Living Lucky with Jana Banana & Jason Shelfer

[00:00:00] Will: My name is Will, and I like Mulder from the X-Files,  want to believe. 

So I've embarked on a journey of discovery. 

I've talked to people deeply entrenched in the spiritual world, I've thrown myself into weird and wonderful experiences...everything from meditation to psychic investigations, astral projection.....I've even joined a coven of witches all in the interest of finding something, anything...that will prove that there's something beyond this physical three-dimensional world we all live in.

This is the Skeptic Metaphysician. 

Hey, welcome to the show again. Unbelievably excited to have you here today, especially because today I'm surrounded by special guests.  Now because my guests today are such special guests. I've invited my good friend and life partner, Karen Endsley from Destination, Virginia and Cooking from the Heart to come on as my guest host on the show.

 She's got a very unique perspective that I know will bring a lot to the show and I can't wait to have you get to know her. 

But the most exciting thing about today's show is indeed [00:01:00] our very special guests, Jana and Jason Shelfer. 

Now I knew them back from my days in Orlando as a radio personality, extraordinary Jana banana on the top radio show of that area at the time.

But wow. Is she so much more than just that! Her and her husband, Jason have created a podcast called Living Lucky podcast. Let me tell you a little bit about that. This is what their description reads. The living lucky podcast with Jana Shelfer helps you to live, laugh and grasp every day. Jana and her husband, Jason are edgy retainers, which I love from their entertaining stories.

The Juul is of life advice that they teach to the motivational speeches they share. You will be inspired. Jason's mission in life is to help others become their best. And you are one decision away from living lucky. I'm super excited to welcome to the show Janna and Jason Shelfer. Thanks for being here.

Jana Shelfer: Thanks for having 

Jason Shelfer: us. What a pleasure to be here today. 

[00:02:00] Jana Shelfer: It is a while. Hasn't 

Will: it? It has been about 10 years or so, but it's the same. No, I 

Jason Shelfer: use, 

Will: I that's probably something we could absolutely say about you. I look at you guys. You've got no wrinkles at all. My, my forehead is just a big moonscape and you guys look, 

Karen Endsley: you have not 

Jana Shelfer: changed at all.

It's the filter we have. Yeah. A lot of filtering. We love this virtual world. 

Will: I, I need to know the name of that filter for 

Jason Shelfer: sure. 

Jana Shelfer: It's called living lucky. That's what it is. 

Will: And he played very nicely played. All right. So, confession, I do listen to your podcast on a regular basis and enjoy it quite a bit, which is why I extended the invitation to come on the show, because specifically we talked a little bit about this before we started.

Specifically, you have shared your transformational story with your audience. And I found that to be so inspirational. And in fact, a lot of the things that you're [00:03:00] talking about, there's a lot of similarities between what you all went through for the last several years and what Karen and I have been going through the last several years, which is another reason why you wanted to have Karen on the show today because our stories, lot of synergies involved in it really just to start our conversation off we knew each other bout 10 years ago.

We worked briefly together about around that time and right around that time similarly it seems like we. All hit some sort of massive wall that forced us to reimagine ourselves in every way. I'd love to get your, take on what happened in the, how did you change 

Jana Shelfer: your life?

Hit 38 years old. And I started looking around at my life. And from the outside, it looked like I had it all. It looked like I had a perfect marriage. It looked like I had the number one career. People recognize me. People knew who I was. They knew my name. It looked like [00:04:00] we had, I had the most fabulous house in such a great neighborhood.

But inside I was hearing this voice that said, Jana, there's something bigger and better for you. Go find it. And to be honest with you, I was trying to suppress that voice. I was trying to ignore it at all costs because I literally thought, well, I'm, I'm living it. This is what I'm supposed to be doing. And the more that I tried to suppress this voice.

Then it started yelling at me and it started acting out. In other ways to where my body started breaking down. I started getting allergies. I started having to go from doctor to doctor saying there's something wrong with me. And I, I can't explain it, but my bones are starting to hurt and I can't be around people and I'm starting to get anxiety and I can't sleep at night.

And, and just all of these really bizarre. Physical things started happening. It almost started to [00:05:00] become a full-time job, just trying to figure out what was wrong with me. And I was getting all sorts of, ideas from doctors. Oh, maybe you have Lyme disease. Maybe you have fibromyalgia. Maybe you're just going through a midlife crisis.

