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Monthly Archives: May 2012

Photo of me and Isis by Leigh Righton

When I get scared, I know I must do the thing that scares me. I have to push through and do it anyway.

When I feel I can’t do something, or someone says I can’t, I know that I can, and will.

When I feel anxious, I know that I gotta just go for it anyway. Most anxiety is just imagined stuff that will never happen – 99.9% of the time. And usually anxiety is about dumb shit, too! When I realized fight or flight kicks in when bad situations happen, I realized that worrying is pointless – you automatically know what to do when the moment strikes.

When I feel lazy, I just have to get up and put 30 seconds of effort in. Then I usually want to continue.

When I set a SPECIFIC goal and date, I always stick with it. When I say “Yeah I should do this…tomorrow” it  never works. A specific plan always works and makes me feel positive, because I have a map to follow instead of some lame directions given by a tourist who doesn’t even really know the way.

When I have a couple of things to do daily, I do them. When I have a huge list, I do none of them. Better to have small steps than no steps.

When it’s mid-winter and I feel like I want to kill myself, I know I need vitamin D.

When I feel sleepy, I sleep. When I feel thirsty, I drink. When I feel cranky, I know I need sleep or carbs or water. When I feel snappy I try and spare everyone this yuckiness and go do something for myself – me first, then everyone else will be able to bask in my glow instead of my black cloud.

When I start to mourn my youth, I know it’s time to dress up, go out, and dance.

There’s always an answer.

Here I come.

I just got hit with the stab of deep gratitude

- that knowledge of being HUMAN, in the GOOD sense (I think humans are generally awful as a species) – but how BEAUTIFUL is it that I can even write these words, read these stories?

I could have never been born, never had the chance to breathe or fuck or kiss or dance or eat or swim or SURF or feel love or immerse myself into gorgeous dreamscapes on paper or screen or reality. I could have been an animal other than human – still wonderful but without that extra-special experience of imagination.

How crazy it is to just be SLAMMED with this notion. It makes breathing a joy, just lying here in bed, inhabiting this body, fully present. Feeling ALIVE.

~~

Photo by Noran Bakrie.

- You want to record everything in words and pictures, endlessly
- you scream lovingly when you see your friends
- you dance whenever there is a moment to do so
- you immerse yourself deeply into all written words
- you get sad that there is not enough time to read everything
- you wish for immortality
- you give copious amounts of kisses to whoever you deem worthy
- you dress with zest
- no moments of your days are wasted, even the restful ones are purposeful
- dying doesn’t seem like an option
- you eat the foods that sustain your vitality, the ones with life still in them
- you think for yourself and eschew most media
- every moment is an opportunity for creative expression
- you never emulate, you just extract inspiration
- the library is your second home
- people cannot keep up with you
- your brain is firing all synapses
- sex is a jungle of limbs and hair, fire and lips

- trees are meant for climbing, snow is meant for sliding, rain is meant for showering, caves are meant for kissing, forests are made for running, art is meant for devouring, fruit is meant for inhaling, breath is made for laughing, animals are meant for hugging, sun is meant for frolicking, youth is meant for deviancy, elder years are meant for rebellion, school is meant for revolution, travel is meant for drinking in all aspects of living

- you stand proud and rock your body, whatever your size
- you’re an artist
- you run into the ocean whenever you can
- you only eat plants because you respect that animals want to live, too
- you worship yourself instead of a deity
- you engage all your senses at all times
- sleep is a sacred activity
- you prefer experiences to material things
- your thoughts stay positive, despite negative influences
- love is your purpose for living
- you get intoxicated by flowers
- you get high on the scent of the woods
- you say yes way more often than no
- you say no when it feels right
- you don’t put up with anyone’s bullshit
- you show your loved ones you cherish them
- you’re grateful for everything you have
- you choose the high dive

- you run instead of walk, you fight instead of run, you love instead of fight

- seeing music live makes you swoon
- you have parties on rooftops
- wasting time is a criminal offense
- nothing can stop you
- skinny dipping is mandatory
- people call you brash, brazen, wild, zany, fabulous, a dynamo
- your hair is always blowing in the wind
- every moment presents itself as a lesson or a gift
- failure is a myth, there are only set-backs
- you scoff at death
- sharing your life with animals is an honor
- giving birth is the most powerful thing you can do
- your money goes towards experiences and traipsing the globe
- customs people know you by name

