A Dreamy Year

"If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

- Henry David Thoreau

2011 was an exciting year of "firsts" for me, including:

1. the first SLEEP WALK in Washington, DC

2. Marie Claire article

3. my first time on TV

4. learning to dance (Nia)

5. giving three presentations at national NN conference

6. featured author in a magazine (AVALON)

7. my first photo-shoot (I AM Modern)

8. attending the first musical concert honoring narcolepsy (Wake Up Nashville)

9. art journaling & oil painting

10. first place in a photography competition

11. my first crow pose in yoga

12. and winning a national Public Awareness Award  

I'm still shocked reviewing this list. All this happened to me? In one year?! I am so grateful for the extraordinary opportunities of 2011. 

It was also a year of personal growth.  A few lessons learned:

1. Listen to my "gut instinct" even when inconvenient.  

2. Peaks and valleys - face disappointment with compassion, trusting there's a bigger plan.  

3. Rejection is part of the process. Let it go. 

4. Never give up. Ever onward!

"Listen to the mustn'ts, child, Listen to the don'ts.

 Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the wont's. 

Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... 

Anything can happen child, Anything can be." 

- Shel Silverstein

Looking ahead, I'm chasing big dreams in 2012.  I've made my vision board and posted my 3 month plan to my bathroom mirror.  

To reach my 2012 goals, I resolve to: 

1.  Prioritize sources of inspiration and happiness (yoga, Nia, art journaling, photography)

2. Give myself permission to disappear - not forever - but for a little bit. I have four chapters of my memoir to finish. I'm clearing my social schedule to prioritize the completion of my book. So, if you don't hear from me right away, please know it's for good reason!

(These images are from my art journal, which I began after attending a fabulous workshop with Kimberly Wilson at Tranquil Space.)

Lightly Wrapped

This holiday season,

 be gentle with yourself and others. 

Take naps. Smile freely. Dance under the lights. 

A few pics from my Zoolights adventure (it's wild; it's free!). Also, I may be the last person on earth to discover Instagram, but I love it more than anyone else.  Zoolights runs through Jan. 1st. I highly recommend the kettlecorn popcorn. Sometimes, it's the smallest things that warm the heart. 

In closing, my inspiration comes in from chilly Canada today:

"Officially started training for 2012 Boston Marathon for Wake Up Narcolepsy, which is why I ran 5 miles today in the freezing cold temperature of -9 degrees F. I came in covered in icicles because I forgot to pack my warmer running pants. My legs were two icicles. Worth every step!" 

- Monica (Wake Up Narcolepsy's dedicated co-founder and runner extraordinaire) Thank you Monica for your sheer bravery and strength on behalf of people with narcolepsy.

Wishing everyone restful and dreamy holidays!
Xoxo,
REM Runner

Crow Pose: To Risk Falling On Your Nose

A crow is a large garbage-eating bird with a loud cry.  

It is also inverted balancing yoga pose in which you prop your thighs against armpits, squeeze abs tight, hinge forward and pray not to nose-dive!

Over the past 6 months of practicing yoga, my reaction to crow pose has been consistent: "Oh hell no!"  I've watched my crowing classmates in amazement - professional contortion artists disguised in Lululemon gear?!

The position requires upper-body strength I don't possess (in the arms, forearms, elbow joints, hands, wrists, clavicle and scapula). I can't even do the monkey bars.  It also takes hip flexibility.  I'm a runner = inflexible.

Failure looms large in crow pose.  To take flight - you must lean forward face-first... But not too far or you'll topple forward. Also, FACE-FIRST.

Two days ago, Mary Catherine (TS Arlington's yoga instructor extraordinaire) began demonstrating the steps of crow pose in class.  As usual, I thought, "Oh hell no."

Suddenly, I found my right leg lifted, then my left. For about half a second.

"Don't believe what your eyes are telling you. 

All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, 

find out what you already know and you'll see the way to fly."

-Richard Bach

"Strange," I thought. I tried again and found myself air-borne a bit longer.

Next time, I counted to 5, thinking "OMG, I'm doing it. OMG, I'm still doing it?"

The distance between my body and the ground felt infinite (even if it was less than a foot).  "I could stay here all day," I thought.  I felt as peaceful as a lotus flower floating over a pond.

Soon, my balance shifted and I returned back to all-fours.