Maybe you have hormones. I mean, all sorts of really crazy things. And finally, I went to Jason and I said, you know what? Something is wrong with me. And, and the thing about it is, is neither one of us. We're very spiritual people at this time. In fact, we called ourselves creatures. We barely went to church on Christmas and Easter.

That was really the extent of it. And I went to Jason. I said, I, I think I may be going insane because there's something that is wrong with me. Well, it 

Jason Shelfer: doesn't help either. When each doctor you go to says the last one was crazy. You know, and, and you've been, and for the last couple of weeks, or at least, or maybe even months, you've been following the, those [00:06:00] directions to a T you know, they're like, it must be Lyme disease.

So you need to be coming in here and getting these antibiotic treatments in intravenously 

Jana Shelfer: or blood injections. Or I was trying, I was trying things that Lance Armstrong was trying. I mean, I, I, because before this. Many people don't know I was a Paralympic athlete. I'm a gold medalist. I'm I'm not used to my body breaking down.

And it was really affecting my life. It was affecting my career. It was affecting my marriage. My sex life was non-existent. Everything was falling apart. It was almost like I was in this downward. And 

Will: it's very interesting to hear that from me, because everyone that I, that I know saw you as an incredibly inspirational. Yes. 

Jana Shelfer: Not only, not only an inspiration, but they saw me as a high achiever. They saw me as Jana [00:07:00] banana, the positive, fluffy, very, almost, almost comedic relief. At times for the Phillips file, 

Will: but then you also showed people who had the same type of disabilities that you have, how they can live their life to their fullest.

I mean, we, we did a show about how you went, you went paragliding with us, you did all kinds of really cool things that were super inspirational. And yet it sounds like during that time, you, you weren't really feeling it. 

Jana Shelfer: I was disappointed. I was looking around at my life saying, you know what, something's missing.

I can't figure it out. And also at that time, I had hit a lot of rejection. I had started to apply for hoop, countless promotions at work. And I had started to be told, you know what, Johnny, you're just too good where you are. You're just too good. Or I would go and ask for a raise [00:08:00] and they would say, oh, Jana, you know, what, do you know how many people would do your job for free or.

Or I was told, you know, what? You live in Florida, we pay you in sunshine. Yeah. And so, so there were some things going on inside so big. 

Jason Shelfer: Yeah. There's only so many pieces of 

Jana Shelfer: the pie. Right. And so we got to pay you in crumbs because we pay this person, this big of a piece of pie. And so, you know, I had hit a lot of rejection and I had also.

Come to a point where, I was thinking, have I peaked? Have I peaked in life? Is this really what I dreamed of when I was younger? Is this really what that childhood dream was? Because I thought it was going to be bigger and better. And that's what that voice was telling me, Jana, there's something bigger and better.

Jason Shelfer: I feel like we all get there and we all have those glimpses. And [00:09:00] Jana is just very in tune with ourselves. So when she was in our accident, 15 years ago, she learned to listen to her body and listen to the things that she lost some feeling with and learn to communicate with herself. I mean, she's a communications major.

She's communicated with Orlando. She's she's speaking as her thing. So she, she learned to kind of listen to her body. However, she learned to turn that dial down for herself and start listening to her audience. And that's where she's, she's like just kept pushing that voice down where, and we do the same thing because.

And I don't think I'm different than anyone else when I, I think the, on those days, God is this is this it, you know, I feel like I'm on a hamster wheel of life and I'm, I'm working so hard and it's just the same stuff all day, every day. And then that moment passes because I'm waking up the next morning and having to do the same thing over again.

We, 

Jana Shelfer: we [00:10:00] both got to a point where we felt like we were. Putting in extra, like we were constantly putting in extra, in so many areas of our life and we didn't see the return progress and it got to a point where. Our souls were exhausted. 

Will: Right. Right. And as anyone who has tuned into the show before knows I love conversations with God and those kinds of books. And they all talk about the fact that your soul will speak to you in whatever way you will listen. And it sounds like your soul was saying, okay, you don't want to pay attention. Your body's going to be the vehicle in which we're going to talk to you now is to get your attention.

Jana Shelfer: And honestly, when you don't pay attention to it, it will start screaming. And it's like a little kid. You don't pay attention to it. It's going to start screaming and yelling. And when you still refuse to pay attention to it, it's going to have a tantrum. And then if you continue to just ignore [00:11:00] it, it's going to start attacking.

