I use the word near because I was indeed near the pool, not in the pool.
It's Marcus' fault, sort of.
Sixteen months ago, I was swimming laps in my local pool for exercise (and a sort of moving meditation) five to six days a week. Then I got an outer ear infection (apparently common for regular chlorine swimmers - though it was my first). It got me to thinking that if chlorine can disrupt the balance of my ear, it's probably not the best thing. A few months later, my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. For two years prior, she had been doing water aerobics in a chlorinated pool three to five days a week. No one can know for certain if this cause, contributed or is correlated to her cancer, but Marcus (who became her health adviser soon after her diagnosis) recommended she cease all chlorine pool swimming.
One of my friends at the chlorine pool basically implied that even though he knows chlorine is not good for you, he thinks worrying about chlorine is not good either and potentially worse (since he decided to go into the pool).
I agree. Worry is not good, or at the very least, it's unproductive and worst, detrimental to health and life-shortening.
I told him I didn't necessary worry about it, just made choices about what felt right for me. If I really wanted to go swimming, I would. But I can still have fun just hanging out. (It makes me miss growing up in Minnesota - land of ten thousand fresh water lakes.)
But it did make me wonder. Am I worrying about chlorine or pollution or toxins we're exposed to on a regular basis? Maybe. Part of why I eat organic 90% of the time is because I live in Los Angeles, and a lot of my pollution/toxic exposure is pre-determined by where I choose to live and breathe. So I figure, at this point I choose LA, so I'm exposed to certain toxins, I might as well eat as healthy as possible to help my body with all the "unavoidable" toxic exposure. Get my drift?
Anyway, I do believe I worry less than I used to. Though worry seems to be passed down from both sides of my family. The decreased worry in me is also part Marcus' fault... I'd been releasing worry from my life before he and I got together, but he has been a model for me, in a way. He has what many would call a "terminal" illness and he's not worried. Why should I worry about being late, car repair bills or chlorine? I'm still working on worrying less about Marcus. I do get a little protective of him sometimes given his health stuff...though there are signs his body and kidneys are...waking up. Yay! Horray!
Finally, I get to my point. We make choices every day, without worry. Let's say you prefer not to wear clothing, generally. You still choose to wear clothes when you go out into the world, right? (At least in most environments/circumstances.) Does it cause you worry when you choose to wear clothes? Probably not, you just put something on.
Well, that's how I'm approaching my choices about health, lifestyle and chlorine pools. My gauge for whether I'm worrying or not? If I have a furrow in my brow, anxiety in my body, or thoughts of future apocalypse in my brain, I'm probably worry-laden. If I'm smiling (a real smile), happy, and even playful about navigating through my choices (whether in the usually polluted LA-air or the remarkably clean Minnesota air), then I'm probably just flowing and choosing.
I prefer the latter.
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- Sunscreen may increase the risk of skin cancer!
- What happened to Kathleen Turner?
- Hairiosity!
- And All the Cows Said Moo, TWO!
- A Luke-warm Mess
- Let Go! Your Children Know More Than You Think
- Are you hungry for change? So is Food, Inc.
- Liberating yourself from your own fears
- The smallest non-child, non-midget person I've ever seen
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- The 15 Things that Pasteurization Kills
- A hugging, laughing, happy mess
- The HPV vaccination could be more dangerous than what it "prevents"
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- It's all about interpretation
- Have you forgotten how glorious you are?
- The best reason for DONUTS
- Dr. Mercola recommends raw milk!
- We'd all be pillars of salt
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- What do you want?
- The Real British Invasion or...Hey there Brit, how's your American accent?
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- Farts
- Love & Hate. Drugs & Rebellion.
- Occam's Razor - It's a Life & Faith Principle
- If Richard Pryor had a period...
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- Hello, my name is Temple Grandin.
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- My Addendum to "Choose a Job You Love..."
- The Primal Diet & Running
- Chop Wood, Carry Water, Do Taxes
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- How to tame the psycho hose beast
- Oh boy, that's a good question! or How to Deal with the Census
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- If I were a Ninja, I'd wear these shoes
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- And All the Cows Said Moo!
- If you were John Mayer, you would too
- Tiredness - Varieties of and unforeseen side-effects
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- Food should be As God Intended or Why isn't everything we eat organic?
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- The Cove - Louie Psihoyos' Oscar speech & a guide on how to create change...
- My Favorite Things...Arrabiata Recipe - Fresh, Organic, Vegan or Primal
- My Favorite Shows on Television...or how David Duchovney & Jesus are likely Good in Bed
- The Hawaiian Islands and Washington D.C.'s sand-paper circle-jerk about Health Care
- My Buddha has Termites...A Lesson in Infinite Joy
- The One-Date-Wonders!
- I had to learn SIGN LANGUAGE when I moved to Los Angeles
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- Rusty DePass, Gorillas, and Obama, oh my!
- Michael Jackson - Troubled Genius
I am sure chlorine has caused some unwelcome health effects on people. Maybe everyone and we don't know. But the way I see it is, worry can attract those health effects to you on a quantum level, more so than you might have already been. We are all exposed to carcinogens all day long, everywhere for the most part. But not everyone gets cancer. I can bet that most people that worry about it a lot or bring it into their consciousness probably do get cancer! But if your intention is for health, I think your cells will be more drawn to health. At the same time, I don't think it's wise to be reckless. Just because there are some smokers who are cancer-free, doesn't mean I am going to go out and buy a pack of Marlboros!
ReplyDeleteI do also think, if you are in tune with your body, it will let you know if the chlorinated pool is gonna work for you or against you. I think, Katie, you are one of the most in-tune people I know...so perhaps your wonderful body and soul gave you a nudge.
Love you,
Lis