Happiness: It's easy as 1-2-3

There's a lot written about happiness. You can pick up any number of books on the subject-Gretchen Rubin has created a whole brand around happiness- or you can read an unlimited supply of online articles. I've always been interested by the idea that you can make yourself happier, so I began to explore this a bit further. As I did, I noticed a trend among the healthy living blogs and websites. I love reading positive, uplifting content on the web because it just makes me feel good, ahem, happy. I really enjoy the site, Positively Positive. What's not to love about the tag line: Your Attitude+Your Choices=Your Life. Love that. When I'm reading Positively Positive or another lifestyle site like, Mind Body Green, for example, it's hard not to notice a common thread. 15 Tips for Public Speaking that Apply to Shining at Work and Just About Everywhere Else. 5 Ways to Become an Effective Parent. 4 Tips to Regain your Sanity. 10 Steps to Manifest Abundance. You get the picture. Can happiness, abundance, and wellness be this easy to achieve? Psychologically, there must be something to the numbers. Perhaps it's the suggestion that you can be confident and shine at work, manifest abundance, be more sane, etc. if you just master 4, 10, or 15 steps. It's kind of like the shiny lure bobbing just beneath the water's surface hoping to catch the fish; and even though I know it's not as easy as 1-2- 3,  I have to admit I am a sucker for a cool picture that makes me want to go into a wheat field and practice yoga, and a headline that reads,  "10 Tools for Everyday Happiness."  I decided to give the tips a try.

These tips on how to feel good every day are pulled from the article here. 

1.  Meditate fifteen to thirty minutes per day. Plug into Source.

Me: I wish! I even downloaded a Meditation Helper App for my phone and a mindfulness bell. I know 15 minutes isn't a long time, but I just haven't found a way to make it work. My tip: Find 5 minutes to quiet your mind. (I like to find my 5 minutes sitting in the car just before I pick my son up from preschool.) If you can't quiet your mind, use those 5 minutes to think about what is good in your life and what you are grateful for. I feel bad when I can't manage 15 minutes of meditation. I feel good when I consistently do 5. Pick the time that works for you.

2. Set your intention for the day. What quality do you want to show up with today? (e.g. grace, courage, joy, self-acceptance…)

Me: Ooh, boy. This takes some serious mindfulness. I usually wake up to a dog that needs to go outside and a kid who wants me to make pancakes. My tip: If it works for you, great. I don't find it makes a difference.

3. EXERCISE! Run, walk, yoga, weights, Pilates…Get your motor running (minimum thirty minutes). Power up your endorphins. Train your body to recognize and imprint feeling good.

Me: Totally agree here. I feel bad when I don't make time to take care of my body. When I move, I feel better. Some days I have a crappy workout, which use to make me feel like I either wasted my time or should have worked out harder, but this tip reminds me that what matters is movement, not intensity. My tip: Make time to move in any way that works for your life. I love the idea of sweating it out in a high intensity spin class, but that's just not me. Even if your movement is taking the stairs at work and walking after dinner, just move.

4. Gratitude. First thing in the morning: Pray in gratitude for all your gifts. Be thankful for waking up with a healthy body and mind clear enough to do this exercise. Last thing at night: Review your day and all the good things that happened. Build your gratitude muscle and train your mind to focus on the good. (Are you alive? Do you have clean water? Do you live in a peaceful land?)
Me: I love this idea, but it's tough for me to be consistent either because hubby wants to watch a Walking Dead episode or it's Wednesday and American Idol is on. My tip: Put a notepad or journal by your bed and before you sleep write down your prayers and acknowledge what is good in your life. In the morning, before you get out of bed, say to yourself,  "Thank you for this bed and this healthy body." 

