life

Spirituality

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I went camping in Yosemite for three nights, four days and had a spiritual experience.

When I’m asked what religion I am, I say I’m agnostic. I don’t know if a God exists one way or another as I don’t have tangible proof of either. And I don’t presume to know what others should or should not believe in, but I do find that my religion is found in nature.

Spirituality is the state of being spiritual, and being spiritual mostly relates to religious matters of the spirit. (At least for purposes of this blog, these are the definitions I’ll be using…)

I’ve struggled all my life with how organized religions often preached love yet they’re in fact some of the most intolerant and evil-minded organizations out there, and they often believe that others must believe as they do.

I couldn’t imagine this was religion. So I shunned it. For many years. But as I got older, I began to truly question it and my search through theology and philosophy and experience led me to finding a religion that made sense to me. That I could see in front of me. That I could experience the truth of.

Nature.

Natural forces don’t care about your feelings and sorry to say, but they don’t care about your religious beliefs either. They are Cause and Effect. They are life.

Answers can be found in nature. Causality. The Food Chain. Life. Death. Family.

“The world is emblematic. Parts of speech are metaphors, because the whole of nature is a metaphor of the human mind.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

11 Positive Things About Moving

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Craigslist scams, application fees, anxiety…

My husband and I were given sixty days to vacate our apartment because our new property management company wants to remodel the building. We have lived here for over two years and like it but with no choice, we’ve had to get looking.

As the negative aspects of moving started to sprout, I realized I had to nip those before they grew. So instead, I decided to focus on the positive things. Positivity begets positivity and I believe in making it swirl all around me. (FYI – it worked, we found a place that is absolutely amazing!)

11 Positive Things About Moving 

1. It’s a time to purge oneself of unnecessary material things.

2. Rediscovery of lost items. (so that’s what happened to that ring…)

3. New beginnings.

4. Fresh paint and new carpet.

5. Making $$ from a garage sale.

6. Makes it easier to make other changes with a new beginning…

7. New restaurants to discover within walking distance.

8. A change in routine. That’s good for the soul.

9. Housewarming parties!

10. Opportunity to find a place that corrects what was wrong with your current place.

11. A clean slate with new neighbors ;)

 

 

Make Healthy A Habit – Three Months Later

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It’s been three months since I decided to change things and make healthy a habit.

I wish I could write about how great it’s all been and how healthy has become so much a habit for me that I don’t have to focus on it…. but I’m not going to lie. It hasn’t been easy. And focus is exactly what keeps me going with it.

Allow me to explain…

My goal for making these changes to begin with is so I can live a healthier life and make the best decisions I can for my mind and body. Sounds smart, right?

But has it been easy? No. Not in the slightest.

I’ve had days where I threw caution out the window and reverted to the unhealthy habits I’m trying to get rid of. More than I care to admit actually. Things like deciding to go for the easy drive-thru meal rather than making a healthier one. Or opting for a third glass of wine, for the second day in a row.

No one is perfect and I’m fully aware of that. I’m far from it and I have no plans to live in a bubble. There are times for celebration and a little debauchery (granted it hurts no one other than yourself) but those should be the rarity, not the norm.

So, yes, I’ve had some struggles with reverting back to bad habits as time goes on and life kicks back in and the plans I made for the New Year just aren’t as shiny as they once were, now that the practicality of them has settled in while the romance has vanished.

But, and this is a big BUT, things have changed.

When I was pondering why I still made choices that are unhealthy for me, I realized something – they’re happening much less then before I made healthy a habit.

I’m much more conscious of living healthier now and even though my bad habits try to rope me back in, I’m able to resist them more by reminding myself of why I don’t want to make those choices any longer.

And the more I resist them, the easier it gets.

Here’s what I’ve found:

Three weeks may not make a habit, but it does change your focus.

And isn’t that the beginning for any real change? After all, how can you change something within if your focus on it hasn’t changed?

So while I may still have bad days, they are fewer then before. And changing my focus to be healthier these past three months has absolutely led to many wonderful things – regular weekly yoga, less processed food, healthier snacking and much more.

Personally, I think the key to changing one’s habits is being conscious about the ones you want to break and the new ones you want to make and then taking action, over and over again, to do so.

And know, it is not easy.  But then, what of value is?

Make healthy a habit. #makehealthyahabit

 

 

11 Things I believed at 28 that I no longer believe at 38

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2006. Apple stores had only been around for five years. You Tube was relatively new and smart phones had yet to come out… And I was 28 years old.

It’s always fascinating for me to reflect on the past and see how I’ve evolved and changed over the years.

A few nights ago, I was thinking about how much I used to hate having a regular schedule. Sure, I would work my regular three shifts at a local restaurant, but everything else was constantly in flux and I loved it. Now though, I’m feeling a little different. I’m finding I like having a regular set schedule to work on writing, filming and reading rather than the constantly changing day-to-day life I once thrived on.

