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imagine

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain
www.twainquotes.com
www.marktwainhouse.org

The above quote can be used for almost anything we want to accomplish in our lives, whether it be changing jobs, changing profession, dropping out of school, returning to school, marrying, deciding not to marry, having children, adopting, deciding not to have children, staying together, deciding to divorce, losing weight, living abroad, founding an organization, buying an apartment or house, letting go of grief, investing in our health, changing beliefs, – it can be a very, very long list. And that’s a very good thing. People who have been at the crossroads of transition, help us to believe and trust that we can all do what they’ve done.

“You can have, be, and do whatever you will or desire. The only thing stopping you is the accumulation of negative thoughts and feelings which you are subconsciously holding. Remove those, and you remove the blocks to your accomplishing whatever you wish in life.

Remove those, and you will find happiness, satisfaction, and joy beyond your wildest dreams.

Remove those, and you are free.” – Lester Levenson

“Too often people set their lives by the calendar. It takes all the fun out of life.”
– John Glenn

“Security is not the meaning of my life. Great opportunities are worth the risk.”
– Shirley Hufstedler

“Walk down as many roads as possible.”
– Phil Cousineau
www.philcousineau.net

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better and better

Many people are in agreement that a healthier way of life is what they want. And because so much information is available in abundance in the marketplace, e.g., such as in the form of information humorously communicated in the easy to read book SKINNY BITCH by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, it’s highly possible that our health will get better and better when we start taking control of it. And in our exhilarating quest for health, let’s not forget the importance of a healthy mind. Reading a SETH BOOK THE NATURE OF PERSONAL REALITY by Jane Roberts, or a similar one, brings us to the realization that many of our beliefs are not benefiting us (that’s putting it very mildly), and that we can change them, and allow for a healthier way to be in this life. Sounds good?

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chinese pie

Often when I prepare Chinese Pie I think of my mother, and I smile because she left me with an incredibly simple way of preparing a meal many people have enjoyed for as long as I’ve been serving it. When people first hear the name, they question it to the point where conversation about it continues on into quite a few mouthfuls. I tell people that I think the name originated in Canada since the recipe was in the hands of quite a few French Canadians of my mother’s generation who could turn two items – ground beef and potatoes – into a variety of delectable meals using different spices, vegetables, shapes and cooking methods.

The recipe is foolproof, time after time, guests praise it, and on their return, request it. The request part is the all-important part because without it, you’re left wondering, did they really like it? So, the next time you’re laboring over the what’s for dinner question, perhaps you’ll think Chinese Pie.

This is the recipe, quantity of ingredients can easily be added or subtracted, without interferring with its original taste. Don’t be concerned by the simple ingredients – once you’ve prepared it, and enjoyed it, you’ll be fine. Of course, your vegan and raw foodist friends will not be happy. Another time we’ll attend to their palates. ha ha

Shop for:
1 1/2 lbs of organic ground beef
1 large organic onion, chopped
2 organic garlic cloves, diced
1 frozen package of organic corn
1 can creamed corn
4 large organic potatoes – I usually add more because most people can’t seem to get enough of mashed potatoes
1 pyrex dish for a comfortable fit of ingredients

cooking:
saute onion for a few minutes before adding the chopped garlic, continue sauteeing til onion is lightly browned
set onion and garlic aside, and saute the organic ground beef, drain
mix the packaged corn with the canned creamed corn
cook potatoes (Optional: add as many unpeeled garlic cloves as you want to the water – this is a new addition) When cooked, mash potatoes and peeled garlic with Celtic salt and pepper, using either milk or the water potatoes and garlic were cooked in to make it a creamy consistency
preheat oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

preparation:
thoroughly mix the sauteed onion and garlic with the sauteed ground beef and place in the bottom of the pyrex dish
put the thoroughly mixed corn on top
top and lightly spread with the mashed potatoes and garlic
put into preheated oven for about 40 minutes, depending on whether you’ve added or substracted from the ingredients. When juices are gently bubbling and potatoes are fairly hot, not crusty, the Chinese Pie is ready.

A beautifully-made organic salad and warm crusty, not doughy, French or Italian bread are a scrumptious addition.

