So far, I am sleeping well and waking up with decent energy. I don't feel gross or blob-like.
Some of the smoothies I've had...
Swo white smoothies - a white peach ginger (more like pink- peaches, greek yogurt, raspberries, lime juice, ginger, pistachios), and a tropical morning (mango, pineapple, milk/yogurt, flax, bananas). These were tasty and I'd have them again! The white peach was my fave.
Red smoothies: PB&J smoothie (strawberries, banana, natural peanut butter, greek yogurt, milk, ice cubes), and Very berry smoothie (raspberries, cherries, almond milk, orange, protein powder). Both OK, not my fave, but decent.
Green smoothie: Kiwi Strawberry (spinach, kiwi, strawberries, banana, protein powder). Still getting past the weirdness of drinking something green, but the taste was fine.
Snacks: chicken breast slices with Ryvita crackers and mustard, pistachios, South Beach high fiber protein bars, blackberries, Finn Crisp crackers and almond butter, popcorn.
So far, I've stayed full and never feel gross after a meal, of course. One and a halfmore days of blended meals, then we move to two blended meals and one regular meal - and the plan has awesome recipes I am looking forward to!
Oh, and the program calls for a LOT of water every day. I am peeing all the time. TMI? Nah.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Body Reset: Day 1
Day 1:
Breakfast: white smoothie, apple pie flavor (apples, almonds, bananas, greek yogurt, cinnamon, milk). Taste was good, but I have a little trouble getting it down as I have a weird minor gag reflex when it comes to yogurt. The portion for one person was huge and I couldn't possibly consume the whole thing! I ate over half.
Morning snack: three Finn Crisp crackers, two slices fat free cheese. I wasn't even really hungry, but it was snack time, so I had the snack.
Lunch: red smoothie (peaches, strawberries, vanilla greek yogurt, ground flax, ice). Taste is pretty good. Still not a yogurt lover but this one is easier to consume. I was still completely full from breakfast and snack! I ate half of this one...seeing a pattern. Maybe I should adjust quantities.
Afternoon snack: South Beach Good to Go Extra Fiber bar, fudge graham flavor. This wasn't in the book, but I discovered it fits all the rules for snacks - under 150 calories, over 5 grams of protein, over 5 grams of fiber. It's pretty yummy.
Dinner: green smoothie (spinach, pear, grapes, greek yogurt, avocado, fresh lime juice). Taste was OK, but drinking something green throws me off - I'll have to get used to it. Also, I don't like the texture of avocado at all. Blech. Will replace that with almonds as my healthy fat in the future.
Overall, it wasn't a bad day in terms of food. It's a tad strange eating shakes/smoothies for each meal, but that's only for 4 more days. Doable.
Breakfast: white smoothie, apple pie flavor (apples, almonds, bananas, greek yogurt, cinnamon, milk). Taste was good, but I have a little trouble getting it down as I have a weird minor gag reflex when it comes to yogurt. The portion for one person was huge and I couldn't possibly consume the whole thing! I ate over half.
Morning snack: three Finn Crisp crackers, two slices fat free cheese. I wasn't even really hungry, but it was snack time, so I had the snack.
Lunch: red smoothie (peaches, strawberries, vanilla greek yogurt, ground flax, ice). Taste is pretty good. Still not a yogurt lover but this one is easier to consume. I was still completely full from breakfast and snack! I ate half of this one...seeing a pattern. Maybe I should adjust quantities.
Afternoon snack: South Beach Good to Go Extra Fiber bar, fudge graham flavor. This wasn't in the book, but I discovered it fits all the rules for snacks - under 150 calories, over 5 grams of protein, over 5 grams of fiber. It's pretty yummy.
Dinner: green smoothie (spinach, pear, grapes, greek yogurt, avocado, fresh lime juice). Taste was OK, but drinking something green throws me off - I'll have to get used to it. Also, I don't like the texture of avocado at all. Blech. Will replace that with almonds as my healthy fat in the future.
Overall, it wasn't a bad day in terms of food. It's a tad strange eating shakes/smoothies for each meal, but that's only for 4 more days. Doable.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Body Reset: Why Reset?
After the holidays, we launched right into this crazy-busy year, and unfortunately, my eating patterns did not go back to normal. They were less healthy than normal. I kept telling myself it was going to turn around each week, and then the week flew by. Before I knew it, it was MARCH and I was still not eating the way I should. Argh!
