fun learning

            Curiosity motivates us to learn, encouragement inspires us to thrive.  If I were independently wealthy I would take classes all the time.  But - and here's the caveat - it's got to be fun.  More so than the all-season gray skies in Belgium, I left Brussels because I was fed up with the dusty post secondary academic system that seeped all the way into creative fields like my design studies.  I felt inhibited and put down, instead of motivated and inspired.  That's how I landed on the shores of this country where I found a much more open learning environment (I'll leave the financial picture out of the conversation because that's a whole other discussion).

            I find that in general college education here encourages inquisitiveness, individualism, creative thinking and doing, critical-analytical thinking, and is practically oriented.   Many institutions have beautiful facilities with new buildings, great lab and studio spaces, well designed sports and communal facilities, all of which foster a positive learning environment.  I have experienced encouraging, nurturing, personal relationships with professors who work with, not above, the students - a totally different atmosphere than I knew from Europe where I encountered condescending professors on pedestals assured of their superiority.

            A Parisian friend said to me a while ago that France's dusty, staid, academic environment discourages exploring and voicing novel theories and inhibits innovation in research.  The best learning environments foster an inquisitiveness of seeing the world through children's eyes, full of wonderment and curiosity and of "what if?".  I love learning.

making new out of old

            Recycling is a good thing, even when it comes to information.  We all lead such busy lives that I bet you haven't had a chance to go back in the blog archive and browse through some of the older posts.  Today, therefore, I have put together a glimpse into the treasure trove of fun old blog posts, to discover for the first time or discover anew, and across all categories so it's more fun. 

             Do you remember seeing this post on communication that face-to-face is best?  A really important food concept is not wasting any of it.  Here a post titled nose to tail on eating all parts of an animal (if you choose to eat meat), not just steaks and chops (and where does the rest go anyway?).  No one likes to lose.  Here a post on creating win-win situations. 

            Journeying into heartland is good for you, better than trying to be brainy all the time.  Here a post on a new healing /medical paradigm, so much more proactive!  I think it's important to give within your means - take a look.   New ways of thinking in a more cooperative way let us be inspired by nature, read this post on working with nature, not against it.  You already probably know that the best things in life are free.  Here a post on living in the Now, and one on how we see the world.  And a few more - one on making healthy snacks, on ditching your microwave, and on making a three-course meal in 25 minutes.  Enjoy!

voting for, not against

            On the day before this historic election I'd like to make the case for the difference between voting for, as opposed to voting against, or not voting at all. 

            When you vote against, as in "I don't like green tomatoes," you have not yet defined what you actually like.  You might like red tomatoes, you might not like tomatoes at all, you might like green beans best, but deciding not to buy green tomatoes still does not put dinner on the table.. 

            When you go to the store and buy battery cage chicken eggs you vote for that type of agriculture and for cheap eggs with your money because you are putting money towards that end.  When you vote for anything you clearly state "This is what I want." 

            When you abstain from voting you avoid making a decision.  Say you need a dress for an event and find several that you like and that are suitable, but can't make up your mind and leave the store empty handed.  On the day of the event you still need to wear something, so you end up wearing something you had in your closet but that you don't really feel good about.

            It is true that in life you can't always get what you want.  In the wintertime there are no strawberries.  Instead of being mad that you can't find good strawberries, find the best pomegranates or tangerines you can and leave it at that.

            It's better to vote for something with full conviction of voting for, than not voting or voting against.  When you don't vote you leave the decision to others.

making time work for you

            Intent is everything because it puts forth a desired outcome.  Instead of letting life take its course - que sera sera - predefining what you want helps to transport you towards your goal.  In time management this kind of intent can be very helpful.  A while ago I wrote a blog post on the elasticity of time.  This elasticity comes to play in time management.   Setting a goal of what you want to accomplish within a certain timeframe sets the framework, after that let the universe help you.  You need to be very clear, though, in stating what exactly you want to accomplish, and define the timeframe clearly.  Putting it in writing, such as on your to-do-list, is better than just thinking it in your mind.  An example might be "I must get to the airport by 1PM," or "I will finish answering all my emails from yesterday by 10AM."  Give it a try, I know it works.

2016 resolutions

             Oh those fashionable New Year's resolutions.  Do you make them?  Do you keep them?  Do you drop them?  Yesterday, while in Manhattan, I was interviewed on the street by a Japanese TV station about New Year's resolutions.  I told them that I don't make them, and that the success rate of keeping to them isn't terribly encouraging.  According to the Statistic Brain Research Institute about half of Americans make them, and about half of those maintain them for the first half of the year; 39% of people in their twenties achieve them, while only 15% of people over 50 do. 

            All of that doesn't mean that I am without gumption and don't have goals.  It's just that I don't feel I need to wait until December rolls around to make a plan, although better December than never.  In order to stick to a resolution you have to make it a habit, and a habit builds after about a month of doing something regularly.  And the resolution has to have a deep and long-term meaning so it's still attractive come February or March.  Another piece to the success of any resolution is some kind of a contract with yourself so that you cannot back out so easily.  You might announce your plan out loud to some family members or friends.  That way it becomes more difficult to pull out than if you kept it to yourself.  Or reward yourself for sticking with it.  Earlier this year I absolutely wanted to finish the third-to-last chapter of my upcoming book and I love shoes.  The contract with myself was that I got to buy a new pair of shoes once I finished that chapter.  It got done pretty fast!

what makes me happy

Here are some of the things that make me content and happy: a sense of inner peace; feeling safe and protected; a sense of abundance and the knowledge that I have all I need; friendship and togetherness (very very important) and being part of a network; giving and experiencing kindness; self-realization or expressing myself through what I do and what and who I surround myself with; giving and sharing; being appreciated and respected by others; when those around me are well and content. Things that don't contribute to my happiness: A new car seems pretty irrelevant to my happiness (mine is pretty beat up and not very new and is a fine means of transporting stuff and people around the way it is); expensive jewelry (wouldn't want to worry about it, bling is just as pretty); expensive name brands (waste of money, only feeds luxury corporations, the actual value of such items is probably 10% of what they cost).

