Honest happiness

Lately I haven't written anything because I created this blog to write about happiness. To be honest lately I haven't been feeling too happy, my life is in the mists of change and sometimes it can be overwhelming. But then I thought about life in general. A human being would be dishonest if he claimed he was happy all of the time. But what is happiness without sadness? What is good without the bad? The only way we can really be sure we are happy is when we know we are not sad.

I realized that I'm waking up really late. In fact, I'm getting up so late that I only have a couple of hours before everything is closed. So then I just don't do anything.

When I was little I used to think that I had to get up early every morning. This was not because my parents told me to. This was because one day I realized, after having understood the concept of death, that the time I spent sleeping I wasn't living my life. So I would get up every day wanting to do as much as I could because I wanted to do it all.

This wanting to do it all I guess never went away. Every day I find something new I'd like to try and I just keep adding to the list. Lists... I have them every where, in journals, notebooks, and random backsides of papers already used. I feel this sense of accomplishment every time I cross one off. This personal, little guilty pleasure, much like Amelie Poulain's digging her hand into a sac of grains.

But now the satisfaction is few and far between. I put things off and accomplish very little in so long a stretch of time. Maybe I've learned to be patient. Due to my temper, I don't think this is it at all. I guess I just lost childhood track of time.

In psychology class I learned that there are some essential behaviors you have to do. The thing is that these behaviors only happen in two stages. When you're an infant, or when you're going senile. Those behaviors not played out in infancy would most likely occur when senile. So if in fact the concept of the short passing of time occurred in my youth does it mean that I'm saved from realizing this in maturity, when it would be too late?

I want to want to wake up early every day so that I could do as much as I could.

Just like no one is happy all the time, no one is sad all the time. I see the bright side of all the clouds, that are concentrated over me for the time being, on my patch of the beach. But until they pass I'll just have to lie here, on the cold sand, waiting... knowing, that on the other side was my perfect tan.

Feeling Blue

For some reason lately I've been feeling down. I didn't get the internship I had planned on for the summer and I feel like a kid out of school. At first its just fun to relax and do nothing, wake up at 1:00 PM and have time to catch up on my reading... Even as a kid there was only so much I could take of summer. By mid July I already had all my school supplies picked out. At twenty six its not the same. When you were a kid all of your friends where available to entertain you. We would go to the beach, play in the woods and ride our bikes all day. At twenty six all of your friends have jobs and there's only so much you can do by yourself without spending too much cash or going stir crazy. I need some motivation!!! I've been meaning to get back into the gym praying it will give me some energy and something to do, but every day it seems I wake up lazier and later (the other day I woke up at four in the afternoon... Any suggestions?

Fun in simple things

Last night, (a friday) my friend Yong and I decided that we would do something fun that didn't require us to spend any money. She was in need of some sort of relaxation (she's an english teacher and the kids have been driving her mad) and so we came up with the idea of a "spa" night. Yes I know it sounds like something from "13 going on 30" but I swear these things never get old. So send the boyfriend packing for the night (he will most likely not mind, after all its not like he's suffering with his pals at the pub) and between your girls and yourself gather up some things you forgot you already had...

Every girl has in some way acquired most of the following:

• pedicure or manicure kits (often received as gifts from friends)
  
• assortment of nail polishes
  
• foot soaks and lotions
• Facial masks, scrubs and creams (in our case, Yong just couldn't say "no" to a sales lady at the Obey Your Body counter a couple of months ago.) 

I put my Ipod on a Genius Playlist off  Yael Naim's New Soul (gotta love that Itunes Genius, it does all the work for you) filled a bucket with warm water, opened a bottle of white wine and Voila!!! A relaxing night while catching up with your friends that ends with pretty toes and moisturized skin!

... and we didn't spend a dime ;)

When times get tough...

In times of economic crisis one can't help but feel overwhelmed, worried or even depressed. When you find yourself having to cut back on things you enjoyed or having to change your lifestyle all together, its hard to stay positive. But there IS something positive in all of this. People are starting to get back to basics and enjoy the little things in life some of us have even forgotten to acknowledge. 

To be completely honest, what do we really NEED? 

1. food

2. shelter

3. health

4. love

When you have overwhelming thoughts of sadness or despair its always good to stop and think of these true basic needs.