- you always choose “dare”

- swimming pools are always open, despite fences
- your symbol is an ankh
- you tell people you love that you love them, constantly
- you can freestyle compliments with great flow and emotion
- your vocabulary is vast and rampant
- people are enraptured with your stories
- you’re constantly told to write a book
- you swim in fountains
- you dance on tables
- you sleep during class because you’ve been too busy living
- you bounce energy back and forth with everyone
- all of your friends are just as playful as you are, because that’s who you attract to yourself
- you don’t give a shit how you look when you dance
- you always chase “first times”
- you have car picnics in the winter
- the beauty everywhere makes your heart palpitate
- grand vistas give you exploding heart syndrome
- you imagine a soundtrack playing at all times because your life would make an epic movie
- you are fascinated by everything
- boredom is a foreign concept
- you have a cause you vigilantly fight for
- you are a fidget because you have pent up energy
- you have to be utterly exhausted in order to sleep (but you usually are exhausted because you never stop moving)
- motorcycles are preferable to bicycles, but bicycles are preferable to cars (unless those cars are convertibles and going awesomely fast).
- people know you’re a supernova with one glace
- you feel like a teenager even if you’re in menopause
- you love being with people, but you adore time on your own just as much, if not more
- you transcend death

~~

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Why I Don’t Eat Cooked Foods.

+ They make me flush and feel hot
+ I sleep horribly
+ I get massive bouts of gas
+ I need salt to make it taste good, and salt sucks
+ It causes leukocytosis and my body is like WTF?!
+ It doesn’t have any nutritional value
+ It disrupts good digestion
+ It makes me feel tired instead of energetic, so I don’t feel like exercising
+ It gives me brain fog
+ I don’t like cheating or sneaking around, acting like I’m doing something wrong – because I know that I am. So really I am hiding it from myself.
+ If I have one bite, I can’t stop. It’s addictive.
+ They make me bloat, BIG TIME
+ They make me break out
+ They take away my glow
+ I feel sluggish
+ I don’t feel as vibrant
+ I feel guilty
+ I ALWAYS, EVERY TIME feel like puking it up. Not due to guilt, but to just feeling gross. This is BAD. The worst symptom of all.
+ Seriously, the gas. EMBARRASSING.
+ Makes me get mucus build-up. I always get a runny nose.
+ Gut-ache!
+ Acidic response in the body, and on the teeth.
+ Life seems less fun.
+ Nightmares.
+ Brief, stabbing intestinal pains.
+ The food is DEAD.
+ I feel irritable and want to lie down.
+ Less motivated.
+ Sallow skin.
+ Rashy area on my cheek comes back.
+ Urge to pick at my skin returns – EVERY TIME! BAD.
+ Grumpy.
+ I feel heavy.
+ Constipation.
+ I’ll be less inspiring to others if I don’t stick to my lifestyle.
+ I have a more angry demeanor.
+ I feel BLAH.
+ Unhappy, gurgling stomach, even from something completely simple.
+ I feel pukey.
+ I’m not as committed to myself and my goals when I slip-up.
+ After a few bites it is always DRY, BLAND, and UNDERWHELMING. It’s never worth it, ever.
+ It is a waste of MONEY. You’re paying for dead, nutritionally-deficit food,so you’re paying for nothing except everything listed above.

WHY I eat raw food!

+ I feel jubilant, naturally!
+ Lean bod!
+ No bloating.
+ I feel light, and fast.
+ I sleep really easily, and deeply.
+ I am fully committed to great health and a rad life.
+ It’s fast and simple.
+ It’s inspiring to others.
+ I feel accomplished.
+ It’s more delicious.
+ It is insanely nutritionally dense.
+ I feel naturally friendly.
+ I smile more.
+ I am more patient.
+ I feel like running around and moving my body.
+ I’m kinder to other people.
+ I am more open and loving.
+ I attract happier friends into my life.
+ I feel super clear, mentally
+ I have more imagination and drive.
+ I feel SUPER self confident.
+ My skin radiates.
+ More youthful appearance.
+ No worries of illness, short or long-term. No colds, flu, or degenerative diseases.
+ I don’t get bladder infections, ever.(used to be chronic)
+ Strong immune system.
+ I am well hydrated.
+ My digestion is awesome (5-6 times a day for #2, and lots of urine, clear).
+ It’s easy to find fruit, ANYWHERE.
+ Super vivid dreams
+ Super motivated
+ Able to assimilate all nutrients due to lack of mucus.

