"Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing."

I had the great pleasure of performing live music with my band for the theatrical debut of "Dreamweaver" this weekend. It was my first true experience with live theatre and with 6 shows spanning a couple days I was exhausted! But during this unique experience I grew a deeper love and appreciation for the arts. The expression of someones mind played out in the form of music and dance on stage was beautiful.

We get so caught up in the daily grind, the mechanics of our society that I fear most of us have lost a great deal of our imagination and ability to revel in "wonder". When we think of art we may think of paintings, music, dance, theatre. But these expressions are all born in the mind, they are the most used the most common ways we as humans find to express ourselves. They are our mind at "play". When was the last time you witnessed something beautiful and let your mind respond to it in the form of art? When was the last time you took a great sorrow of yours and let it bleed out on a piece of paper? So many of us do not allow ourselves the joy of soul expression through art because we have resigned ourselves that if it doesn't make us money or were not exceptionally talented at it that it is not worth doing. This is a great injustice to ourselves. What beauty might come of our culture if we let go of this restrictive ideology? What beauty might come from you? Just as we need air for our lungs, food for our body's and love for our hearts....we need art for our souls.

We have the great privilege of seeing the world through our own unique perspective therefore our art is comparable to no one. We must let our minds give homage by acting out our imagination and our response to life in whatever art form we see fit.
Frank Stella states, " You see what you know." What are you choosing to see? Are you seeing beauty in the simple things? I would encourage you to turn off the TV, feast your eyes instead on something worthy of your time. Great architecture of nature, or the human hand. The smile of a newborn child just starting out in the world. The fields of fragrant flowers and the soaring birds. The great ocean and its crashing waves. The calm river with its bountiful secret life floating beneath the surface. This is the world you live in....We have the choice to see truth and beauty. Once you see something of great worth, say something back. Maybe with a paintbrush, maybe with clay or perhaps with dance or song, or a smile. Live your art out daily because you have the privledge of being human and it is vital to express oneself.

Come visit us at The Wellness Kitchen and witness the art of our 1892 manse, the art of the oak trees or the trickling water of the waterfalls. Become a part of the art of healthy living. And as always this is Sarah encouraging you to live out your art daily and eat peacefully....

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." George Bernard Shaw

So much gets lost in translation....Our perception of the world and our place in it is seen through our singular perspective. Great pains can be felt by us all when we assume the knowledge of other's thoughts and their projected viewpoint of us. Most of these suppositions are made out of our own perception of the various forms of communication or lack thereof. Anthony Robbins states, "The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives."

In the act of communion with others there must be a certain level of self-respect in place. By the act of conversing we are implying that what we have to say or give the world is of value. We are meant to commune with one another, to be connected to each other. What have you chosen to declare today? What did you tell yourself with your eyes when you looked in the mirror this morning? What is your energy revealing when you enter a room? What did you say with your consumer dollar today? Have you brought peace and prosperity with your words? Are you speaking health and wellness and love and acceptance to those around you and to yourself? These are vital questions we must ask ourselves for our thoughts in the form of communication will shape our entire existence. Its power will shape our relationships with others and the world. We must choose wisely what we are declaring into our lives and the lives of others.

I am a very sensitive emotional person. I struggle greatly in this area of assuming how others perceive me. These are the tools that I have found essential in the art of verbal communication in spite of my weakness. The first step in the act of favorable communication is to not assume things. Don't assume that others know how you feel; this assumption can lead to discourse and personal turmoil. Second step is BREATH...Be honest and open and calm with your words and your energy. Third step is LISTEN, and I mean really listen...listen as a friend would with kind ears. Ask questions so that you may have a clear mind to receive the truth of the situation. Get out of your own way (I constantly have to tell myself this). Most importantly communicate love to yourself so that you can in turn have something to give the world.

Come visit us at The Wellness Kitchen. Communicate to yourself that your body is worthy of healthy food, that you deserve to rest. Say by your actions that your well being is worthy of the time it takes to find your own path to wellness. And as always this is Sarah, encouraging you to communicate in truth and eat peacefully...

"It is part of the cure, to wish to be cured."

"It is part of the cure, to wish to be cured." Seneca

It is essential if you are facing cancer or any other chronic illness to wish to be cured. Now all of us would imaginably say, "Of course I wish to be cured, who wants to be sick?" In the act of wishing you are hoping it to be true, therefore you are open to the reality of regaining your vitality. What I'm speaking of here is the wish to be cured and the application of the power of our minds and inner resolve to believe we will regain our health. I want to make it clear, I am not talking about the current buzz word in our society of "positive thinking." This ideology if not coupled with action is useless. I'm talking about being an efficacious part of your treatment and recovery through the projection of your thoughts into the action of your life.