... and now a personal story:

I was very upset the other day because I was so close to completing my goal of graduating from my masters in just one year. I wanted to walk on that stage and receive my diploma this May. But the university has a policy that the seminar course has to be taken all by itself, the last class if you may, and because of that one class I couldn't take with the other three I had this trimester I was going to have to wait until next year. I was VERY upset, that means no job, no money ext. While I was in my friends car crying and whining about how my world was coming to an end we stopped at a red light and as I looked out my window all teary eyed I noticed a homeless person that made crosses out of palm fronds in order to get money. I felt so ashamed, here I was so upset when I actually have a home to go to, and this person was standing in the wet road with nothing... I lowered my window and gave him the only dollar I had in my wallet to which he responded "God bless you". It was a humbling experience, but one that made me realize the blessings I have in my life.

Its like my mother always said to me "there is ALWAYS someone worse off than you, so be thankful for what you have." 

Must Love Pets

I live by myself, but every time I open that door there is not one, but two beings so happy to see me you'd think I had gone to China and back (when in fact I only went to the store next to my building.) Yes they jump, they kiss (lick) and wag their tails with such euphoria!!! Even if I was having the worse day ever up until then I can't help but smile. Emma and Lucy are my constant companions, even as I write this they are playing at my feet.

The physical and medical benefits of pets to your health is scientifically proven. Here are some of the amazing benefits to owning a furry friend: 

• Dog ownership increases the odds for survival in persons who have had a heart attack from 1 in 15 to 1 in 87. Pet ownership also has increased the percent of people who survived at least one year after hospitalization for heart problems. Only 6% of nonpet owners survived versus 28% of people with pets. Pet ownership may be only one of several variables that influenced this improved survival, but even a 2-3% difference is significant. In addition, pets may actually lessen the risk of heart attacks. 

• People with pets have been found to have lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels when compared to people who did not have pets, even when matched for weight, diet, and smoking habits.Dogs have been shown to reduce blood pressure in a number of populations. Studies in women undergoing stress tests, have demonstrated that the presence of a dog had more of an effect on lowering blood pressure than the presence of friends. Similarly, children who had a dog present during their physical examination showed lower heart rate, blood pressure, and behavioral distress than when the dog was not present. Stockbrokers who had dogs or cats in their offices when they had to carry out stressful tasks had smaller increases in blood pressure than those who did not have a pet present. 

• People who own pets often have better physical health due to the need to exercise and care for their pets. 

• The use of prescription drugs and the overall cost of caring for patients in nursing homes dropped in those facilities where companion animals became part of the therapy. A study also found that for persons living at home, those with pets had fewer medical appointments and minor health problems. 

• Some people who have periodic seizures have reported that their dogs can sense the onset of a seizure before they can. Now it has been found that dogs can be specially trained to recognize some type of change prior to a seizure, and signal the owner of the imminent seizure. This gives the owner sufficient time to prepare, such as moving away from a hot stove. These dogs are called 'seizure-alert' or 'seizure-response' dogs, and can be trained to signal their owners from 15 to 45 minutes prior to a seizure. In addition to the tremors and stiffness that Parkinson's patients experience, they also face a problem called 'freezing.' Their feet freeze in place while the rest of their body keeps moving, causing the person to fall. As a result, some people with Parkinson's may tend to become sedentary, reluctant to move, and reclusive. (info from http://www.peteducation.com)

So if your serious about living a healthy lifestyle try adding a pet to your life. Go to your local shelter, www.petfinder.com or my *favorite* www.saveasato.org where you can give a street dog a second chance at life!

What do you eat?

Why is it that when you tell someone you're a vegetarian they always ask this question? 

What do you eat?

I usually just say "everything else," but I found an article on www.michaelbluejay.com/veg/eat that answers this question in a more complete way: 

"I 'm glad you asked, because I like to eat, and I love talking about food. Probably the first thing that people think of when they think of being vegetarian is giving up hamburgers, but there are actually a lot of commercial veggie burgers you can get in grocery stores by companies like Morningstar Farms, Yves, Boca Burger, and Garden Burger, and most of them come in about five different flavors. You know with meat pretty much the only flavor you get is, hamburger. Even Burger King has a veggie burger on their menu now, and so do lots of restaurants. Now personally I don't really buy veggie burgers unless I'm eating out, but sometimes I make them myself from scratch with things like lentils, rice, and oats. A meat alternative I like better is the veggie barbecue that they have in the regular grocery stores now. Of course there are also a gazillion varieties of meatless hot dogs but I never really missed hot dogs very much.

