Blessings
What is a Blessing?
When we think of a blessing, it usually has a positive connotation. “Oh, you’re such a blessing!” or “That was such a blessing!” typically refer to moments or people that improve our lives. A blessing can feel like a divine intervention, a serendipitous event that turns an upside-down situation right side up.
But what about a blessing that flips a right-side-up situation upside down?
I can recall two times in my life when the seemingly worst things to happen to me ended up being the best things to happen to me.
Blessing #1
The first occurred in 2019, at age 34, when I found myself completely depleted from prolonged stress, running on empty. I made a vow to reclaim my vitality and not give up on vitality.
At rock bottom, I explored every avenue of healing—diet, exercise, supplements, acupuncture, meditation, and even IV adrenal cocktails. A friend then suggested I meet with a woman who practiced qigong healing. Unfamiliar with qigong, I decided to give it a try. She assigned me some homework: soak my feet in water with cedar oil to ground myself and practice a few qigong movements.
The next morning, I awoke with a terrible headache. It felt like my head was going to pop off my body. I was nauseous and a bit freaked out. My body used to hit extremes like this, where I knew no amount of ibuprofen would help. My only option was to push through and find my healing path. So, I filled a pot with water for my feet, drank lots of water, put a cold bean bag on the back of my neck, and got to work. I was determined to move this energy.
I chuckle now at the thought of what I must have looked like on my living room couch that morning. Despite everything, I was clear and committed: what I was feeling was energy, and I had the ability to move it through intention, visualization, and breath—just as I had been learning in qigong. I don’t remember how long it took, but eventually, it passed. I pulled my feet out of the water and lay down to rest. I could feel the energy shifting out of my head, down my body, and out through my feet into the earth.
That experience changed my life. I connected with myself on an unseen level. I learned how to move energy, which has allowed me to live a more empowered life as a highly sensitive person. Had it not been for that rock-bottom moment and my gentle persistence, I’m not sure where my physical health would be today.
As I continued to practice qigong, I had profound moments of ‘remembering,’ moving naturally and intuitively, and feeling a deep peace and renewal after just 20 minutes of practice.
The headache was a blessing.
Blessing #2
Candida is an overgrowth of ‘bad’ bacteria in the gut. I had no idea what it was when I was diagnosed with it on December 28, 2022. I was surprised to have this imbalance. I knew how to manage my energy better, ate healthily, and was moderately active. Yet, for months, I had a persistent stomach ache every time I ate. I assumed it was my diet and that it would go away on its own. Looking back, the candida was likely building up in my system for months before I realized what it was.
Guided by a naturopath, I embarked on a healing protocol. If anyone reading this has had candida overgrowth, I see you. Rebalancing your gut bacteria requires adhering to the candida diet, one of the most restrictive diets out there:
No dairy
No gluten
No nuts
No fruit
No tea
No carbs of any kind
No sugar
No coffee
No potatoes
No stevia
No raw food
With the asterisk: if you cheat, you have to start over.
The next day, I began a detox like never before. I already ate well, but no coffee! No potatoes! No sugar! Everything has sugar. Coffee was the hardest to let go of. Notice how I said “let go of.” This is central to my blessing. My candida overgrowth was advanced, meaning this wasn’t just a diet I’d follow for two weeks and then resume normal life. I learned that true healing takes time, and two weeks turned into four, then eight, ultimately taking about four months before I could eat carbohydrates without feeling sick.
During this time, I understood that this wasn’t a temporary detox but a total lifestyle change, requiring me to say goodbye to coffee forever and be mindful of sugar and carbs from then on.
Four months later, I felt like a new person. I believe this experience transformed me on a cellular level. I lost weight, but more importantly, my spirit shone brighter. I discovered ceremonial cacao and incorporated it into my morning ritual, which I continue to enjoy every day.
The blessings from this experience were twofold:
a) I no longer feel controlled by food. Candida took the joy out of eating, but it taught me that food is fuel for the body—nothing more. I’d forgotten that. Sure, it’s okay to indulge occasionally, but food should not be a reward or affect your emotional well-being. It turns out I need much less, and living healthily and in harmony is simpler than I thought. I couldn’t have done it without my dark chocolate, though. ;)
b) Working with different energies and frequencies is easier on the body and nervous system when food attachments are dissolved. Attachment to food can heavily drain your physical, emotional, and spiritual self. Releasing these attachments made me feel lighter. Psychologically, eating in alignment with my body’s essential needs freed up energy that would otherwise go into digestion. This has made me spiritually more agile, adaptable, and resilient.
Shortly after this experience, I began working deeply with energies like Gaia and Human Design consciousness, and I began to open up. My brightness and spirit emerged. I turned 40 that year with clarity and confidence I’d never known, and vitality in my blood as long as the Nile River. Had it not been for the transformative experience of candida overgrowth, I might not have the clarity of spirit to do the work I’m meant to do today.
These two blessings taught me:
a) I can do hard things.
b) I have the courage to venture into the unknown and the faith that I will emerge stronger.
c) Life is always conspiring for our highest and best good, and we need to trust the process.
I share my personal learnings in the hope that they may resemble some of your own. Often, it isn’t until we look back on our experiences that we realize how they were blessings. I know that is true for me. Even if you can’t see it at the time, it was always a blessing.
What are the upside-down, right-side-up blessings in your life?