Truth Is Ever Present

"Truth is perfect and complete in itself. It is not something newly discovered; it has always existed. Truth is not far away; it is ever present. It is not something to be attained....learn to listen to the voice within you...you will realize the unity of all things."
- Teachings of Buddha

Forty...Really?

This photo shows models forty and older. The article claims "forty is the new twenty." I believe it.  I was born in 1970. Translation = this summer I'm turning 40.

Forty? Really? Seriously? When did that happen? I feel 22. You know that feeling from your twenties when you felt anything was possible. I still have it. I didn't get the memo that I'm aging.

But I did get an invitation to celebrate this brilliant age. A girlfriend from high school is having a 40th birthday bash at a Malibu beach home. I'm flying out to join her for the long Memorial Day weekend. It'll be my first time in LA. I'm an east coast girl at heart.

But I was told the change of scenery will do me good. To be in a different world - to be with an old friend - to put the year behind me (as amazing as it has been) - to let some old wounds heal - to come back feeling, perhaps, less raw from the divorce.

This is a time of change. What better way to bring in a new year!

My thoughts about turning 40 and embracing this year of change? I'll break down what is important to me:

1. 40 = sexier than ever.
2. Savoring and appreciating my new home.
3. Grateful for healthy, smart and fun daughters.
4. 139 days of no refined sugar - it's a miracle!
5. Embracing change. It's all good.
6. Love my new positions (an intelligence firm & teaching communication at a university).
7. Letting go of financial fears.
8. Finding a new level of acceptance.
9. Strengthening relationships with people I love (my sister, a handful of good friends beats a roster of acquaintances any day).
10. Practicing Yoga, meditation, prayer and mindfulness.
11. Writing "Simple Grace Simple Miracles" for a fall release. And enjoying the process.
12. Living simply. Less is more.
13. Seeking Truth. Understanding, finally, what that really means.
14. Walking around the lake once a day keeps the doctors away.
15. Still dreaming about my (when the kids are grown) beachfront cottage. Always researching where this will be. Hoping to discover the perfect state, town and beach to call home. Doing this while living in today.
16. Exploring the eastern culture, incorporating further chakra work into daily living. This means a balance of the vital energy centers within the body. These chakras (for anyone interested) are - root, sacral, navel solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown.
17. Identifying character defects, apologizing for past wrongs and letting go of resentments. In other words, keeping my side of the street clean and doing the next right thing.
18. Allowing grace to enter all facets of life.
19. Facing fears.
20. Reading on a daily basis - learning something new.

I'd love to hear your list. What's important to you?
Happy birthday to my 40-year-old friends.

The Awakening

The Awakening
(Author unknown)

A time comes in your life when you finally get…when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out…ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying and blaming and struggling to hold on. Then, like a child quieting down after a tantrum, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes.

This is your awakening.

You realize it’s time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the next horizon.

You realize that in the real world there aren’t always fairy tale endings, and that any guarantee of “happily ever after” must begin with you…and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are…and that’s OK. They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself…and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval.

You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you – or didn’t do for you – and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and everything isn’t always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself…and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties…and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.

You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you’ve outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with.

You learn that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a “consumer” looking for you next fix.

You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.

You learn that you don’t know everything, it’s not you job to save the world and that you can’t teach a pig to sing. You learn the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You learn that alone does not mean lonely.

You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.

You learn that your body really is your temple. You begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drinking more water, and take more time to exercise.

You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And, just food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you deserve, and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen.

More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You learn that no one can do it all alone, and that it’s OK to risk asking for help.

You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms.

You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn’t always fair, you don’t always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people…and you lean not to always take it personally.

You learn that nobody’s punishing you and everything isn’t always somebody’s fault. It’s just life happening. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls.

You lean that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

Then, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than you heart’s desire.

You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind.

Finally, with courage in you heart, you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

New Blogs Created by College Students

As promised, here are the new blogs created by my writing class at George Mason University.

The topic and writing styles range. You are sure to enjoy them. 




Blogs in random order:

Erica  http://brownbellelikeme.blogspot.com/

Madeline  http://soro-aholic.blogspot.com/

Diana  http://sweettomorrows.tumblr.com/

Collette  http://survivingtwocultures.blogspot.com

Alan   http://1shyguy.blogspot.com/

Joann  http://eatsville.blogspot.com

Laura  http://destinationrealworld.blogspot.com/

Tamim  http://anonymousjanitor.blogspot.com

Rachel  http://rayraywould.blogspot.com/

Jason  http://thedevilsadvocate.tumblr.com/

Giulia  http://passionateacquiesce.blogspot.com/

Lexie  http://foodwithtude.tumblr.com/

Korina  http://flyfashionista.tumblr.com

Jack  http://howtoreallygetbig.blogspot.com/

Emma  http://emmannay.wordpress.com/

Masoud  http://Theblogaboutnothing.tumblr.com

Joe  http://honolulublueandsilver.blogspot.com/

Lori  http://1agentswife.blogspot.com

Charles  http://livinactive.blogspot.com/

Lindsay  http://mysearchforahigherpower.blogspot.com/

Frank  http://lifeasafreshman22.blogspot.com

Ayano  http://aibata.blogspot.com

Sometimes Life Gets In the Way

Today I sat down to write. Put my butt down in the chair. “Write,” I commanded! Not a blog entry. Not catching up on emails. Not playful dialogue for a future chapter of a someday novel.

