Month: April 2017

The Power of Forgiveness

Published on by thejanetgreen1 Comment

It’s not always easy to forgive, but in my experience it is always the best choice. Why, you might ask? Forgiveness is not as much for the “forgiven” as the “forgiver”.

It took me a long time to truly embrace this concept. I didn’t have any problem with the idea when it related to a simple offense, like a toe stub or even a basic offense.

It was much more difficult for me with the “Ex”. Can you hear the drum roll? I have suffered from an inability to really forgive him and let it all go. Oh, I have thought I was over it, and thought that I had let go, yet there would always be something that would set me off, or ignite that flame of anger again.

I don’t always respond well to stress. I like to think that I do, but considering the fact that my own children used to describe me as a volcano, not so much. I tend to be a “camel and the last straw” kind of girl. I go along, bearing whatever comes my way, and then collapse under the weight of it all. Maybe the house of cards analogy would work?

Last week, I had one of my melt downs. In the midst of a trying refinance my house, I hit a stumbling block. It should have been avoidable. I should have seen it coming.  The details were much less important than the fact that I was angry at myself for not fixing/resolving a long standing issue with the “EX”. Lucky for me, I had a call scheduled with my ‘accountability partner’, Susan Palmer Wood. While she kindly listened to me vent, she suggested that I consider “Ho’oponopono”. Huh? What is Ho’oponopono?

It took her a few minutes to explain it to me, and then a few more to walk me through it. Much to my amazement, it not only had a calming short term effect, but it has stayed with me. Most importantly, I find myself using it whenever I run the risk of hitting the proverbial wall of residual anger.

The concept may seem simple; Repentence, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Love.

  • Repentance – I’m Sorry.
  • Ask Forgiveness – Please forgive me
  • Gratitude – Thank you
  • Love – I love you.

According to the research I have done, the origin of the practice comes from the Hawaiian tradition of Huna. Ho’oponopono means to make right.

This was the second time that I had heard someone say that failing to forgive is equivalent to remaining tethered to a person or place. In my case, this was my ex. Susan had me envision him, talk through the steps and see myself cutting the cord between us. This is of course an over-simplification. I am not an expert, thus I don’t want to muddy the water.

I can say that I had never succeeded is letting the anger go, and feeling like it was the true beneficiary all at once.

If you would like to know more about Ho’oponopono, you may consider reading:

If you would like to contact Susan, she is a great life coach and nutritional advisor, she can be reached at: Susan Palmer Wood, susanpalmerwood@gmail.com for contact. And instagram.com/mymightyadventures .

I also enjoyed the free audio class  Experience a 7 minute forgiveness process by Dr. Matt James.

When you find yourself in a situation that you just can’t let the anger or pain of a past relationship go, consider Ho’oponopono. You might gain more from letting the anchor go than remaining bound to it.

#ForgivenessIsDivine #Ho’oponopono #SinkOrSwim #JustLetItGo #AskYourSelfDoesItServeYou? #BreakTheChains

If you are bound to me due to a our mutual past, I’m Sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I love you.

Note: I am not Hawaiian. I am not an expert on Ho’oponopono. By sharing my experience, my intention is full of respect and love, not cultural misappropriation.  I do believe that wisdom is best when shared.

 

Oh She Glowed Alright

Published on by thejanetgreen4 Comments

I’m so excited. It finally came. I ordered “The Oh She Glows Cookbook” by Angela Liddon from Amazon. I have been trying to increase by plant based recipe repertoire without turning to cardboard boring pre-packaged science experiments. I follow Angela on Facebook and Instagram. I have tried recipes off the blog and finally decided to express my appreciation by purchasing the book. I was not disappointed, as a matter of fact, I am enthusiastic about the tasty plant based recipes.

I have quite a collection of cookbooks. Some might say that I have too damn many already. I even confess to using the internet more than all but my favorite cookbooks. Google is my best friend for many reasons. After watching “What the Health”, I found myself actually needing to find some vegan recipes that would not just feed me but would also bring me joy and satisfy my cells.

This weekend, I grabbed a stack of the small post-its, and thumbed through the book, picking out recipes to try as soon as possible. I am not the strongest menu planner. Or more accurately, I plan a lot, I just don’t always stick to the plan. Since it’s only me at the moment, I tried to pick out three or four main course type recipes, a couple side salads or dressings and a couple breakfast items. If I’m not careful, I will make a list of twenty meals for the week, which only results in wasted food. Not only am I trying to increase my plant based food consumption, I am trying to reduce my food waste. I hope that by mid-Summer I will be able to gather and share fresh veggies from the garden.

Back to the recipe reviews.

