RAWSOME LIFE Anew!

Winter Hangin' On and I'm LONGING for Spring!

2011-03-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

Can't believe the last time I wrote something here was in January. Funny how time gets away from me. Well, not too funny at all, actually. Somewhat pathetic, truth be told!! ;-) Spring is gurgling somewhere under the frozen lake down the road from me ... and any day now it may just decide to ACT like itself and SHOW UP above ground! When some lovely, sunny, 50-degree days start showing up, I'll know Spring has smiled on me and delivered me from my now-least-favorite season: winter. NOW I see why winter is called OLD MAN. Sheesh!

Two days from now -- April Fool's Day -- will become for me, this year, a "No-More-Fools" Day because I'm (re)launching my adventure into raw food living -- one I'd quite abandoned for all kinds of reasons. The main reason is that it is a challenge and a half to interrupt years and years of eating habits that are not only personal, but also quite cultural. In other words: lousy ways of eating are embedded into the very fabric of the American culture -- beginning way back in the 40s with junk like Coca-cola; the 50's gave us crap like Scooter Pies and Velveta "cheese"; the 60's slammed us with addictive drugs like McDonalds; the 70's creamed us with chemically-laden foods that made cooking supposedly "easier" and meals "tastier" -- but did more to alter our moods than some of the drugs flowing so freely back then; and then there were the "gourmet" years of the '80s and '90s when the love (addiction) and worship (idolatry) of food became raised to heretofore unprecedented levels!

So no wonder it's damn hard AT FIRST to begin to change the ways we relate to food! Well, I'm about to be back in "boot camp," and I'll be talking about my experiences here -- hopefully daily. Since I doubt anyone but me reads this blog, I'll feel very at ease. Perhaps if in one year's time I manage to gain back the health I had in my mid-30's (which is my goal), this blog might then be useful to someone else. Only time will tell.

Tonight I have my "glory" meal though ... where I can eat whatever the heck I want of the American Diet I'll soon be parting company with. My goal is to go 75% raw (3/4 fruits and veggies, uncooked, as salads or snacks) and 25% cooked food (in the form of low-calorie frozen entrees, baked sweet potatoes, steamed veggies and fish) mainly for dinner, probably. Throw in going back to the gym Saturday mornings, Tuesday and Thursday evenings after work, and I might just manage to lose some of this obnoxious chubb that is slowly killing me.

Like I said, time will tell. So this coming Friday, April 1st, will begin for me a "no more fools" period of my life. I figured 9 months will be a good time frame within which to experiment with my new life style. Hey, if a brand, spanking new human being can be formed in 9 months -- in the form of an awesome little baby with all new and wonderous working parts -- imagine what can happen to me in that same time -- PROVIDING I shift away from the SAD (Standard American Diet). Just like 9 months pregnant is not always pleasant, neither will this time be for me. But there were some really beautiful days during my pregnancy 33 years ago ... and so I count on some of those same kind of days during this next 9 months as well! So come New Year's Eve -- December 31, 2011 -- a baby will be born. Hopefully it'll be the new me. Walking around in a body that is my friend, and no longer my enemy. Who knows, someone might even call me a "Babe" that night! ;-)

"One oar stroke isn't going to get you anywhere, but if you take a
load of tiny actions and you string them all
together, you really can achieve almost anything."
Roz Savage, Ocean Rower

Do I EVER get tired of seeing photos of this place? Nope.

2011-01-07T09:33:00.001-08:00

As I plan to dig my car out of snow piles at the Croton train station this evening -- upon returning from work in New York City -- I'm reminded that there once was a time when THIS place was what I came home to in the evenings after work in Honolulu!

Hmmm . . . wonder how long it'll be before I return "home" for good!

"One oar stroke isn't going to get you anywhere, but if you take a load of tiny actions and you string them all together, you really can achieve almost anything." (Roz Savage, Ocean Rower)

Mele Kalikimaka . . . from New York ??

2010-12-19T21:29:00.001-08:00

Mele Kalikimaka from the land where palm trees sway!
Originally uploaded by pixelmama

As much as I'm loving Christmas in New York . . . I sure miss living in Hawaii!

As my friend Chris has taught me well to do . . . I'll stay living in the moment and just keep enjoying this wonderful cold weather and the joys of the season. I look forward to the winter solstice on Tuesday night -- the earth's true New Year's eve!

What says happy holidays better than LOVE, MUSIC and PEACE?!

2010-12-19T06:51:00.000-08:00

It's sunny and gorgeous here in New York today. I'm finally getting my christmas tree up, and I've enlisted the help of my friend's son, Danny (much taller than I am!) who's looking to earn some extra moolah. Thanks, Dan!

I'll be wrapping presents, baking cookies to give away as gifts (the attorneys I work with love 'em) and just doing the comfy, homey thing all day.

Have a happy weekend, all -- LOVING the ones you're with . . . enjoying some good MUSIC . . . and letting
PEACE keep your days sweet.

Happy Christmas Week!

I'm Baaaak . . . after way too long away from posting!

2010-11-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to be back to blogging, and I thought it fitting to begin afresh w/ an article on expressing thanks ... via a gratitude journal. My sister is very faithful at doing this, and I've often admired her for the discipline of daily jotting something down in it, and so today I'll begin one as well. As Autumn has just begun -- and Thanksgiving Day just around the bend here in Amerikay -- there's no time like the present to be thankful, eh?! One thing I'm thankful for today is the Spirit of Life (what the Native Americans called the Great Spirit, and traditionally speaking, many call GOD!) wthout Whom I would not experience joy! What are you thankful for today?

