Leaving Italy

I have finally finished Italy and am moving on to India. Here are some parting thoughts from Elizabeth that I found interesting and would love your feedback on.

"But is it such bad thing to live like this for just a little while? Just for a few months of one's life, is it so awful to travel through time with no greater ambition than to find the next lovely meal? Or to learn how to speak a language for no higher purpose that it pleases your ear to hear it? Or to nap in a garden, in a patch of sunlight in the middle of the day, right next to your favorite fountain? And then do it again the next day?...In a world of disorder and disaster and fraud, sometimes only beauty can be trusted. Only artistic excellence is incorruptible. Pleasure cannot be bargained down. And sometimes the meal is the only currency that is real. To devote yourself to the creation and enjoyment of beauty, then, can be a serious business - not always necessarily a means of escaping reality, but sometimes a means of holding onto the real when everything else is flaking away...Still, I will say that the same thing which has helped generations of Sicilians hold their dignity has helped me begin to recover mine - namely, the idea that the appreciation of pleasure can be an anchor of one's humanity. I believe this is what Goethe meant by saying that you have to come to Sicily to understand Italy. And I suppose this is what I instinctively felt when I decided I needed to come here, to Italy, in order to understand myself. I came to Italy pinched and thin. I did not know yet what I deserved. I still maybe don't fully know what I deserve. But I do know that I have collected myself of late - through the enjoyment of harmless pleasures - into somebody much more intact. The easiest, most fundamental way to say it is that I have put on weight. I exist more now than I did four months ago. I will leave Italy noticeably bigger than when I arrived here. And I will leave with the hope that the expansion of one person - the magnification of one life - is indeed an act of worth in this world. Even if that life, just this one time, happens to be nobody's but my own."

Queries:
Was Elizabeth's four month pursuit of personal pleasure indulgent or selfish or escaping from reality?
How does appreciating pleasure anchor us to our humanity?
What do you deserve? How can you know?
How is your growing and expanding an act of worth?
Are there places you want to put on weight and become "noticeably bigger"?

Pamper with Purpose

We had two thumbs up for yoga as a way to take care of yourself and feel good in your body. I have been practicing yoga, sometimes more faithfully than others,for about 20 years. It always feels like coming home. Find a great teacher and give it a go. I srongly recommend an internal practice like yoga or tai chi. The physical stretching is wonderful but I find the greatest benefit to be the centering and grounding that goes with it. Flo, you did something you love, walking, in a very different way by going out in the woods at night. What a marvelous thing to have to use all your senses!
Shannon, you reminded us all of the importance of relationships for feeling good. God's synchronicity - we feel good, our friends and loved ones feel good, we smile more, we move more, we find our center more strongly, and scatter it all around again!

After a massage this week I took an epsom salt bath - yummy! I have been told it pulls toxins and aches and have certainly experienced that for myself, but I wanted to get some real information. My oh my! Who knew?

The Epsom Salt Industry Council reports that epsom salt, made of magnesium sulfate, is one of the most effective means of making the magnesium your body needs readily available.
Researchers and physicians report that raising your magnesium levels may: Improve heart and circulatory health, reducing irregular heartbeats, preventing hardening of the arteries, reducing blood clots and lowering blood pressure.
Epsom Salt improves the body's ability to use insulin, reducing the incidence or severity of diabetes.

• Epsom Salt flushes toxins and heavy metals from the cells, easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances.

• Epsom Salt improves nerve function by regulating electrolytes. Also, calcium is the main conductor for electrical current in the body, and magnesium is necessary to maintain proper calcium levels in the blood.

• Epsom Salt relieves stress. Excess adrenaline and stress are believed to drain magnesium, a natural stress reliever, from the body. Magnesium is necessary for the body to bind adequate amounts of serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of well being and relaxation.

While increasing your magnesium levels, Epsom salt also delivers sulfates, which are extremely difficult to get through food but which readily absorb through the skin. Medical research indicates sulfates are needed for the formation of brain tissue, joint proteins and the mucin proteins that line the walls of the digestive tract. Sulfates also stimulate the pancreas to generate digestive enzymes and help to detoxify the body's residue of medicines and environmental contaminants.

FOOT SOAK

Place 1/2 cup epsom salts in a large pan of warm water. Add a few drops of lavender or your favorite essential oil, close your eyes and sail away for 20 minutes!

CALMING BATH
Pour 2-3 cups in your tub. I have been known to fall asleep and not wake up until the water has gotten so cold it startles me awake. Be sure you have a great bath pillow for your neck. Remember, epsom salt is a sedative for the nervous system. Ahhhh yes! Epsom salt will help reduce swelling, relax muscles (from exertion or stress - think neck and shoulders...),and is a natural exfoliant and emollient. I hear Hollywood uses it before red carpet events.

HAIR VOLUMIZER
Somebody try this and report back. Combine equal parts deep conditioner and salts. Warm in a pan. Work through hair and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse in warm, then cool , water.

SPLINTER REMOVAL
We were so busy relaxing we forgot about the kids for a moment! No worries, they get benefits too. Use epsom salt to draw out a splinter - no more digging and crying.

The Evolution of a Dream

Dream is implanted into brain.

Dreamer becomes thrilled.

Dreamer becomes terrified.

