Omega Functional Health

The Story

Throughout my childhood, my mom would often say in Chinese, “It is no accident that I am your mother in this lifetime, and you are my daughter.” These were usually times when I was angry with her, or we had a disagreement. At the age of 13 years old, my mom literally lost everything she had, abandoning her home in order to escape the dangers of the Vietnam War. Together with her parents, she sailed to Taiwan with nothing but the pajamas on her body. On the other hand, I was born and raised in Colorado, and never went through the struggles my mom did when she was younger. The loss she experienced, the trauma of losing her childhood overnight spilled into her experience of motherhood & my upbringing. Growing up, there was emotional friction between my mom and myself as our worldviews clashed.

“It is no accident that I am your mother in this lifetime, and you are my daughter.” It was my mom’s way to remind me, that despite our differences, to not take for-granted the moments we have in life together, and to not take for-granted the body I have been given; to remember to appreciate every breath I take. I never truly understood the depth of my mom’s words until I gave birth to my own son Rivers in 2017. Witness how quickly my son is growing, I am suddenly aware how every moment with the people I love most in my life is invaluable. I now know that there is a bond my mom and I have that no words can explain, except that it is innate, wild and precious.

My mom’s older now. Seeing my parents age, I’m hit with the realization how very little time I have with them earth. Time is truly fleeting. Today, my parents take advantage of their energy state to travel and see the world. A culmination of personal, academic, and professional experience has allowed me to conclude that my parents’ current state of health, their ability to enjoy their ripe age depends on their life experiences and health choices they make along the way. Similarly, living at my most optimal state of health allows me to better navigate through the challenges of life. I am able to have stronger bonds and relationships with my family, clients, friends, and community.

I want to be able to teach my son to have the resilience to face and overcome the ups and downs of life, and I want him to feel empowered and trust he can actualize his dreams. In order to teach him this, I must live it myself! I must create a world in which he can grow knowing that this is possible. Every person deserves to feel accomplished, connected, loved and fulfilled--- and this is why I am dedicated to my craft. Mary Oliver’s final lines to her poem, The Summer Day, is a question we should be asking ourselves, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”