The Journey

Self Improvement

[melissahendy]

More photos from River

[melissahendy]

Wow what a week!

I spent 10 days at the Tim Horton Foundation Camp for the RIVER project for Team Rubicon. Team Rubicon is a desaster response team. We got qualified on the chainsaw and worked on mental resilency.

The camp was incredible. The views, animals, and the people.

I was the new person to the group. I served with 2 people in the special forces but the rest were complete strangers. By the end we became a family. It was quite incredible really.

I love this organization. I feel like I have known these people for years.

In the morning we would help clear wood for the camp. In the afternoon we would work on mental health. We had time to relax or do pt. We had a fabulous cook. She kept us well fed. Every night we would have an indoor fire and sit around and share anything we wanted to. The first few days they became very heavy stories. I didn't tell my story at first. But being vulnerable with the team brought us even closer together. Lots of hugs this week. It was incredible.

One morning we visited the farm and hung out with the animals. It was awesome to see everyone smiling and petting these animals.

We also got really good seats at the Raptors game on Apr 8th. Thanks to Labatts. It was an early birthday present 😉. It was pretty cool. We were so close to the court. This was my first basketball game. It was such a great experience.

I met a ton of great people all with the same mindset. It was refreshing. We all enjoy helping others. It's great to be apart of the team again. I plan on getting more into the international team. I may be out of the Army but I am still useful and able to deploy with Team Rubicon. It's exactly what I have been searching for. I highly recommend Team Rubicon for veterans or currently serving members. Or just anyone wanting to be apart of a wicked team to help others.

Today was my birthday and they suprised me with a cake and sang to me. It was awesome.

I miss my family and I am grateful for their support that allowed me to make this happen.

I can't wait to get home tomorrow and see my family.

Thank you to all the sponsors that made this project happen. The facilitators were amazing. What an experience. I am honoured to be apart of the very first TR RIVER project. ROTO 0. Thank you for asking me to be apart of it all. ❤️

[melissahendy]

Hey!

Week 5 was spent talking about tenacity. What drives me toward a growth mindset? Where do I need to focus on a mindset change in my life to enhance my resilience? There are two mindsets. See the picture below. For the most part I am a growth mindset but I do need to work on criticism from other and feeling threaten by others success. Which mindset are you? Next week is collaboration and we will meet Friday in person to get to collaborate 😊.

Alisha's birthday party was successful! It stopped raining just before and started raining just after. They had a blast.

This week was pretty busy at work closing in on year end tasks. I worked out every day. Meditated almost every day! It definitely has helped me stay calm and at peace. I really do notice a difference. Work load at work has been spread out now too which could make me feel less stressed at work. But they do say you will notice a difference after 10 consecutive days of meditating.

We played euchre with friends and the girls crushed it 😂. Just like bowling. Not that I am at all competitive lol.

This week Alisha starts ball hockey. I am getting ready for the in person project for Team Rubicon RIVER. I am excited to meet like minded people and collaborate. I did my pre Sawyer course today, so I am familiar with chainsaw safety. Our service project will be to clear trees for the Tim Hortons Camp so kids will get to enjoy the space. After these 10 days I will be fully Sawyer 1 qualified. We will also be continuing our resilience training. TR seems to be a pretty cool organization thus far and I am excited to deploy with them in the future.

Pictures below are Gus hiding in bed because why not! Sunrise on my way to work which was gorgeous! Me out on a walk at lunch. Alisha and friends during her party. We had s'mores and the kids played for 2 hours lol. The kids decided to start popping balloons so the yard was covered in popped balloons. I made a game out of cleaning it up and said whoever can clean up the most popped balloons wins a price. I have never seen kids move so fast to clean up anything in my life. Haha just a hint for parents for future birthday party craziness!

I went out for lunch with a friend I haven't seen in years. It was so nice to catch up. We went to Bakes by the Lake because it's gluten free and it was great. I really like what they have done with their space. It was very cute plus the food was good too.

Brian and I even got out for a lunch date this week. We checked on the trailer too. It was nice to spend some alone time with him to reconnect. He's been away and I am going away and he will be away again, so it's important for us to connect when we can. Life is getting busier but in a good way.

I am excited for warmer weather! I really want to put some planters outside on the deck and a spring wreath up. I can hardly wait.