5. Listen to uplifting, inspirational speakers on your iPod, while you’re working out, driving, on the subway, etc. (e.g. Abraham Hicks, Ram Dass, Dr. Michael Beckwith, Marianne Williamson, Wayne Dyer). Be careful what you’re filling your head with. Choose nutritious brain food.
Me: These modern day gurus are very inspiring and choosing these folks over the Nightly News is definitely more uplifting, but do so with moderation. My tip: The internet makes accessing inspirational content easy. It can be easy to fall into the category of Spiritual Materialism or Self-help Junkie, when in truth, everything we seek is already within ourselves. There is merit to cutting out the negativity and replacing it with uplifting talks and reading, but don't let it replace your own intuition and voice inside.

6. Drink a green vegetable juice. You know the deal. Alkalizing your body boosts your mood and immune system. Only good can come from this.
Me: As a Holistic Nutrition Specialist, drinking green is so good for you. But so is eating green. My tip: If green juice and green smoothies aren't your thing or aren't part of your routine just yet, eat them. A diet that is plant strong with whole grains and clean protein will have the same affect of boosting mood, increasing energy, and making you feel lighter and happier.

7. Sit quietly in the sun for a few minutes. Remember who you are. Bask.
Me: I'll do this when I'm practicing yoga in the wheat field! Kidding aside, I put this in the category of finding your 5 mindful minutes. My tip: Don't feel bad if you pass up the basking for standing around with your mommy friends while your kids play together at the park. 

8. Journal about your dreams, desires, the life you are creating. Think of journaling as turning on the faucet and letting your mind flush out. Dump any thoughts. Stream of consciousness. I like to think of this as skimming the pond scum off the surface layer of your mind.
Me: Yes. Yes. Yes. Skim the pond scum!

9. Play great, uplifting music, sing along, dance! (The proven, fastest way to change your mood, open the heart, and free the mind, a.k.a. Bhakti Yoga.)
Me: Fact: Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" makes me want to move. My tip: Find the music that makes you want to do the same and then grab your kids or partner and sing out loud. It's silly. My kid and husband refuse to go along but they start smiling, and so will you.

10. Reach out to a loved one or friend just to say hello or catch up.
Me: When we feel connected, our mood improves. There are days that go by where my only connection is saying "hi" to another parent at preschool drop off or pick up, so when I catch up with my girlfriends or have a play date with another mom, my mood and attitude totally improves.  My tip: Lay off Facebook and schedule a date with a friend-in person or on the phone. Create standing dates so "where does the time fly" is never an excuse to connect. 

My verdict: Of all the lists out there, I'd say this one is pretty legit, albeit with a few modifications.   So what is your formula for adding more joy to your life? Did this list of feel good tips leave anything out?

Does Your Productivity Affect Your Mood?

Is anyone else's mood tied to their productivity? Wednesdays are my extended day when my son is picked up by my mother, giving me from 9-3 to work on Willpower Wellness. I find myself totally blah by the end of the day when all I've managed to accomplish is a two sentence Facebook post, some professional reading, and managing the RSVP list to my son's birthday party.  My kitchen table is stacked with tons of inspiration and yet all I can think about is whether the rug in my bedroom would look better in my living room.

I've always been a "sign" girl, that is, I'm quick to interpret things that are out of the ordinary or that work hard to get my attention as a sign from the Universe. Of course not all signs are meaningful, but sometimes they are. For me, some of the signs that stand out, especially in retrospect, are the time when a hawk flew in front of my window, perched and looked at me before flying away. Then there was the time when my midwife was confirming my miscarriage and a red cardinal kept tapping on the glass of the third floor window until we opened the blinds to see it. I'll never forget driving home one afternoon after picking my son up from preschool and seeing a tarantula crossing the road in front of my car. How bizarre and unusual, right? I mean a tarantula?

