a little inspiration

Today I got rid of 4 trash bags of stuff.  Last night I spent my time from dinner to bed time clearing up our office space.  I got rid of so much, but there is a lot left to go.  For now I am basking in the ability to walk around and open all the closet doors (I kid you not.)  When my fabric table and area is cleared up I'll take a picture.  I feel so close to that happening (now that I can get there.) We moved from a 2160 square foot house to 1180 square foot apartment in November.  I've already mentioned we got rid of a lot of stuff , but it wasn't enough.  Many will see that as a huge down size (and they are right!  Half the space.) I wanted it though.  I knew the place we were in before was just too big.  In jettisoning the junk I've learned that I had attached all these silly rules to ownership of things that I had no idea of before I read Everything That Remains . I had no less than 4 sets of place mats and probably 6 table...

In my constant search for inspiration I've stumbled onto Zen Habits  and can't believe it has taken me so long to find it.  I have no idea why I chose to read Everything that Remains  in the first place but what a revelation it has been.  Leading me to so many new places.  Zen Habits is definitely up my alley.  He sounds a bit like the voice in my head already. And, of course, I like that.  Who wouldn't want to hear advice and ideas that sound like you only wiser and more concise? We should all read his book The One Skill : The Letting Go eBook and then go on from there and read all the rest of his words.  It is such a powerful little book, an idea that will serve you in every facet of your life.  Every. Single. One. Go check it out.  Tell me what you think.  Tell him too.

Next up? Minimalism.   This is an exciting topic to me, one with many, many branches and sprouts growing off of it. I hope you'll explore it with me. At the time that we moved from the first house we rented in Asheville to the apartment we are in now we threw out so much stuff I can't even begin to describe it all.  I wish there was a picture.  A 12 foot box truck would have been full.  And this was after a move just one year before!  Some of it was forced because of a moldy basement and some of it was baby things outgrown, but much of it was just too much stuff.  Too much!! I am the type of person who remembers where almost everything in my house came from.  I know which of Anjali's clothes came from which person, I think of them every time she wears them.  I know who gave us the shower curtain for our wedding (10! years ago) and think of them when I see it.  I remember who sent each toy, where I bought each shirt and piece ...

Good morning!  How are you all?  Is anyone still here?  The last couple months have been busy and then this last one has just slammed us all with many new things.  There are several that I'd like to share with you and then I am hoping to share the journey too.  At the same time, since it is not all about me, I need to maintain some boundaries (which I quite admit I am not great at.)  I hope you'll find the journey interesting and you'll share it with other friends who might be going through something similar.  I'd love to start an actual dialogue here instead of just hearing my own voice, so if you have a comment or idea or story to share, please do. The first big change is my diet.  You know I am trained as a Health Coach and many of you know that before my son was born I struggled with Ulcerative Colitis.  Pregnancy and nursing somehow delivered the perfect cocktail of hormones to stop the disease in its tracks but in the last few mon...

I am approaching my 33rd birthday in a few days.  I am so lucky to get to celebrate with family and friends in a beautiful gathering.  Thanksgiving really is my favorite.  I think it would have even if I hadn't been born after dinner. The other day Emerson and I had about the best day that could be imagined.  We went to the big library and then off to the tea house (which he decided to call the tea garden, "Because it is so peaceful and quiet here, Mama.") Emerson and I are both off gluten now and so we are sharing the fun of being two who are special.  I don't know if I am permanently off (and I'll admit to a little cheating after the first two weeks) but my health improved dramatically with a detox from all the vice foods.  No sugar, no gluten, no dairy, no coffee, no alcohol.  I'm not going to say for a minute that was easy, but the return was so good I'll be sure to add it into my regular calender.  Two weeks off everything was just right...

  Yesterday morning we went to the doctor for the first prenatal checkup.  After a lot of poking and probing the doctor was unable to find a heartbeat.  The fetus was too small and had no movement.  They call this "intra uterine demise."  Most of the rest of us call it a miscarriage. It was a fairly wild ride.  My only hope when we went in was to hear the heartbeat.  The doctor was unbelievably gentle while still being very direct.  I felt sadness right away but never scared or confused.  I imagine in the last twenty years he has given this information to people many, many times.  He said right from the beginning that he was very pessimistic and so I wasn't waiting all morning for the second ultra sound believing that things would be different.  Hoping, of course, but not truly believing. I keep coming back to something I heard in a dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hahn (Tick not han) a few weeks ago.  Life happens when the prope...

