Are You an Addict?

If you were a human throughout most of history, you would have had to work very hard to find, grow or kill your own food. And, getting enough calories and nutrients from one day to the next could literally have been the dividing line between life and death. We grew to desire and seek out the most nutrient and calorie dense foods that nature provides, in order to ensure our own, and our species', survival. At the same time, we needed to have a reliable way of discerning which foods might contain poisonous substances, so that we could avoid them.

According to Dr. Rober Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco, "there is no food stuff on the planet that has fructose (sugar) that is poisonous to you. It is all good. So when you taste something that's sweet, it's an evolutionary Darwinian signal that this is a safe food."

So, we are pre-programmed to like sweets. Why is that a problem? Read on.

Dr. Lustig, whose video lecture, Sugar: The Bitter Truth, has received well over 5 million YouTube views, makes a compelling case for the reasons behind our modern epidemic of obesity and its related diseases. 

In a nutshell, it's this: too much sugar coupled with too little fiber. 

So, while humans have always craved sweets, it wasn't until the onset of modern food production that this craving became a health threat. Dr. Lustig's theory is that we used to get our fructose mostly in small amounts of fruit -- which came loaded with fiber that slows absorption and consumption. But, as sugar and high fructose corn syrup became cheaper to refine and produce, we started gorging on them. And, as our foods became increasingly more loaded with sugar, at the same time, they dropped dramatically in fiber content. So, while the diets of our ancient ancestors contained 100-300 grams of daily fiber, today, we average only 12 grams. You read that right.

How did this happen?

Food that retains a high fiber content has a short shelf life and takes longer to prepare. That is not a convenient state of affairs for our fast-paced, fast-food world. In nature, fructose always comes in a high fiber package. Not so in our supermarkets, convenience stores, fast-food outlets and restaurants. Pick up almost any packaged product and read the label. Most likely, you will see some form of sugar and little to no fiber.

Why is this? Why do we almost never hear about fiber outside of commercials for fiber powders we can mix with water and ingest to help keep us "regular"? Well, fiber isn't a big money maker, that's why. What fiber IS, though, is an essential nutrient.

Fiber:

• Reduces the rate of intestinal carbohydrate absorption
• Makes you feel full
• Suppresses insulin

And yet, it is almost non-existent in the modern diet.

What we DO get plenty of is fructose - to the tune of about 130 lbs for each American every year. Even if you are diligent about avoiding sweets, chances are that you're still eating quite a bit of sugar, hidden in all kinds of foods and drinks - bread, ketchup, jerky, sports drinks, salad dressings, protein bars, canned soup - the list is much longer than you might think.

This fructose overload has led to many of our modern disease epidemics - high blood pressure, type II diabetes, heart disease, obesity, liver disease, and cancer. 

But the biggest surprise here is Alzheimer's disease.

According to recent studies by Brown University neuropathologist Suzanne de la Monte, MD, Alzheimer's may very well be a metabolic disease, in which the brain's ability to use glucose and produce energy is damaged. In other words, it's like having diabetes in the brain.

How does sugar consumption contribute to the growth of cancer?

Lewis Cantley, a Harvard professor and head of the Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, says that when we eat or drink sugar, it causes a sudden spike in the hormone insulin. Nearly a third of some common cancers, including breast and colon cancers, have insulin receptors on their surface. Insulin binds to these receptors and signals the tumor to start consuming glucose. Every cell in our bodies needs glucose to survive, including a cancer cell.

So if you happen to have the tumor that has insulin receptors on it then it will get stimulated to take up the glucose that's in the bloodstream. Rather than go into fat or muscle, the glucose goes into the tumor. And the tumor uses it to grow. - Lewis Cantley

Ok, so if fructose is so bad for us, why don't we just stop eating it?

It turns out that sugar triggers the release of the same "feel good" chemicals, called opioids and dopamine, as other addictive drugs, like cocaine and alcohol. And, much like other drug addicts, sugar addicts build up a tolerance to the stuff and they need more and more of it to get the same effect. 

So, the more sugar you eat, the less you feel the reward. 

In a very real and tragic way, most of us are definitely addicts to the stuff.

And, while we can choose to do the hard work of cutting out fructose and going through withdrawals, there's a whole population of humans that doesn't have this choice.

I'm talking about the epidemic of obese newborns and infants.

