Raised by Wolves–Okay, Actually Stan and Gretchen

My parents were fun, loving, demanding, stressful and did a great job of exposing us country kids to the world. We traveled, took swimming lessons in town, played musical instruments, went to church and Sunday school, joined masonic organizations, took part in 4H, FFA, and played nearly every sport offered to us in our small town. The one area that I can’t recall being an area of focus was healthcare.  

I do remember going to the dentist ALL THE TIME but I don’t remember going to the doctor. In fact, we were at the veterinarian much more than the doctor. I always thought our vet, Doc Harry was my doctor! I love to tease them about it now. In our world, we were taught to “suck it up, Buttercup” in nearly every circumstance.

Don’t get me wrong, this has undoubtedly made me tough as nails in my career, relationships, and experience, but the flipside is that it caused me to be disconnected from my body – pain, sensitivities, needs, and instincts.  

As my life progressed after childhood, I was steadfast and confident, but I was ‘sick’ and it would take time for me to actually ‘feel’ it and begin to understand the impact.