Will: Absolutely. You tapped you on the shoulder first. You don't listen to shakes you D you don't listen to snaps you in the face. If you don't listen, you're in for a world of hurt. 

Karen Endsley: Yes. And I know that as a woman, sometimes it can be even harder to listen because you're taught to be grateful. You're taught to be happy with what you have and you're taking care of people.

So you shouldn't want more. So was that hard for you to kind of 

Jana Shelfer: reconcile that? I say this all the time I had become. Jana banana. And so it was like this facade and on the inside, wasn't quite matching what was on the outside. But because I was trying to please, I was trying to be a wife. I was trying to be a colleague.

I was trying to be an entertainer. I was trying to fit all of these different roles that I had been socialized to become. I wasn't listening to my essential self, which is when you peel that banana. [00:12:00] You realize, Hey, wait a minute. There's, there's something else in here. And that's what I am really finding.

And that's what my whole journey has been about is that as I peel that banana, the gold is really inside. 

Will: Absolutely not a vacation, right? 

Jana Shelfer: Yeah. Well, I'm getting a little sidetracked. That's our story. 

Will: And these are great points. Jason this must have been incredibly difficult for you to, to be a part of because as someone who I know you, as someone who's incredibly devoted and loving husband and partner in life, to see someone suffering like she has been, had been suffering at the time, it must've been incredibly difficult for you.

Jason Shelfer: Well, we, we both started suffering and, and part of it is. She, when you, when you keep hearing from doctors that this is wrong or that's wrong. And then that gets, that just wears on you. And they got to the point where it's like Janet, I would come home and Janet would be like, I'm not going to another doctor I'm done.

I'm finished. And I was like, well, don't get, I mean, you can't give up, but [00:13:00] doctors, the bedside manner or a doctor is so important. And when they keep telling you, Hey, you're crazy because you're listening to them. The last crazy doctor, but when all you're looking for is a solution and you're going to people that are considered the professionals, that's a, that's a 

Jana Shelfer: problem.

Well, they were trying to treat the symptoms and they weren't really getting to the core. And it, it did get to a point where I was unable to get out of bed. I was unable to get out of bed and that's when it really, I mean, that's when the part of the story goes to, to a really dark place where it did affect Jason and I, because.

We both felt so lonely. And yet we were on separate islands. He was like, Johnny, you gotta pop out of this. You gotta pop out of this. And I was at the point where I don't even have the energy to get out of bed. I have forgotten how to brush my teeth. I have forgotten how to brush my [00:14:00] hair and I really don't care anymore.

I just want to lay in bed under my heating blanket and I just want to sleep and then I couldn't even sleep. So I just want to lay here and I just, I don't even care. I don't care anymore. 

Will: Right. You hear about that so often? it's shocking to hear it from someone who you believe has it all put together, like, like everyone really thought Jana banana had it all put together, but really you are experiencing things that millions of people on this planet experience 

Jason Shelfer: of millions.

Yes. 

Will: And 

Jana Shelfer: I'm going to tell you something. I am so grateful that I went through. These last six years, because I have grown so much as a person and it's not until you are completely on the bottom and you are completely on your knees. That is [00:15:00] when you finally surrender. And you finally say, you know what, what I'm doing, isn't working.

And that that's when you finally just. Let go of your ego and you say, you know what, I need help. I need help. And it seems like that's when you start experiencing the magic of something, that's, that is so beautiful and so divine. And that is when I started to find my faith. 

Will: Yeah. It seems like you kind of have to be broken down  in order to let the ego, the, the personality to who you are drop and allow yourself to be open to what the universe is trying to tell you.

Jason Shelfer: Right. I want to be clear that she said surrender, not give up. Yes. Not because that was the key is just surrendering the ego and not giving up because the only way to fail. Is to give 

Will: up. Yeah, that's really, really well-stated. Absolutely. So we we've [00:16:00] talked on the show a lot about, about the surrender that it takes to, to gain any kind of spiritual growth as a, as a human being, as a soul.

Right. Cause that's who we are as a, is a soul. So, great point. sadly, a lot of people actually do give up. And that's where we get to where sadly, this country has fallen to in some ways, 

Karen Endsley: sometimes some of those things that we are so unwilling to surrender, we're holding onto.

So tightly are so toxic and we just don't even see it. You don't even see it. And for me, one of the. Wonderful things about these transformations is yes. Not only does it affect my life, but it makes me so much more compassionate and understanding for other people because you don't know what's going on behind closed doors.

