"Build for yourself a strong box,
Fashion each part with care;
When it's strong as your hand can make it,
Put all your troubles there;
Hide all your thoughts of your failures,
And each bitter cup you quaff;
Lock all your heartaches within it,
Then sit on the lid and laugh..."
---Bertha Adams Backus
Thank goodness for Bertha right? Are you laughing yet? Just pause for a moment and place this image into your mind. Your sitting on a huge chest, one that's too big for your feet to touch the ground, your legs are flipped up the air, your head is tilted back and you are releasing the loudest belly laugh of your life.....And in that chest is all that has tried to break you. All the people who have judged you, the illness that has tried to take your body, the sorrow that has tried to consume your heart. All the things that have kept you from living a fulfilled life of joy and purpose. I am telling you these "things" do not define you. They do not make you who you are. Your response to these challenges create your inner resolve and character, but in that process is YOU. It is your choice how you will let these events mold you and that is a place of empowerment. Stay in that place. I urge you as I urge myself to not be victims. The troubles themselves do not encapsulate the intricate and wonderful makings of YOU.
At first glance this poem seems simplistic, maybe even verging on ridiculous. But think with me a little deeper. Life is a process, for the most part if your going to be balanced and at peace, it is a healing process. And on that journey a vital element of healing is possessing the discernment to recognize what was meant to destroy you. Identify those things and then, JUST LAUGH. Go ahead, its alright to laugh at it. And the reason it is ok is because the truth is, nothing can destroy you but you. Your own thoughts of who you are and your worth in this world, at the end of the day is entirely up to you. These thoughts you keep and cherish and play over and over in your mind daily will either strengthen or weaken you. There is no way around this. Your self-image is powerful, it reaches its fingers out into everything you do. My encouragement to you is, be right with your own soul. Look at the person in the mirror with love and compassion.
We all know how beneficial laughter is to us. Aside from increasing our endorphins, antibodies and blood flow, laughter just plain feels good. Don't take yourself or this life so seriously that you miss out on the simple joy's that present themselves daily. And don't allow your "mountains" to hold you down and keep you in a state of oppression. Laugh at them, the truth is you have everything you need for life and happiness. The pain that was meant to ruin you will fade and in it's place will be new strength and resolve...It's all a choice, and the choice is no ones but yours. What a blessing that is...At The Wellness Kitchen there is an atmosphere of love, healing and laughter. Come visit us and let is come alongside you on your journey to wellness. And as always, this is Sarah encouraging you to laugh often and eat peacefully...
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
"Let everyone sweep in front of his (or her) own door, and the world will be clean."
"Let everyone sweep in front of his (or her) own door, and the world will be clean."
-Johann Wolfgan Von Goethe
What a simple yet eminent truth. There is a natural order of things in this world. A way of life that benefits your body, your relationship to others and your alliance with the environment you inhabit. You are made to be whole and well. Part of living in this "wholeness" is making good choices and realizing that the decisions we live out daily don't just effect us. What consumer power we have shapes the world's economy and our relationship to the earth through our environmental effect these decisions make. Our actions and how clean we keep our "porches" and our bodies greatly effects the earth and the future stability of humankind.
Our response through our consumerism has vast reaching effects. You could say our inaction is just as powerful. It has an impact on the hands growing the food and the communities this growth either exploits or benefits. Take that process further and our buying power effects the earth's environmental condition. The UN reports, "Almost a fifth of the emissions that contribute to global warming come from livestock...more emissions than from all the world's cars, trucks and planes combined!" This is not referring to healthy grass pastured and humanely raised animals. This is in reference to the military industrial complex that has taken over our agricultural sector and has exploited innocent animals and our environment. There are countless ways our decisions are effecting the earths' health: Plastics in the ocean, coral wastelands due to toxic waste from animals, deforestation due to our obsession with the consumption and harvesting of meat. These are all heavy subjects, our decisions create corpulent realities. But the tremendous thing is once you know, you then have a choice, a responsibility to do what is right. Not just what is right or convenient for you, but what benefits all things. Let's make choices that lead to health and wellness not death and deprivation. Cause we do have a choice...
