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The Day Everything Became Crystal Clear


Robyn Openshaw - Nov 22, 2017 - This Post May Contain Affiliate Links


beautiful fall day in the Wasatch Mountains, Utah

Recently, I had a very…bad…week. I thought I’d share a very personal story with you, in the hope that it helps you enjoy Thanksgiving with more gratitude.

(Gratitude is the highest vibration emotion ever recorded by ECG and EEG!)

Robyn and her cat, CharlieMy 17-year old son texted me, while I was in San Diego at a conference, that something was wrong with our much-loved cat, Charlemagne.

Charlie wasn’t yet 2 years old, and he was fine when I left. He’s never been sick. When I got home the next day, I found that his back legs were paralyzed.

The next day I took him to the vet, and she said she would run some tests, that it looked like heart disease and blood clots.

Thirty minutes later, the vet called me to tell me Charlie had suddenly just taken one deep breath and…died.

The next day, I went to court against my children’s father.

While we’d never been to court before, we’ve been to many legal mediations over 9 years, and I’ve incurred many thousands of dollars in legal bills.

To save money, I had released my attorney, and represented myself in court.

And the judge awarded me everything. Including my attorneys’ fees, since my ex-spouse’s violation of court orders caused the legal fees in the first place.

But then, the judge, scrolling through the online court system, told me he couldn’t find the bill from my attorney, filed as an affidavit with the court.

Turns out, she forgot. So, my children’s father got to walk away from that large bill, and I was left holding the bag. All due to a technicality.

I wish those were the worst things, in my very bad week.

The next day, we found out that my new book, Vibe, had pre-sold well over 15,000 copies, prior to the week it published. The book project itself represented 18 months of hard work: landing the deal with Simon & Schuster, writing, and editing several times, and marketing it for months leading up to the excitement of publication date.

And that day, I learned that even though I outsold 9 of the 10 authors who made the New York Times bestseller list that week–even Oprah–my book somehow didn’t make the New York Times list.

If I’m telling the truth, I may have thrown a little pity party. I felt like I shouldn’t have so many sad things happen to me, rapid-fire. I went to bed early.

The next morning, after the bad news of the NYT list ignoring my book, I was at tennis practice, and my teammate, Susan, said,

“Hey, congrats on your book. I was at a care facility last week, and I met a lady who is a big fan of yours. She was showing me your book and was all excited about it.”

I asked Susan where the care facility was, and what the lady’s name is. It turned out she was just two miles from my home. The next day, I stopped by, hoping to sign the lady’s book, and chat with her.

Merry, it turned out, is 63 years old, though her skin looks 35, as if she’s never been out in the sun–and she has a long, blonde braid.

She was in a twin bed with two other ladies sharing the room. She sits in an old, broken wheelchair, because she has no income, no pension, no husband, siblings, parents, or children—and the broken wheelchair she sat in was recently gifted to her.

Her eyes got wide, as I walked into the room, and she whispered:

“Is it you??”

It turns out, she didn’t have my new book, Vibe, at all, as I’d assumed. She wouldn’t likely know about it, since she has no access to social media, and has never sent or received a text in her life, doesn’t own a smart phone.

Her entire life is lived in a corner of a shared room, in a rundown care facility.

She picked up the 2007 first-edition, self-published version of my 12 Steps to Whole Foods course, next to her bed, and handed it to me.

She pointed at my photo, in the Intro, and said, “That’s you!”

“Yes it is,” I told her, “a long time ago!” She told me about the public lecture I had given, many years before. Her neighbor had offered to drive her to it.

Half the pages were torn out of the 12 Steps course manual.

She picked up a large, 3-ring binder, to show me where the rest of the pages were. She had been tearing out the pages, one at a time, cutting off the ragged edges with scissors, and putting each page in plastic sleeves, in the binder.

The 12 Steps to Whole Foods manual was extensively marked up with highlighting, careful notes in the margin in ballpoint pen, recipes circled that she wanted to try.

The 10-year old manual looked like it had been well loved, well used, dog-eared.

Only it wasn’t. Because Merry cannot cook. Merry can’t walk anymore, 26 years after her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis when she was just 37 years old.

She told me about her life. How she tries to get to the exercise room every day, to stand (or sit, when her legs won’t hold her) holding onto the rails of the vibration plate.

She told me that doing so wears her out, and after one of these “exercise” sessions, she sometimes sleeps for 36 hours.