Jason Shelfer: Absolutely. 

Will: And your changes, your evolution actually affects others. So it's not, it's not just you it's it's everyone around 

Jana Shelfer: you. Karen, you nailed it. Because as this all started happening to me, I started getting in touch with what was my childhood dream. What did I [00:17:00] dream about when I was little.  I went through this huge journey, but I started going through my childhood dance costumes.

And I started going through my childhood papers that I had saved my artwork. And I had written down in first grade. My dream is to entertain stadiums of people and I want to twirl my Baton. I want to be the feature entertainer. Like that was my childhood dream. And as I went through this deep depression and I'm talking, talking two years where I cut myself off from the world, it was that time period where I realized without this depression, I wouldn't have the compassion or I wouldn't understand.

I wouldn't realize the light. I wouldn't have the story to tell. And I realized that my dream is still to entertain stadiums of people. It's just not with my Baton. My [00:18:00] Baton is mine. Story. My I'm going to be talking and, and telling people and sharing my experiences. That's how I want to perform.

That's how I want to entertain. It's still the same dream. It's just a different way of getting there. And without this depression, I don't think that I would have ever. Yeah, 

Will: no, absolutely. We say the same thing that we're grateful that we went through what we went through. We hated it at the time.

But we're super eternally grateful because it's made us who we are now, and it's a much better 

Jana Shelfer: people. And our marriage, our marriage went through the exact same transformation. I saw it that we had a great marriage, but it was a little surface. You know, in our thirties, we were going out a lot.

We were socializing. We were entertaining a lot of people. We weren't having those deep patients. And I feel like this whole depression has brought us closer on a level that. I can't even explain [00:19:00] to people until you go through it. It's been profound for both of us. Okay. 

Jason Shelfer: And one of the big things is we've talked about a lot as  the big saying is don't judge someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes, or I don't even know if that's quite it because you can never judge anyone because even if you walk a mile in their shoes, you haven't walked the previous thousand miles in their shoes and you're not going to walk the next thousand miles in their shoes.

You can walk next to them. But until you can get literally in that same exact path and then the same exact thought process. Forward and backwards on that timeline.  It's not possible. Just allow people to be who they are, where they are and let them go where they're going, help them along the way and let them help you because we're all part of this journey together.

It's just makes life 

Will: easy. Absolutely. We're all on our own personal journey that you can't judge someone else because you have no idea. It doesn't matter how many steps in our shoes you take. You'll never really know. And there's 

Jason Shelfer: so many degrees of separation between us, but that's also the [00:20:00] connection between us, right.

Karen Endsley: And how people react and respond to things is based on their. Life history. Yeah. And we don't know what that is. So I was, I was reading a book by the Dalai Lama, and he's talking about, when you get cut off in traffic and you're really mad at this,  jerk that cut you off. Well, maybe they're rushing to the hospital.

Maybe their son is on a stretcher. You have no idea what's happening. Right. So you just have to,  hope the best for them and be glad you're not in that position. 

Jana Shelfer: And that's become a pillar of my living. Lucky platform is becoming grateful. For those types of moments, you know, we all have moments like that, where we get cut off in traffic.

And those are the times when you stop and you say, you know what? Maybe I need to take this time to have a little vacation in my mind, or maybe I need to take this time to listen to Will's podcasts, or maybe I need to take this time to just sit and be still and be grateful that I'm not in a rush. You know, it's, it's like take the time to be [00:21:00] grateful in those radical moments.

And that was actually part of my transformation I've always been grateful. For the things that I have. You mentioned that I'm a paraplegic and I was injured at age 15. I've always been grateful. For what I have. And that stemmed from right after my accident in the rehab hospital, a fellow patient asked me to scratch his nose.

He was a quadriplegic. And in that moment I thought, oh, I'm so lucky that I have my hands. And I'm so lucky that I have my mobility. I'm so lucky that I have all of these things, but it was during my depression that I actually took the time. To write the question. I am grateful for my paralysis and  it's almost a radical gratitude.

It's being grateful for the crappiest things that you perceived do happen to you. And if you can find gratitude in that you realize my story is planning out. [00:22:00] Better than I ever could have imagined. It's almost like, and that's part of living lucky. It's almost like I planted this back when I was in first grade saying I want to perform in stadiums it's almost like my story is lining up for me.