I could tell my body was just off. Energy was lower. Emotions were more blah. I gained a little weight. I felt more fluffy as opposed to lean. It sucked.
I considered some type of cleanse, but they all seemed so bad for my body. I began eating better meals, but I was still craving more sweets and fats than I ever should. I needed to hit the reset button, and I suddenly stumbled over Harley Pasternak's 15 day Body Reset program. It's based on a few solid rules:
1. No matter how healthy you are, sometimes we all need to hit the reset button and get our systems back to running at max levels.
2. Most "cleanses" deprive your body of so many things it needs, and that's not good. Any program should be completely balanced nutritionally.
3. A diet should not be hard, or expensive. This will just keep people from being successful.
4. A program recommending 2 hours of gym time every day will also not be successful. We all have lives.
The program is:
1. Blended meals that contain all the necessary building blocks your body needs (fruits, veggies, high-fiber carb, protein, healthy fat).
2. At least 10,000 steps of walking per day, adding on light resistance training daily
3. Three phases - phase one is 5 days of 3 blended meals and 2 healthy snacks. Phase two is 5 days of 2 blended meals, 1 healthy regular meal, 2 healthy snacks. Phase three is 5 days of 1 blended meal, 2 healthy regular meals, and 2 healthy snacks. You eat 5 times per day.
There you have it. It's not hard. It takes a little preparation each day/evening and some planning, but it's easily doable, even for a busy someone like myself. He gives you smoothie recipes, recommended shopping lists, and the freedom to create your own blended meals, as long as they include all the necessary components.
Today I begin the reset...fingers crossed for great results.
I could tell my body was just off. Energy was lower. Emotions were more blah. I gained a little weight. I felt more fluffy as opposed to lean. It sucked.
I considered some type of cleanse, but they all seemed so bad for my body. I began eating better meals, but I was still craving more sweets and fats than I ever should. I needed to hit the reset button, and I suddenly stumbled over Harley Pasternak's 15 day Body Reset program. It's based on a few solid rules:
1. No matter how healthy you are, sometimes we all need to hit the reset button and get our systems back to running at max levels.
2. Most "cleanses" deprive your body of so many things it needs, and that's not good. Any program should be completely balanced nutritionally.
3. A diet should not be hard, or expensive. This will just keep people from being successful.
4. A program recommending 2 hours of gym time every day will also not be successful. We all have lives.
The program is:
1. Blended meals that contain all the necessary building blocks your body needs (fruits, veggies, high-fiber carb, protein, healthy fat).
2. At least 10,000 steps of walking per day, adding on light resistance training daily
3. Three phases - phase one is 5 days of 3 blended meals and 2 healthy snacks. Phase two is 5 days of 2 blended meals, 1 healthy regular meal, 2 healthy snacks. Phase three is 5 days of 1 blended meal, 2 healthy regular meals, and 2 healthy snacks. You eat 5 times per day.
There you have it. It's not hard. It takes a little preparation each day/evening and some planning, but it's easily doable, even for a busy someone like myself. He gives you smoothie recipes, recommended shopping lists, and the freedom to create your own blended meals, as long as they include all the necessary components.
Today I begin the reset...fingers crossed for great results.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Year to Best: Act #27 - Understand the Roots
My holiday season has been lovely so far. I have enjoyed time with friends and family. I have been able to share some gifts with people I love...gifts that (I hope) will improve their experience of life this coming year.
But in the quiet spaces of this season, I have been considering the roots of what we celebrate. I already knew that many of our holiday traditions pre-dated any religious attachments to this season. As I pondered it, someone shared this article that explained exactly what I was thinking. (It's located via the link, but I am also posting the text.)
http://www.livescience.com/25779-christmas-traditions-history-paganism.html
"When you gather around the Christmas tree or stuff goodies into a stocking, you're taking part in traditions that stretch back thousands of years — long before Christianity entered the mix. Pagan, or non-Christian, traditions show up in this beloved winter holiday, a consequence of early church leaders melding Jesus' nativity celebration with pre-existing midwinter festivals. Since then, Christmas traditions have warped over time, arriving at their current state a little more than a century ago. Read on for some of the surprising origins of Christmas cheer, and find out why Christmas was once banned in New England.