When a pregnant woman eats sugar, this sugar goes into the placenta and feeds the baby. This developmental programming makes the baby a sugar addict before he or she is even born. And, it doesn't get much better after that. Have you ever read the labels of infant formulas? Many have as much sugar and high fructose corn syrup as sugary soft drinks. Think about that.

OK, so what can we do? 

Educate yourself and your family. Eat as close to nature as you can. Check labels for hidden sugars. 

And remember that it's much easier, cheaper and less painful to prevent disease than it is to treat disease.

The Scoop on Poop!

You might think it's funny or gross or not something to be discussed in polite company, but what comes out of your body is serious business and can say a lot about your overall health as well as alert you to potential signs of disease. So, let's talk about it!

The chart above is called the Bristol Stool Chart, and it was developed as a quick and handy reference tool. Its creator, Dr. Ken Heaton of the University of Bristol, believes that the form of a person's stool is a useful surrogate measure for the amount of time the stool has traveled through the colon. Types 1-3 indicate that the stool has spent too much time in the colon, and types 6 and 7 point to the stool having passed too quickly through the colon. Types 4 and 5 are considered ideal.

But, while this chart is a great visual representation of the consistency of healthy or unhealthy stool, it doesn't address the other aspects of solid waste.

And, on that count, I'm here to help.

Although there's a pretty wide range for what is considered normal, in general there are signs that you're doing A-OK in this department, and others that may be cause for concern.

If you have children, it's a good idea to share this information with them. Open up a dialogue, let them know that they should tell you if there's a problem in this area. Will they be embarrassed or think it's funny? Probably. Then, they'll get over it. I printed the Bristol Stool Chart and pinned it to the bulletin board in my kids' playroom. Hey, whatever works. I want them to have this important information. 

And that brings this blog post to an end. I hope that you and your loved ones keep a watchful eye on what you're leaving in the toilet bowl, and catch any problems as soon as they arise!

- Tamera

40 Pieces of Advice Challenge Day 16

It's that time of year again! The time when most people evaluate the last 12 months or so of their lives and decide on the changes they will make to improve their state of affairs.

It has been said, by those whose job it is to know these things, that losing weight is the most popular New Year's resolution. So the gyms will fill up at the start of January, maybe refrigerators and cupboards will be cleansed of junk foods and restocked with only the most nutritious of fare, weekend plans may be altered to avoid activities that involve calorie-dense alcoholic drinks. Some people might even go so far as to explore the option of weight loss surgery. 

With the exception of surgery, I'm all for these behavior changes. 

But, given that almost everyone who makes the resolution to lose weight will most likely be making the same resolution the following year, I'd say there's a hitch in the plan somewhere. And, I think that hitch is that we tend to have an all or nothing mentality. 

Need to lose weight? Ok, I'm going to run 5 miles every morning, eat only fruits, vegetables and lean protein, and so on, personalized to each person's take on the quickest way to shed the pounds. 

But, come on, this isn't how we humans operate. We will almost definitely fall short of the extreme limits we put on ourselves.  And, when the inevitable food "cheat" happens, or we miss a couple of days of exercise, we tend to fall prey to the idea that we've already blown it, so what's the use? 

I say, you want to lose weight? Or, more accurately, fat? Ok, that's great. But, you don't need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. 

I suggest that you start with small steps. And a great small step to take is to follow this piece of advice: have your biggest meal early in the day, and scale downward from there so that your last meal of the day is little more than a snack.

This will serve you in many ways. By eating a substantial and nutrient-dense meal in the morning, you are giving your body and brain the fuel that they need to function optimally. A smaller meal later in the day will help keep your energy on an even keel. Then, at night, when many people find themselves relieving the stresses of the day by eating mindlessly in front of their TVs (that's another issue we'll tackle another day), instead of downing a lot of potentially empty calories, just choose to have a light snack. 

Then call it a night.

Make the kitchen off limits after this last, light meal. At first, your mind may play tricks on you. It may tell you that you are starving. But, are you actually starving? No. Just remind yourself that you will have a nice big meal in the morning. Also, you are more likely to have a deeper and more restful sleep if your body isn't working hard to digest a lot of food. 

And, with all that evening time that you won't spend eating, maybe you'll have the time and energy to tackle projects you've had on the back burner, or take up new hobbies. The opportunities are limited only by your interests and imagination.

After a week or two of eating lightly in the evening, chances are you will feel so good, you'll wonder why you ever indulged in heavy dinners. 