Maybe 

Jason Shelfer: God, or the universe has actually written the script for this play. 

Will: Hmm. So,  I'd love to transition now into the vacation that you went on. 

 Jason Shelfer: Uh, Janice freaking out on the floor in the bathroom at the poker tournament.

I think Philips file 

Jana Shelfer: poker tournaments. I was having, I was having a panic attack and I was like, Jason, I can't be around people. I cannot be around people any more. And he's like, this is your job. You're supposed to be around people. And he's like, maybe we just need to take a vacation. So long story short, we went to Africa.

And we, we really put all of our savings into a grand vacation [00:23:00] and we went to the Serengeti. We were in the middle of the Serengeti and we had scheduled  a trip out into the Bush the next morning. And the next morning came. I wasn't feeling well. So I stayed in bed. Yeah. Cause that's where I was at at that time.

And Jason went without me. 

Jason Shelfer: Well, we just spent all of our money on the trip. I'm going 

Jana Shelfer: and I'm in bed and I'm awakened to my walkie talkie, which is laying by the bed. it was like, Jenna. You are an extreme danger to not off. And I was like, what, what is happening? That was the one thing that gave me enough energy.

Like what I'm in danger. 

Jason Shelfer: Don't, don't freak about the color red out of bed in her wheelchair 

Jana Shelfer: at the door. See this. So I hop up and I go over to the edge of my tent. Now you got to picture this. [00:24:00] We've got a girl in a wheelchair. In a tent in the middle of the Serengeti all by herself. And I look out of my tent and I am literally surrounded by at least.

30 to 40 elephants. They're just all how all around 

Jason Shelfer: now. I'm going to, I need to just back up because on our way into, this camp, the first day we're coming in our driver's name, Eustis is driving us through nothingness and then the distance on the horizon. You see this.

Trail of elephant's trunk detail, trunk to tail trunk to tail, and you can barely make them out on the horizon. And Janet looks over at used us and she goes, use this.  Where are they going? And he goes, I don't know where 

Will: they want. 

Jana Shelfer: Very special. He did. He told us they were going somewhere special.

And then here I 

Jason Shelfer: am. 

Jana Shelfer: And then here, the next morning I look out my [00:25:00] tent and I've, I'm surrounded by these elephants. And I, think, oh my God. I do. I know 

Jason Shelfer: the way it's been working out. I'm pretty sure, 

Will: first of all, what are the odds? It would be a different set of 30 weekends, second, I mean, I'm getting goosebumps thinking about the fact that they're going to a very special place in suddenly.

It's something that, Changed your life? It 

Jana Shelfer: was, it was like the moment because I didn't feel in danger at all. I felt the most peace that I think I've ever felt. And I actually. Connected. I made eye contact with this baby elephant. That was right in front of my tent. And what's so funny is that it was the baby elephant.

Cause the baby elephant was right at my eye level and the baby elephant was hovered by it's it's mama. And that was the dangerous part. And that actually made it even supposedly more dangerous, but I felt. [00:26:00] So connected a connection that I had never felt before. And in that moment, it just made me think, you know what?

There's something bigger. There's something bigger and better. And again, it goes back to those two words that I had been hearing and trying to dismiss for so long. And it just like, it just hit. 

Will: Mm mm. I feel it. I feel it. And I didn't go through it and I still feel it from, from your story. I felt it when I heard it on your podcast, hearing, hearing it now just the thought of it.

It it's, it's remarkable 

Jana Shelfer: now for somebody that doesn't believe that is kind of crazy. And when you come back, I quit my job and I felt like I. Got a little backlash from my family, from my husband, from my friends, Eventually myself a, I felt like, w what am I doing? I, maybe I am crazy. literally quit my job because an elephant told me to, like, that was the [00:27:00] story I was telling them, you know?

. Well, I 

Jason Shelfer: felt like I was okay with the job quitting. It was the hard part for me was when we were sitting at the closing table for our new house, I said, well, do you both still have your jobs? And Jane was like, heck no.

Will: So before we get too, too far into that. So how did the story conclude? I mean, did they just kind of pick up the trunks and walk away or did you go back in the 

Jason Shelfer: back from my safari? Because basically when all that was going down, they're like, y'all need to come back. Jana's not listening. She's got the tent door open and we've told her clearly not to move she's in extreme danger.