I wrote part of the book I’m working on. It is the work I should be doing. It is the work I love. But somehow I get sidetracked and feel guilty for pursuing this passion when so much “other stuff” must get done.

My next book release, Simple Miracles, is in the final writing stages. Then it’ll go into early editing, layout and so on. In other words, I have a ton to do.

I believe in keeping at it – whatever “it” is.

Break it down

Take a bite at a time.

Do a little each day.

Carve out the time. If the time isn’t there then make the time.

Put the other things on the list on hold.

Lately the list feels endless. You know “the list” because you have one too.

The list:  
finalizing the legal contracts from a painful divorce process, meeting with a mediator, final “push” of the semester, creating exams, grading projects, just moved into a new place a few days ago, no phone service, updating my professional resume, making another list of repairs, attending kids school events, soccer stuff, new work projects, planning a trip, organizing plans with friends (healthy friendships take work too), carving out some personal time, looking for a new babysitter, summer camp forms, embracing wellness (on day 118 of no refined sugar), working on a new budget, groceries (ugh) figuring out insurance plans, finishing paperwork for new car, and so it goes….no different from your life I’m guessing.

Oh yeah, and WRITING.

Now, sometimes life does get in the way, but it will keep getting in the way if we let it. There will always be "the list."

Where is my writing in this? Keep what we love at the top of the list. My daughters and writing and wellness.

A move and a divorce are two biggies, but I won’t allow them to be excuses. Sometimes we procrastinate. Sometimes we feel fear. Sometimes we are simply tired or feel overwhelmed with meeting life on life’s terms. Worst of all, we don’t always get paid well for doing the work we love.

I need to be mindful to keep what I love most, my daughters and writing and self-care, at the top of the list. Writing my book shouldn’t come “after” everything else gets done. Neither should friends or family. Funny how “working out” tends to go last on the list for many of us too.

Meet the resistance. Pour another cup of coffee.

Face the fear.

Stay up an extra hour after the kids go to bed. Leave the dishes in the sink.

Show up.

Yes, even when life gets in the way, write!

Google Knows What You're Thinking

When I'm not thinking about grace or living a simple life, I am thinking about random bits of trivia. I know a lot of things. Critics may refer to this knowledge as random information about nothing.

Friends tease me for knowing a little about a lot. There is a joke about reporters. I can make fun of myself. It is said that reporters know a little bit about everything but a lot about nothing.

Ouch.

I never liked that. Truth is I'd rather know a little about a lot. Everything interests me. I'm always searching. I have the disease of more. I want to know more, more, more, more MORE.....

Today, when no graceful thoughts came to mind, I thought about Google.

I challenge you to find a topic, search for it on Google, and come up with zero. It is the most popular search engine. It is impossible to search and come up with nothing.

What isn't on there? If you find out, let me know.

This made me wonder what other people are thinking about - right now. So I googled it. Well, here's what the world is wondering about....today....

1. ernie sims
2. boston marathon 2010
3. oklahoma city bombing
4. boston marathon live coverage
5. chicago park district
6. okc bombing
7. cma awards 2010 winners
8. boston athletic association
9. patriots day
10. shuttle landing
11. april 19th in history
12. wbz tv
13. boston marathon qualifying times
14. jennifer viera
15. timothy mcveigh
16. columbine school shooting
17. boston marathon course map
18. administrative professionals day 2010
19. edwin valero wife
20. universal sports

I'm not sure I can find grace in this other than to say we are all searching.

Social Media Revolution: Is Journalism Dead?

People keep asking me what I predict for the future of journalism. Is journalism dead? They want to know how I see the popular social medias fitting into the next decade. They want me to tell them this is a fad. They want to feel comfortable. They want to go back to the old way of doing things.

There is no going back. It is a social media revolution. You've gotta' watch this clip. This is not a new world coming in some distant future. This is our world, today, here and now.

Why ask me? What do I know? If it is true what studies report, that it takes approximately ten years to become an "expert" about "something," then I'm considered an expert at communication, media and journalism. I have 15+ years experience in the writing world. I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly. But I've yet to see anything as exciting as the communication transition we are in.

The other day a colleague compared the iPad to the invention of the printing press. Will we see a fundamental shift in the way we communicate? The answer is, yes. At least, I think so.

When I earned my masters degree in 1994, broadcast journalism and print journalism were worlds apart. I was just at the legal drinking age when I got my feet wet at CNN's investigative reporting unit. It was there that I caught the bug.

My passion for anything media has gone from being a news junkie to an inspirational writer. Now I'm teaching college students again after a decade. Throw in a little writing and consulting and editing and blogging and business journalism and no day is the same.I can't imagine sitting still.  I fit right into our ADD world.

When I taught at American University ten years ago, my students didn't have email accounts. It was rare to have a computer in the classroom. In class this week at George Mason I showed communication students the social media revolution clip you watched above that highlights how Boston College no longer gives new students an email address because email is considered passe'.

Where will my students write? Is journalism dead? How will they make money? Good questions. We'll know the answers soon. One thing I know for sure is the world of print and broadcast are no longer separate. In fact, these students will do print (maybe, although newspapers are folding here, there and everywhere), they will do broadcast, they will blog and vlog and Facebook and post and tweet and chat and im. Oh wait, they already do.