What a great life this is that we have this immense opportunity to respond in any way we see fit. Let us feel the weight of this responsibility and let us ascend to the best us. Let us be conscious eaters and consumers of all kinds. Come see us at The Wellness Kitchen and order some Healing Foods for yourself and your loved ones. Rest assured that the food you're eating is not in the spirit of exploitation or abuse. But live in the truth that your choice is adding to the health and wellness of your body and the world. You will have more energy, you will have a greater capacity for mental stability. Your body will flourish when it has what it needs. And you will know that you are a part of a healthy world economy and there is dignity and pride in that. And as always this is Sarah encouraging you to eat peacefully....
-Johann Wolfgan Von Goethe
What a simple yet eminent truth. There is a natural order of things in this world. A way of life that benefits your body, your relationship to others and your alliance with the environment you inhabit. You are made to be whole and well. Part of living in this "wholeness" is making good choices and realizing that the decisions we live out daily don't just effect us. What consumer power we have shapes the world's economy and our relationship to the earth through our environmental effect these decisions make. Our actions and how clean we keep our "porches" and our bodies greatly effects the earth and the future stability of humankind.
Our response through our consumerism has vast reaching effects. You could say our inaction is just as powerful. It has an impact on the hands growing the food and the communities this growth either exploits or benefits. Take that process further and our buying power effects the earth's environmental condition. The UN reports, "Almost a fifth of the emissions that contribute to global warming come from livestock...more emissions than from all the world's cars, trucks and planes combined!" This is not referring to healthy grass pastured and humanely raised animals. This is in reference to the military industrial complex that has taken over our agricultural sector and has exploited innocent animals and our environment. There are countless ways our decisions are effecting the earths' health: Plastics in the ocean, coral wastelands due to toxic waste from animals, deforestation due to our obsession with the consumption and harvesting of meat. These are all heavy subjects, our decisions create corpulent realities. But the tremendous thing is once you know, you then have a choice, a responsibility to do what is right. Not just what is right or convenient for you, but what benefits all things. Let's make choices that lead to health and wellness not death and deprivation. Cause we do have a choice...
What a great life this is that we have this immense opportunity to respond in any way we see fit. Let us feel the weight of this responsibility and let us ascend to the best us. Let us be conscious eaters and consumers of all kinds. Come see us at The Wellness Kitchen and order some Healing Foods for yourself and your loved ones. Rest assured that the food you're eating is not in the spirit of exploitation or abuse. But live in the truth that your choice is adding to the health and wellness of your body and the world. You will have more energy, you will have a greater capacity for mental stability. Your body will flourish when it has what it needs. And you will know that you are a part of a healthy world economy and there is dignity and pride in that. And as always this is Sarah encouraging you to eat peacefully....
Monday, February 14, 2011
"...choosing to eat foods that support life-all life, not just your own."
"....it's about looking more closely at where your food comes from and how it got to your plate and choosing to eat foods that support life-all life, not just your own." Kathy Freston
We spoke a little while ago about staying connected to the sun and how this natural order of things leads to health and happiness. If we are on this path of self-love we must ascend in every aspect of our lives. We must first become more conscious beings, aware of our choices and how they effect others and this abundant earth we call home. It is essential if we are in the pursuit of balance, that we start with the proper treatment of our bodies and the world we have been placed in, to take care of.