So I get back and the guards are out with their rifles and Jan is still sitting there with the door to the tent, open looking at this baby elephant. And I got a couple of pictures and some video, but when our, when our Jeeps came back in they, they did start kind of moving off and I got some great footage of, of the, of the elements [00:28:00] starting to move on.

And that it was we kinda cried a little bit and then had breakfast. It was really it was interesting. It wasn't, it was a very spiritual morning. 

Will: Absolutely. Now we talked about the soul speaking to the body. To, to get your attention. It seems like the spirit now was speaking to you in a different, from an external point of view, but through these elephants, because everyone was saying you were an extreme danger, but you didn't feel that you felt a connection with these animals that, that are known to be extremely dangerous in the wild, especially if they have a baby among them and they, and they didn't do anything because probably, and I'm going to sound really kind of out there right now.

I think they probably felt the connection too. Right. I think that they knew intrinsically that you were of no danger to them or their baby. So they said, okay, we're cool. We'll step off and go to the next special place, 

Jana Shelfer: . I 

Karen Endsley: think we have such a strong connection with nature. If we let ourselves experience it, like, we had with the Robbins when I was pregnant.

[00:29:00] Yeah. You know, there are, there are signs. If we open ourselves up to them though, they're there and you can't not see them. 

Jana Shelfer: What's so what's so beautiful about this whole story is January of 2020, I went to the Rachel Hollis conference and there was a speaker there. Jen Hatfield, I believe is her name.

And in her presentation, she actually does a whole. Presentation about elephants in the wild surrounding. Someone in need, why they will actually circle up. And when they sense that somebody is, is really hurting and somebody is really suffering, they will actually circle up and help that person.

And it's a show of support. Hi, 

Will: absolutely goosebumps now. 

Jana Shelfer: And then to follow that up even further I was sitting there watching this and of course, you know, that really hit me. And [00:30:00] that was in January of 2020 and the promo people for Rachel Hollis took pictures. Of, everyone in that stadium, but now in 2021, they've been using my picture.

To promote their 20, 21 conference. So I feel like they felt that I was feeling that connection at that moment as well. And, and I know, I just know, like this is living lucky, but I know that I will, will be a part of that Rachel Hollis conference in the next few years. I know that I will be a guest speaker.

I just know it. 

Jason Shelfer: Karen, I love that you said The connection in nature, if we're open to it, because I'm believe part of living lucky is being open to recognizing the opportunity. That's always there. And I believe just like being open to nature and allowing nature to connect with us that we can connect to the opportunities that are always around us [00:31:00] because when we started living lucky, We started recognizing all these miracles happening , around us all the time.

So it's, it's realizing that the universe, God, everything is kind of working with us through us, by us and for us instead of happening. To us, 

Jana Shelfer: right. We're not 

victims. 

Jason Shelfer: Yeah. And all these things have a reason. And so the opportunities that literally are just popping up and it's, it's almost like just reach out and grab whatever, whatever feels good and feels like it's.

It's purposeful in your life and that's kind of that connection to nature. If you need it to be or whatever is going to help you spiritually or help you in your growth area. 

Will: Oh, I love that. Me too. And the more open you are to these experiences, the more experiences that will. Yes. Come across your path.

I mean, it's, that's your 

Jana Shelfer: reticular debating 

Karen Endsley: our experience. I briefly mentioned it. And I'll just tell you quickly, it was with [00:32:00] with these Robbins. So we got pregnant. What we, I older I was in my forties when I had Sienna and I had had a miscarriage and I was very. Concerned, am I going to be able to get pregnant?

I had no idea. I mean, we were fortunate., we were lucky. It was very simple. We never had any problems, but I remember we were working out of home. Walking out to the office and looking and seeing a couple of birds, just a couple of little Robins in the driveway. And I'm like, oh, those are cute.

And then I noticed there's three or four. And then I walked to the front of the house and I look out the front window and there must have been, I don't know, 70 or 80 Robins in our front yard, no other house, just our front yard. And I remember looking at wills saying, well, I'm pregnant. And sure enough, we did the test that weekend and Sienna's sitting right next to me and she's 10 years 

Jason Shelfer: old.

Will: That's awesome. Yeah. I think we all have those stories. Mine is from whitewater rafting and  it was at a really terrible. Point in my life my brother's a wedding. I was happy for him, but my life wasn't very [00:33:00] happy. We went whitewater rafting the day after the wedding.