Anyone can report. One of my students filed his own story on CNN's iReports this week. He is watching to see if it will be vetted by CNN. Similar sites encourage want-to-be-reporters (unpaid of course) to file stories not getting much coverage in the mainstream press.

What this tells me is there is no complex future coming. It is already here. This is the future. We are creating it right now. It is a social media revolution. No longer are terms such as "new media" valid. It is simply "media."

The media dinosaurs from the three blind mice of yesterday really lost their way. They need to ride the revolution wave and start doing it all. If not, they will become extinct. We are no longer watching your father's six o'clock news with dinner.

Depressed? Don't be. Tina Brown gives hope to Katie Couric. She says the internet will be able to financially support journalists in the future. Right now the worlds are exploding and there is sort of this "volcanic cultural shift" but soon enough we will see a golden age of journalism.

Until then, work cheap!

The change is here. It is now. It is not scary or intimidating. It is powerful and exciting and I'm fired up.

Aren't you?

What will the world look like tomorrow? Open your eyes and look around. Scroll. Search. Click. Stream. Tomorrow is happening today.

The social media clip I shared with you asks: "Are you ready?"

Well, are you?

Blogs: Show Me the Money

Are blogs making money? Here is one view. It's from a blog I love to hate. Or, should I say, I hate to love! She has no filter. I like that. She makes money from her blog - I like that too.

We are in the midst of a crazy transitional period - what is happening to journalism, to writing, to the world as we knew it (I'm a J-School grad school grad)? It's crazy good or crazy bad. I'll opt for crazy good.

Now, show me the money.

Here is how one woman is doing it.
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/

Holding the Key

I believe you hold the key. 

We aren't supposed to talk about politics, finances or religion. I don't always follow rules. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't utter the words "God" or "Higher Power" or "Faith."  

For me, this is the key to life. It is the key that unlocks the secret door to Truth.

All three topics - politics, finances and religion - are great conversation pieces. 

This week a friend asked for thoughts about finding God. This friend is forming a new relationship with a power greater than him (call this power God, or Buddha or Karma or Grace or Love). He is searching for ideas and I love hearing about spiritual journeys.

The search for Truth is an ongoing dialogue with many of my friends and readers. It is a popular topic, even in the mainstream. This is why books such as: Conversations with God, Faith and Will, and Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith are scooped up. We are all seeking. 

These are my thoughts and my spin. You'll find your own, unless of course we follow the old rule and avoid the conversation for fear of disagreeing. Perhaps politics, money and faith are too private to discuss openly. 

Oh well, there I go breaking rules again.

Your search is beautiful. No right or wrong answer. It is all yours. No punishing adults to tell you when you are off track. No dismissive authority figure to put you down. Just love, friendship and your own personal relationship with God (when I say "God" I mean to say "higher power" whatever it is, or will be, for you).

- It has to be my own personal experiences with God. Until I could think about my own experiences with God (not some old, worn out version) then I could begin to define my relationship.

- I needed to understand what/who I was praying to. Not a rigid definition, but my own experiences and relationship. Not defined by someone else. I had to believe. I came to believe...

- What experiences have you shared. Go back as young as a child. Not the "father-figure/authoritative God" but the moments in life where you felt a presence. Where you talked to God and you knew there was something else at work in the world. 

For me, God became a "feeling" of experiences. I could recognize
this by remembering the times when I didn't feel alone. What were they for you?

- This is your own God, your own relationship. What is the "ideal" definition of God if you could create one? What adjectives would you use?

- God is Divine Mind - in this mind there are no limitations (no authority and no right or wrong). No limitations or restrictions.

- Instead of a Father/Son or Boss/Employee relationship, perhaps there is an Eternal Good sense. Or a Pure of Heart feeling. Have you ever felt this? Not scolding or condescending but a presence of not being alone. An overwhelming sense of peace - dare I say serenity. There can be no forgiveness without Absolute Love.

- Truth. What is your truth? What is your good and bad? Shine the light on that. Acceptance is God. A prayer I like: "God, help me to see the truth. Help me to set aside everything I think I know about you so I may have an open mind and a new experience."

- These are all ways I found my own experience with God and left the "old definition" of what I thought God was, or had to be.

- I think of God as my God/me = Protector or Guiding Force/I am the Seeker of His Will Rather than a Righteous Father/a fearful child.

 
- I had to create my own conception of God. Then I could pray to this God...I came up with the following:
God is the nurturing, source of absolute grace, the conscious spirit, pure selflessness and humility, oneness and goodness and truth and ultimately love, which is everlasting and found within me and found in you. Eternal and infinite.

In essence, God is grace, presence and love within.

Finally, God is love.

I Am Living in Truth If.....

You've heard me talk about graceful Emmet Fox before. I find anything Emmet always inspiriting. Fox kept it simple, just the way it should be. In life, he said, we should live in Truth. I agree, but how do we do this? How do we know if we are on the right path? 

A friend reminded me today how living in Truth is actually quite easy. I believe many of us complicate simplicity, if that makes sense. Wouldn't it be nice if there was some sort of list (how I love my lists) to know if we are really in Truth. You see where this is going, don't you? A new checklist! Yes, it can be that easy - a checklist toward Truth.