1. Early Christians had a soft spot for pagans
It's a mistake to say that our modern Christmas traditions come directly from pre-Christian paganism, said Ronald Hutton, a historian at Bristol University
in the United Kingdom. However, he said, you'd be equally wrong to
believe that Christmas is a modern phenomenon. As Christians spread
their religion into Europe in the first centuries A.D., they ran into
people living by a variety of local and regional religious creeds.
Christian missionaries lumped all of these people together under the umbrella term "pagan," said Philip Shaw, who researches early Germanic languages and Old English at Leicester University in the U.K. The term is related to the Latin word meaning "field," Shaw told LiveScience. The lingual link makes sense, he said, because early European Christianity was an urban phenomenon, while paganism persisted longer in rustic areas. Early Christians wanted to convert pagans, Shaw said, but they were also fascinated by their traditions. "Christians of that period are quite interested in paganism," he said. "It's obviously something they think is a bad thing, but it's also something they think is worth remembering. It's what their ancestors did."
Perhaps that's why pagan traditions remained even as Christianity took hold. The Christmas tree is a 17th-century German invention, University of Bristol's Hutton told LiveScience, but it clearly derives from the pagan practice of bringing greenery indoors to decorate in midwinter. The modern Santa Claus is a direct descendent of England's Father
Christmas, who was not originally a gift-giver. However, Father
Christmas and his other European variations are modern incarnations of
old pagan ideas about spirits who traveled the sky in midwinter, Hutton
said.
2. We all want that warm Christmas glow
But why this fixation on partying in midwinter, anyway? According to historians, it's a natural time for a feast. In an agricultural society, the harvest work is done for the year, and there's nothing left to be done in the fields. "It's a time when you have some time to devote to your religious life," said Shaw. "But also it's a period when, frankly, everyone needs cheering up." The dark days that culminate with the shortest day of the year — the winter solstice — could be lightened with feasts and decorations, Hutton said. "If you happen to live in a region in which midwinter brings striking darkness and cold and hunger, then the urge to have a celebration at the very heart of it to avoid going mad or falling into deep depression is very, very strong," he said.
Stephen Nissenbaum, author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist "The Battle for Christmas", agreed. "Even now when solstice means not all that much because you can get rid of the darkness with the flick of an electric light switch, even now, it's a very powerful season," he told LIveScience.
3. The Church was slow to embrace Christmas
Despite the spread of Christianity, midwinter festivals did not become Christmas for hundreds of years. The Bible gives no reference to when Jesus was born, which wasn't a problem for early Christians, Nissenbaum said. "It never occurred to them that they needed to celebrate his birthday," he said. With no Biblical directive to do so and no mention in the Gospels of the correct date, it wasn't until the fourth century that church leaders in Rome embraced the holiday. At this time, Nissenbaum said, many people had turned to a belief the Church found heretical: That Jesus had never existed as a man, but as a sort of spiritual entity.
"If you want to show that Jesus was a real human being just like every other human being, not just somebody who appeared like a hologram, then what better way to think of him being born in a normal, humble human way than to celebrate his birth?" Nissenbaum said. Midwinter festivals, with their pagan roots, were already widely celebrated, Nissenbaum said. And the date had a pleasing philosophical fit with festivals celebrating the lengthening days after the winter solstice (which fell on Dec. 21 this year). "O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born … Christ should be born," one Cyprian text read.
4. The Puritans hated the holiday
But if the Catholic Church gradually came to embrace Christmas, the Protestant Reformation gave the holiday a good knock on the chin. In the 16th century, Christmas became a casualty of this church schism, with reformist-minded Protestants considering it little better than paganism, Nissenbaum said. This likely had something to do with the "raucous, rowdy and sometimes bawdy fashion" in which Christmas was celebrated, he added. In England under Oliver Cromwell, Christmas and other saints' days were banned, and in New England it was illegal to celebrate Christmas for about 25 years in the 1600s, Nissenbaum said. Forget people saying, "Happy holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas," he said. "If you want to look at a real 'War on Christmas,' you've got to look at the Puritans," he said. "They banned it!"