Take this as your start. Give it at least 60 days to make a real impact in your body, mind and life. And, if you do have a big dinner occasionally, don't worry about it. Just make sure you get back on course the next day. 

So, what do you say? Does this speak to you and your experience? Please share your stories, I'd love to follow your progress!

- Tamera

Dress Up Your Holiday Table!

What a festive way to welcome your guests! This video shows you how to make a dinner napkin Christmas tree, and it's a lot easier than you might think. If you leave out the pin at the top, this makes a wonderful project for children, too.

Merry Christmas!

-Tamera

Merry Christmas!

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or even Festivus, this is a special time of year!

From my family to yours, we wish you much love and happiness!

- Tamera

Nutritional Yeast - Who, What, Where, How and Why?

Who:

Everyone should be eating nutritional yeast! It's a nutritious, delicious and low-calorie way to add protein and fiber to your meals.

What:

Nutritional yeast is different from the yeast that makes bread rise. It's an inactive yeast that is dairy-, soy- and gluten-free, and it is a great source of complete protein, as well as the B complex vitamins.

Where:
You can buy nutritional yeast just about anywhere these days. Whether you get it online or in your local health food store, in powder or flake form, make sure that you store your yeast in a cool, dark place.

How:
Nutritional yeast's nutty, almost cheesy taste has made it a favorite for vegan dishes that call for a cheese flavor.  Add it as an ingredient to soups, mashed potatoes, pasta. Sprinkle it on salads or popcorn. Are you making dessert? Try adding just a bit of nutritional yeast for a more complex flavor. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can find hundreds of fabulous recipes that use this golden food.

Why:
Why not? It's delicious, good for you and easy to find! Now, go eat some yeast!

Acorn Squash Croquettes - Vegan and Gluten Free

Every Thanksgiving, we have a get-together with friends and family, every one of whom has their specific likes and dietary preferences. This year, I decided to create a new recipe that could take the place of stuffing, which usually contains bread, that could be enjoyed by people who are avoiding gluten. And, as an added bonus, it's also a vegan recipe that uses nutritional yeast! 

What?

Nutritional yeast is the best-kept secret superhero of the vegan world. My next blog post will be about all the wonderful reasons you'll want to add nutritional yeast to your diet. But, until then, let's just agree that it is a great source of vitamins and has a wonderfully cheesy taste.

These croquettes make a delicious side dish. The measurements below are approximate, so add more or less according to your preference. You should eat the croquettes immediately after cooking, as they don't keep well. 

Acorn Squash Croquettes

serves 2-3 people

1 acorn squash

1 tablespoon avocado oil (or grapeseed oil)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon turmeric

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cut the acorn squash in half. Using a large spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard.

Acorn Squash Ready for the Oven

Brush the inside of each half with the avocado oil and sprinkle with the pepper, sea salt and turmeric. Bake until cooked, about 45 minutes. You will know that the acorn is done when you can easily insert a fork into it.

While the squash is baking, mix the following ingredients together:

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons dried cranberries

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

fresh juice of 1/2 small lemon

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper

Let the squash cool just enough to be comfortably handled.

Croquettes Rolled in Yeast and Ready to Be Fried

Use a spoon to remove all the meat from the squash and mix it well with the prepared seasonings above. 

Over low heat, melt enough coconut oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan (I use an iron one). While the oil is heating, lightly rub some coconut oil on your hands and roll the acorn squash mixture into small balls. Cover a large plate with nutritional yeast and roll each squash ball in the yeast to coat it completely. Fry the balls in the pan until lightly browned on one side, then roll over to brown the other side. Serve warm.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

-Tamera

Love Is Patient, Love Is Kind

How many happy couples do you know?

Whatever the number, odds are that it's smaller than the number of unhappy ones. This unhappiness can range from those resigned to a present and future of just muddling along without much joy, to constant bickering, to all out battles and complete estrangement in the form of breaking up.

Is this the inevitable way for relationships to progress? Is it possible that two people, with different stories, needs, habits and desires, can live together in a happy, supportive, constructive partnership?

Possible? I truly believe that it is. Easy? Not really. But, then again, what thing worth having is easy to achieve?

I recently read an excellent article that gave me a lot of food for thought. If you have a few minutes, click here and read it. If you want to know what scientists have learned about what makes relationships work, it's worth your while.

Here are some excerpts from the article, which originally appeared in The Atlantic:

"Contempt, they have found, is the number one factor that tears couples apart. People who are focused on criticizing their partners miss a whopping 50 percent of positive things their partners are doing and they see negativity when it's not there."

