Good evening!

The "Meeting Aseclepius" exercise was quite profound. As usual, I had a hard time focusing at first, but when I visualized my grandfather and the white beam from the top of his head to me, I truly could feel the warmth and energy from this experience.

Mindfulness has fostered an increase in my psychological wellness as I am more aware of the experiences I am having and find myself striving to have more meaningful interactions with the patients in my pharmacy. Although this is not my "dream" job, I am making the best of the situation and learning from every experience, good and bad. I can continually apply this practice in my life to enhance my experiences, give me wisdom, and lead me to my ultimate level of health.

The saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself," means that you cannot be a leader in an area that you are not experienced in and knowledgeable about. You cannot tell someone how great it is to be a vegetarian if you have never experienced this lifestyle. This applies to the health and wellness profession by our obligation to be role models in the field we choose to work in. We can lead by example and share our knowledge with others so they too, can achieve their optimum health and wellness. I think we have an obligation to our clients as health care professionals to develop all aspects of our health to lead by example.

I can implement psycological and spiritual growth in my life by continual practices in mindfulness to manage my stress and by keeping an open mind and open heart to all the possibilities that are available to me. I can keep striving for my optimum health and wellness one day at a time, doing better as I know better.

Alicia Maguire