Discovery
I'm addicted to Chocolate~
I'm addicted to Thinking!
I'm addicted to Note Taking:
"I wrote it down so I wouldn't have to remember it!"
I'm addicted to music, softly played, "all music all the time."
I'm addicted to Cheese! I love dairy from ghee to old fashioned vanilla frozen custard not too sweet and topped with crunchy pecans.
My mind runs 24/7~
For several months last year, I actually tried "dairy free" three days a week to help lower lactose levels. But "Dairy" seemed to be something I really need. What to do? Recently I tried Kefir, a fermented milk product that is 99% lactose free. It tastes like liquid yogurt and can be sipped by itself, blended into smoothies, or poured over vegetables, pasta, potatoes, or rice. Kefir is excellent for probiotic benefits containing live and active cultures. First In the morning, I sip a cup or two of warm water. Then I enjoy one cup of Kefir. A bit later, I start adding food. I love it!
Now I eat dairy in the morning rather than, my preference, of "All Day All Night Dairy." I also gleefully went back to small amounts of ghee (clarified butter). Ghee is also lactose free. Edam cheese, aged Cheddar, Swiss, and pure Parmesan have low lactose levels. I love eating ghee and cheeses sparingly. I am free of craving constant dairy. (smile)
As a child, the only time I actually ate cold cereal was pouring unsweetened thick whipping cream over (gasp) crisp unsweetened corn flakes. What a treat!
"Grazing," eating small to moderate amounts of food throughout the day and early evening, is my way. Separate courses of food feel better for me. My Dad and I always ate "one thing at a time."
I prefer rich food more than sweets. How about you? I love treat foods but not everyday.
Crispy French Fries sprinkled with Fresh Olive Oil
"You have a one track mind," my father reminded me often as I hyperfocused on drawing and painting with rapt attention.
I am an all or nothing person~
"I" am "all
over the map." A non-sequential *"Random and Sporatic" mind
downloads unpredictably. "Answers" or "Ideas" may come in months (years) later than
the original thought or question.
I have bursts of physical and/or creative energy.
"The Cheetah and the ice box only run when they need to...."
All of a sudden and unpredictably, a painting or story just happens!
Intuitive Eating?
Ketogenic Diet: 50-70 or even 80 % healthy fats plus small amounts of high quality protein throughout the day, and plenty of vegetables may help some people. I naturally do not like cake, bread, pasta, pastry or fruits. How did my body steer me to "cheese and walnuts" for breakfast rather than toast and orange juice? Every Body is different.
Ketogenic Diet may help some people with seisures, Parkinson's disease, certain types of cancer, some types of ADD/ADHD, Dr. D'Augustino's intrview with Dr. Joseph Mercola June 6, 2013. Consult a health care professional before experimenting with diets, herbs, supplements or exercise.
Intuitive Eating with Tai Chi and Qigong: Balance and Harmony
Mostly cooked foods and not too much of any one thing are suggestions. When I went to my Traditional Chinese Medical Doctor she encouraged me to eat soups, stews, moist foods and plenty of vegetables along with the smaller amounts of protein. Tai Chi, Qigong, and/or Yoga practice may help calm the over-full or anxious mind.
In the last month I learned to balance foods containing blends of of dopamine (motivational driving foods) with serotonin foods (calming, stress reducing). Then I added a small amount of fish oil omega three fatty acids, reduced dose (554 mg) every other day. Omega three fatty acids work best taken with some protein. These combinations are working to calm my racing mind and reduce frantic feelings of "too much to do and not enough time."
Food and Mood Journal helps to identify foods and their effects. Am I too hyperactive? Low Energy? Sleepy? Grumpy? Angry? What emotional or physical situations are also triggering these feelings? Self awareness and meditation may help focus on areas needing attention and change.
Discovery
Life is an Evolving Door: What am I learning?
Celebrate You: Maximize Positives~Minimize Negatives
Ask for Help as needed.
