This Moment

This moment is precious.
This moment is yours.
This moment has blessings.
This moment has cures.

This moment is sacred.
This moment is stillness.
This moment is silence.
This moment is forgiveness.

Taken for granted, this moment...
never gives us enough of man-made time.
However, this moment in your journey,
when noticed... is most perfect and kind.

So breathe... and notice
and see the wonder.
This moment can fill time and space
in your heart forever.

by Rain Fordyce

30 days Raw!

Many of you know since I did the Peace Treaty on food, I started my raw food journey. During that time, I was reliant on my local deli and co-op that served a few raw food choices. I never learned to prepare anything fancy like pies, nut burgers or even almond milk. I was about 80-90% raw for about 3 months, feeling good, looking good, losing weight... until the stress hit: my husband decided to move to LA for a job.

Oh yeah, you guessed it! That was the end of that!

I was craving everything from cake to pizza and feeling the grounding, heavy, intoxicating joy from every bite. My life felt out of place and my food choices were a symptom of my internal chaos. I knew that the food I was eating was not making me feel good and yet, I didn't stop. For the first time in a very long time, I felt as though I was in the grasp of an addiction.

Then my husband returned to the northwest and we were not moving to LA after all. Within four days, my taste for cooked food weakened. I was ready to make a major change! I bought the book, 12 steps to Raw Food: How to end your dependancy on cooked food by Victoria Boutenko, which I highly recommend. I loved her thoughts, research and suggestions and I followed every one. I gave myself a corner of the kitchen for my raw food, my Vita-mix and food processor and two shelves in the refrigerator labeled "raw shelf."

I read every word with excitement and anticipation and within 3 days, I was inspired to make the choice to go 100% raw for 30 days.

As she honestly wrote in her book, the first week is most definitely the hardest, and oh baby...it was. I wanted my soothing pizza, I wanted to taste the pasta my kids loved so much. Yet, I kept going back to the book and got inspiration to stay on the path. Green smoothies were my mainstay the first week and I purchased the I Am Grateful: Cafe Gratitude recipe book (which I also highly recommend) and began collecting the ingredients I would need to begin learning raw food preparation. Once the week was coming to a close, began feeling the energy, and joy of the raw food and made my first nut burger recipe. And to my great surprise, it was easy and delicious!

The second week I began detox, but it wasn't as bad as the first time and I began an herbal cleanse immediately... which helped my symptoms soften in only two days. I found myself so intrigued by learning the ways of raw food, I decided to make something new every morning. I chose between something savory, sweet, green or dehydrated and found the joy of having a plethora of delicious and satifying food at my disposal... in fact, I had more than I could handle. So I began sharing my treats with whoever would try them (and some actually loved my creations!)

The third week I was getting ready for my trip to San Diego (where I am this fine morning) and I began prepping the food I would need for the 3 week journey. I packed up my Vita-mix, made what seemed like a million flax crackers, and put together a strategy to always have a fresh salad and nut burger daily. Note: Raw nut burger has become an important part of my staying raw and feeling satisfied. Although, I quit using the hard to digest soaked almonds and now use the easy-feeling sprouted sunflower seeds instead.

My fourth week was strange as being around others who love french fries, Mexican food and milkshakes (my kids) I honestly started dreaming about taking a bite... and in these dreams those bites were heavenly... I woke up knowing the truth, but geez! It really wasn't easy... However, I stayed true and I found success in my goal. I feel and look great and my energy is so high... actually, so am I!

Yahoo! 30 days, 100% raw!

Now is day 33 and I am so grateful to be on the first week of my next 30 day quest. If you have a yummy raw recipe or a joyful suggestion, please send it to rain@authentictimes.com

I would love to hear from you!

The Universe's Amazing Gift

So an update is long overdue...

It all happened when I made the decision to trust myself and ask the universe for what I truly wanted inside my heart and say it out loud for all the world to hear... including me.

I was at the cliffs (in the picture) a few blocks from our home. I knew it was time. My husband was in LA and our family was divided. Our life was not joyful 2 1/2 months after he moved down there. It was full of sadness, chaos and confusion. Was it my fault? Afterall, I made the vision board that had pictures of the beach and the sun. I was the one who carefully glued the picture of our family on top of a crowd of joyous people.

It was two weeks after creating my vision board that the universe responded, providing an amazing position for my husband in LA, resulting in our move. Last time I wrote we decided to live in Washington, while he commuted the long 4 hour car/airplane/taxi/ferry commute, each way, every 2 weeks, until we could figure it all out. Did I manifest this division?

My boys were tired of it. My husband was tired of it. I was tired of it, too. I was tired of allowing this path... so I came to the cliffs and with arms and heart open wide and with absolute resolute I shouted, "I want to stay here!"

It wasn't long after that statement that everything started to shift. A kindred spirit and neighbor came over and we agreed to destroy the vision board I had created together in a heartfelt grateful burning ceremony. When I took the photo of our family off the board before the burning, underneath were these words:

Turning It Around

We both began to cry. We knew this was the end of this part of my journey. But when... and how? The response came swifter than I could imagine!

Within a week, my husband called and told me the job they promised him was not going to happen as they had promised and he was done working for them. He said he was leaving. He was home 3 days later.

We laughed, we cried and we celebrated! Yet, our move was already in progress. We had already rented a very small house that was an hour closer to the airport and we had rented out the house we were currently living in. We sat with our choices. There was nothing else in our small town big enough for our family of four available to rent. We decided to leave our dear town and move into the house an hour away that we had put our deposit on. Our plans were in motion and we didn't know how to stop it. So we floated down it's stream. We never expected what would happen next.

3 days from the day when my husband returned, we received a call from our landlord... She told us the man who was going to rent our home had a personal emergency, and though he was okay, he decided to not rent our home afterall! She asked if we wanted to stay. So much had shifted. It seems strange now, but so much had happened so quickly. I needed time to think. Time to process. Time to breathe...

After a day of processing everything that had happened, we both decided that we had gotten the gift that I had asked for and we were all so grateful to receive it!

We are staying put! No move, no shift away from what we are growing here in this small and beautiful town and, best of all, an amazing gift to find ourselves back on a loving course, living together...

And it was all given to us from the abundant and amazing universe.

Living with Temporary

It is amazing to me how many times in my life I walked (and sometimes sprinted) away from commitment. Those who have known me a very long time, know that in the past I have changed my mind a whole heck of a lot. Trying to make commitments in the past were often just a waste of my breath.

However, as I have connected with my authentic path, my choices feel deeper, more concrete based on my real values and not based on whims or what I think I should be doing. I really know what I want in life, what I value and am strongly connected to what feels right for me.

Yet that is only the path of one.

