Compassion -- It's the Lazy Thing to Do

Compassion is not my forte, and therefore God is being super good to me by showering me with lessons re: compassion.

A couple days ago I was listening to a recording of the workshop "To Love and Be Loved" by the brilliant Stephen Levine and his wife Ondrea.  You too can get the recording at soundstrue.com!  I highly recommend it. 

He made a most hilarious and moving comment when he was speaking about what a hard time we have with our emotions, and that generally we don't have compassion for our own emotions or other people's.  He said we would probably all be far better equipped "If we had 'Compassion' class in third grade..." 

It's so true.  It's hard to be with someone else's sadness or anger.  I want to make it better or fight against it.  And, I am even less compassionate with my own sadness, anger, frustration, impatience, etc. 

Mark Nepo's entry for today, May 22 says:  "[C]ompassion asks that we open like mountains to the sky, like mountains that can withstand every kind of weather."

That is an image I will cling to in the future, like a vine I can use to swing through a jungle of emotions.

We can withstand any kind of emotional weather.  We do it consistently.  Life deals us funky emotional weather all the time -- even here in sunny LA. 

I loved Robert Thurman's book "Circling the Sacred Mountain."  I'm going to try to imagine the mighty Mount Kailash weathering the constantly changing weather tides the next time I am flipping out about my emotions or someone else's.  

It's a new muscle, the Compassion muscle, nestled deep in the heart.  Thank God I have masters like Mark Nepo and Stephen Levine to remind me of the need to work it out to stay emotionally fit, and just be a good citizen of the planet!

Heavenly Weight Watcher Friendly Deliciousness

Hardly any points.

Hardly a way to not be in heaven while eating.

Hardly any reason on Planet Earth to not try...unless you hate peanut butter, bananas or the amazing Dark Chocolate Crisps from Trader Joe's.

By the way, many other companies are starting to do these Dark Chocolate Crisps...they are shaped like Pringles and have great quality chocolate PLUS a little crispy factor, i.e., rice crispy-ish thing throughout.  OMG!

For this I used two broken up Crisps and 1.5 teaspoons of peanut butter. 


12 crisps = 6 points
6 crisps = 3 points
3 crisps = 1 point -- ONE!

So, this whole amazingly delicious treat is TWO POINTS!

For those of you not watching your points or weight, well, have a few!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!

Buon Lazy Chocolatey Appetito!

Lazy Prevention

The recurring theme of the week is a phrase I have heard in about 15 different instance -- mostly in conversations, some from TV, some from books.  The phrase is:

It'll catch up with you.

I have a girlfriend who just turned 51 who has never worked out.  The most she has done is take walks around her neighborhood.  Her husband works out like a fiend, always has, and is drop dead gorgeous.  He also looks far, far younger than his years.  He has been encouraging his wife for years to join him in his workouts, go for even longer walks with him, meditate with him every morning, try taking the supplements he's taking, eat healthier like he was, etc.  She didn't want to be told what to do. 

I understand.  I know some things are very difficult to hear from our loved ones.  So, I'm here to say it as a complete stranger and/or slightly familiar blogger:  IT WILL CATCH UP WITH YOU!

My girlfriend's body was not exhibiting the wear and tear she was putting on it until the last couple of years.  Then, it hit her like a Mack truck.   It caught up with her.  Now she is asking for my advice on exercise and meditation.  I have been doing both of these, like her husband, since I was a teenager, so it's just a very natural part of my life.  I feel for her that she is now trying to create new habits. 

If you are in her boat, though, you can do it too. New habits can be created.  It can be done.  You just have to find the workouts that turn you on, the meditation techniques that speak to you and transform your state of mind.  We all have a different key to unlocking our peaceful and passionate selves.  Look for your key.  It will come.  Then give your word to yourself -- or perhaps even to someone else --- that you will stick with it, even for a certain time period.  Then you can reassess at the end of that time period.

Because, if you don't....

My other friend is over 300 pounds.  Her husband was around 400.  They have both been this heavy for many, many years.  The husband had a major cardiac event which lead them to discover that his previously "healthy" heart is not in congestive heart failure.  Yes, doctors were telling him his heart was healthy for many years and then BAM, he hasn't been the same since.  The bottom line all the years of being extremely overweight caught up with him.  It caught up with him, and they are both in disbelief that his body finally gave out.

So, what am I personally looking at?  My misuse of sugar.  Sugar is so hard on our bodies, hard on many of our systems, organs, moods, brains, etc.   I have had more than my lifetime share of sugar, and I need to pull it way back.

Becauase, if I don't....it will catch up with me.

Yesterday, I found out a friend I had been trying to support in quitting smoking for years, now has mouth and throat cancer.  His entire life, apparently, he was very cavalier in his attitude about smoking saying that he loved it and he was fine.  And, for many years he was absolutely fine.  But, it caught up with him.

Please, before it hits you like a Mack truck, take an inventory of what you've been setting aside doing for your body to ease the load. 

Our bodies are so generous.  They give and give and give and give.  At some point if you don't give back and support all that allows them to give, they break.  It's just a matter of wear and tire, like your car.  If your car has no oil, the engine breaks.