Gratitude Journal - Is it a pathway to continual JOY?

2010-11-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

Artwork above by the wonderful Andy Dooley!

ON GRATITUDE by Gabriella Kortsch, Ph.D., CHT

A multitude of scientific studies all give the same results: feeling and focusing on gratitude is highly beneficial for your physiological, psychological, emotional and spiritual health. This information first hit the airwaves less than a decade ago and in my monthly newsletter article in October 2006 (entitled, "Happiness: Has it become a Science or is it a Question of Luck?"), I referred to what were at that time, recent studies, indicating that amazingly, the most important component to maintaining and/or raising our level of happiness is accomplished by keeping a gratitude journal.

Today I’d like to encourage you to contemplate ten excellent reasons that demonstrate exactly why you should make gratitude an integral component of your daily routine -- not something to do occasionally, or when you wake up, or when you go to bed, but to integrate it into your daily life in such a way that it is always there in your conscious awareness, in some fashion, just as your awareness of the amount of light where you are is always present. It can easily (and painlessly) become second nature, if only you choose, and LET gratitude occupy that place in your life.

1. Gratitude lowers your stress levels as measured by blood pressure and perspiration and breathing.

Because you focus on something that gives you a certain amount of happiness or pleasure, gratitude is capable of affecting you on these very physiological levels. If you think for a moment of a grinding problem in your life and note how it makes you feel, and then switch your focus to something beautiful in your surroundings, allowing yourself to feel gratitude for it being there (the blue sky, a frolicking puppy, a bold purple bougainvillea climbing up a white-washed garden wall, a contagiously laughing child behind a wrought-iron gate, the elusive scent of a night jasmine, the full moon in a star-lit sky, the burst of flavor in your mouth as you bite into a ripe peach, etc.), you will note that you immediately feel very different compared to how you felt a moment ago.

2. Gratitude increases your levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, and attentiveness as indicated in several studies.

What happens when you think about a huge pile of work that needs to be done? Don’t you feel a bit overwhelmed, perhaps even tired, just by thinking about it? Now quickly think about spending a two-week vacation on Bora-Bora or traveling around a country you have yet to explore, perhaps Istanbul and the Cappadocia region of Turkey. Didn’t you immediately feel more alert and enthused? It’s exactly the same thing again with gratitude.

3. Sleep duration and sleep quality are also positively affected by gratitude as indicated in the same studies.

We all know what happens to the quality of our sleep when we are worried and stressed. And what happens when our lives flow, when things are going well. Again, by focusing on gratitude, we get a similar effect, even when things are not flowing.

4. By creating a good feeling inside of you, gratitude literally changes your energetic frequency.

It follows that if you change from a not-so-good feeling to a better one, your inner state of energy will increase, or quicken. Raising the energy of what you focus on raises your energy in many different ways. Focus on a war movie with devastation, grayness, desperation and mindless torture and killing, or focus on a movie such as “A Beautiful Mind” or “Eat, Pray, Love,” and you will clearly feel the energetic difference. Focusing on gratitude for something in your life, something as simple as the examples in the first point of this article, and you will immediately notice the change in energy.

5. Gratitude allows you to shift your perspective about the matters you had been contemplating prior to feeling the gratitude.

When you change your inner energy, as established in the previous points, you will be in a new place inside your body, mind, heart and spirit. This position in the new feeling and thinking place will allow you to see whatever problem you are currently facing from a new perspective because when you feel better, you can see things differently. This may even allow you to more easily find a solution to your situation.

6. Gratitude strengthens the neural pathway that demonstrates to you that you are capable of choosing to focus elsewhere whenever you wish.

As you focus on gratitude again and again, noticing the increase in energetic frequency, noticing that you do feel better by focusing on gratitude, you are not only creating a new habit -- and hence, creating and strengthening a new neural pathway to the detriment of earlier-formed neural pathways that do not serve you well -- but you are also creating the neural pathway of belief in your own power to change your focus as and when you wish in order to benefit yourself. And once you believe that changing how you feel is in your power and not in the power of your circumstances, you are on the road towards inner peace and freedom.

7. Gratitude strengthens another very important neural pathway that begins to determine that you prefer to be in this place of inner well-being that you achieve as you focus on gratitude, as opposed to the place you were in before you exercised your feelings of gratitude.

If you lived in a studio apartment as a student, and then started earning good money and moved into a 3-bedroom home, you soon become habituated to more space. If you are accustomed to eating in fast-food places and one day you start going to five-star restaurants, you soon become habituated to a superior quality of food, surroundings and service. In the same way you rapidly become accustomed to being in a much better energetic place – a place of much greater inner well-being – once you begin to choose to focus on gratitude throughout your day. Being accustomed to being there, means that you will adjust back to being there quickly, on the occasions that you stray off the path energetically.

8. By becoming a habit, gratitude automatically allows you to remain in a much better inner space that is not easily perturbed.

The stronger the habit, the more robust the neural pathway that is associated to your choice to focus on gratitude throughout your day. As this begins to become the normal place in which you live (i.e., a better place of inner well-being), it is much harder to perturb that place. In other words in the same way in which someone who trains at the gym on a regular basis, or someone who power walks or runs on a regular basis, has a physical condition that is harder to knock off kilter, so it also applies to someone who has chosen to have a continual feeling of inner well-being, and who will therefore not be easily thrown into a negative place no matter what the outer circumstances.

9. Gratitude causes you to focus on the now as opposed to focusing on past pain or sorrow, or focusing on future worries.

