Flexing my Discomfort Muscles

My mom picked out bright turquoise for her toenails and while the pedicurist was working away at our feet, she reminisced about the time she took me to the airport the day I was leaving to live in Korea. She said I was standing there at the customs gate, a.k.a the point of no return, crying that I was scared and I didn't want to go.

This time our goodbyes have worked out better; she's leaving for a meditation retreat in Puerto Vallarta 3 days before I head off to Brazil and I'll have only the taxi driver to say goodbye to at the airport. Much better.

Maybe it's because I've been off sugar for a month now, and have had practice with that itchy me-needs-that-cookie feeling, but I've noticed that I'm much more comfortable with discomfort. I was hit by a giant teary wave of sadness as I realized I wouldn't see my mom for a long while, and I just let it be. My first thought was, this big sadness is love. And I felt okay with it.

In his post Discomfort Zone: How to Master the Universe Leo gives lots of ideas on how to master discomfort and ways to start. I especially like using meditation. Just the idea of sitting still for a few minutes makes most people uncomfortable never mind a left toe falling asleep, a right ear itching, a butt cramp, and a back ache that quickly crop up as quietness settles in. But noticing and overcoming these little aches and pains is an easy way to become used to discomfort.

Moving to Brazil will be an adventure sure to be exciting, and at times it will be too hot, too crowded, too disorganized, too loud, too salty, too weird, too slow, too polluted, too scary, too late, too different, but to follow this quote that landed in my email today: "Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment." (Oneness With All Life), I'll take it all, even the annoying discomforts.

A Loud Call of Chips and Wine!

Habits. Aren't they oddly more noticeable in others than in ourselves? Maybe it was the recent never ending string of colds and flu or a last chance to make a resolution, but I decided to make some changes to my diet and my overall health.

It's not because of my age, or because I have a kid, or because of breastfeeding or because my husband doesn't eat as well as I think he should, or because he should be exercising more or because nobody ever calls me to motivate me to go out and exercise,  or "at least I think I do more than so-and-so friend, or because my work-out clothes are ugly, it's not because it's too dark, or too cold, or too rainy or too late, or too early, or because "The Good Wife" is on. It's BECAUSE of ME. I have adopted habits and beliefs, seemingly some without my own knowing,  that are not working for me.

1. Spending too much time in coffee shops with or without my friends and their kids drinking coffees and eating muffins, cookies or biscuits.
2. Telling myself that I need something sweet to feel like my meal is over? (wtf? this one is weird.)
3. Baking is better than store-bought, which might be true, but not if I end up eating 10 of the 12 muffins I baked.
4. I don't like most veggies.
5. I'm not overweight.

So for the last two weeks or so I've been implementing some new or forgotten habits to my routine...

1. Daily green drink. One first thing in the morning and one at 3pm.
2. Five minute meditation just before my husband leaves for work while he plays with the kid.
3. No sugar, honey, jam, yogurt, milk, cheese, white rice, wheat toast and pasta, pancakes, muffins, maple syrup, butter, and eggs. Hardly any meat and if so only the size of my palm.
4. If I can skip coffee I do, if not, I put a tiny bit of milk in my coffee.
5. More greens; broccoli, kale, collards, lettuce, green beans, cucumbers, and fresh herbs.
6. My snacks are less coffee, muffins, raisins, toast with jam, dried fruit, cookies, and waffles and more apples, almonds, ginger tea, blueberries, and green drinks.
7. I go for the 60-40 rule; 60% of my plate consists of veggies or fruit.
8. Daily activity: I've found a variety of neat yoga, strength training and cardio workouts on youtube, and I make a point of doing at least 30 minutes every day especially if I can't make it outside to exercise. Cafemom Studios and Ekhart Yoga are great!

and I've noticed some significant changes:

1. No more bloating, gas, stomach aches, and heavy lethargic feelings after meals.
2. Fruits that didn't used to taste that sweet like apples and berries are super sweet to me now.
3. I crave sweets much less and I've been more or less able to curb these cravings with distractions or ginger tea. This is the biggest daily challenge. It's funny, I found myself online one afternoon searching for "healthier" desserts for almost 3 hours!!! Crazy.
5. I don't feel deprived when I see others eating a bacon and egg breakfast of champions, a mountain of nachos, or slices of chocolate pecan pie. It's funny, I thought I would, but it seems my body has taken over my mind and happily steers me towards the fruits and veggies.

I had one relapse. There was this bag of chips, not a bag of pretend healthy, organic pita chips, real O'lays salty, crispy chips leftover from a party we had. It was Friday, 5pm, time for wine and chips? Right? OMG. Pain, cramps and dizziness. Wine and chips? What was I thinking?

