white water rafting

Life-“Wow! What a Ride!”

Jan 312018

I had the honor to officiate a “Celebration of Life” for Dot Hussey, my brother-in-law’s mother, this past week. She was 93 years old, but what life she lived. She married her sweetheart from junior high and lived in California and North Carolina for most of her life. When her husband died, she moved to Greensboro in her 60s to be near her sister after working for over 30 years in the insurance business. Dot started a new career working part-time at the Auto Auction until she was 88. She then moved to Wake Forest to a retirement home, but consistently broke the speed limit with her mobility scooter. She ran it full out as fast as it would go. Dot believed in using your body up before it was time to leave for the spiritual plane and she did just that. This saying was one of Dot’s favorites and fit her to a tee, from Hunter S. Thompson::

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke thoroughly used up , totally worn out and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”

I believe that we are responsible for our happiness in life. In all areas of our life, we are either changing and growing or becoming stagnant and declining. This life is so precious that we should spend every minute of it finding our joy through work, family, relationships, and health. As we age we see others become less active around us and some even die early. The only thing I fear is the regret of not doing something I wanted to in my life.

I always wanted to have a child, but I was 42 before my son was born. Many of our friends thought we were a little crazy to have a child at that age but he kept us young.

In my 50’s I was hit with auto-immune arthritis and had a double knee replacement. Six months later, I was white water rafting on Class 5 rapids in West Virginia. https://aceraft.com/ Now my friends really thought I had lost my mind. My philosophy was why have the surgery if I could not do the things I wanted to do?

Many of us dream about the life we would like to lead, but simply don’t take the first step. Instead of saying “I can’t”, say “what if I did”? Life consists of many small steps, taking the first one makes all the others easier. These fears don’t just pertain to adventure but also to emotional risk and fear of what others will think.

I spent 35 years in biochemistry and public health laboratories. In my 60s I decided to change careers and start an energy healing business from the encouragement of my spiritual mentors, Angela Coulter, http://trinityenergyprogression.com/ and Veronica Vela, http://www.healthecology.com/

I came out of the “Spiritual Closet” and became an ordained minister http://www.newearthaquarianchurch.org/

I soon began marrying couples in the community and found a new passion that I would never have believed possible. I truly feel connected to the couples that I meet and feel honored to marry them. http://www.annmckenzie.net/

I am not sure what new phase of my life will occur in my 70s, but I hope it is as much fun as the others I have tried so far. One thing is for sure, I am always looking for something new to learn or do. After all, that is what makes life interesting. If you want to open up to your intuition and explore all the possibilities waiting for you, contact me at http://omnigirl.net/contact/

Grand Canyon Causes Wonderment

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Jan 052018

The Grand Canyon in Arizona has been on my bucket list forever. There is something about such a dramatic view of the earth that has always captured my attention. When Eric and I got engaged in South Carolina during the total eclipse of the sun this year, we did not expect a trip to go along with it. His Step-mom, Brenda Lytle, and her good friend, Daisy, offered us a timeshare in Sedona, Arizona to be used by the end of the year. I was excited because I knew Sedona is known to have many energy vortexes. “These vortexes are swirling centers of subtle energy coming out from the surface of the earth. ” http://www.lovesedona.com

I could feel an energy shift when sitting on top of Airport Mesa (photo below) and Bell Rock, two of the energy vortexes in Sedona. It is difficult to explain, but my emotions seemed to be just below the surface rather than tucked away as in a normal day.

When I discovered the Grand Canyon was only 2 hours away I was ecstatic. Eric and I drove to the South Rim on Tuesday and I felt the true meaning of wonderment.

Wonderment is the “rapt attention and deep emotion caused by the sight of something extraordinary”. It was one of the times in my life, where I could see the “big picture” of life. Often all we think about is our own life. When you see the majesty of the Grand Canyon, you realize that your life is a small part of the whole universe. We are all connected energetically with each other and the earth- part of the grand scheme of things. I had to catch my breath beholding the beauty of this natural wonder. We stayed for dinner at the Arizona Room http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/dining/arizona-room/ eating a wonderful meal. Afterwards, we were walking back to our car and saw another wonderment of nature. The sky was filled with brilliant stars and we could see all the constellations there. The visual displays that day were a treat for my eyes.