Learning to co-create with my partner has been the next leg of my authentic journey. With differing values, wants and perspectives, we have taken the last few months to get to know each other's true values and use them as a foundation to be creative and explore all of our options to find a solution to where we want to live and raise our family.

Since my husband got a dream job in Hollywood, we were set to move to LA, but soon afterwards, I realized this move was not congruent with my journey. So we began our discussions of what to do next. He didn't want to leave his project and I didn't want to leave the northwest.

After exhaustive discusions, long housing and neighborhood searches and connecting with our inner clarity, we have decided to continue to live in a state of temporary.

Yes, I know, all of life is temporary, but some choices are much shorter versions of temporary, while others are longer. The truth was, I was hoping for the longer version, but the universe has guided us and mysteriously gifted us with the perfect place to stay temporary over the next 6 months.

So I am pleased to announce that we have made the commitment to make a temporary choice.

Life is a complex web of choices and possibilities. The more your mind opens to them, the more complicated it is to sort through the data. Focus on your values and you might just find the solution to your most tangled challenges. Yes, it can be done, even when we are co-creating our reality with someone who values are not the same as yours. Yes, it CAN be done!

I am pleased that we are both choosing what we love, even if it is temporary, for that is where we will find our greatest joy... right here... right now.

Smiles and blessings,
Rain

An answer to Jude of where we are now...

JudeEastman~LifeCoach said...

OK--I'm a little behind from enjoying my rewarding-relaxing Big Island vacation.

Aren't you one of those people in my life that told me when the fear creeps in and we start to doubt our decisions or that we can "do it" that we are just about to make great strides forward and to keep the faith?

Not to say I know what's best for you and your family--The decision will come with crystal clarity whether to stay or go. All the plans already made don't matter at that point-Remember, "It's a brand new day at that point."

Love you Rain--this may all be a moot point by now.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thank you Jude :)

Yes, when fear creeps in, you can move forward and do it.

Only, this is not about fear. This is about not knowing what we truly want together.

We are talking about where we want to live and raise our children and make a living and what lifestyle we really want... and at what price.

I have to admit it has been a painful and amazingly expansive time. My husband and I are really getting to really know each other and our true values while we put the pieces together. It is amazing at how much you can still learn about each other after 13 years.

As of today, there are no decisions yet. We are just looking at what we would love to do and see if there is a possibility to co-create something new out of what we each love (which is very different) and happily put energy into it for the next few years.

I have faith that with this amazing man and our creative spirits we will design something perfect for us and our family.

Thank you for the opportunity to clarify where we are at.

Blessings to you today.
your friend,
Rain

Day 2 Emergency Plan

What do you do when the worst possible thing happens?
Do you allow yourself time to grieve, feel, process and regroup?

What do you do when you are fearful of the worst possible thing happening if you take a risk?
Do you spend every moment worrying, feeling unable to move and feeling the tension in your body?

I have a process that works for both called the
Day 2 Emergency Plan.

Here is how it works:

Write down the worst possible scenario that could happen if you take the risk you wish to take, or if the worst has already happened, acknowledge what has happened out loud to yourself or a very good friend.

Next write down your emergency plan which always starts on Day 1 with the most awesome pity party you have ever known. Write down the ways you will take care of YOU. On your actual Day 1, allow yourself to choose to do whatever you really want to do. Take a wellness day from work if possible. This includes wearing your favorite pajammas, eating whatever you want, buying yourself ease by take out, a babysitter and whatever else can give you time, buying yourself some flowers, a sad rental movie (allow yourself to cry, cry and cry some more) and a large box of dark chocolate. Spoil yourself with a day of extreme comfort.
Also make sure you give yourself extreme self care; take a nap, wear a favorite blanket (and feel a universal hug,) smell flowers, drink herbal tea, drink water whenever you can, take a nice slow walk outside and sit in a comfortable sunny spot, if you have it. Make no decisions about tomorrow, just feel, breathe and be.

Day 2 is a day to get back on your feet. Write out a plan of what you will do to take a step forward toward living your goals again. It might look like this:

• Take a shower
• Get dressed in successful clothes for the day
• Eat a healthy breakfast
• Brush teeth
  
• Return movie
• Give chocolates to a friend
• Make the calls you need to make
• Take at least one small step towards living the life you truly want
  
• Acknowledge your feelings and your courage
  

If the worst has sprung upon you, it is easy to make this list the morning of Day 2. Don't worry about it or work on it Day 1. Then use it throughout the day to move forward towards living. Don't underestimate the power of taking small steps, such as taking a shower. Any step, no matter how small is a step and is taking you where you want to be.

If you are prewriting your Day 2 Emergency Plan, tuck it away in your safe, your drawer, by your fire extinguisher or in your first aid kit. Know you have your plan, so there is no need to think about what will happen, just move forward anyway.

After all, it's when we move forward that our lives become the dreams we truly want. It is important to take breaks along the journey of your authentic trail to breathe and process. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is allow a whole day to acknowledge our humanness, while knowing we will get back up tomorrow, we aren't giving up...
we are just giving ourselves a gift of love.


Dedicated to all my friends who reached out to me when I needed it most....

Finding Strength and Courage

Sometimes life can take you in a new direction
when you really don't want to.
You may feel lost, discouraged, fearful and broken-hearted.

Keep breathing...
In fact, your instinct is to hold your breath until it's over,
so choosing to breathe can be extremely healing.

When you feel there is no reason to...
breathe in big.

Inhale as you imagine that you are breathing in life itself.
The good the bad.
The exciting and scary.
The known and unknown.
What you can control and what you can't.

Breathe deeply today...
take in everything life has offer and you will find
your strength and courage renewed.

It's 1:30 in the morning...

For the life of me, I can't sleep...
So much has been going on.

First the job in LA.
Then the plans to move to LA.
Then the incredible sadness of leaving WA.
Then the thought of maybe staying here in WA.
Then my husband thinking maybe staying here is the best thing for the kids.
Playing with the idea.

I guess the question is, 'What do we really want?'
My husband and I are famous for the inability to make decisions and then making huge sweeping decisions at the last minute.

Every Sunday is our 'So what do we want to do with our life?' day. This has gone on for 13 years. We have talked for hours while drinking way too much.
First it was bloody marys.
Then it was mimosas.
Then it was coffee.
Now I drink tea... sometimes, while my husband continues his love of coffee.

We have thought about all the possibilities for our life. We have explored all the wild choices this life has to offer. We think about our sweet boys and the impact of our decisions. We think about what we most desire. We write lists.
On white boards.
On notepads.
On the computer.
On napkins.

We enjoy the highs of making wild decisions.
When we actually and finally make them.
Then there is the maintenance of these decisions.

With the exception of our decision to be together and our decision to be parents.
We don't tend to be great at the maintenance part.

