It seems that time has gotten away from me once more. This is the first lazy afternoon in a few weeks that I've really had to myself, and it's rather nice. I just haven't had the time, or frankly the energy lately to plan meals, much less vegetarian ones.
What have I been up to, then?
We've been steadily sorting out the estate of the deceased Aunt, and are taking care of disbursing things as necessary to her other family members. Something that quickly became apparent was that my mother-in-law, who was this Aunt's caretaker and companion for 15 years, needs a place to live after all the dust settles. It just makes sense for her to move in with us, and we were planning on moving when our lease was up, anyway. So we looked for a larger place ... and found one!
It's a spacious little house for rent in an awesome neighborhood, not too far from where we currently live. It was built in the 1920's, and is about double the square-footage than what our current apartment is. We're keeping our awesome roommate, and taking on my mother-in-law. We're getting a screamin' deal on the rent, and the landlords seem like really nice people. And you know what else? They said I can plant things!!! I'm beside myself! I haven't had a garden since I lived at home in High School! I've already figured out what I'll plant in the front yard. Maybe this planting-season I'll leave it at that, and do the back yard next spring. (We'll see, though. :D).
So we're getting our affairs in order to move. As soon as we put the deposit down on the house (this Friday), we can start moving our boxes in, which is extremely convenient since my mother-in-law has to be out of her current place by the end of March (and the move-in date for the New Place isn't until April 30th because of our current lease).
All of this has been extremely sapping on both of us, and I've really had to take my own advice from my previous post. Taking a few minutes to myself to meditate and to commune with the Goddess every day has been invaluable. Some days it comes more easily than others - there are nights where all I want to do is crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head! But I carve out at least 5 minutes for meditation, and am really benefiting from it.
Soon, very soon, I'll get my rear in gear and start back on the path of Vegetarianism. But for now, I'm trying to keep my head above water during a very stressful and busy time.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The hand of death
There was a death in my wife's extended family this past weekend. It has affected us all, in many different ways. Merry was close to this aunt, but hasn't really mourned her loss fully, as she has been busy taking care of her mother's needs. Her mother was this aunt's caretaker and companion for about 15 years, and is beside herself with grief and worry about what the future holds.
I am in an interesting position to be of assisstance to the whole family, especially my wife. I can finally be there for her the way she was there for me through my father's untimely death, and it is an opprotunity that I am grateful to take. It is challenging at times to center myself at such an energy-charged time, but I have still been spending a few minutes per day in front of my altar, taking the time to give thanks to the Goddess for my many blessings, and to pray that both of us will have the strength to shoulder this burden - together.
This experience, despite all the painful feelings it has brought up for both of us, has served to strengthen our relationship, our bond, and our resolve to look at our many blessings - instead of dwelling in the negativity that sometimes seems to surround us.
Taking the time to actively give thanks to your Higher Power, whoever it may be, is something I can't stress the importance of enough. Not only does it draw you closer to the Loving Divine that surrounds each of us, it serves as a wake-up call, a reminder to your Self that, hey, things ain't all THAT bad!
Try it for a few days. See if it doesn't change your perspective, even just a little. Sometimes "a little" is all it takes to tip the scale, after all.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I am in an interesting position to be of assisstance to the whole family, especially my wife. I can finally be there for her the way she was there for me through my father's untimely death, and it is an opprotunity that I am grateful to take. It is challenging at times to center myself at such an energy-charged time, but I have still been spending a few minutes per day in front of my altar, taking the time to give thanks to the Goddess for my many blessings, and to pray that both of us will have the strength to shoulder this burden - together.
This experience, despite all the painful feelings it has brought up for both of us, has served to strengthen our relationship, our bond, and our resolve to look at our many blessings - instead of dwelling in the negativity that sometimes seems to surround us.
Taking the time to actively give thanks to your Higher Power, whoever it may be, is something I can't stress the importance of enough. Not only does it draw you closer to the Loving Divine that surrounds each of us, it serves as a wake-up call, a reminder to your Self that, hey, things ain't all THAT bad!
Try it for a few days. See if it doesn't change your perspective, even just a little. Sometimes "a little" is all it takes to tip the scale, after all.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, February 25, 2010
My quiet space
For years now, I've made it a point to dedicate a corner of my bedroom to be a quiet space that is all my own. In that corner is an altar, my most sacred of spaces. I often sit at that altar and do Tarot readings, relying on my intuition and insight to bring life to the cards spread before me. Sometimes I light a special bundle of dried sage and smudge, or cleanse, myself with its perfumed smoke. Other times I light Nag Champa, my favorite incense, and just relish the process of quieting my mind.
