Cucumbers: One of my least favorite foods... one of the best for you!

Let me preface this by saying that I am NOT a big fan of cucumbers. I enjoy pickles, which is ironic, considering I don't usually enjoy anything with a vinegar base. BUT, maybe it's time for me to start giving them a little more attention.

Not only are cucumbers a high in fiber, but unlike most foods that are rich in fiber, cucumbers come with their own supply of liquid. This makes the cucumber one of your best friends, if you are in need of getting your digestive system moving. High fiber + liquid = exactly what you want it to... if you are constipated!

Also, cucumbers are great, if you've had diarrhea, as the amount of liquid helps to rehydrate your body, in addition to giving it some much needed nutrients. So there. Even if it isn't your favorite tasting vegetable, give them a shot. They'll do a body good.

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Now playing: ABBA - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
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THE WISDOM OF FORSIGHT

"TAKE CONTROL OF EVENTS WHILE THEY ARE PEACEFUL. PREVENT DIFFICULTIES BEFORE THEY ARISE. PREPARE FOR ROUGH SPOTS WHILE THE GOING IS STILL SMOOTH. DEAL WITH THE SITUATION BEFORE IT DESCENDS INTO CHAOS"

Lao Tsu (c. 604- c531BCE) China

ONE WORLD...

"The world will be balanced, when WE are balanced"

Tarthang Tulku (b. 1935/Tibet)

Nourish Yourself First...

This past week, I read another passage that was very thought provoking to me. It deals with the act of "nourishing ourselves". Allow me to quote from the passage...

'By bringing your own mind, body and emotions into a state of harmony, you become better able to nurture others'.

This really rang true to me. I have recently had surgery on my foot, and have been spending way too much time lying on my bed, and not nearly enough time focusing on my "inner nourishment".

In this same passage, it mentions five pillars of yoga that we can practice, to better nourish our inner beings.

1. Right exercise.
2. Right breathing.
3. Right thinking.
4. Right nutrition.
5. Right relaxation.

Although I have had plenty of relaxation, I may not have had the PROPER relaxation. Exercise? Not much, while recovering from the surgery. Right thinking? Possibly, but there is always room for improvement. Right nutrition? When my wonderful wife prepares the meal, yes... when I am left to my own devices, probably not.

As you ponder these five things, take a mental note of what YOU can improve on. Make it a point to change just one or two things in your daily life, that will help nourish your inner spirit. By doing so, it will better prepare you for your dealings with others. And if we all did that, well... the world would be a much better place.

A Sacred Space, A Quiet Space

"YOGA IS SERENITY"
Bhagavad Gita (400-300 BCE)

I have a wonderful, little book (really, it's only 3" x 4-5" x 2" thick) called, 1,001 PEARLS OF YOGA WISDOM, by LIZ LARK. This book is a wonderful treasure, and is filled with wonderful bits of wisdom, ideas, poses, and general information that will help make your life a more relaxing AND fulfilling experience.

The one thing that caught my eye, the other day, is a little paragraph that talks about creating a "sacred space". Although this paragraph talked of creating a sacred space for your asana practice (yoga practice), I was inspired to take it a step further. First, let me quote the paragraph, word for word...

"Create your own personal, distraction-free space for meditation and asana practice at home. Make it a place you can return to where you can "switch off" completely. Site it beside a window if possible so that you can reflect on nature."

I think it was the part about reflecting on nature that made me think of one of MY favorite places. Our house is situated on a hill, although the hill drops off behind the front side of the house. It really isn't noticeable from the street, as the house looks like a one story house, with a possible basement. In reality, you enter the house on ground level, but it is actually the top level of a two level home. As you move through the top level, you exit through a sliding glass door on the back end of the house. Where the front of the house is on ground level, the back end of the house is actually a balcony, that is a full 7-8 feet off of the ground. We are also blessed to have one of the largest Cottonwood trees in the area. My "fortress of solitude" is on this balcony, where I like to sit in a comfortable chair, and do one of several things. I love reading, I love playing the guitar, and sometimes I just enjoy sitting and listening to the leaves of the tree rustle in the breeze. The house also sits on a third of an acre property, most of which is situated in the back yard. Although this is a small bit of land for you country folk (or wealthy folk), it's a decent sized yard for the area. I am not bragging (truth be told, there are times that I'd rather have a smaller yard) about the size of the yard, but because of the size, we sometimes have several winged friends that like to come and visit. Of all the places in my yard, this is probably the most peaceful. Well, with the exception of the planes that fly overhead, as we are right in the flight path of the Salt Lake International Airport. BUT, even the planes are peaceful to me.

