go for it

I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,

and endeavors to live the life he has imagined,

he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

- Henry David Thoreau

golden birthday

went to full primary.

took miss betty over to mom & dad's house.

had baked ziti & salad for lunch.

baked this beauty of a cake w mom.

went through old boxes of books from the barn.

found some of my old, old diaries...

read them aloud.

favorites of the day included exerpts from my gratitude journal.

"i am thankful for the rain that waters the land"

"i am thankful for the trees, lakes and flowers"

i was a hippie all along.  ;)

then we had blueberry pancakes for dinner.

it doesn't get any better than that.

thanks, mom and dad.

for everything.

all my love, always.

bg

'the goal'

The goal

is to cultivate in our hearts the concern a dedicated mother feels for her child,

and then focus it on more and more people and living beings.

This is a heartfelt, powerful love.

Such feelings give us a true understanding of human rights

that is not grounded just in legal terms,

but rooted deeply in

the heart.

- his holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama

  

(reposted from elephant journal)



a letter

dear pecan butter,

breakfast is already my favorite meal of the day, but you have made this a most auspicious time.  i feel that my taste buds have died and gone to the heavens above.  the last bite of my honey whole wheat english muffin was devastating.  my attachment to your presence in my life has become overwhelming, and i can only manage to charge onward through the salads and shakes of the day, because i know you'll be waiting for me tomorrow morning.

you seriously rock my face off.  i don't care how much pecans cost, i will slave through whatever may come our way to ensure we are together always. 

your most adoring fan,
me

p.s.  i may have breakfast again.  because i can.  muah-ah-ah-aaaaah

the road not taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

- robert frost

the classics are the best.

shake, shake, shake...

so, my friend, "swami" let me borrow his omega juicer and i've been really enjoying the heck outta this thing.  i mentioned that i made pecan nut butter but i didn't much get into the juicer.  this guy is quiet, and so easy to clean.  i've really loved it.

i made cantaloupe juice (mixed w berry flavored vega), apple juice (w vanilla chai vega) and grapefruit/apple juice.  i am seriously loving the juice.  over this past weekend, i watched fat, sick and nearly dead.  consequentially i was all the more driven to the juice.  in addition to being tasty, drinking fresh juice really gives the ole immune system a boost, increases vitamin/enzyme intake, helps with mental clarity and about a million other awesome things.  i'm hooked!  :)  i'm all about the green monsters, too!  in fact, i'd actually been struggling with the decision to take the leap and purchase my own juicer.  (swami actually let me borrow his in effort to encourage me to make the right decision about which one to get.  i'm still torn.  i want to check out the breville's, too.) 

last night i actually started getting a migraine... sad face.  i haven't had one of those in months.  the daily yoga & meditation practice have really made a difference.  and experimenting with veganism as well as the short-term juice fast were both highly influential.  but there were a couple of days in my recent history when i went a little too hard on myself - trying to cram everything into 24 hours can sometimes do that to us.  interpersonal conflicts can sometimes stress out those of us who just want everyone to BE HAPPY (and feel it's our job to make that dream a reality).  so, by yesterday afternoon, things were getting a little... tense.  anyway, i got in the kitchen, mixed up a banana/almond butter/chocolate vega shake, did a short 15-min meditation, prayed heartily and headed out the door to my monday night class... and wouldn't you know, all i have left today is some muscular tension and a slight headache.  miracle of miracles!

i feel like i should give that banana some credit.  the texture in the smoothy was still rough, but it did it's job, and i couldn't be more excited. guess i'll keep them in the rotation.  ;)

so, i'm torn.  i don't know if i can commit to saying goodbye to fiber.  with a vita mix or blendtec, you get to keep all of that.  and grind up other things, too...  so anyway, last night, swami brought me his vita mix so that i can try it out.  we'll see how it goes. 

i'm so excited!

oh, and looking forward to the possibility of a juice party... another yoga instructor at the shala has TWO of her own juicers.  (one masticating and one centrifugal.)  i want to get all our devices together and juice the night away, coming up with different concoctions...  maybe make it a party?  i can't think of a better way to celebrate my golden birthday!

A Prayer of motivation and dedication.

- benjamin riggs, via elephant journal

that gwen stefani song is stuck in my head permanently

Since I was staying at my parents' house this week, I decided to take full advantage of their brand-new swanky kitchen and all it's amenities.  I made roasted pecan butter w maple syrup, vegan apple oatmeal cookies (FAIL), and banana nut bread. 