You are a statistic of ONE. Your health, your battle is your OWN...so own it. By believing in the ability of your body to heal, you accept the responsibility of being an active part in your proper nutrition through the vehicle of whole foods. We are meant to heal by the food we eat. Hippocrates stated, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be they food." By trusting you will recover you will find the right MD'S and ND'S to partner with as you use the most innovative treatments available. By accepting that you will regain your health you will then take an active part in your process of healing. This is the true application of intentional thinking.

James Allen stated, "If you would perfect your body, guard your mind. If you would renew your body, beautify your mind." This is a place of empowerment. It is understandable that when faced with cancer one would feel helpless. But a place where you have complete control is this, you control what food you choose to eat...And what you choose to think. And what you choose to put in your body will either improve the vitality and ability of your body to kill cancer cells or it will feed them. What you choose to think and accept as truth will either empower you on this journey or weaken you. This is the place where your true power dwells, this is where your strength is born. Set your boundaries, get around people that will encourage you, find the treatment that works for you, trust your instincts. Stay in the truth that your body when given the building blocks it needs has the power to flourish and heal itself.

Come see us at The Wellness Kitchen. You will find nothing but encouragement and compassion here. We are here to provide the education and partnership you deserve. Truly from our heart we care about you and your health and wellness....And as always this is Sarah encouraging you to eat peacefully....

"The doors we open and close each day...."

"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live."---Flora Whittemore

It's very easy on our journey here to sincerely feel as if life is "just happening" to us. There are so many variables to how our day, month, year may go. As children we are subject to people and things we have no control or choice in. Our well-being is almost entirely up to who is caring for us. Being born into the world this way and developing in this sort of manner can at times make us vulnerable to sinking back into this mental state of being out of control. But it is vital to remind ourselves of our liberation, our transcendence to adulthood and all the joy and responsibility that comes with it. Though this seems like a very rudimentary thing to remind ourselves as we all know we're adults, I mean, come on...we pay bills, drive cars etc.....! But check your mental state next time life throws you a curve ball and notice if the first place you mentally go is not a place of helplessness or of feeling victimized.

I know when I grapple with the thought that the walls are closing in on me it is effortless for me to slip back into this infantile mental state. It is easy to feel like a victim of circumstance. But the truth that I constantly remind myself of is this: WE ALWAYS HAVE CHOICES... Even if our situation is so dire that the only choice we have left is our mental attitude or inner resolve. And in truth these are the most powerful choices we have available to us. It is these opportunities and our interaction with them that create our inner being and mold our character. We must be thankful for these chances to grow; they are invaluable to our lives and our person.

What doors have you opened today? What doors have you closed? What and who's energy have you allowed to effect you today? What direction is your life headed in? It's not in the big details of our lives that we find true change, it is in the minor adjustments, the daily habits, the doors we walk through each day that alter us the most. Look around at the climate of your life. Do you like what you see? Let us not be so detached from our lives that we no longer understand the power we have to create the life we would hope for. Let us not be so jaded that we forget to be a part of our own process and LIFE.

We must create peace and love and kindness in our own hearts. Then we will inevitably see the outside conditions of our lives change because of WHO we are. As you open and close doors today I urge you do it purposefully and thoughtfully. Be in the business of soul work so that you can be the kind of person that would naturally inhabit the life that you desire to experience. Your outer circumstance will then be a positive reflection of who you are inside. Come visit us at The Wellness Kitchen and enter into the door that leads to wellness. We are a passage you can choose to walk through that leads to mental and physical well-being. It is our joy to serve you. And as always this is Sarah encouraging you to eat peacefully...

'Always do what your afraid to do'

"It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, 'Always do what you're afraid to do'....Ralph Waldo Emerson

We have all heard throughout our lives, "face your fears." Arguably we hear this repetitive ideology more in our young formative years. It seems to lose some of its charm as we get older and more apprehensive of failure. It's interesting how we encourage the young. It would do us a great deal of good if we had the courage we hope our youth would possess. At first glance this quote seems pretty self-explanatory. But the question I started to ask myself is why? Why should we face our fears? Is there an underlying truth that we haven't discovered about fear? Most accepted thought may be because fear is a hindrance to our stability and health. But I am starting to believe that fear is an undiscovered guide, it reveals in us what our greatest strengths may be if we would just take the opportunity to amplify our attributes.

I have learned to respect and have a healthy love of fear. In search of the reasons fear makes itself present in our lives I have noticed a pattern. When I experience fear it is usually associated with the thing or event that would give me the greatest satisfaction if faced and overcome. I have learned that fear is usually connected to a character trait that I have the most capacity to be wildly successful at. And if we are to examine our opportunities then we are to see that fear is just a tool that if used correctly can spur us on to our own advancement. We have also heard countless times "Nothing worth anything comes for free or without hard work." So why don't we apply this thought pattern to fear? Can we view fear as our built in source of inspiration, something like our own life coach. Wouldn't it behoove us to frame fear in this sort of manner? Can fear be a useful guide? Would life really be as sweet if it didn't involve overcoming our fears?