Not all of my signs have been animals. When I began to notice repeat numbers often, I looked up their significance. Every time I looked at a clock I'd see 2:22, 3:33, 4:44, 5:55 or 11:11. A text message might come through at 1:11, the display on my dash says 2:22, the gas just happens to be 3:33, etc.  After a while, my friend Virginia, who is an incredibly gifted intuitive coach, recommended a deck of Oracle cards. I'd never worked with or heard of Oracle cards. They reminded me of Tarot cards, which I have always thought to be a bit too gypsy for me personally. Despite my skepticism,  I felt like the Universe was trying to get my attention, and oh by the way, I'm also at a point in my career where I'm trying not to let my own insecurity and fear obstruct following a path that is truly an extension of myself. To say I've been seeking some guidance from somewhere "out there" would probably be an understatement. Maybe these Oracle cards could give me some insight.

I chose the Ascended Masters deck of cards because of all the repeating numbers, I tend to see 333 the most, which according to angel numbers mean the Ascended Masters are near you. It's worth noting that before this, I didn't even know what an Ascended Master was and I certainly am not up on all the angels out there, but I decided to keep an open mind with these cards.

So what do Oracle cards have to do with productivity? I've been feeling a bit down today. I'm trying to create content for my website, but the creative juices are just not flowing. I'm reminded of Anne Lamott's book on writing, Bird by Bird when she discusses how even the best writers will often sit painfully staring at their computers willing the words to write themselves only to find themselves staring blankly out the window. That's how I feel today, so I pulled out my cards. "Focus on your strengths" really spoke to me. I've been trying to figure out a way to make a professional looking graphic but powerpoint is just not working for me, and I absolutely have no desire to fiddle fart around with SmartArt to find the right shapes to work. Apollo reminds me to Be Alex. Do what I'm good at, and I am definitely NOT good at powerpoint, graphics, or creating marketing material. Thoth encourages me to "write", which is why I'm penning this post. Manjushri tells me to "listen," and when I do I hear the words of Apollo. Be Alex. Be Alex. Do what you're good at. Stop wasting your time with the other stuff. It doesn't have to be perfect. Wait-what? Hello, internal self. Yes, it doesn't have to be perfect to be productive.  Just be you. 

Love the skin you're in

I have a love/hate relationship with my skin. On the one hand, being fair skinned means that I've been pretty good about sunscreen over the years so I'd like to think I have fewer wrinkles and sun damage. On the other hand, being fair skinned means I NEVER tan, so I'm always a sucker for the latest self-tan products, most of which look like I applied them without proper exfoliation.

One of the blessings of growing older is that those dreadful hormonal years of my youth are behind me, along with the angry pimples and prescription acne creams. Yet, just when I thought my thirties were the benchmark for clearer skin, I happen to look closely in the mirror after washing my face  one night and noticed an all out assault of blackheads lurking just below my skin. At first I'm like, it's okay they are just blackheads, but then I google "lots of blackheads," and realize they are just a different kind of pimple, but a pimple they are!

Okay, I know you're looking at this picture and you're like, what pimples?! It's the lighting. My skin is so dry and blotchy and what you don't see in addition to the gajillion blackheads is that I also have these small white and red bumps on my chin, smile line, between my eyebrows and around my eyes. When my skin is a mess, it totally bums me out. My latest flare up left me perplexed. I'm a sucker for product packaging so I've tried high end, low end, and everything in between. I finally google "tiny red bumps on smile line" and bam, there's all these blogs dedicated to the same thing! I self-diagnose Perioral Dermatitis or PD. No one seems to know what causes it and no one seems to know what clears it up (save yourself the trip to the dermatologist).  This blog gave me some natural solutions like Apple Cider Vinegar. The findings:  YUCK! Not only does it burn like hell, but I could barely stand the smell of myself. Another solution was to STOP exfoliation. The findings: This goes against nearly every fiber in my body especially with dry flaky skin, but I did lay off the scrub successfully. A third solution was to stop wearing make up and do as little as possible to your skin. The findings: After going back and forth between tinted concealers and various foundations, I found I was unable to go cold turkey on a completely unmade face, but I did stay true my Bare Minerals make-up, which true or not, I felt was better for my skin than the alternatives. 