I guess I shouldn't say FAIL on the cookies.  I made dog treats, and they loved them.  It was just that my intention didn't start out that way.

I'll start with saying that bananas make me gag.  I can smell someone peeling a banana a mile away.  Don't even get me started on the texture.  hurl.  HOWEVER.  They are an excellent source of nutrition on many levels.  Therefore, I've started choking them down.  Usually, smothered in almond butter... so, I'm getting better about eating them.  The more you do it, the less difficult it becomes.

That being said, I've always loved banana nut bread.  I've made about a million recipes, and loved them all.  Here's the most recent, courtesy of Holy Cow Vegan.

I actually made 2 batches - and exchanged the canola oil for coconut oil in both (I like the subtle coconut flavor mixed with the apples & bananas... it's very tropical & summery).  The first time around, I used my Mom's mini-bundt pans, oiled with coco oil & sprinkled shredded coconut before adding the batter.  Instead of nuts, I added shredded coconut & dark chocolate chunks.  That's right... it was definitely groan worthy.  The second batch I made in the muffin pan, with only the oil as the adjustment.  I had one of those beauties for breakfast with my freshly juiced apple/grapefruit combo.  So far, this Friday's off to a delicious start.  ;P

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
5 1/3 tbsp canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp molasses (optional)
2 tbsp powdered flax seeds mixed well with 6 tbsp water
1/4 cup applesauce
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup pecans, lightly toasted, then chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and oil a 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan.

Mix the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl.
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the oil and the sugar on high speed for about 2-3 minutes.
Beat in the flour until the mixture resembles brown sugar
Beat in the flax-water mixture and applesauce
Fold in the mashed bananas and chopped pecans.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake about 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes and then unmold and let cool completely on a rack.

i heart the dalai lama.

someone asked the dalai lama what surprises him most.

this was his response.

“Man, because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.

Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.

And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present;

the result being that he does not live in the present or the future;

he lives as if he is never going to die,

and then he dies having never really lived.”

quote of the day

don't worry.

i'm here.

you're there.

that's fine.

- ingrid wendt

even though i'm feel that i am undeniably a bhakta, i feel that drawing wisdom from any source provided can help us grow and offer guidance along our path. there are so many similarities in the world's religions, i feel it only prudent to learn what i can, whenever i can, wherever i can...


so, this evening in class, i'll give a little talk before we begin - maybe start with a breathing meditation while i read what i've written - i want to write it down because my heart is so full i need to be sure i can deliver the message clearly, and sometimes my emotions rise up and my mind becomes flooded. tonight's class will be dedicated to my friend whose father passed unexpectedly last week, and i'll start with a reading from one of my favorite spiritual texts.


reading:

The Bhagavad Gita speaks of performing action without attachment to the results of that action. this is what we call non-attachment. [One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme God, is not affected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water. 5.10]


Non-attachment is a big theme in yoga.

Non-attachment means not having personal or selfish desires. Instead, for peace of mind, yoga advises to dedicate our actions and their results to benefit other creatures. That is practicing non-attachment.


I always remember the example of an apple tree which gives its fruits without expecting anything back. The apple tree is perfectly selfless. It’s not attached to the results. If someone likes the apples, great. If someone doesn’t, the tree will not be disturbed or lose its peace. The tree gives its fruit freely, without feeling it deserves anything in return.

We can learn from the apple tree.


I discovered that to keep the mind calm and free of worry, we must simply focus on our work in the present moment.


Every moment. Moment-to-moment.


Then, time disappears.


Our actions become perfect.


Our work becomes a selfless service and a form of meditation.


And now, let's take a moment here to dedicate our practice.


If you do not already have someone on your heart, then perhaps you may choose to dedicate your practice to the attenuation of the suffering of all beings. Whenever we return to samasthiti, return to your dedication.


Om, shanti, shanti, shantihi.

reassurance

sometimes, i just NEED to hear/read someone else tell me
"everything is going to be okay"
... and then i believe it a little more.

i don't know why that is. 
it's nothing new they're saying.
why do i want someone else to believe in me?
and why would i ever think someone could believe in me more than i believe in myself?

nothing has changed since yesterday.
i'm no more broke.
i'm no more alone.
i'm no less successful.

i am where i should be.
i am all that i should be.
i contain multitudes of untapped grace, faith, power and possibility.

(sometimes, i just get a little clouded...
the veil of this world makes my vision a little blurry...
and i get a little forgetful...)



a little shel to get through the day never hurts:

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child.
Listen to the don'ts.
Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts.
Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me...
Anything can happen, child.
Anything can be.”