There are endless reasons for staying on a raw vegan lifestyle, and tons of reasons to give up dead, cooked foods. No matter what, up the percentage of raw foods in your diet and you will REAP the benefits! They are endless!

This is a list I wrote a while ago when I was having some cravings during winter time and slipped up – recently I have felt urges again and so wanted to revisit this list to remind me to stick to my fresh, ripe, raw, whole, organic fare :)

Aimee Mullins

Are you obese, or depressed, or really sick?

Do you feel like you have no purpose, do you think you are useless, whatever, no good, a waste, that you have nothing to offer anyone or have no purpose in life? That you are just gonna waste away and nothin’ you can do about it?

I can tell you a purpose. You can be an inspiration.

For me, who is already slim and fairly fit and very healthy (I wasn’t always!), I am most inspired by the massive transformations people have. I need to continually be inspired in order to remember how important being healthy is, how important LIVING is. I am most inspired by people who are told “You will need to take these pills forever” or “You are going to die unless you have gastric bypass surgery” or “You will never walk again” or countless other things – and then those people prove everyone wrong by IGNORING what EVERYONE says and by believing in themselves. They find one SHRED of love for themselves and hold on to it like it is life support, and they do one little bit at a time, until they get better, and better, and better, and they feel more self love, and people start noticing, and the onlookers spur them on, and so that momentum grows, and then those people start being heroes, and you can be one of those people, too.

If you are really at the END of your rope – a miserable curmudgeon, someone who is extremely overweight, someone with eating disorders, someone on massive amounts of pills for an “incurable” disease – you can change all of this and be a beacon of hope for others, to show them it CAN be done, and there is ALWAYS room for more inspiration, there is ALWAYS room for more people that show us what can be done when we ignore the bullshit and follow our hearts.

The thing is, even when what you are working on healing is “invisible” (like mental issues), people around you will notice a change – you get this glow about you. Even if you are not losing weight rapidly, your skin will start to shine and your demeanor will be sparkling. You become a magnet for good things, which becomes a whirling dervish of positive vibes. They keep coming, and that’s what makes it even easier to continue.

Your purpose, now, is to transform for the good of everyone, not just you. Start where you are, take photos, take videos, and chronicle your journey. It makes no difference if it takes days, months, or years – It will uplift someone so much that they will make positive changes in their own lives – beauty and love transform others, and then it goes on and on and on, endlessly.

THAT is a grand purpose to hold in your mind, and when you accomplish your goals, you will be free and clear and know what you are meant to do in life. In the meantime, be an inspiration.

One last thing: temporary slip-ups are not failures. Even I have days where I don’t adhere to my highest aspirations – I brush off and keep going. That is the secret of succeeding – even the most amazing people have days and moments they are not reaching the bar they have set – just try again, and you will reach it.

I don’t care if you like me.

Why? Because there is billions upon billions of people in the world. How can they all like me? It’s asinine. No one can have everyone like them so stop trying. It’s an impossible task. Work on liking yourself. There will always be someone who finds a flaw in you, or someone who doesn’t like an inflection in your voice, or thinks your face is weird, or who thinks you are too tall/thin/fat/stinky/giggly/morose/loud/quiet/vivacious/etc – who cares? There are plenty of people who will jive with you (and me) – it’s called flocking – people who get you, will get you. If they don’t, oh well.

Find people who mesh with your style, your thought-patterns – and find others who are not normally your style who intrigue you, too – if you always stick with the same sort of pals, you won’t really grow or learn.

But the people who hate on you, just move on. When they don’t like you, that makes a space for someone who does, OR space for YOURSELF.

Imagine for a minute that EVERYONE liked you. Would you have a moment in the day for yourself? Would you be constantly telling people “Sorry, booked til next June, I have so many plans! Ahh, people won’t leave me alone!”

I dunno how celebrities do it, but I can kind of see how they can brush it off (hopefully) – they don’t even have enough time to talk to all the people who LOVE them, let alone waste time on people who don’t!

