This blog is not about food for the body, instead food for the brain. I started reading a book called The Power of Now A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle. I have always wanted to be enlightened, whatever that may be. It seems it would bring about some positive changes in my body and soul. But was it just for monks, the masters, spiritual leaders, yoga gurus? I didn’t know, and until this point the whole notion eluded me. I often have positive feelings and want to just smile while pondering about my children, life, or even a grocery cart while walking into the grocery store, like what a great invention. These are gratitude offerings.

When the emotion of joy arises, I wonder why? I believe a lot has to do with my education at the Institute for Integrated Nutrition and the concepts I have learned and applied to my life. I am less stressed, take the time to eat and enjoy my food, eat healthy foods, hydrate, give gratitude offerings, write a morning journal, exercise regularly, and I meditate. I feel so good the day will come when someone says I’ll have what he’s having about me. I am getting reborn into this life and the world with tools like the Circle of Life and Primary Food from IIN.

I read the New York Times Bestseller 'The Power of Now.' Eckhart Tolle, the author went from feeling suicidal to being enlightened one morning as he thought he couldn’t live with himself anymore. He contemplated, I can’t live with myself, are there two of me? In a void as he describes, the words ‘resist nothing’ came to him many times and he fell back asleep. After a few hours he awoke to a new world, with a bird chirping outside his window, and the sun streaming in. The beauty of the moment was in fact an Epiphany. The world changed. Everything was beautiful. After months and years of experiencing this new life, and while studying the masters of meditation and spirituality he realized he had what they were talking about. The book is a journey of his teachings and how you and I can live in a state of consciousness.

I am a beginner at the concept of being present, but it’s not hard to do. Like anything it requires practice and motivation, that’s why I am reading the book for a second time. Here are the basic teachings of Tolle as you embark on enlightenment. Start with the idea that within yourself there is a bystander of sorts, there to observe in a very discrete, non-discriminatory and non- judgmental way the mind and its functions. There is a lot of clutter in your brain every Nano-second of the day. Constantly going from the past to the future, your mind keeps you from being present in the moment that is your real existence and identity. Learning to control the mind from its desire to constantly fill you with unnecessary information that keeps you in an unconscious state requires practice in shutting it down. When it leaps from past to future, bad memories to future fears, learned biases, discriminatory feelings, perceived outcomes you cannot achieve presence. You are the gatekeeper of your inner self, purely an onlooker, and that is the easiest way I can explain Tolle’s incredible revelation. Tolle describes a few examples of being present in those that take up dangerous sports like rock climbing and race car driving. A moment in the unconscious state may lead to death. Learning to be present is like exercising any part of your body, you need to work at it to build it. When you are present, you can experience joy of which there is no opposite. And the great thing is we can all achieve presence without having a dangerous hobby. (Tolle)

Seldom do I smile ear to ear while watching a film or documentary. Bill Murray Stories is a film that put a big grin on my face throughout. Everybody loves him and as far as I can tell he lives in a present, spontaneous state. As I experiment living my now life, I see people more transparently. I can feel when a person is spirited and engaged and detect when someone is confounded or in a quagmire. It’s in their eyes and their body language.