There is just always another decision waiting around the corner to think about.
This time instead of going for the big sweeping decision, I wait...
I wait...
I wait...
until the answer is either yes or no...

and here I am at 1:40 in the morning, sitting in my big, comfy chair, with my soft, warm blanket and I am just waiting...
Until I finally decide to go to bed.

Love and Feeling ALIVE

Do you ever just love feeling LOVE? It is such a gift.

It opens your heart to the elements.
You feel electricity.
You feel vulnerable and excited.
You feel warmth and beating explosions.
You feel buzzing in your veins.

Everything is YES!
Everything is POSSIBILITY!

That is how I feel when I think of my husband. My greatest spiritual teacher, my greatest friend, my thrilling experiment in co-creation.

We have been through so much, we test each other, we push the limits.

He is so beautiful, so lovely and fulfills my life in ways I never would have experienced without him.

As we take the next few steps together to try the unknown, to see what we are capable of, I know that no matter what happens...
I am so grateful for my life with him.

The good, the challenging and most of all, the explosions of feeling ALIVE!

When Life Changes, Wait on Decisions

Now that we are in motion for the upcoming move 1150 miles south of here, I am amazed as new thoughts, feelings, and decisions come into my view. It is so easy to get caught up in the drama, and it is just as easy to stay out of it. All of the upcoming decisions we have to make could be an easy source for stress and drama. You think and think and think into the future and wonder what is the best choice to make. I have done that in my life and I have learned an important key to keeping it simple:

Making decisions in the present time is the best time to make them!

Otherwise, the stress begins to form because you are making decisions without all the real time information. Soon, your mind will create false information to fill in the blanks until you reach that point in time, and you end up making pre-decisions based on assumption.

Let me give you an example:
One of the most common questions I get is, "Where are you going to move to in Los Angeles?" Since I have never lived there I do not have an honest answer to that. And if I did know the area, what if the kind of home we want isn't available at the time of our move?

This is where being in the here and now is such a gift during life changes. I know where I will live, because I will be faced with a home we have looked at in an area I feel good in. The decision will be there... in that moment. And there is only 2 choices to make, yes or no.

When faced with a yes or no decision in the moment life is happening, it is so much easier to look at all the information you have up until that point, trust your inner guidance and move forward with your decision.

Decisions no longer become long month or year long dramas, they simply are moments in your life. The best part is how much more time it gives me here in the northwest, where I am currently making decisions for the upcoming birthday party of my soon-to-be-8 year old.

That is right now and that is where I love to live.

So many emotions, so little time...

Since the big news, and taking steps towards leaving (selling the boat, buying another hybrid car, renting the house, having a going away party for Charlie) I have been having a lot of emotions. I have been:
Happy
Excited
Scared
Confused
Sad

These feelings seem to come moment to moment. Instead of trying to keep a smile on my face and continue to tell myself everything is going to be okay, I am allowing the feelings to come and show themselves. I may be excited one minute, cry the next, smile after that, then talk about my fears and about missing our life here in the northwest.

I notice that there are so many passing emotions, thoughts and reactions, and since I am not holding any judgments to them, they are passing by in seconds. I am not attaching who I am to what I feel.

So many of us are afraid of being authentic and feeling what we are feeling in the moment for fear it will grow into something too big to handle. When you allow your feelings without judging yourself afterward, you let go of the story and there is no drama or analysis... it just is.

For example, when I talk about my fear of dealing with the high population of a big city, I don't attach the judgments "I am a big baby!" "Why do you say such ridiculous things?" "You will never be able to handle all the noise, you can't handle anything!" or "You have to figure out a way to stop this move!"

Instead, I just notice the feeling of fear. Recognize it as normal and natural and feel it. When the fear seems to take on physical pain, I stop what I am doing and feel it even deeper. Let it come through me like a shock wave. Once I do, I notice it leave me. I watch it dissipate.

If I go with the stories and judgments, I get caught up in another reality. The reality in my head, instead of my heart. Our thoughts can take over and prolong the suffering of emotions. We make our feelings more important than the moment and watch the story go on for a full length movie or even a mini-series or life-long soap opera.

If you begin to notice a story taking over, just take a deep breath to create a break in the action. Go into your body and feel what is happening in there. Let go of your thoughts and stay with the feelings in the now.

The here and now is where you will find freedom. For that is all we have.

Everything else is purely for entertainment purposes only.

New Move... Big Changes!

It's time to share with you all what is going on at home here.

While I was innocently on my 2-week non-computer retreat, my husband went out and used his amazing energy to find an opportunity and his dream job.

As I was driving home with the kids and only 4 hours to go from the sunny beaches in Santa Cruz, he shared the news. "We're moving to Hollywood!"

Yes, after living and very much loving the northwest for the past 13 years, we are moving from our small town of only 10,000 residence to Los Angeles, CA one of the biggest cities in the US with a population of 3,834,340! (and that is just in the city's huge limits, the county limits is almost to 10 million!) It is something to wrap our brains around...

It has been a few days with a whirlwind of amazing connections, flow and ease...
The kids are excited.
My husband is excited.
Even I am excited.

There are a few things that are keeping me on Rescue Remedy:
1. My husband is leaving soon... next week and will be down there 3 months before we all move down officially. Even though he will be visiting us and we will come down to visit him, this will be the longest my husband and I have been apart since we have met.

2. Leaving the cool, beautiful and green forest we live in to be in the small dry plots and high population of the hot and sunny city. The trails, the quiet, the serenity of living here is such a gift. My kids love to play in the woods and build forts and create games of amazing outdoor invention. It will be serious culture shock!

3. Smog. I have always been sensitive to it and I love the clean air on the coast of the northwest. There will be a huge adjustment here of relaxing and letting go...

4. Safety. I know there is no such thing as real security... but we don't have dangerous parts of town around here. I let my 10-year old walk to town (an hour long walk) with a friend without worry. This will also be a huge shift and I am actually curious to see how I feel when I am there. Right now, I can't imagine it.

The truth is, those are the only stresses for us as we look towards this new adventure! So we have decided to go for it. We have decided to move to Los Angeles.

My husband will be working in Hollywood, where he can see premeres for new movies right across the street. Where will we actually move to and live? Well I just don't know for sure yet....
If you know of a family friendly, relatively quiet neighborhood that won't be a huge commute from Hollywood.... put your vote in here!

Meanwhile what does this mean for Authentic Times, Inc.?
I will be slowing down for awhile (I guess that is why I was on retreat...) I will still be coaching, editing and doing the peace treaty classes, just less of it as we transition through the move.

Here is to change, courage and our new adventure!!!

Back From Retreat!

Wow! I not only was off the computer for a week, I was off for TWO!

So needless to say, it went really well...
It took me a couple of days of fighting my impulse to turn on my computer. Soon I felt like I really didn't want to turn my computer on ever again!