A substantial part of your energy level, your capacity to live in a state of mental prosperity starts at the cellular level. What you consume, what you receive into your body creates the mechanism of your constant growth. In other words, your body will be made up of the food you eat...and not just what you eat, but what you eat eats. About every 7 years all of the cells in your body have been replaced, even down to the tissue of your heart. Think about that for a second. What are you placing in your body to create these healthy new cells? We must ask ourselves these hard questions: Are we absorbing the energy and nutrients from abused, ill animals? Are we eating food from a microwave, that has been mutated and is nutrient empty? Ponder on that for a moment, if were eating compromised food that is meant to create the building blocks of our cells, what then will happen to our bodies? Are we eating chemically harvested nutrient deficient fruits and vegetables? These are questions worth asking, these are the questions that will lead to us being whole, healthy conscious consumers. We must scrutinize and research what we are using as fuel for our bodies, if we want them to last.
We must also understand whether our consumer dollar is exploiting the hands that farm the foods and the community's they live in. If our choices aid in the deforestation of the world due to our obsession with harvesting meat. If our choices are sustainable. We have many choices to make in life and with that comes great responsibility to do what is right for everyone and everything. What a blessing it is that we have a choice. Let us make the right choices for ourselves and for generations to come. Come visit us at The Wellness Kitchen, order our Healing Foods and feel the joy and health that comes with being a conscious healthy eater. Let us care for our earth together through the act of our thankfulness by partaking in natures natural way of supplying us with sustinance. And as always this is Sarah, encouraging you to eat peacefully....
We spoke a little while ago about staying connected to the sun and how this natural order of things leads to health and happiness. If we are on this path of self-love we must ascend in every aspect of our lives. We must first become more conscious beings, aware of our choices and how they effect others and this abundant earth we call home. It is essential if we are in the pursuit of balance, that we start with the proper treatment of our bodies and the world we have been placed in, to take care of.
A substantial part of your energy level, your capacity to live in a state of mental prosperity starts at the cellular level. What you consume, what you receive into your body creates the mechanism of your constant growth. In other words, your body will be made up of the food you eat...and not just what you eat, but what you eat eats. About every 7 years all of the cells in your body have been replaced, even down to the tissue of your heart. Think about that for a second. What are you placing in your body to create these healthy new cells? We must ask ourselves these hard questions: Are we absorbing the energy and nutrients from abused, ill animals? Are we eating food from a microwave, that has been mutated and is nutrient empty? Ponder on that for a moment, if were eating compromised food that is meant to create the building blocks of our cells, what then will happen to our bodies? Are we eating chemically harvested nutrient deficient fruits and vegetables? These are questions worth asking, these are the questions that will lead to us being whole, healthy conscious consumers. We must scrutinize and research what we are using as fuel for our bodies, if we want them to last.
We must also understand whether our consumer dollar is exploiting the hands that farm the foods and the community's they live in. If our choices aid in the deforestation of the world due to our obsession with harvesting meat. If our choices are sustainable. We have many choices to make in life and with that comes great responsibility to do what is right for everyone and everything. What a blessing it is that we have a choice. Let us make the right choices for ourselves and for generations to come. Come visit us at The Wellness Kitchen, order our Healing Foods and feel the joy and health that comes with being a conscious healthy eater. Let us care for our earth together through the act of our thankfulness by partaking in natures natural way of supplying us with sustinance. And as always this is Sarah, encouraging you to eat peacefully....
Monday, February 7, 2011
"I shall not pass this way again..."
"Through this toilsome world, alas!
Once and only once I pass;
If a kindness I may show,
If a good deed I may do
To a suffering fellow man,
Let me do it while I can.
No delay, for it is plain
I shall not pass this way again."-Unknown
In my life I have come across sadness, trials and confusion. Does any of this speak to you and your circumstance? Are you in a desert of your own? A place of reflection or decision making? Are you facing an illness? What is your heartache? I am not an advocate of the use of "positive thinking" to remain in a state of denial of your situation. I am an advocate for principles of health, principles of well being and how those laws and truths can minister to us in our desperation.
This is the truth I am embracing today. And I say today because at times for all of us that is where we must live, in each breath of each day in the attempts to move forward. The truth is no matter what our woes may be, there is always someone to give to, someone else to lift up. There is always an aching heart to serve. The ways in which we can be in the service of others is countless. You can hand someone the warmth and acceptance of a smile, a kindness or a forgiveness. Look around you for someone to pour the beauty of compassion on.
