Tag: happiness

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:57 — 45.1MB)

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Traveling, and Enjoying It, Despite Your Circumstance

 

I’m back after a much needed 3-week break. Traveling is so much fun but can be really hard when you’re dealing with a “disability”. I’m going to take you through my vacation, what I packed, how I adapted, and the pitfalls- because of course, there are always a few. If you’re planning on traveling anytime soon or you wished you could travel but you think it’ll be too hard in your circumstance listen in today and hopefully you’ll feel ready to tackle that vacation sooner than you thought and with confidence!

This trip was a biggie. We were gone almost 2 weeks, stayed in 6 different places, walked miles upon miles, battled Disney goers, high humidity, and major storms. We saw towns from Civil War era, ate regional foods, visited old plantations, swam in the sea and visited another country.  It was amazing, but it had it’s tricky moments for me, as an amputee, and pushed me to my physical limits on a daily basis…. and I wouldn’t have it any other way! I am grateful to be able to walk again, enjoy family rides at Disney and Universal, play on the beaches, and feel the complete exhaustion from a day filled with miles and miles of walking.

Attitude is what allowed me to push forward and being prepared for all sorts of pitfalls gives me a better chance of enjoying my time as we traveled. 

 

Cruisin’ the Bahamas

 

Beach time requires a beach leg

 

Savannah, Georgia

 

World of Golf Hall of Fame, St.Augustine, Florida

 

Staying the course even on the cruise

 

 

 

Make traveling a little bit easier by making a check list of all the items you would need for your journey. Make sure you include all the items you would need in case of an emergency. Plan for every situation you can foresee happening, and you’ll be well prepared to enjoy your trip.

Once you create a complete list of items you’d need for any situation then you can print and laminate it. Place it where you can use it for each trip and use dry erase markers to check off the items as you pack them. Never leave home without your essentials again!

 

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

Angie

 

 

 

Party For 1

Party For 1

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:24 — 45.9MB)

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Pity Party For 1, That Is.

 

 

Yep, it happens to us all and this past Monday I got myself into that mindset.
However, looking back now, and even that evening, I realized how lucky I am for all the good in my life. Then I had a good laugh at myself and moved on.
You could say that character building happened that day for me and I wanted to share with you what can happen in my life to show you that we all struggle. No one is exempt from struggles. No one is exempt from feeling sorry for themselves. It’s what we do with those moments that make or break us.
As an amputee we can easily fall into a “poor me” attitude and milk it for all it’s worth, mainly because our wounds are very visible to the world. But that is not a good way to live and quite frankly will only disable us further.
If we feed our brains negative images and comments then it’ll believe what we are saying and thinking. And if we fuel our brain with positivity and happy images it’ll believe that too.
What are you speaking to yourself?
Are you in the middle of your own pity party of 1?
If you are, only you can get yourself out of it. Start by finding things in your life you are grateful for and go from there. Once you realize all that is good in your life you will be able to step away from the moment and put your life back into perspective.
Learn from these moments.
Be a warrior and conquer negativity, don’t let it consume you.
Pity parties are bound to happen, and that’s ok. It’s NOT ok to dwell there for days at a time. It won’t be good for you, your health, or the people around you.
Find what’s good, right, and what makes you happy in your life. Thinking of the people and things you are grateful for and move your negative mindset into positive.
Begin today or tonight.
Each night before going to bed (or first thing when you wake) write down, in a journal, at least 5 things you are grateful for.
It’s as simple as that.
Sometimes we lose sight of the big picture and all that we have. When that happens we need to step back, stop looking at our life under the microscope, and realize all that is good in our life. When we can appreciate our life for what it’s worth, we can handle the moments that test us, and push our buttons, a little bit better.
Will that stop the pity parties? No, but you may find you are not dwelling in that headspace as much and you will also see the health benefits if you continually practice a positive way of thinking.
Give it a try for the next 7 days, until we meet again.
Tell me how you feel after practicing positivity for a week, I’d love to hear how it made you feel, any benefits you saw from it, or what happened in your life that pushed you to that pity party breaking point.
Don’t be ashamed that you went there. Own it and then move on. You’ll be grateful you did!
And as always,
Be healthy,
Be happy,
Be YOU!
Much love,
Angie
Making It Count

Making It Count

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:03 — 32.7MB)

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Rising to a Challenge and Facing Your Fears

 

You just never know what’s on the other side of fear. But I can tell you, from experience, that I have never regretted a moment that I have taken the chance and faced a fear. I feel empowered and alive! I feel like I could do anything I set my mind to, and it doesn’t matter if I succeed or fail, what matters is that I try.