So I met with my amazing coach... took a few more days to reconnect with what I was really feeling and it that is when it hit me like a bouquet of Mother's Day flowers!

I was ready to turn on, but in my own way and at my own speed...

Yes, I had almost 600 emails when I returned (I will get back to you, I promise :)
Yes, there is a lot to catch up on.
Yes, the web spun without me.
Yes, I am so grateful!
This is how I feel:
Yahoo!
Getting back to work feels freeing and fun!
Thank you all for your beautiful support!

I thought about where my business is headed and where I want to go, and I feel ready to take those steps, clearly and with purpose!

What did I take away from this experience?

Trust yourself... even when you think you know better!

Non-Computer Retreat starts Now!

I wish you all a beautiful week! Here is something I would love to give you...

Yikes! A Retreat From the Computer

The time has come! I have decided to take a week retreat away from the computer for the first time since my trip around the US in '07. Am I having my doubts? Oh yeah, I am!
Here is why:

• My email will explode into outerspace and I will need a special team of highly trained experts to face it when I return.
• Those who are contacting me about coaching or editing may go somewhere else and not want to wait for my hiatus to be over. (One week on the internet is like a whole year in real life!)
  
• What if I don't want my hiatus to be over?
• I don't have a VA and am not sure if I should hire one to keep my businesses in the flow...
  
• I will be forgotten on Twitter and Facebook (Oh gasp!)

Time is from Monday, April 27th thru Monday May 4th. This may be longer, if needed through Thursday May 7th.

Can I do this? ...Yes?
I mean, Yes!!!
Is anyone taking bets?

Empower Your Adult!

If you missed the show, listen in to this one. On the Voice of Change, Sharon and I talk about the power of trusting yourself and moving forward. A really powerful show!

A conversation about "The Work"

This is a response to a conversation on the blog Waves Arising Suddenly about "The Work" and Byron Katie that I found after a disturbing post I found about what happens at the School for The Work.

I am grateful for Byron Katie's work for I have grown so much; This just teaches me that sometimes the initial inspiration is what we should focus on... I would love to hear your thoughts!

_______________________________________________
I am so glad to find a compelling conversation about thoughts and ideas of the work and the school for the work.

I personally had used the work for about a year, until I realized, I was continually doing the work on suffering thoughts over and over... I continue to share it with my clients and introduce it as a trick. (Tricks are not negative, they are just quick ways to help the mind end suffering, though do not prove lasting results without positive action.)

For the same reason I left AA years ago, the work is similar in that people are encouraged to stick with it forever, or they receive a sense of shunning. AA's motto is "jails, institutions and death" Katie's followers seems to say to those who argue that you are "fighting reality" or "fighting what is."

I am not saying these programs don't help millions of people, they do. I am saying that once they help you, please think about moving forward on your own journey without fear.

The experience I have had with those who have gone to the school is a sense of secrecy... and I never knew why. If it is joyous, share it with the world, right? They seem to have a "I know what you do not" energy about them. My thoughts have been, "It's only 4 questions. It's not hard to understand, what am I missing?"

Rick Ross' sharing of the school made me feel sad. Maybe that is what I was missing... what had happened to these people while at the school. Cult, fraternity or abusive family; or whatever you call it... anything that asks you to keep secrets for any reason, is going to create separatism with others and suffering in your spirit.

If the tool you are using to end the suffering does not truly end it permanently and encourages you to add their own philosophy onto your personal authentic journey for the long term, you will stray from walking your own unique path.

I encourage my clients, friends and family all to do what is right in their own heart, to trust and listen to their own guidance. Byron Katie is doing that for herself.

We also need to do the same.

smiles and blessings,
Rain

Listening to the Voices

Okay, I admit it! Sometimes, I doubt the universe will provide. As I continue to move forward and I do what I love, every once in a while a voice pops into my head that says,

"You are living in a dream world! Life is not a dream and you have to be rational and practical."

Do you know that voice? When you begin walking on your authentic path, this voice is LOUD! There is a real fear of the unknown.

However, as I have been on my true authentic path for the past 3 years, I have actual evidence that living a life that is from your heart and spirit can and does work, although not always as we first might believe it should. Lol!

So when that voice continues to whisper in my ear and flashes of doubt soon fill my head, I can immediately go into "hopeless."

However! I have discovered a beautiful trick that works and I want to share with you today.

When the voice is talking to you with fear, simply listen and sit with the discomfort without judgment. The most important thing is to let the voice be HEARD as you would hear a child.

As I continue to work with The Peace Treaty, I am becoming more conscious of these voices being children. They are us as children, who have become quite bossy and think they know best. However, they speak out of fear and as we all do when we are feeling fear, they just want to be heard.

So next time you hear the voice telling you, "You are foolish and living a dream!" don't fight it or try to put it out of your mind. Decide to listen fully as a kind, loving and wise adult without judgment. When the voice is done talking you might say and say with gratitude in your heart, "Yes, I hear you. It does seem scary. I am the brave adult now, who is ready to take that risk!"

Courage and joy,
Rain

Discussion Panel Speaks about Women's Empowerment

Join Hyacinth, Sharon, Tricia and I, as we speak about how to feel successful and empowered in today's world! A wonderful show!

A Response about Authentic Self

This is in response to my blog post: Authentic Family Living

Hello (un)relaxeddad,

Thank you so much for your comment! I love to consider your socratic questions! Beautiful thoughts for my walk this morning.... Here are my responses:

1. One might argue that the moment you put "Authentic" in bold type, you're a) creating a label and b) implicitly suggesting that there is such a think as in-authentic family living.

A)Yes, one might argue that. And what I really was doing was sharing that I was creating a new community... http://AuthenticFamilyLiving.ning.com
So I tried to share the title clearly in bold...

Is it a Label? I consider a label static, non-changing, so according to my own belief, it is not a label as Living is an action word. So not so much a label, more of a definition. Of course, I could be very wrong, I often am...

B)Yes, I believe there are thousands of people who walk around living in-authentic lives... I was one of them. Sometimes, I still catch myself in a "role" that someone else told me about or I am making choices that are practical over what I believe is true in my heart.

I describe "authentic" as honest, present and original.

Honesty is allowing your truth to come from inside your body. Ask your heart, "What am I feeling right now?" Being honest is allowing your moods and preferences to change moment to moment.

The present is always now and your awareness of the here and now happens in your mind when listening, seeing, smelling, tasting, and feeling everything in the moment right now. Living in the present is active, never stuck, labeled or designated.

Being original is connecting with the divine spirit and your unique journey. Before you created and believed the "stories" that caused suffering (look up Byron Katie on Google), your spirit was free and lived as an observer. Stories, although fun around a campfire, cloud your ability to express yourself as an original masterpiece with a journey all your own.

