easy peasy lemon squeezy cleanse

Wow is there ever a lot of information on cleansing out there.  To go along with this, there are a thousand and one ways to cleanse.

I want to step back for just a minute and look at what this might all mean, what the patterns are.  It seems that a lot of people feel dirty.  Otherwise, why would they cleanse?  It makes sense.  The minute you start reading about what is happening to the food, water, air and soil, you feel dirty.  Part of the dirty is due to consumption, part of the dirty is guilt because we knew all along this way of being isn't natural...and yet, we bought in.  Welcome to the awakening, the part when you realize that what you put in your body, on your body and surround yourself with affects you at the cellular level.  And now you want to clean up your dirty ways.

My own awakening started with just not feeling great.  I didn't feel bad, but I didn't feel great.  I was eating well and exercising and the results were not as expected.  I thought I should have tapped into the fountain of youth.  Instead, my hair started falling out, my friends thought I was developing some kind of eating disorder,  and I wanted to sleep all. the. time.  Turns out, my thyroid was fritzing on me.  Some research lead me to realize if your thyroid isn't performing at optimal levels, neither is your liver or your kidneys.  Which lead me to consider juicing.  Which lead me to look into cleansing.

Here's my take on cleansing and the things I do because, the cells of the body need to be wrung out.  I tend to not like a lot of pain and or suffering, so I opt for the kinder, yummier way of cleaning out the cellular waste.

from my kitchen and an earlier blog on lemons.

Lemon water, consumed first thing in the AM.  1 lemon, squeezed completely into a glass of water.  It makes me drink more water, which flushes the system and creates small, but vital, cleansing process.

Organic, unfiltered, apple cider vinegar (ACV), consumed 3 days a week, slowly.  2 Tbls ACV, 1 heaping teaspoon of honey in a mug of hot water.  Sip on throughout the morning.  I know.  It sounds terrible.  It was terrible.  It used to be 3 heaping teaspoons of honey and I hated the woman who recommended this poison. Now I look forward to it.  ACV acts like a tonic on the cells.  For a list of crazy cures and uses, check out this list.  It seems like a panacea, but I really, truly feel better.  Side note, I'm very skeptical about the weight loss aspect...it hasn't made an impact in this area for me.

Dig in the dirt.  Really, it smells good, it feels good and I'm sure it's what we're designed to do.  The smell of the garden releases chemicals that make you feel good.  When you feel good, you let go of the negative and I really think this includes the cellular level.

Sing.  Out loud.  As much as you can.  There are enough cultures that think singing is a blood tonic to make me buy into the notion.  It feels good.  It makes me happy.  It releases the bad and cleanses the cells.

Drink a freshly made green juice.  I keep my simple & tend to match the colors.  And they're organic.  Romaine lettuce, parsley, green apple & lime was today's juice.  Celery, ginger, lemon, yellow apple & cilantro is yummy and invigorating.  Juice is great because the nutrients are available immediately to the cells. The body doesn't have to go through the work of digestion, the enzymes, minerals & vitamins are right there and absorbed immediately in the mouth, stomach & intestines.  This immediate absorption causes the cells to turn over quickly (wring out & exchange old material for new).

Bounce.  This is new for me.  I have always loved trampolines...but I thought it was just the tramp part.  Nope.  It turns out the body knew more that I gave it credit for (again) and bouncing actually causes a gentle wringing on the cells that moment when your body feels it might break free of gravity.  Trapeze work does the same thing.  As does swinging (when you get to the apex and you feel you might break free).  So, a rebounder is on its way to my house.  It's a little trampoline, so I can bounce away.  It's good exercise, yes, but it's fantastic for cleansing the cells...wringing them all out at the same time.

beautiful photography by Debra McClinton, see more, here.

Bathe.  I was late to this game.  Hated baths when I was young.  Now I love them, they are soothing.  And I put things in them to make me feel great & to pull toxins from the body via my largest organ.  1 lb of baking soda and 2 cups of Epsom salts, to be exact.  Add a your favorite essential oil, float some flowers, light candles and read.  It's good for the soul, the candles add positive ions to the air and your cells have toxins pulled out of them.  We have it so good.  Hot water...tubs and tubs of hot water are proof of this.

great article from The Yummy Life on fruit waters with recipes!

