"My Champ"



For the majority of people who love pet companions, it is only a dream to have that special bond, that soul connection with their pet. I have been fortunate to have three such bonds in my lifetime. Three which I am aware of. For, when I was a young child, my family had the "family dog." What I mean is, even though I loved animals at a very young age, I really did not grasp all that they are, all that they are here to teach us. The respect for the entirety of the animal has grown over the years.
This short blog is dedicated the life of one such animal, Morgan. To call her an animal is a grave understatement as she has been so much more to me, my husband, Lola (her Boston Terrier sister) and our new dog, Luna. Morgan came into our lives in less than opportune circumstances approximately ten years ago. We were losing our Golden Retriever, Cinnibar, at the time. In fact, Cinnibar passed almost five weeks after we adopted Morgan from a family who did not love and respect her. We had the opportunity to adopt her from this family two years prior, but they changed their minds and told us they were going to "try" to love her once again. I will never understand why her former family were clueless to the gem they had under their noses. However, the adage, "their loss is our gain" comes to mind, as despite Morgan's health issues over the years, she has been our brown angel. Even though I had a heavy heart from the passing of my Cinnibar, I began to open my heart to Morgan and she to me. She was very respectful of Cinnibar and took the background until Cinnibar passed. We picked Morgan up on a very cold day in January, with Cinnibar in the car, I envisioned a Vulcan mind meld of some sort transpired amongst the two of them, as they seemed to have an understanding of each other. After Cinnibar's passing, Morgan had our full attention and she began to slowly accept our love and trust. It was not an easy road, as she had many issues due to the neglect which she suffered. We also started feeding her better food and exercising her consistently. We realized what a true athlete she was. She could run as fast as a greyhound, swim like an Olympic swimmer, all which came at a price, as we found out she had some back issues which were activated with all the exercise which needed immediate attention. We brought her to our vet, who luckily is well versed in animal acupuncture and chiropractic. We began to see a difference with the treatments over the years and truelly believe that it is due to this care and the love we have given her, she was able to live to almost fifteen years old. An astounding feat for a lab. However, the past three years she has not been able to partake in all that she loves as just like a light switch approximately three years ago, Morgan could no longer ride in cars, meaning, no park, no adventures with us. We have watched her decline over this time period and it has been very tortuous. We were waiting for a sign, a sign to tell us that it was time for her to go. I have been working with an animal communicator to help me intuit this sign. However, with Morgan, her love of us and maybe obligation, is blocking this signal. Cinnibar stopped eating, this was our sign to release her, however, we realize that this would never happen with our Mooey (Morgan) as her love of food is as strong as her love for life! Her friend, Lola Getz, our Boston, will be very sore for some time as well. We got Lola when she was eight weeks old and she is now ten years old. She formed an instant bond with Morgan. Morgan was Lola's mom/sister/best friend. I believe that Lola has been slowly adjusting to the loss of Morgan as we all have over the course of the three years. I believed that I was better prepared than I am, because, I have been crying off and on for a day and a half. I know she is going to a better place, however, it does not make the loss of her brilliant and loving soul any easier to know that. For she has forever changed my life for the better. She has made me more patient, not an easy feat, more loving, more understanding, and for that, I will always love her and be grateful for her. In parting, I just wanted to urge all of you pet partners to kiss and hug your pet as you would your child, because they are very similar to children in many ways. They are here to love us, to challenge us, to change us!

 

New Year's Resolutions: Focus and Baby Steps....

One of my all time favorite movies is "What About Bob." In summary, it is a movie whose main character, Bob Wiley, which, by the way, is also my father-in-law's name, is a very neurotic New Yorker in possession of a laundry list of paralyzing phobias. Bob Wiley hooks up with Dr. Leo (Richard Dreyfus), a New York psychologist whose claim to fame is a book entitled-"Baby Steps." As the title of the book suggests, one can "ditch" their psychoses one small step at a time. I do not think that Bob ever totally achieved his goal of "neurosis removal"...in fact, I think he just transferred his neurotic behavior to Dr. Leo, however, one has to agree, that the idea of transmuting any negative behavior and thus establishing a new one can be much easier to accomplish with the "baby step" method.
The new year is the time when most are setting their resolutions, while not mandatory, the logic behind removing old, irritating behaviors and replacing them with better ones, makes more sense when coinciding with a new year. I would suggest steering clear of resolutions centering around health and fitness if you are expecting miraculous results and tend to be perfectionist in nature. As perfectionists tend to be very self critical, therefore, short circuiting themselves in the process of achieving these resolutions should they not progress in the perfect linear path. To a perfectionistic personality, not achieving the resolutions they set on the new year can be akin to a noose around their proverbial neck. The mainstream populace tend to set very difficult resolutions, ones which inherently can lead to failure, most involve such things as: losing 50 plus pounds in six months, maintaining the fitness level of an olympic athlete, well, you get my drift. What I am suggesting that you consider in setting your resolutions, is that they do not have to center solely around the physical, as by expanding your horizons to the emotional/spiritual, etc., you will have a more positive impact on the physical. Resolution setting is a highly individual process, one which should not be standardized. It is dependent upon one's disposition, consciousness level, motivation, etc. There are, however, some definite steps which one can take to ensure that they achieve their goals/resolutions:
1. Break down into smaller (baby steps), making sure to tell others about your goals and the step you are on (providing the people you tell actually give a "crap").
2. Keep a journal, or a feeling journal, as I call them, as many times our behavior defies logic and the answer to why we do things counter to what we had intended, can be found in how we feel on any given day.
3. One of the most important criteria to consider in the achievement of any goal, is the ability to focus on one's successes, on what you WANT and how it would feel to have what you WANT, rather than on what you do not want. As to focus on what you do not want only will bring in more of that. This is a universal law of energy.
4. Reward yourself often (small rewards) for your successes and make sure to focus on one goal/resolution at a time. Do not consider a "lapse" a failure and bag the entire journey!
5. Be sure to SMILE often and be cognizant and thus grateful for what you do have, as there are many who have less!