The results: The PD ultimately went away, either on its own or through some combination of the above, but the blackheads persisted. At one point I swear nearly every single one of my pores was suffocating under a tarmac of black oily dirt.

Here's what finally worked for me:

1. I've kept on using my Aveeno Oatmeal Moisturizing Bar soap as a cleanser. It's cheap, does not dry my skin, and gets rid of most of my eye make-up.

2.  I started an exfoliating regimen inspired by Giada in her new cookbook Feel Good Food. She uses a rice flour/olive oil blend each night. Anxious to give it a try, I turned to what was in my pantry, which was NOT rice flour. I did have oatmeal so I blended it up to make a coarse flour and mixed with olive oil. It felt like coarse sand with crushed shells in it, which didn't feel very good on my face. Not wanting to waste the mash, I thought it would make an excellent body scrub in the morning. Wrong again. Not only did my shower look like someone vomited all over, it smelled like my son when he use to eat oatmeal every morning, with most of the oatmeal mashed into his hair, face, and clothes. I'll keep the oatmeal in my face bar.  

Next I tried a blend with chickpea flour, which I happened to have in my pantry after another home facial mentioned by Dr. Oz. . The Dr. Oz blend seriously made my face look like a oompa loompa because it had turmeric in it, but when I mixed the chickpea flour simply with olive oil, it was quite nice. It didn't have the grit I was expecting, and it did make me smell like a legume afterward, but it left my skin feeling really great.  

Lastly, after a trip to Whole Foods, I tried Giada's actual recipe of 3 tablespoons rice flour with 2 tablespoons olive oil. This felt like fine sand and seems to be the happy medium. Despite the daily exfoliation, my skin feels awesome. My pores are actually smaller.

3. Afterward, Giada says she always splashes with cold water to seal up her pores. I do this, plus swab Witch Hazel across my face for extra measure. 

4. The last thing I do- and I really think this has been the game changer-I switched to a water based moisturizer by Kiehls. I use the Ultra Facial Cream at night and the daytime version with SPF 30 during the day. 

The most expensive part of this regime is the under eye cream, also from Kiehl's, but I swear it too has made a difference in the lines under my eyes and my crows feet. It's $40. Ouch. I know. Although, considering my cleansing bar is $3.50, the rice flour paste is pennies, the astringent is $5.00, and the moisturizer is $26; I felt there was room to splurge on the area that shows my age most-especially in the name of self-care.

Like the seasons, I begin again

When I went back to school to pursue a calling, I knew that Nutrition would be my focus. I had the choice of minoring in Hypnotherapy or Urban Farming. I started with Hypno thinking it would be more marketable, but after one class I changed course. I've never had a garden, despite the multitude of Better Home & Garden magazines I've collected over the years. Up until last year, the last time I planted a seed was in 7th grade science class. I had watched all of the food activist documentaries, but was especially moved by Dirt! I had never thought of soil as the source for life, but without out it we have no food. It's just that simple. Motivated to grow an edible, but attractive food landscape, I began my garden a year ago, about the same time I interned at a nearby permaculture (see previous posts). You know you're meant to garden when you find pleasure in pulling weeds. I am not even close to being an amateur gardener, despite courses in urban farming and spending 30 hours working on a farm, and I'm barely able to call myself a novice, but to be in the yard and in the dirt is very gratifying. 

For a gardening newbie like me, mint is one of those herbs that is incredibly tolerant and forgiving. This guy was in my garden and taking over, even though I planted him in a container. Mint loves to stretch and root. I dug him up and replanted him in a container that was a bit neglected through the fall. It's winter now in Florida (a great growing season) and he is happy.