It’s a waste of energy. Do you have people in your life who love you? A few? Then that is gold. And it is also a sign that you have plenty of awesomeness to share, and the people who will adore you will find you, just put yourself out there. Ignore the bad stuff – there is always bad, but look through it, there is always bitchin’ stuff on the other side.

Anah (Hoopalicious)

When you are feeling lumpy or in the gutter, do you feel like going after your dreams?

Do you feel up to jumping around and banging on drums, or do you feel like going to bed and watching Game of Thrones while downing a bag of Cheetos? It’s hard to muster up the energy or enthusiasm to break open your head full of powerful intentions when you can barely bother flossing your teeth.

This is the best reason to aim for health. Without the full vigor you could be feeling, how do you even know what you are capable of?

I had no idea I could do some of the things I have accomplished. I still did things when I was relatively okay, mentally (in a former, healthier mode, I managed to save up money for a 5 month trip to Australia and New Zealand in a few months), and once in a while I would get a verve to create some amazing things – but those were shortlived, and my energy drained. My cloudy gloom started to flow back and mar my visions, making them seem useless, pointless, and one more person amongst billions – so why bother!

Wrong. When you feel real, TRUE health, you feel the sparks of life. It’s impossible to imagine unless you’ve felt it. When I first felt it, it was like being high on E or something – and I have chased that initial vigor ever since.

But jeez, what a horrible thing – to be chasing health! To know that it is a NATURAL feeling and not just a fake thing brought on by chemicals – this is SO powerful.

The euphoric buzz is a well-known phenomena in the raw food world, as is the constant chasing of it – but here’s the thing – it comes and goes. However, there is a constant state of well-being anyway. Even when you aren’t floating around and thinking everyone is beautiful and we really live in paradise, you still see mostly goodness, and you really feel it in yourself. You believe that you can succeed in whatever it is you do.

When you believe, is when you try, and when you keep trying, and get through The Dip, that is when you really shine.

So, my April was so-so.

I was pretty good on the diet front, not good at all with exercise – LAME – one day? Pfft.

I think this is because I have not been paying enough attention to my chart, and I had some depression issues again – thank gad the sun is coming back. I am going to rethink my anti-vitamin-D-pill thing and order some vegan ones if I get in a bind again, or just continue going to the tanning place.

ANYWAY, I have been feeling grand.

This month on my chart is:

D – diet – this time meaning 80/10/10 and not just “raw” – raw for me is easy-peasy. So, now I am just doing it gung-ho, my only other food included being nori, just at first. I love nori and yes, it does look delicious to me seeing it on a beach, and yes I could make a meal of it – sometimes I will eat a whole package on its own. I’m also going to do what I did when I initially went raw and that is to stick to it 100% for 30 days and see how I feel (I felt so awesome that I knew it would be for life). I took a “before” picture, too, so I can show my progress physically!

W – writing – this meaning in my blog or in my journals. Mostly I want to write in this here bloggo (I hate the word blog but it’s a funny sounding word at least).

F - this meaning writing FICTION. I stopped setting a time frame for myself – this was becoming too daunting and I always wanted to do other things and would get distracted. Now I just plonk myself in front of the page and write with no real agenda. If I write for 5 minutes, it counts. If I want to write more (and I usually do), then yay! It all adds up.

E – exercise. Of some sort, every day. Exercise is never a waste of time – in fact, I LOVE to exercise. Sometimes I forget this and if I push myself to just start (same with writing) I often want to keep going.

Something awesome I noticed yesterday was this:

About 12 years ago when I lived on Vancouver Island, I decided I wanted to see if I could become a runner. This was one thing I said I would “never” be able to do, and the quote “You must do the thing you think you cannot do” would repeat itself in my head, and so I decided that because I had a lot of time on my hands, that I would start running. There were a lot of gorgeous parks and forests, so it was quite lovely to go out and have this goal. I also had seen my reflection in bad thrift store lighting and was appalled at my appearance, therefore starting me into health + fitness madness.

So I started walk/jogging and could not go for very long with the jogs or runs. I wasn’t eating very well of course, and limiting my calories, still eating fish and bread and whatever else – lots of chocolate chip rice cakes. Eventually I got bored with it and went back to my sedentary hobbies. I didn’t seem to improve much, either. I could go a minute or so and would be so out of breath – this had happened since childhood and I would do everything I could to get out of running track or anything sporty. I thought I had asthma and had an inhaler that I used once – I thought it would allow me to run or exert myself more – it did sweet fuckall.