Regardless, my piece of advice for you, today, is to find a place where YOU can find peace. Sometimes, in the chaos of life, we can lose control of our surroundings. Even if our houses are a bit messy, or just full of clutter, try and find one little place, that you can rid of stress causing messes, a make that your sanctuary. Even if our houses are complete chaos, if we have that ONE place where we can escape to, you will find an amount of peace in your life.

So, whether you are a yogi, and need a place for meditation and asana practice, or you are a stressed out single parent who needs a place to escape, try and create that place that will bring you that peace you need.
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Now playing: The Cure - High

Let's Burn Calories the TASTY WAY!

I should point out that it may not accurately be described as "burning calories", but your bodies can better metabolize the sugar that we consume, with the aid of one of our favorite spices! CINNAMON!

Researchers have shown that a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with food helps metabolize the sugar up to 20 TIMES BETTER than food NOT eaten with cinnamon. How does this benefit us? Well, sugars that are not utilized through our everyday activities, including exercise, are stored away as fat. Fat is our bodies proverbial "72 hour kit", and is stored away, in case the body needs it for fuel at a later time. In most cases, we will always consume more calories than our bodies need to work, so we just keep adding to our fat stockpiles.

So, if this is the case, utilizing cinnamon in your diet will help to break down the sugars, and speed up the metabolism process used to convert sugars into energy. So, that means LESS fat stockpiles.

Does this mean that my Hot Tamales will metabolize faster than Mike and Ike's?
What? That's not the same thing?? Curses!!

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Now playing: Bel Canto - Summer
via FoxyTunes

My favorite new Yoga DVD!

Who would have thought that one of my cheapest yoga DVDs, ended up being one of my favorite? I have yoga vinyasa, taught by some of the world's leading yogis, including Cyndi Lee, Baron Baptiste, Rodney Yee, Michael Franti (with his yogi friends), among others.

Several months ago, I picked up a DVD at NPS (to find out more about NPS, go to my music blog http://unclezekesmusicemporium.blogspot.com/ , and you will more fully understand the type of store that it is), by Natural Journeys (a company that I had not heard of), entitled "Sacred Yoga: PURE TRANQUILITY" Practice Vinyasa Flow with RAINBEAU MARS. Now, maybe my two years of reading, studying and practicing yoga are not sufficient for me to know the work of Ms. Rainbeau Mars, but the name was foreign to me. If it weren't for the fact that the DVD had a $3.99 sticker price, as well as a possible discount of 40-50% (a common thing with NPS DVDs), I probably would not have made the purchase. As it was, I bought the disc.

As happens with many of my NPS discs, it sat for a while. Finally, a couple months ago, I pulled the disc out and tried out the vinyasa found on the disc. I was immediately drawn to the peaceful atmosphere created by the disc, even though the quality seemed rather low budget. It was recorded on the shores in Hawaii, where a platform was fitted along a lava rock shoreline, with the ocean waves breaking in the background. You also see the occasional traditional Hawaiian canoes passing by, in the background.

The other thing that sets this disc apart from all my other yoga DVD workouts, is the absence of many of the traditional yoga poses, including Sun Salutations, etc. This disc has one primary focus, which is preparing your body for meditation. Now, before some of you roll your eyes at the thought of meditation, please understand that meditation does NOT always involve the chanting of OM, or any other sacred mantras. Meditation can simply be a time set aside to sit in silence, where you allow yourself to focus on one particular thing, or as you become advance, NO particular things. The peace that stems from controlling your thoughts is one that is tough to describe. Just as your physical body needs to occasionally be purged of food and toxins (through special diets, or simple "fasting"), so does the mind need to be cleared of the clutter that bogs us down.