She told me how she would love to eat a healthy diet, as she’d read in my 12 Steps to Whole Foods manual—but she would somehow have to get the ingredients to make a green smoothie. And a blender.

Reading that manual, and looking at the photos, for her, is like reading a travel book for someone who dreams, someday, of seeing the world beyond her back yard.

Merry told me that the only vegetables served at the budget-conscious care facility are severely overcooked–alongside ham, pie with cool whip, and the usual cafeteria fare, to cater to the mostly elderly population in the care facility.

I asked her how I could help her. I left with a resolve to use my own resources to get Merry a large, daily green smoothie.

She told me, with determination in her voice, several times: “In just a few weeks, I plan to be leaving here.”

But, Merry came in, walking, 10 months ago—when she fell, and her landlady broke her own rib, picking Merry up off the floor–causing Merry to realize that now, finally, she needed a higher level of care.

But 10 months after walking through the front door, Merry’s health has declined to the point where she can no longer walk at all.

“I’m going to get out of here, though,” she told me, several times, resolve in her eyes.

Autumn, sunshine, fallen leavesWhen I left that day, I walked out into the parking lot of the care center. It is mid-November here in Utah, but we’ve had an amazing indian summer, and the sun was shining.

I could smell the decaying leaves all around me, a smell I’ve always loved. I stopped, by my car, struck with this thought:

I am walking across this parking lot. I just walked out of that facility. No one in there can walk out here.

I am standing out here in the sunshine. Where I could run, across this parking lot, if I want to.

And I’m going to get in that car, which is available to me all the time, and I’m going to drive it.

To enjoy Saturday night out with my girlfriends.

And because I have a job and access to cash and credit, I can buy myself dinner, and enjoy the evening doing whatever I want.

As I got lost in total awe and gratitude at my incredibly blessed circumstances, I noticed that, in the middle of the parking lot where I was standing, tears were rolling down my cheeks.

I threw my head back, and felt the sun on my skin. I took a few deep breaths, amazed and awed by my healthy body and mind.

Any vestiges of my pity party from earlier in the week melted away. I felt like the luckiest, most blessed, happiest person alive. I was flooded with compassion for another living being whose suffering was real and yet, she wasn’t complaining, and her vibration actually uplifted me.

I realized that my “problems” weren’t worth losing even a moment of happiness over.

I hope you take a moment to focus on the good, to show more love, to find someone to serve, and to remember what you have to be grateful for.

P.S. Of course you will want to know if I’ve adopted Merry and am helping serve her needs, and I am, don’t worry!

Posted in: 12 Steps To Whole Food, High-Vibe Living

24 thoughts on “The Day Everything Became Crystal Clear”

Leave a Comment
  1. Ruth says:

    I have sooo much respect for you Robyn! You are a woman of integrity! And that to me matters more in life! You will be rewarded for that! I love you!!

    1. GSG Support says:

      Thank you so much Ruth, for your kind words! Be well!

  2. Anna says:

    Yhank you for sharing this beautiful story and as you see happinez is in the heart and your own aditude. Love Anna

    1. GSG Support says:

      Thank you so much Anna. 🙂

  3. Connie Koskela says:

    Hi Robyn, that story truly touched me. Right from the start because my cat Sylvester died the same way of blood clots in the legs, I came home one day and he was paralyzed. My heart goes out to you. I did have 15 wonderful years with my boy and I’m sorry you did not have that much time with your cat. Then your story about Merry really got to me too. I have been having my own pity party lately and it’s given me a new outlook today which I will try to hold onto! thank you,
    xoxo

    1. GSG Support says:

      Hi Connie, thank you for sharing your personal time with your kitty. It’s a heart breaker when our beloved pets get sick. So glad you had 15 wonderful years!

  4. Chris says:

    Robyn thank you for sharing. I too have been having my own pity party about past losses (mostly emotional ). It is hard for me to stop thinking about the past and only think about moving forward. I am in the process of reading your book Vibe. I hope as I try to do the things you wrote about things will improve. I hope as I clean out physical clutter I will be able to clean out emotional clutter as well. Thank you

    1. GSG Support says:

      Chris, thank you for commenting and I believe you can clean out all of it. Hope my book is of great help to you in all your high vibe living goals! Be well!