Water.  Plain old water, 96 oz.  Add a little baking soda (about a 1/4) teaspoon to one of those glasses of water to alkalinize the body. Add fruit...it makes drinking water pure joy.  Push through the cells all the waste material.  Cleanse the blood, but more important, cleanse the lymphatic system.

Santa Barbara farmers' market image found on tumblr here.

Eat your veggies.  I like them raw in the spring & summer, cooked in the fall & winter.  But I tend to make what I crave, as I've noticed, the body knows more than my head.  And yes, I crave my veggies.  The more you eat, the more you want.  Juice really stirs up the desire for green veggies in me, too.  Here's a great chart on pH for those interested in what alkalinizes and what acidifies.

And don't forget to laugh.  There it is, my easy peasy lemon squeezy cellular flush, cleansing regimen.  Please don't forget, I'm not a doctor and none of this is to be taken as medical advice.  I'm just a girl with a powerful curiosity and internet access.

xo,
Jen

get happy right here, right now

you don't even need a camel.  Source for image.

I have some tricks for getting happy when I'm down.  They usually work, but sometimes, it's just harder.  Harder to find happy, harder to be happy.  There are a thousand pithy platitudes & bromides to help us through tough times.  Sometimes I like them.  Sometimes they make me mad.  Depends on the day, I guess.

It is universally accepted that you are in control of your happiness.  I don't fully agree with this.  I think you can have a profound affect on it, but it's not entirely yours to negotiate.  We have outside influences, work, money, relationships and children all coming in and harshing our mellow.  It's true.  What you are in charge of is your response to all of these things.  Oh, wait, I failed to bring up that you're not in charge again...your hormones are running the show.  Just when you thought your destiny, life, joy and wholeness were yours, it turns out that the body is in charge of your world view, your luckiness factor and how you take in the world around you.  What are we to do in light of all this information?  Go back to bed?

Ah, here's where you come into the picture.  Action is better than inaction.  I have a few steps I employ to make sure I'm taking action in my life.  Even if I have little to no affect, I feel better, because I did something.  And the somethings I like to do involve moving me either physically, mentally or both.  And eat some damn vegetables.  It's been studied and ignored that veggies have a more profound impact on your mental well being than omega-3 fatty acids or anti-depressants.  Eat what the fish eat: algae, seaweed, plankton.  Eat what the apes eat (since we are now terrestrial): veggies.  I'm not saying that if you are on medication that you should stop taking it.  I am not a doctor. What I am saying is vegetables won't hurt you and will probably help you.

Step one:

• put on your favorite music.  
• turn it up.  
• shake what your mama gave you.

If you do this right, you'll get goosebumps.  In case you don't know, goosebumps are a motivator for me.  Being a indulgent hedonist, I like things that make me feel good.

Step two:

• gather up veggies & wash them thoroughly.  
• stuff them in the juicer
• thin with a little water if needed
• drink up!

My current favorite green juice is: 1 bunch of organic celery (the whole thing), 1 organic gala apple, 1 bunch of organic parsley, 1 organic lime (skin on), 1" knob of ginger.  This juice causes a physical reaction in me.  It makes me stand on my toes, gives me goose flesh and makes me arch my back.  Hmm.  It looks something like step four.

Step three:

• look up.
• smile (it chemically alters your mood). This might help.
• silliness is everywhere, you just need to be receptive to it.

When I'm in a foul mood, I know I need to change my perspective.  Rather than getting lost in all the thoughts of what is wrong, how bad the situation is, who wronged whom, whatever the problem might be, I try to look outside of myself.  It's inside where the problem is lurking, so seek outside information.  Look for the absurd.  It's awesome and it's everywhere.  If you're having a hard time with this one, change your environment and go to places where odd things happen.  Go to the park, go to where the peoples are, go to the dog park, check out the monkey cage at the zoo, go to a playground.  Humans and animals cannot help it, we are weird by nature and do the funniest things.  Change your focus, as a photographer changes the depth of field, and make blurry what's up close and personal.  Sharpen the focus on the farther away things, you will find the joy you seek.  It will change your mood.  Hold on to that moment.  It's the way you're supposed to feel.

Step four:

• you got the allusion.
• get busy.

There are more things you can do, but these work consistently.  The music changes the energy fields around you.  The green juice addresses the hormones we are all awash in.  Changing your focus from an internal view to a world view is best for a healthy mind.  And sex is just good.