Just for a moment think of something that is worrying you. For another moment think of something that caused you pain in the past. Now focus on something you are grateful for … perhaps the warmth of the sunshine flooding through your window, or the aroma of cinnamon coming from your kitchen, or the brilliance of the sun in the sky. Now evaluate: while you were focused on feeling gratitude, you no longer had the future worry or the past pain in your mind and emotions. The gratitude left no room for it – not if you allowed the gratitude to flood your being for that moment. And the reason for that is the fact that focusing on gratitude takes you – immediately – to the NOW where there is no room for thoughts and emotions from the past or future. It is a place of utter peace.

10. Experiencing gratitude implies that your ego cannot dominate you because it can only dominate when you are not in the now.

Using the term ego in the sense that it is that part of you that has untold unwanted thoughts that you feel you are not in control of, thoughts that in turn take you to untold feelings over which you also have no control, then by focusing on gratitude and bringing yourself into the now as explained in the previous point, your ego – all those unwanted thoughts and unwanted emotions brought about by those thoughts, no longer has the power to dominate you. The one that you are when you are in the now is the eternal you, the divine you, the you that always was and always will be and hence, the you that is not the ego.

Consider these points throughout your day. They are simple. They work. Your life improves. Your subconscious thought patterns and beliefs change. Your inner well-being increases and this new increased level of well-being becomes second nature.

Two Weeks and One Day - H A W A I I !!

2010-08-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

Feast your eyes on this sun-dappled pathway to my favorite beach in all the world! Knowing I'll be within walking/biking distance of it in just a couple of weeks is putting a spring in my step big time! Hawaii is my favorite place to be, and I'm blessed beyond measure to be able to house-sit for dear friends who live right in Kailua Town, two blocks from Kailua Beach ... which can be seen in the photo just below.

Kailua Beach, Oahu, Hawaii

Originally uploaded by quangas

HAWAII BOUND -- Three Weeks and Counting!

2010-08-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

Surfer Crossing
Originally uploaded by _BigK_

I cannot WAIT to touch down in my beloved Hawaii in just a few short weeks! I'll be joined there by a wonderful friend from England ... and will be met at the airport by another wonderful friend -- someone who knows the Island of Oahu like the back of his hand, as he's lived there for nearly 30 years! Who's got it better than me?!

That sign over there to the right stands outside a terrific surf shop up on the North Shore in the town of Haleiwa. We'll be staying on the North Shore (home of the famous "Bonzai Pipeline") for the first few days ... in a little 2-bedroom cottage in Pupukea. I'll get to explore stuff I never got a chance to when I lived there. That's part of what this trip is all about. Mainly, though, it's a physical and spiritual retreat for ourselves . . . with FUN permeating every day! (We're going to do what WE want to do when WE want to do it. My friend and I figure we both deserve it -- given what we've each been through in the last 10 years with our kids!)

Above: "Beach Stuff" -- also originally loaded by BigK. Thanks for a cool photo, BigK!

"One oar stroke isn't going to get you anywhere, but if you take a load of tiny actions and you string them all together, you really can achieve almost anything." -- Roz Savage, Ocean Rower

Green Juices ... What Heals! Click Here and Check out Dan and Dave . . . As They Juice Away!

2010-08-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

Check out Amy Webster! Really Informative Website / Coach

2010-07-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a wonderfully simple website I'd like to feature today. Hope you enjoy the helpful information that Amy Webster has to offer.
Amy Webster's Simply Raw

Dreaming of Swimming with Turtles!

2010-07-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

I really have been! Dreaming of swimming w/ turtles, that is. In Hawaii. Maybe it's because I've seen with heart ache the photos of the oil-drenched sea turtles sick and dying in the Gulf (all while BP fails to rectify the worst ecological disaster in history). Or maybe it's because I recall with wonder the day that I got to swim with a graceful sea turtle in Lanikai's cool, blue waters 7 years ago when I lived there! He was nowhere near as neurotic looking as the fellow above -- but I like this photo nevertheless. (Hey, it could be what the turtles are looking like as they run for their life AWAY from the black oooze in the Gulf.) My swimming buddy 7 years ago was even more graceful than a seasoned Bolshoi dancer ... and what was best is that he (she?) let me stay in tune with its movements so that we were actually sort of "dancing" together. It was one of those surreal moments when all is right with the world.

Anyway ... I said all that because I intend to swim with some turtles again in Lanikai in just about 8 weeks ... as I look forward to my upcoming "paradise retreat." Originally, I saw it as a solo retreat of sorts, but I've changed plans in that I've invited a buddy of mine from England to join me. We'll be house-sitting for some good friends of mine who will be in Europe -- so we have the blessing of a home (and their car)! Now I just need to come up w/ enough "play" money so we can do the things we'd like -- which includes hiring a kayaking guide to paddle out to the Mokulua Islands (my friend won't go with me alone -- she'd prefer someone a bit more "skilled" in case she capsizes and panics)!

Also, I'd like to see and do things I didn't get to when I lived there for six years. Like finding hikes w/ waterfalls that I haven't been to yet, swimming with dolphins (maybe) -- not sure they like that; more research needed :-); snorkeling at Shark's Cove (ominous sounding, I know, but safe) ; maybe jumping off the giant rock at Waimea Bay. . . stuff like that.

There's a raw food place I want to check out too -- over in Hawaii Kai -- called "Licious Dishes". It's near a Costco, so my buddy said to drop her off there whilst I check out the raw food place!

Oh! Since I've just begun to blog again and this is about "going successfully RAW" . . . perhaps I should post something on topic, eh? Check out The Raw Bombshell. I like her spirit! Hope you do too.