So yesterday I decided to take my dog out and go for a jog. I used to go out walking quite a bit last year when I lived near some beautiful trails. This was one reason I went so much – now I don’t live near anything but big expensive homes, so to go somewhere pretty I have to drive first.

ANYWAY, I took my pooch out and started to jog – and I just kept going, and going, and going. And even if I got a bit winded, I took a break. I only needed to break for a few seconds and could go more.

I realized that there was a huge difference even from last summer, when I was still eating heavier raw foods. I have been far more outdoorsy and sporty since I went raw, but lowering the fat in my diet has been an even more amazing aspect. Last month I was eating salt and heavier foods again, but I have recommitted to the low-fat approach. I just feel better on it. I feel more energized and clear and SO creative. I want to feel that way, always. I also want to be lean, and eating salt and too many nuts makes me bloated! Yuck. (I have been so bloated I thought about taking an April Fool’s photo because I looked pregnant).

Watching Freelee and Kristina on youtube really makes me motivated. So does Durianrider, listening to Doug Graham, and all sorts of raw foodists. I am constantly inspired.

And so my little chart is going to be the pinpoint for my goals – so far it’s kind of been off to the side of my desk, but I am going to make it more of a focal point of my day – something I do before bed. I am also making myself go to bed earlier – it’s tough because my body rebels – as I am falling asleep, I realize it, then wake up :(

Another thing I’ve been doing is starting my morning thinking about things I love about my life – positive things – this is what I do WHILE I am still waking up (my grumpiest time of day) – also I have made it a point to stop complaining. A few years ago I read a book called A Complaint Free World that really impacted me – it’s pretty hard to go a whole day without complaining, let me tell you! (Try it). But I have been pretty successful, and something I noticed about when I was doing these things before, is that I was a LOT happier.

It’s much easier to make goals in spring. I say let’s make our yearly resolutions in April or May, when we feel renewed! If you live in the Northern  Hemisphere, I think you’ll be more likely to succeed with “New Spring Resolutions” instead of new years’ ones. Just a tip :)

~~

If you like my chart, you can download my blank one here!

I think about this a lot:

the way the world is run, all the horrible, negative aspects of how people are controlled, how the world is owned by certain families and corporations – it’s sickening, disheartening, and often makes me feel like giving up – there are many conspiracy theories that I believe, though I do not obsess over them – they make me sneer and hang my head, but then I look back up and realize I am really in charge of my own life, that even though these things go on, I am STILL in charge of how my life turns out, my own attitude, and since I am AWARE of these evil-doings, I can avoid them as much as possible, and fly under the radar.

Everyone will be somewhat affected, but we can all control what happens to us to some extent (and by some, I mean MOST) – laziness is bred into us. We want the easy way. It makes me laugh when people think they have no time to make their own meals for work, or that they have no time to walk their own dogs or care for their own children – it’s sickening. What are they spending their money on (from the jobs that they spend all their time at?) – mostly things that are unnecessary, or they are perpetuating this ideal that is constantly bombarding us (more control from “them”) -  for real, we need to control ourselves.

The reason I think about this (but not too much, or I really will feel like giving up) is because knowing about the goings-on (the things that are HIDDEN from everyone, I do not pay attention to mainstream news) makes me feel empowered.

I also know that if I want beauty in my life, real health, real happiness, I have to do a limbo under that bar – probably pretty far down. Good thing I have awesome balance, because to get under that thing takes a bit of work – the laziness we’re all conditioned to have is keeping us from learning what is really going on, not to mention it is suggested that we all do not do “enough” ! – and this exhausts people! It makes them miss out on the real joys in life!

I must say, I have NO hope for society as it is now, nor for most people. Yeah, that is negative, but guess what? The people who are really awake, they will be the ones who make it through, if there is ever something that wipes out humanity. I have hope for the conscious people. And the planet itself – I don’t worry about her – she will right herself, if given a break from us humans.

Despite my attitude towards the majority, I still think we should all be a part of the solution – we all still need to change our habits – treat the planet with love, animals with love, and each other with compassion. We must create love and beauty if we want more of it – like attracts like – we can all be shining examples.

