a million years!

               I am a bit obsessive-compulsive when it comes to recycling because I want to make sure nothing that doesn't need to go to the landfill goes there.  In the kitchen, in the spot originally designed for the trash can, I have a big recycling bin for the usual paper/glass jars/bottles/various packaging items, which the weekly collection truck picks up.  A canvas bag hangs behind the pantry door for the returnable bottles and cans for which I get 5c each back from the supermarket.  In another canvas bag behind the pantry door I collect recyclable plastic bags - the supermarket has a drop-off bin for them.  And then I have a bucket for all the produce scraps, eggshells and tealeaves that we compost in the composting bin in the backyard.  I recycle clothing six ways from Sunday - by giving it away, bringing it to the second hand or thrift shops in my area, or dropping it into one of the many clothing drops.  Cable, phone stuff and very small electronics go to Best Buy, but a few old phones are lingering on the hallway table while I am trying to figure out what to do with them.   

            My son always comments that the back of my car looks like a junk yard.  Indeed, it can get crowded back there between the mountain of reusable shopping bags, two freezer bags (you never know), various items waiting to be dropped off somewhere, and the carton I use to safely transport my weekly raw milk, yogurt and egg order back from the farm.

            The only thing I am really frustrated about is styrofoam.  They don't accept it for recycling anywhere in our area and it will linger in the landfill for a million or so years! No kidding!

            Also revisit a previous post on the joys of composting and one on wasting less.

the earth is all we have

             Let's not throw her to the dogs, let's not pollute her any longer, or blow her up to smithereens, we can't go live on the Moon or Mars.  Besides, I kind of like it here.  Do you?

            Without the Earth we're nothing.  We do not exist without her, at least not in our human form.  The Earth furnishes us with everything we need, food, fuel, material for shelter and clothing, and beyond those basics beauty and wonder.  Gaia and you and I are one.  She exists so we can experience her and all of us together.  

            On this Earth Day consider becoming aware of what you see and experience, then unravel it backwards to unearth what beliefs lie behind it, under it, buried.   What you experience and see is based on your thoughts and beliefs.  On this Earth Day the second phase of our solar installation is being completed so we can produce 100% of the energy we consume.  Zero footprint.  It's about mutual respect, and it's an investment in the future of our planet.

            Also take a look at this one and that previous Earth Day posts.

chaos or not?

             Nature can seem messy and disorganized. Gardening for example is not nature because we impose our sense of order on that little landscaped piece we call garden or backyard. 

            When our life is turned upside down due to a sudden change or upset we perceive it is chaotic because the order and patterns we have created are undone.  "Chaos is order without predictability," my yoga teacher so wisely said recently.  The universe has laws, nature has patterns, but we don't always understand or see them from our down-in-the-trenches perspective.  When things become unpredictable we call them chaotic.   Change can seem scary because we wade into unchartered territory; sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel remains very dim or even invisible for some time.  We wish for control and certainty because change requires us to shift, think differently, get out of our comfort zone, change patterns and ways of doing things.  

            But chaos and confusion can also be seen as full of opportunity, like a pregnant pause, a nudge from the universe to rearrange things.  In hindsight messy upsets usually and eventually reset themselves into new patterns that make sense once again.  Meanwhile, sometimes we just have to trust the universe for being wayyyy ahead of us and seeing the bigger picture.

good dental diet

             A few days ago, when I went for my biannual cleaning, the dental hygienist noticed that I had a lot less plaque than the last time around.  Lo and behold, we changed our diet quite a bit since then, cutting out almost all sugars, refined carbs, all starchy and sweet vegetables, as well as most grains, and eating a lot more vegetables in general.

            In the 1930s dentist Weston Price studied the relationship between dental health and diet of indigenous people versus people from industrialized countries.  His famous study linked deformed arches and crooked teeth as well as poor general immunity to poor diet, not only in Western people but also in the younger indigenous generation whose parents had adopted more Western types of foods.  Nowadays we are quite aware of the effect of sugar on teeth, but Price also pointed deeper, to vitamin and mineral deficiencies in food due to poor soil conditions - already then.  From our present perspective, almost a century later, with processed foods having crowded out even more whole plant-based foods from our diet, and from knowing that our soils are yet more mineral deficient, the picture looks even worse.  When I was a kid it was quite rare for children to get braces; now it seems so ubiquitous.  

            The message is clear - cut out the sugar, increase your veggies, and opt for organics if you can, since plant-based organic foods have a considerably higher mineral and vitamin content.  The Weston Price study shows that your grandchildren will thank you for it.

dull Jack

            The well known proverb "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" is something to contemplate in our culture that is so focused on making the next buck, answering your work cell on week-ends, and generally racing towards retirement when you can finally collapse.  Not so fast!  Actually, please come to a screeching halt. 

            In general, Europeans don't have to be taught to go play, have fun, go on vacation, attend cultural events and read a book every once in a while.  But here, where it's virtuous to be a good corporate soldier, we need a reality check every once in a while. 

            When you're in a rut your productivity goes down, your motivation goes down, and the excitement of waking up every morning and creating a brand new day with a million possibilities vanishes.  If your stress level is always on HIGH, if you're always ON, your pleasure hormones can't get through because the stress hormones are on a chronic ON.  Not only that, you become a dull person with a single focus - work. 

