Indulge the Soul

I am very committed to a healthy lifestyle. I exercise regularly and eat a very healthy diet that focuses on lots of veggies, fruits, lean proteins and good fats. And I can say that together, this combination helps to make me feel energetic and happy. But that’s only part of the story. To truly be happy, one must also be content from within. Our outer Worlds truly reflect the state of our inner Worlds and our health is certainly an integral component of that concept. A strong mind and body connection exists within us all. Every thought we have generates an emotion and leads to a biochemical reaction in the body that can have a positive or negative effect. As Deepak Chopra discusses in his book, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind:

“…Our cells are constantly eavesdropping on our thoughts and being changed by them. A bout of depression can wreak havoc with the immune system, falling in love can boost it. Despair and hopelessness raise the risk of heart attacks and cancer, thereby shortening life. Joy and fulfillment keep us healthy and extend life. This means that the line between biology and psychology can’t really be drawn with any certainty.”

Now, with this in mind, I return to my diet. Although it is healthy and I enjoy the foods I eat, there are certain things that I love that I would simply not eat on a daily basis. Pizza, chocolate desserts, rich, fatty ice creams are a few of these. But the idea of total deprivation leaves me a bit empty. Likewise, feelings such as guilt or failure associated with eating these things seem equally as harmful as the physical consequences of eating them at all. And I believe this idea is especially important to those who are trying to lose weight.

So how do we get around this? By knowing that, on occasion, we should enjoy the things that we love and that everything can be good for us in moderation. When we allow ourselves these indulgences and fully enjoy and appreciate them, free from guilt, we feed an empty place in the soul. We replace feelings of deprivation with abundance. And we nurture our inner World, which strengthens our outer World.

Sunrise Over the Ocean

I’ve spent the last several days in Southern Maine at Old Orchard Beach. As a kid, I would visit here every summer with my family. We would spend a week swimming in the ocean, playing in the sand and eating seafood. I hadn’t been here in seven or eight years and had forgotten all about the beauty of this shoreline. The sand is smooth and the water is clean and low tide goes on forever.

Although I don’t spend time sunbathing, I still love to be out here and as I’ve gotten older, one of my favorite times to come is early in the morning. So all this week, I’ve been on the sand before sunrise. The beach has been mostly empty and I’ve sat quietly, listening to the waves crash and the seagulls. It has also been a perfect time to meditate and journal.

But the best thing, by far, about these mornings has been watching the sunrise over the ocean. It first appears as a dim slice of red/pink that grows into a bright pink glowing ball that looks surreal against the gray sky. As it rises, it casts a brilliant streak of pink across the sand, then soon after, another streak appears behind it that reflects along the surface of the water. Within minutes, the pink orb is replaced by bright yellow light and the sun that we see throughout the day continues its ascent. You can watch this on video here:

Tomorrow morning, I’ll be with the sunrise here one last time before heading home. No doubt I am grateful to be in the presence of something so spectacular, beautiful and miraculous. This week, it’s been the best part of my days…

Reflecting on the Summit

Yesterday morning, I hiked up the Giant Steps Trail at East Rock Park in New Haven, CT. It’s a short but steep climb to the top of the rock called the Summit where you can see for miles. It’s here where one can get a “bird’s eye” view of the city, neighboring towns, and the ocean. It is here where one can ponder over the big picture. Where the minutiae become buried and where matters of significance rise to the surface. We often get so busy with our days that we forget why we’re doing what we’re doing. Or we get so sidetracked with drama or trivial matters that we lose site of our values and our goals and we begin to do things that we shouldn’t be doing. Or we put ourselves on autopilot and don’t see when it’s time to rethink what we’re doing.

So to ensure that we reach our mountaintops we need to take the time to review our “big picture”. And ask the big questions such as, how am I doing? Am I focused on my goals? Am I proceeding in the right direction? Am I leading a meaningful, fulfilling life? Do I have solid relationships? Do I have a strong inner life? Am I a good role model? Am I making an impact? Am I thankful for what I have versus longing for what I don’t? Positive answers enforce our goals and give us the courage to reach even further, for example, by taking more risks. If we’re unhappy with our answers, we can decide what needs to change to put us on the right path. So whether it’s standing on the top of a giant rock or sitting on your living room floor, reflect on your big picture regularly so that it remains in focus.

Lunch With a Side of Gratitude

Gratitude. It’s not something given to us, it’s something that we give. It’s an attitude, a perspective on our Worlds. It allows us to weather the storms with more strength and grace, keeps us humble, and teaches us compassion. In her book, Simple Abundance, A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, Sarah Ban Breathnach says that “abundance and lack are parallel realities; everyday I make the choice of which one to inhabit.” Under gratitude’s influence, we focus on what we “have” rather than what we “have not”. The more grateful we are for where we are at a given moment, the richer our lives become. And a positive feedback loop develops whereby the better our lives become, the happier we get. I was at the farmer’s market on July 4^th and met Glen Colello, owner of Catch a Healthy Habit, a raw foods café in West Haven, CT. I stopped by there today for lunch and had their zucchini pasta. Very tasty. You can meet Glen in the video below and listen to his description of Café Gratitude in California.

Glen explains the dining experience that nourishes both the body and soul, thereby instilling in its customers the idea that they are special. And demonstrating a deep level of appreciation for what we have begins with us, within ourselves. Just imagine a World in which we all chose to elevate those we connect with everyday. I believe our greatest offering of gratitude would be for each other. I would like the “I Am Beautiful” to go, please…