Issue 13 | August/September 2017
Elements For A Healthier Life Magazine was published as a digital magazine from May 2016 to the May/June 2018 issue. The program used to display the publication on the internet was used to design the layout. In converting the digital editions to .pdf format, some of the layout elements were altered and misaligned.
Publisher & Editor
Cynthia (C.K.) Kochis
Editorial Assistant
Jenn Ryan
Contributors
Tarah Abram
Natasha Botkin
Rachel Kieffer
C.K. Kochis
Ruthie Lewis
Debra Oakland
Barb Parcells
Patricia Young
Cover Photograph
Doug C.
Contributing Photographers
Tarah Abram
Natasha Botkin
Doug C.
Hidreck Dragonshade
Rachel Kieffer
C.K. Kochis
J.M. Kochis

Healing Side of Grieving
I look in the mirror and most days I barely recognize myself. The eyes reflecting back at me are my father’s; the same empty stare he had as his dementia transformed into Alzehiemer’s. Lost, yet aware enough to know what’s going on.
The mascara I used to wear daily is applied maybe once a week; maybe. And only if I pretend to care what I look like.
The energy to exercise or move my body physically in order to feel good in my…
Quotables
“Walking through the grieving process has taught me some of the grandest lessons of love and compassion.”
-CK Kochis
“My heart exploded with each twist of the steering wheel.”
–Natasha Botkin
“We are being pickpocketed on a constant basis, almost as if you were walking dark streets in the most dangerous areas.”
–Ruthie Lewis
“Do you think it is random, that life deals you a deck of cards and you take what you were dealt? Who taught you that?”
–Debra Oakland
“…let your inner child run with scissors; ignore the internal critic; reach beyond your civilized manners and wreck this book!”
–C.K. Kochis
“Making the decision to stop waiting until it feels right and to act anyway, made it possible for her to pursue her dream of becoming a yoga teacher.”
–by Rachel Kieffer
“The terrified look on the faces of my children and my grandchildren in my hospital room was the final wake-up call I needed.”
–Barb Parcells
“…woodlands extend beyond sight in the other three directions with several drop off cliffs and mountain biking trails for the thrill seekers.”
–C.K. Kochis
“Nothing bad is going to happen; unless you allow your inner critic ego to condemn and judge you.”
–Natasha Botkin
“Sometimes we don’t realize that we can have a second chance to enjoy the things we believed we had to give up in order to grow up…”
–Barb Parcells