A mind meant for writing as dreams are begging. Me #writers

Hara Hachi Bu

So this is my second day with the morning pages. Again. I think the hardest days to write will be when I have nothing to say or really not anything troubling on my mind that I am trying to work out. However, if I stick to this, I think great things will come. Great things came yesterday after one day of doing this. But I do love seeing my nimble fingers craft a word that captures an emotion or insight. It is a sigh of relief. It is the artist in me, finally giving way to her bloody birth.

One of the great things that came to mind yesterday was hara hachi bu. Hara hachi bu is a way of life to the people of Okinawa who have been known to live over 100’s year. Their diet is to only eat till 80% full. I adopted this thinking several years ago after reading the book, “Seven Secrets of Slim People.” I whittled down to a size 2 for the first time in life. It took some re-training the mind and patience at first.

As small infants, we naturally listen to our bodies and only eat till we are satisfied. However, as we grow older and listen to our parents and the world to clean our plates, we finish whatever is left whether or not we are. To learn to do this again, takes some practice. You will have many meals where you are not sure if you are eating at a 7, 8 or 9. (1 being starving and 10 being stuffed.) Your body has to get used to that space inside of your stomach. You are satisfied. You could eat more, but your body says, “I am done.”

There are other cues which I picked up from the Seven Secrets books such as only eat when hungry, any feeling of food against your belt is too much food, food starts to taste bland after you are satisfied. It is true. And I stayed a size 2 for several years without much thought until somehow it got away from me.

That’s life. And it happens and it is okay. So I am trying it again. I have no size or weight goal in mind. I think attachment to anything will add undue stress in your life. I accept whatever set point works for me. Now that I am older, it will be interesting to see what a 7 or 8 feels like.

The other added benefit to this diet (I hate to call it a diet but rather a way of thinking), is that I have more energy. When I overeat, my insulin spikes. My energy crashes and I have a strong desire to nap. Lately, I’ve been zooming all over the place with energy. I love mornings now.

Oh, and as for working out, I am still working out 4-5 days a week at thy gym, but I am not obsessing about it. I am not the cardio fiend that I used to be. If I don’t feel like hitting the gym, I will take a walk around the park instead.

Excitement is the more practical synonym for happiness, and it is precisely what you should strive to chase. It is the cure-all. #fourhourworkweek

• T h e o p p o s i t e o f l o v e i s i n d i f f e r e n c e , a n d t h e o p p o s i t e o f h a p p i n e s

Grief has a way of crawling from the chorus of a song, leaping between the shadows of dawn and day, and slipping in. Me

Have you ever noticed that adversity breeds eventual champions?

Energy means everything and can be achieved through diet. Listen to your body. #Intuitiveeating