Breathe

I sure tend to have long lapses of no blogging. But looking at my past posts re-inspires me to keep reflecting and growing. So much drama has filled the last month of my life. Things have just seemed upside down and crazy for a few years. I catch myself in a flurry of activity all the time and often I am holding my breath, tense. I am learning to just breathe, take time to relax, focus on the moment. Despite a job I am less thrilled about, I am still optimistic...and boy have I learned from the boys. That is all I will say about that. I am still trying to live out my passions...I so want to be part of or open a vegan bakery/cafe. I have been practicing my skills. I also want to teach yoga and possibly nutritional counsel. I am so excited to get certified in yoga next month! Anything that I can feel proud of, passionate about, happy doing, and earn enough to be comfortable would be great. For now, keep breathing. Every small step in the right direction is worth taking and is important!

Keep Going

I feel like my last few posts brought me great peace, and I learned a lot through those reflections. I keep reminding myself of the positive reflections, and it helps me to have a positive outlook on things. Unfortunately, since the last posts, my Simply Vegan venture has not panned out like I thought it might...hopefully it still will. Though I am slightly disappointed, at least I tried. The other job I had hoped to get also fell through. I know that this is all happening for a reason...I am making my journey for what is ultimately best for me. I will remain positive, happy, determined, hard working, light-hearted, loving myself, speaking up for my self, and at peace through all of this. I can handle whatever comes my way with effort, perseverance, and perspective. I am just reaching out to embrace the random...

Glowing (Part III)

...now that I have made some important revelations about myself, I feel a spark inside. What is really interesting is how this spark has been ignited while connections with others have been made. I have commented before on how Angela at Oh She Glos has inspired me over the past few months. I regularly read her blog, get great vegan food ideas, and often great advice on life. Today I finally decided to make the infamous green monster she constantly raves about. It was soooo good, and I immediately felt uplifted. Today also so happens to be the day where I launched my "Simply Vegan" educational/counseling venture. More about that later... Back to the Green Monster, I decided to go to the page where Angela wrote her green monster story, and low and behold it connected with everything I have been thinking, feeling, and doing. The green monster for her and me is like the fuel for the spark that is inside that enables us to glow. Giving my body such wonderful nourishment for it to glow also gave my soul that spark that I need to think, believe, and do what I feel most passionate about. Thank you to Angela. Cheers to Green Monsters everywhere!

Embracing Me (Part II)

...leaving a job that made me feel dull and lifeless made me realize how important it is for me to find my passion. I have reflected a lot over the past week as I have been nearly unemployed for the first time in my life, fortunately I have a nice backup job that I will be returning to shortly. Anyway, one thing that I have realized is that I need to learn to love myself. This sounds so silly to write, but I think it is so true and key to living a fulfilling life. I wrote this the other day when I was realizing that I needed to embrace who I am...Knowing myself, loving myself, and connecting with myself is the key to loving life. How can I ever feel loved, feel connected, feel comfortable, feel worthy, feel at peace, or feel happy if I do not know and love myself. I must accept, appreciate, and celebrate who I am while striving to be the best I can be. I am what I have experienced, more importantly what I have learned from those experiences, and most importantly the way in which I aim to embrace future experiences. I am what I think, more importantly what I believe, and most importantly what I do. I am my body, I am my mind, and I am me when I connect my body and mind.

I feel like I have been living in clouds for the past few years...Unsure about myself, what I want, who I am, afraid to be what and who I am. The clouds are parting, and I am beginning to shine that which is me!

Living and Learning (Part I)

So much has happened since my last post, I really do not know where to start. I feel like I could write a lengthy book on my experiences and revelations that have occurred in the past month. I will try to get it all out as succinct as possible. The biggest thing that happened, event wise, was that this new job I was so excited about turned out not to be so great, in fact, I have chosen to move on already. I really liked the company, and it was my intent to try to create a position where I could educate consumers on healthy eating choices. However, I felt very repressed at the company and my job was not at all what I wanted to be doing...working in a kitchen, doing mundane work, surrounded by foods I refuse to consume, and under management that was not very supportive. I am not sure if my ultimate goal of creating a position where I could educate the public would have come about, but I know it would have taken a long time, and I did not feel like my voice was being heard. I chose to leave, rather abruptly, I feel slightly bad about giving only one week notice, but it seemed okay considering the circumstances. So what did I learn from this experience? some kitchen skills, to speak up for myself, to try my best to make things happen, to realize when I am not in a situation that is best for me, to respect and love myself, to stand up for myself, to take chances, to not be afraid of changes or the unknown, to find a way to do something with my life that I am passionate about...I really feel I am on that journey now!!

