Today I woke up in a funk. A “mood”
This surprised me as life as been recently full of gifts.
Gratitude
My nightly gratitude practice includes a mental list of what I have to be grateful for.
The Crohns Colitis Collection product launch creation is going smoooooth. (Formerly The IBD Crohns Colitis Bundle)
The other day “A” told me that she contributed to my GoFundMe last year, and invited her whole company to do the same.
Yesterday “M” told me: “I never told you this before, Joel, but I owe you my life”
I was invited to speak in “The Gut Solution” documentary.
My interview in Interconnected – The Power To Heal From Within launched with Dr. Pedram Shojai from well.org
Apparently these amazing gifts from the universe weren’t enough.
The techniques I teach others and use myself for turning a frown upside down into a smile weren’t working.
I thought about reaching out to friends, but decided I wanted to do this on my own.
Learning To Accept Rather Than Resist
Rather than fight the feels, I accepted the negative emotions.
What we resist, persists.
I began to accept what was truly going on inside this normally serial optimists body.
I now felt more grounded, rather than someone else I was hoping to be in these moments.
Though I was still in a funk, I accepted this mood. I honored this mood. I thanked this mood for showing up and allowing me to experience the full feels of life. The highs, and the lows.
I asked myself, my gut: “Why are you in a funk”?
I didn’t beat myself up or shame myself for feeling this way, I simply asked myself a question.
The answers surprised me. I had no idea these thoughts were underneath my normally cheerful self.
I then felt empowered. I knew what was going on underneath the surface of this beautiful soul.
With this new information I was easily able to use my proven techniques and strategies to cheer myself up.
It worked. Mostly.
My gut was still telling me something was still off.
My intuition then led me to my GoFundMe campaign last year where I raised $29,357 to #savejoelscolon
This was during my challenging month long hospital stay after my GI told me the colonoscopy showed
“The worst colon I’ve seen in my 40 years of practicing medicine”
Today, 15 months later I still have all my organs.
Despite being offered surgery numerous times during and after that hospital stay.
Despite one GI telling me “Joel, your colon is sick, it needs to come out”
Despite me initially not believing I would avoid the scalpel.
Though I’m grateful that surgeons can save my life if needed, it wasn’t.
I’m continual blown away by the strength and vitality of those who live the #NoColonStillRollin‘ lifestyle.
As a student of life, the the more I learn the more I learn how little I know.
However I obviously know how to save colons, my own, and others. #winning
Yes, I’m hoping to force a career change for a few surgeons #SorryNotSorry
As I looked through the 264 GoFundMe donations tears rolled down my cheeks.
Family, friends, “facebook friends”, even strangers all supporting me during a dire time of need.
Though it wasn’t easy to ask other’s for help, and embarrassed some family members, my brother Steven started the campaign.
I vulnerably updated everyone on my status and the rest is history.
The names on the list came from all walks of my life during the past few decades. High school, college, prior jobs, La Jolla Toastmasters, Yoga Teacher Training, Integrative Institute of Nutrition colleagues, meetinDC social group, volleyball teammates, Mankind Project brothers, Yoga studios, Doctors, Nurses, former girlfriends and their parents and siblings, Landmark Education, Yelp Elite, speakers from the Crohns and Colitis Summit, Burning man friends, family across the country, and globe in Israel and Australia, One Great Gut community members as far as Germany, former mens group friends, someone I once spoke to at the Encinitas Farmers Market, friends ex-wives, former roommates, freelancers I’ve hired, even Boston Redsox fans donated. 😉
Most touching were seeing names of those whose friendships didn’t end well.
Afterwards I felt like my normal self.
Whatever normal means.
I once again realized how supported and loved I am.
How supported and loved you are.
How supported and loved we are.
I don’t know why I shared this but my gut told me to share here rather than my private journal.
Be grateful.
Not just weekly or daily, but LIVE a gratitude filled life.
The benefits are profound and tangible, though you may not be able to see the results immediately.
Don’t fall out of the gratitude practice like I did, though the nurses and doctors are amazing, I guarantee you don’t want to experience a month long hospital stay.
The Gratitude Life.
It’s more than a lifestyle
It’s life saving.
Love you All 