Also, here's a great article by Karen Knowler that is a must-read for anyone wanting to discover the benefits of eating less SAD (standard American diet) and going raw instead: The Seven Steps of Going Raw

More tomorrow ... for now, I'm off to re-arrange the furniture in my new place.
Ta-ta for now!

BOOKED my flight! Hawaii Bound - 14 Weeks and Counting!

2010-05-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

Countdown to Hawaii !

2010-05-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

About to book my flight ... for my 3-week "retreat" in Hawaii at the end of the summer. It's going to be a solo gig -- lots of swimming, hiking and biking -- and hopefully lots of fresh air and sunshine! I'm going to do some hikes I missed out on when I lived there, and will probably bring along a hiking buddy for those, to be on the safe side. Thought of this song today and figured it would be perfect to post ... as I begin counting down the days to spectacular aqua waves -- lush, green mountains w/ wild orchids, mango and guava fruit growing along the paths -- and plunging waterfalls flowing over the Ko'olaus!

On the Island, we do it Island Style,
From the mountain to the ocean from the windward to the leeward side.

On the Island, we do it Island Style,
From the mountain to the ocean from the windward to the leeward side.

Mama's in the kitchen cooking dinner real nice,
Beef stew on the stove, lomi salmon with the ice.
We eat & drink and we sing all day,
Kanikapila in the old Hawaiian way.

On the Island, we do it Island Style,
From the mountain to the ocean from the windward to the leeward side.

On the Island, we do it Island Style,
From the mountain to the ocean from the windward to the leeward side.

We go grandma's house on the weekend clean yard.
If we no go, grandma gotta work hard.
You know my grandma, she like the poi real sour.
I love my grandma every minute, every hour.

On the Island, we do it Island Style,
From the mountain to the ocean from the windward to the leeward side.

On the Island, we do it Island Style,
From the mountain to the ocean from the windward to the leeward side.

Mama's in the kitchen cooking dinner real nice,
Beef stew on the stove, lomi salmon with the ice.
We eat & drink and we sing all day,
Kanikapila in the old Hawaiian way.

On the Island, we do it Island Style,
From the mountain to the ocean from the windward to the leeward side.

On the Island, we do it Island Style,
From the mountain to the ocean from the windward to the leeward side.

On the Island, we do it Island Style,
From the mountain to the ocean from the windward to the leeward side.

From the mountain to the ocean from the windward to the leeward side.

EVERYTHING Is a Risk . . . Except the Right One!

2010-03-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

I like this woman ... I like all women who leave mundane office jobs to find and do the work they love!!

An Essex Boy Once Inspired me (in a big way!) to Make Some Sorely-needed Changes in My Life. Now, Another Essex Boy is Doing That for America!

2010-03-01T15:51:00.000-08:00

Check out Jamie Oliver's brief TED speech -- the one that won him this year's TED Award! Direct. Simple. Profound. Hat's off to you, Jamie!

No Impact Man - Back By Popular Demand!

2010-02-22T18:22:00.000-08:00

"What A Child Is Meant To Be" - Revisiting a Song I Love

2010-02-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

These song lyrics have been in my mind for days now ... trying to find a musical link and will post it when I do. I need to find the chords so I can learn to play it on my guitar. Yup ... picked up my guitar again recently after a long hiatus. It's good to be playing and singing again.

In my weakness I find
That Your strength knows no bounds

And in my loneliness I find
That the everlasting arms surround me

And even with this fragile heart
I find a place to rest here, safe where You are…

And I am falling into grace again
And I am running where mercy never ends

Lord I’m learning that your love can cover me
You are teaching me what a child is meant to be

Anyone else see profoundness in the fact that the FIRST WORLD-WIDE, simultaneously-broadcast satellite transmission was the Beatles singing "All You Need Is Love"?

2010-02-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

The more complex the world and it's "situations" become, the more appealing the simple truth remains, eh? Enjoy a bit of simple truth.

Meet "No Impact Man"

2010-02-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

I found myself overcome with fear today . . .

2010-02-17T17:05:00.000-08:00

It struck out of the blue, it seemed, almost like a presence crawling up my neck. The fear was of losing my job (I'm an "at will" employee . . . can be dismissed without cause with no explanation) since there is such a climate of fear as so many wonder about the "security" of their jobs. But then, almost as "out of the blue" as the fear arrived, a beautiful thought came to me. In one sentence I know so well: "I shall not want." Psalm 23. One of my most beloved. So I began to type out on my computer what I recalled of it from memory, and as I did, the fear shattered like broken crystal. I found this on YouTube ... and thought the acoustic guitar mad fantastic!

The Invitation

2010-02-16T09:53:00.001-08:00

A lot of the prose in the below "Invitation" really resonated with me, and that is why I posted it today. I liked some of her recent blog entry on intimacy too. (". . . every time I am deeply touched and surprised to rediscover what tender, vulnerable creatures we all are. Being in an intimate relationship puts the other’s tender bits in our hands, means we must be willing to allow our own vulnerability to be held by another imperfect human being.") You can find it HERE.

The Invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your hearts longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.

I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even if its not pretty every day, and if you can source your life from The presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the sliver of the full moon, "Yes!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.

It doesn't interest me who you are and how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

(Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Indian Elder May 1994)

The Dilemma

2010-02-13T23:55:00.000-08:00

To laugh
is to risk appearing a fool.

To weep
is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out for another
is to risk involvement.

To expose feelings
is to risk rejection.

To place your dreams before the crowd
is to risk ridicule.

To love
is to risk not being loved in return.

To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds
is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken
because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing does nothing,
has nothing, is nothing.

He may avoid suffering and sorrow,
but he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or love.

Chained by his certitudes,
he is a slave.