Bill Murray Stories is about ‘the urban legend’ Mr. Bill Murray showing up, unforetold to a host of events over the years. He pops up at wedding pictures, bars and bartends, house parties, family events, reads poetry to construction workers, and is always there to engage and not entertain. You cannot schedule him to show up for one of these wacky appearances, he does it spontaneously. Being a big star, he seems quite grounded, ordinary, and does regular things, like dance, mingle, wash dishes, and take selfies. These wonderful, joyous, and memorable experiences resonated in hearts of the folks around him. I experienced Murray’s nonchalant comedy many years ago, (Saturday Night Live) and like many became an instant fan. He went on to make many classic movies, humorous and serious. From Bill Murray Stories, I saw a clip from Caddy Shack, perhaps one of his most iconic movies, where he improvised a piece about being a caddie for the Dali Lama. The Dali Lama said he (Murray) wouldn’t be getting any money for caddying but at his deathbed he would receive total consciousness. Hmmm I thought, I am reading a book about consciousness, this sounds familiar. As the Life Lessons continued many of Murrays movie included enlightenment references. Several interviews with eye witnesses of these urban legend events suggested he had a way to wake people up, showing up in places he wasn’t expected to be. Wake up, this was a concept in Tolle’s book I was beginning to understand. We walk around in a fog most of the time? Our brains are controlled by time and we can never bring back the past and the future does not exist yet. The stimulation that surrounds us is equal in one day to what our ancestors experienced in a lifetime. No wonder we can’t get off our cell phones our minds have an insatiable desire to wonder. The fact is everyone lives in a state of Now. The universe is in a state of Now. But most of us are missing it, at least that is what I am trying to come to terms with.

Bill Murray lives his life as many of us would like, famous, care free, funny, well off. We can all march to our own beat and should. Practice being a Now person. My suggestion is pick up and read Tolle’s book, watch Bill Murray Stories and see if the correlation I got is the same for you. More important, don’t dwell too much on the past, (it’s a Now that already happened) and don’t fret about the future. Sure, the bills won’t go away, the public speech is going to happen, you are going to have to face some serious situations, but overthinking them keeps you from the being present, conscious, where you are. Use your life to be Bill Murray spontaneous and bring cheer and joy to those around you. Most importantly, bring joy to yourself. As always, I would love to hear what you think of my blog.

​- Allyn

As we approach Fat Tuesday, I thought you would like my Vegan variations on some NOLA classics. Over the 28 years of owning and cooking at Allyn’s I calculate we have made 250,000 entrees of Jambalaya. A quarter of a million is a big number for one item at the restaurant. When I went vegan six years ago, I worked on making the plant-based versions of some of our classics. Here are two Cajun Vegan specialties that you can whip up from my book, Later Gator. We serve the Vegan Jambalaya at Allyn’s and I will introduce the Red Beans, Rice and Vegan Sausage soon. I hope you enjoy them!

Vegan Jambalaya

Ingredients
Olive oil, 2 tbsp
Minced garlic, 2 tbsp
Yellow onion, one diced
Pepper (green or red), one diced
Vegan chicken strips, 1 package (10 oz)
Mexican Chipotle (Field Blend) Sausages, four sliced
Crushed tomatoes, 25 oz can
Lundberg Wild Blend Rice, 2 cups
Water, 4 cups
Not Chick'n Bouillon cubes, 2
Marjoram, ½ tbsp
Cayenne pepper, ½ tsp (be careful not to add too much)
Joe’s Stuff, 1 tbsp (optional, available from the New Orleans School of cooking online)

Directions

1. Add the bouillon cubes and spices to four cups of water and slowly bring to a boil.
2. In a large pot add olive oil, minced garlic, onions and peppers and cook them on a medium to high heat. When the vegetables begin to sweat, add the sliced vegan sausage and vegan chicken strips. Cook them for about two minutes.
3. Next add the rice and continue to cook for about two more minutes, stirring constantly to get the rice to absorb the flavors.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes and continue to stir, deglazing the bottom of the pot. After a few minutes, add the boiling Not Chicken broth and spices to the big pot and bring to a boil.
5. After the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Let it cook for one hour and fifteen minutes.
6. Check the doneness of the rice; it should not be mushy or too firm.

Cook for an additional few minutes if needed. Remove the pot from the heat and serve. Cool any remaining jambalaya and save it for leftovers. It heats up very easily and tastes just as good the second time around.

In my quest to do more Cajun recipes, I also came up with a great red beans, rice and vegan sausage recipe. Normally all you do is replace the real meat with a vegan substitute, and they get easier to find all the time. This recipe like the real red beans and rice alternative requires it to simmer for several hours. So, I will usually start it in the late morning for a dinner delight.