What will not work or be enough to make any real change is to give into fear, to think that if you have willpower, that is all it will take, as willpower is a transient human trait.

Wheat Belly, Muffin Tops and a Partridge in a Pear Tree...

We now have a new venacular to add to the host of other descriptive ones utilized to describe the odd predilection of the human body to store fat. The term "wheat belly" has been coined due to the new book of the same name, written by Dr. William Davis. That wheat is a toxin for a group of individual's labeled Celiac, has come to the forefront of late, what is not as obvious, is that what we call wheat, not the ancient grain of lore, can also act as a toxin for the average person who does not have Celiac as well. The book "Wheat Belly" clarifies the association of wheat overconsumption with our growing girth as a nation and world. Dr. Davis delves into why this is happening in detail in his book by comparing our modern wheat with the wheat of the ancients. Lo and behold, modern wheat, known as "dwarf" wheat is nothing in comparison to the original strains of wild grass harvested by our ancestors, called Einkorn. Einkorn had a very simple genetic code which contained only 14 chromosomes. Einkorn eventually branched into 25,000 varying types of wheat all interwoven with human evolution. Where this evolution of wheat begins to lead down a darker road is about 50 years ago. This was due in part for the desire to increase yields, which, in my opinion has lead us down the slippery slope of Genetically Modified Foods...or GMO hell! A geneticist named Dr. Norman Borlaug created the fast growing "dwarf" wheat of today. To its supposed credit, it has possibly saved a billion people from starvation...I pose the question of "at what cost?" As I believe due to the fact that dwarf wheat was created via genetic splicing and cross breeding, it is now a very mutated version of Einkorn wheat with a very different genetic code that the human body does not recognize as food, but, rather as a toxin! In fact, dwarf wheat can't even exist in nature without modern pesticides and fertilizers! Similar to other Genetically Modified foods, little to no safety tests have ever been conducted. I believe that the overconsumption of dwarf wheat containing products leading to big bellies is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg as the overconsumption of this wheat has been shown to cause the following as well: all kinds of neurological disorders, rashes, acidic PH levels, all either caused or leading to an inflammatory response in the body which is the cornerstone to degenerative aging in and of itself!
At this point, you may be asking yourselves "what the hell can I do then?" There are still options, that is until all of the Genetically Modified Crops start cross contaminating the organic crops, as has already begun. I would suggest utilizing alternative grains, such as Coconut flour, Almond Meal flour, Gluten Free flour...all are good options. The cookies pictured above are made with Coconut flour which has more fiber and protein and is gluten free. I will include the recipe in this blog as well as the book title from which it came: " Cooking with Coconut Flour" by Bruce Fife, N.D. I did a brief blog article in the past on utilizing coconut products in your daily diet and since they are so beneficial, that is why I touch on them again as an alternative grain. If you do decide to have some wheat, which I do include in my diet, I would suggest purchasing organic!

Nutty Chocolate Chippers:

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup of brown sugar or succanat
4 eggs
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups of chopped walnuts
1 cup of gluten free dark chocolate chips
2/3 sifted coconut flour**
Mix together the peanut butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Stir in the nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut flour. Batter may be runny, although mine was not. Drop by the spoonful 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 13 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly before storing. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

My husband and I eat these as snacks before or after skiing, winter biking, etc. as they are filling and high energy. They are excellent for Celiacs, diabetics, although I would utilize Stevia instead of sugar or cut back on sugar, or anyone wanting a healthier snack. I will be writing on the relationship of grains to Type II Diabetes in future blogs as there is a correlation. Until then, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy 2012~!

