The Old Grey Mule is Running Again
Did you ever hear the expression from long distance runners of “hitting the wall”? It’s where you’ve spent every bit of fuel in the body, and as much as your mind says to keep running my body was like an old mule that just won’t give any more. That’s how I felt after 12 years in Central America. I used to do what they now call CrossFit and lifting, but I could do none of it. My brain was so fogged I wondered if I was getting some kind of dementia. I had NO energy. I went from doctor to doctor thinking it must be an infection, or a parasite, which are rather common in Latin America. NOTHING.
As a Franciscan Friar and a Catholic priest who is 55 years old, I have a fulsome daily schedule of prayer, meditation starting at 5 am and loads of work. The work can consist of anything from 8 hours of confessions, to prepping and running food handouts to the poor, visiting the prison or hospital, to oversight of major construction projects, as well as all the stress of fundraising for all of the above.
My role has me traveling a lot and regularly trying to bring some order to some new outbreak of chaos. Now, add into that mix the challenges of living in a third world country, speaking in a second language, dealing with levels of poverty that we rarely see in the US, and you will see that Friars can have very hectic lives like everyone else.
Upon returning to the States a nutritionist had some tests run to see what was going on. She introduced me to the concept of a leaky gut. Initially, I was dubious but thought I’d best try and see if she was right. I tested positive for a huge array of reactive foods. The test results on all the hormone and endocrine systems and everything else showed I was “flat-lined.” She said to me “Looking at your numbers, I don’t know how you get up in the morning!” The years of running on coffee, from pillar to post, eating anything that was put before me, and regular doses of hard core anti-parasite medicines had had their toll. She put me on a regime of supplements, which had some effect, but something in her approach was lacking.
Then I met Jackie from Reform Wellness through some of the brothers in my Franciscan Community who told me of their success stories. I decided to give it a try. What I love about Jackie and her approach is that it looks at the whole person. Something in this made my Common Sense Meter say, “This is good.” I knew that she was much more than a nutritionist when she asked seriously about my prayer life, and if I was praying from the heart.
Jackie gave me some great guidelines on how to manage all the stressors that were taking such a toll on my body. She also taught me how to listen to that old mule and how to understand it’s language, telling me when I need to adjust what I am eating, or how I am sleeping, exercising or praying.
I admit that at first I was more than dubious about some of the things she asked me to do to get my gut back into shape, but I decided to be obedient, and everything she said to do proved to be exactly correct, bringing about the desired effects.
Physically I had hit the wall, but through the multifaceted approach of Reform Wellness, and through my own perseverance and in particular OBEDIENCE to her plan, I saw real transformation on all levels of my physical, mental, and even spiritual levels. I have truly REFORMED. The body, mind and soul, after all are ONE with each facet affecting the other. Reform Wellness takes that into account, and thus, this old mule is running again! I thought Jackie was just going to be another nutritionist throwing supplements at me, but in the process of all this, she has become a dear friend and spiritual daughter that I cherish. Her system works for many reasons, but also because I know for a fact that she prays from the heart for her clients.
Be not afraid…. Give it a try
—Fr. John Anthony Boughton, CFR
Bronx, N.Y.