Giving Thanks

The Buddha said "Happiness never decreases by being shared" so be sure to share your happiness and appreciation with everyone around you during this wonderful Thanksgiving holiday weekend (there's something right there to be thankful for; your weekend starts two days early!).

My inaugural post for this blog back in the summer of 2007 began with the words of a song called "Thank U". The writer was inspired by the gratitude she felt since her trip to India. Today I post the lyrics again and wish you the happiest of holidays!

How 'bout getting off of these antibiotics
How 'bout stopping eating when I'm full up
How 'bout them transparent dangling carrots
How 'bout that ever elusive kudos

Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence

How 'bout me not blaming you for everything
How 'bout me enjoying the moment for once
How 'bout how good it feels to finally forgive you
How 'bout grieving it all one at a time

Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence

The moment I let go of it was the momentI got more than I could handle
The moment I jumped off of it
Was the moment I touched down

How 'bout no longer being masochistic
How 'bout remembering your divinity
How 'bout unabashedly bawling your eyes out
How 'bout not equating death with stopping

Thank you India
Thank you providence
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you nothingness
Thank you clarity
Thank you, thank you silence

- Alanis Morrisette

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." - Melody Beattie

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."
- William Ward

Flying Hawks Send a Smile from the Sky

Wow, talk about the power of a smile, huh? I hope this photo puts a smile on your face today!

It's About Time

At one time or another, we've all wished for a 25th hour or a 8th day of the week. So many things to do, but too little time, right? Well, time is the great equalizer; every person has 24 hours in a day. No one has more and no one has less. We are all given the same amount of hours in a day. But how do we most effectively use that time? It is a finite resource. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. So, here are some interesting thoughts on TIME.

"The bad news is, time flies. The good news is, you're the pilot." - Michael Althsuler

"Time is what we want the most, but what we use the worst." - William Penn

"While we are postponing, life speeds by." - Seneca

"Until we can manage TIME, we can manage nothing else." - Peter F. Drucker

And one of my personal favorites:

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift. That's why it's called the present."

And as Jim Croce put it "If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I'd like to do, is to save every day 'til eternity passes away, just to spend them with you. If I could make days last forever, if words could make wishes come true, 'Id save every day like a treasure and then, again, I would spend them with you."

And as one of my favorite singers of all time, Eva Cassidy, so eloquently sang, "(if) Time is a healer, then all hearts that break, are put back together again, 'cause love heals the wound it makes."

And as far as managing our time and avoid the procrastination trap? Well, the great folks over at Thought for Today, said it best:

"Complete everything. A task left undone remains undone in TWO places; at the actual location of the task and inside your head. Incomplete tasks in your head consume the energy of your attention as they gnaw at your conscience. They siphon off a little more of your personal power every time you delay. No need to be a perfectionist, that's debilitating in an imperfect world, but it's good to be a 'completionist'. If you start it, finish it... or forget it. Do it .... or dump it!"

To read my earlier posts regarding procrastination, click HERE and HERE.

Attitude

Attitude determines altitude.

How far do you want to soar?

In Gratitude for Those Who Serve: Veterans Day

The saying goes, "If you love your freedom, thank a vet" and "Freedom isn't free". Today on Veterans' Day, we say with gratitude, "THANK YOU" to all veterans, living or dead or MIA. Regardless of where we stand on the wars themselves, the individual men and women who serve deserve our respect and support.

One of the earliest charities I donated to as a young adult was Disabled American Veterans. Their mission statement says:

"Since its founding more than 80 years ago, the Disabled American Veterans has been dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for America's disabled veterans and their families. Fidelity to that mission has required DAV to respond creatively and flexibly to changing and sometimes unpredictable problems faced by its constituency. Whether disabled veterans have needed a voice on Capitol Hill, a nationwide service program, a transportation network or unique rehabilitation opportunities, DAV has focused its attention and resources to meet those needs."

To send a donation to DAV, please CLICK HERE. For DAV info, CLICK HERE.

Another way to help veterans is to donate clothing and household goods to an AMVETS Thrift Store or to shop there yourself. CLICK HERE for a listing of AMVETS Thrift Stores, located in 20 different US states. AMVETS (American Veterans) is dedicated to preserving freedom, supporting veterans and active military and providing community services.

For a good movie about what a POW goes through, I recommend "Rescue Dawn" which is based on the true story of Dieter Dangler, a US soldier who was taken as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. This film is available on DVD via Netflix and Blockbuster.

Nutrition 101

Tomorrow starts another course of "Nutrition Made Simple" which is a class I teach at the Boston Center for Adult Education. This time around, instead of meeting for 6 weeks, we've shortened it to 5 weeks (one less winter week to brave the cold New England weather!), but participants still get 10 hours of instruction and support for the small investment of $149.

This is what one of my graduates had to say about the course:

"The Nutrition Made Simple is exactly that - making learning about nutrition simple, applicable and personal. This class taught me an incredible amount of information in a fairly short period of time, making it even easier to incorporate into my daily life. I was amazed at the amount of information that I did not know previously, from sugar substitutes to grains, and was extremely excited to learn about different types of products that are healthy, and delicious, that prior to this class were unknown to me. (My favorites were the Ezekiel 4:9 Almond and the ground cherries. I've never even seen them before this class!) Kathleen did a wonderful job of creating an environment that was comfortable to ask questions and absorb the information. I appreciate this class more than I can express.

As an aside, since taking this class I have completely cut soda out of my life. I used to drink approximately 4 cans of diet soda daily. I have also reduced the amount of coffee I consume, from approximately 4-8 cups a day (including the venti size Starbucks coffee as '1' cup!), to now having about 1-2 per day each of 8 oz. or less. I really appreciate being given new products to try and statistics that really resonated with me for health reasons (since all 4 of my grandparents had heart attacks, and 2 were diabetic). Thank you for giving me the information that I so desperately needed to jump start eating healthier and eating well. Thank you!"

So, instead of waiting until New Year's to begin your resolution to change your eating habits and improve your health, start today! There is still space left to register for this class which runs Tuesday evenings 6 PM - 8 PM, November 11th through December 9th. Classes are held in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood in the historic Gamble Mansion near the Public Garden.

During this comprehensive 5-week course, participants learn all about nutrition and how to apply it in a practical way. We cover sugar addiction, mindful eating, the virtues of greens, grains and legumes, how to identify organic from conventional from GE foods, the importance of vitamins, minerals, fiber, healthy fats and other nutrients and so much more!

So, if you want to stop cravings for good, manage your weight, gain control of your health, feel better in your body and have a remarkable increase in your energy, I encourage you to take this class.

To register by phone, call 617.267.4430. To register online, visit the BCAE by clicking here.

The People Have Spoken

We did it! We Barack'd the vote!

And in my state of Massachusetts we passed Question 3 which will end the cruel practice of greyhound racing.

And in California, Prop 2 was passed, which will improve living conditions for the millions of animals raised in food production.

I am so happy, I wish I could celebrate with one of these cupcakes tonight!

America, get ready for the revolution!

Fall Back

Dear readers, don't forget to set your clocks back one hour and to check the batteries in your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detectors before you say "Goodnight, Moon" tonight!

What will you do with your extra hour?