Time is Platinum

The old idiom time is gold has been upgraded to time is platinum to reflect how valuable it has become! It has always been valuable, but that value seems to have increased due to how fast it is currently moving. I will not get in-depth with scientific theory here however, I will touch on some theories which help to explain what the heck is going on with time. One can concur with the longstanding belief that as one ages, time seems to move more quickly. There appears to be more to this than meets the eye as although this feeling is a universal one across cultures worldwide, it can no longer be the lone reason why we as humans are feeling so pinched and stressed by the rapid passage of time in 2011. Scientists give validity to the expedience of time as one gets older via research regarding our life experiences, for instance, a person's first, or virgin memories, such as the first kiss, first bite of chocolate, first anything, is a new, or novel experience, thus this new experience is so dense, our brains actually record them differently and this takes more brain power than it does to follow the mundane, routine, path of least resistance which many of us fall into later in life! Sadly, since many middle age people do not challenge themselves, this could be why time in fact seems to slip threw their proverbial hands at lightening speed. This data does not explain why all age groups appear to be experiencing rapidly flowing time, or the general feeling of-"there is not enough time to do all I want to do!" I feel this way daily and ask myself where the hell is time going quite frequently. I am currently unemployed and wonder how I got anything done when I worked full time and although I want to work again and make some money, I am genuinly concerned about how I will get all the things done that I both love and hate to do! One other school of thought regarding time, is a more complex one, however, it is one that I tend to entertain, it is centered around a spiritual/energetic perspective of Earth, at the core of this belief, which is closely tied to the Mayan Calendar, humanity is moving to another level of consciousness, one where our current knowledge of time/space/distance does not apply. Regardless of what resonates with you individually as to why time appears to be moving at lightening speed, one thing we can all agree on, is that it really is doing so! The only way to deal with it is to be in a place of gratitude, or living in the moment. This is not always easy to do, but, it is one of the only ways in which I can find peace in my own life, for the old Rolling Stone's song-"Time Is On My Side" surely does not apply to our current place in space and time!

Adapting to the Fall to Winter Seasonal Change

Most of us are pretty overjoyed that we get to sleep an extra hour now due to "Daylight Savings Time," however, the extra hour of sleep may not always make up for the energetic requirements of the fall to winter seasonal shift. Chinese medicine is a great venue to read and research in regards to what needs to be done to adapt to the season changes. Fall is traditionally the season of the harvest...this is not only pertaining to the obvious, crops, but to all of our work and projects over the past six months. The proverbial seeds have been sown, fall is when we reap the end result of the work/growth. For even if we are not growing all of our own food, which would be ideal, autumn is the time for preparation for the season traditionally called the season of rest and introspection, winter. I know, you are thinking, "rest~!"...winter seems to be anything but with two holidays, snow to shovel, cars to warm up, that is a pack of hooey! Nature even assists us by shortening the hours of sunlight from September 23rd to December 21st (the longest night), after which, the days start becoming longer again. While humans as a race do not seem to live by the seasons anymore, when we become cognizant of them and accept them, we can live more harmoniously with them rather than dreading and fighting them. Change cannot be avoided, yet, humans fight change "tooth and nail," unfortunately, this is to no avail, as it is an inherent process and the one truth of the universe amongst all people. Maintaining a balance this time of year is a combination of outward and inward-based activities. As I touched upon last year in this blog, one must find physical activity they enjoy and do this throughout fall/winter as well, this will not only help one to sleep better, it will keep one's moods up as well. According to Chinese Medicine, fall is a good time to cleanse, which I have yet to do, to prepare the body for the ingestion of more heavy and sustaining foods, such as soups, stews, etc. The Metal Element is associated with fall and is associated with the lungs and large intestines. It is important to keep these organs healthy to offset colds and flu. The balance of intake, through breathing air and eating food, and output, breathing out, activity and elimination is crucial to stay healthy. The lungs are vulnerable to cold/damp climates and thus set one up for colds and lung infections. Since the nose is the opening to the lungs, I suggest buying a good Neti Pot and Himalyan Pink Sea Salt, which is very high in all trace minerals, and rinsing the nostrils daily to help prevent the onset of colds/flu. Another very important nutritional aspect is to get one's vitamin D levels checked, as virtually everyone in the upper midwestern states is deficient in this nutrient, which is considered a pro-hormone. Research continues to unveil the multitude of benefits that this nutrient provides to the body. One key factor which has been disclosed is that it is needed to maintain healthy immunity. I recently had my levels tested through my practitioner and they were borderline low. This is not good as I bike outside all summer and the fall season is considered the "trough" for D levels. What this means, is that levels of this nutrient need to be at a peak now in order to sustain one through the winter months. I would recommend a vitamin D test for all who are interested in staying healthy this winter season! For more detailed information regarding the implications of season change on the human body, I suggest picking up a copy of Elson M. Haas, M.D., book-"Staying Healthy with the Seasons."

