My Friend Dr. Sanjay Pisharodi Breaks through the myths surrounding Ayurveda. He is both a Medical Doctor and also an Ayurvedic Practitioner. I enjoyed doing my internship in India with him, he is brilliant and amazing.
Author: Shelli Thompson
Health is EVERYTHING! I went to India to study medicine and do internship work, I came back changed forever. I am passionate about breathing because breath is life. Living, Laughing, Loving for more than 55 years.
Find the Healer Inside of You
I sit and try to write about the dry fall and what this does to our subtle energies but for some reason I am drawn to another subject today.
Recently my husband had a small procedure (dental) that turned into a major event, he asked me to apply Ayurveda to help with his healing. He is very open to what I say and ask him to do so he was one of the “easy ones” to treat.
One thing I noticed while treating him with various teas and rinses is he thought because what we were doing was so “difficult” he could understand why more people didn’t try Ayurveda.
If people really, truly, deeply cared about them selves they would make the effort? Do we live in a society of people who don’t have this type of regard for their own “self”?
I started to think, “this is what our style of society has made people start being, a society of people who have a pain and take a pill”.
We need to look deeper to see where the pain is coming from; covering it up is only a bandage. Ayurveda DOES take a bit of effort and as my friend whom I treat tells me it can be a “pain in the Ass” but it is THE ONLY thing working for her. She has learned to listen to herself, and this was her first step towards healing.
Everyone is different, some people are more sensitive, others will be healing and not know it, all of the signs will be there but they won’t notice them. We have been trained to NOT listen because we just “take something for the pain”. It’s not until we have a crisis we start to look for a different, perhaps better way to do things.
Unfortunately our crisis sometimes comes in the form of an Allopathic Doctor (western Doctor) telling you there is nothing more they can do for you. If you are a person that does not accept this news, you will most likely seek other forms of medicine. Eventually you find your way to Ayurveda, the “Science of Life”.
So back to what my husband said about Ayurveda being difficult. I know people think this yet I know we have a cellular knowledge and intelligence and if we listen to it, we will be more aware of what our bodies need. This knowledge is intrinsic in our nature but we have lost sight of it because our attention spans have shortened and we need/expect immediate results.
When you understand the deeper principals of Ayurveda it goes without saying, our energies affect everything and our Intentions are energy “ports” all of their own.
When we have intention and we set goals that we can visualize, we can manifest what we focus on, in this fashion it can be realized with the sort of life being led.
What we know about Ayurveda and the body is nutrition is partly dependent on the 6 tastes (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent, bitter).
Yet in our society, we have been used to taking a pill. Typically Ayurvedic treatments required a decoction or a combination of herbs in a liquid or powder form not in capsule form. Encapsulating totally bypasses one of the first processes of digestion which is taste.
According to Ayurveda each taste has an effect on different organs and thus related to different diseases when used in excess.
| Taste | Organ | Disease |
| Sweet | Spleen Pancreas | Diabetes, obesity, tumors, slow digestion |
| Sour | Small Intestine | Ulcers, boils, hemorrhage, thirst, fevers |
| Salty | Kidney | Hypertension, stones, swelling, wrinkled skin |
| Pungent | Lungs | Cough, bleeding, thirst, loss of energy, impotence |
| Astringent | Heart | Anemia, low BP, insomnia, gas, constipation |
| Bitter | Colin | Constipation, Depleted Tissues, distension |
So if our Intentions affect the outcome of things and our taste buds change what happens INSIDE our bodies, why would we want to bypass the biggest step in US healing our own selves? By being directly involved with the “making” of your herbal tea will encourage healing within you, your intentions are it will be healing and your sense of taste will start the healing while your tea is in your mouth.
Our cells are so smart, when we taste something, our bodies start to anticipate what will come next and secrete the proper mucus, hormone or what ever it is to facilitate what is about to happen. We fool our bodies with artificial sweeteners and then it fools us right back, but we don’t think it’s funny at all. The diet soda is “supposed” to help us lose weight but all it does is put the pounds on.
If a doctor was to say to you they were going to give you a bag of herbs, all mixed for what is bothering you, or lets step this up a level, they hand you the bag of herbs and say, “this will save your life, follow my instructions”.
They proceed to tell you to take the mixture, get a measuring spoon, measure out one teaspoon of the herbal mixture and put it in a pan. Take one cup of purified water and add to the pan of water. Put it on the stove and boil it for 5 to 7 minutes. Pull it off and let it cool, filter the fluid to remove the sediment and take a certain amount, 1 hour before eating.
Could you follow those instructions?
Please don’t say “no” because honestly you are insulting your own intelligence. I know 7 year olds that can follow these directions. No matter how it tastes or what a bother it feels like, I guarantee if it is helping, your body will be anticipating it’s arrival and making it will become a habit.
It’s all about taking responsibility for your health and really living, being productive and feeling great.
And so I wonder if life has just gotten to easy because we look for the short cuts in everything we do. We have machines doing many of the chores we used to do manually and we have put our health into our Doctors hands. We need to put our health back into our own hands, because who knows you, better than you?
Your Doctor is certainly a partner in your wellness, we need to listen and at the same time take responsibility because the healer is not your doctor, the healer is inside of you.