5. Gifts are a new (and surprisingly controversial) tradition
While gift-giving may seem inextricably tied to Christmas, it used to be that people looked forward to opening presents on New Year's Day. "They were a blessing for people to make them feel good as the year ends," Hutton said. It wasn't until the Victorian era of the 1800s that gift-giving shifted to Christmas. According to the Royal Collection, Queen Victoria's children got Christmas Eve gifts in 1850, including a sword and armor. In 1841, Victoria gave her husband, Prince Albert, a miniature portrait of her as a 7-year-old; in 1859, she gave him a book of poetry by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. All of this gift-giving, along with the secular embrace of Christmas, now has some religious groups steamed, Nissenbaum said. The consumerism of Christmas shopping seems, to some, to contradict the religious goal of celebrating Jesus Christ's birth. In some ways, Nissenbaum said, excessive spending is the modern equivalent of the revelry and drunkenness that made the Puritans frown. "There's always been a push and pull, and it's taken different forms," he said. "It might have been alcohol then, and now it's these glittering toys."
After all these thoughts and some other readings on the topic, I decided there were true Yule/Winter Solstice traditions that I really enjoy. The tree and other evergreens bring greenery and life into the home to be celebrated during a time that seems dark and cold. While gifts were never really an addition until later times, I enjoy letting people know I value and love them with a thoughtful gift for the year to come. Because the Winter Solstice occurs on the shortest day/longest night of the year, the next morning can be greeted with optimism and the knowledge that the days will now become longer, with more sunlight. It is a great time to meditate on renewal, care for others, and the year to come. Even minus the traditions that have been added through the years, these are all beautiful things to observe each year!
But in the quiet spaces of this season, I have been considering the roots of what we celebrate. I already knew that many of our holiday traditions pre-dated any religious attachments to this season. As I pondered it, someone shared this article that explained exactly what I was thinking. (It's located via the link, but I am also posting the text.)
http://www.livescience.com/25779-christmas-traditions-history-paganism.html
"When you gather around the Christmas tree or stuff goodies into a stocking, you're taking part in traditions that stretch back thousands of years — long before Christianity entered the mix. Pagan, or non-Christian, traditions show up in this beloved winter holiday, a consequence of early church leaders melding Jesus' nativity celebration with pre-existing midwinter festivals. Since then, Christmas traditions have warped over time, arriving at their current state a little more than a century ago. Read on for some of the surprising origins of Christmas cheer, and find out why Christmas was once banned in New England.
1. Early Christians had a soft spot for pagans
It's a mistake to say that our modern Christmas traditions come directly from pre-Christian paganism, said Ronald Hutton, a historian at Bristol University
in the United Kingdom. However, he said, you'd be equally wrong to
believe that Christmas is a modern phenomenon. As Christians spread
their religion into Europe in the first centuries A.D., they ran into
people living by a variety of local and regional religious creeds.Christian missionaries lumped all of these people together under the umbrella term "pagan," said Philip Shaw, who researches early Germanic languages and Old English at Leicester University in the U.K. The term is related to the Latin word meaning "field," Shaw told LiveScience. The lingual link makes sense, he said, because early European Christianity was an urban phenomenon, while paganism persisted longer in rustic areas. Early Christians wanted to convert pagans, Shaw said, but they were also fascinated by their traditions. "Christians of that period are quite interested in paganism," he said. "It's obviously something they think is a bad thing, but it's also something they think is worth remembering. It's what their ancestors did."
Perhaps that's why pagan traditions remained even as Christianity took hold. The Christmas tree is a 17th-century German invention, University of Bristol's Hutton told LiveScience, but it clearly derives from the pagan practice of bringing greenery indoors to decorate in midwinter. The modern Santa Claus is a direct descendent of England's Father
Christmas, who was not originally a gift-giver. However, Father
Christmas and his other European variations are modern incarnations of
old pagan ideas about spirits who traveled the sky in midwinter, Hutton
said.2. We all want that warm Christmas glow
But why this fixation on partying in midwinter, anyway? According to historians, it's a natural time for a feast. In an agricultural society, the harvest work is done for the year, and there's nothing left to be done in the fields. "It's a time when you have some time to devote to your religious life," said Shaw. "But also it's a period when, frankly, everyone needs cheering up." The dark days that culminate with the shortest day of the year — the winter solstice — could be lightened with feasts and decorations, Hutton said. "If you happen to live in a region in which midwinter brings striking darkness and cold and hunger, then the urge to have a celebration at the very heart of it to avoid going mad or falling into deep depression is very, very strong," he said.
