What do you notice?

Can you see me?, originally uploaded by nutrigardener.

The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change; until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds. R.D. Laing

Not to get overly significant about a picture of a bird in some bushes, or quote stating the obvious, but after reading Blink (a short review to come!), which effectively illustrates how much of our perceptions are registered subconsciously and effect our actions without our knowledge, I thought this a nice combination. There is so much sensory and emotional richness there for the looking!

It seems to me we miss things and end up feeling clueless or fail to empathize, or maybe simply gulp down our morning coffee without noticing how good it tastes. It takes a bit of concentration and humility to slow down, quiet the distractions and pay attention. If I had been rowing the boat I was in when I spotted the bird, I might have missed him due to another preoccupation. Funny too-I would have felt much more important if I was rowing. Would that have been worth missing the point of the trip? Hmm-in this small and silly example, my life is just a tiny bit bigger for “letting someone else row the boat.” Too bad all of life isn’t like life in a boat in Guatemala with a tour guide, right? Anyway, here’s to slowing down and learning to smell the DIFFERENCES between all the roses out there!

A closer look..

can you see me up close?, originally uploaded by nutrigardener.

Hi folks, here's a closer look at the picture I posted with the last blog entry..

Chorreador de café

Chorreador de café 2, originally uploaded by nutrigardener.

Just a simple discovery to share today-the wonderful coffee of Costa Rica is traditionally brewed using a simple bag sewn on a twisted wire frame-it costs about .50 cents, and makes a great cup of coffee! I know the trend for simple coffee has been on the rise in San Francisco, with companies like Blue Bottle (http://bluebottlecoffee.net/) leading the way, but meanwhile, here in Costa Rica the trend never went anywhere!

This reminds me of an article in Forbes about the cycle of trends; people tend to mimic and follow others right out of their financial comfort zone as they develop more and more expensive tastes by watching the people around them. Eventually, things reach a breaking point, and then we tend to follow the social trend toward frugality too-right now it's trendy to flaunt your frugality!

Well, don't do it because it's a trend, but I would highly recomend you try a nice cup of simple coffee brewed with the simplest means possible..Pura Vida!

Here's a link to help you get started: http://www.zurqui.com/crinfocus/cr/coffee.html

The Love of Simple Food..

My six-month Central American trip is almost over and I am finally full to the brim with stories and thoughts and things to share (the picture will make sense soon-I promise!) As a newley minted massage therapist and health and nutrition educator, I think I am finding that the best way for people to maintain the joy in their lives and the motivation they need to thrive is to focus on maintaining SPACE in their lives. Space can mean a lot of things. In massage it is a central concept for many of the most effective therapists-connective tissue in the body responds to stress and injury by clamping down and tightening up. their job is to create space in the muscle so it can fully function again-That's space in the body so the body can thrive.

Space can also be thought of as the time between stimulus and response-when someone angers us, is the space so tiny we respond with our instantainious anger and tension, or do we have the grace of space to step back, see the other side a bit, and modify our instantanious response? With the pressures of life closing in on us, we can all use a bit of space to breath..grace to live in our lives.

Ok, you are going to wonder how any of the following has anything to do with what I am talking about, but go with me here: Identifying the wholesome, simple things we love just as much as the rich things is a kind of space in our lives..isn´t it?
There is nothing like a gourmet meal and a fancy, rich, well-crafted glass of wine. But for me, there also is nothing like a simple bowl of beans. Over the last 6 months in Guatemala and Costa Rica, I have never grown tired of the wonderful black beans..perhapts a bit of salsa or chopped pepper and onion. Serve it with a bit of rice and I, along with most of the population of Latin America, will be perfectly content. If you don´t normally eat beans, eat small quantities to start. This will give your body time to adjust the digestive process and for most people will help with the gas issue. I explain this to kids by taking the following liberty with the famous rhyme: Beans Beans Tropical Fruit, the MORE you eat, the LESS you toot!

How to cook beans? Very Very simple, and Whole Foods Market website has a great guide: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/guides/beans.php

Welcome

Welcome! I have meant to start this for quite a while, and now, finally, as my 6 month trip to Central America is winding down, here it is!