The Magic Of Tulsi
The Magic of Holy Basil or Tulsi
(Ocimum Tenuifloum)
Ayurveda considers that all disease is derived from stress whether environmental, nutritional, job related or mental. Because we all suffer from stress in some form it is wise to have tools to counteract the stress that seems to creep into our daily lives.
What are the tools that help control stress we already know about? There are many things that we can control, like our diet. Organic, local, fresh produce is always best. It is important to remember that our body deals with toxins that are not within our control every day. We don’t want to add to toxins by eating foods containing anti-biotics, pesticides and other harmful chemicals.
How stressful are your thoughts? Do you find yourself worrying about things that may possibly never happen? There’s a difference between being prepared and worrying about a catastrophic event. We make ourselves sick with worry and that leads to other health related concerns. This is another area that we have control over, it may not seem like it at times because our mind can be pretty powerful. With training in meditation and some activity along with proper diet and herbs, you can get your “run away” mind under control.
How can the magic of Tulsi support our bodies?
We can turn our focus to herbs with properties that assist the areas we need help with. When it comes to stress it is important to support the systems of the body what are some of the things that we look for?
- Adaptogens are great to include along with antioxidants to help rid the body of free radicals.
- Anti-inflammitory because many stress related diseases will present at first with inflammation and then progress to a higher disease state.
- Germicide, fungicide and natural anti-biotic to help the body fight off infections thus alleviating stress from illness.
- Diuretic and detoxifier to cleanse the kidney and reduce uric acid in the blood.
- Acetic acid to break down kidney stones
- Analgesic property to help with pain.
- Anti-carcinogenic to stop the progression of breast and oral cancers.
- Decongestant to assist with allergies.
It may sound like we would give you an entire handful of herbs to address all of these areas. There is one herb that checks off all the boxes.
Tulsi or Holy Basil is like Magic
- Headaches: Helps with all sorts of headaches from sinusitis to migraine due to its decongestive and analgesic properties.
- Stress: Normalizes Cortizon in the body is an adaptogen (anti-stress), soothes nerves, regulates blood circulation, fights stress produced free radicals.
- Kidney Stones: Dissolves stones due to acetic acid, diuretic, detoxifier, reduces Uric acid in blood good for Gout, analgesic.
- Quit Smoking: Reduces urge to smoke due to stress. Chewing the leaves when urge arises reduces stress.
- Diabetes: Antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, helps beta cells in pancreas to regulate release of insulin, increases the sensitivity to insulin lowering the blood sugar levels, helps cells overcome oxidative stress.
- Protects Heart: Tulsi is shown to lower cholesterol, especially LD types, keeps blood pressure lower, Eugenol (anti-oxidant) helps keep free radicals from damaging heart tissue.
- Fever: Germicide and a fungicide as well as an anti-biotic so it helps relieve fevers from the common infection to more serious diseases.
- Respiratory: Anti-bacterial, Anti-fungal, anti-allergetic, fights infections, relieves congestion and cough it a good expectorant and is immunomodulatory (good for the immune system)
- Hair and skin: Last but not least because of it’s purifying properties it is good for reducing acne and pimples. The anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties assist in preventing break outs. It purifies the blood when the leaves are chewed raw and it reduces excess hair fall and itchy scalp.
Enjoy the magic of Tulsi in your diet
Seasonal Cleansing, Get The Spring Back into your step.
Kapha season is late winter and early spring, time for seasonal cleansing.
At that time of year our Kapha energy is more likely to go out of balance. Kapha is immobile and stable and strong. During the late winter Kapha tends to accumulate, we become less active and many times we crave comfort foods which tend to be Kapha-genic. This is usually a time that suggests it’s time for seasonal cleansing.
With spring comes a shift in the weather and it becomes time to rid our bodies of excess Kapha. In order to do that we plan some seasonal cleansing (ridding ourself of excess Earth and water elements in order to avoid imbalance).
Ayurveda provides a nourishing and effective approach to seasonal cleansing of the body that seeks to balance and restore harmony to the system.
Ayurvedic Suggestions for Seasonal Cleansing:
Drink lots of water and shift your diet to lighter fare. What we eat has the greatest overall impact on our health and Most Americans get less than half the required amount of fiber-needed daily.
Ayurveda suggests a diet that support the bodies natural purification systems. Including complete servings of fiber and protein in order to stave off hunger between meals. Herbs and spices are used to help detoxify and cleanse the body as well as make the foods tastier.
What are some signs that you need Seasonal Cleansing?
- Crave Junk food and sugar but have a poor appetite
- You notice it takes longer to feel hungry after a meal
- You find yourself eating large portions
- Feeling heavy, congested or constipated
- Bloating and gas cause discomfort
- Feeling tired with little energy
- Mind feels a little foggy and “spaced out”
- Lack of motivation.
What is the first thing you need to do when preparing for a seasonal cleanse?
The first thing is to remove the foods that create sludge or Ama in the system such as foods with preservatives and additives, junk food, sugar, cheese, deep fried foods, carbonated drinks and left overs. These may be things that you normally do not consume but you may have found that some of them have snuck into your diet.
