"Nothing will work unless you do." ~ Maya Angelou
"Grown Woman" ~ Beyoncé (Live from Chime for Change)
It's Beyoncé. 'Nuff Said.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Just Doing It!
Apologies for going ghost on here for the past couple of months. I have had so many things to write about and even got most of them drafted, but it seemed every time I was ready to hit the POST button, that little voice of doubt crept into my mind and said, "maybe not this one. You can come up with something more interesting, after all, that is a part of your blog's title..."
I am here to tell you something about doubt. Sometimes, it doesn't even seem like doubt, sometimes it comes dressed as your subconscious editor or the speaker from that really sound place we are all able to access in our mind. Honestly, I was battling a bit of insecurity in my writing; that what I said would not translate or touch those who happened across it. The elixir to this dilemma?
Whenever I am in a funky spot, feeling bad or just dealing with inner turmoil, the first thing that comes on is Lauryn Hill's MTV unplugged album. She says a lot of really beautiful things, but the one thing that resonated with me was that, in discovering herself as an artist and not a performer, she battled with getting her words to be as concise as possible. In the end she just prayed on it because God knows how to speak to the hearts of people better than anyone else, and she just had to trust that whatever came out was meant for someone somewhere.
Whatever your means of spiritual healing, whether it be prayer or meditations, exercise, cooking or simply talking things over with loved ones, trust whatever it is you feel you must say in each present moment because you never know if someone around you needs to hear that one exact thing to release themselves from the grips of doubt or insecurity. Do all things in love and seek to harm no one. I'm back and I'm fearless! Let's do this:)
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
The Perfect Fit
What if falling in love is like finding the perfect pair of heels?
Before you knew they were out there, you didn't care for them much because everyone always told you they hurt and are expensive and unrealistic, but then you find that one pair. The pair that seem to be made for you--and everyone's is different--but you they are yours. Unconditionally, without question.
Then one day, you lose the shoes on vacation, or someone borrows them and stretches them out or breaks a heal, or you trade them in for a "hot" new pair of that never really fit right like YOUR heels did. Or maybe you simply outgrow them.
After we break-up with our perfect pair, it seems we will try on just about any other if only to remember even a fraction of what the original felt like.
We might even switch teams completely and start shopping for flats or sneakers or army boots.
At some point, we might even buy a pair that damn near breaks our ankles just because we're tired of searching for that feeling again and always coming up short. We forget that they were real, worth the money and not only realistic, but practical for all outfits from day to night wear.
Is it really worth it to find an almost perfect pair? You know, the one that's color is just a little bit more dull than the original, or that's not made with real Italian leather or Swarovski crystals but rhinestones and patent leather instead. Is it worth it to settle? Maybe that almost pair is someone else's perfect pair but now they'll never find them because they are held on to by someone too afraid to find their perfect so they keep the almost. And let's face it, you aren't going to take care of your almost-perfect pair the way you would your perfect pair. In the end, nobody is happy.
As we get older, it's easy to start buying heels that are regular and lack spark because we're so busy with everything else going on in our lives. We forget, things would run smoother, we would feel better if we had that perfect pair to strut around in everyday.
So then do we really trade the perfect for the almost perfect, or like the fashion seasons, are we always changing and our idea of "perfect" changing too?
Friday, May 31, 2013
Must Try!!
Going Gluten Free & Juicing
It was one year ago that I found out that I have a gluten intolerance. I was twenty one and my friends and I shared the same sentiment, "How are they only discovering this now?!". I was at a doctor visit when I was asked about the eczema that was on the inner side of my elbow (what is this part of the body called anyway? It is like the backside of your knee but I guess the front side of your elbow).
Anyway, my fantastic doctor (we will call her Doctor Wonderful) informed me that the eczema was actually reaction to a food allergy--and that allergy was most likely having to do with wheat and gluten products. She suggested that I try going gluten-free for a month and see how my skin does. It couldn't hurt, at the very least I was guaranteed to cut a few pounds from eliminating all that starch and heavy carb-age from my diet.