The other night, I was especially frustrated by a couple of situations in my personal and family life, and after realizing that I was on a particularly short fuse, I simply gave myself a "time out", and went into my room to engage in some yoga... something of which I haven't done in a while. I pulled out this Sacred Yoga disc, with Rainbeau Mars, and proceeded to do the stretches to prepare myself for meditation. This 30 minute workout features ONLY seated poses, and works to stretch your back, including your lumbar back (lower back), as well as your legs.

For anyone that has participated in any form of sitting meditation, you know that your back can begin aching, if you are not adequately prepared. And sometimes AFTER preparation. That is all part of the meditation process... overcoming discomfort, and focusing on other things. Not only did this series of stretches give me the physical relief that I needed, but it prepared me for a simple ten minute meditation. When all was said and done, I not only felt better (physically), but I was in a state of mental well being.

As a Letter Carrier, for the USPS, I need to regularly do yoga vinyasa, just to bring relief to my backaches that I occasionally feel. But the meditation, in addition to the vinyasa, brings a complete sense of inner peace, as well as physical peace.

In addition to the 30 minute yoga vinyasa, there is also a fifteen minute bonus guided meditation on this DVD, that takes you through the seven chakras, and gives you meditations for each.

For anyone remotely interested in the peaceful side of yoga, which is MY personal favorite, this DVD hits the spot. I just browsed www.naturaljourneys.com to get a picture of the DVD, and see that this disc is part of a four DVD set, as well as an individual disc. The individual disc was listed on sale, for the low, low price of $1.98. I wholeheartedly recommend this disc for those of you who need a little inner peace.

The Power of Being Present (Thought 1)

THE POWER OF BEING PRESENT

OBSERVE how the mind labels an unpleasant moment and how this labeling process, this continuous sitting in judgment, creates pain and unhappiness...

Eckhart Tolle

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Now playing: No-Man - Truenorth
via FoxyTunes

Our latest workout regimen: Wii FIT!

So, amidst all the workout activities that go on in our home (mostly Tiffany doing any number of yoga/kickboxing/step aerobics videos), we have something that is getting the entire family involved... Wii FIT!

New on the market, this past week, Wii Fit will undoubtedly create a new enthusiasm in the world of fitness... as long as people take advantage of it. I can only predict that, like most fitness items, there will be a lot of Wii Fit games collecting dust, after a matter of a few weeks. The reason being, is that most people get into a new fitness activity for a few days, but then quickly revert back to their normal routine. Tiffany is one of the only people I know, that is wholeheartedly devoted to all things fitness. BUT, this is probably the greatest invention to come along, that will keep MORE people involved.

I think the folks at Nintendo have really gone above and beyond, when it comes to interactive video gaming. This generation of children is becoming more and more lethargic, as their lives are being taken over by fast food and gaming systems that leave them sitting on a couch, with thumbs twitching away. Now, do I think these games are a complete waste? No, as long as they are played in moderation. I think that the hand/eye coordination of today's youth, is probably much better than generations past.

The latest album from my favorite band, Porcupine Tree, entitled "FEAR OF A BLANK PLANET", is all about the progressive mind numbing of the youth of today. From ADHD medication, anti-depressants, and the video gaming culture in which they are brought up in, so many of today's teens are becoming mindless zombies.

I see a healing trend, if people, both young and old, take advantage of the great opportunities afforded with the Wii Fit game.

The first thing you do, is create a Mii, which is your interactive, virtual character. You enter in your age, and with a series of balance exercises, the Wii Balance Board will calculate your core balance with your age, as well as your weight, and determine what kind of shape you are in. And BEWARE, this Wii system is BRUTALLY HONEST! I am just over 200 lbs, at 5'9", and could stand to lose a few pounds, but the Wii system set me in the upper regions of "overweight", and just shy of being classified "obese". So, to try and prove it wrong, I went to a website that calculates your BMI (Body Mass Index), and it merely proved what the Wii system had to tell me.
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

So, when I considered myself a moderately fit person, I have been told that I am borderline obese. Humbling, to say the very least. Regardless, with the variety of workouts available, from yoga to aerobics, running to hula hooping, Latin dancing to strength training, there is something for EVERYONE. The whole concept of this game, is to get people moving, get their heart rate up, and get them having FUN, in the meantime.

