Breaking New Ground

I’ve been using the local library a lot to do my work because I’ve found that I am undistracted and can stay focused there, which allows me to be very effective with my time. Yesterday, I checked out a library in another town for the first time. I had intended to do this for a while, but when I look back on it, “fear of the unknown” is what had stopped me in the past. You may be thinking, fear of what? Really, I’m not sure. Fear that I wouldn’t like the library. Fear that they didn’t have internet access for me to do my work. Fear that it would take work to maneuver through the stacks of books. Fear that it would be a waste of time. Maybe it was a combination of all these things–that are really ridiculous excuses. Well, when I got there, I loved the atmosphere. I didn’t know exactly where things were, so I simply asked. I found comfortable workstations with a beautiful view of the outdoors and with great internet access. They even had a nice beverage station where I could purchase a cup of coffee/tea. So I happily sat down and worked for three hours. And of course, I thought to myself, “I wish I had come here sooner!” And the best part is that I haven’t even explored the entire library or looked through the stacks of books. I’m sure I’ll be making some new discoveries the next few times I’m there for a visit.

What’s my point? Do you ever get so caught up in your routine that it becomes boring, dull, lackluster, not-so-much fun anymore? We see and do the same things and go to the same places day in and day out and before long, we put a veil over our eyes and we miss or ignore the intricate details of what is going on around us, simply because it’s become so familiar. We bias our perspective because of what we think “is” and in some ways get lazy with our vision. We think we know what to expect so we don’t bother to pay close attention. But there’s something exhilarating and exciting about venturing into the unknown and discovering the new and the different. Time and again, I find that these types of experiences wake me up, give me a jolt of energy and make my brain cells happy. And it doesn’t have to be anything earth-shattering for this to happen. Driving down an unfamiliar road and discovering something interesting or trying a new café or listening to a new artist’s music or checking out a new library are all things that work. And the more we get into the habit of shaking it up a bit in little ways, the more likely we’ll be inclined to try the big, bold things, like travel to a new country or jump out of a plane. : ) No, I don’t have that in my immediate plans, but I won’t say that I will never do it. In the meantime, though, I am going to make it a habit of breaking new ground…

A Passion for...Buttermilk?

After getting my share of buttermilk pancakes over the last several weeks, I decided that I needed to do something about the excess buttermilk that was consistently left over. Interestingly, while searching the internet for recipes, I discovered that many people were dealing with the same issue and realized that buttermilk is one of those ingredients that requires planning ahead to use up. There are lots of recipes for baked goods that looked great and I also wanted to take advantage of the health benefits of buttermilk by consuming it uncooked. I have to admit, in the past, the idea of “raw” (meaning not used in a cooked recipe) didn’t appeal to me much; however, because I am more regularly incorporating cultured and fermented foods into my diet, I decided to revisit buttermilk. So, after the last batch of pancakes, I was able to use up the remaining quart of buttermilk in two recipes. The first is not raw­–it’s a blueberry scone recipe that I experimented with (since I can’t leave a recipe alone). I began with a basic recipe by Martha Stewart then put my own spin on it: I used whole grain spelt flour, a stronger sugar, some coconut, lemon zest, and nuts. This recipe produced a moist and not-too-sweet treat that I couldn’t help but dunk in my coffee!

Blueberry Scones

1.5 c whole grain spelt flour

0.5 c cake flour

2.5 t baking powder (aluminum-free)

¾ t salt

3 T sucanat or turbinado or other type of granulated sugar

¼ c unsweetened, shredded coconut

1 t cinnamon

8 T (8 oz.) cold, unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1 T lemon zest

1 c blueberries (this time of year, I used frozen, wild blueberries that I thawed slightly)

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

½ cup lowfat buttermilk

1 large egg plus one beaten for an egg wash

turbinado or other granulated sugar for sprinkling

1. Combine the first six ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well with a wire whisk.

2. Cut the butter into the flour mixture, either with a pastry cutter or with your fingers, until it reaches a uniform, crumbly consistency.

3. Add the blueberries, lemon zest, and nuts and mix well.

4. Beat the egg and combine with the buttermilk and vanilla, then add to the dry ingredients. Gently mix with a fork until the wet ingredients are incorporated into the dry. Try not to overwork the batter.