And if you've gone whitewater rafting in the Colorado river, it's a bear. It's not something to sneeze at. And there were times when I literally was afraid for my life, especially because they kept saying, okay, Do you need to be careful. Someone had just died the day before in a river.

That kind of thing. So  it was scary. And then there are times where you go through the whitewater rapids and then you go through these incredibly peaceful areas of the river, where it's just you and nature and nothing else. And in one of these particular time, we had just finished a especially difficult whitewater.

Section,  it opened up into this beautiful lake almost, and there were these butterflies flipping around and everyone's like, oh, let them, my finger landed my finger. And it was having none of, none of it, but something said to me will, if you put your finger up, That butterfly is going to land on your finger.

And I didn't even second guess it, I didn't even move my arm. Something moved my arm for me. And when I put my [00:34:00] hand up lo and behold, that butterfly dam, it just landed on my finger. And I was just, I couldn't speak, I couldn't say anything, but then I saw everyone else looking over at me, but. How did you get delayed on your finger?

I had no idea. I'm 

Jason Shelfer: God's favorite.

Will: The butterfly butterfly looked at me, we connected and then he just kind of flitted on it. Went on his way. That was the most profound experience. That I speak about to this day. And, and we're talking times, I mean, I've had to, I've had to drive a cab to make ends meet of, I mean, all this was the moment that made me who  I am and  thinking of that moment is the thing that keeps me connected.

Jana Shelfer: Connected. Yeah, that's really what it all comes down to. And as we've gone through this journey, I've realized that it's believing in myself, believing in the people around me. Believing in my circumstances and believing in the universe [00:35:00] that is living. 

Jason Shelfer: And this is the thing, just, just like parents, the universe, God, higher power.

Let's just say higher power. You are the favorite and it's believing you're the favorite and just accepting it. And it's not an ego thing. It's just saying, you know what, I'm the favorite and being okay with that. And we're all the favorite, right? It's okay. Because your parents want you to be the favorite it's okay.

, I can be in a family of 12 siblings and it's okay for me to believe that I'm the favorite and it's okay for my brother to believe he's the favorite and it's okay for my sister to believe. She's the favorite. Yeah, that's what my parents want. That's what my, my universe, my creator, my higher power wants.

And for me to just live in that moment, in that glory and accept all the opportunity that comes with that and the gratitude that comes with that. And that's where living lucky comes in. Absolutely. 

Will: That's a great way to wrap it up. I'm a believer that we are little bits of God. We are part of God. And as.

[00:36:00] Parts of God. We are. And so of course we're the favorite because we are the same. You. OSCE everyone. We're we're the same. We're one in the same. 

Jana Shelfer: So he's listening to this podcast right now. 

Jason Shelfer: Absolutely. Absolutely. 

Will: And so it's incredibly inspiring to listen to your stories on a weekly basis on living lucky podcasts.

I encourage anyone. If you haven't heard the show go and find it right away. It's really wonderful. It's this podcast, probably twice the length of your typical podcasts or the really great digests, at least the, the, the audio part of it. It's super super fun too. To listen to you.

The two of you together are a joy to, to be a part of your story. So, thank you so much for coming and sharing it 

Jana Shelfer: with us. It was fun to connect again. Thank you so much. 

Will: And I hope that we don't lose touch now for another 10 years. Okay. 

[00:37:00] Jason Shelfer: That was God. And he was calling for me. Make sure you give him my new number.

Jana Shelfer: It was my picture that popped up on his cell phone. I'm the favorite?

Will: Well, I think thanks so much again, really appreciate it. And thank you listener for listening today. If you'd like to learn more about our guests or check out their show, you can find it living lucky podcasts and all the major podcasting platforms, or you can watch the video show on YouTube. I've laid in direct links to those in my show notes.

So it's easy for you to access. They also have a very engaged social media presence and links to those skills. Can also be found on the show notes as always, please don't forget to subscribe to the show. So you don't miss an episode and don't forget, you can send us a voice message on speakpipe.com/skeptic metaphysician.

I'd. Well, we'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, questions, or feedback on the show or the guests. We love sharing people's stories and we'd love to share yours too. So please feel free to reach out. If you'd like to come on the show, you can join us on Facebook at the skeptic metaphysician links to my social media platforms and speak pipe [00:38:00] access.

You guessed it all in the show notes as well. That's all for now. Thanks again for listening in. We'll see you again on the next episode of the skeptic metaphysician until then take care.