Detachment

For those of you who have been following my blog, you know that I have been in a space of "active waiting", a term coined by Sue Monk Kidd's in her book, " When the Heart Waits". The term refers to the time in our lives that requires no action, but rather in-action or 'BE-ing'. This can feel passive, as if one is doing nothing. For someone like myself, who's middle name is action, this has been a very challenging time indeed. Kidd points out that the waiting is the work, and I am living testament to that statement! But the reality is that I had no other choice. Nothing was lining up; nothing was fitting; nothing was happening. My 'driving skills' had failed me. I had lost control. There was nothing else to do but wait. And so I waited and prayed. And found I had only God to trust; that He had a better plan for me.

During the waiting period, I had the great good fortune of a 10+ day trip to New England where I spent quality & quantity time with many of my favorite people, who welcomed me with opened arms! I actually had more invitations then I had days to spend! I spent barefoot days on many beaches, took long walks, slept late, did jigsaw puzzles, ate ice cream, took in a movie and basked in the unconditional love of family & friends.

As I returned home, I couldn't quite remember what all of my 'waiting' was about. And realized that I have been in a perpetual state of waiting the better part of my life. I have found myself asking, "What exactly have I been waiting for?"

Life feels really rich right now, in this minute with four beautiful healthy children who love and (generally) respect me, many friends who accept me and love me exactly as I am, food in my belly and clothes on my back, a strong relationship with God and a few dollars in my wallet. Perfect? No. But darn close!

I implore you to be with your 'waiting' when it comes---because it will come---without taking the easy exit; the quick fix. Just be with the waiting. It's when God allows your soul to grow up.

Be well.

Detox Your Way to Beauty...

Reading food labels and understanding the ingredients of foods that you are putting into your body make a huge difference in your life. And as always, no packaging is the best packaging: Out of the (organic) ground and onto your plate.

What about your skin? Its your largest organ. Although it does not actually breathe, it does detoxify or toxify the body with the products that you choose to put on it! Check out the ingredients of any product in your beauty arsenal at:

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

The Environmental Working Group gives you free information about the toxicity level of most products that you may use every day. Lets take a look at an old favorite:

Coppertone Water Babies Sunscreen: "Smells good, its approved for use with babies--must be safe!"

...ITS A TOXIC NIGHTMARE! RATED A 7 on a scale of 0-10 (10 being highest hazard)

The info is free. Its easy. You can access the website on your blackberry BEFORE you buy.

Choose total wellness.

Choose to surround yourself with non-toxic food, products & people. Be well, be sustainable, be in spirit.

Pet Care and Self Care mirrored...

I noticed a commercial last night about 'pet care' or the lack of pet care during economically challenging times. Vets are reporting preventable diseases in pets that might have been avoided if Fido or Fluffy had come in for their regular check-ups.

How is this same "neglect" showing up in our own lives during these challenging times?

'Self-care' is not selfish, but rather self-fulfilling and self-sustaining. Self-care is an art; It requires study, observation and commitment; Committment to practice the art. That's why yoga or meditation or tai chi are each called 'a practice'. They take study, observation and commitment.

As you master the art of taking care of yourself first, you will be able to manage your energy efficiently and intelligently, giving you the increased capacity or band width to live the life that you have dreamed for yourself.

Take care of yourself first. Carpe diem!

Waiting...

I, like many others I know, find myself in these challenging times 'waiting'...Waiting for an answer; waiting for traction; waiting for something to shift. For anyone who knows me, inactivity is not one of my strengths. I am an 'action' person. I get things done; I make things happen. Clearly this is one of the many ways that I have chosen to show-up in the world.

For me, waiting feels like I am doing nothing; Waiting feels like a waste of time; Waiting feels lazy.

I tend to busy myself with other tasks. Always moving. Always checking things off of the endless "To Do" list, until I read this...

" When you're waiting, you're not doing nothing. You're doing the most important something there is. You're allowing your soul to grow up. If you can't be still and wait, you can't become what God created you to be."

