Deep Fried Nation

A good fellow tree hugging friend of mine posted this link on her facebook today (thanks Kimberly), which ignited a great dialogue on my facebook page about the why's of our deep fried nation, and how we should keep right on driving (past) those fast food (food technology) restaurants (chemical shacks).

So for everyone who has not yet seen this short video, here you go.

The World's First Bionic Burger

Source: www.youtube.com

True story about a man who's been saving hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and Big Macs from McDonalds for over 18 years... and they look EXACTLY the same! Visit http://BionicBurger.com or http://www.TheBestDayEver.com for more information.

On a positive note, did everyone read the shortsighted UK research/story all over the media on organic not being any more nutritious than conventionally farmed food? Here is the answer I was dying for someone to give when I read the propaganda research. There study was riddled with as many holes as a tin can at a shooting range, so I was relieved when I woke up this morning and critics had already started blasting the inadequacies of the study. (exhale here)

Reason for sharp inhale (yesterday around noon) : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1203015/Organic-food-nutritional-health-benefits-reveals-food-watchdog.html

Reason to exhale this morning around 7 am:

http://www.rodale.com/organic-foods-and-nutrition?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2009_07_31-_-Top5-_-NA

Three cheers for defending the way our grandfathers and great grandfathers farmed (the ORIGINAL organic farming).

Facing New Challenges Without Fear

A friend of mine recently confided to me what she truly wanted to pursue in her life - which was not her current job she had since she graduated from college. She was not sure if she could yet be "good" at her true passion, but she was sure she loved it and wanted to pursue it.

This is my advice to her:

You will never know how good you will be at anything you try. But you are sure to have regret if you never pursue your passion.
Sometimes you have to jump in with both proverbial feet...grab the new passion with both hands. You could always hold onto your old job for a little while longer while gaining more experience. But I recommend making the big leap instead of trying to piecemeal and hold a fulltime job and a new part time job. I might not recommend this to others, but for working mothers with children to raise - you do not have the luxury of time for a job and a "half". You already have a full time job raising children. You cannot have and do 3 jobs well.

What gives me the nerve to say this with confidence? Here's why: I have been in your shoes.

Back in 2001, I tried holding on to my current job with one hand while trying to grow my new passion with the other. After an agonizing year of working 24/7, I finally figured out that I had to reach out and grasp my future with both hands. I could not possibly reach out with both hands if I was still holding on to the safety net of my old job with one hand.

So, I let go. I jumped. I let go of my old "safe" job and reached out with both hands for the new career. I am still molding and shaping that passion (the fun part), but what I did - making that leap - was invariably the BEST decision of my life up to that point.

Best yet, I have NO regrets because I know I tried, and am still trying. Let me repeat that. I have no regrets.

I would have suffocated in my old life, I see that now. But I could not see it then. I had to act on faith, without knowledge that I would be any good or any success at all.

If you are struggling with a decision - to remain in the "safety" zone of an old or existing job, or to pursue your passion, I say pursue your passion. It should not have to feel forced though. It may feel scary, but scary is a different emotion that feeling forced. If you have a natural passion and knack for something, having faith in the knowledge that your passion will feed your energy - will be enough to help you reach out and grasp your new, exciting future. Just like I will encourage my own children to pursue their dreams, the blueprints of their imagination, I encourage my friend, you, and myself to do the same.

Go for it. You may never get the chance again.

*photo was taken this year in St. John at Hawksnest beach, during our annual Professional Yoga Therapy training course that I wrote and teach to licensed health care professionals (PS Yes, that is part of my passion (changing the face of health care) I reached out for with both hands almost 10 years ago now, in living color)

Are you Living The Life You Want?

The day that I took the boys to the beach, about two weeks ago, was a day I will never forget.

A typical hot, humid, perfect beach day on the island, I managed to get the boys and myself down to the beach, find a perfect place in the sand, set up the SPF 30 tent, and hand out the boys' sand toys to get them started playing. As a walked down to the shore, and watched the boys squealing with delight, running through the edge of the surf with their trucks, I was thrilled about the positive “vacation” energy on the beach. Mostly, I was thrilled with how easily it seemed we could tap that great positive "vacation" energy all year round, living in a resort area amidst happy families on vacation from all over the United States. And all I had to do was walk down to the beach to get that "energy".

