The nature of thoughts

I've seen this on a few tumblrs, etc. I don't want to forget it, so I'm re-posting the quote.

“I would argue that caring for your body in traditional ways- like eating a healthy diet, exercising, and taking your vitamins- may be the least important part of your health. (I know! Radical idea coming from a doctor!) This may sound shocking to you. After all, you’ve probably watched many other doctors get on television to tell you that your health is all about using food as medicine, getting enough exercise, and avoiding bad habits. I’m not suggesting that those aren’t great health-inducing behaviors. What I’m saying is that it doesn’t matter how great your diet is if your body is flooded with stress hormones! No amount of kale is going to counterbalance the toxic effects of high levels of cortisol and epinephrine on your body. So what’s the most important part of your health? The nature of your thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. When your thoughts, beliefs, and feelings are positive, relaxation responses are activated, healing hormones like oxytocin, dopamine, nitric oxide, and endorphins are released, and the body’s natural self-repair mechanisms are activated, allowing the body to do what it does best-heal itself.”

- Lissa Rankin, M.D

Easy or not?

Listening to a podcast, Elvis Mitchell's 'The Treatment' on my bike ride in today (cause I figure I can’t listen on my ride home since the rain will electrocute my brain if my iPod's running), I heard Richard Linklater utter a line that strung itself in silver sheathed in a cloud above my head: 

 

 “There is never an easy path.” 

And it’s true, so true, isn’t it? If you attempt the easy path to avoid what would have been more difficult (and potentially more satisfying), it catches up with you. Professionally, personally, emotionally, dirty dishes or laundry… so I’m trying to keep that in mind as we deal with the challenges that our lives present and try to allow myself to fully bask in the wonderful times as well. But is all a part of our journey we’ve put ourselves on.

And on that Buddhist note (yes, I am still reading my Buddhist meditation book), I’ll move along.

silent walk in the snow

Nature provides an inner massage of the body. Gently organs relax at the silent touch nature brings.

The silent prey, who wishes to live another day.

The silent predator, who doesn't wish to be exposed.

A woodpecker crackles against the bark of the snow-polka-dotted firs.

Decayed trees are more engrossing than any Brancussi; layers of leaning forest nourishment.

These journeys are not always what we expect them to be. And thank goodness for this unknown.

And the twittery twittery hullabaloo of chickadees playing tag in the high away branches.

You gotta stay positive

Now class, let's remember that we make our own choices. We must stay confident in the choices we make and, if we feel less than pleased with how things are turning out, why then shift it just a skosh.

Did that help at all? Make sure you can see something positive in what you're choosing to do right now. Don't go sacrificing a perfectly good Sunday afternoon to grumpiness! That would be an egregious party foul.

Ideas to change the mood:

1. enjoy some pre-made homemade iced tea.
2. listen to music that makes you want to sing along.
3. tell your kid a knock knock joke that makes them laugh out loud.
4. snack on some popcorn and share a handful with the hens.
5. open up that book you've been meaning to give a chance (before it's due back to the library).
6. forgive last night's awful movie. (Did you hear that 'This is 40'? What was all the hype about you just kind of rambled on about the difficulties of wealthy and deceptive southern Californians. But I digress, and forgive.)
7. read out loud to the children.
8. put some fresh flowers (currently our lovely pink tea roses) in the kitchen.

Getting it done

I'm in the beginning stages of learning about meditation. While there's no way I want to get sucked into Transcendental Meditation (which would be impossible anyway, when a series of sessions is a good $2500!!!), the book 'Transcendence' still has some wonderful material to cull from it.

So far, this simple sentence is what has struck me the deepest:

"If you want to get something done, you can't wait until you feel like doing it."

This resonates in my life, putting off projects because I'm not in the mood to work on it. Dishes pile up, laundry follows suit and I take care of those because they have a physical legacy: you can see the mess, people run out of bowls and underwear. So those chores area automatic.

But the projects that are closest to my heart: photography, learning to sew well, drawing with my children. learning music or foreign languages... these have no physical manifestations. It's easy to keep pushing those wonderful dreams aside because you can't see it pile up. I feel it piling up inside of me, these dreams and hopes, but it rarely feels urgent. It builds until I feel underwhelmed by my ability to create. Those artistic pursuits take time and attention and focus, so they are pushed aside since focus is so difficult in a 1000 square foot house with 4 people. There is so little time when we both work full time and still want to pay so much attention to the children. Plus the usual: appointments, meetings, soccer practices, etc.

So I have to take the plunge. Choose one thing to start: order a ukulele; make time to draw with the boys in our art journals; put handsewing projects together in a basket so they can be picked up at a moment's notice.  Starting small, accomplishing small feats and working for something.

And don't wait for the inspiration to do it, because it's in the doing of something that I become inspired.

May 2013 Playlist

Playlist for mid-springtime. It's about moving and dancing and pondering.

Spring flowers

This is the album cover for the Bloodworts' new album entitled 'Blooming'.

I slammed on my bike brakes when I spied this bloodwort blooming on the edge of the trail. Luckily I didn't slide to a crashing halt this time.