Quote of The Day

"Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else." - Shunryu Suzuki

Quote of the Day

"Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very;' your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be." - Mark Twain

Quote of the Day - Forget Yourself

"Develop interest in life as you see it, in people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself." - Henry Miller

Quote of the Day - Rumi - Prayer

"Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don't open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument. Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." - Rumi

Quote of the Day

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment." - Thich Nhat Hanh

My Vegetarian Anniversary

9 years vegetarian today.

The past couple years of this journey have seen its challenges (in my cravings for seafood, in my attempts to be healthy, and in my very unsuccessful attempts to lose weight), but becoming vegetarian has been one of the best decisions of my life. I am passionate about it. I believe it is the right choice for me and this life of mine.

I cut meat from my diet "cold turkey" 9 years ago, but I am now taking a new journey toward a more plant-based diet (less dairy, less alcohol, less caffeine, more veggies, more fruits, more legumes, more water, etc.). This change is not happening over night like it did 9 years ago, and I think it has been in the works for years. Now, I am starting to put more into action and am feeling the positive differences. I hope for long-term changes. It is requiring a change of spirit as well. I know I will be successful because I am practicing being more kind to myself, I expect relapses, I know it won't be perfect, I know it will take a long time, I am challenging destructive thoughts, I am not giving up, I am not making excuses (often), and when I have some money I would like to get professional help as well --- see a nutritionist, a therapist, an athletic trainer, whoever --- to help me on this journey toward greater health and well-being. I love this life, and I feel I will be happier, more energized, more able to give and receive and will be a better daughter, sister, partner, therapist.

Here are some of the baby steps, or "micromovements" as an author once inspired me to call them, that I have taken:

- The first thing I fuel my body with in the morning is water (no lemon, no tea, no coffee).
- I have been posting daily quotes on facebook and my blog (something I love)
- Chris and I have been enjoying fruit smoothies almost every morning for several weeks now. I have swapped out the OJ for water, removed the yogurt, and added spinach and tomatoes to mine.
- Chris and I joined a gym
- We're trying new recipes
- I've added more veggies to my meals and eat more raw food (loving carrots right now!)
- I've reduced the amount of cheese i'm eating
- I eat out a lot less and am avoiding eating at work as often as possible.
- before starting my shift at the restaurant, I sit and write or reflect on how i'm not going to complain and how I am excited to be there and need the money.
- I'm leaving little poems from a little book I have in public places hoping they will make a stranger's day (something I used to do 5 years ago).
- at practicum, I'm not sitting and staring, i'm taking action. Tackling paperwork i'd rather do at home. I'm moving more. Packing healthy lunches.
- i'm tackling the to-do list items that I want to put off
- prepping the coffee pot and setting out work clothes the night before
- snoozing less
- started the 22 Minute Hard Corps workout program by BeachBody
- using the library
- less Netflix, reading more
- making sure to play with the kittens to help them burn calories too :)
- I haven't stopped at the gas station for snacks in weeks
- reducing how often I go out for coffee
- Choosing salads and fruit more often when I do go out to eat
- stopped using coffee creamer
- looking at nutritional labels.
- watching documentaries for inspiration
- doing research. educating myself.

I have still enjoyed ice cream, gone out to eat with Chris, binged, missed a workout, and so forth. The difference is that I expect this, I accept it, and I am continuing to making more and more healthier and happier choices! I feel the changes in my spirit and body already!

Quote of the Day - on observation

"There is no reality in the absence of observation." - The Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

Quote of the Day - listening

"Listening is loving." - from the movie Hector and the Search for Happiness

Hector, a psychiatrist, is complimented by a dying woman for his gift of listening.

Quote of the Day - Becoming Wise

"We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." - Marcel Proust 

Quote of the Day

"You may choose your word like a connoisseur,
          And polish it up with art,
          But the word that sways, and stirs, and stays,
          is the word that comes from the heart."

                             - Ella Wheeler Wilcox