A big thumbs up, from me... except I wish that the personal trainers' mouths would move when they talk. It really creeps me out!



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Now playing: Paul Oakenfold - Ready Steady Go (feat. Asher D.)
via FoxyTunes

Green Tea... BEEFED UP! (Not Literally, vegetarians... don't panic!)

Another thing I want to do on this blog, is to occasionally put down some diet things that sound exciting to me. I was reading a book that talks about the health benefits of certain foods, and came across something that actually incorporated green tea, yet sounded tasty!

The health benefits of green tea are widely known, but for those of you who are a little less informed, let me mention a few:

- Reduces weight while fighting off a variety of diseases.
- It increases exercise endurance.
- It inhibits the enzymes that help turn food into fat.

Anyhow, try out this tasty recipe, and see if it makes it a little more appetizing...

GREEN TEA REFRESHMENT

2 tbs. green tea leaves
2 cups apple or peach juice
4 tsp. honey (which is optional)

Pour 1 cup boiled water onto the tea leaves and brew for 3-5 minutes; strain into a pitcher and leave to cool. Stir in the juice and honey, then pour over ice and serve. In glasses, silly. Not on the counter.

Anyhow, this sure sounds like a tasty summer treat, that is hopped up with goodness. Not just goodness, but GREEN GOODNESS!

Try it out, and let me know what you think...

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Now playing: The Alan Parsons Project - To One In Paradise
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Inner peace through a basic lifestyle...

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Now playing: moe. - The Col
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Now playing: China Crisis - The World Spins, I'm Part Of It
via FoxyTunes
I came across an article the other day, that really got me thinking about how we as human beings go through life. We spend so much of our time, energy, and even money, striving to find the veritable "fountain of youth", that seems to escape each and everyone of us, as the years pass by. The article was about Jamie Lee Curtis, who is now 50 years of age. She is married to one of my favorite filmmakers of all time, Christopher Guest. I don't know much about their relationship, but the bits and pieces that I have read over the years, eludes to the fact that they are very normal people. Hollywood is riddled with people that try to be something that they aren't. Maybe that is why so many actors congregate there, so that they can get paid to NOT be themselves.

Anyhow, I am going to post a small portion of the article, as it appears in AARP magazine. I admire the sensibility that Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest have. If we can all have the attitude that these two share, the world would be a much happier place. All quotes are from Jamie Lee Curtis...

“I want to be older. I actually think there’s an incredible amount of self-knowledge that comes with getting older. I feel way better now than I did when I was 20. I’m stronger, I’m smarter in every way, I’m so much less crazy than I was then.

“Years ago my husband and I were at the Golden Globes. I was wearing some borrowed dress that wasn’t me, my hair was done in a way that I never wear my hair, and I had earrings on. And my husband said, ‘You know who is the most beautiful woman in the room?’ And I was hoping he was going to say me. And he pointed across the room at Jessica Tandy. She was sitting at a table wearing a cream-colored silk-shantung pantsuit. Single strand of pearls, short white hair, a little lipstick—nothing else. And I thought, ‘He’s totally right.’ There was none of the pretense, none of the trying so hard.

“My style is a distillation. I’ve etched out who I am through myriad haircut attempts, outfit attempts, beauty attempts, diet attempts. It’s been an evolution. I’ve let my hair go gray. I wear only black and white. Every year I buy three or four black dresses that I just keep in rotation. I own one pair of blue jeans. I’ve given away all my jewelry, because I don’t wear it.

I have always been drawn towards people who are genuine... people who are content with who they are. After reading this article, I thought of a good friend of mine, who seems to always be striving for eternal youth. Through a growing amount of cosmetic surgery procedures, she always tries to be as beautiful as she can be. Truthfully, I think that people who rely on doctors to make them pretty, are actually making themselves more unattractive in the long run. I know I don't speak for all men, but celebrities like Pamela Anderson are anything but attractive. If you have ever seen her high school yearbook picture, you would know what I'm talking about. She is a totally different person. Now, I have never met her, nor do I plan to ever meet her, but one thing I can guarantee, is that she is NOT going to become more genuine as she ages.

