REAL Women Enterprises

Yams are a gift from the color 'orange'

De-lic-i-ous! I've been eating a lot of yams the past few weeks. They're in season, you know. As I put a spoonful of yam in my mouth this morning, I felt such appreciation for the TASTE of that yummy orange delight. That's when I realized that yams are a gift from the color orange.

Speaking of foods in season - what has that got to do with anything? Ah. Good question. If it's in season, chances are, it's grown locally. If it's out of season and it's in your grocery store - it's most  likely been grown by a corporation, treated with chemicals, and picked before it was ripe by people who are paid very little and treated poorly. Then, the food was transported thousands of miles to your supermarket.

Why does any of this matter? Because the corporate system that controls our food is responsible for all sorts of atrocities, including the increase in diseases such as Diabetes, obesity, cancer, and other illnesses. In addition, these corporations wield such power that our politicians (and the USDA and FDA) don't monitor the way they are supposed to. Because food is transported such great distances, we're more dependent on petroleum than we need to be - which has a huge impact on our planet. AND, with the subsidies that our government pays for corporate grown food (soybeans, corn, chickens, pigs, cows) - it's now cheaper to buy fast food and junk food than healthy food such as fruits and vegetables. It's a sick industry that mistreats it's workers, the animals that are raised for food, and all of us.

Where's the good new? There IS good news! We can influence this system by changing what we buy and what we eat. We can choose to stop eating fast food, sodas, and prepared foods (items that come in boxes) and buy organically grown fruits and vegetables that are locally farmed and meat that comes from animals that haven't been forced to live in a feed lot or in a pen - such as range fed animals.

This is a commitment that is WIN - WIN; As consumers, we have the power to change this system with what we buy. The corporations are already listening because the demand is up for healthy food. Everyone wins: The price of healthy food comes down; the animals are treated better, illness and disease will decrease.. less impact on the earth's environment.

Some ways to learn more about how YOU can make a difference:  Watch: Food, Inc; Supersize Me (both downloadable from Netflix); read Fast Food Nation; check out these blogs on nutrition: It's All Perfect and Robb Wolf's Blog

Start Each Day with 'Thank you'

This is one of the most uplifting videos I've seen. Ever.

Which is right?

Zorba came upon an old man planting an apricot seedling and asked why he, an old man, was planting a new tree. "I live as though I would never die," was his reply.

"And me, I live as though I might die tomorrow, " said Zorba, "which one of us is right?"       -Nikos Kazantzakis

Asking for what you want

Melinda taking flight!

What does it take to get what you want?

The scratching stopped abruptly. Could it be that all it took to get the wild animal to stop scratching was  to ask him to leave?

The other night, as I got ready to go to bed, I heard a loud scratching noise in the wall. There was something moving around in the wall between my bedroom and the bathroom and it was much bigger than a mouse! Ugh.

I banged loudly on the wall right where the noise was coming from. The scratching continued. I did it again - no change. I tried this several times and then I sat down and thought for a minute. This noise had been going on for several hours - what was the animal trying to do? Who knew?  I just wanted it to stop or I wouldn't get any sleep!

I decided to try a different approach. I decided to put my energy toward what I wanted very clearly and directly: Rather than focusing on what I didn't want, I'd simply invite the animal to leave. So - I said very clearly: "Mr Wild Animal - I invite you to stop scratching and go somewhere else. Thank you."  I said it again.

Almost immediately, the scratching stopped and there was no more noise. Within seconds of my request, the animal went away! I went to bed. No more noises.

What happened? I simply made a clear request as I focused my energy on exactly what I wanted.

Now, if asking something to leave my life can work this well - what do you think that inviting something I want into my life would accomplish!

Lost

Stand still. The trees ahead and the bushes beside you
are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here.
And you must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers.
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.

No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.

If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
where you are. You must let it find you.