And then it happened. Less than 20 minutes later, a woman with a concerned look on her face started walking up to strangers, holding her hand up about 3 foot or so from the sand, and then touching her head and clothing. I knew what those gestures meant, as she worked her way frantically up the beach toward us. A child, her child, her 4 year old son (about the same age as my oldest) was missing. I stood, mouth open, as every person on the beach within seeing distance began to realize what was happening. My knees started to feel weak and I found myself choking up, but I knew there was no way I could let myself break down here. I gathered the boys up as I watched every parent hurriedly call and pull their children out of the water. I imagined what would happen if that child had actually drowned, and then I panicked and started to pack up the boys and all of our things. I had to get them off that beach immediately, should the unthinkable happen.

In less than 10 minutes, we were surrounded by EMS searching for the lost little boy – separated from his mother and family on the beach. By the time the EMS arrived the family was in a full state of despair, crying aloud, dashing up and down the beach, even the little boy's siblings were shouting and crying, "find my brother, find my brother".

In an instant the planet had tilted from the epiphany of happiness and joy on a sunny day at a resort island....from being on top of the world dropped straight down to the depths of black despair....six feet under the earth.

As I gathered up the boys and moved our Radio Flyer wagon, laden with beach gear, out of the way for the emergency vehicles – totaling more than a dozen personnel and 6 vehicles, including a search boat – it was all I could do to stand – to keep my knees from buckling – to not fall to the ground in a heap of wailing and tears. I could not stand the thought of this 4 year old little boy – possibly drowned – right in front of thousands of people on this beach – and directly in front of myself and my children.

I wondered that day – why this moment, why in front of my children, why this mother and her little boy? We had not been to the beach in months – and on our first visit, within 30 minutes – tragedy struck.

The huge lesson for me that day…..is difficult to verbalize yet so simple. We have the ability at any time to tap joy, contentment, & happiness and we do not need a perfectly "sunny, beach vacation day" to do it. If we depend on external circumstances or events in our life to sustain or bring us constant happiness on a "platter", then we will sorely be set up for disappointment, loss, and even tragedy.

 

Thank God, the little boy was found that day. He had wandered away, down the beach more than a mile - lost. As mother and son were reunited, and there was a collective sigh of relief on that beach, my breath was stolen away. I had just experienced joy and heartache at their height, all in a matter of minutes. As the boys and I left the beach and washed away the sand, I felt humility, thanks, relief, fear, and still yet - contentment - knowing that what was most important was not that we captured that "euphoric vacation feeling" on a regular old Tuesday morning, but that we realized the very Real Brevity of Life limits the number of "euphoric happy moments" we get to have. 

For some of us, although we don't realize it, we may only be able to count the moments of joy we have left on one hand. It is imperative and urgent then, that we create joy, steal little moments of happiness, & forge contentment - each second of every day.

*Picture is me and my then 9 year old chocolate Labrador, Owen, playing fetch on the sound near my home. (Owen is still with us, at 14 years young this year.)

OPEN LETTER TO ALL WOMEN WHO STRUGGLE

I have decided to publish a private email to a old and dear friend, as an open letter to all women. My friend was and is struggling, and I swear I could feel it through the ether. Although we have not seen one another since before the birth (and conception even) of our second children (years ago!), and have only seen each other a few times since we graduated from high school, we still remain very close. Having the instinctual urge that something was not right with her, I emailed to ask if I could fly her down for a weekend of rest and renewal. She immediately wrote back, obliged, and in the midst of our plans to visit one another, she shared the complexities of her life that led her up to this point of exhaustion (sound familiar ladies?).

So ~ to all working mothers (who work at home or out of the home!) This letter is written for you. 

To my friend and confidant, the working mother: 

Dear Jill (*name changed for privacy), 

Mental telepathy or yogic energy or whatever we identify it as – friendship is important to me and I have just not been able to get you off my mind for MONTHS. The feeling would not leave me.

So, yes, we need some intervention here. 