This past week I tried something new, as an amputee: waterskiing! I haven’t been waterskiing since well before my injury, but it has been on my amputee bucket list. I was excited when the opportunity presented itself to me, but I also felt very anxious, and at one point in time thought I wouldn’t go, and I could easily make an excuse why I couldn’t make it.

My personality (and my pride) wouldn’t allow me to make up an excuse and so I went, and you know what? Even though, I was a bit nervous, had no idea how it would all go down, who would be on my boat with me, or how it might have to be adapted for my circumstance, I tried. All in all, I had a great time and finally found my groove on the boom and got up and skied!! It was exhilarating and freeing.  I felt alive and capable.

Every time I run into something I fear, once I give it a try, I am reassured that I can do anything I put my mind to. And like I said before, success or failure, the idea of trying and overcoming our fears is all that really matters. There is something so motivating about pushing our limits, real or imagined, facing fears and rising to a challenge. It’s empowering, it’s freeing, and makes you feel alive!

 

Each picture below shows me doing something that originally made me nervous or unsure of myself. Now I enjoy doing them and they make me feel whole, healthy, and bring joy to my life.

 

 

 

Now is the time! Your time to try. Your time to rise. Don’t let fear control you or rule over your life and how you live it. Regret is an awful thing to have.

Choose something you’ve been curious about trying or something on your bucket list. Choose something that makes you nervous, anxious, or makes you feel fearful. Now go for it! Make sure you aren’t doing something that your support system or doctors have told you not to do at this moment because of your condition, please know your medical boundaries.

Maybe start with baby steps to get to your goal of achieving something. Remember, life is a journey. It’s meant to last and be enjoyed. Like my waterskiing. I got up on the boom but need to work on getting up on the long rope. Goals. It’s ok to fail. Just get out there and try! Enjoy the journey and where you’re at right now. Everything happens in due time.

You can do it! Believe in yourself and reach for the stars!

 

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

Angie

 

Peter Pan Said It Best

Peter Pan Said It Best

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:10 — 25.9MB)

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“To live will be an awfully big adventure.”     -Peter Pan

And to live well, is even better.

Sometimes it might feel like the world is coming down all around you and you can barely breathe. We can get so wrapped up in our own journey, or life, that we forget that there are others out there hurting and dealing with their own struggles.  There are people who don’t know if they can make it one more day, are in so much pain, or ready to give up because they feel alone and unseen.

That’s where I want to take you today. No matter what you may be going through there is someone out there who is in need and probably worse off than you.  Maybe they feel they have no one to talk to or rely on. Maybe they are in so much pain that it has become unbearable to deal with. Maybe they got yet another piece of bad news that is pushing them to their limits.

This is where we can come in and help ourselves while helping others.  I have said it before and I’ll say it again, if I sit around thinking of everything that feels painful or uncomfortable in my own life or spend time dwelling on what I can’t do then I am going to find myself throwing a pity party. This, no one wants to see.  And I can’t say that I’m truly living if I approach life like this.  What I CAN do is reach out to friends, family, neighbors, who are in need of a friend or someone to talk to and let them know I care, and that I am there for them.  I could send a note, a text, take them a coffee or lunch.  Sometimes, just taking time out of our busy days, could be what saves someone that day.

You see, we have become a society that has become so busy in our own lives, wrapped up in our own problems, it has become every man/woman for themselves, and it’s hurting us.

When I decided to amputate, sure I had my own goals about how I’d bounce back and become active, but I also wanted to make sure I was helping someone else along the way. I worked with St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Range Of Motion Project these past 3 years.  What I found by fundraising and being actively involved with these groups was that it lifted me up, too!  I found a purpose outside of my own life, helping others.  What an amazing feeling this was…so I continued to help.  Then I started hearing from people that were struggling to wear their prosthesis, so I started calling and talking with them and making videos of what it’s like to start a new activity, as an amputee, and being transparent about my own struggles.

People just want to be seen, to not feel alone in this life. Life is a big adventure, and to live it well is an even bigger adventure. One worth the journey, the heartache and the pain we sometimes feel.

“All the world is made of Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust.”    -Peter Pan

May you be someone’s “pixie dust” this week. See how you can be, below.⬇️

 

This week, reach out to someone that may need a friend.  Maybe it’s a neighbor, an old friend, or a family member. Touch base with them. Send a text, and email, pick up the phone and call them, invite them for coffee or lunch.  Try to connect with someone each day until we meet again next week.  You may be surprised what this will also do for you.

