Eating under the Palm tree - more on simplicity

I was just reading an e-zine article in which the writer was telling stories of people who had chosen to live more simply: a pastor who gave away most of her clothes, accessories and fancy shoes in favor of seven dresses just alike; an author and his wife who chose to downsize from their mansion to a cottage and streamline other things as well.

In the Christian calendar we have just entered the season of Lent. There are many who choose this time of year to give up something - and so often it is something they will give up for 40 days and then snatch back. The article pointed to the above examples as ways to give up and keep giving. The focus shifts from what has been given up to the ways the time or money can be used. (A friend's family has given up ice cream for Lent and are donating the money they would have spent to an orphanage.)

I refer to this in our series on eating healthfully because of this reference: the author and his wife chose to relieve themselves of the tedium of choosing what to have and how to fix meals that would be "fitting" for guests etc. Their lunch each day is vegetable soup, wheat bread, cheese and yogurt. Likewise their breakfast and dinners are simple and easy to prepare. She has "given up" the extra time it takes to plan interesting menus for everyday or entertaining. She can now give that time to other pursuits.

How many diet programs promise "lots of variety" and "never boring"? How many hours do we spend poring over recipes and ingredients, wandering through the grocery wondering which of the many options we should have for dinner?

I have the same thing for breakfast 5 days a week: one egg fried in extra virgin olive oil, a slice of cheese and a slice of wheat toast. I drink a huge glass of water with which I swallow my vitamins. On Saturdays I have a bowl of Shredded Wheat 'n' Bran with banana and milk, and on Sunday we go out for breakfast and I have an egg sandwich then too. I spent years trying to do different things, but find that I prefer this - I get a good breakfast made inexpensively at home with little effort or thought - it has become part of my routine.

Perhaps we (Americans?) have begun to devote too much time to our food. We own tons of cookbooks and yet we tend to eat the same things (sometime on the same nights each week!).

Finished the article, I thought about how much time I could spend writing, reading, working on other house projects, working on other interests if I prepared fewer foods and more simply.

AND the other thing these people gave up (IMHO)? Paying attention to all the fads, the new products, the new ingredients, etc... they just eat the simple things they like and are not out buying and trying every new snack food that comes along. Ultimately they are saving time and money, using both for other things. They probably save a significant number of calories as well.

SO as part of our K.I.S.S. week, let's give this some consideration. How could you benefit from this approach? I'm going to try it! Let's share experiences and insights, okay?

Eating Under the Palm Tree - K.I.S.S.

A group of ladies began discussing eating healthfully on a budget in a Facebook thread today, and it started me thinking that it might be a good thread for this blog. Are you in?

I am a firm believer that simple eating is the best, though sometimes I stray. SO I was wondering if I could help some others with their eating habits and stay true to mine as well.

It is always a challenge to eat healthfully, you say. Well, do you remember Jack LaLanne? Yes - the guy with the exercise show when our mothers were housewives. Yes - the guy who does something incredible every year on his birthday like pull a boat across a river. Yes - the guy with the juicer (I have that juicer - it's great). In an interview on his 80th birthday, Jack LaLanne said he has never tasted pizza, has not had ice cream or cake or pie on over 50 years ... he and his lovely wife eat fruits and vegetables, meat and other basics. And he is very healthy!

Look to the Bible. In Daniel, we find the origin of what has become popular as the Daniel's Fast. When I first encountered this many (25+) years ago, it was done for spiritual more than physical reasons. It was done for ten days, and one ate only vegetables and drank only water. It was wonderful. I have tried the more "modernized" version and will use the original next time (soon). Look at the directives given to the Israelites regarding what to eat and how to eat it. Mostly consider that they did not eat: potato chips and other "goodies".

In modern times we have The Zone, raw eating, and The Maker's Diet. They are all different, but have many things in common.

So what do the healthiest people eat? or rather HOW do the healthiest people eat?

Everything centers on simplicity. Simple things prepared simply. Keep a food as close to its natural state as possible.

So here is today's challenge: keep your foods this week as close to the natural state as possible. For instance,

• eat an apple not apple pie. If an apple is difficult for you, chop it and microwave it (with a little cinnamon if you wish) and you have fresh applesauce.
• buy fresh green beans and steam them crisp/tender (or only as soft as you need to eat them comfortably)
• eat nuts and seeds as snacks (watch your quantities!) - if those are difficult, buy pure nut butters at a natural market or make your own (these are just ground nuts - nothing added)
• have an egg for breakfast - just friend in a bit of oil or have it hard-boiled
• Cereal? have oatmeal with some fruit and nuts (add a little cinnamon if you wish), or have Shredded Wheat'n'Bran
• eat the fruit rather than drinking the fruit juice
• if you juice, remember to juice the amount of fruit, not the amount of juice (the juice of one orange, not enough oranges to fill a glass) because of the sugar content! and mix vegies with fruit when you juice

Got the idea? Keep it Simple, Sweetie!