Stephen Nissenbaum, author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist "The Battle for Christmas", agreed. "Even now when solstice means not all that much because you can get rid of the darkness with the flick of an electric light switch, even now, it's a very powerful
season," he told LIveScience.3. The Church was slow to embrace Christmas
Despite the spread of Christianity, midwinter festivals did not become Christmas for hundreds of years. The Bible gives no reference to when Jesus was born, which wasn't a problem for early Christians, Nissenbaum said. "It never occurred to them that they needed to celebrate his birthday," he said. With no Biblical directive to do so and no mention in the Gospels of the correct date, it wasn't until the fourth century that church leaders in Rome embraced the holiday. At this time, Nissenbaum said, many people had turned to a belief the Church found heretical: That Jesus had never existed as a man, but as a sort of spiritual entity.
"If you want to show that Jesus was a real human being just like every other human being, not just somebody who appeared like a hologram, then what better way to think of him being born in a normal, humble human way than to celebrate his birth?" Nissenbaum said. Midwinter festivals, with their pagan roots, were already widely celebrated, Nissenbaum said. And the date had a pleasing philosophical fit with festivals celebrating the lengthening days after the winter solstice (which fell on Dec. 21 this year). "O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born … Christ should be born," one Cyprian text read.
4. The Puritans hated the holiday
But if the Catholic Church gradually came to embrace Christmas, the Protestant Reformation gave the holiday a good knock on the chin. In the 16th century, Christmas became a casualty of this church schism, with reformist-minded Protestants considering it little better than paganism, Nissenbaum said. This likely had something to do with the "raucous, rowdy and sometimes bawdy fashion" in which Christmas was celebrated, he added. In England under Oliver Cromwell, Christmas and other saints' days were banned, and in New England it was illegal to celebrate Christmas for about 25 years in the 1600s, Nissenbaum said. Forget people saying, "Happy holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas," he said. "If you want to look at a real 'War on Christmas,' you've got to look at the Puritans," he said. "They banned it!"
5. Gifts are a new (and surprisingly controversial) tradition
While gift-giving may seem inextricably tied to Christmas, it used to be that people looked forward to opening presents on New Year's Day. "They were a blessing for people to make them feel good as the year ends," Hutton said. It wasn't until the Victorian era of the 1800s that gift-giving shifted to Christmas. According to the Royal Collection, Queen Victoria's children got Christmas Eve gifts in 1850, including a sword and armor. In 1841, Victoria gave her husband, Prince Albert, a miniature portrait of her as a 7-year-old; in 1859, she gave him a book of poetry by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. All of this gift-giving, along with the secular embrace of Christmas, now has some religious groups steamed, Nissenbaum said. The consumerism of Christmas shopping seems, to some, to contradict the religious goal of celebrating Jesus Christ's birth. In some ways, Nissenbaum said, excessive spending is the modern equivalent of the revelry and drunkenness that made the Puritans frown. "There's always been a push and pull, and it's taken different forms," he said. "It might have been alcohol then, and now it's these glittering toys."
After all these thoughts and some other readings on the topic, I decided there were true Yule/Winter Solstice traditions that I really enjoy. The tree and other evergreens bring greenery and life into the home to be celebrated during a time that seems dark and cold. While gifts were never really an addition until later times, I enjoy letting people know I value and love them with a thoughtful gift for the year to come. Because the Winter Solstice occurs on the shortest day/longest night of the year, the next morning can be greeted with optimism and the knowledge that the days will now become longer, with more sunlight. It is a great time to meditate on renewal, care for others, and the year to come. Even minus the traditions that have been added through the years, these are all beautiful things to observe each year!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Healthy is the New Skinny.
Random thoughts on body shapes and body image...
During the past few years, I've noticed a definite shift in body image perceptions and what men and women find attractive. For women, skinny is out. Healthy is in. People seem to be accepting that everyone's body shapes are simply different. My healthy body may be curvy (and it is), yours might be straight. I think the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty hit the nail on the head, showing women who are every size and shape loving their own bodies. I don't personally know any women who simply want to be skinny now. That seems to only be in style for models...and who even knows why?! I love that men are noticing when women are far too slim and not finding it attractive. It is allowing us (ladies) to feel beautiful regardless of size or shape. I work out most days of the week. I have hips. I will always have them. I could run miles each day and that's simply my body shape. And that's OK. :)
The same goes for men, I think. I've had multiple discussions lately in which women have mentioned their attraction to HEALTHY men, but not BULKY men. Sure, there are some exceptions, some women who like the body-builder physique. But most of my friends find that large-ness unnatural and not very attractive. There is more focus on appreciating a man's natural body shape as well. As long as he's healthy, we don't need men to look like they have to spend hours in the gym or get 'roided out to get "big". It's simply not so attractive.
