For decades I have been exposed to extraordinary experiences. EXTRAORDINARY. It would take an exhausting coffee chat if I sat down and shared the last 21,007 days of my life. One might say it would be exhausting for anyone to do so. Others might say, you’re not that unique, we all have crap. To be clear, my point is not to NaNaNaNaNah others in this reflection but to work through some of it in real-time and to hope that something that bleeds onto this page might help you or others, which has become my life mission. Sharing personal stories changes and saves lives.
Sure, I am proud of my professional resume. I have been blessed to operate a few businesses, spend decades in corporate wellness, coach thousands of clients, host a radio show and wellness retreats, and become a bestselling author. My career has fashioned a magnificent patchwork quilt intertwining and weaving itself square to square, however, incapable of upholding such beauty if the vibrant-colored shapes were not attached. Surely it would earn a blue ribbon at any county fair. However, its strength is only a result of the zig-zag stitches bound together by my life resume, NOT the skills I attained producing a paycheck.
Let’s proceed with a ton of “I” statements. Here are some highlights from my life resume. I am processing this in real-time.
- As a nine-pound baby, I was literally yanked into this world with a BBQ-prong-sized set of forceps, which in and of itself might have assigned me a task … ”Get out here. Get to work.” I quite literally hit the ground running. (PS: I still have the scars on my cheeks from “The Yank.”)
- I was adopted at age seven and discovered I wasn’t a “product of rape” two years ago after my mother passed. (PS: Be careful not to leave around documents that might change the narrative you have been touting for decades.)
- When I was 13, a man tried to get into my bedroom window. They never caught him. As an adult, I have been stalked, had a home invasion where several items were stolen, and another incident where my car headliner was set on fire.
- I gave up several college scholarships to marry my high school sweetheart and didn’t enroll again until I was in my 30s. (PS: At one time, I held the NH state shorthand writing and reading record as well as typing record.)
- I moved from New Hampshire to Maine to California and then spent years in Germany while working for the US Government, allowing me to travel to many countries: Switzerland, Holland, Liechtenstein, Czechoslovakia, and more.
- I competed in swimsuit competitions, earned CO State body-building awards, and attended Ms. Fitness Nationals. These are “gifts.” I worked my ass off. Just say’n.
- As a side gig, I did backstage security for Country Jam providing safety for Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Tanya Tucker, Sawyer Brown, Alan Jackson, and more. (PS: I don’t even like country music, but I had a blast. Note: do things you don’t like, and you might like the things you didn’t think you would. “Oh, I like it, Peggy. Cool observation.”)
- I experienced three big relationship breakups but have been blessed with my two sons and many lessons. One of the relationships, however, left me climbing my way out of hell from a half-a-million-dollar debt, bankruptcy, and foreclosure. I even lost my truck and dog in that battle. Now that is a country song, isn’t it?
- Since birth, I have been diagnosed with several medical conditions: migraines, auto-immune and blood disorders, Scarlet Fever, Mono, Hashimoto’s, osteoporosis, high cholesterol, and ruled out Leukemia with a few very fun bone marrow biopsies. Oh yeah, I lived with a misdiagnosed Hepatitis C condition for ten years. Along the way, I picked up several allergies, anxiety, and OCD. (PS: I know. I know. I know. These are not my identity, and yes, I have worked diligently not to say “my”—“my” migraines… “my” anxiety.)
- I have had several different surgeries and two-car accidents, five months apart, smacked me around, leaving me with life-long damage and landing me in a 2.5-year lawsuit.
- I cared for my sons, who recovered from dozens of injuries throughout their motorcycle careers. My youngest had to learn to walk again at age 21. (He wrote about this story in my last book, Win the Wellness W.A.R.) and he also won a life-threatening battle with Group B Spinal Meningitis.
- My grandson had heart surgery at five months old, the same week my mother died of Multiple Sclerosis. Though this didn’t happen “to me,” it happened to me. Ya know.
- I lived through a 156 mph hurricane. Now that was something. It sure gave me gobs of content to write about.
- And here I am…
Perhaps I was handed my Earthly mission the second I was “yanked” into this world, or to label it more gently, I received assistance and guidance from an earthly being. What if, from that moment, the purpose and passions of my life were delivered in that instance? “You were helped – now go help others.” Oooh, that is profound. I told you I was going to work this out on paper. Dang! Welcome to the party!
From as far back as I can remember, I longed to help others help themselves, which aligns with why I entered the health and wellness industry 34 years ago.
I may have been beaten up throughout this super cool journey thus far, but I am still going like an energizer bunny whose batteries never die.
You may kick me down and kick me while I am down but don’t leave me for dead. I am unstoppable, and I WILL KEEP ON GOING.
