowers (literally!). Because being equipped physically and mentally allows us to be resilient and enjoy the things we love—whether it’s going outdoors, cooking, eating at restaurants, anything—even if it’s different from the way it was.