As a side note, the only time I tend to wish for another body shape is when I really love some fashionable item of clothing and it's simply made for someone straight and tall. It's not a big deal, because there are SO many apparel options out there now for women of all shapes and sizes...trying to wear something shaped for a model-body will simply make me look silly instead of fashionable. At the same time, I really wish there were high-end designers out there who held runway shows without the size 00 starved-looking models. Show me clothing on women of various shapes and sizes. Model those Victoria's Secret underwear on ladies shaped like those who actually buy it. Show me how anybody of any size/shape can look amazingly in-style. If someone would do that, I swear they'd have a giant following. Maybe some designer does this and I'm not aware...but it's definitely needed.
Random thoughts over. For now.
During the past few years, I've noticed a definite shift in body image perceptions and what men and women find attractive. For women, skinny is out. Healthy is in. People seem to be accepting that everyone's body shapes are simply different. My healthy body may be curvy (and it is), yours might be straight. I think the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty hit the nail on the head, showing women who are every size and shape loving their own bodies. I don't personally know any women who simply want to be skinny now. That seems to only be in style for models...and who even knows why?! I love that men are noticing when women are far too slim and not finding it attractive. It is allowing us (ladies) to feel beautiful regardless of size or shape. I work out most days of the week. I have hips. I will always have them. I could run miles each day and that's simply my body shape. And that's OK. :)
The same goes for men, I think. I've had multiple discussions lately in which women have mentioned their attraction to HEALTHY men, but not BULKY men. Sure, there are some exceptions, some women who like the body-builder physique. But most of my friends find that large-ness unnatural and not very attractive. There is more focus on appreciating a man's natural body shape as well. As long as he's healthy, we don't need men to look like they have to spend hours in the gym or get 'roided out to get "big". It's simply not so attractive.
As a side note, the only time I tend to wish for another body shape is when I really love some fashionable item of clothing and it's simply made for someone straight and tall. It's not a big deal, because there are SO many apparel options out there now for women of all shapes and sizes...trying to wear something shaped for a model-body will simply make me look silly instead of fashionable. At the same time, I really wish there were high-end designers out there who held runway shows without the size 00 starved-looking models. Show me clothing on women of various shapes and sizes. Model those Victoria's Secret underwear on ladies shaped like those who actually buy it. Show me how anybody of any size/shape can look amazingly in-style. If someone would do that, I swear they'd have a giant following. Maybe some designer does this and I'm not aware...but it's definitely needed.
Random thoughts over. For now.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Year to Best: Act #26 - Learn the small lessons...
Part of this beautiful year to my best has been simply taking time to breathe in the small lessons, to let them sink in. These are random thoughts that have made my last month meaningful.
Be a kid.
It's easy to get caught up in being a grown-up. We have things to do, bills to pay, people to see. Sometimes it is amazing to step back and see the joy children have over the small things. Tomorrow doesn't matter. Today is amazing. It's fun to jump, and yell, and show joy for the sake of joy. I am lucky enough to have friends around me with children so I can love their kid-ness infinitely!
Be interested.
This is not something I have much trouble with, honestly. Just about everything interests me. But sometimes we don't ask all the questions we'd like for fear of looking silly or ignorant. Every new person I meet is like a new door opening to a world of information. Some of them must think my sudden interest in their lives, homes, and jobs are strange. I can't help it. I am curious. Getting answers to the most random of questions is like lightbulb moment after lightbulb moment. So in my efforts to keep being interested, I will keep asking questions. You have all been warned.
Allow yourself to have joy about the little things.
Like new socks.
And freshly-washed bedsheets.
And warm cookies.
And matching pajama sets.
ALL SO EXCITING!
Give. It feels good.
I always want to volunteer or give to good causes, but I get bogged down in all the details. Who should I choose to donate to? Where should I volunteer? There are too many options. How can I be most effective? Will they use my money well? Will it make any difference? On, and on, and on. Maybe I should take a note from Jim Carrey in "Yes Man" and just start saying yes when the opportunity to give is presented to me. When Hurricane Sandy hit the northeast, my office had a chance to donate money to the Red Cross for relief. We did. Some of my book club friends were able to donate blood, so they did. My office has the chance to help an Atlanta organization feed the hungry for Thanksgiving, help a family in need experience Christmas, and deliver meals to elderly and disabled people. So, we just said yes. Do I know that it will all be terrific? Nope. Am I glad we're willing to give? Yep.