Well, I think this can apply to any relationship - with your children, parents, co-workers, friends. If your attention is focused on seeing what others are doing wrong, you're likely to miss the good stuff. It just doesn't fit into the "story" of them that exists in your mind. So, even if you're not interested in having or improving a romantic relationship, this is a great concept to keep in mind.

As Wayne Dyer said, "Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change."

From the article:

"Kindness...glues couples together. Kindness makes each partner feel cared for, understood, and validated - feel loved. There's a great deal of evidence showing the more someone receives or witnesses kindness, the more they will be kind themselves, which lead to upward spirals of love and generosity in a relationship."

I always say, it's no more difficult to be kind than it is to be cruel. It's a choice you make, pure and simple. And the more often you choose to be kind, the better you get at it. For me, it boils down to this - what kind of world do you want to live in? I don't necessarily mean the world at large, though, that too will be influenced by your words and actions, but your own personal every day world. Do you want to fill your world with kindness, laughter and generosity or do you choose something different?

And the most surprising thing I learned from the article:

"We've all heard that partners should be there for each other when the going gets rough. But research shows that being there for each other when things go right is actually more important for relationship quality. How someone responds to a partner's good news can have dramatic consequences for the relationship."

That kind of says it all, doesn't it? To feel truly happy for another's happiness is the essence of love.

-Tamera

Tin Can Warning

There is significant scientific literature showing that tomato products in cans are a health hazard. Please share with everyone you care about.

-Tamera

You Can't Always Get What You Want - A Lesson for All of Us

No matter what our age, whether we're 6 months or 106 years old, we humans tend to  be self-centered; we want what we want, when we want it. I guess it's just the way we're made. But, as we travel through life, we learn that our wants may not always be beneficial to us or to others. And, hopefully, we learn this sooner rather than later.

As a mother, I know that a big part of my job is to help my children become kind, responsible adults who make a positive contribution to the world. And my boys, now ages 6 and 11, are smack dab in the middle of figuring out the boundaries between their wants and needs and the rights, needs and wants of others. They're learning, but, as any mother can tell you, sometimes it's an uphill climb.

I found this video and loved it so much, I had to share it with my kids. I watched their faces as they listened to the song for the first time, and it was like magic. Poof! All those years of me explaining this concept to them didn't hold a candle to the impact that this song had them. Hey, whatever works, right? They loved it so much, we listened to it again and again.

They both looked at me and smiled. Nicholas, my oldest, wiggled his eyebrows at me like a miniature blond Groucho Marx, and asked, "Mom, are you copying the words of this song? Because I heard you say this stuff before." He got the whole point in that one little song and this was his way of showing his newly-found and accepted knowledge and some humor back at me in that very moment. 

We made a game out of it all weekend. Whenever the boys requested something that I declined, instead of just saying no, I sang softly, "You can't always get what you want." It was such a fun way to bond with one another and it put a pretty quick end to their habit of repeating requests, even after I've said no. The usual wining and complaining were replaced by chuckles and smiles.

Will this miracle last? Who knows? I'll be happy if we can keep it going for the next 30 days.

But, for me, the most important part of this experience is the lesson that I learned. 

It's all in the delivery.

With love,
-Tamera

40 Pieces of Advice Challenge - Day 15

Every person has an idea of what their life should be like. And, it's safe to say that these ideal life visions don't involve having any problems, not significant ones, anyway.

For most people, problems are the unwanted stumbling blocks that keep us from having and being what we truly want. And the truth is, they can be. It's hard to find the value in problems like disease, major misfortune, the death of a loved one. I'm not here to say that we should accept these problems with open arms and welcoming smiles.

What I am saying, though, is that this thing called life comes as a bundle of joys, sorrows, highs, lows and in-betweens. It's a package deal, folks.

We're handed a life and we hope that we do the best with what we're given. Do we make mistakes, often very foolish ones? No doubt about it. Would we have done things differently with knowledge gained from the results of our mistakes? Yes.

And there's the rub.

You don't know better until you've learned. And you can't learn until you go through the experience of making the "wrong" choices. As Tom Bodett famously said, in school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.

Is this fair? Probably not.

But, all of our complaining, resisting and protesting won't change the rules. It's like being unhappy about the weather - shake your fist at the sky all you like, if it's gonna rain, it's gonna rain, and the clouds don't care one bit that you just had your car washed.