Are you living in Truth? There is a list for this, compliments of Emmet. Take a moment to see how many of the points you hit. Do it today. Do it again tomorrow. Do it the next day....track your progress....you get the idea.

I Am Really In Truth If: 

    If I always look for the best in each person, situation and thing.

    If I resolutely turn my back on the past, good or bad and live only in the present.

    If I forgive everybody without exception, no matter what he or she may have done; and if I then forgive myself completely.

    If I regard my job as sacred and do my work to the best of my ability.

    If I take every means to demonstrate a healthy body and harmonious surroundings.

    If I endeavor to make my life of as much service to others as possible.

    If I take every opportunity wisely to spread the knowledge of Truth to others.

    If I rigidly refrain from personal criticism, and neither speak nor listen to gossip.

    If I devote at least a hour a day to spirituality, meditation and meaningful reading.

    If I specifically claim spiritual understanding of myself every day.

    If I train myself to give the first thought on waking to how I may help others.

    If I live life always doing the next right thing. Think of the Golden Rule - the important point is that I practice it whether the other person does so or not.

    If above all, I understand that whatever I see is but a picture which can be changed for the better through living in Truth.

Are you observing these points in your life? Are you living in Truth? I know there are a few glaring points I need to work on. Always be gentle on yourself, and always remember this is a journey - a search for Truth. Someone I love defines spirituality as the search for meaning in life. I like that. Hope you do too.

The author took the liberty of editing the points to keep it "even more" simple.

 

How's the "No Sugar" Thing Going?

It's a journey, that's for sure. The first month of the new year is not over and already I've felt an enormous increase in energy (some call it raw energy) and my moods are happy and authentic.

Now, here is some Basic 101 from me to you - in hopes of getting you to join my journey. So many of you have asked me how to get started. The first and easiest way to answer this question is to say: "No refined sugar."

This is the start. Well, first the desire to stop eating crap...followed by the intention to stop eating refined sugar. Once you have an initial detox from this (I did and it took almost two weeks) you may crave more fruit than you could ever imagine (I did). There are many schools of thought about this - I am the more "mild" and "flexible." My rule of thumb is this: If I'm not eating refined sugar then it is fine (for now). I increased my smoothie intake, I fuel up on apples and grapes and I chose organic dried mango from Whole Foods above and beyond anything green. But that is just for now.

Soon enough, if I can keep the refined sugar at bay, I will explore more of this beautiful, alive and fresh world of real, live and raw foods. By this I mean to say that one day I may convert - my sister Melanie is looking into it - and she has new mental clarity and alertness by exploring the world of fasts, juicing, dehydrating and sprouting.

So far this week I "admitted" to a colleague that I'm a nerd: I don't drink - I don't smoke - I don't eat refined sugar. Geez Beth, what do you do?

Well, here is a link Melanie suggested I look into. http://www.kristensraw.com/

This is what I will do. I will open more organic, clean food cookbooks, I'll devour more blogs, I'll escape into studies about detoxing the mind and body from caffiene, sugar, you name it...and I'll begin my study into living and eating Raw.
If you want to know what to do to get started right now, Kristen's Raw Website has great suggestions. I've taken the following advice and I can vouch that it works.

Start by reducing or eliminating junk food, packaged snacks, fried foods, coffee, alcohol, white sugar, and white flour. Here is the first step: Go through your cabinets and just throw them away. Don't say, "I'll just eat these but not replace them," actually toss them out. Ceremoniously, if you like. Your life is about to change.

Next to go, I believe, is cooked starches, and later, wheat (and then red meat and dairy products). As for going Raw? I will read more and get back to you.
 
For now I need to focus on: 1) no sugar 2) low carbs 3) real food 4) nothing processed 5) more omega-3's and more fish to be enough. 6) increase my Yoga & Meditation practice. For me it is a new life....for now....
 
Goal for the week: It is time to say "goodbye" to the fat and sugar-free Klondike bars in my freezer - they aren't really food you know.

Raw Food appeals to me because you have a very clear description of what you eat - nothing processed, nothing enhanced, nothing you can't pronounce and nothing dead. Sugar and Fat-Free labels help, but if left to my own interpretation I will find the wiggle room.
 
Truth be told, I really do miss chocolate, but I know how my mind works. Here is an example - This week a friend recommended Jell-O fat and sugar-free instant pudding mix. All you do is add two cold cups of skim milk, mix for two minutes and put in fridge. When the chocolate cravings come, and they do, indulge. Thing is, I do this once and it is ALL I think about. I'll work on this in February.
 
Has anyone heard of an all-chocolate diet? Hhmm, I could be tempted.
 
Next blog I'll share a few of my home creations. Be warned.