How long do they say it takes for habits to form?  21 days? Well, I'm game for 21 days and maybe even for more! What habits would you like to put in gear? Check out what Leo has to say about sticking to a habit on his blog and let me know how you're coming along!

Simple Pleasures

As promised in my last post, I will be choosing tips for the Simple Living Manifesto on Zen Habits regularly and try to incorporate more simplicity in my life. I managed to carry through yesterday's tip of "Carry Less" into today, bringing home 4 library books, rather than 20 and doing a small run at the grocery store. The kid wanted to be carried, so instead of carrying him, I distracted him by giving him a loaf of bread to carry on his own.

For today, I choose number 59: Make a list of your favorite simple pleasures, and sprinkle them throughout the day. Here's my list. Only 10 out of 50 so far today. Gotta get my sprinkles out!

1. using a nice smelly soap in the shower
2. going to bed in clean sheets
3. sipping wine while cooking

4. dark chocolate

5. the good tired feeling after a workout

6. doodling, drawing or painting
7. reading a book in bed
8. hugs

9. watching the kid do something new and saying: I did it!

10. take-out on a day I don't want to cook
11. bowls of berries

12. singing to a tune in the car

13. seeing animals/birds/fish/bugs in the wild or at the Aquarium
14.taking pictures

15. writing

16. drinking a strong cup of coffee in the morning

17. riding my bike alone or with the kid
18. watching my kid ride his bike
19. making and eating crepes
20. buying less stuff
21. licorice at a movie
22. wrapping gifts
23. dancing to loud music
24. going to the beach
25. floating in the water
26. picnics
27. brunch with my girlfriends
28. hanging out with my mom
29. family dinners
30. getaways with my husband
31. blowing bubbles
32. hanging on the sidewalks with the neighbors and their kids
32. sharing a bbq with friends
33. helping out
34. receiving "good mail"
34. wearing jeans
32. wearing a bra that doesn't hurt
33. eating foods I like when they are in season
34. a clean room
35. a funny story and a good laugh
35. a pedicure
36. a massage
37. playing the piano

38. trying out a new recipe

39. window shopping on a nice street
40. going to vintage/antique stores

41. listening to my boy saying: Okay Mommy! with super enthusiasm

42. seeing joy on my husband's face when he talks about his car
43. doing a crossword/playing scrabble

44. looking at babies

45. waking up to sunshine
46. reading in bed with my husband before lights out
47. baking
48. when my husband comes home earlier than I thought

49. throwing the fresh laundry out of the dryer onto my son

50. when my husband says I'm beautiful

Side note:
I've been wanting to get a copy of "Simplicity Parenting" and when I went on the online library catalog, it said I had to register for an Adobe ID, download a software and then download the book onto my home computer. Not simple. Instead, I had the librarian order a hard copy for me and when it arrives at my local branch, I will receive an email. That's easy. Can't wait to read it!

legfull of pollen

In the Grand Scheme of Things

Maybe it's been the discouraging amount of summer clothes that spewed out of my closet and nearly buried me, or the family budget screaming at me for overspending but I've had a persistent desire to purge, to simplify, to cleanse, to do less, to buy less... The web of course is obese with tips on how to simplify life, but in the spirit of simplicity, I've chosen 3 choice places to read, Zen Habits, The Story of Stuff and mnmlist. (see below)

Blogger, writer and more, Leo Babauta, writes on his blog Zen Habits, a short and long list of what to do to lead a simple life. The short, simple list is this:

1. Identify what is most important to you

2. Eliminate everything else.

The Long List is long, 72 tips long, but basic. I've chosen one tip randomly on the list for today: Tip number 63: Carry less stuff. Um...

Maybe it's that ol' girl scout saying: "Be prepared" that is still drilled in my head, but on most days, my diaper bag is more like a mini earthquake kit; able to keep my kid and I self-sufficient for 72 hours. As I was dumping out it's content, on top of the regular diapers, wipes, wallet and keys, I realized that I've been hauling a tube of sunscreen, sunglasses and a sun hat for the last 30 rainy days, enough tampons for 2 months, 3 rolls of 5 cent coins I've been meaning to take to the bank, a side pocket full of crusty kleenex and a camera. I won't even start on what was in my wallet. 

A major trim down of the diaper bag took two lickety splits of a second, but now the trick is to keep things out of it. We all have something, admit it: books, ceramic figurines, the latest Iphone, toys, clothes, DVDs, beer glasses, shoes, it can be anything really.... and in the grand scheme of things, (no pun intended) is it really important for us to have more?

If this seems like a lot to remember and too difficult to do, watch this short movie on The Story of Stuff to see why we really have no choice but to simplify and consume less. Then read the simple and infrequent blog entries on Leo's other blog mnmlist to get used to letting things go.