The first evacuation orders went out at noon, and at 10 pm we were elevated to “get ready to go” status, and we received an automated phone call to “go now” a little after 10 pm. My husband and I had been putting together a “GO” bag that afternoon and after the call, we finished loading the car with what we felt were the most important things we didn’t want to lose. We left for the evacuation shelter at the convention center about 11 pm.

We are 84 and 71 and we have a lot of stuff. And here is the funny thing…we took very little out of the house knowing that it might burn over while we were evacuated. We took the usual important papers, like the house and car titles, passports, birth certificates. We took a few valuables given to us by our parents. We took a framed photo of the 5 cats we’ve had over our marriage, a photo of us, and a photo of my stepmom from her celebration of life in April. We took a few days of clothing, our prescriptions, a yoga mat and 2 pillows, a few snacks, and our water bottles. And we took our laptop, iPads, and phones with the charging cords. I also took my current journal. That was it! We have a houseful of things that we’ve accumulated over 39 years of marriage but we were agreed about what was important…these few belongings and being together. I was even feeling that if our house burned, there was a lot of decluttering we wouldn’t have to worry about.😊

We were lucky. We were able to come home at 6 am Sunday morning. We were still in “get ready to go” status and left the car packed until Monday afternoon when our area changed to “safe to return” status. We unpacked the car and put everything away. After a few days, we are now back to our normal schedule and feeling safe again. And I have a new perspective about all of the stuff. That will be helpful as I start sorting and donating.

I am a big fan of the #signedsealeddelivered series, and I found Coach Ben through Kristin Booth, who was in the series. She was doing Ben’s program and posting on Instagram about her experience. I had never worked with a personal trainer.

I booked a free call with Coach Ben in early August 2018 and signed up for a 12-week program. I liked that Coach Ben assessed where I was, and designed a workout program that I could do and that would still challenge my body. I also liked the nutrition based on whole food prepared with simple recipes that are menu-based so I just followed the plan. He also focused on building the habits to support my success in the program with one-on-one coaching through messaging and weekly phone calls. I started the program on August 20, 2018.

I was 63 when I started working with Coach Ben. Now I’m 71 and I’m aging, but as my body changes, Coach Ben adjusts my program so I continue to maintain my strength and endurance without injury. My warmup incorporates the exercises prescribed by my physical therapist so I do them consistently. With this program, I’ve built the habits to be healthy, strong, and to continue to live independently.

Coach Ben’s program has evolved, and with his partner Sadie Sanchez, they have added meditation, yoga, and breath work. It’s a fully integrated program that allows me to maintain strength and endurance, to eat well, and to regulate my nervous system. There is no substitute for these caring, knowledgeable coaches and their one-on-one support!

For some nervous system regulation tips, here is a link to Coach Ben’s Substack.

https://substack.com/@bengustafson1?r=ezrmq&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=stories&shareImageVariant=image

If you would like to explore Coach Ben’s program, you can book a free call on his website.

https://lifttorise.ca/.

And Coach Ben has a book coming out on August 25, 2 Things To Do Today: Healing Without The Hustle. It’s available for pre-order now on Amazon in the US and Canada, or at your local bookstore. I’ve already pre-ordered my copy and I’m looking forward to reading it to learn more about caring for myself and my nervous system.