One Year

One YearnnOn March 10th, 2008, I decided to change my life so radically that I would not recognize the life that I had just one year earlier. Stress, the cause of almost all illness, had ripped my lower back in half leaving me to walk with two canes. What was the cause of my stress? Less than three weeks ago my ex-wife and the mother of my only daughter lost her battle to throat cancer. It was a long, hard fought battle. This left my daughter devastated. Her mother was dead and she needed a place to live. My current marriage was headed for divorce. My daughter did not want to live with my wife and I could not blame her. I knew my wife would get almost everything in the divorce: the money (about a million dollars), the house, and the cars. n So there I was on March 10th: My first wife dead, my daughter devastated, going through a divorce, most of my money gone, no car, looking for a place to live, about 40 pounds overweight, and walking with two canes. I knew I could put my life back together with my mind and I could count on my great friends who I had met over the years while climbing mountains. When you risk your life climbing mountains together like we do, you create an unbreakable bond.n I began visualizing being able to walk again. My progress was slow at first (five minutes just to put on my pants), but soon my progress increased at the speed of light. I was back climbing mountains in less than three weeks. No one could believe how fast I recovered, but I knew I would be back quicker than anyone thought possible. n It was during this time the movie “The Secret” came into my life. The Law of Attraction immediately started manifesting itself. I had met an incredible lady, Sandy, when I was leading a hike for the Las Vegas hiking chapter of Meetup.com. She was a Vegan (diet consisting mostly of fruits and vegetables) for years and introduced me to the Vegan eating lifestyle. She also got me started on Juice Plus, a fruit and vegetable supplement. As I write this (April 17, 2008), I have lost 25 pounds and have almost unlimited energy. Coincidence? No, Law of Attraction.n My divorce was finalized in early April. I bought a car and temporarily moved into my daughter’s condo where she had lived with her mother. She can’t live there any longer, because of the memories the condo holds for her. My daughter is living with an incredible family in a half million dollar house as I try to buy a house. Her living arrangements materialized because of a longtime friend (Debbie) who really cares about people and who is constantly helping others. One of her employees (Julie) had given generously of her time during the final months of my ex-wife’s battle with cancer. My daughter naturally gravitated to Julie and was overjoyed when she started living with her family. n Now it’s time to focus on money. Buying a house is not cheap, even in today’s market. I’ve had an idea in my head for sometime and now is the time to bring that idea into reality. Many of the people I climb mountains with are over 65 years old! They are an inspiration to anyone who climbs with them. Having filmed hikes in the past (for my website), I wanted to make a documentary about my friends so others could be inspired and I could make some money. As I am leading another hike, the Law of Attraction manifests itself. We carpool from the meeting place to the trailhead. This girl gets into my car whom I have never seen before and starts talking. I learn she’s a producer and editor for television. We talk, we meet, and she has given me some great advice. Law of Attraction strikes again! There have been literally hundreds of these occurrences since learning about the Law of attraction.nn Although things have been good, there have been down times. At times I have felt a little overwhelmed with everything I need to do. Looking for a house has been frustrating. I have been outbid several times. Las Vegas has a very hot housing market. nI recently led the worst hike of my life; no one got hurt, but me. It was an emotional hurt, not physical. For a reason not apparent at the time I was obsessed with going to a Law of Attraction meeting later that night. When I walked into the room I was still upset from the hiking incident. As I started to sit down I saw a friend, Mel, who is this little redhead with a zest for life that is unmatched. I thought if I was going to get anything out of this meeting, I needed to change my mood. Even though the room was crowded, there was a seat open next to Mel. I sat down and we talked. She told me about Tolle and his books. With Mel’s help I attracted just what I needed into my life.nn I am in midst of a great journey, one that started in pain, but will end in joy and gratitude. So here I am a little over five weeks into my life transformation. As I look back my old life already seems distant to me. As strange as this might sound, I am really not making these changes for me. Yes, I will benefit from them, but the real reason I am doing this is to show my daughter the Law of Attraction is real and it does work.nnBranch Whitney nApril 21, 2008n