Sure, if I won the lottery I'd go on safari in Africa. But I am perfectly happy not going on safari in Africa. Money can buy basic creature comforts but not happiness. I wonder what makes you happy?

going paleo?

Is the Paleo Diet another one of those diet fads like the Atkins Diet or the South Beach Diet?   Come to think of it, there may be a bit more to it, indeed. The so called Western Diet, which is now traveling east and infecting Europe, India and China, is full of sugar and starches. Given that starches in the form of grains, and transformed into bread, pasta, pizza and cereals - our new daily staples, have only been in our diet since the advent of agriculture about 10,000 years ago, they seem to throw our million-and-some year old digestive systems for a loop. Add to the starches the addicting amounts of sugar we seem powerless to control because big food puts them into everything from pickles (why?) and mustard, mayonnaise (serious?) and bread (what's it doing in there?), to pasta sauce, breakfast cereals, soft drinks, and whatever else they can find, you may be in for a health mess unless you cook everything from scratch. And it (the health mess) shows - Celiac disease, diabetes 1 and 2, rheumatoid arthritis, gluten sensitivity in general, perhaps even cancer, too - all seem to point to the same evil - sugar and grains, and are on a drastic rise. I admit that I used to boast that my digestive system could handle all that grain, and what was it with all those gluten intolerant people.  After all, I grew up in the land of baguette and croissants, and was born in the land of the crusty breads.  Yet a recent diagnosis of Diabetes Type 1 in a close relative hit home and made me think again.

The Paleo Diet cuts those two culprits out - no refined sugar, no grains. Instead, meat and fish in small quantities, no or limited dairy (my homeopathic MD recently said dryly "dairy is overrated and usually adulterated" - unless you go raw), lots of vegetables (and preferably not the starchy kind - keep it green), some fruits, as well as nuts.   Stories abound of healing diabetes 1 and 2 (yes, both), Celiac and various inflammatory and auto-immune conditions by going gluten-free or following the Paleo Diet. I'm trying it.

test post

test post

dream on

“If you limit your actions in life to things that nobody can possibly find fault with, you will not do much!” Lewis Carroll wrote. Carroll warns us from living in fear and invites us to dare living life to the fullest. Indeed, if you lead your life to please others, well, stop. No need to apologize for being you, for doing things you like to do, and doing them the way you like to do them.   If you want to dye your hair red or green, do it. If you want to take a belly dancing class, go do it. If you want to go swimming with the dolphins, plan a trip. If you have a secret passion, go live it. If you hate your job, imagine a different one.

It is so easy to find excuses. And sometimes it takes a while to fulfill a dream. But dreaming (with intent) is not only fun but the groundwork for fulfilling your dream (see a previous blog post "amazing intent" on this). We are often not so good with the imagining part. But that's the part that sets things in the universe into motion. The better you imagine what you want to manifest the more real it becomes in your mind.

Lewis Carroll's Alice asks the Cheshire Cat: "Where should I go?" to which the cat replies "That depends on where you want to end up."  That's the whole point. If you can imagine where you want to end up you can get there. But you must imagine your goal. Otherwise the universe doesn't get a clear message. Dream on! That's the beginning to getting from here to there.

relish your eggs, yolk and all

         Egg whites sans yolk became the virtuous thing to eat in recent years because of the misguided cholesterol scare (I recently wrote about the fat myth). I find egg whites by themselves bland and love my yolks. Rather, I live for the yolk and eat the white just because it happens to come with it, although egg whites do have their place in chocolate mousse and meringues. The deep yellow oozy yolk, warm and runny, is just soooo delicious (see a post on my soft spot for soft boiled eggs). Egg yolks were vilified by a culture that was quick to believe one-sided and misinterpreted scientific tests, and valued scientifically engineered food products over what nature made. The food industry saw a quick profit in our fear of cholesterol (take a look at information from the Weston Price Foundation on the misguided cholesterol myth). Hence those egg white omelets, and egg products like desiccated egg white powder, substitute egg mix, and liquid egg whites in a carton.

         Not only are eggs one of the healthiest foods on earth, they are also a brain food, provide one of the highest levels of protein, and are an excellent source of vitamin D (eat more of them in the wintertime when you don't get out into the sun as much) and minerals. The much bigger problem is the low quality of eggs coming from industrialized mass egg productions and the egg products made from them. Do eat eggs, but buy them from a local farmer who lets the chickens roam and eat grubs (see a blog post on that as well).  If you want to save food $ consider cutting back drastically on your meat consumption and getting more of your protein from the best quality eggs you can find.

In the end, we are better off looking at the causes of cardio-vascular and heart disease from an emotional perspective, which merits a blog post in itself, rather than making cholesterol the culprit.  So - have your eggs and eat them too!