I came across this quote in a book called, 'When the Heart Waits' by Susan Monk Kidd.

http://www.suemonkkidd.com/WhenTheHeartWaits/default.aspx

This one quote has provided the re-frame that I am seeking.

Waiting is the work.

And the work means being still. Stopping the "doing" and simply BE-ING.

Being still is the heavy lifting.

And in the stillness, God can be heard.

So in this society of 'quickaholics', I am choosing to slow down and stop doing.

I have undertaken the practice of "active waiting"...

...and letting my soul grow up.

Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS)

"Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) describes an estimated $209 billion U.S. marketplace for goods and services focused on health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living. The consumers attracted to this market represent a sizable group in this country. Approximately 19% percent of the adults in the U.S., or 41 million people, are currently considered LOHAS Consumers." http://www.lohas.com/about and http://www.lohas.com/

That's exciting information and speaks to the need in business practice to continuously strive for Conscious Capitalism with a triple bottom line of People, Planet and Profit.

Buying habits and emerging market trends are rapidly changing:

1. People in US Are Changing: They have a strong desire to be self reliant; to conserve resources & prioritize their spending and behaviors towards more purposeful buying decisions
2. People Are Redefining What "Value" Means: a new definition of sophisticated value from companies; a better company overall for society and the planet
3. People Want to Simplify What They Spend Their Money On: They want purity and simplicity
4. People Want A 'Dialogue' with the Company: based on product integrity, authenticity and performance.Transparency and corporate responsibility have become far more important to consumers in a tough economy

Go green or go home!

Be well~

Life feels scary...

May 1st is right around the corner. Time is passing very quickly. There are metaphysical reasons for this, but that's a whole different blog! In the 'quickness' of time passing, its easy to feel overwhelmed by all that there is to "Do"; afraid that you're falling behind; less than someone else who seems "ahead" of you. A friend sent me this quote this morning: "In life you can only ever be scared, when you believe in limits. You can only ever become bored, when you no longer follow your heart. And you can only ever get overwhelmed, when you think the illusions are real. Thoughts become things...choose the best ones." Limits & limiting beliefs are the 'old' story that we repeat to others and ourselves every chance we get..."I can't seem to get ahead", "My parents screwed me up so badly", "If only I had ____, THEN I'd be ____!" Sound familiar? Feels scary, right? STOP. BREATHE. SHIFT INTO HEART ENERGY & SELF-LOVE. REFRAME. Choose differently. Choose to follow your heart. Choose to create the life of your dreams! Think BIG and watch the magic manifest in your life. Be well~

What goes ON your body is as important as what goes IN your body...

Corwellness often blogs about what we choose to put into our bodies for our health & well-being, choosing organic when possible and eating plant foods often. Do you know that it is AS important to pay attention to what you put ON your body as well? Our skin, or epidermis, is our largest organ. Although it does not actually breathe (no lungs or gills), it does absorb what we choose to put on it. Time to rethink that fragrance filled-body lotion? Just like the foods you choose to purchase, read the labels of products that you purchase as well!

Here is a way to make it easier.

The Environmental Working Group is an organization working for us. Their mission is to use the power of information to protect human health and the environment. EWG's Skin Deep database http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ gives you practical solutions to protect yourself and your family from everyday exposures to chemicals. They launched Skin Deep in 2004 to create online safety profiles for cosmetics and personal care products. Their aim is to fill in where industry and government leave off. Companies are allowed to use almost any ingredient they wish. The U.S. government doesn't review the safety of products before they're sold.

Their staff scientists compare the ingredients on personal care product labels and websites to information in nearly 60 toxicity and regulatory databases. Now in its eighth year, EWG's Skin Deep database provides you with easy-to-navigate safety ratings for a wide range of products and ingredients on the market. At about one million page views per month, EWG's Skin Deep is the world's largest personal care product safety guide.

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/