Lately though, as I alluded to in my last post, peace of both mind and spirit have been elusive. I have my altar, equipped as it is with tools and candles and incenses, readily available for me ... yet I haven't made the time for it. For months now, I have been a stranger to my Quan Yin statue, my Tibetan singing bowl, my Tarot decks, and my many and varied candle votives. A place that normally brings such a sense of peace has suddenly become a burden, a drain on time that I just couldn't be bothered to spare anymore.
In the past few weeks, my wife has patiently prodded me towards it, sometimes going so far as to refuse to let me into bed until I've meditated - for as long or short a time as I deemed fit.
As the weeks have rolled on, my time at my altar has become just that: my time. My time to quiet myself before bed. My time to reflect upon my day. My time to just sit with the Goddess and be. I relish it. I crave it. I can hardly wait for my time to come around. I never put a time-frame on it; even five minutes of quiet reflection is time well spent. But lately? Lately I have been dedicating more and more time to my meditation.
Something Merry, my wife, said made me pause: When I am at peace with myself, it rubs off on her. Everyone around her notices - in the time that she has known me, she has been more at peace with herself than she ever has been before.
It is said that when a Chakra, or energy center in the Auric field of a person, is out of alignment, the attributes of that Chakra become skewed. Take, for instance, the Throat Chakra: balanced, it represents being able to speak your truth, boldly but still retaining that tenderness that knows when it is the right time and the right place to do so. Skewed, your voice becomes either too timid or too brash, both of which are ineffective ways of expressing the Self.
I have been skewing my gift - instead of simply bringing peace along with me to a situation or relationship, I have been trying to be a peace maker, attempting to force peace to flow into a situation about which I feel I have no control. I realized during meditation the other night that I need to release my need to be in control. It is only then that my natural gifts can flow freely and bless myself and those around me.
Those are my musings for the evening.
Blessed be.
Lately though, as I alluded to in my last post, peace of both mind and spirit have been elusive. I have my altar, equipped as it is with tools and candles and incenses, readily available for me ... yet I haven't made the time for it. For months now, I have been a stranger to my Quan Yin statue, my Tibetan singing bowl, my Tarot decks, and my many and varied candle votives. A place that normally brings such a sense of peace has suddenly become a burden, a drain on time that I just couldn't be bothered to spare anymore.
In the past few weeks, my wife has patiently prodded me towards it, sometimes going so far as to refuse to let me into bed until I've meditated - for as long or short a time as I deemed fit.
As the weeks have rolled on, my time at my altar has become just that: my time. My time to quiet myself before bed. My time to reflect upon my day. My time to just sit with the Goddess and be. I relish it. I crave it. I can hardly wait for my time to come around. I never put a time-frame on it; even five minutes of quiet reflection is time well spent. But lately? Lately I have been dedicating more and more time to my meditation.
Something Merry, my wife, said made me pause: When I am at peace with myself, it rubs off on her. Everyone around her notices - in the time that she has known me, she has been more at peace with herself than she ever has been before.
It is said that when a Chakra, or energy center in the Auric field of a person, is out of alignment, the attributes of that Chakra become skewed. Take, for instance, the Throat Chakra: balanced, it represents being able to speak your truth, boldly but still retaining that tenderness that knows when it is the right time and the right place to do so. Skewed, your voice becomes either too timid or too brash, both of which are ineffective ways of expressing the Self.
I have been skewing my gift - instead of simply bringing peace along with me to a situation or relationship, I have been trying to be a peace maker, attempting to force peace to flow into a situation about which I feel I have no control. I realized during meditation the other night that I need to release my need to be in control. It is only then that my natural gifts can flow freely and bless myself and those around me.
Those are my musings for the evening.
Blessed be.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
My lover, my love.
As I lay here in bed, my wife snoring gently beside me, my thoughts turn to the past weeks, and I am filled with an overwhelming feeling of contentment.
The past few weeks have been tumultuous to say the least. Many aspects of my life have seemed to be in a constant state of upheaval and I haven't known what to do about it. I've lost my usual zen attitude, and frankly I'm none too pleased about it.
I've slowly been getting my groove back, thanks in no small part to my wife. She has a large heart, and a huge capacity for compassion and love. She has been supportive not only through the mundane (my vegetarian aspirations), but also through my search for peace and sense of self.