5. Turn the batter out onto a lightly floured surface, gently gather the dough and knead a couple of times. Shape into a flat circle approximately 8-10 inches in diameter and about ¼- ½ inch thick.

6. Slice the dough into 8 wedges and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If not using paper, lightly oil the pan.

7. Brush the tops of each wedge with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

The second recipe is a smoothie. I used buttermilk as the base for a very simple smoothie that was surprising delicious. I confess, I expected it to be extremely tart with a sort of gloppy texture that would be difficult to get down. Instead, the result was a surprisingly smooth and tasty drink that I had for breakfast on several mornings and that was not nearly as heavy as it appeared. In fact, it was perfect about an hour before yoga class. And ironically, I was looking for MORE buttermilk in the fridge by the end of the week. It makes me happy to know that I can now buy it and easily consume it without fear. You never know if you don’t try, right? : )

Buttermilk Smoothie

1 c lowfat or nonfat buttermilk

½ banana

¼ avocado

1 t sweetener (I use maple syrup, of course : )

pinch cinnamon, optional

Blend all the ingredients in a blender and enjoy.

That’s it! So simple and delicious. If you want it thicker, use a frozen banana, or add ice before blending to thin it out. As always, the possibilities are endless and I’m sure I’ll be experimenting with this as well.

Just Imagine

The other day, I was on my computer at a coffee shop. There were two women sitting across the room from me at two separate tables. Suddenly, a woman walked in with her young son who, I’m guessing was three or four years old. While she placed her order at the counter, her son walked over to an empty table, pulled out a chair, dragged it over to one of the women seated alone, and sat down directly across from her at her table. The woman was astonished. He said hello to the woman and she smiled and laughed and asked the boy how he was. He then moved to the second woman and did the same thing with her. In fact, she taught him how to introduce himself to someone new and they had a very heartwarming and sweet moment before the boy’s mom came over to see what he was doing. After a few words, the mother and son left the coffee shop, leaving the three of us with big smiles on our faces.

Soon after, I said to the women, “We would probably never dream of doing that, would we?” They agreed. Most of us would never approach a stranger for fear of encroaching on their space, or interrupting their thoughts, or simply being afraid of what they might think. As children, we see each other as human beings, but as adults, we divide ourselves into countries, religions, organizations, teams, gangs, and groups. I’m not saying that this is always a bad thing. It can actually be a good thing when the goal is to unite people with common interests. But often, they set boundaries, highlight differences and perpetuate competition, resistance, and fear. Is it naïve to think about the human race as a single, cohesive group? I think so, but there’s nothing wrong with being naïve and in some ways, that’s exactly what John Lennon was doing in his song Imagine:

Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do.

Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too.

Imagine all the people living life in peace…

Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can.

No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man.

Imagine all the people, sharing all the world.

You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one…

I guess I am one of those dreamers, and I can’t help but Imagine…

Remember When??

I spent this past weekend with my two grandsons, Carmine and Antonio, ages three and five. I remember being in denial about the idea of becoming a grandmother at what I thought was too young of an age for me, but now, I realize it’s been a blessing. I adore my grandkids and they have come to be a source of pure joy for me and because I’m in fairly good condition physically, I’ve been able to actively participate in just about anything these two bundles of energy have wanted to do. We play baseball and Frisbee and run together and climb the jungle gym at the playground. They’ve “practiced” yoga with me and we’ve played in the sand at the beach, and built with LEGO bricks and thanks to my young age and health, I’ve always been able to share with them my energy and enthusiasm.

