Green smoothies make my knees happy

A few years ago, I went to a seminar led by Victoria Boutenko. Overnight, this woman converted her family to a raw vegan diet as an extreme measure to cure her family of a variety of illnesses. She touts the benefits of adding a single green smoothie to one's existing diet. Since I heard Victoria speak and sampled my first green smoothie, my life has never been the same.

Over the past two weeks, I have started my day with a green smoothie. For those of you who are hearing about this for the first time, a green smoothie is a blender drink that usually consists of fruit and leafy greens.

Most nights, my family and I have a big green salad with our dinner, but there is something magical that happens when you puree leafy greens in a blender that's even better!

For most people, me included, we are not able to digest and absorb all the fantastic nutrients in greens that we would eat in a salad for example. Blending them up is a great way to get all these healthful nutrients into our bloodstream for quick distribution throughout the body.
I am beyond excited about the results I'm experiencing after only 2 weeks of daily green smoothies. The first and most exciting surprise is the improved health of my knee joints. Typically my knees make an unsettling crunching sound when I go up and down stairs. I'm even cautious about squatting, for fear one of my knees will give out. Lately I've noticed that the crunching sound has diminished and even disappears when I use the stairs. My joints feel stronger and I have more confidence when doing yoga poses that I typically avoid because of my knees. I was at the park with my girls tonight and I kept smiling as I thought, I've got new knees!!!

I have more energy!
My head usually hits the pillow at 10pm and I'm out like a light. Lately I feel I have energy to spare.

My craving for sweets has dropped significantly as well.

I'm so pumped up about the results so far, I'm motivated more than ever to continue on. There are a few other health related issues I'd like to clear up and I'm eager to reach my vision of optimal health.

I believe each one of us has the potential to feel better than we ever have in our lives.
I love knowing that the sky is the limit when it comes to health.
How good do you want to feel?

Check out Victoria Boutenko's website for answers to all your green smoothie questions.

http://greensmoothiesblog.com/

Feel the fear and do it anyway

I can't hold back who I naturally am. No one can. 

I've heard it said that, trying to hold back your true self is like pushing a beach ball into the water, it will always come up.

It's a lot of work to stifle one's true nature.

 

So I go from one extreme to the other. 

 

For months at a time I'll do what comes naturally; channeling, talking to spirit, sensing energy around me and all sorts of clairsentient type stuff.

 

Then all of a sudden, I will shut it all off.

 

I pretend like none of that stuff actually happened.

 

Who am I anyway? What do I know? This isn't normal.

 

The thing is, it is getting more difficult to push that beach ball down into the water. I'm tired. I'm also scared. What is going to happen when I let everything float to the surface? 

 

What am I capable of? 

 

We hold ourselves back don't we?

 

The words, feel the fear and do it anyway, keep popping in my head.

 

We all have something inside yearning to reach the light. We get insecure; we judge ourselves and question our own existence. We push it back down where no one can see it. Maybe we get brave and let some of it slip through the cracks. 

 

I've come to recognize when I need to take action in the direction of my deepest desires - two things happen simultaneously. 

One, I feel like a piece of me might die if I take that next step forward; and two, I feel like a piece of me might die if I stay where I am.

What do I do?

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

This is going to be exciting!



 

Are we having fun yet?

My dad asks me on a regular basis, "Are we having fun yet?"
He's referring to life and all the cool things that happen in this magical Universe.

I'm like a little kid when my dad and I get talking.

I bounce on my feet waiting in anticipation of his car door opening so I can launch into my most recent story of synchronicity and manifestation.

As we walk up the driveway toward my house, barely a hello exchanged, I start on my rant.

"You are not going to believe this! Something so cool happened to me today!"

Walking beside him like a puppy, I continue, "This morning I had a thought - and it came true!"

He listened to my whole story. I playfully slap my dad on the arm waiting for his reaction. He gives me a big grin.

I continued, "You're not going to believe what else happened! This morning I thought, I really need to get the ducts cleaned."

My dad is very patient and he listens with great interest as if I found a UFO in the backyard.

"Not even 2 hours go by and a duct cleaning company calls me randomly from the phonebook and asks if they can come by and give me a quote - How cool is that?!" I say in one breath.

My dad laughs and looks at me with knowing eyes.

We spend the rest of the afternoon talking about how the Universe is within us and how we create our reality. We talk about life as if it's a candy shop.