So, it seems to me that the wisest course of action is to learn as much as we can from the problems in our lives, whether they are created by our own thoughts and actions, or they just seem to happen to us. Take what's valuable from our experiences and leave the rest behind.

Maybe we learn that our unkind words cause serious rifts in our personal relationships and, as a result, become more careful about the words and tones of voice we use to express ourselves. Or we learn that letting our taste buds dictate our diets leads us into obesity and disease. If we have a physical or mental affliction that makes life more difficult for us than for the average person, perhaps we become more sensitive to the plight of others, leading to a more compassionate and helpful outlook.

There are as many problems as there are people in the world, and I wouldn't dream of thinking that I know the best way for anyone to navigate the treacherous seas of life.  I do know that we can make the best, or the worst, of the circumstances we encounter. We can choose to make the same mistakes over and over.  We can choose to live with anger and regret about our life circumstances.

I'd rather make the best of things. And that includes giving my problems the chance to teach me something.

Besides, can you imagine the complete boredom of a life with no problems? Picture getting everything you want, when you want it and how you want it. There's an old Twilight Zone episode about that very topic, you may want to check it out sometime. Maybe even right now:




With love,
Tamera

Truth Nugget

Just a little reminder...

Artificial Turf - Is it the Next Asbestos?

Have you ever heard of "ChemGrass"? No? Well, that's the original name Monsanto gave to its artificial grass product, which later became famous as "AstroTurf" after being installed in Houston's Astrodome in 1966. Fast forward to the year 2000, and the new incarnation of artificial turf - styrene butadiene rubber, or "crumb rubber" - began to be made of tiny black crumbs of pulverized tire rubber poured between artificial "grass" blades.

This crumb rubber seemed to be the answer to a multitude of problems. The loads of discarded tires that would otherwise be taking up space in landfills were put toward a useful purpose. Untold millions of gallons of water, harmful pesticides and fertilizer would no longer be needed to maintain the grass for athletic fields. In addition, the rubber from the tires added a significant cushion that was absent from the much less forgiving "AstroTurf", preventing serious injuries like broken bones and concussions. Crumb rubber is widely used in park playgrounds and soccer fields, among other places.

But, much like other innovations that were made to solve existing problems but ultimately created a whole new set of problems, crumb rubber may not be the miracle product it was designed to be.

It turns out that crumb rubber contains substances that aren't exactly good for us to be around, among them benzene, mercury, arsenic, carbon black and lead.  According to this article by NBC news, there might be serious cause for concern. 

Roasted Acorn Squash with Quinoa And Veggies - Vegan!

Happy Autumn everyone! Whether or not the temperatures have begun to dip where you live, there's still a certain feeling in the air. For me, it's the back-to-school rituals and the realization that Thanksgiving and Christmas are on the horizon, that have me in the kitchen, cooking up some cozy, homey type meals.

And what says Autumn more than all the gorgeous gourds starting to fill the displays at the market? That's right, nothing!

I picked up some acorn squash and got busy in the kitchen with the little ones. These stuffed squash make a great appetizer, afternoon snack or light dinner. Basically, eat them however and whenever you like!

A quick nutrition breakdown:

Acorn Squash: One of the richest sources of the anti-inflammatory nutrients Omega-3s and beta carotene - excellent for building up a strong immune system.

Quinoa: A vegetarian source of  complete protein, quinoa contains all the essential amino acids needed for growing and repairing body tissues, as well as anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Spinach: A well-known superfood, spinach has more than a dozen different flavonoid compounds that function as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer warriors.

Walnuts: The phytonutrients in walnuts help protect against metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular problems and type 2 diabetes.

Onions: Eat onions every day for cardiovascular health, to increase bone density (especially important for postmenopausal women), cancer protection and to bring down inflammation in the body.

Turmeric: Curcumin, the active ingredient of turmeric, is being looked at as a potential treatment for an array of diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, diatebetes, allergies, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and other chronic diseases.

Cranberries: For a healthy cardiovascular system and liver, and to help prevent urinary tract infections, eat these little gems!

Toilet Paper Tutorial for Teenagers! (Beginner and Advanced)

My kids aren't teenagers, so they don't need this tutorial just yet. But, I have a feeling it might come in handy for many of you.





Given that this video was posted only a couple of weeks ago, and already has almost 4 million views, this witty father has tapped an unfilled need in the how-to-parent field.

I'm looking forward to seeing the upcoming videos in the series he has planned, how about you?

