Pond scum and The Power of Positive Thinking.

I know you’ve heard the phrase ” The Power Of Positive Thinking” and I’m also sure you’re wondering what does pond scum have in common with that phrase. Simply…it’s me.

I have been on a personal journey of self improvement and overall just trying to find myself again these last few years. After the loss of my best friend Tami, I completely lost sight of my life and I simply lived day to day without much enjoyment. A couple of years ago I made the decision to wake up and go after all that life had to offer. One of those examples is reading self-help books. Books to help with weight loss, ones for being your own boss, some about traveling, others about getting your financial life organized. In searching for another book to read I came across the title ”The Power Of Positive Thinking”.

I thought..why not? I understand the basics of it, but I decided to read more and get a deeper understanding of this philosophy. I’m sure I don’t have to go into a detailed explanation to y’all. Simply…if you think it, then it becomes real. I highly recommend you read the book yourselves. Once I was done reading this book, I decided to give it an honest effort and see if it helps me. I mean, what could I lose?

I’ve had scoliosis my whole life and as I’ve gotten older, it’s progressively gotten worse. These days all I have to do is standup too fast, or sleep in the wrong position and I’m in pain. One episode happened while I was bending over to pick up an ice cube off the floor. It pinched my sciatica so bad I couldn’t work for 2 weeks. I have good days and bad days, but during this particular time I was having pain in my right hip and it was causing me to limp around. This is where my power of positive thinking experiment started.

The book suggests that every night before you go to sleep to think about all the positive changes you want in your life. I simply wanted to not be in pain everyday, so I told myself that I wanted my back to feel better, get stronger and hopefully get myself some better sleep.

I KNOW! I KNOW! You’re thinking….girl was asking for some kind of miracle on her first try!

I woke up the next day determined to do better. I did feel more empowered and I wasn’t gonna let the excuses and negative thoughts keep me from taking better care of myself. I knew I needed to make some changes for my health and walking everyday was one of those routines I was gonna implement to reach my goal. I kept positivity in my thoughts and day by day I mentally felt better but my hip was still hurting so much I ended each day in tears. Every night I told myself my back and hip was gonna stop hurting.

A few weeks later on a Saturday afternoon, I’m out walking on my property with my dog Boone. I walk and throw tennis balls, Boone runs and chases them. Boone doesn’t bring the balls back, he simply drops them and waits for me to throw another. As I’m walking and throwing, Boone is running and chasing. I walk up to the creek that winds across the front of our property. It’s very shallow and usually dry but the recent rains had filled it up slightly and the grass was still dewy. Floating in the slimy residue of stagnant water were several of Boone’s tennis balls. I cautiously step on the bank and bend over to pick them up and in one quick moment my feet went straight up, my flip flops are airborne and my butt slams into the embankment and I go sliding down, plunging right into the green, slimy, stinky pond scum of pure grossness!

I screamed out words and expletives that caused the birds to stop chirping. I was completely freaked out about sitting in this green slime and I was also covered in it. I couldn’t think about the pain just yet. I tried to remain calm and figure out how I was gonna get up and out of this sludge without falling down again. Boone was barking and whining for me to throw those tennis balls without any concern for my well being. It was so slippery and slimy and OMG, I just felt something move under my butt! Did I just squish a frog who had taken up residence in this lil pond? All I could think to do was roll over in this cesspool and get on all fours and crawl out carefully up the embankment. Meanwhile, Boone is still pacing and waiting for me to throw those 3 tennis balls right beside my slime covered flip flop that’s at least 3 feet across the creek. How did it get way over there? I’m so thankful my husband wasn’t home to see his bride of 20 years crawl out of the creek all slimy and green, bellowing out like a Lochness monster.

As soon as I reached the garage, I took off my yoga pants and tank top and dropped them right there. I’m completely naked as I wobble into the house heading straight for my shower. I didn’t even wait for the water to get warm, which really didn’t matter to me because I was having hot flashes now. I couldn’t scrub myself hard enough. Slime was in my hair, I could feel the amoebas crawling on my skin and the stink of it was nauseating. I kept waiting for another little frog to jump out at me too. I might be a little overly dramatic here but folks…I’m an indoor girl. All I wanted to do at this moment was get clean. I still hadn’t allowed myself to think about the pain I was gonna feel. I’ve had several falls in the past and they can be jarring. I wasn’t looking forward to how awful I knew I’d feel the next day.

Chad came home while I was getting dressed and I told him what happened. He was concerned that I had gotten hurt but I also knew he was laughing inside. I’m sure he got the visual. I told him I felt a little sore but not too bad considering how hard I fell. He noticed I wasn’t limping anymore and that’s when I took a full mental assessment and realized…my hip isn’t hurting anymore. My back and hip actually felt better. I went to bed that night saying the same mantra I’d been saying every night for weeks. I woke up the next day feeling absolutely fabulous and thats when I realized…..the power of positive thinking had worked.. The universe in all its glory had given me an adjustment.

Simple but true. I felt great!

No, my scoliosis hasn’t been miraculously healed, but the hip pain was a new development and since all the covid shutdowns, I was unable to get to my chiropractic as often. I continue to think positively and still believe this whole scenario was the result. I’ve also experienced many other blessings too. I’ll have to save those for another story. Every day I feel better and find joy in living again.

So, I hope this story has inspired you to think positively and live life with a grateful heart. The world is so crazy right now and if you can just keep happiness in your daily lives then it makes everyday better. But I do warn you, when you put your dreams and positive affirmations out there, be careful of where your answers may come from. You might end up in a creek lined with pond scum or wherever the powers that be choose. I’m still doing my nightly prayers and staying positive but I’ll admit, I’m on guard to where my next answers will manifest because I just don’t know!