They too, unknowingly share something very valuable with me when we spend time together. Their free-spirited personalities and their fearlessness – two things we all are born with that slowly diminish with time and experience. This weekend alone was filled with examples of how they live uninhibited and in the moment that we can all learn from. They live next to a high school that sits atop a steep, grassy hill overlooking a newly renovated expanse of school property with soccer, baseball and football fields. The hill is perfect in the winter for sledding, snowboarding and even teaching the little ones to ski. I often take them out the field to run in the wide-open spaces and this weekend we went out there with their bikes. They wanted to climb the hill to ride in the parking lot above, but on the way up, Antonio decided he wanted to ride his bike down the hill. What do you think immediately went through my head? “Maybe he shouldn’t do that.”; “Is it safe?”; “What if he falls?”; “What if he gets hurt?” Was he thinking any of these things? Absolutely not. The only thoughts on his mind were “Here I go!” and “Whoa!” And before I could even say “Wait!”, he had taken off down the hill and reached the bottom safely. In fact, the second time he went down, he took his eyes off where he was going. He began to look to the left, then to the right, then down and eventually lost control of the handlebars and flipped off the bike at the bottom. I told him what I saw and why I think he fell and what do you think he did? Without uttering a sound, he got up, climbed back up the hill and immediately tried again, this time looking straight ahead the whole time. And he was successful from that moment forward, every time he rode down the hill. How many of us would make such an attempt so soon after wiping out? Would we not focus on the failure and be paralyzed with fear, convincing ourselves that we should give up and move on to something else or possibly be afraid to try something else? The spill taught him a valuable lesson about what does not work and he simply used that information to get it right. It allowed him to come out successful and confident.

That night, they wanted me to watch the movie Robots with them so we sat on the sofa for what I thought would be a relaxing and entertaining evening. Relaxing no, but highly entertaining! About ten minutes into it, the movie broke out into a song. Without warning, Carmine jumped off of my lap and began to dance to the music, shaking his bottom and jumping and moving his arms. Pretty soon, Antonio joined in and it turned into a combination dance/martial arts demonstration. Would you believe that the credits were rolling and they were still on the carpet dancing? Maybe my video camera had something to do with that, but not once were they thinking, “Will I look silly if I get up and dance like this?”, “Will I be laughed at?”, “I’m really no good at this, I shouldn’t do it.” How many of us have been in that position, holding back what’s aching to come out for fear of looking silly or not being good enough? Instead, they let their spirits soar and were so filled with happiness and energy. And this was after an entire day of excitement and physical movement. We always wonder where children get their energy. I don’t think we as adults get tired because we become old; I believe this vitality disappears because we lose our courage to live our passions. We can have this type of energy at any age. Our bodies may not perform like those of children, but we can have that life and enthusiasm if we’re doing what we love to do and are not concerned about how we look doing it or what others will think. Because chances are, what they’re thinking is, “Why don’t I have the guts to do that?”

Do you remember a time when you had this fearlessness? Do you remember when your main goals were to have fun in the moment and to express your true selves? I can’t say I do, maybe because I can’t remember back far enough. I remember moments when I was living my passions, but they were often flanked by periods of doubt and uncertainty. I’m almost ashamed to admit that I once resisted becoming a grandmother because of my perceptions of what grandparents “are supposed to be”. My grandchildren are gifts that constantly remind me of the true meaning of living a life of joy. Maybe you’re just beginning to think about having kids or are now raising small children. If so, I know it can be an overwhelming time, but please pay attention to what they’re teaching you. The most profound lessons show up when you least expect them but always when they’re being their authentic selves. I believe this is when you learn the most about them, too. And as much as you can, encourage them to stay that way. Foster the development of their unique talents and capabilities; those things that bring them the most joy and vitality so that some day, they too, won’t have to remember when…

Entering the Discomfort Zone

Many of us have developed routines in our lives and a typical day might sound like this for some: we get up, get ready for work, send the kids off to school, spend the day at work, exercise, head home, have dinner, watch TV and finally prepare for the following day. For some things, a consistent schedule is good. For example, setting a specific workout schedule everyday makes good sense because it helps to instill the habit of taking care of ourselves physically and mentally and our health, without a doubt, the sets the stage for how we perform with every other facet of our lives.

What is common, though, is that it’s this same routine, day in and day out that often stifles us, makes us feel unfulfilled and creates the strong impression that something’s missing. We live our lives in autopilot in the comfort zone. I for one have my moments and days in this mode like anyone else. But they do little to advance my personal growth and they certainly don’t make me feel alive. Papa Wallenda said, “Life is lived out on the wire, the rest is just waiting.” What he’s saying is that it’s when we are challenged, scared, buzzing with excitement and anticipation that we enjoy life and the more we look for these opportunities, the less our lives will feel routine.

