Strokes of luck

Life always keeps us going… until it doesn’t.

Some of you have reached out wondering where I’ve been. A few of you have kindly checked in. Others have not-so-kindly checked in - asking why I haven’t been available or responding. Here's the thing: if I’m not responding, it’s usually because something private is happening that I haven’t yet found the words to share.

Last November, I was struggling with a pancreatic cyst issue and then during a traumatic experience involving my puppies, I fractured my L4 vertebra while trying to rescue them. It was a long road back. Months of healing. Months of slowing down - when I wanted to speed up.

The Friday before Mother’s Day, I finally felt ready to begin working out again. I exercised that Friday and again on Mother’s Day morning. Later that day, I was spending time with my children and grandchildren when I stood up to go for a walk and suddenly my left leg wouldn’t move and my left arm felt heavy. For a few minutes, I couldn’t get them to cooperate. Minutes later everything seemed fine.

Assuming I had simply overdone it after being inactive for so long, I walked to the park and back. Later, after sitting on the couch, I stood up and once again, the issues happened with my left leg and arm.

Still convinced it was related to my workouts, I went home and rested.

My husband, a former firefighter and investigator, took one look at the situation and said, “You had two strokes.” He was not with me at the time or I’m quite positive he would have called 911!

I thought he was being dramatic. He wasn’t.

A trip to the doctor confirmed that I had experienced two transient ischemic attacks—TIAs, often called mini-strokes. (My brother Dan says TIA stands for Teri is Awesome – I agree haha)

And that’s why I’ve titled this post Strokes of Luck.

Yes, I should have gone to the doctor immediately. Yes, I ignored the warning signs. AND the stroke of luck is that I’m still here.

No permanent damage. No lasting impairment. Just a reminder—a very loud reminder—that life can change in an instant.

Sometimes luck doesn’t look like winning the lottery. Sometimes luck looks like getting a second chance.

For me, the biggest stroke of luck is that I am alive, healthy, and able to make different choices moving forward.

Since then, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting. I’ve been looking hard at the pace I’ve kept, the stress I’ve carried, and the things I’ve allowed to take up too much space in my life.

I’ve started practicing what I call the art of Woosah. Remember that from the Bad Boys movies?

Pause.  Inhale. Exhale. Repeat as necessary.

I’m embracing a little semi-retirement. Spending even more time with people I love. Saying yes to what matters and no to what doesn’t. Paying closer attention to joy, connection, nature, family, and the simple moments that make up a life. And I'm spending more time in our garden, practicing rituals like the ones found in my newly released "Ritual Handbook for Turbulant Times" and hanging out with pups!

The truth is, we are living through stressful times. There is so much noise, division, fear, and uncertainty in our country and throughout the world—including what I see as the stripping away of women’s rights. The stripping away of human rights. The stripping away of Mother Earth! For me, that is a massive WTF. Whether you agree with me politically or not, I believe chronic stress affects our bodies in ways we often underestimate. We carry it in our muscles, our nervous systems, our hearts, and our spirits until one day our bodies decide they’ve carried enough.

My body got my attention, once again. Loudly.

And while I can’t prove that stress contributed to my TIAs, I know that carrying constant worry, outrage, grief, and frustration is not sustainable. Our bodies keep score. They whisper, then nudge, then sometimes they shout. Mine shouted.

So now I’m changing the way I move through the world.

Less outrage. More intention.

Less doom-scrolling. More living.

Less giving my energy to things I cannot control. More showing up and contributing in ways that genuinely make a difference.

Less work. More play! (See my sessions page for changes to my schedule.)

If these strokes gave me anything, they gave me clarity.

Life is precious. Time is precious. The people we love are precious.

And while none of us know how many tomorrows we’re guaranteed, we do get to choose how we spend today.

For me, that’s the real stroke of luck.

So if you’ve been waiting for a sign to slow down, call the doctor, take the walk, hug the people you love, speak your truth, or simply breathe a little deeper—consider this yours. That's what Impeccable Soul Care is really about!

Image from A Stroke of Luck non-profit UK