I live in a house full of girls, and I have always appreciated my wife's natural beauty. I have only ever seen her totally "made up" a couple of times. She had a "glamour shot" sitting back in 1995, where she was totally made up, and has had a couple of makeovers at the Dillards makeup counter. Other than that, she usually just limits herself to some eyeliner and mascara. I have told her that she doesn't even need that, and in all honesty, she would probably become a happier person if she could see her natural beauty. Now, when it comes to this, there are things that I need to begin practicing, myself. One of the things that has always made me feel insecure, is the amount of hair that I have on my back and shoulders. There have been a couple of times that I have gone through the pain of getting my back waxed, because I hate the amount of hair. While delivering mail in the SugarHouse area of Salt Lake, I became good friends with everybody's favorite gay florist, Sean. First off, he has the coolest name in the world, and second off, he was just a great guy. He was the one person that continually told me that I should be comfortable with who I am. He's a hairy guy as well, so it isn't unfounded, what he was telling me. So, this lesson is for me, as well as anyone who needs to let go of the social pressures of trying to be beautiful. Beauty comes from WITHIN. Just as Christopher Guest pointed out how Jessica Tandy was the most beautiful woman in the room, because she was the most genuine, we can all find happiness in being who we are... already. Not to mention the thousands of dollars that we can save on cosmetic procedures!

So, in closing, my challenge for you, is to find a way to become completely content with who you are. If you need to do the "Stewart Smalley" (Al Franken's great character on SNL, back in the late 80's-early 90's) thing, and look at yourself in the mirror, continually repeating to yourself how beautiful you are, then DO IT! If reading a book about positive thinking is what is right for you, then DO IT! If a simple meditation is what will work for you, then DO IT! And know that any preaching I am currently doing, is directed towards ME, as well. Me and my hairy, hairy back... and shoulders... and chest. Yeah, it'll take some work for me, too.

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Now playing: China Crisis - Strength Of Character
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Spring Cleaning: Part II

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Now playing: Big Muff - My Funny Valentine
via FoxyTunes I just wanted to continue (and conclude) my thoughts on Spring cleaning. The reason why I even began this post, as well as the previous post (part I), was an inspiration from reading "MINDFUL YOGA, MINDFUL LIFE", by Charlotte Bell. If you want to read a little more about this book, you can follow the link over to one of my other blogs, "What Was I Thinking?". It is currently the most recent post on that particular blog. In her book, she goes into great detail about the "8 limbs of Yoga". In the book, she talks about the "5th yama", which is "aparigraha", which means "letting go". It is also translated as "nongreed" or "nongrasping". What a surprise... spell check isn't liking ANY of these bizarre words that I'm writing!

Anyhow, let me describe "aparigraha" for you... even if spell-check doesn't want me to! In life we are always gathering new things. It could be material possessions like clothing, books, music, cars, movies, etc. We also gather a lot of non-physical items, such as hobbies, responsibilities, or even in my case, church callings. Let us talk about the physical items for a moment. One of the things that I will use as an example are DVD movies. I began collecting DVD movies back in 1999, when I first purchased a DVD player. Before my purchasing a DVD player, I owned an old Pioneer Laser Disc player, which is now obsolete technology. I remember going to Inckley's, in Salt Lake City, to rent my laser discs. I vividly remember a couple of gentlemen discussing the forthcoming technology of Digital Video Discs (DVD), and how they couldn't fathom the fact that ANYTHING could be better quality than the beloved laser discs. For those of you who may not know, laser discs were 12 inch discs, very similar to a DVD, apart from the size. The technology only allowed 30-60 minutes of information on each side of the disc, depending on how clear of an image (and sound) that you wanted. The better the image, the less information per side of the disc. For example, I owned the Star Wars trilogy box set, which featured the three original Star Wars movies, taking up 5 sides of 3 total discs, for EACH movie. Every 30 minutes you had to jump up and turn over the disc... or replace the disc. It was well worth it, because the image and sound was infinitely better than the classic VHS tapes. Looking back, I laugh at the difference in quality between the classic 12 inch laser disc, and the current 5 inch DVD, which is still not the best technology out there. Now we have Hi-Def DVD's, as well as BlueRay (or whatever they are called) discs. In my opinion, it will soon get to the point where only our canine friends will be able to tell the difference in sound. I don't know enough about canine vision to know how they would react to either picture. It always amuses me when I watch a standard DVD, and they have an advertisement for some of the new Hi-Def technology, and the picture actually seems to look better... even though I'm watching it on my OLD DVD player, as well as my OLD 32" TV. Could they actually make the image better on the classic disc, or is it just my imagination buying into the new technology?