Let things sink into your heart.
I read a lot. Every day. I read quickly, and sometimes I don't let things sink in. So sometimes it's nice to switch to poetry or something that makes me spend more time with words and ideas. I saw a quote from Rumi that made my heart swell, and I've been meditating on it for probably two weeks now.
"Set your life on fire.
Seek those who fan your flames."
The simplicity of this stuns me. The power of it stuns me. And every day, I wonder if I am setting my life on fire. And if I am surrounding myself with people who fan those flames and make me stronger. The more I meditate on it, the more it becomes real. It takes time to let this sort of idea sink into me, become internal...so I know I have to be patient. Give it time.
Do things you're bad at. So you get less bad.
I am not a good painter. I don't know how to ballroom dance.
But I will keep doing both. And I will improve!
That's a lot of little lessons for one month...
Be a kid.
It's easy to get caught up in being a grown-up. We have things to do, bills to pay, people to see. Sometimes it is amazing to step back and see the joy children have over the small things. Tomorrow doesn't matter. Today is amazing. It's fun to jump, and yell, and show joy for the sake of joy. I am lucky enough to have friends around me with children so I can love their kid-ness infinitely!
Be interested.
This is not something I have much trouble with, honestly. Just about everything interests me. But sometimes we don't ask all the questions we'd like for fear of looking silly or ignorant. Every new person I meet is like a new door opening to a world of information. Some of them must think my sudden interest in their lives, homes, and jobs are strange. I can't help it. I am curious. Getting answers to the most random of questions is like lightbulb moment after lightbulb moment. So in my efforts to keep being interested, I will keep asking questions. You have all been warned.
Allow yourself to have joy about the little things.
Like new socks.
And freshly-washed bedsheets.
And warm cookies.
And matching pajama sets.
ALL SO EXCITING!
Give. It feels good.
I always want to volunteer or give to good causes, but I get bogged down in all the details. Who should I choose to donate to? Where should I volunteer? There are too many options. How can I be most effective? Will they use my money well? Will it make any difference? On, and on, and on. Maybe I should take a note from Jim Carrey in "Yes Man" and just start saying yes when the opportunity to give is presented to me. When Hurricane Sandy hit the northeast, my office had a chance to donate money to the Red Cross for relief. We did. Some of my book club friends were able to donate blood, so they did. My office has the chance to help an Atlanta organization feed the hungry for Thanksgiving, help a family in need experience Christmas, and deliver meals to elderly and disabled people. So, we just said yes. Do I know that it will all be terrific? Nope. Am I glad we're willing to give? Yep.
Let things sink into your heart.
I read a lot. Every day. I read quickly, and sometimes I don't let things sink in. So sometimes it's nice to switch to poetry or something that makes me spend more time with words and ideas. I saw a quote from Rumi that made my heart swell, and I've been meditating on it for probably two weeks now.
"Set your life on fire.
Seek those who fan your flames."
The simplicity of this stuns me. The power of it stuns me. And every day, I wonder if I am setting my life on fire. And if I am surrounding myself with people who fan those flames and make me stronger. The more I meditate on it, the more it becomes real. It takes time to let this sort of idea sink into me, become internal...so I know I have to be patient. Give it time.
Do things you're bad at. So you get less bad.
I am not a good painter. I don't know how to ballroom dance.
But I will keep doing both. And I will improve!
That's a lot of little lessons for one month...
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Year to Best: Act #25 - Face a Truth About Myself
I am a Gemini. I can't put it better than this, so I quote from a website:
"Gemini go everywhere together, hand-in-hand, symbolizing your dual nature. Our world comes in pairs: good and evil, male and female, in and out, yin and yang -- and you Geminis are living proof. Some might say Gemini are an entanglement of paradoxes, but the truth is that Gemini have an easy acceptance of opposites. Gemini world is one of duality. Gemini can like this and that, one thing and its opposite. It's like you see your world through a radio and Gemini can tune experiences and points of view in and out as your interests change."
This occasionally creates some confusion, even within myself. It is possible that I may be a MEGA-Gemini, with more than just two natures, really. In the past, I have disliked this about myself. I could be entirely into a certain idea, item, or style one day, and two days later, completely love its opposite. Confusing. I think I've just recently come to terms with this, and accepted it.
