How I Met Young Living Essential Oils
I met Young Living Essential Oils about 20 years ago at an outdoor wedding at a park near a city lake. A little bottle was passed around the group — there were just a handful gathered — not more than 20 people or so. I recall asking what is this, but I don’t recall the answer.
Shortly after that I attended a Women’s Expo in downtown Minneapolis. Cherie Ross had a double booth at the end of a row. I remember being intrigued and somewhat mesmerized by all the different things. I stood looking at all the tiny bottles and she said “Go ahead. You can choose one and try it.” Well, I had no idea which way to turn or how to make a decision. In the end she suggested White Angelica.
I recognized the yummy-ness of it immediately because it was the same essential oil blend that had been passed around at the wedding.
I was hooked, although I didn’t know it yet.
I still have my first order copy.
What I remember most about Gary Young is how he made science...
Evolution of Human Consciousness & Food?
In one of my Facebook groups the question was posed: What is your why? What is your driving force?
I found this question quite engaging… and had to pace. It’s not like I’ve never considered this before. It’s just how do I take a feeling and put words to it?
The first, most obvious answer, if we are all honest, is money. We have financial commitments from the basic food and shelter to the other things that bring pleasure like a nice meal out with a friend or a vacation with the family.
The obviousness aside, my WHY and driving force is the Evolution of Human Consciousness. That’s a mouthful, I know. I am not, however, a philosopher sitting in a stuffy, poorly lit office at the local university with books and papers piled high to the ceiling.
I am a humble servant doing my work, and I look just like you.
I approach the Evolution of Human Consciousness at the very basic level: food. I bring the awareness of my students to food and how it makes them feel....
I Found a Penny
I found a penny today.
An old, unattractive penny. It had probably survived all the snow and salt and was well, not so pristine.
It was the first thing I saw as I opened the car door. I was delighted.
And I decided to pick it up.
I saw it as a gift from the Universe. Here. A penny. It’s not bright and shiny, but it’s a gift. A penny. One cent.
The reason I am sharing in such detail is that usually I notice and leave it for someone else to find. I imagine someone like my sister who, when she finds a penny, is all excited and perhaps encouraged, because she sees it as a gift from her beloved dog who has crossed over. I imagine a child being very excited, bending over to pick it up and showing mommy….
But today, I changed my viewpoint.
This penny was for ME. I picked it up, said thank you and put it in my car.
At that moment I realized that all those times I noticed, did NOT say thank you, did NOT pick it up I was dissing God. I was saying it was too small for me...
Diabetes: Taking Time To Get It Right
Part Three in Daniel's Diabetes Chronicle
Sometimes you just need someone to care. To be asked how it’s going and be heard, listened to, validated. Sometimes the answer requires action.
Such was the case with Daniel recently when I was there for a visit. At 72, having to repattern his lifestyle because his life literally depends on it is difficult, I’m sure. It is hard, frustrating, annoying and more. He had mentioned he’d gone a few consecutive times without getting a successful glucose reading. In frustration he’d given up.
It’s easy to brush something like that aside, as it requires sitting down and learning something new. And honestly, sometimes we would rather just now know or face the truth.
But before I left, I said let’s figure this out together. This is important.
I read the instructions step by step and then we found the error. He got a result of 129! The joy on his face was something to behold. He is not one to emote;...
Diabetes and Your Pantry
Part Two in Daniel's Diabetes Chronicle
You may remember me telling you about my friend who was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes….
Let’s meet Daniel quick. In a nutshell:
72 year old male. Overweight. Active, but not excessively athletic. Diet consisting mostly of processed foods and sugary sodas. Water? That’s what you wash your hands with, right?
I went to the local co-op and outfitted his kitchen pantry… Over the weekend, I spent a considerable amount of time with him going through his fridge and cupboard. … Let’s just say his cupboard looked nothing like mine. I have become an avid label reader and know what to look for hidden in plain view in the little tiny letters somewhere on the packaging.
This time, though, I was not looking for hidden gluten — I was looking for hidden sugars by many different names.
I found the back of his fridge and cupboards and literally filled up his trash bin for next week.
...A Dreaded Diagnosis: Diabetes
Part One in Daniel's Diabetes Chronicle
A very close individual in my life was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I dropped everything and accompanied him to his two hour 1 on 1 education. One hour with an RN specializing in diabetes education and one hour (which was more like 40 minutes) with a dietician.
I agreed to ask questions and be a second set of ears. While I didn’t promise to not contradict what I disagreed with, I have to say I was proud of my ability to hold my tongue.
From a #CleanEating perspective, what they taught has much to be desired.
Choose margarine and canola oil over coconut oil and butter.
Nowhere in this dialogue was organic v conventional mentioned. (conventional butter is full of food coloring, not to mention growth hormones and other toxins)
Diet over regular soda was recommended (this patient has been guzzling soda by the case for decades…). There was one reference to drinking water — in 2 hours! No...
Word Power: Amplify
The statement “My Soul craves more ….” was put before me and my answer was More UN-Winter…
Please
Given that that really is only possible by my moving to a different state or flying somewhere where winter is not so harsh for a hiatus, I allowed myself to muse.
Using Lisa Sonora Beam’s prompts from her 30 Day Journaling Project, my musing began. She posed this:
Why not make a list of things that reawaken your sense of the beautiful. Or whatever other positive qualities you care to amplify in your life. Sense of wonder? Sense of peace? Sense of joy? Sense of gratitude?
I wish to Reawaken and Amplify ALL those things, don’t you?!
I latched on to AMPLIFY…. What does Amplify mean, anyway?
- To increase the strength of
- To make louder by increasing the strength of electrical signals
- To give more information about
- To expand by the use of detail, illustration, additional analysis
What would your (my) life look and feel like if there was more
...Word Power: Zeal
I was in meditation having a conversation with my Guidance, and, well, they were giving me Guidance! They said they could feel my Zeal and I was to look it up.
So I did.
An eager desire.
Eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something.
A strong feeling of interest and enthusiasm that makes someone eager or determined to do something.
And because I love to paint with pastels I asked myself what “zeal” looked like and all I could see was fire. A fire to go after that desire.
What’s with the black? It feels like to barrier that needs to be pushed through to get to the hot, hot flame. Once that barrier is breeched, the fire/desire burns hot and there’s no stopping you. There’s no turning back.
What are you zealous about?
What makes you determined?
Healing journeys - the similarities for humans and animals
Meet Grace, my one eyed Goddess. As I nurse my cat Grace back to health, I am seeing the similarities between her journey and our journey (our meaning humans). It's fascinating. Join me.
Christmas Musings on the Art of the Ask
I challenge you to RElearn to ask for what it is you want. RElearn the Art of the Ask.
Relearn.
This implies you UNlearned the easy-ness and joy of how to ask for what you want.
Ask and it is given — a basic Universal Law, a basic premise in Ancient texts.
Why, then, is it so hard for us to simply
ASK?
Because circumstances and experiences in the past taught us it was hard, inappropriate, futile — or any combination of these — to ask, because we wouldn’t get the wish fulfilled anyway.
Hmmmm..
I can’t negate your experiences — or mine for that matter — so now what?
The challenge I put before you is to RElearn the art of the ask.
If you have the desire in your heart, there must be a means to achieve, receive, create it, right? Right!
What if you learned early on, as a child, that to ask for that train set, or the baseball bat, or a special doll that put undue burden on your parents? so you learned it was easier to...