Some of my readers are facing the hardest challenge of their lives. Some of you are battling cancer. I cannot imagine the fear that must be associated with such a task. My encouragement to you would be.....use that fear. Use that fear to spur you on to do your own research. To ask the right questions and find the right Md's or Nd's that you will use. Use it to build the right team around you as you embark on this challenge. Use it to spur you on to greatness as you bravely walk down the path to wellness. And if you discover it to be too difficult to be brave as some days it will be an insurmountable task, find trustworthy people who can be fearless for you. Find people who will stand up for you who will hold you up when its hard to stand. And if you have a challenging time finding those people, come see us at The Wellness Kitchen. We are your advocates. We are here to come alongside you on this passage and provide the education, the opportunity and the emotional and physical support you need. Whether it's through our Food as Medicine Classes, our Healing Foods Menu, our Oncology Massage Therapist or our Family Therapist... we are ready and joyfully willing to be on your team. And as always this is Sarah encouraging you to taste the satisfaction of facing your fears and to eat peacefully.....

"The vision that you glorify in your mind...this you will become."

"The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart-this you will become." James Allen

So much of our attention and mental power in our society goes towards questions such as these, "What do I want out of my life?"...."What do I want to be?"...."What can I "get" from my experience here?" And though these questions are arguably good to ask, the question that might serve us better is, "Who am I?"

We speak frequently about the power of our minds. The positive or negative effects they have on our bodies and every aspect of our experience here. Take a moment and take into account the thoughts you have entertained in the last hour. Write them down....go ahead, this will be fun and revealing. Get out a piece of paper and pen, jot down every thought from the most trivial to the ones of highest importance. Read them out loud. Now make two columns and divide your thoughts into advantageous and disadvantageous. Now ask yourself what the majority of this logic you are meditating on is communicating into your life? Are they thoughts of stress, failure or incompetence? Are they understandings of health, wellness, happiness and productivity? What are you speaking into your life through the expectations of your thoughts?

Every emotion you have, the way you react to life has everything to do with your logistical viewpoint. The circumstance of your life is so intricately woven within the realm of your thought habits that its cause and effects can be mapped out accurately. Take this a step further and we realize that our thought patterns create our moral guides that beget the pillars of our being. James Allen stated, "Men (or women) do not attract that which they want, but that which they are." Think about that for a second. Instead of focusing our energies on our outer circumstances and desires, it would better serve us to refocus on our inner state of being. We then come to the knowledge that our inner-climate is in direct correlation with our thought life. We attain what we "want" in life by no outer source. We only gain in this life that which we are. Look inward, trace your thoughts, wield them into creative forces for your advantage. Only then are we able to ascend to the greater being in us. Immerse yourself into the healing atmosphere of The Wellness Kitchen. Nurture your mind with thoughts of health and submerge yourself in the education that will aid you in attaining complete wellness. And as always, this is Sarah encouraging you to think purposefully and eat peacefully....

"I come into the peace of wild things..."

"I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief...For a time I rest in the grace of the world and am free." Wendell Berry


Lately I have made a conscious effort to surround myself in the comfort of "wild things." Places that remind me to be human, to think, to have peace, to wrestle with my spirit and grow. I sat on my friends porch yesterday and watched calves follow their mother through the rich green grass. I witnessed them clumsily gallop with eagerness as their mother called to them. I watched and listened to the birds scratch and move the dry leaves looking for their morning sustenance. I smelled the sweet cherry blossoms blooming on the nearby tree. I stopped and I took it all in.

When was the last time you submerged your senses and your soul into the abundant life occurring around you? This is the natural order of things, you are meant to be connected to the earth, to nature and to be a part of an ecosystem that works cynergistically. There are faculties of peace all around us. Are you using them? Are you toiling the soil in your hands and tending your garden? Are you resting in the wild things that are unconcerned with the political climate of the day, or your social or financial status or your worries? Are you laden with grief of what may come, or what may never come to pass? Is an illness stealing your peace and placing you in a mental jail of worry? If this is so I urge you as I urge myself to rest in peace.

Find that place where only your soul dwells and listen. Meditate on what is good and just and true. Surround yourself with things of nature, whether that be natural food, your being in relation to your gifts and the unique place you hold in this world or the grace of nature itself. Remember that your spirit needs bits of "wildness" to remind you what it is to be human. Disconnect yourself from the TV, the cell phone, the car, even if just for a couple hours and see how you feel... Rid yourself of worry it serves no favorable purpose. Come visit us at The Wellness Kitchen and indulge your senses in healthy food, the architecture of the 1892 Victorian manse, the comfort of the oak trees and the soothing waterfalls. Give your spirit what it needs to thrive. Let us be as passionate about our soul work as all the other facets of our lives. And as always, this is Sarah encouraging you to eat peacefully....