Vegan Red Beans and Rice with Vegan Sausage

Ingredients
Olive oil, 2 tbsp
Minced garlic, 2 tbsp
Yellow onion, one diced
Peppers, two (green and red) diced
Mexican Chipotle (Field Blend) Sausages, four sliced
Red beans, 6 drained and rinsed cans (12 oz each)
Water, 4 cups
Not Chick'n Bouillon cubes, two
Marjoram, ½ tbsp
Cayenne pepper, ½ tsp (be careful not to add too much)
Sugar, 1 tbsp
Bay leaves, 1 or 2
Brown rice or Lundgrens Wild rice, 2 cups
Water, 3½ cups

Directions

1. Add the bouillon cubes and the spices to four cups of water and slowly bring it to a boil.
2. In a large pot add the olive oil, minced garlic, onions and peppers and cook them on a medium to high heat. When the vegetables begin to sweat add the sliced vegan sausage. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and add the drained red beans.
3. Stir the beans and vegetables and cook them until a boil of the liquid in the pot is visible and continue for two to three more minutes.
4. Add the broth to the pot and bring it to a boil. Boil for two to three more minutes and reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for two to three hours or longer for the thickness of the broth and the desired tenderness of the beans.
5. In a separate two-quart pot prepare the rice. Add two cups of Lundgrens Wild Rice to three and a half cups of water and bring it to a boil. If you use a different rice, follow the direction on the package. For the Lundgrens, simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
6. Add the rice to the bottom of a bowl and top it with the beans and sausage mixture. I usually put about one third rice and two thirds red beans.

I hope you enjoy my variations on New Orleans classics. You can make some really delicious Vegan variations on most of the classics and they are much lower in fat and cholesterol than the originals and have the same amount of protein. Let me know if you like these or if you had any trouble making them.   

Allyn's Energy Balls
Makes twelve balls

I am not a big sweets person, which is probably good. It seems that if I start eating sweet things, I want more. My energy balls are sweet, but they are so filling that you only want one or two. These are great for the sweet cravings we all get at times.

Ingredients
Organic oatmeal, 1½ cup 
Flaxseed meal, ½ cup 
Organic pure maple syrup, ⅓ cup 
Honey, 3 tbsp (honey is not vegan: remember, it comes from bees) you can skip this and add a little more maple syrup
Pure vanilla extract, 1 tsp 
Vegan chocolate chips, 3 tbsp 
Sun butter, ½ cup of (we don't like the organic as much, but you can use that also)
Coconut flakes, 2 tbsp
​
Directions
In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and blend with a spatula until you have a consistent mixture. Refrigerate the mixture until it is cold. This makes it easier to form into balls. Make the mixture into golf ball size balls and keep them refrigerated. Eat as a dessert, snack, or quick pick me up.

Please let me know how you like my desserts and have a wonderful Valentines Day. ​

If you didn’t read my last blog this won’t make much sense, so I suggest you look back on it. I’m learning that health may be a state of mind. You have heard of the placebo effect, when patients are given medicine that they think will cure them but it’s only sugar water or salt water. Their bodies sometimes heal, or they get better and react as if it was medicine. The mind is powerful, and we still are only beginning to understand it. Visualization is a technique we can use to comprehend our well-being. I must admit that I am a beginner at this but through meditation it may be possible to learn more about the human spirit and perhaps even what ails us.

I listened to a lecture by Bernie Siegel MD called Master the art of living. One point, of many he made, was you can make the invisible visible through drawing. Many times, he would ask patients to draw a picture of themselves. Their inner consciousness brought things to their drawings that he often was able to interpret and diagnose from deep down in the body and soul. At least that’s what I understood from his statements. I wanted to make a quest to find out what was deep down in my mind and Taryn Toomey may have given me the blueprint.