Enjoy!

xo,

Jen

This lush image is from a website selling organic green tea.

In the middle of drawing today I decided to have a tea break which turned into a mini beauty break.  I love tea and primarily drink green or black tea.  I also love beauty products derived from nature.  Tea has a double effect, inside & out.  Now for your cautionary note:  I've read varying opinions on green & black tea consumption.  It's a wellspring of antioxidants, but it's also loaded with tannins.  Tannin is an astringent, which is good in moderation internally.  Additionally, green tea contains uric acid (the culprit behind gout).  It is likely tannins should be consumed in moderation, while uric acid intake should absolutely be limited.  So be thoughtful about your consumption.  


There is something to the process of making a cup of tea that slows down this modern world.  I find a sort of peace in the ritual.  Chado, sado or chanoyu are a prime examples of ceremony raised up to a near godly act.  These rituals are meticulously and painfully beautiful if you've ever studied it or participated in Japanese tea ceremony.  I have only witnessed chado and find it to be near miraculous.  My little tea break is nothing like these well defined rituals.  Breaking completely with all tradition, I steeped a bag (!) of green tea in almost boiling water.  I drank it while it was still hot, breathing deeply of its green earthiness.  Enter calmness.

Loose green tea, image from a website of tea history and accouterments.

But then I do something else.  After drinking, I let the tea bag cool and apply it to my skin as an astringent.  Tea is extremely good for your exterior.  There are claims that it helps prevent sun damage (I'm a doubter), but the fresh antioxidants soak right into the dermis.  This little trick appeals to my frugal side.  I'm double using the tea bag, my skin glows afterwards and I don't even use a cotton ball.  It's the epitome of upcycling! Cooled teabag applied to face and neck, that's it.  I swear, I instantly look like I've been on vacation or slept for the entire weekend.  Possibly, in the right light, I may even look 5 years younger.  As the tea dries, my skin feels firmer and I really do glow.

According to research at Cornell University, the astringents in tea may alter your taste.  Article here.

It's my little secret that I'm sharing with you.  Drink up!  Here's to your health, wealth and happiness.  Now, I'm back to my graphite and paper.  Ideas are swarming me.

xo,
Jen

Ode to Lemons

For some of my friends the lime is where it's at, but I love a lemon.  Lemon makes my palate sing and gives me goose flesh.  This little yellow orb can change a meal from bland to spectacular.  Zest of lemon brings out the best in salad, seafood, baked goods, or a simple bowl cut up fruit.  I love the piney scent lemon gives to water when halves are left to linger in the glass.  The smell of lemon juice in the air lifts my spirits.  My favorite recipes and books are easily discerned because the lemon spray the pages crinkled and wavy.  Citrus limon also has a host of purported health benefits.  I've been doing some research on lemons, partially to justify my 8 lemon a week habit, and have discovered some interesting information.

• A lemon half with salt makes an excellent scrubber.  It's my favorite way to clean cast iron cookware.  I also like it for cleaning the tub.  It smells great, disinfects, and is completely natural.  Oh, and it's cheap, I do love cheap.

• Lemon juice lightens hair (I think we all know this), but I took it a step further.  Applied to freckles and age spots, it fades them.  At least, in my experience, the spots are not as dark.  Just remember sunscreen so your efforts are not ruined.

• That same lemon half I used on my spots, is used next in a lesser known way.  Lemon is has antibacterial properties and when applied to the skin it's a fabulous deodorant.  Non-toxic and inexpensive, just apply to pits, let dry, and voila, no stink. The best part is, you only have to do this for about a week and the results stick around for about a month.  Yay!  

• Lemon is a powerful tooth whitener.  Use sparingly, as my mother always warned lemon juice eats tooth enamel.  Here's what I do (once or twice a year), wet my tooth brush, pack on as much baking soda as it will  hold, squeeze a little lemon juice on the baking soda, brush teeth.  Wow, are they white.  If you have sensitive teeth, skip this method.  I brush my teeth about 30 minutes after whitening, letting the enamel rest.  I have no scientific research about "resting" my tooth enamel.  It simply feels better.