Prepare with lots of love and enjoy.

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something of interest?

I’ve a small list of websites. They are not in any particular order. Please have fun clicking and anticipating, perhaps they’ll be something new, soothing, helpful, interesting, fun, informative, and/or inspiring for your body mind spirit. Maybe you’ll find just what you want. That would be wonderful.

www.enamore.co.uk
www.orionmagazine.org
www.slowtrav.com
www.theslowhome.com
www.whygoodthingshappen.com
www.insightprisonproject.org
www.patchadams.org
www.neads.org
www.acaciacatalog.com
www.edbegley.com
www.tomkenyon.com
www.gaialovegraffiti.com

Have a lovely day.

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illicit, moises naim

When I watched the PBS documentary called ILLICIT I became increasingly saddened. And I wondered why so many people are using all kinds of methods to fill their pockets with millions and millions, at times billions, of dollars at the expense of human beings and our planet? I watched an hour’s worth of talk on money laundering, copied goods transported around the world (including medicines), killings for profit, people used as slaves with no apparent means of freeing themselves, And I thought “the truth hurts” can be applied here. Then I got really antsy as I saw all the confiscated stuff being destroyed, and began wondering about the earth with all the destroyed confiscated stuff being thrown at it. So much was going on in this PBS documentary that it started to become difficult to watch.

The documentary was based on Moises Naim’s book ILLICIT which was named “One of the Best Books of 2005” by the Washington Post. www.moisesnaim.com .

It’s been said many times that the BIG rule of life is to not violate ourselves or others. And though some think that lining their pockets with money gotten by illicit means is okay, it would seem that the Intelligence of the Universe will one day catch up with them. It’s amazing that some think the whole purpose of life is to satisfy their needs with ludicrous amounts of consumption. If they were to look around and see the earth and its beauty, and the way the Energy that created and guides it does so in harmony, tranquility, peace, joy, and if they were to go off by themselves for a time, and recapture the other part of themselves, maybe they’d understand that “conspicuous consumption” is a substandard way of living, and one day they just might have to pay the piper.

The simple truth is that more and more is not the answer. If our hearts are empty, and we don’t allow the beauty of the world, and its people to enter, then no amount of stuff will help.

It’s true that, on a small scale, many of us are guilty of using, or purchasing, copied goods. We think it’s only a small offense, or, it’s so easy, we don’t think about it at all. But . . . “One illicit . . . transaction always leads to another.” -Burke

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rev. michael bernard beckwith and rickie byars beckwith

Spending a day in a workshop with Rev. Michael Beckwith and Ricky Beckwith on Friday was a day with lots of sunshine, even though it was cloudy and misty outside. Being Fearless was the name of the 11,12,13 April event sponsored by Omega at the Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan. And on Friday, Sumi, Emi and I attended the Pre-Conference Intensive with Michael Beckwick who nourished our souls as we listened, meditated, prayed, sang, asked questions, heard the answers and left singing. And we listened to composer and singer Ricky Beckwith’s beautiful songs and voice, heard her utterly contagious laugh, enjoyed her ability to elicit more from the topic being discussed, and were tickled pink by her humor.

Spending a day with Michael Beckwith who lives from a spiritual center quickly opens one’s heart. The questions asked by participants and the answers that unfolded allowed for those aha moments which usually don’t come so easily when we’re on our own to ask and answer.

The Keynote speakers for the weekend were: Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith, Rickie Byars Beckwith, Mia Farrow, Zev Kedem, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Anne Lamott, Caroline Myss, Valerie Plame Wilson, Noah benShea, Tara Brach, PhD, Seane Corn, Debbie Ford, Erica Ariel Fox, Carla Goldstein, JD, Andrew Harvey, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Gurushabd Singh Khalsa, Stephan Rechtschaffen, MD, Douglas Stone, Rev. Claude AnShin Thomas, James Van Praagh, Iyanla Vanzant.

If days were freer and unscheduled, and the above-mentioned people available for longer stretches of time, attending all the workshops would add greatly to the way one perceives life. Oh yes, methinks so.

Sumi, thank you!