In my last blog, I couldn’t wait to go running the day after my profound experience with Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class.’ During ‘The Class’ in deep meditation, I had found this dark Spiky Ball in the middle of my mind’s eye that could be the culmination of years of negative thoughts, bad experiences and something holding me back from my potential. I needed that Fire that Toomey was talking about to get rid of it. I had an anxious excitement prior to my four-and-a-half-mile run.

I started the next day on a cool winter afternoon, in Mount Lookout, Cincinnati, and followed the protocol from Toomey, or at least my version of it. I cleared my mind and let my arms fall by my side, shook my hands out as I loosened up for the first half mile or so. I focused on my heart and breathing. Out of the blue I thought of a documentary called DMT: The Spirit Molecule, (Gravitas Ventures 2011, Director Mitch Schultz) According to the documentary ‘Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a naturally occurring psychoactive compound, which exists in humans and potentially every living organism.’

It’s also a powerful psychedelic narcotic. The documentary is scientific, yet a unique perspective of tripping on DMT and traveling out of body to our origin and creation. There is a place in the film with detailed interviews of the volunteers taking the DMT and their interpretations and visual renditions of their psychedelic trips. The documentary was so intriguing I watched it again later.

​In one interview a person said when the drug was administered within moments a there was a noise that got louder and louder until it was unbearable, and a rod would extend up his spine pushing through his skull. Then this psychedelic journey took him back to the origins of the universe where we all came from. Hard to do it justice trying to explain it here, but it is an interesting if not amazing watch. What resonated in my mind as I was running was that rod that pushed up through the spine? 

I knew I needed to awaken my soul and find the spikey ball. I am not on drugs or for that matter DMT, I’m jogging, but for some reason that rod is on my mind. I listened to my constant breath and slowly pounding heart. My eyes are open but only to make sure I don’t run into a car or vice versa. I am relaxed and focusing within. I visualize my heart beating and heating up and then I inwardly direct an Obelisk (four-sided tapering monument with a pyramid type top) to push upward from my heart into the spikey ball that I now see.

The top of the obelisk is pressing along the bottom of the slowly rotating spikey ball and I visualize it being pushed through the top of my skull. I ask my heart to heat the obelisk, fire it up. My spine and head are straight, and I usually run with my head slumped forward. The obelisk is pushing this rotating ugly spikey thing out of my body, it’s spinning inches over the top of my head. I continue to ask my heart to super heat the obelisk and conjure the spikey ball to start spinning faster. I envision the ends of the spikes starting to spew this milky fluid out of the ball. I get very angry at the ball and am using profanities in my head to get the substance the ‘F’ out. Spin faster and push the F’in fluid out. Heat the interior of the ball resting on the obelisk so hot that the fluid turns to steam. I see the ball spinning at the speed of a washing machine in spin cycle. The fluid was gushing out and then the steam spewing all over the landscape. And the spikes begin to disappear, and the ball is still spinning but slower. The ball has the surface of a yellow orange and is turning gold and tan. I am halfway through my 4 ½ mile run and am feeling relieved as the ball begins to shine and become smooth and yellow.

As it spins, I conjure the ball to take in the eight positive emotions I spoke of in the last blog. Awe, love, trust, gratitude, forgiveness, compassion, joy, gratitude and hope is all around me. I am asking god to bring it in while this ball is still outside my body. It’s a grey day but I thank the cloud cover for its blanket over the earth, the baron trees for sleeping during the winter so our resources are replenished, the beauty of nature, the awe of technology, the wisdom of our human nature to fabricate this world we live in. I make many gratitude offerings to our humanity and humility. I realize that this internal ball thing, now in the external world needs to return to my body revitalized with good omens. I let my visualization taper, and the slowly spinning smooth gold object comes back into my mind. I start winding down my run, relaxing into the last half mile.