Basically, living authentically is an active practice not a static label. So if you are not actively practicing the art of living authentically, you are in-authentic at that moment. Some of us choose that way of living for years and decades.

However, the beauty of this new community is it doesn't matter what you are doing. If you are interested in being there, you are welcome. Your choice becomes the path to authentic living!



2. It's very hard to avoid making walls, foundations and structures, even in the form of a kind of 'negative' - and is it possible to build any kind of self without them?

I love this question the most! Is it possible to build a sense of self without structures built from labels?

I believe YES! If you allow your authentic living to occur, something will soon come to pass in your life: You will want to change who you are. This may happen moment to moment or decade to decade. When you hear stories of the lawyer who became an artist or a doctor who became a plumber, you are fascinated because they took a risk to live authentically. They broke down the structures they built with the labels they created and took a turn.

Of course, this may also happen when the artist becomes a CPA or the hippie becomes a Wall Street millionaire, though I am not sure if those stories sell like the other ones do...
I changed from pink princess, to punker, to vogue fashion, to new-waver, to hippie, to country music 2-stepper, to new-ager, to conservative democratic, to what I do now... Changing who I am from label to label to becoming more and more un-label-able... though I am sure some people out there feel like they could try.

The reason is, I am open to change. That is the beauty of my freedom of choice as I live authentically.

I wrote the post because I was excited about the discovery of finding a label (unschooler) that had created a structure in my life that would tumble if I took the label away. This discovery was exciting for me and inspired me to create the Authentic Family Living community. A label may be a title, but a title does not always a label make, right?

I practice to be honest to everyone (including you) who asks what I love, which changes moment to moment, sometimes hour to hour or decade to decade.

Who would you be without your labels? Who is the self? Who am I?
Yes, deep and profound, and yet, the answer is there... actively moving, blowing in the wind...


Thank you for connecting and asking me your beautiful questions. It was just what I wanted to hear...

smiles and joy,
Rain

Time For Play

There are many studies out that show how play is extremely important for children's development.

I am here to share that play is extremely important for EVERYONE'S development.

The idea that we stop developing is a theory that I do not subscribe to. We develop as long as we are open to it. As long as we continue to try new things, take new risks, and explore our universe, we will develop our minds, bodies and spirits.

It is only when you decide you know it all.
It is only when you decide you are too old to learn.
It is only when you decide you are too tired to do anything new.
It is only when you decide...

So for today, I ask that you RISK everything you have planned for the day and PLAY!

Play like a child without worry or guilt and explore what happens when you stop living life by the rules YOU have created.

Have a blessed day!

Inspiring for Energy

The best way to relax your energy down or raise your energy up is as simple as one word.

That word is:

BREATHE

You may think this is an over-simplification. Yes, most of the best things in life are simple. Let’s take a deeper look at what we do when we breathe.

We inhale and exhale.

We inspire and expire.

How many of us truly pay attention to our breathing pattern? It is an automatic function of our body to keep us alive, yet when we take a deep breath into our belly, something shifts inside us. Take three or more deep breaths and slowly watch your whole world begin to look differently. Why is this?

In Hatha yoga classes the instructors will begin and end with deep breathing exercises. You breathe deeply at the beginning of the class to increase oxygen flow to the muscles and brain and to aide in energy flow of your body. You breathe deeply at the end to calm your muscles and brain and to aide in relaxation and meditation during the corpse pose.

Your breath is extremely powerful if using it is a way to create both energy levels in your body by breath alone! Some might say it is the spirit that lives within us!

How can you use this same technique to create the energy before a challenging day as well as the relaxation desired at the end of the day? I would like to tell you it’s simple to do. Of course if that were true, everyone would be doing it and we know that they don’t and many of us don’t either.

No, there is something else a bit deeper that stops people from breathing for health, relaxation and energy. The reason is a natural reaction and everyone does it. We do it without thinking. We do it and it goes unnoticed by any doctor, friend, and family member. It is a “secret” of sorts that no one really seems to talk about.

We stop breathing when we think life might not be worth living.

What?! I hear the defenses going up. Before you stop reading… let me explain.

What do you do when you hear bad news? What do you do if you think you might fall? What do you do when you feel the negative past “experiences” might possibly be up for a rerun? What do you do when you feel any lower energy emotional feeling? Start noticing and you will see.

You… Hold… Your… Breath… ... .. .. . .

It is an instinct. It stops time and life for a moment for us to think and process. The minute we realize there is some possibility worth living for, we start to breathe.

The reason might be just for the excitement of the negative drama (yes we love them, don’t we?), for the love of a fight, just to see what will happen next, for the realization that we will survive… we will be okay… we will be just fine… then it happens… huuuuuuuhhhhhh…. we inhale… we inspire.

Whether or not you decide to start your own personal study of when you breathe, it’s easy to notice that breathing is an act of life. Will you choose life? And what kind of life will you choose?

a shallow life

a quick life

a hurried life

an excited life

an out-of-control life

a slow life

a deep life

a full belly life

a thoughtful life

or a rhythmic life

The most beautiful thing is that you get to choose by the practice of your breathing pattern. It really works and you can use your breath to get through any challenging situation with confidence and the energy you never thought you had!

Breathe for high energy. Stand confidently tall as you relax your shoulders and body. Take a deep breath in your nose and allow your diaphragm to move out, expanding your belly. Next, exhale out your mouth and notice your belly contracting back in. Breathe into your belly again in just 4 seconds and this time imagine a pure white light is coming in filled with buzzing, joyful energy. Hold your breath for 4 seconds as the tired and old energy mixes into your lungs. Exhale out in just 4 seconds and imagine all of that old, tired and heavy energy is leaving you. Breathe in this fast way at least 5 times and feel your world power up!

Breathe to lower energy. Sit in a relaxed way as you take a deep breath in through your nose, again into your belly and out your mouth. Breathe into your belly again slowly working to slow yourself down to an 6-8-second inhale and this time imagine wisdom coming into the breath to serve you. Hold your breath for only 2-3 seconds as you absorb the wisdom of the ages. Breathe out slowly for 8 seconds as you let go of all the stress of the moment. Wait for 2-4 seconds between breaths. One of these will relax you and can be done in any stressful moment.

Just remember staying in awareness and noticing if you stop breathing is a practice. Be kind to yourself! As with learning any new instrument, it takes practice to begin and a decade to master. Start now and watch your inspired life begin!

Copyright 2009 Rain Fordyce

excerpt from her now FREE magazine, http://AuthenticTimes.com

Authentic Family Living

I admit it, I got caught up in labels. In my quest to explain to other parents how we raise our children, I called ourselves "unschoolers." I didn't start this way. In fact my life has been one of evolving thought and action.

