My Journey

In December 2018 my surgeon told me there was nothing more he could do for my back.  There is scar tissue and degeneration however if he were to operate the risk of being paralyzed was high.  Therefore I had to figure out how to cope with the pain!

 

That was the push I needed.  In January of 2019, I let my team at TELUS know what the doctor had said and that I was commitment to getting better.  The team rallied behind me and we decided to have a two month wellness challenge.  Each of us had a goal we wanted to achieve when we stepped on the scale.  My goals were to lose 8kg, to be able to walk up the three flights of stairs at work, eat healthy and drink more water.

 

I started walking every day.  At first it was extremely hard to get through 10 minutes.  I couldn’t keep up to Gian.  But soon it got easier and week after week I was walking more minutes.  Of course the weather in the lower mainland during the winter can be cold and rainy so it was important to gear up so I wouldn’t be cold.  That truly helped!  Two months later I lost 7.2kg and was easily climbing the stairs.  We had a great team challenge and many of them achieved their wellness goals.

 

Mind you my body was feeling it.  I've done the Coquitlam Crunch several times and one time a bear stopped me in my tracks.  I waited without breathing until he started to do the Crunch as well.  Lucky for those people ahead he veered off into the bush.  Please everyone only wear one headset when out walking or running because none of those people heard me scream to tell them there was a bear behind them! 

 

In March of 2020, we were hit with COVID-19.  This put everyone in a tailspin!  Finding ways to keep positive and healthy was challenging as gyms and team sports closed down.  It took a mental toll on everyone as we are social by nature.  Confining us to our immediate household meant we had to adapt too going outside as much as possible.

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At the end of June 2020 I took my wellness battle to the next level.  I set a goal to climb the Grouse Grind by my birthday, September 28th and to start this wellness Website/Blog.  The year before my family doctor challenged me to share my passion for finding the positive in everything out there.  He inspired me by telling me he has patients having had one surgery that can't cope.  Any then there is me that struggles in every way but yet I am so full of life.   Therefore the challenge was on!
 

I started doing hikes to get me closer to the Grind and in August of 2020 launched this Website/Blog to share my experiences.  My hope is to help others along the way but most importantly learn something from you.  Believe me when I say if I can detox from 16 Advil’s per day to cope with pain by focusing my energy on healthy living then you can too!

 

On my birthday I conquered the Grouse Grind but let me tell you, I will never do it again.  Instead I vow to continue to hike destinations unknown and bring them to you in “Explore the Outdoors”.  

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Love of cooking great food is in my Italian DNA.   The amount of recipes I’ve created and shared on this website was getting to big that I had to hire a professional to help.  This new and improved website allows me to share over 500 recipes in the “Try our Recipes” section but also allows you to log into the forum and share your favourites for everyone to try. In the fourth section you will find weekly meal plans that provides list of ingredients to purchase and takes the guess work of what you will make for dinner.

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I'm all about making connections and cherished moments.  Which leads to the third section “Maria’s Mindful Moments (MMM)”. This is where I share my “AH HA” moments.  Moments that take my breath away, make me cry, make me reflect but mostly make me cherish every moment I’m on this great planet.  Again the forum has a place for you to share your “AH HA” moments.  Let’s get the conversation started on how to be put mindfulness in our everyday way of life.   

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In "Everything Wellness" section, I research health topics that are important to our overall wellness and share with you the findings.  I love to learn about our body and mind and topics will be very interesting.  With my parents have lived through and died from Alzheimer's and Dementia, there are many resources to help you navigate these disease.  

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My journey took a 180 degree turn in February of 2022.  I retired from TELUS on February 24th and I couldn't wait to explore the world with Gianni.  Our dream was to purchase an investment property in Stresa on Lago Maggiore in Italy and have it as a rental property and use it when we would go to Italy.  Our daughter Crystal and her fiancé had moved to Arona, not far from Stresa and in April of 2022, we went on a two month vacation to find our investment property. The 180 degree turned when three days before we went home, Gianni got a APL Leukemia, a very rare leukemia.  He was rushed to Novara hospital where we didn't think he would make it through the week. There are many blogs about how we navigate this new journey in many different areas of my website. 

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In the 5th section "Next Stop Italy", I blog about everything Italy has to offer.  I've learned to speak and write Italian and most blogs have been posted in both languages.  Our life is now in both Italy and Canada and many of my blogs have lots of emotional tones that depict our new lives.  

 

Join the community and:

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• Spark up a general discussion

• Introduce yourself

• Share your outdoor discoveries

• Post your favourite recipes

• Communicate your mindful moments

• Tell us what is challenging you

 

Life is a journey, not a destination (Ralph Waldo Emerson) 

Let's take this journey together!