I am feeling very tranquil as I stop where I normally do, at the bottom of the hill before my house. What happened next, I almost can’t describe. I walked up my hill and saw this person walking their dog down the street. He is the only one in the neighborhood that allows his dog to defecate on my lawn and my neighbors. (caught him once but he didn’t see me) He smiles and says good morning and in his left hand is a bag with his dogs’ poop. Wooh, I contemplated. Then I walked into my house and my wife says something to me and I can immediately sense the slight stress in her tone. This stress was something I wouldn’t normally notice. I didn’t want to listen to the TV, music or anything as my state of mind was so pure and relaxed, I didn’t want to corrupt it. I was at a peace with myself such that I have never experienced. I wasn’t tired from the run but from the mind experience fatigued me. I have not tried that run since. Perhaps, it’s use is more as a cleanup or reboot for down the road. I am still meditating, and the obelisk seems to occupy my body, ready to push any future spikey balls the hell out of my head.

Just a few notes on this bizarre blog. Please don’t think I’m out of my mind. Pardon the pun. What I just described to you was true and a stunning revelation to me. I painstakingly went back through this experience so that it could make sense to you and the effort was as almost as fatiguing as the original. I study Integrated Nutrition and spirituality and exercise are part of the 12 elements of the circle of life which is Primary Food. I believe that we can all achieve a higher potential in health and wellness. Although visualization may seem out of the ordinary, it has a lot of common practices. Refer to my page on Integrated Nutrition on this website for more information about what I do.  

Thank you and until next time all the best, Allyn

As an Integrated Nutrition Health Coach, I support one of IIN’s unique theory’s Primary Food and Secondary Food. Primary Food is your relationships, career, spirituality and exercise and is as important in your health and well-being, as Secondary Food, what’s on your plate.
​
In this blog I am going to talk about a recent experience with spirituality and exercise (Primary Food). I have had a very rewarding, but stressful life as a restauranteur for the past 28 years and prior to that working for a Hotel corporation for twelve years. AT IIN I have been paying special attention to ways of reducing stress. There are several exercises that I have incorporated into my lifestyle from my IIN educational experience.

Breathing exercises to reduce stress (4,7,8), breath in 4 seconds, hold 7 seconds, breath out 8 seconds as an example has worked great especially when getting stressed. Daily meditation has worked its way into my life as well. Morning Pages (Julia Cameron author of The Artist Way) free form journaling after first waking up with affirmations and thankfulness has given me new perspectives and alertness to my daily activities. I am becoming much more mindful. (observant of myself and my surroundings, thinking, inner thoughts, perspectives etc.)

Recently we had a speaker, Taryn Toomey, a mind-body expert and creator of ‘The Class’ that gave me perhaps one of the most mind-blowing experiences yet. Before we get into that experience with ‘The Class’ I would like to provide the reader with some thoughts on spirituality.

The editor of my upcoming book, titled Later Gator, Wendy Beckman (author of 8 Wonders of Cincinnati, Founders and Famous Families of Cincinnati and University of Cincinnati College of Nursing: 125 Years of Transforming Health Care) sent me this article by Holly Thomas, ‘Why do vegans attract such hatred?’ (Saturday January 5, 2019). And she just wrote..."Great article."

I read the article and a couple things came to mind. But first let’s examine what all the hubbub in the article is about. Gregg’s, a UK food chain announces the addition of a vegan sausage roll to the delight of some and dismay of others. The roll would quickly sell out by lunchtime, but there were others that deplore, why do we need to change the classic sausage roll?" (including a very vocal, famous T.V. personality and columnist). 

If you decide to become a vegan or move to a plant-based diet, there is a good chance you are going to be different than most of your friends and family. Learn that what may be healthy for you may not be healthy for everybody. If you find, as I did, someone has an interest in a plant-based diet engage them. I lost 30 pounds within a few months by getting off dairy and animal protein.

My skyrocketing cholesterol and high blood pressure went down to normal and my daily acid-reflux disappeared. People I ran into that hadn’t seen me for a while looked at me like, are you OK? You lost a lot of weight, or you are skinny, and I would reply I changed my diet and exercise significantly. This is where you need to be on alert. ‘I got on a plant-based diet’ would be my reply, and then the questions would start.

