Archive for October, 2010
Some people start with the assumption that people are stupid. They think others just “don’t get it.” They tell co-workers how to do their jobs, they give friends unsolicited advice and they categorize people so it’s easier to talk about how dumb they are. People like this aren’t much fun to work with, live with or hang out with.
The problem with starting with stupid is that we ultimately make our assumptions our reality. We stop listening to people, we never experience their uniqueness and we stop allowing ourselves to grow and be changed. And all this makes us less likely to be a contributing citizen.
If you start with stupid, you’ll end with stupid. Seems a slippery slope, doesn’t it?
Background on the “Obvious realization” series: This is a series of posts dedicated to my friend Angela who thinks it’s cute that every now and then I have an “obvious realization” that totally changes my life. Here’s the other posts in this series.
It’s been more than a few weeks since I’ve shared an update on my health since starting the glutathione accelerator, MaxGXL®. So I feel compelled to make it a little more interesting than just a typical report. So, here’s a little story for you.
Here’s how to find out whether you are a victim of the insidious inbox tyrant.
- Do you go to work only to be managed by your inbox?
- Do you let the emails that flow in dictate what you do that day?
- At 5:00 PM (or whenever your day ends), do you feel like crap because you only managed to get through your email and not accomplish anything of substance?
If you said yes to these three questions, you are a sorry victim of your inbox.
A few people have talked to me about my post, A hunger that food can’t satisfy. They shared with me the times they went in search of a familiar meal on a trip. They asked me what, in the end, satisfied my hunger. Here’s what I can tell you.
Two things happened:
- I gave up on hoping that any food would satisfy my emotional discomfort. Instead, I just ate to keep my body fueled. I had zero expectations of a meal tasting good or creating a warm, fuzzy feeling. So meals became a much less important part of my experience in Argentina. It was a relief because I no longer really cared where or what I ate. I just needed something to put in my body so I could keep going.
- I met some amazing people in Argentina with whom I shared some memorable moments (captured in the post Spanish Lessons). This made me feel like I was connected to a community. Being recognized by another person for who I was filled a deep need for human connection. This filled me up. I dropped the neurotic search for a meal and relished these connections that I knew would only last for a short while. And even when these moments were over, I felt fueled for days, not hours.
Fall is such a great time of year to reconnect with your kitchen. The kitchen is the spiritual centre of the home. It is where energy and creation take place. It is actually considered the soul of the home. What happens in the kitchen sets the tone for the rest of the home.
The kitchen – the energy centre of the home
It is where we congregate, where paperwork is done, where kids do homework, where we read the paper, where we look at mail, where the pets eat, where we leave our jackets, where we cook and where we nourish ourselves. Have you ever noticed that when you go to a house party, everyone is in the kitchen? There are plenty of other rooms to go to, but everyone naturally migrates to the kitchen, no matter how small it is!
I’ve been thinking a lot about language during the last two weeks. Many times, I’ve thought I should have not been so arrogant and I should have taken some time to learn just a bit of Spanish before coming to Argentina. I’ve felt guilty asking locals I meet if they speak English because it feels a shame not to be able to communicate in their country, in their language.
On the other hand, the language barrier offered another gift. A truly irreplaceable one. The kind where you have to look into someone’s eyes and feel the energy of their words to truly understand what they are saying with foreign words. The kind of gift that allows you to connect with people from another world at another level. The kind of gift that changes you in a small, but powerful, way.
I’ve been in Argentina for almost two weeks now. And I’ve come to that inevitable point in every vacation where you crave something familiar. Last night, this ended up in a planned dinner at a local hot dog shop called Mr. Dog. But after eating my “pancho” (“hot dog” in Spanish), I still wasn’t satisfied.
Sona: Amy Bondar is the most holistic nutritionist I have ever met. We met over 6 years ago while I was managing The Hoffman Centre for Integrative Medicine and where she was running her private nutrition practice. In all the times I’ve consulted with Amy on my diet, she has always provided me with an informed opinion, sound advice and invaluable insight into my relationship with food and body. So that means I don’t just end up switching high-fat for low-fat; instead I end up becoming more conscious of my food and how to use it to fuel my energy to live my purpose. In the process, my health is elevated. And that’s why I’ve asked Amy to join my community—to share her wisdom with you, so you, too, can become consciously connected to your food, body and purpose.
Fall is a time of transition. Summer days, holidays and RnR is done. School has started, new routines and schedules are being established and programs and classes are beginning. The weather is shifting, leaves are turning and falling and our tastes and desires for food are also changing.
Listening to your body
Over the next few weeks listen and trust your body-wisdom. If you are craving oatmeal for breakfast, eat oatmeal. If you are uninspired by salads for lunch, try soups and if you want to eat warmer one-pot meals for dinner, go for it! If you have been sticking with the same foods over the last few months, it’s time to switch it up.
Welcome
Hello! My name is Sona Khosla and I hope this blog brings you new perspectives, insights and ideas for your life—whether they are written by me or someone from my community.