Whenever I feel lost this is the path that reminds me of who I am. It reaquaints me with the best human being I can ascend to be. It is the path that releases the bondage of being in a constant state of self-focus. It opens up the door to the jail cell that that particular state of mind can place us in. Giving to others places us in the stream of blessings that comes when you stretch yourself past what you think your capacity may be. That peace returns to us and lifts us up even if the recipient doesn't "get it" or appreciate it. We do not give of ourselves for recognition, we give because it is good for us. Essentially it is a gift to us to give to others.
Life is a daily beautiful, heart wrenching experience. Let us embrace the truths that will bring us fulfillment and peace. Live in the service of humankind. You will then find a new you that will aid in your realization of the beauty of this place. Don't misunderstand me, living in the service of others is not at the cost of self-denial. It is the foundation of self-love. We are so programmed to think in terms of its "all about me." This is not the way of happiness. Self-love comes from the root of sharing your gifts with the world, it is only in this place that your joy will grow. It is only in the pouring out of ourselves that we are in turn fulfilled. Find yourself through the act of giving. Go against all you have been fed by society, try something new and see how beautiful life can be. Here at The Wellness Kitchen we embrace this way of life. We are here to help you on your path to wellness. It is our joy to be in the service of you. So come and share with us what burdons you and we will help carry your load. We can learn together what to eat, how to treat our bodies, minds and souls properly. And as always this is Sarah, encouraging you to eat peacefully and give all you have....
Once and only once I pass;
If a kindness I may show,
If a good deed I may do
To a suffering fellow man,
Let me do it while I can.
No delay, for it is plain
I shall not pass this way again."-Unknown
In my life I have come across sadness, trials and confusion. Does any of this speak to you and your circumstance? Are you in a desert of your own? A place of reflection or decision making? Are you facing an illness? What is your heartache? I am not an advocate of the use of "positive thinking" to remain in a state of denial of your situation. I am an advocate for principles of health, principles of well being and how those laws and truths can minister to us in our desperation.
This is the truth I am embracing today. And I say today because at times for all of us that is where we must live, in each breath of each day in the attempts to move forward. The truth is no matter what our woes may be, there is always someone to give to, someone else to lift up. There is always an aching heart to serve. The ways in which we can be in the service of others is countless. You can hand someone the warmth and acceptance of a smile, a kindness or a forgiveness. Look around you for someone to pour the beauty of compassion on.
Whenever I feel lost this is the path that reminds me of who I am. It reaquaints me with the best human being I can ascend to be. It is the path that releases the bondage of being in a constant state of self-focus. It opens up the door to the jail cell that that particular state of mind can place us in. Giving to others places us in the stream of blessings that comes when you stretch yourself past what you think your capacity may be. That peace returns to us and lifts us up even if the recipient doesn't "get it" or appreciate it. We do not give of ourselves for recognition, we give because it is good for us. Essentially it is a gift to us to give to others.
Life is a daily beautiful, heart wrenching experience. Let us embrace the truths that will bring us fulfillment and peace. Live in the service of humankind. You will then find a new you that will aid in your realization of the beauty of this place. Don't misunderstand me, living in the service of others is not at the cost of self-denial. It is the foundation of self-love. We are so programmed to think in terms of its "all about me." This is not the way of happiness. Self-love comes from the root of sharing your gifts with the world, it is only in this place that your joy will grow. It is only in the pouring out of ourselves that we are in turn fulfilled. Find yourself through the act of giving. Go against all you have been fed by society, try something new and see how beautiful life can be. Here at The Wellness Kitchen we embrace this way of life. We are here to help you on your path to wellness. It is our joy to be in the service of you. So come and share with us what burdons you and we will help carry your load. We can learn together what to eat, how to treat our bodies, minds and souls properly. And as always this is Sarah, encouraging you to eat peacefully and give all you have....
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