He has forfeited his freedom.
Only a person who takes risks is free.

Author Unknown (by me!)

Feature Blog this Week: "Raw Humour"

2010-02-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

But first take a look at this clip of Ricky Gervais chatting about the "disease" of obesity. I have to say, I'm on board w/ Ricky. My struggles with weight become less and less as I eat less of what's not real food and more of what is; and my energy/overall fitness increases as my walking does! Who knew? I agree w/ Ricky . . . slimness and fitness are not denied a person through disease so much as by personal choices. (Per Ricky, what WILL be denied the obese is passage on an airplane if one's bum cannot fit into the seat!)

Even as in my case -- where a wacked-out thyroid didn't help matters -- fitness can be regained by eating reasonably and exercising moderately and consistently. It may take a bit longer to accomplish w/ a thyroid handicap, yeah, but it is doable! Thanks be to God. Amen. So -- anyone out there dealing with a thyroid imbalance, take heart. And then take out those sweat pants from the back of the closet and get moving!

Now, for a few laughs . . . click on Ricky.

Also, check out my blog pick of the week: RAW HUMOUR

Love, peace and green smoothies! Nay

"One oar stroke isn't going to get me anywhere, but if you take a load of tiny actions and you string them all together, you really can achieve almost anything."

-- Roz Savage, Ocean Rower

Undeniably Soulful . . . I'm in love w/ this guy's voice!

2010-02-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

Beautiful strings ... cello and violin ... lovely music!

". . . From glen to Glen and down the mountainside"

2010-01-29T15:47:00.000-08:00

The Irish in me loves songs from the heart and to the heart. Here's one I hope you enjoy! When I first heard this version of Dylan's song, I thought that with the exception of a phrase here and there, it could be sung to one's son or daughter as well as one's lover. THAT is how it rang true for me when I heard it.

To Make You Feel My Love (by Bob Dylan)

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rollin' sea
Down on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
But you ain't seen nothing like me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love

To make you feel my love
To make you feel my love

It seems only love received softens the heart enough so it can love. May we all have loads of love being sent into, and experienced within, our lives today!

HALLELUJAH! Love this version by Allison Crowe . . . such a stunning voice!

2010-01-22T10:42:00.000-08:00

Dr. Oz Turns Meat-Eating Cowboy Vegan! 28-Day "Miracle" Inspiring Thousands

2010-01-13T15:10:00.000-08:00

FEATURED BLOGS OF THE WEEK:

hearts of my world
Originally uploaded by work2snap

I like these websites and hope you do too:

CRAZY SEXY LIFE

WOODSTOCK (Factory Farm Sanctuary).

2010-01-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

Whoo, Whoo ...

2010-01-10T10:13:00.001-08:00

Southern Ocean
Originally uploaded by rozsavage

Whoo, Whoo ... I got to be one of the names on an earth ball that Roz Savage presented at the Copenhagen Climate Change summit (for being one of her sponsors on the Big Ben to Brussels walk as she made her way to Copenhagen with as light a carbon footprint as possible). Exciting stuff, indeed. :-)

Great Video from Roz Savage! Congrats on a Fantastic Year, Roz!

2010-01-06T07:16:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, 2010! . . . "Rawsome Life Anew" Year!

2010-01-01T17:04:00.000-08:00

Garrison, NY Originally uploaded by Export-Pro

Anew, indeed! It's 8:00 p.m. here in New York on this New Year's Day, 2010, and I'm feeling maaa-velous! Working as I do in a New York City office, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. five days a week, I view holidays as big-time relaxing days or play days, and today was no different. I've lolled about and enjoyed every minute doing so here in the warm and cozy home where I get to live in the beautiful Hudson River Valley. With Arctic air blowing in, it's feeling even more cozy today. Here are a few photos of Garrison, New York, the place I call home (for now, anyway!) . . .

A Catholic church in Garrison, NY

Boats on the Hudson, Garrison, New York
So what's on your "Things I'll Get Serious About" list for the new year? Picking up my guitar and singing songs I love is one of the things on my list. Another is walking -- w/ the fervour of Forrest Gump. In fact, I think I'll rekindle my connection to my guitar right now. My very first song is Dylan's "Forever Young" -- not to be confused w/ Rod Stewart's "original" of the same title, for which he was court-ordered to split royalties with Dylan, but I digress. For the version I prefer, scroll down a bit and listen to Joan Baez's rendition. I've got the lyrics and now just need the chords. Easy peasy to find on the internet machine.

Happy 2010 ("Twenty ten" -- more pithy than "two thousand and ten" so spread the word!)

"One oar stroke isn't going to get you anywhere, but if you take a load of tiny actions and you string them all together, you really can achieve almost anything." (Roz Savage, Ocean Rower)

A Reminder: The Breathtaking Effects of Cutting Down on Meat!

2009-11-25T07:11:00.000-08:00

Check out this brief and astounding article on how going vegetarian for just one day a week would impact the world. You will be AMAZED! In more and more situations, I continue to see the truth of Roz Savage's words (which I've adopted as a personal "mantra" these days):

"One oar stroke isn't going to get me anywhere, but if you take a load of tiny actions and you string them all together, you really can achieve almost anything."
(Roz Savage, Ocean Rower)

Do It Now!

2009-11-19T08:19:00.001-08:00

I've been mulling over an expression lately -- one I've heard a few times over the years: "To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did," and for me lately this is taking on some personal meaning. ... more later!

A to Z: What's Right with America

2009-11-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

Mike Adams and hundreds of Natural News Facebook fans agree -- there is a LOT that's right! READ THE LIST HERE!