We started as private schoolers. Then we moved and became public schoolers. We started homeschooling in the middle of my son's 2nd grade year and I discovered right away that I was not leaning towards a structured homeschool life. I created a group for Independent Homeschoolers and for the first time, I loved the moms and the kids we were meeting. All of our children and us moms became like family (and still are) and we grew into a beautiful group. (These are the friends in my children's book!) One good friend and I spoke about how we were unschooling as we didn't seem to care about curriculum. It made sense and I have thought of myself as an "unschooler" ever since. We moved again and now my boys both have best friends who are very nice schooled children from our neighborhood.

Until yesterday. I was told by a popular advocate for the unschooling community that I was not, in fact, an "unschooler." Here is why:

My children do not have the choice to not brush their teeth.

I call it a "non-negotiable" in our home. For this word I have chosen and this rule, I have been told I am not who I thought I was. Hmmm....

I know I am definitely not a "radical unschooler." I love to hang out with them and I love to talk philosophy, as they will always welcome a talk about philosophy. I do belong to a radical unschooling community website. It floored me when this unschooling advocate (and good friend) told me this. I literally sat on the floor and didn't know what to think. After all, I am speaking at 2 unschooling conferences. What am I to do?

So I decided to have a conversation with my oldest son. I asked him what he thought and asked him how many non-negotiables do we live by. He told me he thought he was an unschooler and that there were 3.

1. Do your chart in the morning by 11am (this is brush hair, brush teeth, get dressed and make bed. The only non-negotiable is brush teeth however... the other issues are really their choice unless they want to play with their friends... well most days...)
2. Eat most of your dinner (not all) if you want dessert. (since we had cake for breakfast yesterday, I am thinking this isn't a true non-negotiable all day, but I guess for dinner it is mostly true.)
3. Get off of the computer when we ask. (well... again... most days and when they finish their game or whatever else they might be up to...)

I thought about these rules, defined by my son. I asked him how he thought about them. He said he didn't mind them, except for the computer. He wished he could have more freedom with the computer. My son and I had a beautiful talk. We talked about possible ideas to grow, our philosophies and what brings us joy. He is simply amazing and I love the way he processes and thinks!

When I checked in with myself how I felt about these parameters and the one true non-negotiable of brushing teeth, they felt good, though I am thinking to shift and expand the computer parameter.

The label "unschooler," because I have used it as a label for myself in public, has become a bigger deal than I cared about than when I first took the label on. People truly care about this label and defend it, by letting me know when I am leaving the boundaries of it. Labels make it easy to explain to others what you are doing.

The problem with labels is that they begin to build walls, foundations and structures of who you are.

I don't want to ever feel I need to defend my choices to anyone. The choices our family makes are well thought out, talked about with everyone in it and work for our family lifestyle. Most importantly these choices are all consistently EVOLVING. Right now, I am 100% in alignment with where we are.

I realized when my unschooling friend said I wasn't an "unschooler" she was actually setting me FREE from my label structure that was being built!

I ask you, "What labels do you have that have built structures of who you are that if you were truly honest with everyone or even changed your mind, would tumble and fall?"

So who are we? I spoke to a good friend about my thoughts and out of my mouth was Authentic Family Living. She was excited and we are going to start a community of parents and children who are ready to say YES to their own choices. No experts needed, just open family conversations where we practice to trust our own judgment and intuition.

Authentic Families:

• have no rules or parameters about who is in and who is out. You choose. You choose if you want to practice living Authentically.
• If you are in alignment with your ideals or are evolving towards it, you are Authentic, mistakes and all!
• Perfection is not part of our reality! Being human IS!
• Being honest, evolving and creating joy along the way are the families we are looking for!
• You can be an Authentic Family whether you school, homeschool, or unschool. Together we can learn ideas from each other and choose what works best for us.

Are you ready?

It's a Beautiful Month....ly cycle!

So the last two days, I thought I might have been going through another detox, Yikes!

However joyously today, I found I was just getting my monthly cycle. Who knew? With low symptoms (lots of spaciness,) I woke up to my period and found that I haven't gained a pound! What? I usually gain 5 pounds the week of my period and spend the next 3 weeks slowly falling back until I gain it back again. I have done this for years.

Since I have been on raw food (2 weeks now) I have lost 11 pounds. But then the weight loss stopped. Since I didn't do this to lose weight (read the last 6 posts and find out how it happened), I didn't take much notice as I continued to eat whatever I wanted, which for right now is 100% raw food. I have been feeling mostly good and high energy.

Let me tell you I haven't felt sooooo AMAZING on my period... well, since I can REMEMBER! This morning I got up and danced and danced for 40 minutes feeling connected to the beauty of the universe!

Raw food has given me the clarity and energy to live during a time I usually feel like I am dying. Yes, this IS right. This is where my body wants to be!

Yahoo!

Raw Food Surprise - part 6

This is the final blog and part 6 of my journey into raw food. Stay tuned, I will be writing more about it as my journey continues with Raw Food!

My Trip to the Colon Hydrotherapist

Seriously, if you would have asked me a week just a week before to go and have a tube inserted in my b***...
Well, let's just say, I wasn't keen to the idea before... The truth was simply I was loving my smoothies, though not very excited about the symptoms of my detox and I was told I would feel better with colon hydrotherapy. So I made an appointment for the colonic and this is when my craving of fats kicked into high gear!

I was craving fats! I had 2 to 3 types of nuts or seeds soaking in bowls for the day. I found some raw seed crackers to spread olives onto... lots of olives in olive oil. I was eating whole avocados, found a passion for raw cashew butter and eating coconut oil from the jar!

Oh yeah, fats feel SOOO good!

Thanks to a brilliant new community site called Women In the Raw, I met a women, Amy, who shared that my body was craving fats to slow the detox process down. This made a lot of sense to me. Because I WAS feeling a whole lot better. The crazy news is that I am still losing weight, in fact 2 more pounds. I didn't go into this to lose weight and I was 7 pounds from when I started. I was feeling better every day!

I wanted to know more... I had researched a lot of different ways to eat raw food. Lentils were sprouting on my windowsill. This is big because I have never made sprouts before in my life! I have recipes for raw pizza, soups, salads, dips and so much more... I found Pure Jeevan and recieved a whole list of free recipes! Wendi Dee also has a great story about her journey into raw food.

So here is the thing. I already had the appointment for the colonic and I didn't want to back out. I wanted to feel better. So I went. I did it. It wasn't what I had hoped for... I know many people rave about them, even a girlfriend of mine. This is my honest opinion and since this is my Authentic Blog, I want to share my experience. Please note, I haven't eaten meat for 22 years and have been doing about 90% raw for over a week prior to this day...

The place I went to was a center for healing. The woman was very nice and had been doing colonics for 10 years. The place was clean and I received a new personal packet for my colonic (this is VERY important). She kept me as comfortable as possible and we laughed quite a bit. It lasted for about an hour... more than I would have liked. Afterwards, I only lost 1/2 pound (I have heard reports of up to 10 pounds) and she said I secreted bile.