For ethnic food my favorite variety is Indian, dishes like aloo gobhi, allo paratha, bombay pav bhaji, chana masala, dahl, gobhi muslam, and tandoori casserole. Those are things like spiced cauliflower and potatoes, potato-filled flat bread, curried vegetables, spiced chickpeas, and thick stews made from yellow split peas. After that I'd go for Mexican food -- enchiladas, tacos, and burritos, filled with potatoes, onions, and beans like black beans, red beans, and kidney beans. There's also tamales, tamale pie, and fajitas made with a wheat roast called seitan. I also like Mediterranean food, things like spanikopita which is a spinach pie, tabouleh which is a grain dish made from bulgur wheat, and falafel, which is a sandwich made from fried chickpeas, though I don't eat that too much because I try to avoid fried foods. And I guess everyone likes Chinese food -- chop suey, chow mein, dim sum, mu shu vegetables, stir-fried eggplant, spring rolls, won ton soup, and other Asian foods like Pad Thai and sushi without fish. I don't eat just exotic stuff, though. I also like traditional foods like baked beans, chili without meat, casseroles, mashed potatoes, and sloppy joes made from lentils or tofu. Oh, I almost forgot Italian -- eggplant casserole, lasagna with meat & dairy substitutes, pasta like linguini, fettucine, and spaghetti, and of course pizza. I like making my own pizza because nothing impresses someone like making pizza from scratch, including the crust. It's also fun to be creative -- once I made pizza at a hostel and they didn't have a rolling pin, so I used a tomato sauce can to roll out the dough. When I'm cooking for myself I also make thick stews based on whatever vegetables and beans I have lying around, usually potatoes, onions, eggplant, carrots, garlic, and greens like spinach or chard. This goes really well with brown rice, which I usually make separately but sometimes I cook it right along in the stew. Sometimes I'll just make a pot of nothing but potatoes, spiced wih soy sauce or spike. I especially like boiling a whole bunch of sweet potatoes. If I'm cooking for someone else I'll generally make pizza, veggie burgers, Chinese stir-fry, or a casserole like baked lentils or eggplant. For the holidays I make a fake turkey out of brown rice and pecans. When I'm running low on food I usually have some rice or oatmeal lying around that I can make in a pinch.

I tend to eat a lot of fruit just by itself, especially for breakfast or lunch -- apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, canteloupe, dates, figs, grapefruit, kiwis, oranges, pears, nectarines, mangos, peaches, pears, plums, pineapple, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, tangerines watermelon, and apples. I prefer golden delicious and red delicious apples, I don't like granny smith because they're too tart, or McIntosh because they're too soft. For snacks besides ruit I like popcorn and rice cakes. I guess other vegans are more likely to eat cookies, crackers, pretzels, chips, pickles, or nuts like almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, filberts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, or walnuts, but I try to keep away from junk food and high-fat foods. I eat too many bagels since I get them for free when the bakery throws them away at the end of the day, but otherwise I make whole wheat bread with my bread machine. I could buy it, but it's cheaper to make it and there's nothing like fresh-baked bread. I don't eat a lot of sandwiches any more but my favorite fillings are hummus, black bean spread, homemade veggie burgers, and peanut butter. What do you like to eat?"

Current Readings:

I am currently reading "How to Practice The Way to a Meaningful Life" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In the introduction he describes two ways to happiness. The first external (materialistic) and the second through mental development, which yields inner happiness. He says external happiness  cannot last long without its counterpart. I see it as that feeling that something is missing. "Despite the most luxurious surroundings, you cannot be happy. However, if you have a piece of mind, you can find Happiness even under the most difficult circumstances."

I find that peace of mind is essential to a human being. How can one sleep at night knowing he has done another wrong. I find society values material wealth more than spiritual (mental) wealth. Just as you study in order to better yourself in society, you must study and work in order to achieve peace of mind...

His Holiness the Dalai Lama actually has a web site! www.dalailama.com/