I posted this list today because I've been thinking a lot lately about my attitude in general -- my focus -- seeing more and more that as I focus on what I'd LIKE to see happen (rather than what I don't want to see happen) powerful and positive things occur. There's a deeper principle in there somewhere that I am not quite sure I've earned the right to even begin to comment on ... but it's got something to do with my realizing that being an anti-war activist was not the same thing as being pro-peace.

Off to the gym: Planet Fitness: The No-Judgment Zone. Clever those marketing guys. More on this post later today. Stay tuned. :]

One powerful sentence . . .

2009-11-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

"If you want something, make the decision, commit to it, act accordingly and you'll discover just how easy it can be for yourself!"

From Karen Knowler's "Successfully Raw Newsletter" published weekly. You can join her mailing list at The Raw Food Coach at www.therawfoodcoach.com.

What a wonderful day!

2009-11-01T10:13:00.000-08:00

A day to consider the words of Dylan's beautiful song . . . A holdover from my first blog, enjoy Joan's sweet version of this Dylan classic ... and live FOREVER YOUNG today. (SEE lyrics below to sing along!)

"Forever Young" (by Bob Dylan)

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the light surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your songs always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

Okay, now HERE's a weird statement: I'm having a baby! Today is exactly 9 months away from August 1, 2010 -- and August, 2010 is the month I'll be heading out on my 200 mile trek across England. So I'm nine months away from "birthing" the Naomi who'll be in the fittest shape she's been in for a whole LOT of years. That fit person is the "baby" to which I refer. I know, on the surface it sounds so silly -- but there is something also very profound about it to me. See, in nine months, God's designed it such that one human being can bring a whole, beautiful, OTHER human being into existence -- into manifestation. In just nine months of life, a whole other life appears. Is that not amazing!? THAT is why I feel excited about where I'll be in nine months.

On top of that cool number (nine months/new life being born, etc.), there is another cool number coming up for me. In exactly 4-1/2 months (half of that 9-month period) it will be my birthday: March 15, 2010. I'll be turning 56 years old on that day. Now I've been told ... and have read over the years ... that every seven years, a person's life goes through profound regenerative changes. So that would be 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 and 56. The prospect of being on the cusp of beginning the 57th year of my life as I head out on my personal "mini vision quest" (as I've dubbed my Coast-to-Coast England walk) is very exciting to me.

In light of these significant numbers, I'm thrilled about today -- which is nine months away from my big challenge. It's why I felt like posting my all-time favorite song, yet again -- Forever Young.

Today, I plan to accomplish the following:

1. On the raw front -- I'm making Karen Knowler's recipe for "fried" mushrooms and making some yummy "pasta" from my yellow and green squashes and fresh roma tomatoes and basil I got at the green market. Delish.

2. On the exercise front -- I'm heading out in a little while to walk the 2-1/2 mile loop that's in my lovely neighborhood here, around the lake -- ipod in place and light jacket in tow, just in case it's cooler than I think.

3. On the inspiration front -- when I get back from my walk, I'll head down to my favorite spot on the property where I live -- the brook -- and write in my thankfulness journal all that I'm thankful for today and will be thankful for receiving in the future ... and spend some time in prayer.

4. On the "simplify, simplify" front -- I'll be decluttering some more in my living space so that I have more things packed up to GIVE AWAY; then I'll sit down, figure out which credit card bills I can "double up" on paying -- all to the end that I am entirely without debt by the spring of 2011. That includes no car payments, no credit-card payments, no 401(k) loan payments! Zero debt. And I'll REMAIN that way the rest of my life. That is the commitment I've made to myself, and I'm stickin' to it.

Will write more later to see just how well I've done w/ the tasks above ... so I'm off to get things done now.

8:30 p.m. now, and I managed to accomplish 1, 2 and 3 avoe (didn't declutter tho). Three out of four is good! :-)

While enjoying my yummy "fried mushrooms" (uncooked, just marinated/dehydrated a wee bit), I watched "Nights in Radanthe" (a Richard Gere/Diane Lane film). I liked their interaction; but the 'good man' that finally entered her life at just the right time (after years of meeting cads) tragically dies. Sad indeed, but it was lovely watching them fall in love. A hopless romantic, moi.

"One oar stroke isn't going to get me anywhere, but if you take a load of tiny actions and you string them all together, you really can achieve almost anything." -- Roz Savage, Ocean Rower

My Saturday "Mrs. Greens Run"

2009-10-17T20:21:00.001-07:00

The most productive thing I accomplished today was cleaning out my refrigerator of old veggies and fruits (and other biology-experiment-type items that once were considered food) and restocking it w/ all sorts of goodies for the week ahead. I made my Saturday run to Mrs. Greens -- my favorite natural foods store -- and stocked up on deep leafy greens, fruits and veggies (and stuff for juicing like carrots, celery, cucumber and apples). I also found some sprouted grain bread and wraps that will make terrific lunch sandwiches in the coming week. I used to shop for two weeks -- and ended up throwing out a lot of rotting foods; so now I'll go once a week.

The other productive thing I got done today was to have some blood work done at the suggestion of my endocrinologist -- so he can test the levels of all kinds of things -- including vitamin D, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. My doctor said he could recommend a natural (bio-identical compound) pharmacist if any of these things are out of wack -- who'd help me bring my hormonal levels into balance. I am thrilled by this because I've long suspected that my hormone levels are very MUCH "out of wack" and that if they are properly balanced out, my matabolism will function a whole lot more efficiently and productively. Which spells good news for the next 10 months of "training" for me. (Coast-to-Coast Walk here I come!) And speaking of 10 months of training . . . tomorrow I start my early morning walks -- I'm about to download some tunes onto my iPod right now so I have some motivation when I head out the door. Good tunes make for good walking!