A good movie to watch is the social dilemma. It's on Netflix. Talks about social media and how technology is advancing and how it can be harmful. It was was very interesting to see the depression rates especially in pre teen and teenage girls rise as well as suicide rates. Both are up 100% in pre teen girls. That scares me. I have been off social media for over a month now and I honestly don't miss it. I do miss connecting with friends but I am making real efforts to make real connections with friends in person rather than fake short term connections online. The movie shows what happens to our brains when using social media. It is a very interesting documentary. If you have some time I highly suggest watching it.

Derek is still in Poland with his gf and still waiting on her visa. Poor guy has been paying for hotels for a month now. Hopefully he will be home soon.

Until next week...

[melissahendy]

Hey!

Week 4 for RIVER we talked about health. Sleep, exercise, and nutrition. I have never had a problem sleeping or exercising but I am always trying to be a bit more consistent with my nutrition. I have a sweet tooth.

This week was March break for my daughter and also her birth week. We kicked it off by going to lego land. Then headed to Ottawa for a few days. Brian was in Ottawa for a course so we went to hang out with him for a bit. We did a lot of walking and sight seeing. Checked out the war museum and the nature museum. Thursday was Alisha's birthday also St. Patrick's Day so we went out for dinner. They sang to her and she felt extra special. She had a great day. She got a tripod and halo light so she can make kids videos for YouTube. She also got friends lego which she has spent 2 days building. The friends lego is pretty cool I must say.

We went bowling with the neighbours for Alisha's birthday too. It was pretty fun. We might join a league.

Alisha's birthday party is today and its supposed to rain all day and it's an outdoor party. Kids are going to learn about adapting today lol. We have a large workshop out back so we are going to set up out there and put on a fire. She invited her whole class so they won't all fit in the house lol.

Things I am struggling with this past week were keeping up with meditating and journaling. Soon as I get busy they are the first to be dropped. This week I am going to try to do it every day.

So much to look forward to this spring/summer.

In a few weeks team RIVER will be at the Tim Hortons Camp playing with chainsaws and working on our mental health.

Trailer will be open.

Charlee's Run.

Trip to Banff!

Trip to see Morgan Wallen!

What are you looking forward to this spring/summer?

This is my favorite time of the year! ❤️

[melissahendy]

Hey!

Weekly check in. How was your week?

We are on week 3 of RIVER. This week we learned about reasoning. One of the greatest videos I have seen on the subject is https://youtu.be/__JLFw2FtEQ

We don't react to the problem. We react to our past. Past trauma/experiences. If you can keep composure and stop yourself from going into fight or flight you can can use the smart brain for reasoning and work through the problem. Something I have been practicing this week for sure.

I have been switching up my workouts. Running and biking. The warmer weather is coming and I am looking forward to running outside again.

This week has been pretty quiet. Alisha is at her dads but comes home soon 😁. Brian has been away for a course. Looking forward to everyone being together again.

We have a busy March break. Then it's Alisha's birthday party. We are having a s'mores party! I have been busy getting everything ready for the party. Hopefully the weather holds out.

What else? I got my hair trimmed. I am growing my hair and she wanted to try curling it for me see pic below.

On my down time I crushed it on slither io number 2 on the leaderboard!

Here are some cat pictures because why not!

Until next week.

❤️

What are you looking forward to?

Podcast: 7 good minutes

https://open.spotify.com/show/13UddBWwAxzskUeKIDWuzj?si=cQeB2mkbTkOE-00A92S-1w&utm_source=copy-link

Apps:

Driven Resilience

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.driven.app

Success Wiz

Success Life Coach - Goal Planner & Habit Tracker - Apps on Google Play

Productive Self Coaching Daily Routine Planner and GTD Tasks and ToDo Manager

Strava - add me Melissa Henderson

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.strava

Insight Timer

Causes

Team Rubicon - Disaster Response

https://team-rubicon.ca/

Charlee's Run

[melissahendy]

Hey! Hope you all had a great week. I can feel spring coming. The sun is up earlier and longer. It feels sooo good.

Alisha and I started a gratitude journal which we do before we go to bed. It's been a great way to take a moment and think of what we are grateful for that day. Alisha loves it.

I have started meditating again. I use Insight Timer. It has a lot of different mindful tools. Finding it helpful.

Week 2 of Team Rubicon's Resilience Initiative for Veterans and Emergency Responders project. This week we are talking about Composure during stress. My dominant emotion is anger but I think it could be fear as well. Very interesting program so far. We are learning a lot. I was able to start creating some great habits to help me destress and stay calm. Being in fight or flight most of my life I find it challenging not to get emotional when faced with a threat. Being in a military environment for a good chunk of my life it definitely programs you.