When I must face a challenge (personal or professional), the first thing I do is eliminate all distractions.In your case, this means getting mean and lean about what you eat, what activity you engage in, even who you hang out with and your everyday schedule. In case you are wondering where I am coming from – just go to my website. That is about the easiest way to see what I do on a daily basis. www.gingergarner.com. 

This is why I am a bit of a soapbox preacher about taking care of #1, especially for women.

Women are the nurturers of society, the birth mothers of this planet. We need more respect from our peers, from men in the workplace, and greater understanding from husbands and partners. Women shoulder a greater burden than they ever have – they are expected to give birth and be mothers, keep their household in order, maintain a professional career, and provide moral support to our partner. We are expected to raise up the next generation AND be experts in career and household management – all the while staying in beautiful shape, without showing external signs of stress or anxiety, all the while being a rock solid shoulder for our partner to lean on to keep their personal (and sometimes professional) lives in order.

Don’t get me started.

However, after watching Angelina Jolie’s movie Changeling last night, I cannot help but climb onto my old worn out soap box. Women, we need to help each other in the workplace – both at home and outside the home. Rise up and fight the Good fight, as I will always say – because we need to be our biggest advocates.

BREAKING OUT: ENACTING RADICAL CHANGE

We have to be hard edged and lean as women (not necessarily physically) – and nurturing and soft at the same time.

This is how I set out to “bust up the mold” that women are poured into and expected to remain in like stone:

1. Set serious boundaries. Let your partner know exactly what you need, and expect him to help you achieve it. This person is your life partner, and you promised each other you would always be there to build each other up. At this point in your life, you MUST be built up – or the Fortress your family knows will begin to crumble. If you need 30 minutes a day, plus shower, prepping for better meals/meal planning – then ask for it. No apologies either. Women are in the habit of apologizing for asking for time for themselves. Don’t apologize. You need this to BE WELL. Carve out the time you’ll need to turn this Car around and arrive at the destination YOU want and need. Make an announcement to the family – to anyone you need to – that you are making some changes and you would like some autonomy, some respect, and some assistance in making those changes. Period. End of sentence. 
2. Purge food. No, not bulimia. Ha. I mean – get in your kitchen and throw out all the crap. Be ruthless and unforgiving. Any piece of, slice of, box of – whatever is processed, nutritionally devoid, etc – get rid of It. This does not mean all sugar, dark chocolate, butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, oil. Not that stuff - you need those things. I mean anything processed, non organic, or things which you know make you feel bad or sluggish. ( in the original email I asked her to please send me a list of foods you know “do not work” for you, or that you know make you feel sludgy, pudgy, or otherwise).  
3. Purge home/closet/etc. Get rid of anything that does not represent WHO you want to be and is not BEAUTIFUL or serves a real purpose in your life. You might need to enlist the help of someone there – because it is tough to purge your own house and closet of things that are no longer “you”. From this day forward – only bring things into your home that represent who you want to be and how you see yourself in the future. This means clothing, books, magazines, pictures, furniture, bedding, etc. 
4. Decide to take action – get mad if you have to. Darn it (or whatever expletive might work best for you) – I am NOT taking this _________ anymore. I am enacting change, and I am doing it TO.DAY. Once you get fired up enough – then you are ready and we can talk some more. You’ll know you are ready to commit to change. 
5. Know that it is not your fault. You have been in survival mode, probably for years now. It is not your fault that you feel stuck in a place you do not want to be – which includes your job, your weight, where you live, whatever it may be. Many circumstances can push us down the wrong road. But the tipping point is this: no matter what the circumstances you hold the power to enact RADICAL and MASSIVE change in your life. YOU CAN DO THIS! 
6. Urgency. I always act with a sense of urgency. No time is to be wasted. If you are lucky, you might have another ___ (fill in the blank for what fits your age) years on this planet. How many years can be wasted on not feeling the way you want to feel, or look? How many more years can be left to not being the Real You? Break it down further – and we only have another ___ (fill in the blank for what fits your age) years until we do slow down, priorities greatly change – and we will have spent up all our youth. This means truly – the best years of our lives are NOW. We have ____ (fill in the blank for what fits your age) years until we must give up the torch of youth to the next generation. You could be your absolute BEST – within this year. 