A New Life - The timing must feel right

If the timing feels right for you - it does for me - to begin to change your life from food addiction to freedom, then this list is for you.
This blog is about what I'm eating and about a new experience. Of course, you know me, I've researched and studied and read and culled and devoured endless material guiding me on nutrition and how to start my new life.
My life is already rich, full of grace, happiness, mindfulness, contentment with what I have, and a sense of acceptance with what I don't have (or no longer have...like the large colonial home in the sophisticated country of Connecticut, a huge, green and natural back yard, a garden with an arbor, and full and overflowing window boxes).
Yes, all "stuff" but everything about this physical plane added to my serenity. We should all be blessed to be around what we love. Although two years ago I said goodbye to New England country life and said a reluctant hello to a much busier and expensive Northern Virginia lifestyle, I'm finding acceptance. What I've discovered: I'm surrounded by meaning already. It is true, the expression, we already have what we need and life is just as it should be.
Nearness and daily love with my daughters. A life that is less overwhelming and as simple as I can create it. Books and books and more books piled in my shelves and on my bed stand. A spiritual adviser, work I love (deeply) and a willingness to be in the moment as much as possible.
How does this relate to food? My wellness is my priority now. And my daughters have been told "no refined sugar" will enter our cozy dwelling. I'm told - I've read - it is a matter of three 24 hours and a powerful detox is complete. But there is more. A commitment to a new way of life. Such as, water only. Some herbal tea perhaps. Living raw and naked. Any whole food served raw or gently steamed is allowed. No dressings. No creamy sauces. Not much from the white family.
What follows is a simple list for my blog readers who have asked what I am doing...what I am eating...how I'm doing it.
Well, for started one day at a time - this is the beginning - meditation and quiet and simplicity - less noise and less unwanted distractions. Best of all - this list. It was compiled by a mix of "experts" I trust. I'll share it with you.
Let me know if you begin your own journey, where you are with it, and how it makes you feel. When we shed pounds we also shed emotional baggage. Good luck and congratulations.
Please pardon me for sounding so damn enthusiastic, but this is something I've talked about doing for years.  Now, it's early 2010 and I begin. It is a healthier path, in many ways, and it is what I need to do. I know this down to the core.
It also feels like freedom.
The list
raw nuts
dried fruit (not the crappy, processed kind)
go organic whenever possible (avoiding pesticides and hormones)
the raw nuts and dried fruit replace your usual snacks
dark chocolate is an option for some - not for me right now
dried beans and brown rice (soak in a bowl of water overnight to allow the sprouting process to take place...remember your Mom did this...somehow Americans forgot this simple practice in their quest for speed)
cook the rice and beans to a boil, add coriander, cumin, perhaps sauteed onions
cerviche - chopped fish, chilled, mix with lemon juice (real lemons), onions, some cilantro
root veggies - barely boil or steam
if you eat meat chose organic chicken or small cuts of filet
veggie juice or smoothies (blender or juicer required)
sashimi
sea veggies (try an Asian market for best prices)
use herring to add flavor to fish - use a raw vinegar, onions and spice for flavor
only eat non-farmed salmon
kale
mushrooms
wheat germ (i need to learn more about this)
bee pollen
small amount of raw honey (make sure it is raw and no heat is used to cull it)
grains
lentils
cod liver oil (i'm not there yet)
raw oysters (a favorite0
clams and mussels steamed (not there yet either)
blackberries
blueberries

You get the idea. Bon Appetite

Some Have Habits...Some Have Addictions

addiction  (-dkshn)

1. A physical or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, such as a drug or alcohol. In physical addiction, the body adapts to the substance being used and gradually requires increased amounts to reproduce the effects originally produced by smaller doses.

2. Habitual or compulsive involvement.

Time to come clean.
I'm addicted to the white stuff.

My most important Resolution (goal, hope, dream, intention, determination, fill in the blank) is to go cold turkey and simply say "no" to sugar.

In other words, I no longer eat refined sugar.

I can have no wiggle room. The white stuff, even a little dose, is not an option.

It is hidden in everything - in the strangest of places - in foods that would surprise you.

I wish it weren't so, and it is something I work on, but I live in a very all or nothing world. Black and white works for me. Cold turkey it is. Up or down. Right or wrong. Marathon or a stroll. I don't do things small. Either I'm on board or I'm off board. I've either succeeded or I've failed utterly.

But what I'm learning is the beauty in life is failing utterly. Then the sugar-free sunrise can be that much more captivating - especially with no emotional hangover - no up and down rollercoaster. Just life. Balanced and healthy and exactly the way I want it.

Hang on for the ride. No doubt I'll blog again about this addiction and kicking sugar's ass! But first comes detox.

The Essence of Life

The holidays, aside from the vulgar commercialism, can be spiritually uplifting. No matter your religion, or your beliefs or your spirituality, there is an essence of life for us all.

The ideas you are about to read are not my own - they are culled from history, ancient times, and the works of an incredible teacher whose identity you will come to learn.

I wish these ideas came from me alone, but they did not. I wish I could take credit for the well crafted sentences you're about to read, but I cannot.

Please note proper attributions at the end of this blog entry for further discovery.

Thank you for reading my blog and books this year. I wish you all a blessed and happy and merry holiday season. May your new year begin with old wisdom.

Here is, what I believe, the essence of life.  With Gratitude, Beth

Truth turns out to be nothing less than the amazing but undeniable fact that the whole outer world - whether it be the physical body, the common things of life, the winds and the rain, the clouds, the earth itself - is amenable to a man's thought, and that he has dominion over it when he knows it.

The outer world, far from being the prison of circumstances that it is commonly supposed to be, has actually no character whatsoever of its own, either good or bad. It has only the character that we give to it by our own thinking. 