She said I would want to go again for 2 more sessions in the next two days in a row... which I already knew I would not want to do. I didn't receive any pre or post information to help me on my journey.

Of course, the one hour experience itself wasn't so bad, it was afterwards that I suffered. I had a lot of pain and was extremely crampy inside. This brought up a lot of anger and irritability in me as well. This may have been due to the bile from my liver which Louise Hay says is where we hold our anger. The next day I felt a bit better, though still a little crampy inside and my emotions were back to a comfortable joyous tone. Ahhh.....

Honestly, I had no positive feelings with my colonic. I didn't experience a lightened body feeling or increased energy from this experience (even with the coffee) that I had read about on-line. I did feel "cleaned out," but who wouldn't?

The Bottom Line (I had to say it) is I didn't feel much better, I felt worn out and tired for two days. Because I was not counseled before or after, I am not sure if this is common or not. I chalk it all up to experience and life.

On a higher energy note... Since I wrote my peace treaty on food, I have lost 11 pounds! I have not deprived myself of food at all! I have eaten whole avocados, cashew butter (yum) and tons of yummy fruity green smoothies. At this point I am 100% raw for the past 5 days! What will happen next?

Stay tuned for the continuing posts on my journey into raw food every week!

Raw Food Surprise - part 5

This is part 5 of my journey into raw food...

I Am Not a Raw Foodist, or Am I?

After my husband and I were in alignment to purchase a new Vita-mix, we went on our morning walk. When we returned, I was shocked to see a message from someone about my "Wanted Vita-mix" post. I immediately called them up to find out what model they had and where they lived (and how far I would have to drive.) My jaw literally dropped when I was told he had a year old barely used blender and lived only two miles from my house. His asking price was extremely fair $270.

Can I tell you how excited I was? I was in one of those out of this world experiences. I told him I would be there in a few minutes.

When we arrived, the blender was in perfect condition and the man was really nice. He spoke about how this was too much blender for his world. My husband responded by telling him I was going into raw food and was making green smoothies with it. I was shocked! I immediately told the man, I was NOT, in fact, going into raw food, I just liked the green smoothies.

We stopped by the co-op, out of the way, on the way home to pick up some kale. When we got home and was sooo excited to use my new high powered blender to make my green smoothie!
It was delicious and I felt so happy! I drank (chewed) my smoothie as I continued to read David Wolfe's "Sunfood Diet" Book with intense interest.

Over the next few days, I drank one or two green smoothies daily and I started to notice something that is still a mystery to me.

I began to crave less and less cooked food while craving more and more alive raw foods.

I also began something I didn't expect, drinking green smoothies... Detox!

The smoothies were so energy giving, I was loving it! However the detox was counter-balancing my joy. David's book said something about detox, but I didn't think detox would happen to my body unless I was 100% raw, and I was still eating something cooked everyday, like some cheese, or a small bowl of pasta.

I began to get short headaches in different spots on my head, acne all over my body, horrible congestion (like I had a fur ball I couldn't cough up), something fierce covering my tongue in the morning and worst of all, my emotions were all over the place. One minute I was happy and feeling alive, the next I was angry and irritated, the next I was laughing and the next I was crying.... this just wasn't what I signed up for.

How could I continue to drink my smoothies (I simply wasn't willing to give up), and lessen my symptoms? The answer was something I really hadn't counted on...


coming soon... My trip to the Colon Hydrotherapist

Raw Food Surprise - part 4

This is part 4 of my journey into raw food.

Pursuit of the Green Smoothie Blender

I went home that day from Moira's with the borrowed book and feeling amazingly energetic. I was excited about feeling so good inside my body and how this green smoothie filled me up. I was also excited about this amazing blender that turned rough kale into liquid and I immediately began researching the Vita-mix online. I was shocked at the sticker price! Over $400 for a new one!

I picked the book I borrowed up and began to read "The Sunfood Diet Success System" by David Wolfe. I was immediately enchanted by the story of this man and his journey into eating raw food. He had so much experience and knowledge. I stopped working on my business so I could read. I read with my computer next to me so I could research all this new information in the book. I felt pulled to this new knowledge on raw food so before I went to bed that night, for the first time in my life, I soaked my sunflower seeds to put on my morning cereal.

The next morning, I was craving a green smoothie! I ate my cereal and soaked seeds, but wished I lived closer to my friend with the Vita-mix. So I put out a couple of "Wanted Vita-mix" posts on my local "buy and sell" Yahoo groups and Craigslist to see if I could find a used one. Afterall, I wasn't sure I would use it that much. I waited for a response while I eagerly read David Wolfe's fascinating book. That was the first day I began literally eating up his advice.

I went to my local co-op and bought goji berries, more fruit and veggies and a raw kale salad (to go) from the amazing partially raw deli our co-op has. I noticed with each live food I put in my body I felt alive and full of energy. At lunch, I had eaten a small plate of tofu and rice pasta and within 30 minutes, I noticed my energy die down. I couldn't believe it! This was a typical meal that I had been eating for over 20 years and I never realized that it lowered my energy! I needed a green smoothie! I went to my email... no response from my posts, so I looked on Ebay. None of the auctions for Vita-mix's were finishing in the next day, so that night I settled for my kale salad and I felt alive again. Again, I soaked my sunflower seeds for the morning and fell asleep reading David's book.

The next morning, I woke up feeling desperate for a green smoothie. I pulled out my Magic Bullet and made my favorite fruit smoothie without the yogurt. I felt somewhat relieved, but I knew I needed to find a Vita-mix. I checked my email again, no response except from another women who said if I found an extra that she wanted one, too. I received responses from the ones I found on Craigslist (in Seattle) and they were both sold. Living 2 hours from Seattle in a small town, I knew it would be extremely hard to find one used.

When my husband woke up, I found the courage to tell him about the $400+ blender that I wanted, hoping he wouldn't think I was nuts. His slow, thoughtful response was appreciated because I had a feeling he did think I was going overboard. He said, "If you really want one, you should go ahead and buy it." I was so glad to do it, even though I knew that it would be a week before it arrived at my door. Another week before I could have a green smoothie???

What would I do until then?

coming soon... I Am Not a Raw Foodist, or Am I?

Raw Food Surprise - part 3

This is part 3 of my journey into raw food.

My Introduction to Green Smoothies

One full week into the new healthy eating plan and I had began to lose a little weight. I did not eat the low calorie plan from the book, I just added the Monounsaturated Fats into every meal and was drinking the accurately named Sassy Water. I was still free from the tension in my stomach ever since I had finished writing the peace treaty on my resistance to food.