So, there are some thing for you to work on. I wish I were nearby and I’d come to your house and we’d spend a weekend doing nothing but purging, detoxifying, and rebuilding the structure of your daily life. This is where my motivation dwells – in helping others be their BEST Self.

On a practical note I believe you would LOVE Yoga and Pilates. My life revolves, as much as my imperfect humanity allows, God, family, and yoga. No kidding. From those three – I can manage my body and mind.

All of these things I say – are to make your life more simple. You do not need more things “to do” – you need less to do. This is going to mean a big purge of everything and everyone in your life that does make you come ALIVE.

A poet, David Whyte, wrote in his poem, “Sweet Darkness”: “Anything or anyone that does not make you come alive, is too small for you.”

That was written for you.

Love always, your friend,
GG

*picture is from last week's blog, of my youngest son at 21 months. He preaches and teaches to me already.

My Breathing (blogging) Experience (freedom)

An author wrote once, "I write to know what I am thinking."

Arms pumping in the air, I wholeheartedly agree.

I absolutely must write to know what I am thinking. I must write, in other words, to have access to my mind. Although mind and body are not mutually exclusive - one cannot be tapped without the other - I have to disagree (even! as a yogini) in part. Thinking is mutually exclusive to me, a product of the mind. It (thinking) is an island for me, which can only be reached by one method of transport: writing.

So my conclusion about my blogspot blog is this:

Starting this blog has been the best thing I have ever done. If I could not tap my mind, I could not tap my spiritual, physical, psycho-emotional, intellectual, or energetic body. Therefore, I would be of no use to anyone, least (most) of all God, family, and country.

"Just keep a diary or journal, for goodness sakes," you might say. Sure, I could do that. Heck, I have done that since I could write full sentences, which was somewhere around second grade (I still have the diary).

My very first diary entry, in fact, was about one of my classmates who died a horrific death in a family house fire. My tiny hand wrote those words (I cannot imagine my own children's hands penning this as their first exposure to their Mind) and I can still remember reeling with emotion, compassion, and fear. Only as I wrote, could I begin to feel the full blow of her (Karen was her name) death. That is when I knew - at 7 years old, that I had to write.

I may have not wanted to write, I may have not been any good or would ever be any good at writing, but I HAD to write.

My life has been engulfed, shaded, and laced with many more deaths (and births & rebirths) since that first "blog" entry I wrote as a 7 year old. And through every experience, I have turned to the pen - and of course now, the keyboard.

As a musician, educator, and human being who is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend - I hope that through my blog many people may come to know One Truth: Everlasting Hope.

Your Glass can always be half full, despite the deaths we are asked and forced to take, many times over in our lives. In the past two days, I have been conducting my own experiment with "Breathing In This Life" (and no it had nothing to do with the handstands or yoga postures I have done since Wednesday)...I've taken to lacquering my flat black walls in high gloss. (of course, with proper ventilation) I have enjoyed every minute of this messy project, because it reminds me of my Freedom.

You can throw, splash, spread, and brush the walls of your life any color you want - and when they look dull, or even flat black - as mine were & still are - you can varnish them to a high sheen - enough to be a reflective surface. The walls in my hallway now glisten like a pool of living water. But, only 2 days earlier - someone would have sworn they were the color of death (and that I had by no small means destroyed the sheet rock in our home).

You can take any opportunity and turn it around. This is the nugget of truth in something as silly as lacquering my flat black walls to a high gloss. There is always room for diplomacy and conflict resolution. There is always time to turn the car around. You always have the right to change your mind, just like I could change my mind next week, sand down my walls and paint them Cherokee red (my heritage).

The point is - find the outlet which allows you to know your mind. For example, I know what I am thinking through my writing. Through the almighty blog, Blogspot has provided me with an outlet to know my Self. Better. Blogspot has provided me with a platform to help others realize how to Breathe In This Life as well, which may be more important than me knowing my Own Self. Yoga of Action.

My Breathing Experience, on a daily basis, is writing. I may not blog everyday (yet), as there are two small human beings in my life that need me. But every day I write. Every. Day.

Thank goodness for the ability to know and love my mind, my body, and my soul- through the craft of writing and the invention of the "blog". In the years to come, many more people will find their way to Breathing In This Life, I Hope.

*photo is my son at 21 months. June 27, 2009