Beautiful sight of the morning

While I was running this morning, I witnessed a beautiful sight. The sky above my head was clear and the stars were still out. The air felt a smidgen "cooler" although I use that term loosely. And off to the west, there were big, poofy clouds with heat lightning flickering continuously. It was like a light show while I was running. Fabulous! Have a healthy and happy weekend!

(Note: this picture above was not taken by me, but you get the idea...)

Self-regulation

I remember my husband coming home from a food industry conference a few years back and telling me that Pepsi is now healthy! His sarcasm was obvious, of course, because he knows this comment would now push every health-related button in me. But his point was that Pepsi was launching a product that would be "vitamin-infused" or something like that. Most companies that put out the processed crap in our grocery stores try such marketing techniques to reassure us (and when I say "us" I am especially referring to mothers who want to make sure we are feeding our children proper nutrition) that we are doing right by our kids. That is why Apple Jacks can be considered part of a balanced diet and french fries are listed as a vegetable in the school lunch guidelines.

Bottom line, people: think about what you are eating. If you choose to eat Cookie Crisp cereal because you want to junk out on something sweet go for it. Just don't fool yourself into thinking that it really has whole grains in it that are going to keep you healthy. Read Mark Bittman's latest in the Times this morning about food industry self-regulation...

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/02/when-big-food-makes-its-own-rules/?ref=opinion

Your Garden

A Facebook friend of mine put up a post today that really made me think. He started by saying "Every thought, intention, and action is a seed." He then went on to say that it is our job, our responsibility to plant each seed and tend to our garden. Sometimes we plant good seeds, sometimes half seeds, sometimes bad. Whatever we plant will grow.

This post just really inspired me today because I have been struggling with staying positive the past week and a half. I've been lacking motivation and I've been allowing certain things weigh on me. I'd happily blame it on the continuous triple digit heat or the fiasco in Washington but I know this is not true. I've planted a couple not-so-great seeds and tended them with not-so-great water too. And I've done this with full awareness.

But I've also learned some great lessons by doing this. When negativity creeps up on me, I feel like I've developed some great tools to help me work through it and I've put those tools to good use this week to pick myself up. For example, I've been starting each day with the positive passages in my Daily Word, which is a spiritual magazine. I try to read at least one or two entries from the "Crazy Sexy Life" blog each day. I've surrounded myself with positive friends and made plans with them to give myself something to look forward to. I've reminded myself that I don't have to eat 100% healthy, 100% of the time. These are the good seeds. These are the seeds I will tend to with all my energy.

There is no time to wallow. Pick out the weeds and work on your beautiful garden.