Do not eat raw foods, they are harder to digest and we are trying to cleanse the system. Foods that are cooked are partially digested since digestion is our systems way of cooking. Eat plenty of cooked vegetables and eat fresh fruits (ripened fruit is not considered raw as the ripening process is the plants way of “cooking” the fruit until it is done).
Eat foods that are whole, fresh and organic as much as possible and make sure you are eating according to your dosha. When we eat according to our dosha it makes the food easier to digest for each of us individually. Make sure and eat your cooked food warm and drink only warm or hot water.
Tea is a great way to help detoxify your body. Boil equal parts of coriander, cumin, fennel and ajwain, take it from the heat and let it set for about 20 minutes to seep. Drink the tea throughout the day, make fresh tea every day.
For seasonal cleansing the best vegetables are cabbage, celery and cilantro, and fresh ginger, and lemon are excellent herbs to assist the system your detox.
Get plenty of rest because a rested body will digest and assimilate the foods more effectively. Exercise is very important as it will increase your metabolic levels, help sweat out toxins and increase energy levels.
Using healthy oils on your skin and in your diet will help to loosen toxins embedded deep in the layers of the bodily tissues. Generally coconut oil for Pitta and Sesame oil for Kapha and Pitta.
Regular elimination is also important when seasonal cleansing, including lots of vegetables and fresh fruits in your diet will help such as cooked apples and pears, prunes, pomegranates and pineapple.
Within a week you will feel the fog lift and you will feel more energetic, as you continue you will feel lighter and release weight. When you began you may have been craving your old lifestyle, after a while you will wonder why you would ever want to go back to unhealthy eating again.
What’s For Dinner?
In our fast paced world with all of the conveniences at our fingertips it’s hard to imagine having enough time to actually cook a nutritious meal that doesn’t have some ingredient that is processed. Many recipe’s today include opening a can of this or a box of that. I may be a cooking snob but when I see these things I usually discard the recipe unless I can make the ingredient fresh.
The media helps us in this thinking that we need nothing but convenience when it comes to our meals. I love the Olympics so I dusted off the TV and turned it on and really enjoyed the stories of the athletes and their competitions. What I didn’t enjoy is the bombardment of the media and their convenience foods. The Mom talking about how “toasted” she is at the end of the day so she stops by KFC and gets her family a meal.
I was thinking now she isn’t only toasted she’s fried too!!
With a little bit of planning it is not difficult to cook healthy meals with nutritious single ingredient simple foods. The best place to start is on the weekend, this is a great time to plan the weeks meals and strategize about how to make it more simple and convenient. Planning ahead will guarantee you will have all ingredients at hand and any prepping can be done ahead of time.
Todays meal is Cajun Chicken Gumbo so I planned ahead.
This take about 7 hours to cook in a slow cooker so the best part about it is that you put everything together and leave it. When you get home, dinner is cooked.
Last night because we had a planned out meal it was simple to chop up the onions, peppers, celery and garlic and seal it up in the fridge. Then this morning I took 15 minutes to make my roux and cook my sausage at the same time and drain. A small amount of Italian sausage is the only processed item in this recipe, Gumbo just isn’t the same without it. When it is pre-cooked and drained it is much healthier than cooking it in the gumbo like most recipe’s call for.
Another thing that I do for convenience is that I can organic chicken breast meat in jars. It is amazing for quick meals where chicken is called for. I only use it if time is an issue or there is no chicken on hand, it is an amazing time saver. I will go through the steps for you so you can learn how to can your own chicken in an upcoming blog but for now lets stick to the gumbo.
Shelli’s Cajun Chicken Sausage Gumbo:
1/3 cup Flour
1/3 cup Canola oil/ cooking oil
3 cup Water
12 OZ Cooked Italian Sausage
1 1/2 cup Cooked Shredded Chicken
1 cup Onion chopped
3/4 cup Sweet Green Pepper chopped
1/2 cup Celery chopped
6 cloves Garlic minced
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
3 cups cooked rice
Prep time 30 minutes
Cook time 7 hours
To make roux: combine oil and flour in pan, cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes stirring constantly until it is a rich dark reddish brown color like the photo, set aside and let it cool (hint: take if off the heat before it is to the finish point and it will finish as the pan cools, make sure and stir it occasionally)
Cook and drain the sausage and cook and shred the chicken (or open a jar of home canned chicken)
Chop all vegetables.
Add 3 cups of water to a pan, add the roux, it will look like the photo
Add the sausage, chicken and vegetables and let it simmer all day.
When you get home it will be done. Serve over rice. it’s delicious!
Because dinner was so easy tonight, you can plan for tomorrows meal and prepare anything that needs to be chopped ahead of time.
A great hint if you don’t have a timer on your crock pot is to buy one for the wall and plug the crock pot into that, set the time for 7 hours and head off to work.
There is no substitute for fresh locally grown food that is cooked freshly delicious.
Bon Appetite!
Running on Fresh Legs
Running on fresh legs
Literally of figuratively speaking running on fresh legs gives you a new perspective.