With our busy schedules during the week, plunging into something daring or exhilarating may seem unrealistic, but it doesn’t have to be that way. It can be anything that will lead us into our discomfort zones, such as introducing ourselves to someone new at work that we look up to, or taking a class to explore a new hobby, or trying a new restaurant. Anything, however insignificant it may seem, that can get the heart pumping, wake up our brains, or even make us feel slightly off balance will do the trick. Over the weekend, I participated in something that, for me, accomplished those things and so many more. I competed in the NY Regional/Tristate Yoga Asana Championship in New York City. You can see some of the event here:

This entire day took me out of my comfort zone on so many levels. For example, I took a class in NYC before the competition at a studio where I’ve never practiced before. That in itself would get the blood pumping. But more dramatically, it was the first time I’ve ever performed anything athletic alone on stage. Except for giving talks, the last time I performed solo in front of an audience was in sixth grade at a school concert, singing “Let Me Be There”, by Olivia Newton John and I don’t have that on video : ) But thinking back to that night, it was one of the most fun and rewarding times of my life. Other challenges to this past weekend: I knew I would be competing with women who had been here many times before, who had been training for much longer than me and whose yoga practices were far more advanced than mine. I was floored and inspired by their abilities. Just look at the woman below who took first place!

So knowing all of this, when I decided to enter this competition, I took it as a personal challenge to do my best and to have fun and that’s what I did. Despite the butterflies and the extreme talent around me, I was able to have fun and feel a very strong sense of accomplishment when it was over and I wouldn’t want to change any of it.

Another gift from this event was the support and encouragement from everyone: the other competitors, judges and organizers, the audience, and especially my friends who came to NYC to watch the event and cheer us on. And my willingness to take the risk in the competition has inspired some of them to enter the competition next year.

Whatever the outcome would have been, my courage to take a chance was the most significant lesson and triumph for me here because it gave me the confidence to believe that if I could do this, there’s no telling what I can accomplish!!! So challenge yourself; step into your discomfort zone and live…

Letting Go and Sending Your Fears into Extinction

Many of us don’t realize the magnitude of influence that negativity has on every second of our lives. The sad part is, the majority of this negativity is not directed towards us by others but is fabricated within our own minds. Take fear for example. Every one of us is afraid of one or more things. I’m not talking about scary monsters, but I may as well be because our fears are in our faces like monsters, or like the ferocious dinosaur below.

They are powerful, vivid, ever present, and limit our creative potential because they are energy drainers that feed off of us to grow, thereby preventing our own positive growth and expansion. It’s only when we find the courage to face our fears that they stop growing because we no longer allow them to feed. And very often, when we tackle that scary thing we realize that it isn’t so bad after all. In fact, whatever it is doesn’t change when we face it, our perception of it changes. Maybe it’s trying new a food or going out and meeting new people or getting on a plane. Whatever it is, once the fear is gone, we can replace it with happiness or confidence or the desire to take on more challenges. We can grow.

The inability to let go of things from our past that we cling to through the negative emotions we’ve assigned to them also has an inhibitory and detrimental impact on our personal growth and happiness. These negative emotions can include regret, resentment, anger, hatred or hostility. Like the fear dinosaur, these also invade our minds and bodies suffocating us, leaving no room for possibility or enthusiasm. As a result, they drag us down, sap our vitality and cause us to contract.

The first step to letting go is to identify those events or circumstances that we’re gripping onto and the unpleasant and unhealthy emotion(s) that we’ve linked to them. Next, we must make a conscious decision to let go of those emotions. A sincere attempt at this will initiate the moving forward process and once that begins, that dinosaur begins to appear further and further off in the distance and begins to shrink in size, making room within us for new experiences, learning, happiness, and growth. Eventually, the once powerful negativity becomes a vague feeling that eventually disappears, leaving behind the initial experience or event without any association to bad feelings - and a lesson. And it is this detached lesson that is the ultimate gift to our transformation and growth and in the presence of enough wisdom, will be called upon to make better decisions in the future.

So if you are committed to your own positive evolution. If you want to lead a fulfilling and happy life that is defined by creativity, enthusiasm, possibility and love, then send your fears and negative feelings of the past into extinction where they belong. And save the monuments for the dinosaurs.