Sometimes when we put aside our own struggles to help someone else, we benefit more than we can even imagine.  Be someone’s pixie dust this week, and watch how your life changes as you do.

 

As always:

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!

 

Much love,

Angie

Perseverance to Progress

Perseverance to Progress

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:57 — 34.3MB)

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Climbing That Hill Yet Again!

Want to be back on top? Then start now!
No better time than the present.

 

Life is a journey, one meant to be enjoyed, but of course, not all parts of our journey are enjoyable.  When we feel down on our luck, when we are hurting, or when things aren’t going our way, we find very little to enjoy.  But don’t fret.  That IS part of the journey, those moments are meant to help us, teach us about ourselves, and help us grow, build character and coping skills for the “next time”, oh and there will be a next time, for sure.  The question I have for you is, how will you attack your situation?  Are you ready to unleash your inner warrior and fight for your life, fight to enjoy it once again? Or do you struggle to find a peace and struggle to breathe when things get hard?

You aren’t alone when it comes to these struggles. We all have moments of weakness, moments that we want to give up or throw in the towel, but that’s not living, right?  And that can’t be the end.

We need to persevere and rise up!  You can do this, I know you can!

Even when you feel you have nothing left to give, you must learn to dig down deep and give it your all.  After all, you are worth it!

I love this saying, it has truly been my realization after many years of surgeries and then amputation.  As I look back I can see how everything I experienced over the years was building me up to handle what I’m going through today.  And I also realized that “This too, shall pass” is an accurate description of life.  This goes for the good times as well as the not so good times.

 

If you want to change, create better habits and drop bad habits then it’s time to get to work….TODAY!  No better time than the present.

Let’s tackle life together. Let’s discover the warrior within ourselves and let her lose!

I’m with you, I believe in you, and I know you have what it takes to accomplish your wildest dreams.

 

 

Start NOW, don’t wait or postpone anymore.

  1. Write down what you want to see change
  2. Decide when you’d like to, realistically, see this change happen by and write it down.
  3. Write down the steps you need to take to accomplish this task.
  4. Create a journal to write down the changes you see each day, good and bad (when you have steps forward and even backward)
  5. Take pictures of yourself on this journey (if you are trying to see physical changes), you’ll be surprised at how they will help you push forward on hard days.
  6. Start today. Don’t wait.

 

You’ve got this!  If you’ve listened to my podcast and can relate to what I said then you are ready to begin fresh.  Go after your goals. Reach for the stars and don’t let anyone tell you that you “can’t”. I believe in you!

As Always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

Angie

 

 

Rise to the Challenge

Rise to the Challenge

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:40 — 35.7MB)

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In a Sink or Swim World, Become a Gold Medalist in the Breaststroke

 

Each one of us struggles at one time or another. No one goes through life without challenges, even those who look like they have it “all together”, don’t go unscathed, they have just figured it out how to swim. They tackle the situation, use positivity, and keep pushing forward until they make it through the other side of pain and tribulation.  Through our challenges we are given the chance to grow and find ourselves. We build character and an appreciation of the good times.

Challenges don’t pick and choose the time they come into our lives, we need to be ready to rock and roll with them when they show up. We need to be in our top form, mentally, emotionally, and physically, so we can handle them with strength, confidence, and grace.

 

In today’s podcast I share my journey about the most recent physical challenge that turned mental and how I pushed through and rose to the occasion. As hard as today was, I made it!  While I struggled, I got a glimpse of my character and my weakness in my armor. It was then that I had to dig deep to find myself and the power I held to compete, and win.

What are you struggling with right now?  What has you on your knees, begging for help?  Whatever it is, know that you are not alone and that you CAN swim.

 

 

Odd as it may seem, when you’re struggling sometimes the best medicine is to redirect your attention elsewhere and do something that makes you feel good.

This week I want you to find something to challenge yourself with, something attainable but tough. Find a non-profit you believe in and go to work at helping them by raising funds and/or awareness while challenging yourself to get out and get active.

There’s nothing better than exercise and fresh air to make you feel better and alive.

So, get after it. You are a rockstar and ready to shine!

 

As always:

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!

 

Much love,

Angie

 

 

Fear

Fear

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:25 — 39.0MB)

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Everything you want in life is on the other side of fear.  To be able to accomplish those goals you will have to face those things that scare you or stand down and not accomplish them.  The choice is yours, every single time.