All in all, I'm happy with what I accomplished today. It's a load off my mind to have a refrigerator full of healthy foods from which I can put together really good meals during the week. From green drinks and juices to yummy salads and snacks, a day does not go by that I am not very thankful to God for the blessing it is just to HAVE healthy food. It's as necessary as clean water and air, I think -- and now more than ever for me, as I'm keen on each day's "training" being the best it can be. The added cost of purchasing good food is worth it because of what I want to accomplish.

And now ... a little C2C travelling music to close: THAT'S THE WAY IT IS!

"One oar stroke isn't going to get me anywhere, but if you take a load of tiny actions and you string them all together, you really can achieve almost anything." -- Roz Savage, Ocean Rower

It's In Every One of Us

2009-10-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

Well I recently said goodbye in my heart to the "Cliff Richard" of my life -- a man whose essence I could not seem to shake from my soul but needed to for my own sake, as I finally realized a mutual affection between us would never be. And now, feeling free of the ghost-like haunting he held over my heart, I feel quite joyful! And it's in that joy that I step into a brand-spanking-new chapter of my life.

Just felt like posting this song ... I really like it and hope that anyone reading will like it too. (I much prefer how David Pomeranz sings it -- but his version has been removed from YouTube so I'm afraid Cliff it is. It's somehow fitting that it's Cliff Richard, tho, init? If he's an Essex boy it would be even more fitting ... as the aforementioned Brit I've just emotionally "let go of" looks like he could be Cliff's brother). Anyway, the lyrics speak to me of a Life that lives in each of us -- a glorious Life -- one that allows us to know things without having to know "why" all the time. I may not know WHY I needed to let go of this man in my heart -- I just KNEW that I had to. (The song starts at 1:27 -- if you want to skip the fluff in the beginning).
I've come to believe that it is this LIFE that's 'in everyone of us' that inspires us, convicts us, encourages us, guides us, chastens us, embraces us, comforts us, sustains us, amuses us, nurtures us . . . and is merciful, kind, good, and faithful to us. And -- best of all -- I think this LIFE in us is What teaches us to love. This LIFE, to me, is G~d.

And now -- check out Roz Savage . . . who, by the way she lives, has become my "coach" as I prepare to walk 200 miles across England next summer.
I've found a source of much-needed motivation via Roz's adventures as I kick off my 10 "official" months of training today to walk across England next summer. One oar stroke at a time she rowed alone across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Antigua -- about a million oar strokes, rowed ONE AT A TIME. She advanced a few feet w/ each oar stroke, and all those feet added together became 3,000 miles! If Roz can do that -- I figure, I can WALK 200 miles!

I'll arrive in St. Bee's on the Irish Sea the week of August 16, 2010 -- 10 months from now. That gives me about 40 weeks of "rowing" ahead in order to get fit enough to walk up and down the fells and dales of England with enough stamina to make it to Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea -- traversing three national parks along the way (The Lake District, the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales)! It's not rowing solo across the Atlantic like Roz did -- but it's my Atlantic. The most I've walked at any one time was about 14 miles -- and that was when I was half my age and hiking in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. I'm a bit removed from those extremely fit years -- which is why I need 10 months to prepare! (The longest day on the Coast-to-Coast walk in England will be about 17 miles, I think)

So today I begin a sort of diary here -- a place for myself, really -- where I'll record the progress I'm making as the next 40 weeks go by, a place I can post about my workouts, my meals, my "psych-myself-out" tips, and anything else I fancy sharing. In other words, it'll probably be all over the place, topic-wise. :-)

Here I go! Wish me LIFE!

"One oar stroke isn't going to get me anywhere, but if you take a load of tiny actions and you string them all together, you really can achieve almost anything." Roz Savage, Ocean Rower

Woman Rows the Pacific Solo! Check out Roz Savage's joyful arrival in Tarawa, South Pacific!

2009-09-08T05:55:00.000-07:00

I've been following the adventurous ocean-rower (and eco-advocate) Roz Savage, as she's rowed from Honolulu, Hawaii to Kiriboti and after 104 days at sea, she has just arrived on land. For a bit of inspiration, check out her WEBSITE. Her journal/blog entries are terrific ... and as she listened to mucho books on tape as she rowed along, one can avail oneself to quite a few good book reviews at the same time.

PS: She also solo rowed the Atlantic and has a book about that coming out next month, I believe.

Free Teleclass with Karen Knowler!

2009-08-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

Be Part of a wonderful free teleclass with Karen Knowler on Wednesday, August 5th. It's entitled, "The 7 Must-Know Steps to Take Your Raw Food Journey to the Stars." Check it out HERE!

Days 1 and 2 of my "Return to Raw In Earnest"

2009-07-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday, July 28, 2009, marks my return to raw in earnest, so to speak. (I've started a separate private blog to keep myself motivated with ongoing personal photos, a weight chart, and daily food and exercise diaries, etc., which I may make public when my goal weight is reached. If I do publicise it, maybe it will help others who find themselves on a similar path as I am now.)

I "fell off the raw wagon" for a load of months and am now out of that wilderness back to where I want to be. Today and yesterday were virtually all-raw days for me -- w/ the exception of two portions of wild rice and some crispy thingies I threw on top of my salad -- so I'm off to a great start. My goal is not to be 100 raw anyway -- as that is too drastic of a switch-over and thus does the body more damage than good.