Eric and I also traveled to the western rim of the Grand Canyon in a van and were able to sit by the Colorado River (normal take out place for rafters. ) This was a real treat since we had not scheduled a trip down to the bottom ahead of time. Usually, you have to walk or ride a donkey. http://www.safarijeeptours.com/tours/

One of the most fabulous natural “eye candy” spots we saw was Antelope Canyon. It is on Navajo Land and you must go with a Navajo guide https://navajotours.com/. They want to preserve the canyon as it was created by water and wind. The first photo in the blog with Eric and I looking up into the light is also from Antelope Canyon.

Just before Antelope Canyon, you go by Horseshoe Bend https://horseshoebend.com/# – once I saw the photo online, I knew we had to go.

After driving to the Grand Canyon, 5 hours round trip, I was not sure Eric wanted to go. But after talking to several people in Sedona, he decided the 6 hour round trip was worth it since we would see Antelope Canyon as well. It was well worth the drive

Horseshoe Bend is a true marvel of nature.

This is a trip I will remember for the rest of my life. Not only is a feast for the eyes, it is truly a spiritual journey. If you ever doubted the magnificence of the universe, a trip to Arizona will quell all your doubts. The connection to the earth helps you feel grounded and part of this wonderful creation. If you want to start your spiritual journey with daily meditations, let me know I can help you get started http://omnigirl.net/contact/

Welcoming Newcomers

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Dec 272015

Most people that know me would not believe I am shy, but it is true. Even my high school senior year homeroom teacher stated “Although Ann is rather reserved , she seems to be well liked by her peers” in my permanent record. I have always felt awkward going somewhere where I did not know anyone especially if I was going by myself.

That is still true although, I make myself, go up and speak to people. I feel more at ease talking to someone who looks shy or uncomfortable. I know the feeling and hope it will help them loosen up as well as myself. I met my friends of several years in the picture above by doing this. Peggy and Bill ( middle couple) I met at an organic wind store , Sip, in Cary. I was there with a girlfriend and struck up a conversation with them. They had moved to NC a few months previously when Bill’s job relocated him here. Peggy was not working yet and did not know anyone in the area. They moved from New York, talk about culture shock.

I invited Peggy to lunch then to an exercise class. We became fast friends and have had so many fun times together, even going white water rafting in West Virginia. This was the subject of our first talk and it happened two years later. Bill had never been and was a little apprehensive. We went into a hole in a class 3 rapid first thing and the boat went straight up before coming down. Eric and I were so surprised because we have been going for years on class 5 rapids and never had that wild a ride. I looked back at Bill and he was smiling! I thought he made it through a really tough one with pizzazz.

I met Kris and Scott, the couple on the right, at a wine networking event hosted by Kevin Synder. We started talking and I found out they had only been here a few months moving from California. Talk about culture shock again! I invited them to an informal wine tasting the upcoming Saturday. They came and met Peggy and Bill and Eric . The rest is history. I can not tell you how many delicious dinner parties and fun movie nights we have shared with these couples. They have enriched our lives and all because I am shy and want to reach out to others who are feeling the same way.

When I worked at NCSU for over 20 years in a biochemistry research lab, I met graduate students from all over the world: France, Japan, Taiwan, India, Romania and more. I was always intrigued to learn about their cultures and tried many International food dishes. I spent countless nights at my friend, Shigeko’s house, eating wonderful, homemade Japanese food. We met 40 years ago and still visit each other to this day.

It may be my Southern upbringing, but I have always feel the need to make others feel welcome in my home town. I am so proud of the Raleigh area, growing up when there was only 5 or 6 restaurants here. It has certainly grown over the last 60 years, but being a native, I feel the desire to let others see what I see when I think of Raleigh. I want them to feel welcome and be able to call the Raleigh area home.

When you tap into your innermost spiritual center and know that we are all truly connected, it becomes much easier to forget your fears of rejection and strike up a conversation. What is the worst thing that could happen? They ignore you or don’t seem interested? Just bless them and hope they loosen up one day. On the other hand , you may experience deep friendships with people from other places; learn about their homes, cultures and values,thus enriching your life beyond compare.