You may have also heard the saying that fear can either represent:

Forget Everything And Run

or

Face Everything And Rise

 

I understand fear, and the chance that I may not succeed. The fear of failure, or looking “stupid” trying and failing, is real. I hate NOT being able to do something that I set out to do and have really had to dig down deep to push through the fear of failing at it. Losing my leg has definitely made me face that fear every single day. It became a thrive and survive situation for me with no way out except through.  I have learned a lot about me, learned to control my emotions as I face fearful situations, and grace when I don’t succeed on the first try. I pick myself back up and try again, and again, and again, until I get it done, and done right.

The reality is that every day we all face something that can stop us in our tracks or push us to rise and conquer, and each day we have a choice on how we will handle the situations that confront us.  What will you choose? How will you handle the fears that challenge you?

I know that each of our stories is different, but fear is fear. What I have realized from overcoming amputation is that when I choose to push through the challenges and fears in my life, I am richly rewarded with success, which then helps me drive through the next situation.

This can be your story too! Don’t let fear take hold of you and dictate your life. Grab the bull by the horns and take charge. You only get this one life, you deserve to find happiness, live well, and be healthy.

 

I am still learning to function in my running blade. It isn’t easy and I have a lot of fear associated with it, as I often trip and fall hard. The past few days I have worn it into the gym and gotten on the treadmill and worked out in it. I have been pushing past the fear that people are watching and if I fall and get hurt, I would be mortified, and yet I continue to wear it and work through it, at my own pace. My stress levels are a bit higher than if I went into the gym with my normal leg, but I wouldn’t learn to rise from this fear and overcome it.  The only way to winning this war is straight through. I must have patience and grace with myself as I learn to function with this leg, so I will continue on this path until I don’t feel this way anymore.

 

Now it’s your turn:

Start now. What are you most fearful of right now in your life? Start small, if you must, fear is fear. Your goal this week is to face your fear head on and push through. You may get burned, you may stumble and fall-metaphorically or literally like in my case, but work at it. Each day spend time facing it, dealing with it, instead of pushing it aside for “another day”. This is the day to rise up and feel great about yourself. By completing something difficult or challenging yourself to something you fear you grow. You build character and come out a little stronger, and a little wiser, ready to take on the next roadblock that appears in your life.

Best of luck at kicking fear aside and rise from the situation this week. Attack and don’t give up. Have grace with yourself if you fall down, pick yourself up by the bootstraps, and go at it again, until you find success. You can do it, I have faith in you!

And as always:

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

Angie

The look of facing fear and coming out on top! 💪
Hit the Pause Button

Hit the Pause Button

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:15 — 28.9MB)

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Now is the time. You deserve it and you probably need it, too.  It’s time to slow down, breathe, and enjoy your life.

If you can spare 5-10 minutes each day to stop what’s on your schedule, slow yourself down, and put aside your to-do list you can reap the benefits.  Set down your phone, eliminate distractions, and make time for YOU!

It’s not always easy to find the time, I get it, but start small and build on it.

I feel like I spend all day working on this thing or that.  I don’t slow down, and my list grows and grows on what needs to be done. I find myself always on the next step while doing the previous task, telling myself that if I get X, Y, Z done then I will sit down and rest for a moment…. but you know those times never come, right?  Can you relate?

What I HAVE figured out is that it takes time to work out the schedule that fits your life. I know people who have set their routines up and have told me to just do it “first thing in the morning”, like them. or at lunch break or right before bed, but the truth of the matter is, you need to figure out what works for you.

As a mom and wife, I have felt that even certain years in my life there was no time for me, and that’s unfortunate, because those moments when I was a new wife or a mommy to my babies, I probably needed “me” time more than ever. I guess that’s just part of the journey, better late than never.

I want you to know and learn to do this, spending time for yourself, earlier than I did, if you can. I want to help you make the most of your life, wherever you are at in it. There are so many benefits to slowing down and learning to breathe correctly, no matter how old you are, or what you are going through.

 

 

To my surprise this week, as I began taking my mornings to be still and outside in our Arizona sun, feeling the fresh air go deep in my lungs, quieting my thoughts, and shutting down my phone, my dogs let me know we had an unusual visitor.  A large mule deer, a buck, was laying out in our backyard. He, too, was enjoying our warm sun.  What a gift it was to watch him, photograph him and be present and enjoy his beauty.  Any other day, I would have missed him, and that got me thinking. What else have I missed?