I just finished a great coaching program with Karen Knowler -- who has been my main raw foods mentor ever since I realized the amazing benefit of eating living foods (fruits and veggies; seeds; nuts and seaweeds) a couple of years ago. The coaching time was revealing on many levels. I saw that for me, eating even a small bit of processed food acts almost like a drug -- a highly addictive one at that -- causing craving for more, even if I'm not physically hungry! So I've set a course, once again, to become 80% raw by one year from now, as I found that the more raw foods I ate each day, the more alert physically I was and more resiliant mentally and emotionally as well.

Old habits are hard to break and eating is an old habit (we've all been doing it since we each were about 9 months old)!! But I will reach my goal. To that end, Roz Savage -- as she ROWS SOLO across the Pacific Ocean -- is inspiring me to no end.

Check out Roz's WEBSITE
Check out Roz's BLOG

"One stroke isn't going to get me anywhere, but if you take a load of tiny actions and you string them all together, you really can achieve almost anything." Roz Savage, Ocean Rower (!)

Goal: Walk Across England, August 2010

2009-07-24T18:17:00.000-07:00

How will I do it? DETOXING -- TRAINING -- BELIEVING!

I have Roz Savage -- eco-pioneer, ocean rower par excellence, and all-around amazing woman -- to thank for rekindling my forsaken dream of walking across England. Whilst "walking" my lovely Kailua Beach the other day w/ Roxanne Darling (albeit remotely via her terrific live videos at BEACHWALKS TV), I stumbled upon a video interview she did with a lovely, wildly adventurous lady named Roz Savage, who was about to embark from Hawaii towards Australia on the second leg of her 3-leg journey of ROWING SOLO across the Pacific. (Roz rowed solo across the Atlantic a year earlier. Yup, you read that correctly. ROWED. Across the Atlantic.) At the time of the interview, she'd accomplished the amazing feat of being the first woman to row solo from California to Hawaii, the first leg of her Pacific journey. LISTEN TO THAT INTERVIEW HERE.

Hearing Roz inspired me to go to her blog a few days ago and to write her. In doing so I've become part of her awesome adventure ... in the middle of the Pacific Ocean ... as she's writing back! And it is "being" with Roz out there in the middle of the Pacific that inspired me to once again take up my quest to walk across England next summer.

If you feel inspired, please join Roz on her blog and drop her some words of encouragement as well. I joined her adventure on DAY 52. Now so can you!

"One stroke isn't going to get me anywhere, but if you take a load of tiny actions and you string them all together, you really can achieve almost anything." Roz Savage

As Carley Simon Sings, "I Haven't Got Time for the Pain!"

2009-06-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

Today I start my new blog. My "Road to Raw" has been a winding and challenging one ... one begun a few years ago and still continuing -- but now in greater earnest. My road to raw has been challenging for me for a good number of reasons -- not the least of which is the fact that I grew up not only eating TV dinners, Velveeta cheese and 17-cent frozen pot pies as a steady diet ... but all within a household where everything from liverwurst slices and American cheese to "Scooter Pies" and "Ring Dings" were RATIONED and then bestowed as if gifts of the gods!

(Being raised by a pathologically critical father -- at times very much like the one portrayed by Robert DiNiro in "This Boy's Life" -- and by an intimidated mother, who battled mental illness, and was absent from the home either physically or emotionally about 80 percent of the time, did not exactly pave the way for smooth sailing ahead, so to speak!)

Yes, we're all products of our upbringing, its attendant traumas, and all kinds of challenging circumstances of our past, true. But one thing I personally regret is that for a good long while I allowed my upbringing and traumas and disappointments to be a huge stumbling block to my enjoying all that is possible for me in the present. In fact for a whole LOT of years in a whole lot of ways it felt more comfortable to live in either the past or future. That is, up until recently. Hitting my 55th birthday showed me that on this side of my life, I either figure out a way to become my own best friend in the right here and NOW, or else the best years of my life are not going to be ahead, but are already behind me.

So, having FINALLY figured out a way to BE my own best friend, I introduce you, curious reader, to my new blog -- "Rawsome Life Anew"!

Part of becoming my own best friend in the here and now is to honor and respect myself in every way, and for me that means staying clear of toxic food (the addictive foods I was once drawn to), toxic thinking (self-criticism) and toxic people (those who are insensitive, mean and oblivious to the feelings of others. I must be particularly diligent to stay away from people like this; they damage my heart too deeply.)

This will be a personal diary as well as (hopefully) an informative place for those reading who are on a similar path of getting healthier via those three means I mentioned above.

Right now I'm in a coaching group with Karen Knowler called Raw Magic and Mastery, and I have to say ... I LOVE Karen Knowler! (Those who'd like to explore Karen's work, just click the link at the top, right-hand side of this blog.) Out of all the raw "gurus" (she'd HATE that moniker), she is the one that inspires me most. Her view that going raw begins a "whole person journey" that unfolds at one's own pace and in one's own time has been so helpful to me. (I suppose because I've taken such a meandering route to be where I am right now on my own "raw journey"!)

I've begun this "part 2" of my original blog because I'm at a new jumping off point. My commitment level and motivation to become the fittest I can become has risen greatly since my recent coaching with Karen and I wanted a new blog just to record my progress and share my victories!

As the weekend begins (it's Friday night and I'm typing this from my office in NYC), I'm excited about setting up my "galley kitchen" in my new living space I just moved into and getting busy with some new raw food recipes, a whole new exercise regime (4 days a week -- either walking, biking or weight training) and doing some serious envisioning and manifesting!

I'll be sharing all about these in the weeks ahead, and hopefully it will inspire others to see that they, too, can achieve what is in their heart to do -- no matter how long it may take!

Here's to a great weekend!