Mother's Day and Awe
- Sunny Kim
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Moraine Lake is the most splendid glacier lake in the Canadian Rockies (it used to appear on the back of the old 20 dollar bill). Standing here with Ben in the summer of 2022 during a family reunion vacation was a moment of awe. And AWE is being studied as an actual medicine in neuroscience now! Ben doesn't know this yet, and while it may sound a tad morbid, I wish for my ashes to be sprinkled over Moraine lake one day when my time on this earth is expired. I have experienced so many moments of peace and wonder at this lake from my childhood till now, and I would love for the last of my physical being to be mingled with the mineral richness that colors this stunning blue lake in my beloved Alberta.
We all know that feeling of "oh my God!", GASP, or just feeling speechless in the face of something so grand, so beautiful, so profound that you feel all your soul stilled by a greater power. Sometimes it's music, sometimes a visually beautiful thing, the sight of a newborn baby always does this to me, or the perfect lines of a dancer. For me, a tactile sensation is sometimes so spell-binding, the feel of a centuries old marble carved into something so exquisite by a human hand... all these things inspire AWE. Awe is often considered ineffable and beyond measurement. And the beautiful thing is, what awes you is sometimes as special as you are!
A paper published in The Perspectives on Psychological Science Journal in 2023, entitled Awe as a Pathway to Mental and Physical Health, explains the scientific reasons and pathways of how these experiences strengthen the mind AND body and benefit general well-being. For the academics in the room, I encourage you to read this publication. I love science and any science to help explain phenomena in this life is truly a delight to me personally!
Aside from the notes re psychedelics (which are evidence-based for use in PTSD therapeutics) and awe (only because I personally oppose recreational use of substances that have risk of addiction and abuse), I fully subscribe to nature, spirituality, music and the arts, collective movement and other mediums which help us to experience AWE. This is why gratitude practice, and seeing the "mundane as miraculous" are so beneficial to wellness.
Nurse in the City, episode 8, This is Megan
This episode of Nurse in the City is a very special installment: when a dear patient is faced with a cancer diagnosis and comes back with a fire to be even BETTER at life than before, it inspires a special kind of metamorphosis. She has always been a baby Botox patient and it's kept her feeling and looking fresh through her late 30's and 40's. "You have breast cancer" are the words that can devastate and paralyze you with fear, but Megan turned this adversity into the hardest challenge of her life. It was my absolute privilege to be part of her restoration and witnessing her become an even stronger and more confident woman was amazing. I am in awe of you, Megan.
We followed her through her restorative BBL/Moxi to reverse photodamage and fine lines.
Botox to keep natural looking but rested and healthy looking.
Juvederm to restore some softness naturally, this is referred to facial harmonization. In the signature "undetectable injectable" way of The Needle Whisperer.
Mother is a concept of Love
My mom became somewhat of a different person to me once I had my own son. She was the only person in the world who cared about ME, when all I could care about was the baby. And she was also the only person in the world who I could call to report what the baby had eaten that day, did he have a good poo, and was I able to have a nap that day. And she cared. Nobody else really cares to hear that level of minutia about your universe, only mother.
Ben was born in mid September, I remember the sunflower fields at Millers Farm in Manotick were out. And my mom flew out from Edmonton to take care of me. I am a grown ass middle-aged woman, and my mom making roasted pumpkin essence for me is one of the most loving memories I can think of, it still makes my teary when I think about that labour of love. (I learned it's an old fashioned Korean remedy for post-partum bloating and detoxification: she got the largest pumpkin that would fit in my Wolf oven, hollowed it and filled it with local wildflower honey, and roasted it ALL DAY. Then she squeezed out all the juice that filled the pumpkin and it's flesh. This pumpkin juice was precious, and my next door neighbour who had a baby 3 months prior also got to drink the magical elixir. That's how we got to become Nextie's. One day I hope to make a collection of all these recipes of Mother's love: pumpkin essence, seaweed soup with Ox-tail, etc etc.