For me, this is the key - our own thinking.

It is naturally plastic to our thought, and this is so , whether we know it or not, and whether we wish it or not.

All day long the thoughts that occupy your mind, your Secret Place, as Jesus calls it, are molding in your destiny for good or evil.

In fact, the truth is that the whole of our life's experience is but the outer expression of inner thought. Ah, there it is! The essence of life!

Now we can chose the sort of thoughts that we entertain. It will be a little difficult to break a bad habit of thought, but it can be done. We can choose how we shall think - in point of fact, we always do choose - and therefore our lives are just the result of the kind of thoughts we have chosen to hold; and therefore they are of our own ordering; and therefore there is perfect justice in the universe.

There it is again - the essence of life. In case you missed it: and therefore our lives are just the result of the kind of thoughts we have chosen to hold.

But what about the sin part? The guilt? The we-are-horrible-people-and-must-be punished-for-our-sins-part? The reason why so many of us turn away from the dogma and are turned off by the very word Religion.... If our lives then, are the direct result of the thoughts that we have chosen to hold, then....No suffering from another man's original sin, but the reaping of a harvest that ourselves have sown.

But what about free will you may ask? We have free will, but our free will lies in our choice of thought (thus aligning us with that age old question of "what is God's will for me?)... replace God with whatever Higher Power you chose to believe in. It makes sense to me if I think of it this way, We have free will, but our free will lies in our choice of thought. If our thoughts are pure in spirit they are aligned with the will of the God of our own understanding.


This is in essence what Jesus taught. It is THE underlying message of the whole Bible.

Which brings us to The Secret Truth or The Great Law of the Universe. What is it? This essence? As within, so without. What you think in your mind you will produce in your experience. 

Yes, it's that simple.

note: "What Did Jesus Teach?" Read more in Emmet Fox's The Key to Success in Life, 1934 (Analysis of The Sermon on the Mount).

laws of simplicity

There are "laws" to simplicity - of course there are - just like there are laws of the universe - laws of attraction - laws for life. I like simple in our age of complex. Lately I wonder why everyone is spinning their wheels, there seems to be too much angst, and it worries me. 
 

              Facebook, blogging, emailing, MySpace, Twitter, websites for the sake of maintaining a website, the churning and grinding of recycled information - I'm guilty of it too. Why do we do it? Is it self-imposed? Is any of it necessary? I already know the answers to those questions and so do you.

Reminds me of a junior high school play I was in called The Gigo Effect. I didn't understand the full complexity to the topic then but I felt the warning and knew there would come a day. Mind you this was back when electric typewriters were not commonplace and the Commodor 64 was but a baby. Maybe a few hacks were posting on bulletin boards but most hadn't any idea such an electronic world existed. The Gigo Effect? Garbage In/Garbage Out.

I like these laws. I like theories and the art of communication. I like the fundamentals of journalism and the news that brings me just that, new(s) as in "the new" as in something new I can learn. I was once a junkie, and I've got that news addiction under control. I've tried the mainstream technology fads (thus the blog) and I can say that 95% of it (twitter, tweak, twit, tweek? huh? myspace, yourspace, whosespace? who cares?) is but a waste of (my) time.

That said, a self-imposed experiment: limit access, less is more, cease unecessary blackberry activity, phase out the texting, voicemail and email checks (is anyone really so important?), forget the tweaks, unless breaking news, slow the wheels, stop the spinning, "analyze this" and blog that, gimme' a grinding halt, enough is enough. Ah, sigh!

Aren't you tired? I'm tired. Maybe it is time for us to heed the call to a more simple way of life. After all, there are "laws" to follow - if we want to restructure, downsize, regroup, resize, rightsize, newsize or simplisize (made that up). My thoughts - unless you are paid for it or truly find joy in it - then stop surfing, posting, using, buying, watching, talking, mindless eating, you get the idea. On that note, if I haven't used it in a year it is clutter. Recycle, donate, par down. In other words - garbage out - make room for what really matters.
Here are some 'simple' laws should you be so inclined.

1. Reduce Simplicity by thoughtful reduction

2. Organize System of many appear few

3. Time Save time and feel simplicity

4. Learn Knowledge makes things simpler

5. Differences Simplicity & Complexity need each other

6. Context Outside simplicity is not peripheral

7. Emotion More emotions not less

8. Trust In simplicity we trust

9. Failure Some things cannot be simplified

10.The One Subtract obvious, add the meaningful

Maeda, John. The Laws of Simplicity : Design, Technology, Business, Life

my new favorite quote

“Live simply
so that others
may simply live.”
— Mahatma Gandhi

nonduality inspiration

When we turn the mind inwards, God manifests as the inner consciousness.
Sri Ramana Maharshi

All separation, every kind of estrangement and alienation is false. All is one.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Boundary lines, of any type, are never found in the real world itself, but only in the imagination of the mapmakers.
Ken Wilber

Oneness is like the clear blue sky - everything arises, unfolds, and subsides within its all-compassionate love... Everything is an aspect of Oneness. And our quest to know this comes from Oneness.
Abhinavagupta

The world exists only when we think about it; creation stories are for children. In reality the world is created every moment.
Jean Klein