Bad news is I woke up yesterday and found a delightful “sty” in my eye and so decided to take it easy in the exercise department until I could get it under control. It was just a two mile walk with the dog for me yesterday…….which is not the norm.
And so I start my day today, “sty” going away with my awesome home treatments, and a new perspective on things.
It’s a 5 mile day and I head out on fresh legs
Feels pretty good actually, the brain is as fresh as my legs and so off I go with some positive tunes flowing into my head, keeping the pace up.
You may agree and you may not, 6:00 to 7:00 is the best time to take a nice run. The air is crisp and clean. All is quiet and calm because school hasn’t started up here in Oregon, so all is sleepy with only a few commuters.
Sprinklers are sprinkling and so I go out of my way to run through them and feel the cool dots hitting my skin. The grass is so green and the sky is the bluest of blues.
All of it was there just for me this morning, giving me new eyes to see the beautiful doves that swooped and played. Only to see them later on a power line watching me as I ran by.
After that energizing start to the day, I finish my morning “stuff” and here I am, ready to start a day of learning something new with a new perspective, with Fresh Legs figuratively speaking.
That Fresh perspective is what it’s all about, what can you do that’s Fresh with this NEW day?
What I found is that taking a step back, a chill day…..even though I didn’t plan it, was really something I needed to INCREASE my PRODUCTIVITY because that is the bottom line. What more can I do for myself and do for others.
That new perspective is going to carry me pretty far on my fresh legs today, because after the 5 miler my new perspective seems even fresher and MORE vibrant.
So give yourself a Break, whether it be mentally or physically and see what it is like to run on fresh legs, I think you are going to like it.
Peace out 0>-(
The Really Important Things in Life
People can be interesting creatures.
Growing up it seems so easy to make friends and find someone to play a game of handball or swing from the monkey bars with.
It’s so easy to make friends, and find things to do even if it is just throwing rocks into a pond. The most simple things will keep a kid occupied for hours and hours.
Sometimes we keep these friends for a lifetime, sometimes they are with us for a season. People come and go in and out of our lives and that is just the way it works.
Then we finally grow up and we start having a family. Many times we get busy and lose contact with friends that we had “long ago”. Sometimes this is due to going in different directions or moving to a different area.
For what ever reason we find that our “pool” of friends is shrinking to a smaller group and it all seems due to life.
Then as we move into new areas of life, like starting a family we all start to grow new “support systems” and we find ourselves in the company of people that are in the “family growing” stage of life.
We depend on these friends for child watching trades, “play dates” with the kids or rides to the many activities that kids are involved in. These people are more than a support system, they become friends.
Are they lifetime friends, seasonal friends or there is a possibility that the only connection you ever have is what the kids are doing?
You just never know, it takes time to find out. In the 20 years of raising kids it all “shakes out” and you find that out of many contacts and friends you may retain one or two of these friends beyond the child rearing years, or maybe you don’t.
For what ever reason, we find that when the kids are grown, we have collected more lifetime friends, however once again, the circle of friends shrinks back a bit after the hectic child rearing years. I have to say the quiet is nice……….for a while.
As adults, we don’t play on the playground, usually don’t swing from the monkey bars…(I may be the exception to that) and we certainly don’t knock on the neighbors door and ask them if “they want to play”.
So how do we make new contacts and friends when we feel like a kid inside but the mirror tells a different story?
We all have friends on facebook………all 5,000 of them and out of all of those people, how many do you actually know? Maybe 100, and how many of them are close contacts? I just counted mine and I would say about 20 people that before last week I considered real friends and close contacts, now there is more, almost 20 more, so I have doubled my network. And I wasn’t swinging on the monkey bars either.
My experience this past weekend was with some very exceptional people who are studying natural medicine with me. Some of them I have known for 2 years and some of them I only met months ago, I know that they are lifetime friends.
What I find is that it doesn’t matter where we come from, what we look like or how we dress. What does matters is the “stuff” that is on the inside…..Our hearts and souls.
I have come to the conclusion this weekend that what brings us together is what is inside all of us.
Kids have so many friends because they have pure, clean hearts. Not usually tainted by some of the ugliness we find in the world, that is why making friends is as easy as hanging from the monkey bars.
It gets more difficult as we become adults and get hurt by others or cheated or even physically and mentally harmed. It becomes more difficult to open up to others because our trust levels go down, we can’t be sure of someone’s intentions.
So we keep ourselves “safe” and contract our circle.
Live life with an open mind and heart.
Open it up to receive all of the goodness that life has to offer. If we live in fear we miss so much of the beauty that life is about. The beauty of a new friendship, relationship or finding a lost love.
When you open yourself up to the beauty in life, that beauty will find you and fill your heart and soul with joy. You get in touch with what is really important in this world and it is not the material things.
The important things in life are the other souls that intertwine with your own. The hearts that beat the same beat as your own, the ideas and thoughts from others that create growth in our own self, and the relationships that we hold dear.
Nothing else really matters because without that base, without the energy from others to help us on our journey we will find it difficult to achieve the greatness we were put here on earth to achieve. We can only achieve that greatness with synergistic energy and we get that by combining ideas, thoughts, feelings and love for one another.
Ode To Sunny
Ode to Sunny
Little bits of sunshine is what they
gave her for a name,
Laying in the sunshine was her
very favorite game.