Please share your thoughts, your experiences and your suggestions in the comments - let's do this together and learn from one another, okay?

Make an appointment with yourself

Wow - I knew it had been a while since I wrote anything but not that long!

Why is it that we make these commitments to do something and then let so many other things get in the way? The decision to set aside some writing time each week on Saturdays gave way to the decision to have Monday evenings and Thursday evenings as time to write and read... and yet here it is February and I have not posted on the blogs nor have I written the rest of the stories needed for the new book...

There have been many things accomplished in those months - the holidays, involvement in the homeless shelter near us, plans for a prayer room at the church, and many other little projects.

Yet I have broken a promise - one that I made to myself when I started this blog. Writing is very important to me and I began this as a way to set aside dedicated time for it.

What about you? Are there promises you have made to yourself - to do something for yourself - that then get pushed aside because you are doing things for others?

It is important to do for others - absolutely imperative - but remember that you can be no good to others if you don't take care of yourself. Set aside some time to do something for yourself every day - read, pray, sew, knit, take a walk, exercise.... whatever you need to care for yourself. Make an appointment (yeah, I did that) and then keep it. Write it on the calendar and in your planner so that others see it as well. And if something else comes up once in a while that you feel is worth it, don't cancel that appointment with yourself - just re-schedule it.

I'm going to try to do better - want to join me?

Is it just me?

In the years since my mother died, I have gone overboard not to be like her in certain ways.

She was opinionated and cared nothing for how her opinions were stated or received. I on the other hand am very aware of how things are stated as well as how they are received - at least I try to be. And moreso I am aware of any time I begin to sound like my mother. So I try to be even less harsh when I express negative opinions.

And yet in the past week I have found myself on edge because I have been accused of speaking too harshly, of expressing a negative opinion in a way that "makes you sound like a bitch" (my daughter's words as she critiqued an email I had sent in response to an email thread).

So tell me - how do you accurately express your negative opinions and yet not step on anyone? When there is an emotionally-charged issue, there are bound to be people on both sides ... is it possible to truly express one's feelings without offending anyone?

In response to this particular issue, I have decided simply not to express my opinions at all until others have had their say. I do not want to attempt to sway others to my way of thinking, for this issue is truly one where a person must decide on his/her own in accordance with his/her beliefs. But is it best to keep my thoughts to myself on a topic where to express negative (opposing) opinions may brand one anti- or uncaring or even judgmental? At the very least politically incorrect?

So tell me friends - how do you make sure you do not offend others in such a situation and yet join in the "discussion"? Without making it an argument ... without driving people away or discounting their opinions?

I am open to suggestions and counsel, as this issue will not be settled for some time. And I want to be as understanding and positive as possible even though I might have opposing views from others in the conversation.

I'm listening!

Random thought

Just a quick post this morning...

Thinking about the things that come with advancing years: experience, maturity, wisdom, friends and freedom.

Yes - freedom!

A few weeks ago we took a trip to Dallas - we are not prone to flying, preferring to see where we are going on the way to where we are going, but time required that mode of transportation. I have not flown in years, and am usually petrified. So I asked my Christian Sisters to keep us in prayer, and the flights - both there and back - caused me no anxiety!

I have been thinking about this in the ensuing few weeks, and realize that there are things I do now, that I would have been scared to do in the past, that do not make me nauseous and faint. I can have blood drawn at the lab and get a check-up at the doctor's office. I have made dental appointments that do not fill me with dread.

There are still things that scare me - like colonoscopies and spiders and bats - but the fact the some things of which I used to be dreadfully afraid are manageable makes me believe that I will be able to conquer other fears as well...

Freedom from fear.

Oh - and that empty nest thing? It gives you the freedom to have whatever for dinner. It gives you the freedom to choose the channel, or leave the tv off. It gives you the freedom to come home early or late and not have to think of any schedules except one's own. And there's the freedom to then plan those evenings to meet with one's own interests and goals. And that of one's spouse, of course.

Are you enjoying the freedoms that come with being over 50? Please share!

It's been a bit since I sat down to write here ... we have just returned from a week at the Gaylord Texan where my husband was at a conference...

I was thinking about greeting cards this week... we have a number of birthdays and anniversaries that occur among friends and family this month (August) and I am sadly not as good as was my mother about sending greeting cards... not that I don't intend to do so, but I forget to buy them before the day of the occasion, and then I shrug and say "I'll just drop an email" or "I'll say happy birthday on Facebook"...

But think about it. There are still times and people for whom a real greeting card is better - and well appreciated.

Certainly people older than 50 appreciate real greeting cards (and real hand-written notes too). They like to receive them and display them. They are not as excited about the e-greetings of the electronic generation, even if they are more eco-friendly.

People who are ill or in the hospital, or home recovering from injury or surgery, like to have those paper cards to sit or hang around the room to remind them of the people who think of them, pray for them, and care about them. It brings them warmth and cheer, especially when friends and family members are farther away.