This really isn't what I am trying to convey, so let me get to the point. I used to collect all the new movies that came out, and then it occurred to me that so many of the movies which I purchased, just seemed to collect dust. Most movies are only good for 1 or 2 viewings, in my mind. Now, there are a few movies that I will never tire of... The Blues Brothers, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, any and all Christopher Guest movies, as well as some others. We have collected the Harry Potter movies, and although I rarely watch any of them, will probably hold onto them. But what about all these movies that I never watch? Am I collecting them, just to have them become an obsolete technology? My parents used to collect a massive amount of VHS tapes, which they still have... taking up bookshelf space. Now they have a piece of furniture dedicated to their DVD library, which is now full, and overflowing. I ask myself how many of those movies they will they even watch twice? I decided that I would sell any of my movies that likely wouldn't get a second or third viewing. Sometimes I regret the decision to sell a movie, but most of the time I am just practicing the 5th yama, aparigraha. I am letting go. Do I miss most of the movies? Not at all. Am I helping to cut down the environmental impact by letting someone else have the movie that I already owned? Absolutely.

The same goes for clothing. One of my guilty pleasures is that of collecting humorous t-shirts. From my "Mullets Rule" shirt, to my "Mr-T: I Pity the Fool" shirt, I have quite a collection. One of my children was just commenting on how I had TOO MANY shirts. In her book, Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life, Charlotte Bell talks about how she will always give away an outfit, when she purchases a new one. She love the feeling of giving a friend something that was special to her, and receives great satisfaction seeing the outfit used by someone else, when it would probably just collect dust in her closet. This is practicing the art of "letting go". Much of my music collection has been converted to a format which is usable on my iPod. Do I listen to most of those compact discs, anymore? Not at all. For me, it is all about my iPod. I do have certain titles that I will never sell, but there are some that would be better served in someone else's hands. I sell much of my own collection on Half.com and eBay. If you ever stumble across anything for sale by "totally.retro", it would be something that has passed through MY hands. As far as clothing is concerned, I am currently in the process of going through my old t-shirts, and finding those shirts that I can either donate to a charitable thrift store, or just dispose of in the proper way. Some of my old concert shirts are ones that I have held on to for many years, only for sentimental reasons. Most never get worn. Do I need them, cluttering up my personal space? No. Is it hard to "let go"? Yes, sometimes... but when I allow myself to do that, I know that I will really never miss those items.

Now, before I close, let me go on about the non-physical items, such as hobbies. One of my favorite things to do, is watch a good television program. I have several that are set up with "season passes" on my Tivo recorder. 24 (when it actually airs), The Office, My Name is Earl, Flight of the Conchords and Rescue Me are just a few of the titles that I enjoy watching. It is a great escape for me. Now, because of budgetary reasons, there are occasions where we don't have our satellite service operating. Do I panic? No, actually I find those times rather liberating. They allow me to spend more time reading, or playing guitar, or doing some of these various internet duties that I have. Yes, I occasionally need to get online and watch an important episode that I may have missed, but for the most part, my life goes on. I always look forward to the summer, because my television viewing becomes very limited, giving me more time to enjoy a hike, or just sit on the back balcony and play my guitar.

We must prioritize our lives, deciding what is most important, and what we can let go. One of our daughters has become a very popular girl, where she is actively involved in drama, choir, piano, and now an elected student body position at her junior high school. She is succeeding more than I ever did, but at the same time, she shows great signs of stress and anxiety. She is always worn down, and often worries about not having enough time to do what she needs to do. At the same time, she runs around with her cell phone, continually texting friends, and always trying to get some time online to chat with these friends. In my opinion, she isn't over burdened, she just needs to prioritize her life, and figure out what things she just needs to "let go". I think she would be able to add at least an hour to her day, if she just put down her cell phone for a while. Another one of her big concerns is that she doesn't ever exercise, and she is always tired, requiring her to take a nap on a daily basis. In my opinion, if she took that nap time and exercised, not only would she make more time, but she would be more energized.