Growth

Today I reflect upon the past two years of my life, as I have officially completed my Masters degree and assistantship. I began this journey two years ago, not quite knowing what to expect. It turned out to be an amazing two years of personal growth and accomplishment. I experienced so much in the past two years. For the first time I lived on my own, minus a few months of temporary roommate fiasco, and loved it! I got a wonderful kitty who has been great company. I had some interesting relationships...Oh the stories! I got my first tattoo, went to Europe, and became vegan! I completed a thesis on sleep and obesity, an independent study on veganism, and taught nearly 200 students basic nutrition. I have gotten in the best shape of my life with lots of stretching, walking/running, and weights. I have begun the process of learning to listen to my body, leaving behind disordered eating and disconnect between my mind and body. I have learned to embrace life! Here's to the next chapter in my life....

Inner peace and acceptance

I am beginning to realize the importance of finding inner peace and self acceptance. It seems like I used to do a lot of things in order to please others and impress others. It's like I was living outside my body and not being in tune with what I need or who I am. I thought I had to look a certain way, say something in particular, or act a certain way in order to have someone's acceptance and approval. I would modify my looks or thoughts for the sake of others. This is no way to live my life. Of course, I want to make others happy and I do not want to be selfish, but I absolutely have to do, say, and act in such a way that is best for me. I need to accept and embrace myself for who I am and not feel the need to change for anyone! Accepting my body, thoughts, and actions as uniquely me is important. I need to embrace who I am, be confident in me, accept all my pros and cons, and find inner peace with myself. If I act in such a way that I accept deep down as good for me and good for others, then I am I will be truly happy.

Oh She Glows » Blog Archive » Banana Pancake Sandwich

Oh She Glows » Blog Archive » Banana Pancake Sandwich: "When I was young, I thought confidence could be earned with perfection. Now I know that you don’t earn it; you claim it. And you do that by loving the wacky, endlessly optimistic, enthusiastically uninhibited free spirit that is the essence of style, the quintessence of heart, and uniquely YOU.” ~ Cecelie Berry, writer"

Its not about perfection

I am so inspired right now, as I have just read reflections from other bloggers like me. I am currently striving to be the healthiest, happiest, most confident, purest person I can be. I am doing so by embracing the vegan diet, exercising, listening to my body, and trying not to be so obsessive with calorie counting and perfection. On blogger mentioned a quote that confidence is not gained with perfection, but rather claimed in the moment for being uniquely you. I love that...perfection is impossible to achieve and if I wait to feel confident till then, then I will never be satisfied. I need to embrace who I am now, my strengths and weaknesses, and feel worthy of being confident in myself now! I also related to another blogger who spoke of listening to own's body when it comes to refueling after exercise. This is so relevant to me right now, as I have started to workout more, and have had to evenings of endless hunger and eating. I should have listened to my body throughout the day and given it the nourishment it needed, so that I would not turn into the cookie monster at night. Oh well, making mistakes is humbling and reminds me of what I am striving for. Living in the moment, being pure, and listening to my body.

Changes

My life is going to be full of changes in the next few weeks as I prepare to graduate, move home, and start a new job. (Speaking of new job...I was hired today at a place I have had such desire and passion to work!) I have to remember that things always have a way of working out. There is no need to stress over things, especially things too far in the future or over things I can not control. I need to embrace whatever may come and make the most of it.

Reaching out- something new

Today I tried some great new foods that I have never experienced before. I love experimenting with healthy new foods. For the longest time I was reluctant to try new foods, especially fruits and vegetables. My transition to a vegan diet has completely expanded my horizons. I eat such a variety of fruits and veggies and I feel great! I love finding new superfoods that I know gives my body major nutritional kick! So today, I had sweet beets on a salad. The beets were good, I liked the texture. Beets are an unique source of calcium. For dinner, I had, for the first time, rutabaga, celery root, and nutritional yeast. The dish was okay, definitly had potential. Nutritional yeast is great for vegans as it is a great source of protein and B12. Then...for dessert, I had dried mulberries...AMAZING. They are sweet and chewey and delicious! Not to mention the nutritional profile is unreal. Tons of fiber, protein, iron, and calcium...a vegan's dream. Yay, for trying new things. So important! Today I also have been dreaming about opening my vegan, organic cafe in Florida. Its a dream that I think will become a reality.