Apr 1st we will all be getting together for a week long service project. I am looking forward to meeting the group and spending some R&R at the Tim Hortons Camp.

Alisha and I went to coco's bakery before school because why not! Right! If you haven't been there yet and are local to Orillia, you have to go!

I am back running 5 days a week at the track. It feels good. I tried home workouts and weights but I like the way my body reacts when I run consistently. I have lost the covid/Christmas goodies weight lol.  My back has been pretty bad this year. So it's been challenging keeping fit. It's like having a 2x4 as my spine and unable to move without pain. But I am doing yoga and stretching a lot more which is keeping me going. Treatments at Miller health have been life changing. Sleeping is the worst. I can't wait for the warmer weather that always helps. Spring is my favorite time of year! Everything comes back to life, including me.

We are raising money for the neonatal unit in Orillia. For those that don't know my first daughter Emma was born prematurely and unfortunately passed away. So friends and I are running in the Charlee's Run to raise money. Come join our team or donate. The link is below.

I have added some helpful links below. Things that have helped me get to where I am on my healing journey and just daily mindfulness. If you are on Strava add me below. It's a fitness tracker.

Podcast: 7 good minutes

https://open.spotify.com/show/13UddBWwAxzskUeKIDWuzj?si=cQeB2mkbTkOE-00A92S-1w&utm_source=copy-link

Apps:

Driven Resilience

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.driven.app

Success Wiz

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.way4app.successwizard

Strava - add me Melissa Henderson

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.strava

Insight Timer

insig.ht/ycjAdIOj6nb

Causes:

Team Rubicon - Disaster Response

https://team-rubicon.ca/

Charlee's Run - Little Warriors

https://soldiers.akaraisin.com/ui/CharleesRunOrillia/p/d2153f82d1df4b9a955da143f4442858

[melissahendy]

Hey!

Since getting off Facebook and Instagram I realized I miss being connected with friends and family. I miss sharing my life with them.

I have been selected to attend the RIVER project through Team Rubicon and I want to document my progress as well as keep friends and family updated.

Last week was spent on figuring out what our Vision is. That took some time to figure out.

For me my vision is be at peace and acts of service. So to turn that into SMART goals for this week:

I will learn how to gain better control of my emotions by the end of this year by writing in my gratitude journal for 10 mins a day to help myself maintain perspective when life feels challenging.

I will promote peace in my life by pin pointing sources of conflict that can be addressed and setting boundaries on what I will and will not tolerate. I will spend 30 mins problem solving each week to ease tensions and cultivate peace and spiritual growth.

I will promote peace by meditating for 10 mins each morning by setting an alarm on my phone. And following the guided meditation.

I will promote peace by taking care of my physical health this year I will be the fittest I have ever been. I will exercise at least 30mins a day for 5 days a week.

We spent the week watching videos and asking ourselves the hard questions. I found it very motivating to set realistic goals and to have a vision.

I spent some time today reflecting on the week. Spent some time organizing my schedule to ensure I book myself time to do those things that will make me achieve my goals. I came up with some solutions to some daily stressors.

The what's for dinner question! My family picked a day and a meal so now we have a weekly meal plan. I hopefully won't get the questions what's for dinner at 9am every day now. So simple. As a mom we have enough on our to do list. Just having to make that decision for everyone everyday was exhausting. I could eat a peanut butter sandwich I don't care lol.

If you give yourself some time to figure out what your stressors are you will come up with some solutions and eliminate that stress from your life. This was an easy fix for us. So now on Saturday's I booked myself some time to sit and brainstorm how to come up with solutions to problems.

What are your goals? Do you have a vision?

Close your eyes and imagine your desired life three years from today. Consider all aspects of your life. I am greatful for today Feb 26 2025 for:

That helped me a lot to set goals and my vision.

Family update - Brian is back from Ottawa! We missed him and he is glad to be back.

Alisha's birthday is coming up and she's pretty excited to have all her friends over. Alisha had 4 snow days and a family day thrown in this past week. She had a blast.

Gus got a new harness and he isn't impressed. But adorable.

I don't miss social media. I kept getting caught up with people's opinions. No one cares. I miss the pictures and connection but feel free to reach out to me via text or email [email protected]. I won't be back on Instagram and Facebook. I will use this platform to share our journey. Let's do lunch! Or come over for a fire. 😊

My friend was supposed to come home from Ukraine on the 23rd but tested positive for covid so couldn't fly home. Now he is trying to get to Poland. Pretty scary what is happening in the world right now. Update he's on a train.

Until next week 😊