I cannot say it enough - I love and appreciate my wife. Every day is a new adventure with her, a fresh start with every sunrise.
You have my heart and devotion, dear one.
Forever yours,
K.
The past few weeks have been tumultuous to say the least. Many aspects of my life have seemed to be in a constant state of upheaval and I haven't known what to do about it. I've lost my usual zen attitude, and frankly I'm none too pleased about it.
I've slowly been getting my groove back, thanks in no small part to my wife. She has a large heart, and a huge capacity for compassion and love. She has been supportive not only through the mundane (my vegetarian aspirations), but also through my search for peace and sense of self.
I cannot say it enough - I love and appreciate my wife. Every day is a new adventure with her, a fresh start with every sunrise.
You have my heart and devotion, dear one.
Forever yours,
K.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Various and sundry updates
Hello, my name is Kathryn and I am addicted to juicing without a juicer.
It has been, oh, 7 hours since my last juice fix and I'm already craving MOAR! Today I made Apple / Pear juice and LOVED it. It was crisp and refreshing - perfect for a morning pick-me-up.
I'm finding that as I cut back on my coffee intake, I crash less during the course of the day. Juices and teas are turning out to be a great way to help the waking-up process.
Visiting coffee houses during the week is a social ritual for me, so instead of cutting out the visits, I'm changing what I imbibe while there. I'm trying to remove milk from my diet completely, so I'm doing a lot of creative substitutions and really enjoying the challenge ... and the change. My body feels less "icky" after eating a bowl of cereal with Almond Mylk than how it feels after consuming cow's milk.
I bought a book - How to Become Vegetarian for Dummies - and am really enjoying it so far. I bought it because I (rightly) assumed that it'd have great information on the mechanics of nutrition, all in one place.
I also cooked a vegetarian stir-fry, and will post pictures of it soon!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
It has been, oh, 7 hours since my last juice fix and I'm already craving MOAR! Today I made Apple / Pear juice and LOVED it. It was crisp and refreshing - perfect for a morning pick-me-up.
I'm finding that as I cut back on my coffee intake, I crash less during the course of the day. Juices and teas are turning out to be a great way to help the waking-up process.
Visiting coffee houses during the week is a social ritual for me, so instead of cutting out the visits, I'm changing what I imbibe while there. I'm trying to remove milk from my diet completely, so I'm doing a lot of creative substitutions and really enjoying the challenge ... and the change. My body feels less "icky" after eating a bowl of cereal with Almond Mylk than how it feels after consuming cow's milk.
I bought a book - How to Become Vegetarian for Dummies - and am really enjoying it so far. I bought it because I (rightly) assumed that it'd have great information on the mechanics of nutrition, all in one place.
I also cooked a vegetarian stir-fry, and will post pictures of it soon!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday, February 12, 2010
I love my Wife
I came home a little late this evening. If it hasn't been in the news elsewhere, Dallas / North Texas was hit by a snowstorm the likes of which have not been seen in some time. This translates into slower driving times, because as anyone in the South knows, Texas drivers are made more stupid by the presence of inclement weather of any kind, not even counting the level of cold-i-tude and general icy-ness that has blanketed the place for the past several days.
My darling Wife has been so supportive throughout this entire endeavour, and I so appreciate her. But tonight she did something super-special:
As soon as my key was in the door, my beautiful Wife was in the kitchen, busily making me only the most delicious salad EVAR. It had ...
Thank you for tonight.
XOXO
Kathryn
My darling Wife has been so supportive throughout this entire endeavour, and I so appreciate her. But tonight she did something super-special:
As soon as my key was in the door, my beautiful Wife was in the kitchen, busily making me only the most delicious salad EVAR. It had ...
- lettuce
- one whole tomato
- half a large-ish cucumber
- a pinch or two of canned roasted red pepper strips
- and a smattering chopped yellow onion
Thank you for tonight.
XOXO
Kathryn
Also, MOAR JUICE
Yes. I made MOAR.
I am in love with how simple juicing without a juicer has turned out to be!
Behold, the beauty that is ...
Grapefruit / Blood Orange Juice
I used ...- one whole Texas Red Grapefruit
- one whole Blood Orange
- four pieces of ice
... blended it all together in my Handy-Dandy Food Processor, strained it through a paint-straining bag, and ... VOILA! Juice of the most delicious kind!
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