Connections

I am amazed at how connections can be made in our lives. Explaining exactly what connections are is not easy, but it's like a commonalility, understanding, and energy that runs between two entities that unites them in a unique way. I embrace all the connections that are made in my life as connections bring much meaning to life. The other day I was checking out the Oh She Glos blog which is the first blog I ever followed because I felt such a connection to this person. As I was reading some comments, I came across another blogger whom I felt connected to. I went to her blog and read a few posts, and it was like I wrote her blog. Much of what she was writing about, especially pertaining to trying to stop counting calories and learning to eat intuitively was a reflection of myself. Her comment that now that I am trying to eat intuitively, I feel like I am eating more, which makes me feel the need to work out more. That is great if I have more energy to work out and I am not just doing it as a means to shed excess calories to lose weight. One more comment she made that I completely agree with is that I have to stop comparing myself to others...the amount they work out, how they eat, how they look...I am my own person, I am unique, and I know what is best for me, regardless of what others are doing. Anyway, it was nice to feel this connection and realize there are others out there like me, on the path to embracing life and living intuitively!
On another note, yesterday I realized the importance of listening to my body as far as it needing to relax! After I ate lunch I was wiped, but I felt the need to go for a jog/walk. Well, the jog was awful because I was so full. I realized, after I made myself stop running because it did not feel right, that I should have just relaxed a bit after eating and let my body do its necessary digestion. Then, later, I could have approached running, and my body would have been prepared. You can't run when all the blood is at the site of your stomach digestioning your food! I finally made the connection and will keep this in mind in the future.

Possibilities

Today was an amazing day of witnessing how amazingly life can unfold if you just remain patient, remain positive through difficult times, and are open to new possibilities. Without getting into details, I saw today the power of the spirit, mind, and body in bringing about possibilities at the perfect time and readiness in someone's life. Before I was told of the situation, I was asked if I was religious, as this person had been praying for something. I remarked that I do believe in a higher power, but figuring out exactly where I stand religiously/ spiritually is something I need to devote much time to reflect and think about. Anyway, an event occurred in this man's life at a time that was perfect and incredibly meaningful. I do believe life presents us with opportunities when we are ready for them. I think that difficult times in our lives are just preparing us for these amazing opportunities so that we are ready to seize them when they come. On another note, this evening I was enthralled with the sunset. I could not stop looking at it and wanted to drive to it. I love nature and I do believe this higher power is one with nature all around us. I need to start bringing a camera with me to capture this beautiful moments so I can share them with others. One final thing, diet related, I think I need to stop counting calories. I have tried to stop many times, but I fall back into the habit quite easily, as I have counted calories for at least the past five years of my life, every freaking day. I want to just fuel my body as it needs it! I freaked out today as I went slightly over 2000 calories. I generally think this is too much, but if my body needed it, maybe not. Another thing in my life that I can improve on!

Today and everyday

Good Morning. I guess there needs to be some proactivity in trying to live a life in the moment. Things to keep in mind as I go about my day, embracing it all... look for the positive in all situations, stay focused on the moment, don't get overwhelmed or anxious, be patient in each moment, put things in perspective, live simply, savor good things, don't over think, listen to your body, follow your intuition, connect with others, do good things for others, give your pet some love, smile, sing, stretch, breathe...Have a great day!

Counterintuitive

So, I was thinking last night, after initiating my blog, that what I am doing may seem counterintuitive. I am trying to live life in the moment, soaking in every opportunity for what it is. Yet, when I come to this blog, I will generally be reflecting on experiences from the day. Looking back to what has been experienced is not exactly living in the moment. Upon further thought, however, I realized reflection of experiences is important and being fully in the moment of reflection can bring great revelations, understandings, and lessons. I think by reflecting I am internalizing experiences and from that, I can grow and blossom and hopefully inspire others. Enough with the philosophy, I need to post something fun, and not so serious soon. But as far as reflecting goes, I was reminded again today, how important it is to be in tune with your body! You have to listen to what your body needs, the human body is so smart, and the mind must connect with it to fuel it, rest it, and work it as it needs to be done.

Not a Beginning

As I create this blog today, it's not for a fresh start or for the beginning of something new in my life. Its more like a means to dig deeper into my life, a life that has a meaningful past and, with insight, an even more meaningful future. But, honestly, the past and future mean very little to this moment. I choose not to hold onto anything from the past and not to over think my future. My desire is simply to embrace every moment...Listen to my body, follow my Intuition, Feel connected, and Embrace it all. Why not strive to live my LIFE connected and pure...how beautiful, freeing, inspiring, and meaningful