Happy Healing (eBook)

Chapter 1:

Looking Out of the Box

When my red aura started to fade from my injuries, it was time to take immediate action, channel my inner strength, and bring the color back to its familial hue. From that point, I embarked on an odyssey to resurrect my supreme self. Welcome to Happy Healing, my recovery story of bravery, faith, and triumph. Overcoming my challenges required great amounts of strength and love. I overcame my issues and am no longer a victim. I am a victor. Here’s what I looked like in my bodybuilding prime, just before my accident:

I participated in the National Physique Committee’s Eastern USA Bodybuilding Competition in the women’s physique category. During my bodybuilding career from 2000-2009, I worked out twice daily, ate protein every three hours during training days, and drank lots of water to flush my body. Can you believe how ripped I was? It’s even hard for me to remember how I once looked like this and strained my body over the course of nine years to the umpteenth degree to reach this level of fitness. I suffered from several serious medical issues because of the pressure I put on my body: The pain I felt stemmed from physical issues I couldn’t simply shrug off my shoulders, literally and physically.

I made myself into a bodybuilder with dedication. After my accident, I used this same determination to heal myself. If I told you that I cured myself without traditional methods, like painkillers or surgery, you’d probably think I’m insane. Well, it’s not so wild at all because I am living proof that it worked. There is a strategic method behind my unconventional madness. And now, I am stronger than ever. This is my beautiful life and I love every minute of it. The alternative methods I found to recuperate launched my path of Happy Healing. I embraced the universe’s power on the road to recovery. My healing goals included loosening my body once I started to feel better. I even took up dancing and am still in the process of transforming my former bodybuilder-self into a fluid dancer as part of this journey. Blissful healing is ongoing! As each new day arrives, I am still making progress. I’m freer, becoming more flexible, and feeling more alive. I am stronger than ever before in many different ways — all without having to hit the gym to weightlift. You’d better believe it!

I have chosen to write this book to inspire you about healing. I want you to question modern medicine and explore all options when recovering from an injury and I want you to become re-inspired about life. I hope to encourage you to listen to your body while finding what works best for you. I want you to open your mind to alternative healing options just like I have opened mine.

As a native New Yorker, I like when things are completed speedily in a “New York” minute. I tend to be proactive, rather than reactive, seeking techniques that will work in the fastest and most effective ways. Unfortunately, the healing process is not something that occurs overnight. With my exceptional way of thinking, I was able devise a natural recovery plan for my injured state.

Healing is a labor of love. It is also like having another job—something that you truly have to work at to reap the benefits and learn in the process by trial and error. All good things, like healing, take time. To me, trying different curative treatments was like dating: taking each one seriously, playing the field until I found the right fit, and knowing that my life would change forever. Because my life was in jeopardy from the injuries, the daunting thought of healing seemed bigger than life itself.

I feel that my healing process is an achievement that I can add to my star-studded resume, which currently includes the awe-inspiring titles of Mom, Bodybuilder, Real Estate Guru, Corporate Account Professional at a garbage service company (which is more like a hobby of mine), Life Insurance Agent Extraordinaire, Dancer, and Social Activist with the Precious Child Act (to educate New York State’s children about sexual abuse). So, I suppose I should start at the very beginning of how I’m still here, standing proudly, strutting stronger, and dancing through life—literally and figuratively.

I firmly believe the universe works in your favor. I think I have pronoia, which is the idea that the universe is good-giving and here to help me along the way. My pronoia, combined with my strong faith and positive outlook on life, enabled me to have my wishes granted. When I think differently, I keep all these factors in mind. I am convinced that the world is scheming goodness to disperse around. “If you ask, you shall receive” is a motto I’ve lived by, and it has driven me to succeed in various areas of my life, including healing. I always experience these unbelievable moments that you cannot even make up!

One of the first times I had a “pinch me” moment was in May 1997. Rewind! Let’s take a time warp to the scene of the event: I was driving home from the dentist at dusk. I was thinking about future steps I should take with my career. As I drove into the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, I contemplated my options. “Debbie, what should I do? I need to make a decision fast. I need answers right now! It shouldn’t be this hard to make a decision. It is really simple.” My internal dialogue questioned what career path I should take. I also wanted to do what made me happy. Because I specialized in wearing many hats and needed to always be hands-on in many ventures at once, I didn’t know if I should go into real estate, life insurance, or both. My real estate and life insurance licenses were both going to expire that September. I had to act fast on this urgent matter and needed to know which to renew!

During the drive, I noticed how the sky looked exceptionally majestic. The sunset-streaked sky intertwined its blue and red hues. It was one of the best sunsets I had ever seen. Divine intervention was about to occur and I was about to have a revelation.

Being the full supporter of my children, I needed to care for them while taking the next step in my career. My kids were, and still are, my life. (Mom-hood is absolutely my favorite job thus far, of course!)

During my heavy duty thinking session in the car, I adhered to my principles, concentrated on my red aura’s energy, and relied on my vigorous strength. I realized that I could do anything with my willpower. I went back to basics and prayed to Hashem (God) for a sign. Because I am an extremely spiritual person, I needed a clue that would provide me the answer I was looking for. I was frantic.

When I drove out of the tunnel, a white van cut me off with the license plate that read “LIFE INS.” I screamed in delight because I could not believe my eyes. I said, “Am I seeing things?” But it was real! It was so incredible! It felt like I was dreaming. This divine sign explicitly told me to further my career in life insurance. I called my rabbi Dweck from Deal, New Jersey, and told him about the sign I just saw. He inquired, “So, Debbie, what are ya’ going to do?” I was enlightened! I told my rabbi how I planned to renew my life insurance license and jump headfirst into the industry. Later on, I even decided to pursue real estate as well to have the best of both worlds because I liked staying busy. This event is proof of how the method of positive thinking, asking, and receiving works. These techniques and tools would especially come in handy later in my life. Also, understanding how to take everything back to its simplest means became important too.

Flash forward to the year 2009: I was living in Brooklyn in a lovely three-story brick house that I purchased 19 years prior. From the loft bedroom in the attic to the porch that wrapped around the front, I loved that place. It held the distinctive memories of raising my three kids. At the time, my eldest daughter lived in California while my son and younger daughter still lived with me. My kids were in their 20s and had jam-packed school and work schedules. We perfected our daily routines and loved spending time together.

The morning of my accident was just like any other morning. I woke up and lifted the shades to watch the sunrise. Birds chirped from the trees outside my windows and the only noises heard on the streets were school buses chugging by. It reminded me of the old days when I was rushing to get my kids to school. But since they were older and slept through the a.m. hours, my mornings were kick-started with a nice workout. For the next forty minutes, I had an energizing session on the elliptical set to The Rolling Stones’ greatest hits. I blasted the music and loved how I knew every tune. After my shower, I headed to the kitchen to make a chocolate peanut butter protein drink, my favorite reward and recovery drink after exercising. Without this pre-work routine, my day would seem incomplete. This routine was so awesome!

With a full stomach and a clear head, I was pumped to start another day at work. Let me give you a quick background of my work—I’ve always had interesting jobs. In 2007, I was hands-on at my family’s real estate business, In 2008, I wanted to try something different and left to work for an independent real estate agency. It was a great experience, but after a year and a half, I busted out of there and went back to the family...