Well, no more! I plan to make a moment in my day, each day, all about disconnecting with my regularly scheduled programming, to connect with nature, breathe, silence my mind, and listen to the sounds of the world…. even if only for 5-10 minutes a day.

How about you? What do you have to lose? I challenge you to give it a try and see what benefits you see in your day to day thinking, emotions, and health.

 

This week I want you to figure out what works for you, make time for yourself, where can you afford to take a 5-10 minute break.  I get it, it won’t be easy to find the time, but YOU A WORTH IT! Make it happen. Leave your phone off, stop all actions. Find a place where you won’t be tempted to do ANYTHING, a place, preferably outside.  Even if it’s still wintery cold where you live, poke your head or body outside for 5 minutes and breathe slow, dep breathes. Feel the air enter your lungs and clear your head.  If you struggle letting go of your thoughts then practice counting while you breathe in, hold, breathe out, hold.  Count to 10, slowly, as you breathe in.  Hold your breathe for 4 seconds then breathe out, slowly, as you count to ten again, then hold.

Do this for at least 5-10 minutes a day for the next week.  See what happens from it. How do you feel afterward? How productive are you this week because of that time you spent on yourself?

You might be surprised at the results, even if you are just a bit happier, isn’t your mental well-being worth it? I think it is, and so are you!

 

Give it a try and let me know how it’s going.

Have an amazing week,

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!

 

Much love,

Angie

 

Just Breathe!

Just Breathe!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:26 — 33.2MB)

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Create Positive Change One Breathe at a Time

Things may not be the way you want them right now, but you can do a lot with what you do have and where you are at.

Just breathe!

 

I’m going to keep this week’s post short and simple.

Learning to breathe the RIGHT way is so important for your body and mind.  Diaphragmatic Breathing is when you allow long, deep breaths to come in and out of your diaphragm, not from your chest.

To illustrate this lay on your back and put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Now breathe in through your nose and out of your mouth. You should feel the hand on your stomach rise and fall, NOT the one on your chest. If you are breathing correctly, you will be able to take nice, slow and deep breathes in and out of your diaphragm which will slow your heart rate down, allow you to call your nerves, push blood through your body more efficiently and, all around, make you feel better.

 

 

This week I want you to practice Diaphragmatic Breathing once a day, at least, for 1 minute. Take that time just for you.

If you want to really go for it, do this exercise whenever you feel yourself getting frustrated, angry, or afraid. Spend time just practicing this breathing and really slowing down your life in that moment, even for just a minute.  Let me know how it goes and what changes you start to feel as the week progresses.  You might be surprised at the mental and emotional benefits you feel from doing this just once a day!!

Oh, and enjoy some baby goat love, too!❤️

 

As always:

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!

 

much love,

Angie

Unleash Your Inner Warrior

Unleash Your Inner Warrior

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:12 — 36.0MB)

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The time is now! Let’s find the warrior within you. Let’s dig deep and create the life you have always wanted to have.

After all that I went through these past several years with all the “down time” I had while I was healing from surgery after surgery, I realized that my life was shifting and changing, and I felt that God was giving me a new path and my future had so many possibilities.

My family had been there for me through so much, I learned a lot about myself through my trials, and I saw my relationship with my husband grow as I saw a man who supported me and my drive even in the midst of huge trials.

 

In this podcast I talk to you about what was happening to me, internally, as I struggled through 5 years of failed knee surgeries and the past 3 years after my choice to amputate my leg above the knee.

 

Today, I am a certified personal trainer with a specialization in corrective exercise and fitness nutrition. My goal is to help those who wish to live a healthier and more active lifestyle, no matter where they are at in their journey called life.

Take a listen to this week’s podcast to hear where my journey has led me, what my thinking was behind the years of trials I endured, and how I can help you in the next step of your journey. I get it. I know what it is to rise from the ashes and reinvent myself.

 

 

 

Life is a journey:

  • Reach out to me if you need or want a change in your life and need someone who will guide and motivate you.
  • Share this post and podcast with someone you know could use the help. Maybe you have a friend or a parent struggling with a medical issue, or finding a healthy lifestyle and you want the best for them. I’m here and ready to help.

I hope you are having an amazing start to 2022 and remember, no need for new year’s resolutions, or feeling like it’s already too late to start anew. Now is the time to start. No more excuses!

 

Let’s get at it and unleash the warrior that I know is inside of you waiting to come out and attack life.

You owe it to yourself and your family to live your best, most healthy life…NOW!

 

Before my transformation anmd right after amputation

 

Warrior unleashed with me!

 

 

As always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

much love,

Angie

 

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