By poet David Wagoner

Purpose

 Recently, I've been acutely reminded that 'reality' is just a perception and that by being human, we're often caught up in wanting proof and science to help us believe what is so. We want evidence.

One of the fundamental principles of Quantum Physics is that the simple act of observing something changes the behavior of that 'thing'. By observing the behavior of an electron, the electron limits it's behavior. We only see what we look for, in other words. And if we don't know to look for it, we won't find it.  We will find what we expect to find.

And, since we have set ideas about the way things work and what is possible as well as what form things take... we limit what is possible in our world by the small-ness of our thinking and our beliefs about the universe and how everything works.

What do I have to say about that right now?

'I am open to all possibilities each and every moment and I will receive with openness all that this human experience has to offer. I am thankful for this extraordinary experience to be human and I want to experience fully the joys of this life.'

The way it is.

Two years ago, my world was blown apart with  the break-up of my relationship with my significant other.
I'd sacrificed many things to be in relationship with him and I felt devastated by the events of his leaving and my lack of control over them.

My business was suffering and my well-being was in question. I had a long way to climb to be the vibrant, happy, independent woman who had entered that relationship several years before.

Today I am happier than I've ever been in my whole life. I remember people telling me that I'd pass through the pain and that I'd look back and feel gratitude for the journey... and I knew they were right, but I didn't see how it was really possible to ever feel any different than I was at that moment. And I didn't see how it was possible to ever forgive him or to love again or to move forward.

How did I get from that to where I am today?  One step at a time. One step at a time, I made my way to a new world in which I live today - one that is much, much larger than the world in which I lived a few years ago. A world that I've created for myself with intention and possibility.

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Here's what I've learned about forgiveness: There is no forgiveness. There is nothing to forgive when one  truly takes responsibility for one's own experiences and life. There is no one to blame. There is no one to forgive; unless it is to forgive oneself.  I am responsible for what I make of things, of events, of people. I am responsible because I create my thoughts, feelings, experiences... I am the source of all that I perceive. Others do what they do. I feel however I feel about what they do;  no one is responsible for my feelings, except me. And therefore, no one is to blame for my reaction to what another did; I am responsible for it.

Thus, there is no forgiving another... the only thing is to give thanks for the lesson.

I am so thankful for my lessons. I am so thankful to the man who left  - through his actions and my reactions, I have learned so much. Thank you.

There are so many things for which I'm grateful now that I have my life back. I have more love in my life than ever before - and I am the source of that love. I feel a profound connection with my surroundings and I have faith that I will always be taken care of exactly as I require.

Thank you, creator, for providing me all that I require.

Valentine

Is Valentine's Day another 'Hallmark' Holiday or is there more to it?

Valentine's Day is whatever you want to make of it!

Whether you're in a relationship, or on your own, the idea behind Valentine's Day is to share love and brighten the day by giving and receiving.

So, what better way to spend the day than giving your smile, your warmth, your love, and your compassion.

What a beautiful way to spread joy and happiness; by being joyful and happy.

If you are struggling in this moment, you are struggling against the entire universe because it took the entire universe to create this moment.

Let go. If you really want something, let go of it. Surrender. Experience ease.

Begin at the End

Are you setting goals, or resolutions for the New Year?
Maybe you did that last week - and you've already forgotten about them!

Most resolutions are stated in terms of what we'll lose, give up, or stop doing. There's a certain negative connotation within the resolution (such as, needing to lose weight or quit something.)

How about setting a goal that has to do with an action? Like what you want to be able to do, or be... not about losing, but about gaining something for yourself.

If you want to stop smoking, you could state your goal like this: "I am making healthy choices for myself every moment of every day."

If you want to lose weight and plan to go to the gym - state goals that are about what you want to accomplish with your body - how much weight do you want to lift? How fast do you want to run the mile?

And, HOW will you feel when you've accomplished your goal?  -- start feeling that way NOW.
'Begin at the end' refers to feeling the way you'll feel when you've reached your goal.
Try it!