Fall days are often my very favorite of the year and we are in the midst of some beautiful days here in Bend.
The sunlight, the breeze, colors, scents, sweaters, hats, brisk, quiet, peaceful...

If you feel the way I do take the time to get out and enjoy it even if you simply walk around the block or step outside and feel the sun and breeze on your face for a minute.

Be here with Fall, now, while it is present!

Enjoy...I'm going to step outside as soon as I click publish!

I'm facilitating a workshop right now called the "Write Balance" tomorrow we'll talk and write about societal beliefs and norms. As I ready myself for this topic I found myself feeling sad that so many of the norms and beliefs I see in our culture cause so much stress and overwhelm. Not just for adults even the smallest of children are impacted by our willingness to go along with a culture, that in my opinion, is way off track.

What keeps us following along in the direction of the tide...As I watched Michael Moores "Sicko" a month or so ago I was struck by what one European said. He said that Americans are afraid of their government while in France the government is afraid of the people...does that filter into how we go along because we are afraid to be different, to say no, not to keep up, to lose the American dream...

I certainly don't have the answers and I will continue to do my best to raise my awareness of the norms and beliefs and choose, as much as possible, to live only the ones that feel most aligned with my heart.

How about you?


Life Coaching for connection, balance and health/

The cereal box

I was reading the back of the cereal box as I was pouring it into a bowl for Jack and noticed they shared the marketing strategy that has such an impact on our culture "Though it is difficult to maintain a healthy diet with todays hectic schedules..."

The hectic pace that pervades our world from breakfast cereal to Politicians is so ingrained many people believe they can't choose anything different. Rushing from one place to the next, feeling overwhelmed, confused, tired...it's just part of everyday life.

What do you do if you don't want to buy into the hectic lifestyle?

Is it possible to have more peace and ease in your life?

Maybe you could consider letting something go, saying no to something you don't really want to do, slowing down your pace just a little, choose to have less in order to give yourself more space...

There are lots of choices really it may be as simple as choosing to be different...

"The hardest battle is to be nobody but yourself in a world that is doing its best, night and day, to make you like everybody else." -e.e. cummings

Into Balance Life Coaching

"As mentioned earlier, we have an inheritied a language that served kings and powerful elites on domination societies. The masses, discouraged from developing awareness of their own needs, have instead been educated to be docile and subservient to authority. Our culture implies that needs are negative and destructive; the work "needy" applied to a person suggestes inadequacy or immaturity. When people express their needs, they are often labeled "selfish" and the use of the personal pronoun "I" is at times equated with selfishness or neediness.
By encouraging us to separate observation and evaluation, to acknowledge the thought or needs shaping our feelings, and to express our requests in clear action language, NVC heightens our awareness of the cultural conditioning influencing us at any given moment. And drawing this conditioning into the light of consciousness is a key step in breaking its hold on us." -Excerpt from Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg

Interested in learning a new language...Life Coaching for connection, balance and health.

As I sit
gazing out my window
a blue bird flies
the tree sways
the leaves quake
the once still air vibrates around me
and I am enveloped in life
nature
connection to earth
I breathe and feel my feet
firmly planted
and know if I continue
to practice
this noticing
this connection
to earth
I will feel
present
more
often
and all I work with
and towards in this life
will grow
as the tree
that sways outside
my window

Spinach

I've slowed down on the recipe writing as of late...summer seems to be a time of less cooking and more playing in my family.

I did want to share one of my favorite foods and some twists on serving it.

Spinach when not overcooked is one of my favorite foods. I will often saute a clove or two of garlic in extra virgin olive oil add a bunch of spinach, stir it around for less than a minute, take it off the stove toss it with some lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper and eat. If available I top it with leftover lentils, rice, quinoa, goat cheese, beans, pecans, avocado, walnuts, tempeh...it is a great base for toppings or a simple meal if eaten alone. I often cook this up for a savory breakfast.

So if you enjoy spinach add some of these toppings and see what you think!


Life Coaching for connection, balance and health.

Another article from my favorite magazine Ode.

It's hard to know sometimes what truly are the best foods for your body. I have found over the years the closer I can stay to unprocessed or slightly processed the better. A friend once shared she never bought anything with more than seven ingredients in it.

When you walk into a regular supermarket you can be overwhelmed by the choices and the marketing of processed food. You may have heard this tip already but it can be great for your health and your pocketbook if you shop the outside aisles and swing only into the aisle with rice, beans and other whole grains.
That way you are getting the fruits, vegetables, proteins and fiber you need and saving yourself time, money and your health while at the market.

"With strong evidence piling up to show that diet affects behaviour, it is surprising that so little has been done to change the daily diet of millions on the planet." -Jurriaan Kamp

Change your diet, change your life.

Life coaching for connection, balance and health.

Discover the Power of Choice!