My previous posts from last summer shed light on my struggle to grow tomatoes in Florida. Tomatoes, at least for me, are the crown jewel of the garden. Despite my full on organic attack on the pests, my plants were no match for the Florida heat and aphid assault. I think I harvested two tomatoes from 3 plants. Depressing. I was about to give up hope for homegrown tomatoes when my local nursery said I was not alone. You mean, there are others who can't grow vegetables in the summer? It's not just that I know nothing about organic pesticides or the pH of my soil? By the way sand is bad for plants. Seems pretty obvious but I had no idea that when soil degrades and loses nutrients it turns to sand. Oh what a horror when I scraped away the top layer of dark soil to reveal a gray sandy base. No wonder my damn plants are growing! Anyway, the good news is that growing during Florida summers is hard for just about everyone, at least everyone who is a novice like me. Fall is the better time of year, so I gave it a try. I began from seed three varieties of tomatoes and oh the gloriousness of these little beauties. Today I sliced into an heirloom variety and enjoyed it with a fried organic egg from Lake Meadows and sliced avocado. Talk about the kind of yum that makes you rock back and forth and say, "mmm, mmmm, mmmm." 

Greens are also really gratifying to grow. They are awesome cold weather crops and easy to start from seed. I'm loving the gold and red Swiss Chard. My lacinto kale is super hardy and is a beautiful silver green which makes super easy Microwaved Kale Chips. I just know that I'm enjoying tons of chlorophyll, Vitamins A, C, and K, and folic acid. I've also got several collard green and arugula plants growing. All combined, these dark leafies are super versatile in green smoothies, sautéed with garlic, lemon and olive oil, or chopped into a raw salad. 

Part of the joy in gardening is getting my kid excited about vegetables and this no small feat. He had such a fun time harvesting tomatoes, parsley, collards, kale, swiss chard, and arugula. He discovered a lady bug hanging on a pepper plant and checked out the milkweed for any caterpillars. It's the little things.

But don't be mislead. He's not going eat this tomato, but he does like picking them. I have better luck when I tell him the Kale Chips are Hulk Munchies.

The perils of juicing Malabar Spinach

Today was the final day of work for my Urban Farm externship. I completed 30 hours at Econ Farm. On Wednesday we are celebrating with a Pot Luck gathering. Today we built a trellis for the cucumbers that will provide shade to the lettuce beneath. It's already starting to heat up here. We built the trellis with onsite bamboo and zip ties. 

Check out the cocoon of this moth. A literal twig house.

Look how enormously amazing this Giant Collard Green plant is in the forefront.

Back home in my own garden, the Malabar Spinach gifted to me is doing well. It grows like a vine. The leaves are thick and bright green, and slightly heart shaped. I can't seem to get regular old spinach to do anything, but this Malabar stuff is taking off. The pests in my garden are attacking nearly everything, but not this. No wonder it's a favorite in permaculture design: low maintenance! Anyway, here's the deal with Malabar Spinach-and this is only true if you are someone who cares about the texture of your food-there is something very slimy and off putting about good ole' Malabar. I tried it raw in a salad with other greens and it has a very strong presence, and not in a good way. Trying to convince myself that all green is good, I tried sautéing it. Yuck. The stuff does not cook well. But what to do? The spinach is growing like Jack's beanstalk. I harvest a bowl of it and take it to my juicer. Juicing Malabar Spinach is like some crazy science experiment. Kelly green snot, yes, snot. When you juice Malabar Spinach it comes out as some gooey, slimy, liquid snot that happens to be a beautiful vibrant shade of green, but is so offensive it belongs on a show like Fear Factor. And just so you know that I made a valiant effort, I did try to cut the green slime with lemon juice, cucumber and apple, which did absolutely nothing to offset the disgusting sliminess of Malabar juice. Malabar Spinach was my first lesson in planting only food that you are going to eat. Just because it grows doesn't mean you have to grow it!

Attack of the Crazy Squirrel

Today we completed the garden overhaul. It's been a 4-week process of harvesting, clearing, planting, transplanting, watering in, fertilizing, and mulching. Today we worked on clearing out the final bed (on the left) and mulching all of the beds with hay. 

