Changing the Atmosphere

My little town on the prairie is a happenin’ place. The announcement of the world’s largest pea protein processing facility opening here, followed by the announcement of Simplot’s plan to double its production, is breathing optimism into the atmosphere. I’m no economic development expert, but it doesn’t take a genius to know the ripple effect means all this good news is only the beginning.

As it should, much praise has been poured out on our municipal councils, city and RM staff, provincial officials, and all involved in making these industrial dreams come true. It takes the efforts of many people working together and putting in long hours to make massive projects reality. We applaud you all!

Today, though, I’d like to suggest there just might be an element to this success that is being overlooked in our media, board rooms, and coffee shops. A catalyst that no one can see. A force at work behind the scenes. Dare I speak of it? Consider the evidence and judge for yourself.

In 2014, my church (Prairie Alliance) embarked on a prayer journey where we discerned what God is calling us to be in our community. This led to the start of 24/7 prayer weeks, where ordinary people sign up to pray in one-hour slots, so that prayers go up around the clock for that week. I’m not suggesting for a minute that ours is the only church praying. A movement is definitely afoot across Portage la Prairie’s community of faith. Ours is simply the one with which I’m familiar.

During these prayer times, folks are given a list of specific things to ask God for. This list would fill three of my blog posts by itself, so I’ll point out a few items as they relate to recent news headlines. You can decide whether a connection exists. 

The list includes a section where we pray for our front-runners. It names our city and RM council members by name, as well as other community leaders. We ask God to deliver our citizens from pessimism to optimism, from a victim mentality to an empowered one; from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset; from fear to joy; from caution to vision. Are you seeing a link?

We’ve been praying for creative partnerships in Portage – for organizations committed to similar goals, that they can leverage resources for greater effectiveness. Have you seen this happening anywhere?

Here’s a sentence lifted right out of the prayer guide:

“Pray for the success of industry and business in Portage; that the resources generated by this success would be poured back into Portage for the good of the city.”

You can call it a coincidence. Or you can call it psychological, that what we pray for we somehow, subconsciously, cause to happen. Or you can consider the lyrics to the Chris Tomlin song we’ve been singing for years, “God of this City,” or the promise of the Bible where it says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14) 

However you see it, doesn’t it make you curious to know what else is on that prayer list? It’s not top secret; anyone is welcome to jump on board. Trust me, if you live here, you’re “on the list.” You are being prayed for. Momentum is building. Oh, did I mention the repeating tag line in that song? “For greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city…”

Aging Backwards

Today I am entering the final year of my fifties. The decade has been good to me in many ways, but this aging business reminds me of puberty—a new surprise every morning. Lately, it’s been my left knee. Some days, it’s painful enough to prevent me from walking to work. Walking to work is the only thing standing between my current level of unfitness and the next: a blob of blubber. I really need to conquer the knee. And, while you couldn’t pay me enough to actually age backwards, I would like to finish out my years as mobile as possible. So, I want to tell you about a pain relief tool I’m finding surprisingly helpful.

In August, 2015 my right shoulder suddenly became painful and my range of motion extremely limited, for no apparent reason. Six months went by before the left side followed suit, meaning both shoulders were out of commission. Window washing was out of the question. I could no longer pull dishes down from the upper cupboards. My clothesline hung empty and forlorn. Pain woke me at night. On the up side, I finally broke a life-long bad habit. My inability to place my arm on top of the seat or crane my neck around to see out the rear window forced me to learn how to use my side mirrors when backing out of the driveway! 

I sought help from my chiropractor, massage therapist, and physiotherapist. The last two provided relief in the moment, but nothing seemed to really change. Then in 2017, my massage therapist, Claudette, shared a book called Aging Backwards by Miranda Esmonde-White. I read the book, then ordered one of her DVDs. It includes two half-hour workouts, one for posture and one for pain-relief. The latter is a whole-body workout, addressing shoulders, neck, back, hips, knees, hands and feet. The movements seemed too simple to be of any benefit, but to my surprise, my shoulder pain began to ease almost immediately (after two years of persistent pain)! Yes, it later returned. But by doing the workout daily, I soon began to see a steady decline in pain and an increase in range of motion. When my 86-year-old mom experienced shoulder problems, I walked her through some of the stretches. She was shocked by how quickly her pain subsided!

Miranda Esmonde-White

“I spent most of my life in chronic pain,” Esmonde-White says during her pain relief workout video. “It wasn’t until I developed this program fifteen years ago that I became completely pain- free.” And speaking of age, she’s been around ten years longer than I have, but looks much younger.

Esmonde-White is a Canadian, now based in Montreal. Following her career as a professional ballerina, she developed her own fitness technique called Essentrics, and became the flexibility trainer to numerous professional and Olympic athletes and other notable clients.

“Regular movement,” she says, “is the key to repairing all mechanical pain. We think we have to work hard to see any success, and end up working too hard and doing more damage. The trick is to work out of pain, not in pain.” 

Don’t take my word for it. Without spending a dime, you can check out Miranda Esmonde-White and her many resources online, and follow along with some of her workouts on You Tube. “Aging Backwards” might be a stretch, but do let me know if you find it helpful. If you need me, I’ll be doing knee bends while I blow out my birthday candles.