So, I confess...my moods can change. I don't have a personal style. Some days I enjoy dressing elegantly, other days I don't want to leave my yoga clothes. Some days I feel like wearing glasses, plaid, and my Converse, others I want to wear skirts and heels. There is no science to it. Some days I want nothing to do with TV, preferring to read or write. Other days, I love to veg out with some Fashion Police or TV dramas. My musical tastes vary so wildly that they don't even seem to make sense...I may love classical and jazz today, pop and R&B tomorrow, and musical soundtracks the next. I am not mainstream, but I am mainstream. Sometimes people think I am "cool", other times they think I'm weird. I like to buy healthy, organic food to cook, but I also love a Steak 'n Shake burger. Sometimes I need to get out and be social, and sometimes I need to simply be alone.
Common sense says that a lot of people could be like me...but most of my friends do have a norm. I sometimes envy their strong convictions that do not waver, their strong sense of personal style, their solid routines. I know my varying-ness is taken to a strange level sometimes. Occasionally, it makes me wonder (not in a pitiful way, but in a "wow" way) how people can love me if they never know what to expect from me? Does that confuse the people in my life? Do they see me as shallow and never-settled, instead of simply dual-natured?
I'm really not sure. The wonderful thing about my personal Air sign is that while I may be dual-natured and in the air often, there is always a solid ground below me of people I really love...people I know will love me even as I move from one idea to the next in a matter of days. If they love me, I know they will boost me and enjoy my flight, never trying to tether or ground me (without very good reason, at least). In a way, these people are (MAJOR CHEESEBALL MOMENT...) "the wind beneath my wings"! Yeah, I just went there.
This is progress for me. Learning, accepting, loving myself just as I am, which allows me to love others better. Progress. It's good.
"Gemini go everywhere together, hand-in-hand, symbolizing your dual nature. Our world comes in pairs: good and evil, male and female, in and out, yin and yang -- and you Geminis are living proof. Some might say Gemini are an entanglement of paradoxes, but the truth is that Gemini have an easy acceptance of opposites. Gemini world is one of duality. Gemini can like this and that, one thing and its opposite. It's like you see your world through a radio and Gemini can tune experiences and points of view in and out as your interests change."
This occasionally creates some confusion, even within myself. It is possible that I may be a MEGA-Gemini, with more than just two natures, really. In the past, I have disliked this about myself. I could be entirely into a certain idea, item, or style one day, and two days later, completely love its opposite. Confusing. I think I've just recently come to terms with this, and accepted it.
So, I confess...my moods can change. I don't have a personal style. Some days I enjoy dressing elegantly, other days I don't want to leave my yoga clothes. Some days I feel like wearing glasses, plaid, and my Converse, others I want to wear skirts and heels. There is no science to it. Some days I want nothing to do with TV, preferring to read or write. Other days, I love to veg out with some Fashion Police or TV dramas. My musical tastes vary so wildly that they don't even seem to make sense...I may love classical and jazz today, pop and R&B tomorrow, and musical soundtracks the next. I am not mainstream, but I am mainstream. Sometimes people think I am "cool", other times they think I'm weird. I like to buy healthy, organic food to cook, but I also love a Steak 'n Shake burger. Sometimes I need to get out and be social, and sometimes I need to simply be alone.
Common sense says that a lot of people could be like me...but most of my friends do have a norm. I sometimes envy their strong convictions that do not waver, their strong sense of personal style, their solid routines. I know my varying-ness is taken to a strange level sometimes. Occasionally, it makes me wonder (not in a pitiful way, but in a "wow" way) how people can love me if they never know what to expect from me? Does that confuse the people in my life? Do they see me as shallow and never-settled, instead of simply dual-natured?
I'm really not sure. The wonderful thing about my personal Air sign is that while I may be dual-natured and in the air often, there is always a solid ground below me of people I really love...people I know will love me even as I move from one idea to the next in a matter of days. If they love me, I know they will boost me and enjoy my flight, never trying to tether or ground me (without very good reason, at least). In a way, these people are (MAJOR CHEESEBALL MOMENT...) "the wind beneath my wings"! Yeah, I just went there.
This is progress for me. Learning, accepting, loving myself just as I am, which allows me to love others better. Progress. It's good.
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