She wasn’t long on memory
try leaving for just one hour,
When you came back in the door
her bark would make you cower.
And so she went about her days with
many jobs to do,
Like cleaning eyes, sniffing scraps
and humping Riley-Roo…..
We love that girl and all she was
mighty and divine,
That’s why her name was right for her
Little Bits of Sunshine.
She showed her love in different ways
that to some was a surprise,
She’d bark and growl with just a hug
but it was a disguise.
To make you think that she was tough
a little bigger and really rough.
Go Brush your teeth at night we’d say
so she would go to bed,
She’d tuck her tail and turn around
and up the stairs she’d head.
She came to teach some lessons and
bring with her some blessings,
So now she has another job that makes
her wear some wings,
Love and hugs compassion too is what
she brought to us,
What we gave back in return is what
she taught to us.
Rest In Peace My Dear Friend.
Ode To Riley
Ode to Riley
Sometimes we have a friend for life
who has to go too soon,
to a place where we can’t go
it’s way up past the moon.
So Riley has his angels wings
‘cuz he’s been called back home,
to a place with lots of toys
and Big green fields to rome.
He taught us some important things
that he was here to teach,
Love and care compassion too
having patience within your reach.
His gentle eyes, his happy smile
we will surely miss,
When he got his call back home
You sent him with one last kiss.
We know that when we get these friends
They might leave before we are ready,
It’s one of the lessons that they teach
to make us much more steady.
My Mama, My Mama he would say
with just a simple hug,
He wanted the attention, him and his
silly Mug.
So now we must say goodbye to one
we hold so dear,
For we will meet again my friend of
that I have no fear.
Practitioners Year Part 1
WHEW!
Naturally everyone can relate to feeling a bit behind right? I have to say that’s a feeling that I am not used to at all. I am a list maker a scheduler, you know the sort of person, everyone does. Sometimes they make you sick with their organization……I admit it, I am one of these types.
I am that way in everything I do. School is no exception, the exception to that seems to be this year. Did I plan? Yes actually I did. So how did it happen? How did I manage to get behind in the very first Month of school……Honestly!!
It’s all about learning something new and for me it is more than just a few things. Number one is the new and very Awesome E-learning system we have in place this year, that I really didn’t explore as much as I thought I did.
Please refrain from laughing here……I logged onto the sight and found my class. In addition to classes on Tuesday and Thursday night that are live, we have a number of videos to watch. I could see the number of videos and it APPEARED to be 10 videos. Appear is the optimum word here because there were 4 sections of videos so I didn’t have 10 videos to watch, I had 40. YIKES!
Lesson number one: Fully Investigate anything new on the learning sight….Very Important.
I hope you are still not laughing because after this next statement you are going to think, “wow, how anal can someone be?” Honestly I had to work hard, and watch hours of video in a sitting to feel semi-caught up. Here’s the deal, I have never worked from a position of being behind, due to my list-making and scheduling, I am absolutely positive I do NOT like it.
Lesson number two: I do NOT like being behind, I know because I just seen me do it.
Okay all humor aside, seriously I have found out what my mental strength is all about. I could have cracked and quite frankly I may have done that last year when I found out the immensity of my mistake. Instead I pulled my boots up by the boot straps and did what I needed to do to get the job done.
I have a new schedule now. One that keeps the whip snapping and gets me closer to being where I want to be. Is it on the calendar? YOU BET! Do I have a list of the things that I need to do to get it done? Right in front of My face at all times.
Am I kicking my own ASS over the mistake I made…..HELL NO! Moving on.
So we continue on the journey of wellness in a world full of illness, with a group of individuals that are just as passionate about healing the world as I am.
I am truly blessed!
Exercise and Weight Loss, Let’s Have the Truth
Does Exercise really help you loose weight?
I hear this all the time and the only thing I have to say is, “it depends”.
I get a lot of weird looks with that answer having been a fitness professional for the past 27 plus years. I guess the expected answer would be, “Absolutely”. I understand their position. I am no spring chick, I have been in the fitness industry for years and years and I have no weight problem, and they think it is because I exercise “all the time”.
Naturally you know that’s an exaggeration because nobody exercises ALL THE TIME.
I have to explain to people that sure exercise keeps our entire body strong from the bones all the way to the heart. Our bodies were built to move and exert energy and when we don’t do that, we don’t feel our best and we may not even realize it.
I give them the old fitness speech then I move right in to nutrition. It’s not a 50/50 thing you know, just like relationships aren’t. We may want them to be but they aren’t. There is always one person pulling a little extra weight, the relationship works when it isn’t ALWAYS the same person doing the work.
Exercise and nutrition does NOT work like a relationship. If it did, Nutrition would probably divorce Exercise.
Continue reading “Exercise and Weight Loss, Let’s Have the Truth”
I’m Guilty
Okay, I’m guilty.
Not anything I am proud of, that’s the way things of this nature go.
I am guilty of being impatient.
Impatient with someone that I should not be. Impatient because things aren’t happening in MY time. Getting grouchy because they haven’t.
Honestly it came down to a time that a discussion needed to happen, I was so impatient that it had to happen RIGHT NOW.