  • The first recipe I tried from this book was actually a salad dressing. Lemon Tahini Dressing (LTD) to be correct. Suffice it to say, that my youngest son, Nate was in town for Spring break and he loved it. He is always my most honest critic, usually advises me if it’s a “keeper” or “edible but do not repeat”. Such sensitivity, I know. I made a Kale salad with cranberries and spicy pecans and dressed it with the LTD. First attempt, success. This is a good sign. He did mention that I forgot to add any cheese to the salad, but that just made me laugh.
  • The second recipe I tried was the Chick pea sandwich. I really like chick peas, and the picture in the book was so great that I had to try it. I was working Sunday, so I liked the idea of chopping and no cooking. I am a gadget lover. I used the food processor to chop the chick peas, the celery and mix it all up. It was quick and is definitely a keeper.
On the left, the open faced sandwich, on the right the constructed sandwich, with fresh dill pickle, cucumber slices and humus
  • The third recipe I tired was the Mushroom Tart. I had never considered using Phyllo instead of pizza dough as the base. Brilliant, I tell you! I had the Phyllo in the fridge from a previous experiment. I’m glad I hadn’t thrown them away. The thing with Phyllo is that once opened it can dry out. This was a perfect use for the remaining sheets. I have a healthy love of mushrooms, so I was happy to give this one a try. I substituted sweet onions for red, added some oven roasted tomatoes from my stash and some Aleppo pepper flake from last summer. I also mixed cashews and walnuts, instead of just walnuts.
  • The fourth recipe I tried is the roasted beet salad (served with the chick pea salad in butter leaf lettuce).

20170417_171633

In short, I can’t wait to try more recipes from this book and Angela in general. You don’t have to be a committed vegan to enjoy your veggies. Long gone are the days of frozen or canned mush. I recommend the book and the contained recipes. You can follow Angela on her blog Oh She Glows ,on her Facebook Page or on Instagram.

Please consider purchasing her book.

#EatClean #EatLikeYouGiveAShit #VeggiesAreNotTheEnemy #OhSheGlows
#YourBodyIsATemple #TakeAChance #MakeAChange

Experiments with the “5 Second Rule”

Published on by thejanetgreen3 Comments

I consider myself an “early to bed, early to rise” person. This was not always the case. When I was younger, I would stay up until dawn if it meant finishing a good book, often just started that preceding night. There was also a time during my marriage, that I would stay up late watching “Honeymooners” reruns with the now ex. Of course, I was working, and had to get up early, but did not yet suffer the aftermath of lack of sleep.

One thing that I have noticed as I have matured, I not only like sleep, but I need to sleep at least six hours to be at peak performance. Sure, I can pull an “all-nighter” now and again, but I feel terrible, and get cranky quickly. As time passed, I also learned that staying up really late on Friday and Saturday and then trying to recover on Sunday, was not the best of plans. After raising three teenagers (now adults), I developed a pattern of light sleep, where I could hear them come home, glance at the clock, and fall back asleep without too much trouble. I rarely nap, unless ill, as I can’t seem to sleep when it’s daylight.

All this has resulted in my current pattern, during the week, my alarm had been going off around 6:15 AM, and I’m usually turning off the TV, closing the podcast, or putting down the book or knitting around 11 PM. I can generally fall asleep in minutes. Weekends, I give myself an hour to stay up later or get up later. I have found the consistency of getting up at nearly the same time all the while reduces grogginess and fatigue.

Daylight Savings hit me hard this year. With the Spring forward, it was still dark or near dark when my alarm went off. Snooze button. Wake up late. Rush around. Not a great plan. Add to this, for two weeks at work I had daily 6 AM conference calls. This meant I had to actually get up at 5:30 AM to make coffee and try to be completely sensible by 6 AM. I couldn’t help but notice, that the mere fact that I HAD to get up for the call made it easier to do, in opposition to wanting to go to the gym at 5:30 AM.  This got me thinking.

A while back someone that I knew had recommended the “5 second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work and Confidence With Everyday Courage” by Mel Robbins. I often listen to books while driving or gardening on Audible. I had downloaded the book, and figured it was time to give it a listen.

The concept is simple enough. It is based on counting backwards, she uses 5,4,3,2,1 but admits that it could be from 10 etc. However, the count down is relevant in that it is intended to come to a distinct end, at which point, you ACT. The first example is to get out of bed without hitting the alarm clock. Mel actually suggesting setting the new time for at least 30 minutes earlier than normal and putting the alarm in the other room, or far enough away that you have to count down and then get out of bed to turn off the alarm. It’s supposed to be hard.

I admit, it sounded a bit silly and yet so simple. The more I listen the more I like the idea. As I write this I have not finished the book, but I have used the rule to get up at 5:45 AM as targeted. I absolutely love the discussion on how caught up we all are with our FEELINGS. Feelings cripple change and progress. It’s not the counting that rang so true for me, it was the fact that it does not matter how I feel, what matters is that I get up and do whatever it is that I’m trying to do. She provides several very funny examples of letters people wrote in confirming how much they hate getting up early, but how much better it felt once they were up and moving.

The possibilities are endless. Mel provides many different examples, personal and those of her readers. I am actually sitting here now, resulting from a “count down to do it dammit”.  I have long suffered from procrastination. I often get it partially under control, only to have it rear it’s ugly head again. I can and do perform the tasks that are absolutely imperative, like work, but I want to finally and once and for all get rid of all clutter and junk.