Self-Realization or Enlightenment is nothing more than the deepest possible understanding that there is no individual doer of any action - neither you nor anyone else. Also you are not the thinker of any thoughts, nor the experiencer of any experiences - they happen. When it happens, no bright lights are likely to flash in your head!
Ramesh Balsekar

Sagehood has nothing to do with governing others but is a matter of ordering oneself. Nobility has nothing to do with power and rank but is a matter of self realization. Attain self-realization, and the whole world is found in the self. Happiness has nothing to do with wealth and status, but is a matter of harmony.
Lao-tze

We dream that we are awake, we dream that we are asleep. The three states are only varieties of the dream state. Treating everything as a dream liberates. As long as you give reality to dreams, you are their slave. By imaging that you are born as so and so, you become a slave to the so-and-so. The essence of slavery is to imagine yourself to be a process, to have past and future, to have history.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

To be conscious of Being, you need to reclaim consciousness from the mind. This is one of the most essential tasks on your spiritual journey.
Eckhart Tolle

what's God got to do with homework?

skye, my gifted 4th grader, is awake too late with me working on her homework. soccer practice threw off the after school routine, she's tired and now complaining about why she is the only one in the whole wide world who has do homework, blah blah blah.... i remember those days.

so i'm sitting with her and i have my own reading to do - my notebook is open and i'm jotting down ideas that come to mind about God, my conception of God and what a Higher Power means to me. this is a suggested exercise my "spiritual adviser" recommended in my quest to discover the meaning of life :)

i think, what a perfect opportunity to bond with my daughter. one of my favorite things is to get into philosophical discussions about our purpose, about love and about life with my daughters. i lean over toward skye and say, "i'm doing my homework too." well, sort of homework.

her face lights up. she's intrigued and asks, "really mom? you are? what's your homework?" now i'm thinking what a wonderful teaching opportunity this moment is presenting! i want my girls to think for themselves about religion and spirituality and philosophy and the meaning of life -

it is always my intention to avoid spoon-feeding them any of my beliefs and encourage them to analyze and dissect and pontificate about their own ideas and questions about life. i'm excited to see where this conversation might lead. but most of all i'm happy to let skye know she isn't alone, awake tonight, doing her work.

i begin to answer, "well, my homework is a little different than yours. i'm thinking about God and defining who or what God is for me and I'm writing my conception or definition of God...."

skye looks at me with a puzzled expression, rolls her eyes and says, without missing a beat, "yeah, whatever mom, but "God" doesn't have to be defined by tomorrow and my math has to be done."

back to the real world.

Watch Simple Grace on TV

Living Life (without Twitter or Facebook)

To me, the twitterverse is like a river of human awareness, composed of billions of tiny 140 character molecules - each a snapshot of life or a thought or a reflection. A river of pure information that equals energy, according to the laws of quantum thermodynamics and stochastic processes. A river of life flowing by us as we meditate at its bank like some Siddhartha wannabe, in tattered jeans and Oakley sunglasses instead of orchid robes and begging bowl. And now, after long last, we see.

We see the beauty of the river, that some now call ambient awareness.

We reach in and touch the water of human consciousness.

Little eddies form - those are called tweetclouds.

We can be one with the river.

Or not.

It's all good.

Psychology Today runs a wonderful series of articles about the phenomenon of social networking and the psychology and neuroscience behind it. Quote attributed to a savvy writer named Moses Ma (see more of his work by clicking the headline).

time and change

Most students entering college for the first time this fall were born in 1991.