We often ask each other; "What do you want?" 
I wave my hand around in a magical wand sort of way and say "Poof!" We both smile.

Once upon a time my dad was diagnosed with cancer (Non-hodgkins lymphoma). It seems so odd to associate him with the idea of cancer, probably because he doesn't. He's pretty nonchalant about the idea. He doesn't give it much attention. Sure he gets nervous when a regular check-up shows that his lymph nodes have swelled up. More often than not though, we are celebrating the reports that have his oncologist scratching her head in disbelief.

Now it's my dad's turn to share his stories of manifestation.
I can hear the smile in his voice over the phone when he tells me; "My check-up went really well! My lymph nodes are unusually small for someone with cancer."

I'm smiling right now as I recall this recent conversation.

Dad often jokes; "I'm going to die of something, but it probably won't be cancer."

Is it the dandelion roots he digs up in the backyard and adds to his stir fries? Is it the meditation he does before he falls asleep? Is it his green smoothies?

Maybe.

Maybe it's his excitement about life. He loves life. He loves living! He has a great atitude too. I can't remember the last time I heard him complain about something.

Often my dad says, "I'm so rich." He's talking about his family, his friends and this cool life experience.

What we put our attention on, grows.

What do you want?

Wave your magic wand.

Poof!

My awesome and crappy painting

Lately I've been doing some artwork - acrylic on canvas.

I'm pissed off.

I just finished an abstract 8x11 and I want to cry.

Here's my internal dialogue:
Why did I pick that colour? It's ugly. Maybe someone will like it - I sure as hell don't. I just wasted my time. It was so pretty, then I messed it up. I hate this. Why am I even doing this? Maybe I'll get famous. If I could just figure out how to put the right colours together, then it might be worthy of showing it off.

Funny, I keep walking by my artwork, hoping it will change, hoping I'll love it all of a sudden. As I was painting and swirling and mixing colours, I couldn't stop my mind from wondering if someone else would like it. Part of me felt that it wasn't worth doing if another person wasn't going to love it.

The thing is, the process of creating my painting was so much fun. I almost cried happy tears as I experienced feelings of sheer joy and satisfaction. It wasn't until I brought the idea of someone else into the mix, that I got all pissy.

It's a process.

I want to do more. I want to get to a place where I let my creativity flow through me without holding back, without questioning whether it's right or wrong.

At the end of one of my yoga DVDs, the instructor says, self-acceptance is one of the highest practices.
Yeah, and it's one of the most difficult!

Tears of joy over the Ramen Noodle boy

This afternoon, I was reading about the International Children's Games coming to Windsor, Ontario and I got all choked up. Tears welled up in my eyes and my heart felt big in my chest. I could feel the love that surrounds this event. So many volunteers, coaches and parents from across the globe are coming together to support children moving in the direction of their passion. This is big! Even as I write, I'm getting a better sense of the energy that is shifting and pulsating as the event draws nearer.

This is newsworthy! This is what we should be bringing up in conversation.

It's easy to remember the house fire or major traffic accident on the morning news, but is that what we want to take with us through our day? Is that the energy we want flowing through us? Some people may think I'm naive and choosing an unrealistic view of the world when I look to the positive events and ignore the opposite. I used to think so. 

I skip the criminal nabbing update in the local newspaper. The radio gets turned off when a terrible news story hits the airwaves. This stuff just doesn't feel right in my body when I hear or read it.

I choose television programs that make me feel good. Just the other day I was overwhelmed by a breathtaking performance by Mitsi Dancing School on America's Got Talent. To be honest, I was shocked at my emotional reaction. I had no control over the tears filling my eyes. My heart was deeply connected to their energy and presence. Even more surprising, was my reaction to an episode of How it's Made. They were showing how Ramen Noodle Soups were manufactured. There was this guy; his job was to keep the Styrofoam bowls stacked high in one of the machines. He had the biggest smile on his face as he took a stack of bowls from a box and loaded them onto the hopper. I could feel the pride he had for his role in the process. He had passion! I connected with his heart-expanding energy and it overtook me!

Three awesome realizations I'm having as I remember these heart-opening moments:

1. When you live your passion, when you are happy doing something you love - others benefit!

2. Your passion can be anything, in any moment! It can last a lifetime or a second.

3. We are all connected. When your heart fills and expands with love energy, the entire Universe shifts!

It takes practice moving in the direction of love and passion.