The Resurgence of Barter....

Good ole Wikipedia defines Barter Trade as "a method of exchange by which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and services without using our current prevalent medium of exchange, money." Traditionally, Barter was utilized to replace currency in times of money instability.
While I do not profess to be an economist, one would have to be blind to not take notice, if only on a rudimentary level, how frail the world economic system is. It is currently ebbing and flowing with jumps in the Dow both up and down and national unemployment numbers hovering at stubborn levels above 9 percent! In summary, I would say that we are definitely in very "shaky" times in general.
I started thinking about Barter after a brief conversation with one of my neighbors the other day when walking my dog. I feel blessed to live in more of a community, rather than a neighborhood. My neighbor brought up the idea of Barter trading, specifically in relation to her direct neighbor. Her close neighbor, who is also a friend of mine, is currently unemployed, as am I, and Mary, whom I was talking with, said she would love to have Ann (her neighbor and my friend) over a few nights a week, simply for company, in return, Mary would cook homecooked meals for her as she is a great cook. When I returned home after our conversation, I started thinking a lot about this concept. I really think we could make a "mini" model of sorts within our neighborhood, after all, we all get along really well, almost all of us, and I think many would be receptive to this idea. Our annual block party this year has morphed into a monthly potluck at different houses in the neighborhood. The host provides the main meal and everyone choosing to partake brings something as well. We have had two thus far and they seem to be a hit. Based upon the success of these community dinners per se, I really believe that the Barter Trade concept can take root. After all, we have a lawyer, a teacher, a hairstylist, photographer, spiritual healer, several great cooks, etc. all in one neighborhood. Another common thread is on the scale of finances...many of us are underemployed, unemployed, or stay at home moms, all needing to watch the flow of money within our households. I also envision Barter Trade as not only a great money saving tool, but, a phenomenol tool with which to build face-to-face relationships in a world dominated by electronics. While we all love our electronic gadgets, I believe that on a primal level, humans are very deficient in human touch, communication, everything involving actual person to person interactions and are looking for ways to develop this in their daily lives. I feel it is along the same vein as the grow local food movement...the impetus being that of knowing who grows and processes the food we eat. In parting, take a look around you, how can you contribute or expand upon this concept in your "own" world?

Pugsley to the Rescue!

Wow, it has been over four months since I have written in my blog! Where did our "pseudo summer go?" We are "smack dab" into the fall season with winter closing in on our heels! If you are like most midwesterners, you are currently thinking..."oh crap, here we go again, winter will be here soon!" I don't know about you, but, after a winter such as last year, with record snowfalls and cold, I am not looking forward to it per se and I consider myself to be pretty hardy! Since I choose to live here year round, I have to find something which captures my interest in the physical realm during the long, ardous winter months. I already have several options in my fitness routine, such as P90X (maintenance), snow shoeing, cross country skiing, etc., however, my first love is mountain biking. In order to continue mountain biking throughout the winter, my husband and I decided to invest in winter bikes. We were able to ride our single speed mountain bikes some of the time last winter, but, due to the deep snow and lots of it, it became progressively more difficult to do so on a consistent basis, so, we decided to take the $800.00 credit my husband received from One on One bike in downtown Minneapolis for his cracked mountain bike frame from Bianchi Bikes, and apply that to our purchase of two Surly Pugsley winter bikes. The "Pug" as it is endearingly called by winter biking afficianados, has Large Marge rims with four inch wide Larry tires slapped on for good measure! For those of you wondering...yes, Surly has a sense of humor, with names fashioned after the popular, long running show.."The Simpsons". The Larry tires can be filled with more air pressure enabling the rider to ride on dirt and sand, as I have been doing recently, as well as lowered to around 5 PSI so the rider can ride on deep snow. I have been told that the winter riding experience on a Pug is akin to Jesus walking on water...lol! Seriously, the low air pressure causes the Larry's to spread out and float on the snow pack, much like the experience that snow shoes provide. There have also been accomodations made to the frame which I won't get into in this short article, as it gets a bit technical.
Last winter when we were winter riding in our favorite haunt...Theordore Wirth Park, it looked like the Blair Witch Project in the woods, as there was a long line of Pugs, I call a pack of Pug riders, a "Pod of Pugs"...with helmet lights flashing through the trees! I am sure that passerbys thought that  a UFO had landed in the woods! The popularity of mountain biking has increased tenfold in the decade plus since I have ridden and this includes winter riding, which is why I am grateful that innovative companies such as Surly continue to come out with bikes such as the Pug for every terrain situation! My husband and I ride in temperatures as low as zero, providing there is low wind chill. While I won't go so far as to say I LOVE WINTER...I will say that I have made peace with it and can co-exist with it mainly due to the fact that I have tools with which to partake in it and to enjoy it.