I’m sure you have encountered “My Kind” before haven’t you?
We may say it’s our prerogative as a woman to change our mind, never was it written in the “guide lines” that we had the prerogative to be Impatient.
Impatience accomplishes absolutely nothing. People will move at their own pace, you will have a difficult time controlling that.
What we can control is our own emotions because we share them with others whether you like it or not.
Let’s talk……
What I found out is something I already knew, we came from two different environments. Two different styles of families and two different styles of parenting. That is what make us all individuals right?
From my side, I was the “over-looked” one. Quiet, didn’t need much attention, so I didn’t get it. With 2 other kids making a heck of a lot more noise than me, I understand how something like this can happen. My Immediate family is still all around within about 5 miles of me.
From the other side, the person was adored, never had to question the importance that they held in their family, splitting image of the father, who passed away at a young age. Grandparents to dote, and aunts and uncles as well. Many of whom have passed away.
Two totally different worlds.
I feel like I have to be heard, and charge to the front
From the other side, they are happy letting someone else win and take pleasure in their joy, they are able to sit back and wait to say something until it is important.
I am So Guilty.
As I read this I think I could use some of what this other person has.
I understand about the two different worlds and everything, now how about the impatience issue (which only belongs to me)
The other person explained it very simply to me in just one sentence.
They said, “You know I don’t really like to make people mad, I would rather not create anger directed at me. I have already lost so many people (to death) in my life and I really don’t want to lose anyone else, especially when they are alive”.
That was one of the most powerful sentences anyone has EVER said to me. I am sure I looked like a Deer in Headlights at that moment…..
Just when you think “you know everything” RIGHT?
I am GUILTY as Charged (charged by myself) because the person that I was talking to would never “gloat” or “charge me guilty”. They just ask for Understanding and Acceptance, that is the least that I can offer along with my Apology.
I am working on Patience, Many times it is directed at myself. I may slip because I am not perfect, I am a work in progress.
Thank You Virginia
Life is so interesting.
People come and go, the calendar page gets turned, time marches on, and on forever sometimes it seems.
Before you know it, 30 years have passed, you look at your baby daughter and she is 27 years old and you think to yourself, DANG!
When you are in the moment, it drags on or so it seems. Looking back it happens in a flash.
It goes by so fast and then we come to a time that we reflect back over the years.
Everyone does it, to a certain extent. “Did I make an impact in anybody’s life”?, “Have I done my best to make the world a better place”?, “What will I be remembered for”?, “Have I fulfilled my purpose in life”?
I know, these are some pretty deep questions and that is why it takes us so long to finally look a little deeper and ask them of our self.
You wonder about it and then something happens, quietly and unexpectedly, just out of the blue.
Someone reaches out.
On this occasion I received a beautiful card in the mail. The Actual US Postal Service with a stamp and everything…….You know how the electronic age can be.
This beautiful card was Hand Made AND it had bling on the front (A girls best friend).
I knew the card was on the way because the person contacted me and requested my address.
I wasn’t sure I knew who she was and so this opened up a lovely conversation over the internet and she turned out to be someone I went to High School with (you know that 30 years I was talking about earlier). We never really knew each other, she was much smarter than I was in academics, that would explain the lack of curriculum together.
Funny thing is that we both were aware that each other existed but in our busy teenaged life, we didn’t know each other.
I was loud, okay so I said it. She was shy and quiet.
We both had our challenges, everyone does in High School, that’s a pretty tough environment.
It was fun to hear her perspective on how life was in High School, as we chatted through email while the beautiful card she sent me was in route.
I couldn’t resist finding her in the year book, I had to dig it out first.
When I opened the book the thing that struck me first was the glorious fashion of the 80’s……..honestly what were we thinking, and yet it was so fun!
And so the day came when I opened my mailbox and what I had been waiting for had arrived. Did I get home and open it? Heck no, I ripped it right open in the car.
I was touched.
It made me smile.
It made me feel good.
It let me know that life throws curve balls at all of us, It’s how we catch it and make the play that counts. If we drop something we are juggling it’s about how we are able to fit that piece back into the puzzle and keep juggling.
If we focus on the things we drop, we may never make the play.
I was happy to know my friend has a happy, fulfilling, satisfying life. With a Husband of 20 years, 2 beautiful children, a Labradoodle (like we have).
She is one of the “Wild, Wacky Women” with a spirit that soars free.
In this beautiful card she has inspired me and made me realize that “YES” I have touched people’s lives.
How simple it is to be able to do that, because she touched my life in such a powerful way with her kindness.
She Reached Out.
Thank You from the bottom of my Heart Virginia.
Pull up Your Boot Straps
We all have them
Days you could live with out, right? I know you can relate.
Why does it always seem that these types of days just go from bad to worse? When you are having a bad day and it turns your thoughts negative, it attracts more negative right into your day.
It’s not the universe “paying you back” for something. It’s doesn’t just come out of the blue, you have to invite it in. Open the door and let the negative come right in, when what you should do is slam the door and tell it to go away.
Here’s the deal, we all have only one positive aspect to our mind, the other two are negative.
