Turned on

I've found that moving my body a lot and nourishing it with what it needs results in a natural high that is really fantastic. Recently I've made the commitment to be a lot more active (as I am nearing my 25th birthday aka Metabolism Slow Down day) and eat better. Actually, I'm just going to put in list form the things which I am working toward, and not just in the realm of physical fitness...this is for me, but maybe someone will want to jump on the bandwagon!

1. Do more yoga. Yoga is such a high-inducing activity! I always feel so much better, and people always say "I feel so loose" after even a short yoga session. Gotta love this. Crap, that reminds me, I forgot my Sun Salutation this morning. I'll do it this afternoon.

2. Bike to work. I live about 2 miles from my workplace, which isn't a terribly long ride, though it is mostly uphill on the way to work. :P It is so fun, though, and I see things I haven't noticed in my car. It also promotes a slower and more focused lifestyle; I can't just zip over to Wal-Mart on my lunch hour, and if I start craving evil corporate food from McDonald's or wherever...just can't go get it! Oh yeah! So it gives me a great workout and view while preventing me from making not-so-good choices! It's a win-win! I'm going to work on JUST using my bike in town and never driving the car. It's also funny to see how people react sometimes. I get offered rides constantly, as if riding a bike must mean I'm down-and-out and need a ride or I must be lost and in need of help. Man, cars suck. They even have an effect on the psyche, I've noticed. I'll post more on that later. Aw, man! Riding the bike and doin' yoga...it's freein' my mind!

3. Eat a *mostly* raw vegan diet. A Moire, everyone knows I'm Irish and thus making every form of potato and cabbage dish...ever...but I'm going to shoot for as much raw and as much vegan as possible. I've found a recipe for nut milk that only requires a blender, so I got m'milk. Soy cheese is awesome, though I'm sure I'll indulge in regular cheese sometimes. Obviously, trying to go full veg. It's better anyway. We'll see how this goes.

4. Start a green smoothie binge. Still gotta get the blender. BUT, green smoothies are awesome. You smooth up the fruit, add a handful of spinach (which you can't taste). I will be sharing this with friends. It's going to be fantastic.

5. Watch my words. Which is a great segway into what I found in my inbox this morning. I subscibe to "Daily OM", a really insightful newsletter. Here's what it said this morning:

September 3, 2009
Choose Your Words

Failure
The word failure puts forward a very simplistic way of thinking that allows for only two possibilities: failure or success. Few things in the universe are black and white, yet much of our language reads as if they are. The word failure signifies a paradigm in which all subtlety is lost. When we regard something we have done, or ourselves, as a failure, we lose our ability to see the truth, which is no doubt considerably more complex. In addition, we hurt ourselves. All you have to do is speak or read the word failure and see how it makes you feel. At some point, the word may not have been so loaded with the weight of negativity, and it simply referred to something that did not go according to plan. Unfortunately, in our culture it is often used very negatively, such as when a person is labeled a failure, even though it is impossible for something as vast and subtle as a human being to be reduced in such a way. It also acts as a deterrent, scaring us from taking risks for fear of failure. It has somehow come to represent the worst possible outcome. Failure is a word so burdened with fearful and unconscious energy that we can all benefit from consciously examining our use of it, because the language we use influences the way we think and feel. Next time you feel like a failure or fear failure, know that you are under the influence of an outmoded way of perceiving the world. When the world failure comes up, it’s a call for us to apply a more enlightened consciousness to the matter at hand. When you are consciously aware of the word and its baggage you will not fall victim to its darkness. In your own use of language, you may choose to stop using the word failure altogether. This might encourage you to articulate more clearly the truth of the situation, opening your mind to subtleties and possibilities the word failure would never have allowed.

Our words have a lot of power. We should thus be very careful with them.