  5. Stephanie says:

    I know there are people like this all over the the US (and world actually). We are so privilaged to have whatever we have, when so many would love to trade our problems with there’s. I feel like sometimes women get stuck in positions like this more often then men. It makes me sad to think about it. What can we do though? I would love to send a care package to this woman. Could you send me a private email so I could?

    1. GSG Support says:

      Stephanie, how very dear and kind of you. I might share her address, but will ask her first, if you don’t mind?

      1. GSG Support says:

        Stephanie – Merry would love a sweet surprise. Here’s her address: Merry Hatfield
        Orchard Park Post-Acute Rehab
        740 300 E
        Orem, UT 84057

        1. Thank you for sharing your story, Merry’s story,and her address. I look forward to sharing with her.

  6. Deb Price says:

    God is good Robyn. You were meant to meet that lady. We all have little pity parties once in awhile.Stay strong. Say hello to Merry!

    1. GSG Support says:

      Hi Deb, Agreed to all you wrote! Every day is a good day, even when it’s hard! xoxo

  7. Kim says:

    I’m so uplifted by your blog today! You have so much more depth than I ever imagined and I’m so grateful to know you. Thank you for all you teach – and I just ordered an infra red sauna from your group by as well. I praise God for all the good you are doing out there – you have touched my heart today as well! Thank you.

    1. GSG Support says:

      Hi Kim, Well thanks! I agree with you in that seasons of hardships can build character and “depth” as you expressed! Congratulations on ordering yourself a sauna! You’re going to LOVE it! Thank you for your kind words – living a high vibe life that can minister to others! Blessings to you.

  8. Ruth says:

    In reference to Mary with MS-Dr. Carolyn Dean has had many people with MS get fantastic improvement from her magnesium-it absorbs instantly being nano-no loosebowels. She has a ton of free info on line. Hope this info can help. At the very least soak feet in epsin salts to up magnesium levels. You rock lady!

    1. GSG Support says:

      Thank you Ruth 🙂

  9. Stephanie says:

    So touching, I can relate to your feelings of gratitude when weighing the glass half full .

  10. George Headden says:

    I always remember growing up poor because my Mom left my father with a four year old new home because he was fooling around with two woman while my Mom just had my third brother a few months before, SHOES! I had one pair of shoes for school and by mid year they had holes in the soles. My uncle used to tell me a story…
    ( I complained about not having shoes till I met a man that had no feet.) Someones life can always be worse than ours. Be Thankful! I have been disabled since 1991 because of an Auto accident with a Drunk Driver but still can walk 5 or ten miles or ride my bike, With some of your advice I am looking forward to getting a Costco Card to buy Organic Vegetables and Fruit much cheaper than Shop Rite but don’t have a Juicer or good Blender, My blender I bought back in 1977 when I had a great job actually Two Jobs. I am a Vegetarian and try so hard to eat right…I need to try CBD instead of RX pain Killers. Hence the word Killers. Carol Alt said Opiat’s kill but she said she never heard of anyone over dosing on Cannabis. I Thank You for all your info in my mail and all your YouTube Videos, Again Thank You George.

  11. Dave Meeks says:

    This story should be required reading for everyone. Have to admit, Robyn, I’ve always been impressed by what you’re doing, and how you’re doing it in this life. But part of me has always been a little wary, as you also are selling a lot of stuff, and that makes me a little gunshy. Looks like quality, one-of-a-kind products, but most things can be presented in any way a seller wants. I’m pretty much a fruits-and-veggies guy, so I have to wonder if its all necessary. But I have no doubts you’re a quality person, interested in making a positive difference in peoples’ lives. Thanks.

  12. Sharon Roberts Osojnak says:

    May I have permission to share this?

  13. Laurie Nathe says:

    Robyn, I know how that feels. In 2010 I had moved back home to care for my Mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. As well as heal from a toxic exposure and a fall that I know was caused by the exposure leaving me with a fractured back (I didn’t know at the time it was broken even though in lots of pain) Anyway, I cared for my Mother for 3 years and she is now in a home in Minnesota. I had to relinquish what I could do. I am a Health Coach and helped her release 50 lbs and helped improve the health of her body and brain. My brother would complain that I was spending money on organic and supplements. At one point I had to let go. I couldn’t fight the fight anymore. She is happy at the care facility (she says she is, however she doesn’t complain) She has gained over 50 lbs and even if I ask the staff to cut back on her Standard American Diet it doesn’t seem to happen.
    I wish there were care facilities that help people live and not just exist!

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