 

It may not appear productive to linger an extra 10 seconds at your car door, enjoying the breeze on your neck, before you get in. But I can tell you this, I can get more accomplished sitting outside the mall with tears of joy streaming down my face, as I recognize each person's awesomeness as they pass by, then I can in hours upon hours of thinking, planning and doing!

 

This knowledge is becoming more deeply embedded in me every day. 

 

I wish you a day of at least one moment of heart-opening bliss, for in that moment, you will move mountains!

Relief from anxiety - praying the rosary

Wowsers - what a week of major anxiety! I'm just now feeling like a normal human being again.
I've never experienced anything like this before. I was sensitive to everything! It was like having a migraine without the headache part of it. Every sound made my skin crawl. I was in panic over the idea of someone, mostly my husband or girls, getting too close to me. I didn't want to be touched, breathed on, or looked at. My heart was beating fast and I was on the verge of tears for 3 days.
I tried to fall asleep at night using breathing techniques, Reiki and meditation - nothing worked. The next day I was exhausted.

I decided on a new plan.

I'm going to pray the rosary.

First, a little history. I was brought up Roman Catholic. I went through a mild rebellion after University and sought out alternative ideas. Part of it was sheer interest and another part of me was angry about the fear-based ideas I learned in school. To this day I still worry the skies will darken, fires will burst up all around my house and the devil disguised as my loved ones will be clamoring at the door, begging to be let in.

I've made peace with Catholicism. I take what I need from it - whatever feels good.

I used to pray the rosary when I was a kid. I'd cozy up in bed and say as many Hail Marys and Our Fathers as I could before I fell asleep. One night, I was 14 years old at the time, I even committed to staying awake and praying the whole thing. To superpower the experience, I dedicated each prayer to someone I loved. Then something happened.

My rosary turned gold!

I freaked out!

I don't even think I told my parents. I figured no one would believe me anyway.

This rosary has remained in my bedside table over the years, often untouched. I pulled it out the other night and let the rhythm of the prayers ease my mind and relax me. I prayed for myself. Each prayer was a shower of love onto me. I saw love pour down on me as I prayed. I projected love onto past and future versions of myself. It was a wonderfully comforting and reassuring experience.

That night, I slept fantastically.

My anxiety has dissipated and I've been rockin' the rosary for the past 3 nights.

The other day I was on the road and pulled up behind a car.
The bumper sticker read: Pray the rosary.

I love how the Universe works!

Manifesting salads and parking spots

I spend a lot of time letting my thoughts run amuck. My mind reels out of control and before I know it, I'm on the verge of an anxiety attack. I reach for my Rescue Remedy spray and give myself two squirts on the tongue. What brought this on? What was I thinking about that led me down this spiral of heart pounding panic? I don't know. I don't know because I wasn't paying attention. I let my life live me. I was "asleep".

I am waking up though.

I can pick the thoughts that enter my consciousness!

When I select my thoughts with intention, I can create my life the way I want it to be.

Lately I've been practicing Segment Intending. I stop at various points in my day and ask myself, how do I want this to go? It takes me about 20 seconds to think about how I want to feel and what I would really like to have happen in the next chunk of time. 

Here's an example:

As I drive to the grocery store, I take a moment to think about my intentions for dinner.

How do I want dinner time to go?
I want an array of salads! It's too hot to cook. I want it to be easy and fun for the whole family. Healthy would be a bonus too.

I roll into a full parking lot and score the closest spot to the door. As I push my girls in the cart through the aisles, I spot exactly what I dreamed up! A tray of 4 different cold salads. I have never seen anything like this before. Fantastic! At the checkout, my 5 year-old puts all the groceries on the belt and even helps pack the bags - I didn't even have to ask her.

So how come last week, both kids were screaming and hanging from the cart by their toes? Why did I get a grumpy cashier? Why did I have to circle the store 4 time because I kept forgetting things?

I didn't set my intention. I put my thoughts and feelings on automatic pilot.

Getting what I wanted at the grocery store may not sound like a magnificant feat, but for me, living a day in a good mood is 1000X better than living it in a bad mood. When we feel good, we attract more of the same. When we complain, we get more things to complain about.

Try setting an intention now. How do you want to feel in the next hour or so of your life? It doesn't matter if you are leaving for an appointment, making dinner or cleaning the toilets. Do you want it to feel easy, breezy? How about simple and fun? Engaging and exciting maybe! Quiet and restorative might fit the bill.

It's up to you!

Everything is up to you.

You are a creator!