            Instead, why not develop an activity or an interest that intrigues you?  Research it, immerse yourself, become an expert.  Something else to talk about when you get together with friends.    Always work talk is boring.  When you meet someone new in Europe the first question will almost never be "so what do you do?"  In fact, people usually talk about everything but work when they get together socially.  

            Something to consider.

veggie candy

           Here is an ode to the avocado.  If you are not so convinced that vegetables are the single best thing you can't overdo in your diet consider my favorite veggie "candy."  Avocados are not only a fabulous superfood but also utterly delicious in their creamyness and so versatile.   Like truffles they go both the savory and the sweet way (...alright, so truffles may be in a league of their own).  I love them for breakfast (I have never liked sweet breakfasts, maybe because of my German upbringing) mashed up with some lemon, dulse flakes, sea salt and chia seeds, and a toasted Ezekiel tortilla, or smashed up on a piece of warm toast with some salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Because of their high fat content (77% of their calories are from fat, 18-30% of a Hass avocado is fat - Hass are the ones you want, not the bigger, more watery, less fatty Florida avocados) you won't be hungry until lunchtime if you eat one for breakfast.  Avocados go the sweet way, too, because of their mild and relatively neutral taste.  Try this avocado-chocolate mousse recipe, two superfoods in one dessert, and super delicious.  I love avocado salad dressing, basically a lemon juice/olive oil vinaigrette with some avocado creamed into it.  And follow this link to much more exotic and creative uses for avocados (not sure about the foot scrub, though, sounds like a waste of good food).

            And what exactly is so good about avocados?  They are nutrient dense, high in fiber and rich in healthy monounsatured fats (oleic acid specifically, which helps lower cholesterol and triglycerides and reduces inflammation), they contain lutein (for eye health), folate (especially important when pregnant), vitamin E, vitamin B6 (regulates sexual hormones - the Aztecs associated avocados with fertility, the Mayas with aphrodisiacs), glutathione (a cancer fighter), potassium (double that of bananas), and magnesium.  Avocados are highly alkaline and alkalizing, which helps to reduce inflammatory conditions and stabilizes blood sugars.   And lastly, if you are not into spending an upcharge for organic avocados, conventional ones show almost zero pesticide residue due to their thick skins.

            I buy avocados in very large quantities, keep them in the fridge and pull several out at a time so I always have enough ripe ones around.  

on contentment

I feel content right now.  Contentment is a feeling that leaves nothing wanting. The current moment is perfect.  I am deeply relaxed and everything is alright.  It feels peaceful and somewhat meditative as nothing is rushing in on me that needs immediate attention or couldn't wait.  It is somewhat of a mild feeling, nothing like exuberance, joy or exhilaration, more like a quiet happiness that is deeply satisfying.  I feel it after a yoga session, I feel it when I am not under pressure, and I feel it right now.  I hope it'll last a bit.

                                            When was the last time you felt contentedness?

om

                 Sound baths have gone mainstream, as the NY Times reported in an article last year.  I am listening to one as I write this - these days you can find anything on the internet, in this case YouTube, even a sound bath.    Sound can be every bit as healing as say a massage, or a pill, or acupuncture.  Sound is of course frequency and our bodies all vibrate at a particular frequency.  A healthy body vibrates above 62MHz.  Darker emotions (sadness, anger, frustration) are an expression of lower frequencies by the way, as is illness, lighter emotions (pleasure, joy, contentment) of higher ones.  The higher on the frequency scale we operate the"holer," the more whole or healed we become.    Sound and gong baths  help to realign us with our natural frequency.  In sound baths Tibetan singing bowls or crystal bowls of different sizes are made to vibrate at different frequencies when a wooden mallet is rubbed around their rims.   While listening our body attunes to the frequency of the bowls.  Read more here about the science behind sound and gong baths.

time to stop

            Although routines are necessary to create a framework and to avoid reinventing our everyday life over and over they can also become drudgery.  That's when it's time to stop.  It's not always that a fancy trip to elsewhere is necessary, which brings its own kind of traveling stress with it. 

            My daughter was off for spring break this week and I let my scheduling reins loose and had some fun.  I slept in, not as late as on week-ends, but later than my usual 5:30AM wake-up call. I worked a few hours less, no yoga this week, did some more cooking (I love trying out new recipes), sat with my daughter for her late breakfast and a chat, and had a few outings with her - some shopping, a community clothing swap, haircuts, a lunch out, a walk around town.  All calm and quiet and relaxed. 

            Yes, if you know me, I did feel a bit guilty (like playing hooky from work).  But then again I felt so free, so privileged to be able to take this time, so content, so much more relaxed.  In our hectic culture time is utter luxury.  Slowing down is worth every minute!

the human touch

            Most of the time I feel a bit guilty when I take care of myself (and call it pampering).  But massages actually accomplish several worthwhile things besides pure indulgence.  For one you get total downtime (your only obligation is to show up, lie on the table, enjoy and think sweet thoughts), you also reconnect with your body, get to enjoy the pleasures of caring human touch, and last but not least knots and tension dissolve under the massage therapist's knowledgeable hands.  Author and physician Christiane Northrup writes "Touch is a basic human need, so meet it shamelessly."  Did you know that gentle touch actually releases the pleasure hormone oxytocin and melts away stress?

            It's easy to make excuses, especially the money kind.  Consider swapping a massage for something you do well through an hour-exchange.  No money spent. What better way to spend 30 or 60 minutes?