Way to go, dad!

Easy Solutions - Cleaning Fruit

If you're like me, you're always wondering if you're washing your fruit properly. I found a great info graphic with a wonderfully natural and easy way to clean produce. The graphic refers only to fruit, but I don't see why you can't also use it for vegetables!

Do you have any quick and natural solutions to everyday tasks? Please share them with me in the comments section!

40 Pieces of Advice Challenge - Day 14

Today, the average person has more possessions than even the wealthiest of kings ever had throughout most of human history. We have things, organizers to organize our things, cleaning solutions and machines with which to clean our things, storage units to store our things, credit cards to help us get more things - things in our homes, things in our cars, things at our workplaces.  Things here, things there.

Really, we own a lot of stuff.

And, I don't know that we're any happier than previous generations who weren't blessed with such abundance.

Now, I'm not saying that owning objects is, in itself, a bad thing. And, even though I'm liking the rapidly growing minimalist living movement, I'm not even advocating for getting rid of your stuff. Hey, it's your stuff, if you like it, keep it.

But I do know from personal experience that physical clutter and disorder has a real effect on mental and emotional well-being.  Clutter can be a drain on your time, your energy, your productivity. It can play havoc with the flow of ideas and with creativity. 

You've probably experienced it yourself. Have you ever walked into someone's home or office and immediately felt anxious or overwhelmed? Was it because of the visual chaos that confronted you? Conversely, have you entered into a space that had the feel of a calming spa? Was everything arranged in an organically flowing and elegant manner? 

I read a book about cleaning (hey, it was interesting!) that greatly impacted my life. Really. It was about ten years ago, and I still think of this one message even today - every item in your environment should be there because you consciously chose it and you deliberately made a place for it. 

Imagine how your life might change if you had to pick up every item in your home, car or office and figure out whether or not you wanted to own it and decide just exactly where to put it. Might you have less stuff? Probably. Might the things you did decide to keep be more meaningful and useful? No doubt about it.

I have three children. Believe me when I say that between all of their activities, interest, school necessities, clothes, etc., our house is chock full of stuff. And it can truly be overwhelming to keep everything in order. Yes, sometimes our house gets messy - funny enough, it's at those times that the kids' normal clashes become more intense, more frequent. I can't prove it, but I do believe that the clutter that sometimes develops has more than a little to do with their skirmishes.

Is it worth the extra time to clear out the unneeded, organize the necessities, get rid of the outgrown? Most definitely.  Try it in your own life, I guarantee that you will notice positive changes almost immediately.

So, where to start? Well, I know that for me, paperwork accumulates the fastest. So, when you get mail, open it the same day, and decide, while it's in your hands, whether you need to file it, respond to it or throw it away. THEN TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION.

Do you save receipts? Can you get a receipt filing software to keep track of them? If not, can you take pictures of them with your smartphone and keep those pictures in a dedicated file? Are you nostalgically attached to the seemingly thousands of pieces of artwork created by your little artist? Can you save a few of the most meaningful, take pictures of the less important before throwing them in the recycling bin or trash with the rest? Can you sign up for paperless billing?

What about your clothes? Is your closet overflowing with the fads of yesteryear that you just haven't gotten around to donating yet? What's stopping you? Get rid of anything you don't love - you'll be able to truly see what items you own, and, perhaps, what you might need. My children each have a total of 7 sets of clothes, plus a couple of nice things for special occasions. And that's it. I do laundry twice a week so that the dirty clothes don't pile up.

Are your children toys taking over your living room? Could you donate some of those items to those less fortunate? My kids have to have everything neat and orderly in their rooms every Sunday night. If I find a toy lying around as if it is meaningless, such as a stuffed animal under the couch, I watch to see if they truly play with it. If not, no harm done, I give it to someone who would really appreciate it.

For me, freedom is owning very little. It cuts down on housework, clutter, litter - opening up options for how we can best use our time and money. The rule in our house is, if something hasn't been used in 6 months, it isn't a necessary item. And, if we bring home something new, something else needs to leave.

These are just a few ideas, and you don't need to apply them all to your life. Pick and choose to suit your own particular needs. What it comes down to, I believe, is living with intention and consciousness. 

Do you have any ideas for dealing with disorder in your environment? I'd love to have you share them in the comments.

Love,

Tamera

40 Pieces of Advice Challenge - Day 13

What if I told you that, every day, I open my wallet, find a $20 bill, rip it into shreds and set it on fire?