I rarely have pattern ideas drifting around in my head anymore.  Mostly because I think there isn't room for them with all the rest of life rushing by me.  The other day, however, I was trying to decide what to make for the Bug and his two cousins for holiday gifts.  Because we all get together for Thanksgiving, I always need to get a jump on these things.  And this year especially because I am working so much outside of the house.  The Bug has a new, wonderful, fascination with stickers and markers.  Senor and I now can sit through dinner and chat or enjoy the food (imagine!) if we have a sheet of stickers handy.  Markers are more interactive, often requiring one of us to be directly involved.  But still, generally a quiet, low banging activity that can last ten or more minutes. On our upcoming Thanksgiving trip we will be spending more than 24 hours in the car total.  Twenty six I think.  Le sigh.  We love all you people and can...

I have been making things over here.  When no one is looking.  Sometimes I sit and watch movies and crochet all afternoon with only my bladder to interrupt.  It really is quite amazing.  So different than the last couple years.  I found a pattern that was kind of like this but in knit and realized that though I know the basic stitches I can't read the patterns and don't know how to do anything that isn't called knit or purl.  So, while I wanted to make this sweater for the Bug I knew I was going to have to resize the pattern.  I couldn't even tell where you were starting on the pattern so I didn't know how to go about resizing.  But I know how to make a baby sweater in crochet.  I know how to resize.  I even taught a class on making fake ribbing in crochet.  So I had everything I needed. This was going to be all blue.  But I ran out.  Wow did he get big!  I know this should have been expected but I had no id...

Thursday came and went.  I'm still waiting for that post for you all so when it gets here I will put it up. In the mean time things have been fast and fun here.  Readjusting.  Learning new skills.  Finding our rhythm again. He has discovered scissors.  And gotten more interested in drawing.  Look at those papers.  Multiple colors and lots of lines.  This is very new.  Before it was one or two lines and then eat the crayon or marker.  The scissors are his favorite.  It seems to be going around right now.  Soulemama and Meg from Sew Liberated are also posting these kinds of images.  He tells me, "I need cut." and "Trimmy, trimmy, I need trimmy." And of course, stickers.  He is able to take them off the sheet and place them all by himself now.  It is quite amazing really.  When you watch someone trying this for the first time and you see just how hard it really is.  Amazing these things we do ever...

This week our little Bug is off exploring Oma and Opa's house, having a great time and enjoying his cousin and the great outdoors.  It offers us the chance to get to some projects that are just too dangerous or involved to handle with a two year old into every little thing.  It also gives us the chance to slow down and do some completely selfish things.  There are plenty of times that taking a break from taking care of everyone and everything else and being super selfish is the perfect thing to do.   While we work as fast as we can to take the bathroom apart and put it back together again looking better (hopefully) than ever before we also planned some things to reward all the hard work and effort.  The number one thing I was looking forward to when I knew we'd be sans child for a week was sleeping in.  For real.  Not only have I been able to sleep until I naturally get up (which is only about 8 anyway) but then I don't actually have to do anythin...

  Another area of primary food is movement.  Some people might call it exercise but I have a hard time spelling that word (the spell check gave me "excessive" and "exorcize" as options. ha!)  It is so interesting to me how all of the research I hear about "healthy" eating is always footnoted with something like, {blank} combined with moderate exercise leads to better health.  Really?  Maybe moderate movement is playing a bigger role.  But it is so hard to get people to start regular movement because just like diet overhaul it seems so overwhelming.  A gym membership, special clothes, looking like an idiot in front strangers.  Not even to mention the sore muscles.  And sweat!  Ug! I'm here to tell you something I heard forever ago that I feel really makes a difference.  It is a big secret- are you ready?  Okay- you are already moving everyday!  You might even already be "exorcising!"  I remember hearing this amazi...

There are many aspects to a healthy, happy life.  You are what you eat they say- but you also are what you think, believe and feel.  For so many people, finding a way to express their spirituality goes a long way towards health and happiness.  I, myself, am still riding high from last weekends experiences.  Hearing of people who have had lives full of hardship and still turn into beacons of light and happiness for others help you see how strong a faith can make you. I use the word faith in the broadest sense I can imagine.  Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims all have a faith.  But there are also plenty of people who use looser categories to define themselves.  The medical community has been studying people to find the links between faith and health and while there are studies that go both ways it is obvious that having a personal faith can change our brains and our health . The other night, after a hectic day filled wit...

This week I want to begin to talk about a different aspect of health.  At the Institute for Integrative Nutrition we talk about something called "primary food" a whole lot.  Primary food encompasses all the things that aren't edible that nourish us.  Physical activity, relationship, spirituality, career etc.  These are things that make you feel like you can conquer any challenge when they are going well and will tear your body apart when they are going poorly.  In the coming weeks I'll be talking about some of these areas and seeing what you all think.  In the mean time what are you doing right now that energizes you?  What is draining you? {image via Institute for Integrative Nutrition .}