Week 14

Everything in moderation
You might wonder where is week 13? Not that I am superstitious but I don’t do thirteen. Now back to business and why I choose the title “everything in moderation”. Don’t you think that this motto should be incorporated into all aspects of our life? Even things that give us immense pleasure should not be overindulged. If we use this motto for work, play, exercise and nutrition, our lives would be so much simpler. We would have far less workaholics, depression, obesity or even slackers in the world. Let me use the example of this past week, when our family participated in our schools annual Celebration of the World event. This was a wonderful occasion for the thirty eight nationalities represented at our school, to come together under one roof. There were approximately 1500 people who attended the event. Each country was responsible for providing a taste of typical food from their homeland. This is an arduous task considering the number of mouths to feed. Just to give you an idea of what some of the countries offered; the Canadian booth flipped over 2000 “loonie” sized pancakes served with maple syrup. The booth from Argentina made over 1000 bite sized empanadas. The Swedish table offered smoked salmon on a cracker, and the Japanese table served small plates of yakisoba. Now add food samples from another twenty plus countries to this list and that was “lunch”. Miraculously people were able to circulate around the food court, tasting delights from around the world, over a period of four hours, without feeling stuffed or gluttonous by the end of sampling. Studies have proven than eating smaller portions in moderation is more beneficial to our health. Think of your body as a machine that needs constant energy source (food) for fuel. Stop feeding it and it’s going to run sluggish. It is important to keep that engine stoaked throughout the entire day. There are three main benefits to eating smaller meals more often. First, it takes about ten percent of the calories in your food to digest it, so eating more frequently helps rev up the engine. Second, you will have more energy to be active, and third, you are less likely to reach for a sugary snack, when you are keeping your blood sugar steady. Grazing is term that I like to call this method of eating. When we eat more than our body needs, the excess is sent to the liver to be turned into fat. With our face paced busy life, and far less breaks, it is really a task to EAT OFTEN. This concept sounds fine on paper but it really forces you to have to plan better. So, take a few minutes every morning to think about what you will consume that day, with regards to both the size and frequency of your food intake. The next time a person tells you that they can’t eat that piece of brownie or scoop of ice cream because they are on a diet, tell them that you believe that it is important to have “EVERYTHING IN MODERATION”. Have a great week friends and HAPPY MAY!

Week 12

Sometimes the simplest thing, is so hard to do
As a parent, I find myself constantly reiterating the old adage, "If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all." The golden rule, 'treat others as you would like to be treated' is strategically taped beside the breakfast nook as a morning reminder. These are simple rules to live by, but I wonder why it is so difficult for people to follow such basic and civil tenants. Recently, the leader of our bible study class moved back to the USA and is in the process of repatriation. Since none of us felt confident enough to run the bible study group, we decided to play to the strengths of the remaining group members, and began to search for a new direction to take the group. The new/old group is now called NOSSA which is an acronym for kNowing, Others, Self, Strengths, Awareness. In Portuguese, the term “nossa”, is also used when you want to say “wow." Our mission statement is as follows; In a chaotic city such as Sao Paulo, combined with the ever changing life as a expat family, this group offers an avenue for tranquil introspection. We meet weekly to focus on self-exploration, awareness and spirituality. The direction of the group is to identify inspirational paths. Lectures, readings, discussions and meditation are used to further discover and empower our members. It is our desire to create an atmosphere of POSITIVE ENERGY AND THINKING, to be used throughout daily life. This is quite an undertaking if you think that it is human nature to complain, to feel like you are getting the short end of the stick, and to think that maybe the grass is greener on the other side. The first piece of literature the group will study is called The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. I would like to share these four simple agreements with you, in hopes that we can all take some time to reflect on how they might fit in to your life. They are simple agreements that for decades, mothers and fathers around the world have been trying to instill in their children. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, communication broke down bringing evils such as; negativity, anger, jealousy, hatred, war and greed. Imagine for a moment, a world where we all lived by the following agreements. Agreement one; be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. We should listen twice as much as we speak, that is why God made us with two ears and one mouth. Profound, yes? Pretty simple, but tough to do. Agreement two; Don’t take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you. You are responsible for your own destiny. Only you have control of how you will react or not react to a situation. This is something that I am trying to infuse in Alexa (now 11 years old) while she is entering the age of peer pressure and influence. Thankfully, she still has time to learn that when you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of endless suffering. Agreement three; Don’t make assumptions. Ruiz implores his readers to communicate clearly with others to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. Agreement Four; Always do your best. Is this not what we all learn from an early age? Whether learning to walk, talk or read, words of encouragement are whispered, 'Keep it up, 'Well done,' 'You can do it.' When your eight year old is stressed out about the upcoming math test, you say “Just do your best.” When you are running the first 5km race of your life, you think, “I just want to finish.” If we consider simply doing our best in every situation we will avoid self-judgment, self abuse and regret. Think about all the things that give you stress in your life. Many of these stressors are caused by outside sources that we have no control over. The only certainty is that we control our own destiny. By truly living and believing in these four very straightforward agreements, one can live a more fulfilled and peaceful life. This is just a little reminder of something we already know, the trick is putting into unwaivering practice.

If I had my life to live over

Week 11-If I had my life to live over
Thursday afternoon, 16:30 Sao Paulo, a city of 22 million people, bad things are going to happen, it is inevitable. My friend, Elizabeth and I were sitting at a red light, chatting about motherhood and how crazy it can be trying to keep track of everything that happens in a day, hour, minute! Suddenly, to the left of us, four police officers stormed into the nearby luncheonette, yelling ferociously, with guns flailing in the air. Three quick “pops” and two police officers left the snack bar, one supporting the other, with a wound to his left shoulder. I saw death, flash before my eyes! In a single second, life could be over. I ask myself, have I lived it? Truly done what I wanted to? Said what I wanted to say? Been who I want to be? Thankfully, I can say yes, to these deep questions. In the blink of an eye, drop of a pen, a split second…over. “How morbid”, one might say.”Too scary to think of” another thinks to them self. On the contrary my friends, when faced with the idea of death or dying we tend to examine the life that we live. If today was your last day on earth, would you feel fulfilled? If you answered “no”, to this question, then ask yourself, “What do I need to do in order to feel contentment?” You have the power to change your path. Only you can identify what needs to be modified to feel you are living life to the fullest! Carpe e diem! I will leave you this week with thoughts from Erma Bombeck, these words were written after she found out she was dying from cancer.

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.' There would have been more 'I love you's' More 'I'm sorry's.'

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute.look at it and really see it . . live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what.

Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

If you don't mind, send this on to all the women you are grateful to have as friends.
Maybe we should all grab that purple hat earlier.
Please send this to five phenomenal women today in celebration of Beautiful Women's Month.

If you do, something good will happen--you will boost another woman's self esteem.