1. For these students, Martha Graham, Pan American Airways, Michael Landon, Dr. Seuss, Miles Davis, The Dallas Times Herald, Gene Roddenberry, and Freddie Mercury have always been dead.
2. Dan Rostenkowski, Jack Kevorkian, and Mike Tyson have always been felons.
3. The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables.
4. They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
5. Margaret Thatcher has always been a former prime minister.
6. Salsa has always outsold ketchup.
7. Earvin "Magic" Johnson has always been HIV-positive.
8. Tattoos have always been very chic and highly visible.
9. They have been preparing for the arrival of HDTV all their lives.
10. Rap music has always been main stream.
11. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream has always been a flavor choice.
12. Someone has always been building something taller than the Willis (née Sears) Tower in Chicago.
13. The KGB has never officially existed.
14. Text has always been hyper.
15. They never saw the “Scud Stud” (but there have always been electromagnetic stud finders.)
16. Babies have always had a Social Security Number.
17. They have never had to “shake down” an oral thermometer.
18. Bungee jumping has always been socially acceptable.
19. They have never understood the meaning of R.S.V.P.
20. American students have always lived anxiously with high-stakes educational testing.
21. Except for the present incumbent, the President has never inhaled.
22. State abbreviations in addresses have never had periods.
23. The European Union has always existed.
24. McDonald's has always been serving Happy Meals in China.
25. Condoms have always been advertised on television.
26. Cable television systems have always offered telephone service and vice versa.
27. Christopher Columbus has always been getting a bad rap.
28. The American health care system has always been in critical condition.
29. Bobby Cox has always managed the Atlanta Braves.
30. Desperate smokers have always been able to turn to Nicoderm skin patches.
31. There has always been a Cartoon Network.
32. The nation’s key economic indicator has always been the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
33. Their folks could always reach for a Zoloft.
34. They have always been able to read books on an electronic screen.
35. Women have always outnumbered men in college.
36. We have always watched wars, coups, and police arrests unfold on television in real time.
37. Amateur radio operators have never needed to know Morse code.
38. Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Latvia, Georgia, Lithuania, and Estonia have always been independent nations.
39. It's always been official: President Zachary Taylor did not die of arsenic poisoning.
40. Madonna’s perspective on Sex has always been well documented.
41. Phil Jackson has always been coaching championship basketball.
42. Ozzy Osbourne has always been coming back.
43. Kevin Costner has always been Dancing with Wolves, especially on cable.
44. There have always been flat screen televisions.
45. They have always eaten Berry Berry Kix.
46. Disney’s Fantasia has always been available on video, and It’s a Wonderful Life has always been on Moscow television.
47. Smokers have never been promoted as an economic force that deserves respect.
48. Elite American colleges have never been able to fix the price of tuition.
49. Nobody has been able to make a deposit in the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI).
50. Everyone has always known what the evening news was before the Evening News came on.
51. Britney Spears has always been heard on classic rock stations.
52. They have never been Saved by the Bell
53. Someone has always been asking: “Was Iraq worth a war?”
54. Most communities have always had a mega-church.
55. Natalie Cole has always been singing with her father.
56. The status of gays in the military has always been a topic of political debate.
57. Elizabeth Taylor has always reeked of White Diamonds.
58. There has always been a Planet Hollywood.
59. For one reason or another, California’s future has always been in doubt.
60. Agent Starling has always feared the Silence of the Lambs.
61. “Womyn” and “waitperson” have always been in the dictionary.
62. Members of Congress have always had to keep their checkbooks balanced since the closing of the House Bank.
63. There has always been a computer in the Oval Office.
64. CDs have never been sold in cardboard packaging.
65. Avon has always been “calling” in a catalog.
66. NATO has always been looking for a role.
67. Two Koreas have always been members of the UN.
68. Official racial classifications in South Africa have always been outlawed.
69. The NBC Today Show has always been seen on weekends.
70. Vice presidents of the United States have always had real power.
71. Conflict in Northern Ireland has always been slowly winding down.
72. Migration of once independent media like radio, TV, videos and compact discs to the computer has never amazed them.
73. Nobody has ever responded to “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
74. Congress could never give itself a mid-term raise.
75. There has always been blue Jell-O.

To see the source please visit: www.beloit.edu/mindset

Simple

sim⋅ple

  /ˈsɪmpəl/ Show Spelled [sim-puhl] Show IPA adjective, -pler, -plest, noun

–adjective
1.easy to understand, deal with, use, etc.: a simple matter; simple tools.
2.not elaborate or artificial; plain: a simple style.
3.not ornate or luxurious; unadorned: a simple gown.
4.unaffected; unassuming; modest: a simple manner.
5.not complicated: a simple design.
6.not complex or compound; single.
7.occurring or considered alone; mere; bare: the simple truth; a simple fact.
8.free of deceit or guile; sincere; unconditional: a frank, simple answer.
9.common or ordinary: a simple soldier.
10.not grand or sophisticated; unpretentious: a simple way of life.
11.humble or lowly: simple folk.
12.inconsequential or rudimentary.
13.unlearned; ignorant.
14.lacking mental acuteness or sense: a simple way of thinking.
15.unsophisticated; naive; credulous.
16. simpleminded.
17.Chemistry.
a.composed of only one substance or element: a simple substance.
b.not mixed.
18.Botany. not divided into parts: a simple leaf; a simple stem.
19.Zoology. not compound: a simple ascidian.
20.Music. uncompounded or without overtones; single: simple tone.
21.Grammar. having only the head without modifying elements included: The simple subject of “The dappled pony gazed over the fence” is “pony.” Compare complete (def. 5).
22.(of a verb tense) consisting of a main verb with no auxiliaries, as takes (simple present) or stood (simple past) (opposed to compound ).
23.Mathematics. linear (def. 7).
24.Optics. (of a lens) having two optical surfaces only.
–noun
25.an ignorant, foolish, or gullible person.
26.something simple, unmixed, or uncompounded.
27.simples, Textiles. cords for controlling the warp threads in forming the shed on draw-looms.
28.a person of humble origins; commoner.
29.an herb or other plant used for medicinal purposes: country simples.
Origin:
1175–1225; (adj.) ME < OF < LL simplus simple, L (in simpla pecunia simple fee or sum), equiv. to sim- one (see simplex ) + -plus, as in duplus duple, double (see -fold ); c. Gk háplos (see haplo- ); (n.) ME: commoner, deriv. of the adj.

—Related forms
sim⋅ple⋅ness, noun

—Synonyms
1. clear, intelligible, understandable, unmistakable, lucid. 2. natural, unembellished, neat. 8. artless, guileless, ingenuous. 10. See homely. 12. trifling, trivial, nonessential, unnecessary. 13. untutored, stupid.

daily bread = love

"There is more hunger for love and
appreciation in this world than for bread."
- Mother Teresa

what can you do with what you already have?

People are always wanting more out of life. They want to be more, do more, more, more more.... What if what you are doing right now was enough? What if the person you are today is enough?

"Do what you can, with what you have,
where you are." - Theodore Roosevelt