Moving to the internal effects of lemon juice, lemon is a well-documented, powerful body alkalizer.  If you love a list, as I do, here's a great one about the benefits of lemons. Having an alkaline system is one of the keys to keeping the body running smoothly and preventing inflammation.  The more alkaline your body is, the fewer toxins in the blood and lymphatic system and the better able it is to repair itself.  Here I should note, limes are just as potent an alkalizer, so if they're your preference, squeeze on.

• Use a whole lemon, juice it thoroughly into a big glass of water and reap the health benefits (maybe will even give you goosebumps).  This is likely the yummiest & easiest thing you can do for yourself.  Here is an inspiring article about the healing nature of lemon water and other alkalizing foods.

• Lemon juice in water is a simple way to detoxifying your liver.  In case you didn't know, your liver is a filter.  Like all filters, it needs to be cleaned.  Lemon juice aids in bile liquification (so the liver works better), dissolving uric acid & toxins, and helps stimulates the metabolism.  It's a great start to the day.  Here's an interesting article with 5 reasons to drink lemon juice in your water every morning.

• Drinking lemon water is great for the skin.  It helps flush the bowels and has lots of vitamin C.  Vitamin C is key in collagen production.  Collagen acts as scaffolding for your skin.  So the more your body makes, the healthier (and firmer) your skin.  Flushing bowels removes toxins from the body, which means there's less bad bacteria in your gut, which leads to fewer breakouts.  For more details on acidity/alkalinity and your skin, check out this article.

For as many places on the web that talk of lemon water, there are opinions on the temperature it should be consumed.  My opinion (take it for what it is, a girl with internet access and no medical training), lemon water is great hot, cold and in between.  In the summer, I like it ice cold.  In the winter I like it warm, with honey and ginger (recipe below), but most days, I prefer it in a jar at room temperature.

Warming lemon water recipe:

32 oz. water
1 organic lemon
generous teaspoon of local, raw, organic honey
1" - 2" piece of organic ginger (if using conventionally grown ginger, please wash & peel it)

Heat water to almost boiling.  In the juicer (or blender), juice the entire lemon and nob of ginger, skin and all into a big glass.  Leave the skin because it's filled with phytonutrients and compounds the effects of the warming water.  Stir in honey, add hot water.  Drink up!  Some recommend this twice a day, once in the morning & again in the evening.  I make this when I'm cold and need the fire returned to my belly.  It makes the little hairs stand up on the back of my neck.  I also swear I can see an immediate change in my skin.  I glow after drinking this (maybe I'm just perspiring, but I like to think it's a glow).


A little side note.  I am not a medical doctor and this information is in NO way meant to act as medical advice.  These are all things I do and have noticed a positive change in my skin and my feeling of well-being.  I thought I'd share my insight (and links to other people's experiences), so maybe you can have similar ones.  Also, I needing to rationalize and support for my lemon habit.  I love the lemon!

Enjoy responsibly.

xo,
Jen

Source of my Inspiration

Image of reassembled swift feathers from CommonSwift.org
This is the left wing.

A feather is growing.  I've known this for almost a year.  It may have been growing longer than this, but due to my myopia and daily rush, it's only recently come to my attention. The feather sprout is on my temple near my left eye.  I like to think it's evidence of my wildish nature.  Like others, I have long felt that I am not of this world.  My feather is proof positive I am not entirely human.

From Cornell Lab of Ornithology, "From Feathers, a Violin"
The male Club-winged Manakin make "an extraordinary sound" with its wings to attract a mate.

The feather itself is an unexpected revelation.  Birds fascinate me, but I adore wolves, whales, the big cats, Sumatran rhinoceros, giraffes - mammals.  Creatures of this shared plane, this common space (and only one that dives deep into the unconscious).  Birds offer something not of this world, they have magical qualities, totemic under and overtones, hints of the betwixt and between places.  Birds soar in the stuff we breathe.  Take a deep breath* and hold it in {delivering the wing dust to your blood}.  My feather whispers and urges me to create the things in my heart.  I, like birds, must travel between the known world and the 98% of the unknown universe and bring back hints of the other side.

