"Do not worry about tomorrow's trouble,
for you do not know what the day may bring.
Tomorrow may come and you will be no more,
and so you will have worried about
a world that is not yours"
-Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Yevamot

Being a nurse I have been reminded of this message often yet it is still hard to remember on a day to day basis. What would life be like if we could be so fully present in each moment that tomorrow doesn't enter our minds?

It seems to me to have Peace on Earth we need to have no greed on Earth.

How does being greedy support having a clean, peaceful, world?

Lentils with Quinoa and Onions

This is a very savory dish, one of my favorites. More a winter dish, but I make it all seasons when the mood hits.

6 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 onions, sliced into rounds ¼ inch thick
1 ½ cups green lentils, sorted and rinsed
salt and pepper
¾ cup quinoa - rinsed
optional toppings: feta or goat cheese, red pepper flakes

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook stirring frequently, until the onions are browned- 12-25 minutes. Meanwhile put the lentils in a saucepan with one quart of water and a dash of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until they are cooked through, not mushy, 20-30 minutes. In another small saucepan put 1 ½ cups of water and the quinoa. Bring to a boil and then simmer until done, approximately 15 minutes.
Mix ingredients together add salt and pepper to taste, plate it up and add the cheese and pepper flakes.

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Simply notice when you are giving to another...what is the gift for you.

I believe the reverse is true as well, when you give to yourself how are you supporting others??

Awareness

What does awareness mean to you?

I love this word and enjoy playing with how aware I am throughout the day. Aware of the wind on my face, the sun in my eyes, the excitment or annoyance I may be feeling, the moments I choose to be present for or miss because I am thinking about the next thing I get to do...

For today, I will commit to playing with awareness as often as I can. I will bring my attention back to the present moment and make choices from this place. Then I will simply notice if this day differs from others.

May you have an aware day!

Friends

Spending time making and being a friend can be one of the most joyful and important actions we take in our life. A good friend is more valuable than words can describe.


"Even if we have a lot of money in the bank, we can die very easily from our suffering. So, investing in a friend, making a friend into a real friend, building a community of friends, is a much better source of security. We will have someone to lean on, to come to in the difficult moments."
-Thich Nhat Hanh

A big loving Thank-You to all my friends!!!

Connection

Its a beautiful, warm, sunny day here and I am very grateful for that!

When the weather is good I find it easier to connect with myself, with nature and with others. For me being outside for parts of the day ground me and support me to be more present in the moment.

When I am more centered my connection to others and my surroundings seems to happen with a sense of ease and comfort...I love those feelings.

How about you? What are ways that support you to stay connected to yourself, others or whatever is right in front of you??

In gratitude for the sun and all of you!
Carol

" Here"s my happiness philosophy in a nutshell: I feel that I'm directly responsible for what happens in my life"
Mike Carr

Now that's accountability! What's your happiness philosophy?

Feelings

"The first step in dealing with feelings is to recognize each feeling as it arises. The agent that does this is mindfulness. In the case of fear, for example, you bring out your mindfulness, look at your fear and recognize it as fear. You know that fear springs from yourself and that mindfulness also springs from yourself. They are both in you, not fighting, but taking care of one another"
Thich Nhat Hanh

I love this paragraph because it is such a great reminder that we can hold more than one thing in our mind. Mindfulness/awareness is a place in our mind and feelings become a part of our mind. If we understand we can hold both we then can grow and learn using both.

How can your awareness take care of your feelings in a way that is going to help you move forward?

When our awareness brings us to empathy and compassion for ourself it seems like a win/win situation. We bring less harm to ourselves and less harm to others. That feels really good to me!

The Gap

Is there a gap between where you are and where you want to be?

What is it going to take to get you to move?

It is fully possible to prioritize your life to be one you truly love.

What's it going to take for you to step into it?

I offer you a free, yes FREE initial session to explore those possibilities. Call 1-541-389-0831 and we can set up a time. I coach on the phone and in person!

Rituals

I'm in a discussion course titled Healthy Children Healthy Planet. Its offered by the Northwest Earth Institute, www.nwei.org. They offer six or seven different courses on subjects related to the earth and simplicity.

Our topic yesterday was rituals. We had a lively discussion and it was wonderful to hear all the ways in which ritual is part of our lives. Before reading this I often thought we didn't have enough ritual because I had a belief it needed to be something big.

Now I realize my life is full of rituals, my morning cup of tea, writing this, our family dinners, camping trips, weekend breakfasts, community meals...the list goes on.
What rituals in your life have meaning for you?

