Changing Dreaming Into Planning

I am not sure exactly when I feel in love with the Southwest. I think I knew I was in love with New Mexico before I ever went to New Mexico. And after visiting a few times it became even stronger.

I can picture myself very happy to live in a remote section of that land, surrounded by countless acres of nature in a warm adobe structure. I am enchanted to think about earthships and turquoise jewelry. Painted tiles and dried chili peppers. And a sky so clear and of such a heavy blue that I could drink from it.

But living through East Coast winter after East Coast winter, full of shopping centers and traffic, will I just become lost in my dreaming? So many steps seem necessary to uproot an entire family, careers, education, mortgages... But what is worth sacrificing for a better quality of life? And how do I start?

The first hurdle for me is to change my mindset. I have been fantasizing over landscapes for a while. Now it is time to consider reality. To escape my own worries and doubts. To open myself to possibilities as they present themselves. Now is the time to change my dreams into plans.

And the embracing of change is a blessing.

Nourishing the Body to Nourish the Soul

In counting daily blessings, we must first think about our daily activities. The first of those which comes to my mind is eating. I prepare food for 3 people, 3 times a day, every day. It can be a lot of work and takes a quite a bit of time out of my schedule. In the past I have slipped into resorting to microwave soy meats or veggie burgers and fries at Burger King. It is easy, and understandable to do, but it robs us and others of joy. Sitting behind exhaust fumes at a drive-in while unhappy workers argue with each other to supply you with food that could contain, well ANYTHING, leaves us understandably depressed.

 Raw Taco Salad with Walnut "Meat" and Almond "Sour Cream"

What we put in our bodies is part of a sacred cycle. Our food should not come from factories and laboratories and machines, but from the earth. If you cannot pronounce an ingredient and do not know what it is, why would you put that in your body or into your loved ones?

It takes more time to make everything from scratch, from vegetables and fruits, or nuts and grains, but you are able to explore and create. Every recipe is a new invention. You are in control of your body, your budget, and the part you play in an enormous system. Food can be freedom, and this is a gift.

Raw Persimmon Apple Pie with Coconut Butter Drizzle

It's a Beautiful Day

Welcome to my new journal. In my previous blog I focused solely on records and relationships. That journey lead to some self discovery of what I really wanted to share with another human being and what I had to offer them. Now I am going to be married to a wonderful man and father in May, and am have managed to come to peace with some of my relationship ghosts of the past.

My new writings will reflect my current struggles- finding contentment and fulfillment in the everyday. As the world around us becomes one big billboard and we are expected to sit typing away in rooms with white wall and florescent lighting, it is more important than even to expose that which is of true value.

I will try to write daily, to highlight and focus on the cherished beauty that each day has allowed.