You see, as the part of me that is human, I believe it is my responsibility to raise us up collectively, inspire, make us reach deeper, dream bigger, hope more and in general, to leave this place better than I found it.  The how, the means, the vehicle has always eluded me.  Art is my way, and suddenly, I feel like Atlas.  But the odd part is, the universe I hold is ether-light.  Odder still is my sprouting inspiration is more related to Hermes, the messenger. My project or projects at hand are exciting.  They keep me up at night, plotting the physics of them, the mechanics, the wonder, the beauty.  I'm telling you, so I don't lose my thread, my feather, my way.  I'm sharing the edge of this dream so I might be held accountable, so I might be asked just what I started when I started in the middle.

via Free People's "Love is the Law" http://freepeople.tumblr.com/post/36069102597/gold-dipped-feathers

*Side note:  I read completely new to me advice that holding one's breath is effective exercise for your lungs and helps all the pockets in your lungs take in oxygen.  http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/10-simple-habits-could-help-you-live-100  If Dr. Oz advises something, I believe it.  He could tell me the pennon of my heart would beat forever if I ate moon rocks every day and I'd find a way to incorporate them into my Greek yogurt.  

Let's Drink Chocolate

Hello World!

I'm starting this blog after switching from another blog service.  Bear with me as I learn all the functions and am able to shape it into the blog of my dreams.  Consider it much like myself, under construction. 

You see, this gift has been bestowed on me and I'm thinking about how to make the most of it.  The trouble with me is that my best thinking comes from action, and I'm feeling a bit stuck.  How does one follow their heart and carve out a living at the same time?  I know, books have been dedicated to this subject since the beginning of the modern world.  I've watched my friends struggle with this issue.  We throw energy, school, passion and time at the question and hope an answer will appear.  We also hope for happiness to be delivered in the middle of the process, like the pizza we just ordered.  Sometimes, happiness is the pizza and sometimes it's the process.  At any rate, I'm trying to find where I begin and it looks like I start in the middle, as usual.

Having subscribed to some blogs, I know what I like to read and I know what frustrates me.  What I've noticed though is each blogger presses on, regardless.  This amazes me.  It inspires me and pushes me forward to join the voices on the web.  My current favorite is: www.theselby.com/ as I love lush visuals.  (Note to self, more visuals.)

The image above is from http://www.foodstylistlucy.com/InTheKitchen/2010/01/03/liquid-golddrinking-chocolate/ who's own recipe is quite rich and delicious and inspired me to write this post.

And so I begin with chocolate.  When I'm not sure where to start and the confusion and pressure feel ready to overwhelm and stop forward progress, I resort to a restorative habit of drinking chocolate.  It soothes, it calms, it tastes great, feels better than great and can be construed as healthy.  The antioxidant quotient for chocolate is off the charts in my mind, as the delivery method is divine, upping the health benefits by a factor of 25 for me.  It's new math.

This recipe has been inspired by years of chocolate drinking experience, fondue recipes, other blogs and a strong need to center myself.

Drinking Chocolate Recipe:

• 2 cups milk (I prefer skim, but use what suits you, be it raw milk, soy, rice or almond milk.)
• 3 heaping tablespoons of cocoa (I love Hershey's...it's yum, inexpensive and easily had at the local grocery store.)
• 1 teaspoon of sugar (you can add more, but I prefer a bittersweet drinking chocolate.)
• 1/2  teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (it tastes of orchids.)
• pinch of sea salt (Fleur De Sel is my mainstay sea salt, both briny and bright in flavor.)
• pinch of cayenne pepper (use more if you're feeling particularly stuck.)
• generous pinch of cinnamon

Heat milk on the stove top (low flame) or microwave (half power) until it's warm, just before it simmers.  Stir in cocoa.  Once completely mixed, add all the remaining ingredients.  Pour into a beautiful cup and enjoy while warm.  Be sure to breathe deeply.  Scent is curative and so are deep breaths.

Drinking chocolate makes me feel connected to the past.  I feel the Aztec, Maya and Inca rising up in me with the wafting scent of chocolate and spice.  My spirit is revived and refreshed.  I feel clear minded and poetic in a woozy, cozy sort of way.  Suddenly at one with the past and the present, I am ready to begin working in circles, starting in the middle.

Another image from a blog who's writer is in my hometown, Tasty Touring from Austin, TX.  This picture was snapped in Santa Fe.  Those amazing folks have created "Santa Fe's Chocolate Trail" and I'm putting it on the travel list.

Enjoy!  I think this may be at the heart of all things good...enjoyment.

xo,

Jen