My entire life I felt like some medical enigma. I experienced monstrous migraines, issues with my immune system and skin as well as the fact that I had what seemed to be a stomach ache that I had had since birth. I was a high school girl carrying Tums and Alka-Seltzer like other kids carried mints.
At the time I was seeing a less-than-fantastic doctor (we will refer to her as Doctor Awful) who insisted I simply had stomach ulcers...my whole life (and without running any viable tests I might add).
So I went for it. At the end of the month, my skin had already begun to clear up dramatically, my mind felt clearer than ever, no migraines and about 10 lbs were missing from the scale that I had weighed in on before. I just felt rejuvenated and clear. It makes so much sense though, it is like putting low-grade fuel in your car continuously--it's just not going to run very well.
Doctor Wonderful then invited me into her office, which looked like the produce section of a grocery store. In the middle of the fruit and odd vegetables and roots stood a silver and transparent tower. She grabbed a few leaves of spinach and kale, a few apples, hand full of blueberries, a small beet and coconut water. The juice that came out of the other end of the tower was a brown-red color and smelled like fresh soil in a garden. She insisted that I try a cup (a large cup) of the concoction. Not wanting to be rude, I accepted and hurriedly drank the whole cup. At first it tasted like I had licked my mother's garden shovel but then it started to taste okay (it needed a banana to sweeten it up).
That day I went home and had a serious headache, so I called Doctor Wonderful to make sure I was fine (honestly, I thought my luck had run out and Doctor Wonderful was more like Doctor Awful than I had suspected). She told me to watch the documentary Sick, Fat and Nearly Dead on Netflix and that I was fine, my body was just not used to flooding my system with that many nutrients (watch this movie!). I experienced the same kind of detoxing woes for the first three days I was juicing as the director of the film did, but it was one of the best decisions I have made in my entire life.
So now it is a year later I am gluten free, healthier than ever, no migraines or major headaches since I first started juicing and my mind is clearer and sharper than ever. I am not as extreme in my juicing as some. I take a multi-vitamin and juice to supplement my diet daily just because I wouldn't get as many fruits and veges otherwise, and because I think it is delicious now!
Gluten intolerances/Celiac Disease has become more prominent in the past couple of years and some attribute it to the fact that much of our common foods are genetically modified (GMOs). Our foods have been exposed to so many different antibiotics and pesticides and such that they simply are just not the natural foods our bodies are used to and can break down. I saw a quote somewhere that reads, "If you don't recognize an ingredient, your body won't either" and I think that couldn't be more true.
If you need a jump, I believe in natural remedies, so it's simple: eat your vegetables. It is the same thing your mom always told you at dinner time. Of course, talk to your physician for any questions you have and to make sure you are safe to begin juicing or going gluten-free (though I don't see how eating more fruits and vegetables and less genetically modified oats could harm--but still check because I am not a health-care professional).
Happy Health & Happy Juicing!!
**My Favorite Juice Recipe**
1 handfull organic red kale
1handfull organic kale
1handfull baby spinach
1banana
1 nectarine
1 handfull of blueberries
medicine cupful of aloe Vera juice
1 c orange juice
1 cup of coconut water
*try to use all organic produce as non-organic produce has been exposed to pesticides and such. I know it can get expensive but Publix has a nicely priced organic section or better yet if you can, try growing your own produce:)
**be very careful when buying Aloe Vera juice, make sure it has not been filtered over coal or by any other unnatural means.
**(below is a really awesome link about a man in Compton who started locally grown gardens because he was tired of not having fresh produce available)
Links:
Pic 1
skinny-vegan-food.com
Pic 2
courtneyoutloud.wordpress.com
Pic 3
rawveganwarrior.com
*All wonderful blogs/sites to follow!!
no copyright infringement intended
Welcome to All Things of Interest!
This blog is born with the hopes to inspire entertain and sooth the heart as well as the mind.
With everything us ladies in our twenty-somethings handle on a daily basis, from fashion & beauty to healthy green juicing ideas; bouncing back when life begins to shift under our feet and finding our balance once again. Every post will feature a Song of the Day post and something you beautiful souls MUST absolutely try!
Again,Welcome and enjoy!
"The Flower of all tomorrows, are the seeds of today."-Bounty paper towel
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