joyful forty, forty-one
it was just getting good
i was just getting started
and then cruel life
dealt blow after blow
for year after year
with death and strife
thieving my calm
and ova and sight
healers and patches
blessed the rocky way
but nothing’s the same —
what of me remains?
stitches and fray
—Terri Guillemets
It is said that the body will heal itself of many things, if we will allow it to do so and not overburden it with remedies — the same is true of the soul and the heart.
—Terri Guillemets
After reading countless health books over the past couple of decades, I can tell you it pretty much all boils down to this: Eat plenty of veggies, work, play, rest, and don’t worry.
—Terri Guillemets
The last breath is as sacred as the first.
—Terri Guillemets
In a hospital
it’s difficult to listen
to sad, scary sounds
“code blue” on intercoms
wailing, grieving families
beep-beep-beep of machines —
But if you listen
more carefully
you can hear
the sound of hope
of healing, love, and support
caring, confident voices
of nurses and doctors and staff
the din and melodies of
our imperfect and indispensable
healthcare plexus at work
—Terri Guillemets
Addiction is an anchor that won’t break out.
—Terri Guillemets
Dying ain’t pretty. Death is beautiful.
—Terri Guillemets
When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no “I’ll start tomorrow.” Tomorrow is disease.
—Terri Guillemets
P.S. Thanks to Jillian Michaels for tweeting this quote in 2009. Thanks to Mark Sisson for using it in his Primal Blueprint book. And also to Joe Kita and the staff of Reader’s Digest magazine for including it in their 2012 book Health… The Reader’s Digest Version.
Sometimes I get the feeling the aspirin companies are sponsoring my headaches.
—Terri Guillemets