Yes, it's hard to let go of things that we love, or those hobbies that we love doing. The old adage states "Jack of all trades, master of none". I often wish that I was a better guitarist. Maybe I could be, if I just made that my top priority. I haven't, and I will probably never be great. Sometimes we need to just sit back and look at our lives, and ask ourselves what is most important. If we have families, maybe that should be our top priority. If not, what is it that we most want to accomplish? I had a former co-worker friend who stated that she didn't own a television. At first I thought that was crazy, especially knowing how much she loved quirky cinema. Now I realize what she was accomplishing by that. She was looking for a sense of inner peace, that most can only realize after not having those media distractions. Do I wish that life was what our pioneer forefathers experienced? No, but I'm sure they had a better sense of what was important in their lives.

We live in an age where there are so many distractions that are pulling us away from what truly makes us the happiest. Take time to sit back and reevaluate what brings you happiness, and try to make those changes necessary to bring you a sense of inner peace.

Time For Some Spring Cleaning!

That's right, folks. It's time to dig out your rubber gloves, your favorite disinfectant, maybe even those little bubbles that clean the bathtub... you know the ones... like little motor cars zipping around your tub cleaning all the grit and grime that your family members have been leaving behind!

Actually, the Spring cleaning that I am referring to, is your MENTAL spring cleaning. In essence, one of the best ways for us to achieve a sense of inner peace, is to clean every facet of our lives. The environment in which we dwell should be clean, as should our thought patterns. Well, maybe I should use the word 'organized' for our thought patterns. I don't want to make this sound like a religious sermon on keeping our thoughts clean, although in my life, that is a helpful aspect of MY mental health.

In my life, I have always been a pack rat, and one with a usual amount of clutter in most of the rooms that I dwell. This very computer at which I sit is usually littered with compact discs, some of which I have recently ripped to iTunes, or some of which I have been listing for sale on eBay or Half.com. My little music business is not the most organized routine that you will encounter. I am working on it, and hopefully in the end it will make my business dealings a smoother process, as well as help me to find a little more peace at the computer. At times messes don't phase me, and other times that cause me to feel a certain amount of anxiety. It is a feeling of loosing control. Now, please don't think that I am advocating that EVERY facet of our lives needs to be tightly controlled. That way of thinking is, in my opinion, one of the greatest causes of depression.

In the state of Utah, our population is one of the most heavily medicated (per capita) in the United States. When I say "medicated", I refer to prescription anti-depressants and anxiety medications. Even I had a short stint with Celexa, an anti-depressant. Did I feel better with the medication? Probably. Did I suffer from side effects? Yes, I recall having a dry mouth, as well as sexual side effects. Some of which were to my advantage, so don't think I'm complaining TOO much.

What are the factors that lead people to get on anti-depressants? It is my opinion, that in the state of Utah, so many people get on anti-depressants because they feel that so much is expected of them, and that they don't live up to those expectations. Especially in a society that is overwhelmingly populated by the LDS church, which has a high standard of living. People in our church are discouraged from drinking, smoking, having sexual relationships outside of the bonds of marriage, as well as refraining from some of society's "norms", such as R-rated movies. Not everyone in the church lives all the rules, and many pay little heed to these moral and physical restrictions. Some people may choose to engage in these activities, and end up feeling less about themselves, because of the expectations that are placed on their heads. I feel that it is thought patterns like this that cause this mental clutter that destroys one's peace of mind.

Am I advocating the use of prescription mood enhancers? No. I wish that people could take time to figure out those things that wear on them emotionally (and mentally), and do whatever it takes to heal themselves. Do I think that some people need these medications? Yes. Heaven knows, we are all wired differently.

