Friday, April 10, 2015

Getting More Done in a Day

4 days of getting up early.  4 days of starting the day the same way - a bath, reminding myself each day i start clean & new, meditation, journaling and then some thinks over a healthy breakfast.  I clean the pans and head to work.

Work has been slow, but i still feel like i'm making things happen.  I'm getting very diligent about putting my ideas into Remember The Milk, so that when i go home i know what needs to be done.  I know tonight i have a little over 2 hours of things to do, although that includes making dinner (which is already a known thing and ingredients have been bought).  Most are very minor things, like getting gas on the way home, getting & sorting the mail, and running the dishwasher.

The time for the small stuff adds up, but getting them done is often quick and means less stress later.  Running the dishwasher daily, for example, means everything is clean & ready in the morning.  No annoyance of not having the thing i want ready to go.

This life is comfortable.  I am working hard, without a doubt.  I realized last night i was actively doing until after dinner, around 7 PM.  Since i started at 5 AM, that's a long day!  But i also had so much to show for it - 2 crammed boxes of yard reduced to 1 with plenty of space, a yummy & healthy dinner for Duncan and i, honey & orange lip balm made, some minor edits to my altar space completed, errands run, and more.

At the end of the day, yes, i am tired.  It's a good tired though.  Not the tired of boredom and lazy, the tired of knowing my brain and body have done good work and now it is time to rest.  I sleep more soundly, even with my pregnant body making that more difficult.

Today my morning has kept the same flow.  I watched one of the videos for the intensive, and will start to focus on the Queen/Mother archetype Monday, when i've gotten through the rest of the videos for this section.  Work is picking up, which is nice.  The weekend has fun and busy, which will keep my spirits up without sacrificing my progress.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

3 days of 5 AM

Today is the 3rd day of getting up at 5 AM and doing the morning ritual.  There are bugs to work out, without a doubt, but i am finding a flow.

Most of the glitches are minor - like putting on my work clothes, then sitting on the floor at the altar and getting a little dusty.  Or the cat meowing as i try to meditate.  Some of these i can control, others are just things to accept.  I made some notes in my Remember The Milk list for tonight to change a few details that may help.

Alas, i also think i need about 5-10 more minutes, so tomorrow the alarm goes backwards to 4:55.

I did much better managing food yesterday.  Lots of veggies at every meal.  Today i finished planning my meals for next week and it's another week full of greens and healthy.  I intend to do a bulk cook for the meats again.  It has been helpful, and since it's often the thing that makes me take longer too cook a meal, i don't mind it just getting done all at once.

Which leads to a conversation i had with Mich this morning about ease.  Planning my meals, pre-cooking elements, makes eating healthier so much easier (aside from overcoming the temptation of the drive thru).  Having less clothes to look through makes it so much easier to get dressed.  My purse having a distinct home makes it easier to find and go out.  Using RTM for all my to-do's makes it easier for me to be productive and plan my evenings.

I am working, but it's toward a simpler life.  I feel as if i am getting more done at once, and making the day flow easier.  The more i do the more i feel a sense of freedom about my home life.  Having less stuff helps, but also places for things to go, and making a habit of putting things away when i'm done with them.  It's an extra step, but an extra step that provides calm and assurance that the things i need will be ready & waiting for me.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Every Day I Try

Yesterday was, in theory, my first full day following the "rules" of the Sacred Feminine Intensive.  My altar is still missing a few things, and there is still a little here & there to do, but it was ready enough that i'd soon be delaying in the name of perfection.

I mentioned previously about the challenge of food stuffs, and yesterday the challenge won.  I ate a candy bar.  And then too much eggplant parm.  And chicken.  And bread.  And some more candy.  Just grazed all evening on too much junk.  Then i went to bed, tired and feeling bad.

So today i try again.  Breakfast was once again pretty healthy - a little quinoa with a quarter of an avocado, some mushroom and kale cooked up and 2 eggs.  I have a mason jar salad ready for lunch.  I think the amount of grains in both is probably alright, particularly since quinoa is a pretty healthy grain.  Plus lots of good greens!