I feel like most of the population is apathetic – understandably – it’s easy to get down on everything, whether you are exposed to the mainstream media or the alternative,  hidden information!

Kids are so lucky because of this – once you hit the age when you are aware of evil in the world, that is when the interest in “play” wanes, the belief in the self, the strength to feel like you can do ANYthing. And you really can – maturity is a farce – it’s great to be responsible, but it’s a lie you have to “grow up” – people are stuffed into boxes where they are gassed with the horrors of life, and they get so blinded that they forget how to LIVE – the beautiful things in life are still out there! You are still able to do them!

Fuck the bad shit – don’t contribute to it, speak up about it, but then go on and celebrate the gorgeous flutterings that squeeze your heart.

There are days where I just feel flat.

I don’t mean chest-wise (cuz I don’t care) – but just…blargh.

I’ve had a lifetime of teeth issues, and no matter what I eat, I will continue to have issues because of the bombardment my teeth have taken over my life. So I won’t blame fruit, or raw – actually they improved going raw, so there.

Anyway, it was a few weeks of dental appointments, and today I just had enough. I got into a “why me?” mode and said eff it to everything and just binged on kale chips (could be worse…) and sat around watching Sailor Moon and Game of Thrones.

Not really my style. I tend to be a doer, EVEN if I am watching something, I am working on a project of some sort (like my zine that has taken me years – it’s almost done).

Eh, anyway, my point is that even though I get this way at times, I know it’s not going to last. Usually I am upbeat + positive and in a pretty lofty state.

Ever hear that idea that people are afraid of their own power, and that they are more afraid of success than failure? I think I am in that state.

I have this series of books in my head, these amazing characters that I think about all the bloody time – and the idea of writing them scares the crap out of me, because I know they would be epic, and the length and time and care I would need to take in order for them to live up to what I’ve concocted is absolutely daunting.

I have to do it, though. I think about writing sprees all week, when I am working – I feel like when I get home I need to just hunker down and write. But then I get distracted by something – this is the downside of being so fascinated by everything – I am what Barbara Sher calls a “scanner – though I do get in states of obsession. When I finally enter that state, I am unstoppable.

I can be obsessed with many things at once – and I get so flustered and baffled at how to do it all that I am overwhelmed, and just end up reading or something. Often I act. This is why I am so in need of work that allows me to be free of a schedule – when not at a typical job, I am constantly working on projects – I don’t feel restrained by time, and so things flow so much more easily. This work needs to be writing! And so, I write, as always. Either here, on paper, fiction, memoirs, letters, little comics, zines, lists – anything. It is constant.

More often in winter is when I get flustered,  from a lack of sunlight and lowered spirits. I know how to combat this now and it is why I have continued with this blog instead of giving up like I have in previous years. I just push, now. I think to myself, “Who the hell cares what anyone else thinks? It doesn’t matter if you feel like poo – write about feeling like poo. Do it anyway, any sort of criticism won’t matter tomorrow, or in the grand scheme of things. None of this matters” – and it really doesn’t. One day, everything anyone has ever created will be gone. We will all die. Humanity will disappear. That does not mean that we should not still procreate and make beautiful songs and books and it does not mean we should not treat one another and ourselves and other creatures with immense kindness and respect. And so I say what I want, and I want others to believe in themselves, too.

We are all really good at something, and anything we love, we can do.

I have always envied the people who can obsess over one thing – they tend to be the most amazing, shining examples, the inspiring ones. But there are others who are great at many things and those are the ones I relate to. When I am really into something, I stick to it, too. I have always stuck with writing, drawing, and within the last few years, healthy eating. If I still lived near waves, I would have stuck with surfing – man, do I miss it.

When it comes down to it, the whole reason I want to be healthy is so I can continue to have the energy and confidence (and happiness) to continue, because otherwise, I will just look at the world and think “Why fucking BOTHER?”

But I know why I bother – because this is reality. We are alive, we’re here now, we might as well enjoy the beauty amongst the chaos. There can never be enough beauty.

~~

“Sometimes I get a little sad, and I feel like being alone. Then I talk to my cat about it, and he reminds me I’m James Franco. Then we dance.” — James Franco

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