Toxins and Perspective

It's Spring Break, and besides hanging with family and preparing to camp in the Smoky Mountains, I'm thinking perspective. I regularly need to look at the big picture in order to deal with the brush strokes that are everyday living, especially when I'm reading all this information about health and the mind-body connection and how food so greatly affects those things, and my level of whelm exceeds a mentally manageable amount.

Okay, so, we have this one wild and precious life, in which the days are long but the years are short, and there are so very many factors influencing us. There is history and geography and genetics and culture and politics and money and religion and planetary alignment and fear and fate and luck. There is upbringing and environment and weather and seasons and cycles. There is the personality and mood of the people around us. There is the song stuck in our heads. There is the insanely depressing amount of toxins we take in on a regular basis. SO MUCH IS OUT OF OUR CONTROL.

Okay, so, we have this one wild and precious life, in which the days are long but the years are short, and we have so very much power to influence it. And it always comes down to the moments. There is the moment my alarm beeps and I choose whether to wake up and practice yoga. There is the moment standing in the grocery store aisle or the kitchen pantry when I choose what to eat. There is the moment my kids are whining and crying and I choose whether or not to take a deep breath and consider their physical and emotional needs before I react. There is the moment I choose silence or radio, bath or TV, yard work or book, laundry or lounging, sleep or socializing. There is the moment I realize I am cranky and having a lousy day, and I can go with it or act the way I want to feel. There is song stuck in my head, and the moment I choose whether or not to sing, dance, howl. I have to acknowledge the forces beyond my control, and I have to remember that SO MUCH IS IN MY CONTROL.

The world is what it is, and I gotta be who I am--do my best and bless the rest. As for toxins, they suck. But I've got something they don't: perspective. And a liver. That's two things. Make it three: Spring Break! [Peace, man.]

3 out of 5

On Friday night I ventured to the lovely city of Decatur to a place I haven't been caught dead or alive in for years...a Baptist church! But for good reason...

The wise and witty Anne Lamott was speaking with her son Sam to promote their new book, Some Assembly Required!

Anne Lamott has been a favorite author of mine since I first read Bird by Bird for my Creative Writing course in college. Her chapter on "shitty first drafts" is some of the best writing advice in existence. Operating Instructions, her memoir about her son's first year, is one of my favorite books ever. And she has written many a heart-wrenching, heart-warming novel, including one called Rosie. (I have a daughter--you see the connection.) She's hilarious and insightful and someone you'd really want to meet, say at a book signing in Decatur.

I attended with my mom, and a good friend, and a stranger-turned-new friend. The four of us arrived an hour early, and good thing. The house o' God quickly became packed with Anne fans. Then she entered the sanctuary with her handsome grown-up son, who we all know from her books, and she made us laugh and nod our heads and generally beam for joy. They each read portions of the new book and then fielded questions from the audience. I can't give you any quotes because I didn't take notes. They talked about belly buttons and diaper changing and church and humanity, and it was hilarious and true and wonderful.

Anne told us that life is hard, and writing is super hard, and nobody really cares about our dreams. But that we are in the world together, and our work is worth the effort, and we can experience the divine in those difficult, vulnerable places. We applauded, and Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog came over the loudspeakers while we lined up for autographs. Camera and book at the ready, all I could think to say when I arrived at the table was "Anne Lamott!" But that said it all, right?

Now I have been lucky enough to meet three of my all-time favorite authors. There is no reason not to believe I'll get the chance someday to shake hands with Martha Beck and Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Who knows, maybe J.K. Rowling's autograph will eventually decorate my box set.

Madeleine L'Engle, 1998

Elizabeth Gilbert, 2010

Anne Lamott, 2012

This life may be hard, but damn straight it is wild and precious, with joy even for the fishies in the deep blue sea.

Another Important Question from Pema

Do the days of our lives add up to further suffering or to increased capacity for joy?

For real, yo. On my 2012 path to fearlessness, I'm diggin' the wisdom of American Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron. We always have a choice, she says, We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us and make us increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder. It's all about opening and softening, man. Open heart, open mind, open dialogue with our fears.* Talk about increasing our capacity for joy!

*For a practical guide on dialoguing with fear, check out this article: How to Take Charge of Your Fears by Stacey Curnow.

Weekly Menu

I got geekily excited about creating a weekly menu on Saturday. I've been focused on healthy living lately, and I felt inspired to make this document before I went grocery shopping. I've never felt so organized when it comes to eating! Though, after printing out my menu, I was overwhelmed with the memory of being a kid and charting a two-week menu on graph paper. Yes, I was the type of kid who bought graph paper for fun. I planned every meal for fourteen days, to be used on rotation when I became an adult. I was so proud of that chart. If only I still had it.

But now I've got my handy dandy Google Doc to tweak each week, use as my shopping guide, and post as a daily reminder for me and my family. Brilliant! It has made food prep fun and easy the past five days. And I must say, every single thing I have eaten this week has been DELICIOUS. So tasty is the food of this earth! Here's the list that has thrilled me in all my domestic dorkiness:

MENU: Week of March 3 - 10

Breakfasts
Sat: Waffles or Steel Cut Oats (l.o.)
S/M: Coconut Pancakes (recipe from Kim)
T/W: Blueberry muffins (Pinterest) (make on Monday)
Th/F: Toast & Fruit, Smoothies
Sat: Eggs & Bacon

Lunches
Sat: Snacky
Sun: Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup
M-F: Stella - PB & Honey Sandwiches, Snacks
Jenny - Hazelnut Vinaigrette for salads, Leftovers
Joel & Rosie - school lunch

Dinners
Sat: Scavenge
Sun: Mom & Dad’s
Mon: Turkey & Red Bean Chili (UM Cookbook p. 114)
Tues: leftover chili
Wed: Pan-Browned Tilapia (UM p. 98), Squash w/ Orange-Balsamic Dressing (UM p. 233)
Thurs: Potato-Leek Frittata (E.F. Jan/Feb ‘11, p. 41) with salad greens
Fri: Meat & Veg (fresh/on sale)

Snacks
Popcorn
Almond Date Balls (Pinterest)
Yogurt
Pirate’s Booty (on sale)
Hummus w/ Carrots & Crackers
Fruit: Apples, Bananas, Oranges
Hard Boiled Eggs
Road Mix (Nuts & Fruit)
Fruit Leather

Drinks
Rev Jonquil Blend coffee
Green Tea
Lemon Water
OJ
Whole Milk
Soy/Almond Milk

All In

We can ask ourselves this question: Do I prefer to grow up and relate to life directly, or do I choose to live and die in fear?*

There was a conversation about poker, about going all in. It got me thinking... Am I willing to go all in? Not in a game of Texas Hold 'Em, but in my life? My answer is a resounding, though fearful under the surface, YES. Gone are the days where I just went along in apathy, complacency and unawareness. Here is the day I live intentionally, with all my chips on the table. (Also some potato chips on the table because they are so deliciously munchable.) No cards up my sleeves, no reserving bets for a safer, more predictable round. I am ALL IN in my marriage; I am ALL IN in my motherhood; I am ALL IN in taking care of myself and growing softer, kinder and more open to what scares me. Deal it, Life, because even with my fears, I am a warrior.

**

*quote from Pema Chodron, The Places That Scare You
**image from 2009 trip to Oregon--Warrior Pose during a scary, unpredictable round