If no action is taken, terrifying thoughts grow into flesh-eating monsters. Dream is considered unrealistic.

If action is taken, terrifying thoughts are revealed to be paper tigers. Confidence soars, miracles unfold, and dreamer begins to saunter.

Either way, nothing remains the same.

Yow,
The Universe
from tut.com Notes from the Universe

Right Now!

Michelle, a Mothering MOMent subscriber, (get it free at www.livewithintention.org/mother.html) sent this: "I am currently in an inquiry about how to feel good in my body. I know of a lot of things that could make a difference for me and I am not doing them. (Sound familiar?)Do you have something that you do, eat, think, drink, etc. to feel good in your body? I'd love to hear what you do for yourself. I want to lose weight and get fit and all, but what I really want is to feel good in my body right now! I don't want to have to wait until I reach some goal to have that feeling and I still want to reach the goals."

Ah, Michelle,such a great question. I'm pretty queeny when it comes to my self care so, many things came to mind. And I am so anxious to hear what each of you are doing to feel good in your body! We are mind, body, spirit all rolled into one. We can't say or do anything to ourselves physically that doesn's affect us emotionally and vice versa. We need to be intentional in caring for every dimension of our selves.

I'm going to get this rolling with two of my favorite things and we will just see where this takes us! I get regular massages. If you are in Phoenix give Dorothy Turner a call at 623.695.8201. You can go to her (there is a great sauna at her house too!)or she will come to you. She also teaches healthy cooking classes and is creating a cookbook. How we eat will definitely be on our list! Can't wait to hear how you all incorporate food into feeling good in your body. Yes, I know massage can be expensive. Dorothy and I barter. I coach her. She fixes me. Exchange services when possible. You all have amazing and unique offerings. Put your thinking caps on and get yourself under some experienced hands, AND allow a massage therapist to be enriched by you.

Jazzercise is the most fun I have ever had exercising indoors! Outside is where I most love to be, but I digress. I wanted to give you the scientific scoop on it so I contacted my great friend, instructor, and co-owner of Phoenix Jazzercise Center, Kim Fullmer, for the "skinny" on Jazzercising. The American College of Sports Medicine has set guidelines for cardio, strength, and stretch training. Jazzercise meets or exceeds those standards. Their motto is "Everything you need in an hour" and they're not kidding! We warm up, stretch, dance, sweat, lift weights, and use bands, balls, and mats. You will get some kickboxing, pilates, yoga, and body scultping. Studies show that people who work out to music work more effectively, and learning (engage that brain!) and moving to the choreography will make you smarter. You can't do that on a treadmill! I must say here that you do not have to be a dnacer or even very coordinated to do this. You only need to enjoy moving to music. Regular weight bearing exercise increases bone density and Jazzercise is something you can do at any age.I love the age diversity in my classes. Simply adjust the intensity to match your mobility and energy. We all know the benefits of elevating our endorphin and seratonin levels. When the baby was up all night, you have a deadline at work, someone spilled juice on the carpet, the car needs repair...elevated endorphins can go a long way to maintaining your sanity and temper.
Jazzercise also feeds my spirit. I have met some really great people there while having fun and connecting with my self and strengthening my body. I love how it is all woven together. I call it God's synchronicity in the world.

Okay, your turn. What do you do to feel good in your body and nurture yourself?

Blog Teaching Tool to Check Out

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Eat Pray Love

I am so glad you're here! We have begun to unpack Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert in the Mothering MOMent (can be viewed at www.livewithintention.org in the archives) and will use this space to continue. Please post your thoughts and responses. Let's go down and in for 2008!

"Then my mother shocked me. She said, "All those things you want from your relationship, Liz? I have always wanted those things too."
In that moment, it was as if my strong mother reached across the table, opened her fist and finaly showed me the handful of bullets she'd had to bite over the decades in order to stay happily married to my father. I had never seen this side of her before, not ever. I had never imagined what she might have wanted, what she might have been missing, what she might have decided not to fight for in the larger scheme of things. Seeing all this, I could feel my worldview start to make a radical shift.
If even she wants what I want, then....?
Continuing with this unprecedented string of intimacies, my mother said, "You have to understand how little I was raised to expect that I deserved in life, honey. Remember - I come from a different time and place than you do. "
I closed my eyes and saw my mother, 10 years old on the family farm in Minnesota, working like a hired hand, raising her younger brothers, wearing the clothes of her older sister, saving dimes to get out of there...
"And you have to understand how much I love your father," she concluded.
My mother had made choices in her life, as we all must, and she is at peace with them. I can see her peace. She did not cop out on herself. The benefits of her choices are massive - a long, stable marriage to a man she still calls her best friend; a family that has extended now into grandchildren who adore her; a certainty in her own strength. Maybe some things were sacrificed, and my dad made his sacrifices too - but who amongst us lives without sacrifice?
And the question now for me is, What are my choices to be? What do I believe that I deserve in this life? Where can I accept sacrifice, and where can I not?"


Think about your mother and your grandmother(s). What choices and sacrifices have they made? Would you like to have a conversation with any of them about these things? Which choices and sacrifices do you want to make? Which ones do you want to avoid? What do you believe you deserve in this life? Have there been times when you have copped out on yourself? Is your peace visible to others?

I look forward to hearing from you and to creating some great discussion!