In my opinion, the greatest way to bring a sense of peace to our minds and souls is by doing this mental AND physical cleaning of which I spoke of, earlier. If we live in an organized environment, it brings a sense of peace. If things are clean, we feel peace. Such is the situation with our minds. We live in a society where more and more suffer depression and anxiety because of the schedules that they are forced to keep. We also live in a world that is riddled with tools that SHOULD help us to organize our time better, yet some of them just add to the chaos that we are surrounded in. We have computers, PDA's, the Internet, "smart phones", mp3 players equipped with all kinds of special features, Bluetooth technology, and GPS, which tells us WHERE to drag our busy bodies. In my line of work, as a Letter Carrier, I spend the bulk of my workday outdoors. A cell phone is more a necessity than a luxury. Just this past week, my truck's alternator failed, and I was forced to call my office to get a truck mechanic out to replace the alternator. There were several conversations that took place, that would have been difficult, had I been forced to go to a local residents house, and use their phone. It seems like cellular phones have made our lives so much easier, and in many ways they have. BUT, at the same time, it feels as if we have an umbilical chord attached to ourselves. There have been a few occasions where I have forgotten my cell phone, and I actually encountered a sense of peace from NOT having my children calling me with all their problems. Sometimes we just need to escape all the nagging and complaining of children, bill collectors and employers, and have some time to ourselves. With my job it is possible, and I understand that in some occupations it's not. All the more reason why we need to take time out of our busy day to find that peace.

For me, meditation is one of the greatest ways to bring me that mental peace. Being able to dim the lights, turn on the small electric fountain, put on a guided meditation or just some quite, relaxing music may be all I need to bring my mind into focus. It has helped me deal with anxiety, and it has helped me become a little more patient. I truly notice that the periods where I go several days without meditation, seem to be the times where I am much more anxious with those I love. In my home, I am seen as a laid-back, mellow guy... with a real temper. I am one of those individuals that seems to let things build up, and then when I blow... I BLOW! If I can let the steam off before it hits those "red levels", it is better not only for my wife and children, but for myself.

Take time for yourself. Get away from the children, the significant other and the employers, if only for 20 minutes. Do what YOU need to do, to bring YOU peace.

I will close this post for now, and continue with some thoughts of prioritizing our lives, and the benefits of cleaning our minds, NEXT TIME!

Stay tuned...

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Now playing: Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence
via FoxyTunes

As if TWO Blogs weren't enough!

I don't seem to have enough time to post on the two blogs that I have already started, yet I feel inclined to present a third blog. I will do my best to divide my time between the three blogs. My first blog is Uncle Zeke's Music Emporium, where I simply go on about one of my favorite things... music! The second is just a place for me to share my thoughts, and record some of the things going on in my life. Believe it or not, that is actually the hardest blog for me to come up with fresh ideas. I guess I could simply just write my thoughts, which I may begin doing. Just open my life up to the world. Anyhow, the purpose of my creating this blog, is to set a foundation for a blog that Tiffany will take over. This is actually the blog that I hope will take off someday. Tiffany is currently in the process of certification with AFAA, the American Fitness and Aerobics Association. Or Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. You get the point. She has taken the test, and is awaiting the results. She is currently studying for a basic Yoga certification, after which she will expand on to other forms of fitness. Yoga is where we really want to focus our work. I say OUR work, because Tiffany and I have talked about setting a long term goal to open our own Yoga studio. That would be years off, at this point, as it takes many years of studying to be in a position to do that. But from a business standpoint? The overhead is small. Rent (or own) an open space, make sure it's designed well, and have a few props. Oh, and clientelle. I guess that would be an important factor. Anyhow, I am studying different forms of meditation, mental wellness, and things to make one look at life in a positive light. I have really admired the work of Cyndi Lee and her husband David Nichtern, who have a wondeful DVD that features meditation instruction (and guided meditation) with David Nichtern, and 15 minute asana practices. That is what I would love to do, if we are able to achieve that goal. I would leave Tiffany to do the asana practice, I would do the mental wellness/meditation work.

Anyhow, with that in mind, this blog will be dedicated to all things healthy. Body and mind. I will share discoveries that I have come across: things involving diet, things involving exercise, things involving positive mental thinking. I will do my best to share things that may not be common knowledge to most people. As I am not a doctor, I will do my best to give credit to those whose information I use. I will also make it a point to only post things that are backed up with scientific fact, or things that I feel strongly about. I will spend the next couple days getting pictures, links and information posted on the blog. Feel free to bookmark this blog, or check out my other blogs, if you want to spend some good quality time looking into the mind of someone else. It's always a fun escape...

Thanks for looking.