Q. You don’t eat meat? A. No. Q. How about dairy? A. No. Q. Cheese? A. No. Q. Fish? A. No. I always answer in a non-provocative way, not condescending at all. Then the conversation may go to the person saying, Oh I could never give up cheese, (or meat or fish or dairy) or whatever.

The conversation would end there with me saying it was a good choice for my own health but might not be for you. If you decide to become a vegan don’t be pretentious, do it for yourself and the planet. People will eventually come around and there are plenty of interested folks out there wanting to get healthier. Don’t waste your time with the naysayers. 

I own a restaurant and we serve animal protein, dairy, cheese, and fish. Am I a hypocrite because I choose to be on a plant-based diet? No, I also added a dozen vegan recipes that tend to get the most positive reviews from my customers. Understand that I am an Integrated Nutrition Health Coach and have studied diets and nutrition thoroughly. One key theory is that one person’s food can be another person’s poison. Diet is based on bio-individuality.

At Allyn’s we buy local Wagyu beef and cage free chicken, steroid and hormone free. I find this to be a step in the right direction of sustainability. I am not running around the restaurant telling people what to eat and I don’t do that in my IN practice. Our growing vegan crowds come in with their carnivore friends and chow down at one table. Restaurant chains are adding Beyond Meat and the Impossible Burgers to their menus.

​I haven’t heard it yet “Leave our White Castle burgers alone and keep that fake meat out of our fast food chains- we like our burgers the way they are! And maybe it’s because no big star has chosen to jump on that anti-plant protein bandwagon. The fact is all the people that are employed in the fast food industry are no different than you and me.

* It is wrong to put a label on them and their employment. They have families, bills, dreams, like us. What is interesting is the thought that these companies have the distribution channels to make big changes for the world in the future. The slight change of adding a plant-based burger on the menu has ginormous implications for our planet and food supply. (*Thoughts I got from a seminar by Joel Fuhrman M.D. at IIN)

Don’t waste you time and energy hating anyone or anything. Learn to forgive people, even when they wrong you or don’t share the same opinion. Try to understand the underlying issues of someone with opposing viewpoints. Always be yourself and stand up for your values, but don’t preach them. Your overall health may benefit more from this than any diet. Controlling your stress levels is so important in health and wellbeing... (remember my breathing exercise suggestions).

In Integrated Nutrition it’s called Primary Food. It involves balancing your career, relationships, exercise and spirituality and may be more important than what’s on your plate. (Secondary Food) Think positive thoughts, be thankful, grateful, complimentary, be wise, creative, spiritual and don’t get caught up with ridiculous chatter about trivial issues like ‘leave our bloody sausage roll alone.’

Another approach this celebrity could have taken versus attacking the Gregg’s food chain for finding a vegan substitute sausage roll might have been a tweet or blog, “Is it time for a vegan sausage roll or should we leave the bloody thing alone?” To me that is a much better approach than attacking a population or company, but I’m sure it doesn’t stir up people as much, sell newspapers, magazines or newscasts.

What I heard from this T.V. personality in regards to a vegan sausage roll is, I’ve heard this PC sh!t before, I don’t believe it, there’s no proof it’s healthier, I want what I want regardless of those that say it is a better way, don’t placate me or my listeners, don’t mess with tradition, keep your sh!!t ass diet theories to yourself, revolt that’s who I am. But that’s just my opinion.

It’s that time of year for New Year’s resolutions. This has gone on for hundreds of years dating back at least to 1671. At that time on January 2nd, found in the diaries of Anne Halkett, a member of the Scottish Gentry was pledges of biblical verses such as I will not offend any more. (retrieved from merriam-webster.com/ when-were-New-Years-Resolution-Started)

I always have a hard time thinking of New Years Resolutions. I use the excuse that if I have a resolution, why wait till New Years Day? Is there any day that isn’t good to quit smoking, exercise more, eat healthier, treat your spouse better, spend more time with your children or grandchildren, refrain from excessive spending, stop swearing, take your dog for a walk, make your bed every day or wake up fifteen minutes earlier so that you don’t have to drive like a maniac to work and almost kill everyone in your path.