I want to get up earlier, get more done, change my outlook, stop making excuses. Let’s see how well it works.

Stay tuned. I will update the blog as I experiment more with the “rule” . So far, it’s a keeper.  If you think you might be interested, you can order or download the The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage from Amazon. I should add, that Mel is not a sweet prissy type, her language can be colorful, and she can be “enthusiastic”, if you enjoy Ted Talks, you can also watch her at: How to stop screwing yourself over | Mel Robbins | TEDxSF .

#5SecondRule #BeTheChangeYouWantToSee #ActivationEnergy #YouCanChangeYourBehavior #ItsSimpleNotEasy #YourFeelingsDontMatterHere #YouWillNeverFeelLikeIt #ParentYourself

Seedlings and Sun Tea

Published on by thejanetgreen2 Comments

I can see a possible pattern growing if I’m not careful. I might start with “True Confessions” for the week: I admit to being behind on almost everything this week.

I had a crazy busy week at work, and then was blessed with not one but four different social events. I don’t want to make excuses, but I say all that to say, I did not get my intended blogs out in a timely manner.

Sending out a special shout out to Raphael Thomas and Christine Dunbar, from Zoot Suit and Dirty Me Divine. I attended both events and I must say I was absolutely gobsmacked by how awesome and creative both of these lovely people are. I had the additional pleasure of a mini reunion with Raphael’s parents, Sherman and Denise, who I have not seen in 25+/- years. Much love and continued blessings. After Dirty Me Divine, I had the pleasure of indulging in “Dinner with the Girls” with Lisa Steadman, Deborah Kagan, Angela Price , Melissa Cassera, and Kristina Italic, each one a “Phenomenal Woman” to quote Maya Angelou’s poem.

Awesome Thank you post card sent by the Fonda after the play
I was so excited to drive downtown and see the skyline filled with Zoot Suit
Christine Dunbar ROCKED it and touched my heart and soul
The play is at the Fonda, until 2nd weekend of April – 2017

Back on the 11th of March I attempted to start a bunch of seeds. I started with flowers as the pollinators this year as I fell behind last time. I have thing for sunflowers, but they take quite a while to get to full bloom. Last year, I missed the window completely. I also started some Zinnias, Cleome, Sweet Peas, Artemesia, some tropical seeds that I failed to label, and lastly Cantelope. Cantelope failed miserably last year also, so I decided to get an early start.

I will post the photos of the latest and greatest. You will notice that some have been transplanted, others are just starting to sprout. It’s important to note the date of planting and the expected germination date. There are many factors that will impact the seed success rate, not all of which are under our control, but include temperature, humidity, dampness, soil etc.

Beginning of Scarlet Limas
After all this time, the Cantalope finally sprouted
Zinnias have been transplanted although not going crazy yet.
Fennel has been happy so far
One of my favs, if you look close there is one tiny sprout, supposedly Artemesia aka Worm Wood
Tagless flowers
More tagless flowers
I believe this is the Cleome
Baby Borage
Giant Sunflowers
Dark Red/Black Sunflowers

I put beans and peppers onto wet paper towels rather than the soil pellets or directly in the ground. I’m excited to see some of the beans I put on paper towel toward the end of March just starting to send out sprouts.

I do recommend tips and tricks for some seeds. For example, hot peppers they suggest that they are soaked for 24 hours to soften the shell. I have had no luck at all starting moringa.

The tomatoes have been transplanted and seem relatively happy at the moment. I am trying something new by burying a plastic bottle upside-down, with the bottom cut off, and small holes at the other end. I am experimenting with this for both water conservation and root strength. So far, I have been able to skip a day between watering, which helps with my schedule. I do not intend to expand my drip system to the container plants.

I’ve just put some red Okra in seed pellets and next I need to get some Roselle aka Hibiscus started.

Since I’m already late for this week, maybe I’ll just make this a twofer, and include the recipe here.

I made sun tea with some of my dried Roselle and fresh mint.  Pretty simple really. I took a large glass Ball jar, but roughly ½ cup dried roselle aka hibiscus, and a good solid handful of peppermint mixed with spearmint. Fill with water, and seal. Set in the sun. In this case I let it set for 24 hours. Strain off, and put in the fridge. Pour over ice, and my special add is a few drops of Cinnamon or Peppermint Essential Oil (or both). Please use quality Essential Oils. (If you would like more information, send me an email)

My latest and greatest on the Winter survivors includes lots of flowers on the Gungoo Pea aka Gandules plants and lots of little baby Satsuma plum babies. Both of which did not bear anything last year.

Baby Plums
Gandules Flowers
Tree Collards going to flower

What do you gain from your garden? What are your fears about gardening? I’m very interested in feedback.

#UrbanGardenLove #FindingMyBliss #DreamBuilding #EatWhatYouGrow

#ArtInLosAngeles #PhenomenalWomen #PowerOfCommunity