The universe listens to us and brings us the things we focus on. Now, the universe has no idea if we are focusing on that “thing” because we Desire it or if we are Repulsed by it. Our minds whirl around these two factors, desire and repulsion.
Our focus is there and so that is what we get, It comes down to the saying, “be careful what you ask for” or concentrate on.
Think about it, our mind Undulates, we vacillate, Procrastinate, Ruminate, Complicate. This leads us to gesticulate and the cycle just repeats itself
Until you stop it, because you are the only ones that can do that.
Evaluate and Eliminate:
Evaluate, the situation or the object
Eliminate, if it is more trouble than it’s worth, negative, going nowhere.
Educate and Formulate:
Educate, yourself and make a decision and GET GOING
Formulate, a Plan on how you will get to where you are going, tweak it.
Concentrate and Navigate:
Concentrate, and focus on the things you most desire
Navigate, Through the twists and turns of finding a new way.
Orchestrate, Accelerate, Substantiate:
Orchestrate, your own success, no body is going to do that for you
Accelerate, towards what you desire, start moving in that direction
Substantiate, give it substance, bring it to life, live and breathe your dream
Emanate, Escalate, Exhilarate, Communicate:
Emanate, Be the change you want to see.
Escalate, your plans because that is the only way to get to your new LIFE.
Exhilarate, Feel alive because YOU are Achieving what you deserve in life.
Communicate,joy to everyone you come into contact with.
Germinate, Compensate, Activate
Germinate, that Exhilaration into those with whom you have communication
Compensate, when you help, give of yourself, you will be compensated
Activate, the same Exhilaration in others and watch them germinate and grow.
Take these steps on the days that everything seems to go wrong. Allow your self to slam that door and keep the negative on the other side and move forward with a plan in your life.
You could get stuck in the mud
OR
You could pull your boots up by the straps and wade through the muck until you get to green pasture. This little guy made it and so can you.
Happy Birthday To Our Sweet Daughter
It was 27 years ago today that a great love affair was started. I became a Mother for the first time and it absolutely changed my life forever.
The moment I had waited for and planned for, didn’t come the way I had imagined it. The first thing I didn’t imagine is that I would be kept waiting for two weeks after my due date. You my dear were on your own time schedule, as far as you could see, there was no rush to get out into the world.
You made your appearance at just 12 minutes after midnight following a long day of being in labor.
And there you were, as beautiful as I had imagined. You were so interested in looking around at your new world, you didn’t cry you just sneezed, and sneezed and then our eyes met. Your beautiful blue eyes and we recognized each other as our heart beat on the same beat, synchronized forever.
I could not believe the miracle I was holding in my arms, an angel sent from heaven for me to love and to teach and to mold into the beautiful woman that you have become.
You amaze me every day with your beauty and your intelligence. I love your silly sense of humor and the practical way you look at the world. You are such a strong person and I have confidence in you that you can handle anything that comes your way.
I am so proud of you and everything you are. You are now and will always be a part of me. I think back on the years and how quickly they seemed to pass, and then I realize that even though it seems like yesterday that I held you in my arms for the first time, it actually is. 
Because each time we hug and I hold you in my arms it feels like that first time all over again and I am reminded of how much I Love, Admire and Cherish you for the beautiful person you are.
Happy Birthday My Sweet, Sweet Daughter. May every wish, every dream and every hope for your future be yours today and every day of the rest of your life.
Lower Cholesterol Naturally
Are you one of the 255 million people a year filling prescriptions to the tune of 19 billion dollars annually? This is just in the United States alone. Many do this instead of looking for ways to lower cholesterol naturally.
What do you know about the drugs you are currently taking? Are you aware of all the side effects? Some of them you can’t even feel.
I like to ask people, “What Do You Know About Pharmaceuticals?”
Let’s take a moment to take a look at statins for instance. Over the age of 45 years 1 in 4 americans take statins. That’s 25% of the population, that’s incredible. In fact it horrifies me that some doctors think this is a “miracle drug”. They joke that they would like to see it injected into the water supply. The only problem I see is that statement is it’s NOT funny. We should find ways to
lower cholesterol naturally.
I was surprised to find out statins are routinely prescribed for people over 45. Some of whom only have a slim chance of developing heart disease. I decided to educate myself on the side effects. It concerns me because my parents take statins.
First I wanted to look at the risk reduction and I was surprised to find that taking statins only lowered the POSSIBILITY of having a heart attack by 25% to 30%. The fact is that long term users are 50% more likely to develop diabetes. Another reason to
lower cholesterol naturally.
In my mind the pro’s do not out weigh the cons. I decided to continue digging and this is what I found.
Statins caused these side affects
Short term memory loss
depression
mood swings
liver disfunction
kidney failure
cataracts
muscle myopathy…..Chronic muscle pain.
Continue reading “Lower Cholesterol Naturally”
I Devote Time To My Family
Many times we forget to count our blessings, we think the problems out-weigh the blessings and if that’s the case you need to count again, chances are, you have missed some of the blessings.
Family is a blessing and sometimes because it is so much work we start to think of it as drudgery, when really family is one of the blessings we have and that is WHY it is so much work.