Please take care.... a little Lazy Lovin' of your body can go a long way toward prevention.

Lovingly, Lazily yours,
Bridget

Vim and Vinegar --- Lazy Woman Tool!

One of my grandma's cleaning secrets was cleaning her beautiful hardwood floors with Vinegar + Water.  Yep, that's it.  She told me after I asked her what she used to keep them so incredibly beautiful and shiny.  They were always gorgeous.   I tried it a few times, loved it, but somehow fell out of the habit.

Well, yesterday I learned a tip that vinegar and water softens the skin on your feet, so I was soaking my feet in the magical softening elixir.  It really does work!  While remarking how incredible it was, I knocked a little onto the wood floor.  I thought, "My God, Grandma!!!  I'm so sorry I forgot!"  I got up and washed the entire floor and boy does it look gorgeous.

What else does vinegar do?  Well about a year ago I had a manicure.  I'm a pedicure girl, but rarely get manicures, because I'm not really a girl to that level!  In this manicure, I apparently got a nail fungus on my several fingers.  I've been trying to get rid of it with home remedies, and it is almost gone, but I wanted to get rid of it completely.  Well, soaking in vinegar my fingers in vinegar just a couple times a day even has improved it in just two days. 

I noticed when I was soaking my hands in it that the new sterling silver ring I got at an estate sale this morning was getting clean!  So, I plopped it in the vinegar and it is now gorgeous! 

My dad was the master of home cures having grown up in a little farm town.  Vinegar is great for soothing sunburns, and he would have me drink vinegar when I had a cold.  He had other uses for it that I can't remember, but check out this awesome website for more tips:  http://www.vinegartips.com/Scripts/

Vinegar is certainly a Lazy Woman tool that will now be a staple in my cupboards!

Spring Purple Madness

What could be better than waking up to brand new beautiful Jacaranda blossoms that made their way to open under the moon's shine?   This called for a purple celebration. 

My brilliant accupuncturist, Marsha Cooooooooooooooooooooooonnor (that's how I say her name, to which she replies Bridget Fooooooooooooooooooonger), turned me onto a wonderful new whey powder.  She says the purist whey is coming from New Zealand.  Her whey powder of choice is Xymogen Fit Food Light Whey.  Her fave flavor is chocolate so I trusted her and oh my god it's really dark chocolate rich goodness.  I add a frozen banana and mixed frozen berries.  It comes out the beautiful purple tone you see below.

Then, because I was hungry and had a several hour stretch to get through, I made the Trader Joe's Steel Cut 5 Minute Oatmeal with about a cup of blueberries.  Check out the purple-osity. 

This was the most yummalicious, healthalicious, Lazy breakfast ever. 

Happy Purple Spring.  It's raining Jacaranda blossoms in honor of Prince.



Lazy Reset Button -- UPDATE

The Divine Accupuncturist Marsha Connor shared with me some corrections.  When I didn't remember EXACTLY what she had told me I had done some online research to fill in the holes, but here is the correct way to do this:

1. Lightly pinch all 5 fingers together
2. Point to a) THIRD EYE, b) ADAM'S APPLE, c) JAW LINE and d) TEMPLE

This particular method has a source: "The Healing Code" by Alex Loyd.

And, while I found it labeled as resetting the limbic system.  He calls it a technique to reset the Autonomic Nervous System. 

So, now you have more reasons to try it again!!!

Happy peaceful LAZY resetting to you!

Lazy Reset Button

My genius acupuncturist, Marsha Connor, shared a most divine trick with me last Monday.  I've been doing this technique since last Monday and I have to tell you it has been most amazing.

I now crave doing it, because of how it makes me feel.  It is instantly calming.  I also use it to clear my head before I do something important.    I have no perimenopausal symptoms, leveled out emotions, and overall peace.

What does it do?  It resets the limbic system.  I suggest you Google it.  I'm not going to go into the physiology of this system, and I would never be able to guess how this simple technique resets this very complex system, but it has really worked for me.

Dr. Connor recommends doing this technique twice a day.   Here's what you do:

On each hand, take your thumb and pinch together with your first two fingers (like you are pinching some salt). You are going to keep them like this the whole time.   You are going to go to four different points for about 30 seconds each (Dr. Connor does 4 breaths) with your fingers grouped like this.  I pretend I'm a superhero and I am shooting healing energy from my fingers, so that I keep them pointed in the right direction.  Here's where you will point.

1.  Together, point them toward your throat.

2.  Separate them and point each to either side of your jaw line.

3.  Still separate, move one up to each temple.

4.  Back together, move up to your third eye.

Then repeat the process, starting with your throat and moving back up:  throat, jaw, temples, and third eye.  Dr. Connor recommends doing it for 6 minutes twice a day, for a total of 12 minutes a day.  

My favorite thing is to do it during my bath.  I also do it before I go to sleep.  But, it feels great wherever or whenever i do it.  Dr. Connor says she does it when she wakes up and before she goes to sleep.  I love to do it before sleep, but I usually don't take the time in the morning.  What a great way to start the day, though.  Need to work it into my morning!  

Until then, though, this technique is having a wonderful, grounding, peaceful effect on my life. 

To me it's Lazy...hopefully it will be to you as well.