Class moved on, I smiled widely and tears welled in my eyes. The dichotomy of being a yogi with narcolepsy struck me more than ever.

People often ask if yoga improves my narcolepsy.  In my experience, yoga does not directly affect my symptoms.  Instead yoga gives me a much greater gift.

My body is paralyzed at times (a narcolepsy symptom called cataplexy).  As a result, I've burnt myself with hot tea, I've dropped things, I've stumbled and I've fallen.  Medication improves this, but doesn't  erase it.

As you might imagine, the fear of falling is almost worse than the actual falling.  I've respected my hesitations in yoga class, but ever so slowly and without realizing it, I've found trust in new places.

Yoga has given me moments of pure grace, strength and balance.

I never imagined that I'd hold this body in my arms.  Now, I can't imagine a day without taking flight.

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Please read Mary Catherine's post about getting to know me (her yogi with narcolepsy)!  "Yoga and Narcolepsy," Starr Struck Blog, November 22, 2011. 

Thank you, Tranquil Space, especially Lisa and Mary Catherine - for helping me find my edge and eventually, my crow.

The F Word

The F word is my favorite word and the subject of today's post. 

"So what is narcolepsy exactly?" someone asks.

A thousand words race through my head.  If I was a computer, my screen would freeze at this point. System non-responsive... I spit out a few nonsensical statements and then shut down. Communication failure.

Truth is, narcolepsy is many things: symptoms, medications, side-effects, quality of life, brain cells, scientific processes, dreams and nightmares.

Where do we begin? How do we avoid system failure?

In a previous post, I offer a few basic communication guidelines:
1. Keep an upbeat tone
2. Leave out big science-y words
3. Less is more - I limit myself to 1 or 2 sentence responses and let people follow up if they're interested.

To follow these guidelines - the F word comes in handy:

F is for FASCINATING

Narcolepsy is a fascinating disorder. The symptoms are fascinating. The science is fascinating. (You don't have to say "fascinating" over and over, but you get the point.)

Think of this as the trailer for your movie.

Someone asks, "What's it about?"

If you say, "It's about a terrible illness with no redeeming qualities that no one cares about or understands."

Do you think people will line up outside the theater to see that movie?  Would you? I wouldn't. Life is busy and stressful and everyone has problems and hardships of their own.

Entice them. 

By describing narcolepsy as fascinating - you are saying, "I know something cool that you don't know..."

Once they buy a ticket - you can get into more serious stuff.  Is this false advertising? I don't think so.

Narcolepsy is truly fascinating. In later posts, I will discuss how to balance the gravity and seriousness of the disorder with the redeeming qualities that will make everyone glad they attended the movie.

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Note: This post is derived from my communications presentation, "Advocating for Yourself and Your Health" at the national Narcolepsy Network Conference 2011 in Las Vegas. I received overwhelming positive feedback about this session, so I've decided to share key nuggets of wisdom here...  My secret weapons, if you will.

Thanks so much for taking an interest in raising awareness about narcolepsy!

REM Runner Julie Flygare Featured in I AM Modern Magazine

I am so honored to be featured in I AM Modern Magazine's Holiday 2011 Edition.

I AM Modern is a Health, Beauty & Lifestyles Magazine for Modern Woman of the Washington DC area.  It's a social media fueled magazine and offers great articles about the Washington DC suburbs.

Since moving to the area, I've enjoyed reading their profiles of inspiring women.

When the Editor-In-Chief contacted me about possibly featuring my story, I was speechless.

Turns out, my good friend, Gail had nominated me! Gail's support continues to amaze me. I feel so lucky to have such a loving thoughtful friend. Thank you, Gail!

It took me a few minutes to process, but then I said "Yes - of course!"
Raising awareness about narcolepsy and cataplexy is a joy. 

Best of all, I got to feel like a beauty queen for a day when professional photographer, Michael Vonal came to my house to photograph me for the magazine! Michael Vonal is a leading portrait photographer in the Washington DC area.

I was nervous for my first-ever "photo shoot" but Michael made the process fun and easy.  If you're looking for a portrait photographer, I highly recommend Michael Vonal Photography.

I hope you enjoy this Profile and the others.  A big thank you to I AM Modern Magazine and Michael Vonal Photography.

It's a proud day to be a person with narcolepsy!

To read the story: http://www.iammodern.com/julie-flygare.html

Like it? Tell them!  http://www.facebook.com/iammodern