I generally don’t have a New Years Resolution. This year I do though, and I’m keeping it to myself because…funny thing is they are normally broken as quickly as they start. That’s why gyms are the busiest in January and by February are back to normal.

​I didn’t realize this, but December is a month that many people let go of their inhabitations in recognition that come January 1st the proverbial sh!T hits the fan. I thought that only happened on Fat Tuesday, the famed New Orleans party tradition the night before Lent. That’s when we give up something we really like or try to be more giving towards the less fortunate for the Christian Lenten Season.

If you had the chance to wish for anything what would you wish for? It’s something we have all thought about. Perhaps the story of the Genie in the Lamp or Aladdin and the Magic Lamp comes to mind because the story recreated by Disney Studios has dated back almost 3,000 years. But we get only one wish in this case and you can’t wish for more wishes.

​The story of the Genie in the lamp has many spins and greedy wishes normally lead to disaster and unexpected peril. Or we can think about the funny TV series I dream of Jeannie, that aired from 1965-1970, staring Larry Hagman, Barbara Eden, Bill Daily and Hayden Rorke. Mostly a show watched by the baby boomers it featured the hilarious adventures of Jeanie (Barbara Eden) and her master Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman) in a modern-day scenario. All of that aside most of us would probably use the wish for fame, riches, or immortality, just saying.  

My second Christmas prayer is for world peace and for mankind to unite to make our world a better, more sustainable place for ourselves, our families, and our children and their children and so on down the line. (Lord why are we such a violent people?) There are a lot of things that can change for the better if we pray hard about it. I am going to continue to pray for lots of things this season and beyond and that’s better than any wish. Peace to all.

Thanksgiving is over, and the holiday mayhem is on. We get warmed up to the mad rush of Christmas and holiday shopping well in advance. Starting in September with the big box store displays of Christmas trees, lights, lawn ornaments, and holiday gift packages there it is, in our face. Still in shorts mowing the lawn, driving around with the top down on our convertibles, there it tis, much to our chagrin.
    
Black Friday, Local Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, discounts, specials, spend, spend, spend. Crowded parking lots, people in a hurry, blustery weather, dark at 4 o’clock, but we need to get presents for everyone on our list.. doon’t weee? Ahh, let’s wait till the last minute.

1. Try this breathing exercise when you are getting freaked out. It’s called the 4-7-8. Breath in though your nose four counts, hold for seven counts, and exhale through your mouth eight counts. Try it a few times and you will become an expert. You need to practice it to work… every day, but not too much you may pass out. Next time you are in a traffic jam, long line, or plain old frustrated for no reason, think about it and do it.
2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Drink plenty of filtered water in a store-bought container versus plastic if you can. Mostly during the day, less at night, so not to interrupt sleep with nighttime bathroom visits. Start the day with a big glass, and drink throughout. Tea, coffee, soda, energy drinks, and anything mixed with water doesn’t count. This keeps your body hydrated, will stave off headaches and maintain your energy.
3. Get a good night’s sleep. Work at making your bedroom a comfortable place to lure you into sleepy land. Get rid of electronics, bright clocks, light from windows, TV’s and try to follow the natural circadian rhythm of sleep, early to bed early to rise, makes the person healthy, wealthy and wise.
4. Bonus point 1; Wake up fifteen minutes earlier that usual. Start writing in a journal your initial thoughts called morning pages. (Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way) Start with thanksgivings, (10) then let your mind roll, dreams, thoughts for the day, free thought writing, and keep it where only you have access to it because it’s no one’ business but yours. Practice this every morning and you will find a much clearer vision in your day to day thinking. Eventually this could lead to an epiphany!

Just a couple things of fancy I thought my friends and foes out there can use to their advantage in the upcoming weeks.