I have a plan for a snack & dinner, and even dessert (banana "ice cream").  All very plant based and healthy.

Today being a new day and another chance was my focus.  When i bathed i told myself i was washing off yesterday and starting clean again.

I hope to use this evening for productivity as well, going back to my project in the basement as i declutter and organize.  I haven't made any progress since Saturday.  Even an hour or two is making a huge difference in getting things done, and it's such tangible progress i feel really proud.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

How does food serve me?


I'm not used to thinking "Does this serve me? How does this serve me?".  I'm used to focusing on how i can serve others.  It feels selfish to ask for things to serve me.

I'm giving myself some previews of the Sacred Feminine Intensive before i dive into it full on.  I'm waiting for a few more items for my altar and know that the early mornings will take some adjustment, so i'm giving my body some time to do that.  Last night i watched another of the videos, this one on eating during the process.

My issues around food are... complex.  I binge, often in secret.  I tend to match the eating habits of the person I'm with.  This is particularly not healthy when it is my husband - with 120 lbs on me and a distaste for veggies.  I also need to factor in time and laziness, as both impact what i eat.  I have a total sweet tooth.

These habits don't serve me.  Eating too much feels good for a little bit - the high of sugar and carbs! but i regret it the next day on the scale.  I know that my eating habits place me at higher risk for health problems.  I've experienced cutting out junk and while i didn't feel some spiritual clarity like others speak of, it did reduce my cravings for more junk.

Namaste suggests eating a mostly plant based diet during the intensive and minimizing processed foods.  Eating for life & abundance.  Since one of the habits i'm working on is meal planning, i feel like this is an opportunity to improve my health & food choices to more mindful ones.

I threw out the half container of grapefruit juice, thanking it for the reminder that i enjoy grapefruit, but acknowledging i don't need the sugar.  I threw out the bag of jelly beans, thanking them for indulging my sweet tooth, but i don't need the artificial colors and flavors.

Today's snack (pistachios), lunch (salad) and breakfast (smoothie)
I packed up my breakfast, lunch & a snack this morning and asked how these foods served me.  I noted that much of it was raw.  Everything would taste good.  It was full of vitamins and nutrients.  My smoothie has me still sated at 11:30 am.  This is healthy fuel.

I will have beef and dairy with dinner tonight, but on a bed of veggies rather than on a roll, and with a sweet potato rather than fries.  I need protein and calcium as the baby grows, but i can make good choices about it.  I can put intention into the foods i make.  

I will need to keep asking how my food choices serve me, and acknowledge sometimes i will eat things that do not serve my physical self, but give me pleasure.  Certainly 2 meals does not mean the end of a journey! 


Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Progressing towards peacefulness

The problem with decluttering is you can't always just make things go away immediately.  I've decided to have a tag sale, but it's almost 2 months away.  All the books and things were piling up in my living room, making me feel stressed and annoyed.

So last night i moved everything to the garage before it rained.  It also meant i moved a few items in the garage to the go-away pile.  i am excited and hopeful that we really are making a dent in the unnecessary possessions by going through this process.

With the tag sale, my intention is getting everything to the garage (or everything i can reasonably get there) by mid May, giving me a week or two to organize and price things.

Moving items meant that once the husband goes through the remaining electronics, the only category remaining in the living room will be board games/toys.  That will be a quick & easy one!

I was able to spend a little time making space for my altar, as part of the The Sacred Feminine Intensive.  It's taken me some time to find the right items and that is still in-process.  I have been making sure i do some of the breathing exercises daily and getting in some movement.  I haven't been perfect at it, but it's also some additional reinforcement on the healthy eating side of things.

Speaking of healthy eating, this week's lunch is Mason Jar Cucumber (Noodle) Salad.  I got lazy and just cut my cucumbers.  It's quite good and very filling.

I feel as if the work on the house and healthier habits leads me to feeling more relaxed.  Even knowing i have a fairly busy night planned for myself is not stressful knowing it all is going towards the things i want to work on.  Maybe it is just the happy breathing the intensive suggests, but this work feels good.