When there is a death, it is once again a time for that hard-copy card that brings sympathy and thoughts and prayers to the bereaved. They too can be displayed or just piled in a basket - just the sight of that collection of good wishes can bring comfort.

Weddings always seem a time for cards, as well as graduations and confirmations. Really - any time a gift is appropriate so is a greeting card.

I have a friend who is so thoughtful about cards - she sends them at all the right times - thinking of you cards and get well cards that are sent when needed, and holiday cards that arrive just at the right time. And they are cards with just the right words, almost as though the card has been created just for the occasion and recipient.

My mother used to buy tons of cards. New home cards, for instance, were always difficult to find, so when she found one she liked she'd buy several to keep on hand. Thinking of you cards were another - she would buy one of every one she liked on the shelf when she was at the store.

So I have decided to once again pull out all those cards that are still here from my mother. I have them sorted by occasion. They will be placed where I can easily grab them and send them. Then I will begin to adopt her habit of grazing through the cards at the store and picking out ones that will be good to have on hand. I will have my letter-carrier husband replenish my supply of Forever Stamps, and I will once again begin to send cards at the appropriate times.

Think about it - don't you have cards you have really enjoyed - even kept?

Oh - and when you receive cards that you aren't going to store away - find crafty people who need the fronts for projects! then toss the other part in the recycling...

More another day - there are cards to address!

Yesterday I had an inspiration for today's post. But this morning I have had an experience that will put the other off till later in the week: I stood at my kitchen window and watched squirrels and bunnies frolic in my yard.

Seems simple, right? Almost a non-event. But therein lies the issue. We too seldom take the time for those simple joys. I had opened the window to allow the unexpected gift of cool air into the house before the summer heat and humidity take over. I lingered for just a minute, putting the final touches on my mental list of chores- to-accomplish-before-the-temperatures-rise. That minute came with a reward.

Around the corner came a squirrel, so I greeted him (hey there Squirrelly) and began to step away when another arrived. So I stayed and watched. A third squirrel joined in and they raced and ran around the tree, through the bottom tray of the chiminea and then around it, back around the tree and around the shed... the three of them covering ground swiftly.

In the midst of all this, I realized that a brown bunny had arrived on the scene by the lilies that grow along our shed. The bunny was also watching the squirrels (no doubt to make sure he wasn't run over) and both of us were surprised when two more bunnies came slowly into the area. So now I have two separate but co-located shows - like the rings of a circus - in my back yard. The bunnies took up a game of leaping and hide-n-seek, and the squirrels continued to chase (except one who sneaked off to have some of our berries for breakfast) and I remained at the window for at least fifteen minutes just watching the fun.

Which is when it occurred to me that this would be the topic of today's post: take time to enjoy those seemingly-insignificant, almost childish pleasures. One of the reasons this scene is so enjoyable here where I live is that construction has decreased the open land for bunnies and squirrels. People actually complain about the wildlife rather than enjoying the morning (and evening - the bunnies are in our yard then too) entertainment provided by these adorable little creatures.

Having grown up here (yes, right here in this house) I have seen bunnies, squirrels, deer, groundhogs, snakes and foxes either wander through or linger to munch and play ... but in the past 20 years there have been fewer and fewer places in my neighborhood (in our county!) for them to live, so we have fewer furry visitors. This morning to have three bunnies and five squirrels all at one time was such fun! In the evening we see several bunnies, and there is a small herd of deer (about six) who wander through at some point.

Yes, they have found our relocated garden because some neighbors put up a fence that forced the deer to use a different route between fields. But as exasperating as that is, it always thrills me to see that we still have our little herd.

Are you in a city? No wildlife for you to observe? How about birds that sit on windowsills and feeders? What about the flowers in window boxes and planters? What do you see in the shapes of the clouds?

Most important is that we take time for small pleasures: sitting down in the quiet morning hour before others awake - having that cup of coffee or tea while you read Scripture and meditate in the peacefulness before the day's busyness encroaches. Walking to the store or work and watching the people you pass - engaging them with a smile or nod. Observing children playing. Greeting those with whom you share the elevator.

Want to create a simple pleasure for someone else? When you see a lady with a lovely dress in the supermarket, walk up to her and say "that is a lovely dress" and then keep walking. In the elevator, compliment that man over there on his striking tie. See a man in uniform or one with a "retired veteran" hat? Walk up and just say "thank you for your service to our country" - then walk away quickly because he will be embarrassed by the tear that wells up in his eye if you see it. A police officer or firefighter? Wish them a safe shift. Make a co-worker's day by leaving a flower or a piece of candy or a doughnut or whatever on their desk - before they arrive, without telling them who left it... Send a note or card (yes, through the mail) to an elderly shut-in ... or send a cheery email to someone "just because".

Simple pleasures are everywhere, but we are often too rushed - or think we are too grown up - to appreciate them... you see, there are adults who would have looked at those bunnies and squirrels this morning and dismissed them as nuisances or not even noticed them at all.

Please take some time today - and every day - to use some "palm tree time" to enjoy life's simple pleasures ... and share some with others when possible.