I know you have heard that things worth having are worth working for and I find this to be true. That is why this affirmation is so powerful when we take time to reflect on what we have in our lives.
I devote time to my family.
My family is by my side through thick and thin. We rise above all challenges because we stick together in both good times and bad.
I am a busy person. Not only do I work a fulltime job, but I also have other responsibilities. However, no responsibility is great enough to stop me from spending time with my family.
My children deserve to spend time with both of their parents. For this reason, we schedule family game or movie nights twice each week. We also eat dinner together every night.
Yes, sometimes the family huddles up around the TV for dinner. But, who cares if we are not sitting formally at a dinner table? As long as we’re together, everything is perfect!
My parents mean the world to me.
They raised, loved, and nurtured me into adulthood. Even if my schedule is hectic, I make it a point to call my parents often and setup a family brunch once each month.
I devote time to family, not because I feel obligated, but because I want to. I enjoy interacting with my children and watching them grow each day.
I make time for my spouse because we work very hard to maintain our quality of life and we deserve some alone time every now and then. At heart, we are still just two college kids in love and ready for anything! My marriage is one of my main priorities.
Today, I set aside all distractions and spend time with my family. Without the company of my family, all of the material things in this world would mean nothing. I cherish our bond and nurture it more and more each day.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. Do I place my career before my family?
2. How can my family spend quality time together without sitting in front of a television?
3. Do I pay enough attention to my spouse?
Gives you something to think about doesn’t it?
Do You Love and Accept Your Family Like a Mother Her Child?
We can love and accept when we try to, just about any day of the week. There is a difference between love and acceptance and the way that a Mother loves and accepts her children. Unfortunately this happens sometimes to the point of blindness however in most cases there is nothing like a Mothers love and acceptance.
Many people don’t think of their family in this perspective. Love and acceptance is enough right? No, not always because when you are referring to your family your love and acceptance needs to be without condition, like a Mother has for her children. Say this to your Self:
I love and accept my family as a mother loves her child.
The bond between a mother and her child is stronger than steel. Mothers love and forgive their children unconditionally. Children know that when they run to mom they always find open arms. Such is the love I have for my family.
The treasure hunter in me regularly seeks and finds the embodiment of hidden treasure in the richness of my family. I love my family because they make my life great.
My family is a soft pillow that I can rest my head on. I crave time with my family and my heart delights in watching them grow.
I am affectionate with my loved ones. My supply of hugs and kisses is always fully stocked. When I speak to my family, I use soft words of admiration because my goal is to nurture their self-esteem.
I take care of my family. Selflessly, I put their wants even before my own needs. My family is my gift from my Creator. Each member of my amazing family has a special place in my heart and a distinctive trait that I adore.
There is nothing my family members can do to lose my love. My heart toward them is filled with forgiveness, keeping no record of their offenses. When we have disagreements, we still value each other over our differences.
Just as a mother forgets her children’s misconduct, my family retains no recollection or history of wrongdoings.
I get along with my loved ones and I do my best to ensure that we get along with one another. My family and I share many traditions that bring us closer together and help us cherish our time with one another.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. Can I think of a distinctive trait of each of my family members?
2. What kind of words do I use with my family?
3. Am I keeping any records of offenses?
No matter the attitude of others we can rise above what is not desirable and choose to forgive even when we feel that we are not forgiven. Holding negative thoughts or grudges only damages the person holding onto them.
Looking forward to Spending Time With Your Family
So many times in our hectic world we get so stressed out that we really do forget that we look forward to spending time with out family. Everyone is so busy and sometimes it seems like a chore to go to a baseball game or a recital. We need to take the time to remember that we are spending time with and supporting those that we love the most. Take a deep breath and remind your self of a few things. Affirmations are a great way to get back on track so say this to your self.
I look forward to spending time with my family.
Spending quality time with my family is just one of the ways I show them how much I love them. I seek opportunities to get away with my loved ones. The time we spend together is completely voluntary.
The time that I give my family is an investment in our relationship. More than money, time is the greatest gift I can give to a person. My loved ones benefit deeply from the time I give them.
I look forward to spending time with my family every day. When I get home from work, I make it a point to devote more time to my family than I do to the television because the people in my life are worth more than my entertainment.
On the weekend, I carve out time to devote to my family. Whether we are doing chores indoors or enjoying some downtime outside, our time together makes me rich. Simply being in each other’s company is enough to ensure a pleasant time.
I have a positive outlook on family time. Our time is marked by laughter, songs, games, and harmony. Peace is present in my home; therefore our time together is pleasant.
I look forward to the summer, when my children are out of school and we get to spend even more time together. The memories I make with my family during summer vacations will stay with my children for years to come.
Today, I choose to reignite my passion for my family by spending time with them. I look forward to making new memories with my loved ones.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. Does my time spent with family feel forced or voluntary?
2. What can I do to improve the quality of the time I spend with my family?
3. How can I show my loved ones that I enjoy being around them?
Taking time out for this simple affirmation will get you on the right track and right frame of mind when spending time with your family. Life is stressful whether you work outside the home or not, Being happy is up to all of us as individuals. Find out more about happiness, don’t wait, CLICK HERE to find out more.