That weekend I was at an all-day Byron Katie seminar and found myself sitting next to two very sweet, lovely women. They both seemed to be about the same age in their 60's, yet one of the women was extremely vibrant. Her skin glowed, her eyes sparkled and she had an energy about her that drew me in like a magnet. As we both got to know her, I found out that she was a personal raw food chef living in Ashland, Oregon. She told me about these green smoothies she was making for her clients. She was excited about the amazing healing properties of these smoothies. We talked for quite awhile and she invited me to go to week long retreat to do The Work and drink green smoothies.

I loved being in a room full of people with Byron Katie, yet the most dynamic part I took away from the seminar was the discussion about green smoothies! I wanted to go to this retreat!

I thought I would invite my amazing friend, Moira, who has been a raw eater off and on, to go with me. After talking with her about it, we decided to get together that Friday to discuss it more. While at her house, I was telling her about my excitement of these green smoothies. She asked me, "Would you like me to make you one?" I was thrilled!

She showed me her Vita-mix and proceeded to put in 6 to 8 leaves of kale, a banana, 1-2 cups of blueberries, a cup of water, a squirt of flax oil and a scoop of spirulina and lethicin. It tasted like something a horse would be happy to eat. So for my smoothie, she added agave syrup to sweeten it. The agave brought the fruit taste out and it was delicious!

While I drank this magically bright green drink, I was attracted to a book on her shelf and asked to borrow it. She most graciously said yes. The most amazing thing is what happened next!


coming soon... Pursuit of a Green Smoothie

Raw Food Surprise -part 2

This is part 2 of my journey into raw food.

A New Way of Eating

After I wrote the peace treaty about my resistance with food, I surprisingly found myself looking at what I ate in a whole new way. The immediate change was I didn't feel like eating! This was very unusual for me. I wasn't worried about food, instead I was relaxed and happy. For the next two days, I barely ate anything.

When hunger finally hit me, I ate the usual assortment of choices, however, I noticed I was eating slower and more relaxed than I could ever remember! One of the character traits I kept from my binge eating days was eating fast. I had eaten so fast in the past, it had worried my husband and he had spoken about it with me many times to no avail. It wasn't until I was over the reasons for my emotional eating, that the pattern of fast eating stopped.

When I was done eating, I was shocked to find that I was in touch with how my body felt afterward! For those of you who new to eating disorders, disassociating with how your body feels and reacts to what you do to it, is part of keeping the disorder alive. As a binge eater, I was no different.

Something radical had shifted inside my mind, body and spirit since I completed the peace treaty.

What I chose to eat didn't feel as good as it had before, so I decided in that moment to look for a new way to eat and, amazingly, I was excited about it!

I found a healthy food plan called "The Flat Belly Diet" by Prevention Magazine. I wasn't interested in losing weight and I was not going to put myself on their low calorie diet, but I was interested in the idea that we don't eat enough healthy fats. This plan that encouraged you to eat Monounsaturated Fats (they call them MuFas) with every meal, including your snack. I was interested to try it. These fats include seeds, nuts, olives, olive oil, avocados and chocolate!

The first meal of the day encouraged you to eat 1/2 cup of sunflowers seeds with 1 cup of your cereal in the morning. I chose an organic multigrain cereal, raw organic seeds and local raw milk. Wow! Since I no longer was eating fast, you can imagine how long it took me to eat that one bowl of food. My jaws hurt after breakfast! Later that day, I noticed how good and full I felt. I was hooked and I quickly traded in my daily egg breakfast for this cereal mixture for the next two weeks.

The other thing that was different about this plan was drinking Sassy Water. Not only did I love the name, I loved the way this water treat felt in my body! The recipe is basically alkaline ingredients, which helps you to detox your body (and some say lose weight.)

I thought I would share it with you here:

Sassy Water Recipe

The night before: Thinly slice one lemon, one cucumber, one knuckle of peeled ginger and 5 to 10 leaves of mint (all organic) Put in the largest pitcher you have and fill with water (at least 8 cups) and let it set over night.

Drink a tall glass with every meal and feel the alkaline shift your body to wellness!
PS: put the leftovers in your disposal after the day to help it smell fresher!

After a week of this eating plan, without lowering my calories, I lost 5 pounds. It wasn't until I went to see Byron Katie that the next step was introduced...


coming soon... My Introduction to Green Smoothies

Raw Food Surprise - part 1

After talking with my good friend Christine, I have decided it might be important to share my journey into raw food. Thank you Christine!

Food and The Peace Treaty

It started about a month and a half ago...

At that time, I was a big and healthy eater. I ate organic, vegetarian and non-chemical foods when I ate at home and when I had time, I LOVED to cook. When I ate out, I ate slices of pizza, huge bowls of pasta, and everything that is gooey and creamy over veggies. Even though, I ate healthy choices, I ate a lot of it. For example, I ate 2 eggs every morning on sprouted grain toast with cheese. I could go on...

This is where the peace treaty entered into the picture. You see, I had spent half my lifetime binge eating, but had quit years before by just quitting dieting. I knew diets didn't work and they led you down a path of denial and obsession.

So now I was a big eater at most meals and having tension with food as I was afraid of denying myself anything. I ate big so I wouldn't binge. I knew something was not right with my relationship with food, I just had no motivation to do anything about it. It was time to put the peace treaty to the test.

The peace treaty is a tool that ends the resistance in your life. And let me tell you, I was resistant! You couldn't get a healthy food plan near me with a ten foot pole. I set out one beautiful afternoon to the beach with the peace treaty workbook and a pen.

After over an hour of writing, connecting, crying, listening and saying goodbye, I made peace with my inner child who had created a belief about food that was running my life. I knew it at that moment something deep inside me had shifted. The feeling of tension I held in my stomach had dissapeared. I felt free! I didn't realize the extent of what would change from that moment in my life, but I knew my life was never going to be the same.

coming soon... A New Way of Eating

Plant a Garden

There is something about caring for something and watching it grow.

When you start, it may be small and not look like anything special.
But with patience, creativity and gentle nurturing,
Something unexpected might just start to sprout.

This is when the real work begins, and when this point comes, you have two choices, one is to enjoy the magic of the sprout and walk away, the other to make a commitment to plant yourself into this project while taking steps to expand and create something even bigger.

At this point, there is a lot of energy going in.
You give and you give and you give, without much in return.
You might wonder why you are doing it. And right when you question if you should continue working on this endless journey, something starts to bloom!

Again you have a choice to stay or walk away. There are many who decide that finding beauty is the end of their journey.
However, for those who take the risk to journey on,those who stay as the petals die and fall,receive something richer beyond their imagination.

Those who stay with it through the end of the long journey, find themselves an abundance to live on.
For those who stay until the end, there is the sweet taste of success!


smiles and inspiration!
Rain