The gift in not feeling well

I am continually amazed at how shifting my attention or perspective to one of learning, that I do indeed glean something from most situations.
I'm getting over a bad cold. During the time I wasn't feeling 100% I had some amazing moments with friends and family.
I usually tend to tough things out and not share how sick I am feeling. This time I shared how I felt with lots of people and received support in so many ways. Thank you everyone!
Being present with how my body was feeling and then choosing how to "be" or what to "do" created a new depth of empathy and compassion. I feel like I touched a new listening place. Allowing myself the opportunity for growth in a time when I am more vulnerable has been a gift. I find great joy in new gifts!

Raw Beet Salad

This is one of our favorite spring salads.

Serves four as a side dish, two as a main dish.

4 medium beets
2-3 medium leeks
½- ¾ cup sunflower seeds
2-3 limes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Mixed greens- enough for four servings
Optional- goat cheese
(you can cut this recipe in half for one to two people)

Soak sunflower seeds in water during preparation time. Wash beets, then peel and grate them. If you have a food processor, you can use it to grate, if not its easy to use a cheese grater. Cut bottom and tops off leeks, slice lengthwise and wash under cold water, dirt can settle in so be mindful when washing. Chop leeks finely. Pour ½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into sauté pan and sauté the leeks for 3-5 minutes. Squeeze the limes. Drain the sunflower seeds. Mix the beets, leeks and sunflower seeds together with the limejuice and some extra virgin olive oil; add a little salt and pepper to taste. Toss the mixed greens with a little limejuice, olive oil and salt and pepper. Place mixed greens on plate and scoop the beet salad on top. Optional- cut up goat cheese and lay it on top.
Enjoy!

Fun

How does having more fun affect how you feel about your life?
When I am having a lot of fun, I notice I'm not in my head as much worrying about if I'm doing it right or what's going on with someone else. I'm in the moment pure and simple. I like being there, how about you?

"The true object of human life is play.
Earth is a task garden;
Heaven is a playground."
-G.K. Chesterton

Baby Steps

Changing behaviors can be tricky. It seems to me the most challenging piece is understanding that change is a process. We are so programmed for instant gratification in our culture and that belief can often sabotage the process.

If you ever have had the opportunity to watch a baby learn the art of walking you get to see process in action. They pull themselves up...fall down, then hang onto furniture...fall down, then push something...fall down, hold onto someones hand... reach for the next solid piece...fall down... You get the picture. They continue until they are taking a couple of steps together and then years later running a marathon. If they had given up after their first or second fall we would be living in a different world!

Be grateful for the small steps you are taking to move yourself in the direction you most want to go!

Limitations

"Argue for your limitations
and sure enough,
they're yours."
-Richard Bach

How often do you find yourself saying you can't do something? I'm not good enough, smart enough, strong enough...
Enough already! You are magnificent, be that!

Lead by example

"Example is not the main
thing in influencing others.
It is the only thing."
-Albert Schweitzer

My mother was a health nut way before her time and she certainly supported us in choosing healthy foods. I remember having only ginger snaps and fig newtons as cookies and that was a rare treat. No soda and not a lot of processed snacks. Believe me I certainly searched out other foods when I was not home. However, she led by example and because of that my sisters and I feed ourselves and our families healthy whole foods. Thanks Mom!
What examples are you choosing?

Who do I need to be?

We are so often in our "doing" mode that when we need to shift or change the first question we ask ourselves is "What do I need to do?". At this point we either get overwhelmed at adding another something to our lives or we make attempts to do it but our heart isn't in it.

We ignore the vital question "Who do I need to be?" in order to make that change.
Take some time when you are looking at changing your lifestyle or career to ask that question and see what happens!

Do you have a high adrenaline lifestyle?

I've been reading a very interesting book titled The Schwarzbein Principle II by Diana Schwarzbein MD. She offers a perspective I haven't seen before on wellness and aging.
One of the issues she discusses is living a high adrenaline lifestyle. When we are addicted to living on our adrenaline we start using ourselves up which cna be the basis for ill health down the road. Some of the symptoms of intermittent high adreneline levels are interrupted sleep, anxiety, emotional intensity, fatigue ... low level symptoms allergies, short-term fatigue, insomnia, weepiness, headaches...

Here are some questions she asks, if you answer yes to any of these you are most likely creating higher than normal adrenaline levels in your body.
1. Do you skip meals on a regular basis?
2. Are you constantly on the go?
3. Do you drink more than one caffeinated beverage a day?
4. Do you only do cardiovascular exercises such as high-impact aerobics or running?
5. Do you take low-dose estrogen birth control pills?

If you aren't feeling 100% and you answered yes to any of these questions, you might want to explore this book.