Well, I started thinking about other things I had believed a decade ago that I no longer do and decided to write a blog post on them. So without further ado…

11 Things I believed at 28 that I no longer believe at 38

1. Politics are boring.

2. Healthy food is “low fat” products and vegetables.

3. Success is defined by my job.

4. I will always be thin without effort.

5. “Garden State” is a great film.

6. Myspace is cool.

7. Fifty is old.

8. Television sucks. (FYI – it was still the heyday of reality television.)

9. Music is best blasting loudly.

10. I’ll miss smoking cigarettes forever.

11. I don’t need anyone.

 

I’d love to hear how others have changed… please feel free to share!

Make Healthy A Habit – Day Fifteen

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Today marks the end of the second week of my 21-day Make Healthy A Habit project.

And I am already reaping the benefits…

My body is less bloated.

My mind is clearer.

I’ve lost four pounds.

And my husband and I have grown closer as we do this together.

Now, I know making healthy a habit does not happen overnight. It takes day by day. But the starting point is the roughest part, at least for me, and after a couple weeks, I’m feeling better than ever and invigorated to keep it going till it does indeed become a habit and start to happen more automatic.

As I made my lunch of a BLT with avocado and kale chips, I realized that’s definitely already started. I haven’t had a french fry in two weeks and didn’t even notice till now.

Make healthy a habit. #makehealthyahabit

 

**For the original idea, please visit here.

 

 

Make Healthy A Habit – Day Eleven

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Today was all about focusing on what I’ve chosen to do – make healthy a habit and get rid of my unhealthy ones.

I know this is the right thing for me and I’m aware of why I’m doing it.

It hasn’t been easy but that’s okay.

And as I was thinking about these things today, I realized something has come in very handy for me during this time of change…

Self pep talks.

They’re incredibly helpful to remind me of why I’m doing what I’m doing so I can either keep doing it or stop. They help keep me going when the going gets tough.

And each day, change sets in a little more.

Make healthy a habit. #makehealthyahabit

 

**For the original idea, please visit here.

 

Make Healthy A Habit – Day Nine

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Have Courage, Will Travel

 

I feel a bit like at an intersection.

One direction is the easy road.

The other direction, the not easy road.

I look both ways.

 

Life is choice and sacrifice.

The universe is the show.

Each day is another step.

I know which direction to take.

 

“Our lives improve only when we take chances and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves.”

-Walter Anderson

 

Make healthy a habit. #makehealthyahabit

 

**For the original idea, please visit here.

 

 

 

 

 

Make Healthy A Habit – Day Three

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As I was planning the list of errands I wanted to do today, I thought about how I would often bike ride instead of drive when doing errands but haven’t really done so in a while.

I realized it’s because the weather has gotten colder. And the day’s sunlight has shortened. And well, it’s been raining.

And then I felt like laughing at myself.

Really? Am I that soft that I can’t handle a little adverse weather conditions while on my bike?

I did not want that answer to be yes so I bundled up and hit the streets. My husband came along for the ride and we got all our errands done. In the rain. On our bikes.

At one point, we talked about how exercise shouldn’t only be when it’s convenient. Since biking is one of my favorite forms of exercise, I asked myself if I was going to do it only when it was easy.

A problem I think I have with making exercise a part of my life is that I only do it when I feel like it. When it’s convenient for me. But that’s far from being a healthy habit.

Today was a step in the right direction though. (See the picture above. Me in all my layers.)

While I don’t plan on exercising every single day, I do plan on staying healthy and incorporating it into my week –  whether or not it’s convenient.

Make healthy a habit. #makehealthyahabit

 

**For the original idea, please visit here.

25 Days of Spreading Love: Reflections

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Thank you to all who read my posts and followed along as I counted down the days until Christmas while trying to spread love in the world. (The original blog post can be found here.)

I feel very fortunate to have love in my life and I want to make more of an effort to share that. And this project has helped me to do that.

Over the course of twenty five days (well, the twenty-fifth day was Christmas!) I found ways to spread love and by doing that, it became part of my day. Once the project stopped, I didn’t make such a conscious effort any longer, though it was something that had seeped into my brain and made me think of it daily and for me, that was something I was hoping it would do. Repetition… There is something to be said about the simplicity of its effectiveness.

I also learned a few other things that I thought I’d share with my readers…

Saturdays are a popular day to read blogs (at least mine…)

Love is a universal message.

Self-discipline makes things happen.

I can actually write everyday.

Never judge anything on appearance alone.

Love is your engine. It moves you. It stops you. It propels you to new heights. It sinks you to great depths. It gives you momentum to go on.

I can make a difference.

Thank you to all who supported this project and myself. I hope you consider joining me this coming week as I launch a new project… Stay tuned!!

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 24

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For the original idea, please go here.

1 Day till Christmas – spreading love by being with my family

In honor of the holiday this entire blog project has been written around, I chose to spread the love today but spending time with my family on Christmas Eve.

Thank you for coming along for the ride with me as I counted down the days till Christmas by spreading love in the world.

From my house to yours, Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!