In 2019, Jadwiga was going through a divorce and realized she needed time for inner healing. But her most difficult challenge came in 2022. She was given the wrong antibiotic for her blood type, which made her violently ill and after a few weeks left her severely dehydrated and near death. She knew that if it wasn’t for her daughter, she wouldn’t even be sitting here to tell her story.
The healing time was very long. For the first three months, she had absolutely no energy. For 28 months, she could only eat about ten specific things, and they all had to be steamed. She couldn’t eat anything fried or fresh, nor could she have dairy, gluten, or sugar. Our modern foods are not the greatest, so her body became malnourished.
“I learned that running, running, running for things in life is not important. It didn’t matter that I had a nice car in front of the house. I couldn’t go anywhere. It didn’t matter that I had food in the fridge. I couldn’t eat. But what I had was my hope and my inner happiness.’’
~ Jadwiga
Since she had so much time on her hands, she spent a lot of time talking to people and comparing notes. She listens to stories of a 92-year-old woman who focused on healing with the love that lives inside of you, and she was also the author of the book The Well-Lived Life. During her time as a realtor, she spoke to a 96 year old realty investor. When Jadwiga asked her secret, she told her to take care of herself, and find her inner happiness.
She also reconnected with her family roots. Her father reminded her that her grandmother was a healer who helped people. He wished that ability had stayed in the family. Jadwiga promised him she would find a way to carry that on. Within three months, she found a way to work with her hands that gives her joy and quiet time with others. She also learned to observe nature. Her mother used to say the ground gives you what you need. When Jadwiga was sick and her digestive system was ruined, she noticed an overabundance of broadleaf plantain weeds around her. Once her digestion was fixed, those specific plants completely disappeared.
Her gratitude practice actually started around 2020 after her divorce because she needed something stronger, but it got much deeper after her illness. She remembered her grandmother talking about paying it forward. She didn’t understand it at first, but she looked into it and developed her own morning routine. She calls it her 10-10-10 method. When she wakes up, she doesn’t jump out of bed. She gives thanks for waking up, hearing the birds, seeing the sun, and being able to move and talk. Then she pauses and says 10 things she is grateful for. She pauses again and says 10 good qualities about herself, like she is worthy and smart. Then, if she has the time, she lays in bed for another 10 minutes to ground her day. Even if she has to run to the bathroom, she comes back to finish it because she believes it sets the base for how the whole day will go. She noticed that when she rushed to meetings without doing this, things went wrong.
Practicing gratitude changed her. Before, she would just get frustrated when things went wrong. Now, she sees the good in every situation. When she was hit in the back of her car, she didn’t even tell certain people right away because she knew they would panic. When she finally told someone on the third day, they reacted exactly like that. But Jadwiga was just glad she was alive and that it didn’t happen on a high speed highway where it could have been tragic. She realized you have to be grateful for everything, both the good and the bad.
Sometimes she uses different methods of paying it forward that her grandmother taught her. But on the days when no ideas come to her and she wants to post something on Facebook, she opens up the Gratitude app for a moment. It has assisted her in her practice since 2021, and she uses it as needed. She gets inspired by what other people do, catches an idea, and then writes her own post.
To help her malnourished body, she found a nutraceutical that revived her. Now she has more energy than she did 10 years ago, and she shares her experience with others. As she nears retirement, she will move in with her daughter’s family so they can support each other and promote the nutraceutical that drastically improved their quality of life.
“Step back, turn to nature, quiet yourself down, listen to your body. Your body will tell you what you need. It’s not what you want, it’s what you need that is important. And that will help you to pull out that inner happiness.’’
~ Jadwiga
Share this story with someone who needs a reminder to listen to their body today to find inner happiness. 🤍
This is Jadwiga’s story, told beautifully by her and curated in its truest form by me to share with you.
I would love to hear your story. Write to me at preeti@gratefulness.me ✨
Every story is a reminder that a grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.
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