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curtains, the play

Where can you go for an evening of entertainment that will keep you clapping and laughing until the curtain goes down? I know! It’s Curtains at the Al Hirschfield Theatre in Manhattan. We – Toshi, Emi and I -enjoyed last night’s performance, and agreed that the dancing, singing, and acting – all rolled into a very funny kind of story. added up to an evening of great fun. It was interesting watching David Hyde Pierce, otherwise known (among other roles) as the younger of the two delightfully snobby and rather proper brothers, in the tv series Frasier. Word-of-mouth from Sumi’s sources got us there, and maybe word-of-mouth will get you there.

Does Curtains have staying power? Oh, I certainly hope so because it’s pure entertainment.

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coconut oil

Do you know that taking a few tablespoons of 100% extra virgin, no GMOs, unrefined coconut oil everyday is a very good thing to do? That there are many benefits in doing this? I found it very easy to like coconut oil the year I ate totally raw foods. However, having since gotten away from the rawfood lifestyle, my tast buds have changed and are reacting differently to coconut oil’s taste. That’s okay though because the benefits haven’t changed, and it’s time once again to cozy up to a little different way of doing things. And even if the time is not right to become a sunfoodist, it’s always right to slip good things into one’s life.

David Wolfe’s book, THE SUNFOOD DIET SUCCESS SYSTEM was my first introduction to coconut oil’s many benefits. www.davidwolfe.com . What a chock-full-of information book.

Maybe your taste buds will like coconut oil, maybe they won’t. One thing seems for sure, your body will. And that is most important.

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hanging pictures

There are things in life one should not even contemplate doing. My nice long wall proves that. There are holes above, beneath, and alongside recently hung frames. I discovered that you can’t fill in space, and hide holes, by tucking small pictures in between frames that haven’t been properly spaced. There truly is nothing like trying the same method over and over again thinking that this time it’ll be right, when in reality it’s just not going to happen.

My neighbor on the other side of the wall must be wondering: WHAT is she doing? Well, all I can say is, if only hammer, nails, and ruler were necessary, just like that, job would be done. It’s perfectly clear that there’s something called ability which hasn’t come forth in this instance.

Now I’m thinking I should take all the pictures off the wall, draw circles around the holes, put a frame around all of it, and call it a new form of art. Ahh, but there’s the matter of putting up a frame and hammering that in straight. Perhaps I should just draw a frame around the holes. That should do it, right?

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pondering

At times being alone to ponder questions, and staying quiet long enough to hear some answers is a beautiful gift we give ourselves. Questions we have can range from personal to those about the world, or a thought that won’t go away. If we’re on a quest to see our life as a work of art, we can relax into silence, or ponder the following:

Do I listen to people, or do I cut them off in mid sentence?
Do I overreact when words from someone’s lips are biting? There’s a chance that good things can happen if I stay with the conversation, keep my wits, and don’t walk away.
Am I alert to the day? Do I notice when “random acts of kindness” are needed, or do I plod along distracted?
Do I appreciate what I have, or do I usually notice what I don’t have?
Do I let the greed of some people in the world put a damper on the day, or do I create the kind of day I want and allow them to do the same?
Do drivers who rant and rage upset me, or do I realize that nowadays driving often causes stress in people?
Do I do whatever it takes to raise my energy level so that I can contribute to life on this incredible planet earth, or do I live without caring?
Do I require a thank you when I give, or can I find joy in simply giving?
What am I doing to help the world be a better place for all of us? What can I do?

When all is quiet, and the mind is relaxed, all kinds of suggestions, answers, and learning come into focus.

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“Let love and wisdom be united in me.” -an ancient prayer

“There is nobody else like you. The more you can quiet your own thoughts, fears, doubts and suspicions, the more will be revealed to you from the highest realms of imagination, intuition, and inspiration.” -Kenneth Wydro, American lecturer

“Too often people set their lives by the calendar. It takes all the fun out of life.” -John Glenn, after his latest shuttle mission

“Yes, of course [this age] is materialistic, but the only way to counteract it is to create spiritual things. Don’t worry yourself about the materialism too much. Create and stir people to create! -Robert Frost

“A life making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing at all.” -George Bernard Shaw