Midway through, we were greeted by a very friendly squirrel. This squirrel had visited last week and had crawled over Terry and Alyson. Today he hung out in the garden, tried drinking my coffee, and  munched on greens.

And then used Andrea as a personal jungle gym.

Then, without warning, the squirrel climbed all over her. At first we thought it was funny and cute. How social, we thought. He followed us over to the food prep area while we made lunch and got more bold, climbing all over the picnic table, drinking from the water pitcher, and treating us like we were trees. Finally, we resorted to water defense, hoping a spritz of water would deter him. I knew it was probably a matter of time before he set his sites on me, and sure enough when I pointed the spray bottle at him he jumped on me, like the scene out of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Startled, I did my typical scream-like-a-girl dance and eventually knocked the crazy little thing off of me. Even then he just wouldn't quit, so Terry finally gave the little guy a time out by putting a bucket over him, and even then he tried to dig out! Squirrel aside, I was inspired after today's garden maintenance to spend some time in my own. My tomatoes have been victim to aphids, then caterpillars, and now a fungus. I realized after clearing out Terry's grow boxes that when plants are too full or too close together or leaves touch the soil, it's an invitation for pests. I see now that my tomatoes were in desperate need of being thinned out so that the natural predators can get in and do their thing. I moved around some plants to make room for another collard green plant, 2 new lettuce plants and 2 climbing Malabar spinach plants. I soaked seeds overnight and planted those today as well. It's starting to warm up here and I can see the top of my soil starting to turn sandy, so I covered with a layer of my compost and mulched it with oak leaves from the yard. Altogether I'm growing lettuce, arugula, 3 varieties of tomato, heirloom peppers, jalapeño, cucumber, 2 varieties of spinach, mesclun green, collard greens, lacinto kale, 2 types of watermelon, squash, sage, spearmint, basil, thyme, cilantro, and parsley. I'm also growing zinnias, 4 o'clocks, marigolds and nasturtiums. Phew, it doesn't look like that much in my garden beds, but I really do have quite a bounty growing out back!

Fruit Tree Maintenance

On Monday, my son's school was closed for a Teacher work day, this after a full week off for Spring Break....don't even get me started:) Together we worked in our garden on Monday. A full on attack on the aphids with soapy water and water blasting seemed to derail their efforts to suffocate my tomato plants. I've treated the plants a couple more times, but now at the base of one plant is a fungus. Frustrated, I finally turned to an Organicide that is mostly Fish Oil and claims to kill and prevent insects, though not harmful for bees and butterflies, as well as address my fungus issues. My Zinnia and 4 o'clocks are sprouting, as is my Seminole pumpkin squash. I had transplanted the collard and kale from Terry's place and they are all doing well. I divided my spearmint and placed it strategically around my other tomato plants. My least affected tomato plant is near spearmint, which can deter pests. I pulled up my bib lettuce that had bolted and become bitter. In its place I direct sowed spring mix lettuce.

Today at the Farm we tended to all of the fruit trees. Terry diluted worm poop and we methodically pulled back all the soil and mulch from each fruit tree, topped with fresh compost, new mulch leaves, and drenched the plants with fertilized water. Let me just say, worm poop smells dreadful-worse than any port-a-pot-worse than any killer dog fart-I'm talking stop you in your tracks odor- but the fruit trees love it more than compost tea. Terry has 23 fruit trees on the property. The majority are citrus, everything from meyer lemon, lime, calamondin, valencia orange, pink grapefruit, and page orange, but he also has 2 varieties of apple which are suppose to do "okay" in Florida, a mulberry, persimmon, 2 peach, kumquat, and an olive tree. After we fertilized the fruit trees, we gave the banana groves some TLC and cleaned up dead leaves, dropping them on the floor below to serve as a mulch bed that will eventually compost back down and feed the banana trees.