Dr. Sharyn Laughlin was a professional mentor, but she was also known as my "adopted mother". I live almost 4000 km from my actual mom and having known Sharyn for nearly all my adult life, she became an advisor and confidante, a mother away from home in many regards. My son called her "Nana Sharyn" when he was little, and she was the one to teach him how to swim in her pool in Treasure Cay when he was 3. All this to say, sometimes "mother" is far away and only with you in prayers and in spirit for most of the year, and sometimes "mother" is someone not even related to you in any way. And we all know what it feels like to be someone's "mother". Aunties, furry baby mothers, plant mothers, and just wonderful generous neighbours are also mothers to a community. It is simply a concept of LOVE, and we all can receive it and give it.
Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful women in our lives.
Mother's Day Ideas
Let us wrap a perfect skincare item for you, or a Giftcard for a BelaMD or any gift amount
We can help you select the right item for Mother or that special lady in your life.
Promos and specials:
What I am going to get my mom this year for Mother's Day: the Vivier Gold Pouch Gift containing the Serum30 (vitaminC extraordinaire) and Retinol1.0%). Also the Vivier GrenzCine Eyecream, which is like nothing I have ever seen. My undereye crepiness and dark circles have gotten better after 3 weeks of using the GrenzCine eyecream twice a day! (and I used to be the biggest eye cream skeptic 🙄)
Any skincare purchase in May gets you 25% savings on the Ava Isa Every Morning sheer zinc moisturizing sunscreen.
What's NEW.... Synergy in injectable ingredients
HAmoniCA is Allergan's newest offering to the medical aesthetics world of soft tissue injectables. I first heard about this exciting product a few years ago in Paris at a conference, and have been waiting for it's Health Canada approval and introduction to the Nation's Capital!
A unique combination Hyaluronic Acid and Calcium Hydroxyapatite (Radiesse-like). When I say UNIQUE, it's because injecting this was something different and better than the combined effect of HA + CaHa the way that we know it. The lifting and soft action blending of transition areas was impressive and sort of... AWE inspiring. This was exceeding my expectations of an innovative filler. Meaning, does something that did not previously exist in our toolbox of injectables. In a class all it's own.
I love what all the Juvederm V's allowed me to do in reconstructing long lasting, beautiful contours and restoration of skin smoothness (Juvederm Voluma, Volux, Volift,and Volbella). I do also use Radiesse and Sculptra where it best performs (such as temples, hands, crepey skin quality when patients are not candidates for laser or energy devices).
What HArmoniCA will do for all of us who need a little firming of skin in the lateral face and jawline area (a bit saggy anyone?) is so wonderful, I can't wait to do this on myself, Nurse Lyne, Nurse Lara, and well.... anyone else who wants a little "non-filler-looking" filler tweak. HArmoniCA is injected using advanced cannula technique, so only a few needle pokes per side, and the downtime is extremely easy due to this "low-bruise risk or no-bruise" procedure.
Just look at this immediate response. I attended my training recently for the Allergan Medical Institute Faculty (physician and nurse experts who speak and teach for Allergan). My patient was a healthy mid-aged pilates instructor, and was amazed at the immediate response, so were we! And this is just the beginning, in a few weeks the Hyaluronic acid will continue binding to water molecules and lift more, while in 3 months the collagen stimulating Calcium Hydroxyapatite will produce a scaffolding of new collagen fibers. The skin firming results should last about 2 years or longer.
HArmoniCA is only available right now to a select few MDs and Nurses who are Allergan AMI Faculty, that means only a hand-full of providers presently have access to and are qualified to do this treatment for you. We are so honoured that SKin Phi continues to be part of that leadership in the safest and most effective medical procedures.
You can call to book your assessment (or appointment if you are an existing @nursesunnykim or @aestheticsbyLyne patient previously treated with injectables)
And now I leave you with a little Awe inspiring moment
If any of you are die-hard Cold Play fans and love love love Chris Martin, please take a few minutes to introduce yourself to the musical genius of Jacob Collier (composer and musician). If you are rushed for time, just fast forward to the 4.0 minute mark in the video. This was 2024 in the O2 Arena in London, and the audience was entirely made up of choral singers. What resulted was absolute musical magic ✨🎶
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