I'm pretty sure that you would see it as a very strange practice. Maybe you would think that I was wasting something that could be of use to me or to someone else.  

And I would agree with you.  

Well, the good news is, I don't actually do that. But, most of us do burn something every single day that is worth far more than twenty dollars. And it is something we can never get more of. 

Time. 

What do you do with your time? Do you think about the past and how you should have done things differently? Do you worry about things you have no control over? Perhaps you think of everything that can go wrong in the future and end up paralyzing yourself in the present?

Do you continually find fault with the words and actions of others? Do you spend your time rehashing conversations in your mind, or have imaginary arguments with people who have done you wrong?

You're not alone. It seems to be the human condition to be wrapped up in our thoughts, constantly living in our past of our future. Many spiritual practices over thousands of years have been focused on helping us live in the present and give up our need to control things beyond our sphere of influence.  Our wisest teachers, throughout our history and our present time, have shown us, in words and by example, that life is best lived by focusing on the positive, moment by moment.

Does focusing on the positive mean that we walk with our heads in the clouds, never seeing the real needs and problems in our world? Of course not. It means finding the best course of action to take in order to serve those needs or heal those problems. It means being so mentally, emotionally and spiritually present in every moment, that we are able to see how to participate fully in this thing we call life. 

Ok, it's very easy to say, but how do you actually stay present in every moment? That is the twenty (million) dollar question. And I'm not so foolish to think that I hold the answers. What I do know is that the times I feel most alive, as though I'm seeing and hearing and feeling and smelling and tasting with amazing clarity, are the times that I am involved in following my passions. When I don't feel the passing of time because I'm exploring nature with my children, or having a heart to heart talk with a dear friend, or when I dress as a clown and make strangers smile - there are so many things. 

In these moments, it doesn't even occur to me to think about the past or contemplate the future. I just AM, and that is the most joyous state to be in. But, what if I am not in one of those moments and my mind starts down that path of worry and regret? Here are 5 things that help bring me focus:

1. Clear up any unfinished business I have with someone. Maybe it's a conversation that needs to happen, or a plan of action to be put in place, or maybe even just writing a letter that will never be sent - but getting out of my head and into the real world will automatically center me in the present moment.

2. Take action right now that will help bring about a desired outcome in the future. Am I feeling resentful because my busy day did not allow me any time to rest and refresh myself? I will take a few minutes to write down the feelings of frustration and make a plan to give myself at least a few minutes of recreation the very next day.

3. I believe in the power of laughter, so I will find something that makes me laugh. A few minutes of comedy really put things in perspective.

4. Commune with nature! I am so very fortunate to live in a place where all I have to do is step outside and I am greeted with the glory of nature. Just a few minutes of walking among trees or feeling the cool breeze play through my hair and I am refreshed and energized.

5. This one may sound like a tired old rehash, but it really works. I count my blessings. That is not to say that I compare myself to the "less fortunate", I don't. I just consciously call to mind all the good and wonderful things in my life.

So, how about you? What techniques do you use to use to keep you living in the present moment? What can you do to use the irreplaceable treasure of time to uplift your life and the lives of others?

What a Wonderful World

If only all commercials were this uplifting! 

Take a couple of minutes out of your day and watch this ad for BBC - you'll be glad you did. And feel free to spread the joy by sharing this post with all of your friends!

Be Kind

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

The recent death of Robin Williams has sent a wave of shock and sorrow through our society. While most of us never met him, we are feeling a real sense of loss at the departing of this man who brought joy to so many.

It's not just that it happened so suddenly. After all, had he been in a fatal car crash or something similar, we would have still mourned his passing. But, there would not have been the confusion and regret that many of us are left with. How could we not know that someone so visible, so well-loved by generations of people, and so gifted with the ability of making others laugh, could be living a life of such profound inner darkness?

And how many of us spend our days around people whom we never truly know, and who never really know us?

When we are greeted with a "How are you?", do we blurt out a cheerful "Fine!" because it's easier than actually sharing what's going on with us? When we take offense to someone's words or actions, do we give them any leeway, thinking that maybe there's a bigger picture that we're not seeing?

I don't know what difficulties Robin Williams was dealing with. I can't make everything better, even for the people closest and dearest to me.  And, I don't have any easy answers to the many problems we all face in our lives. 

All I can say is, when you have to choose, choose kindness. 

With love,

Tamera