Receive Life with Gratitude
Related Posts
Key Word Search: Meditation, Tai Chi
Chocolate Communion and Tincture of Time (July 2014)
Wake Up (May 2012)
For the Love of Chocolate (Jan 2012)
Resources:
http://www.gilbertssyndrome.com
Gilbert's Syndrome, are you very food, medicine, light, and sound sensitive, depressed, low energy? You may have GS, chronic hepatic functional disorder. Bilirubin levels in blood may be slightly elevated. Lifestyle changes may help. See Blog Tab My Story.
Deepak Chopra, Chopra Center Meditation online, Yoga
Dr. Paul Lam, Tai Chi for Health Institute, newsletter, DVD's, articles, medical research. Tai Chi Helps You!
Kenneth Cohen, Qigong the art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing.
Lifeway Kefir, lactose free fermented dairy product may help. My favorite is Greek Style Kefir. I enjoy full fat dairy products for optimum benefit and absorption of nutrients.
ADD/ADHD:
TotallyADD Help for Adult ADD/ADHD
Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, Help for Adult ADD, books, Driven to Distraction, Answers to Distraction and more
Dr. Oz, TV and Online: Serotonin, Protein, and Omega three fatty acids work together for stress reduction and ultimate brain performance, Aug 7, 2014
The ADD and ADHD Diet, Rachel Bell and Dr. Howard Peiper. I was surprised to find I was already eating the basic foods for my type of ADD/ADHD symptoms.
Dr. Joseph Mercola, articles, research, free newsletter, Natural Health Clinic, Chicago USA.
Articles: The Ketogenic Diet, Benefits of Full Fat Dairy Products, Exercise Tips, Yoga and Tai Chi
Dr. Daniel G. Amen, M.D., Healing ADD (revised ed. Dec 2013) includes the 7 types of ADD and how to heal them, foods, supplements, reprogram your brain. Food and other suggestions may vary for each type of ADD for optimal management and enjoyment of life. Magnificent Mind at Any Age may also help.
Dr. David Permutter, Grain Brain
Total Memory Makeover by Marilu Henner. Index your memories and explore possibilities. Blogging helps me!
Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist Author an Tai Chi Instructor
Photos by Dahlis
Chocolate Tartufo and Golden French Fries, Papa Vino's Italian Kitchen, St. Joseph, Michigan USA. Chocolate Tartufo is a rich dessert, not too sweet. Photos taken and displayed with permission.
Owl Eyes
A couple of days ago, I thought of my friend, Debra, when I received this "owl" photo....
* Skipping through E-mails and posts today on my way to blogging: I see Bench Chat by Debra Basham....
I am transfixed!
I read Debra's photo and story: I contemplated, who would appear to connect? Instantly "from years ago" my silver collie Sky came! He put is furry head on my lap and smiled! Then "we" smiled and hugged then ran and danced on the beach!
Happy Times!
Silence
** "Let the world be what it is....the silence is not out there....it's within you," Deepak Chopra, M.D.
Resources:
Read Debra's Entire Story
* Debra Basham, author, CHTP, NLP, HTt, RMT, Debra's Blog: Yellow Brick Road, Your Path to Heart and Health, Post Bench Chat, July 30, 2014
http://dbasham.blogspot.com
Deepak Chopra, M.D. Author, Spiritual Teacher, Chopra Center Newsletter, July 2014
Music Let it Be by The Beatles, ( lyrics, music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney), "Speaking Words of Wisdom Let It Be...."
Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor
Photos:
Owl Eyes, photo by Emilie, printed with permission from photographer
Bench Chat, photo reprinted with permission from Debra Basham, Debra's post, Bench Chat, July 30, 2014
Sky and Dahlis, photo by Paul
"Summer Afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."
Henry James
It is summer here in the northern hemisphere, what a beautiful time! Our refreshing summer this year is relatively cool with low humidity, mostly clear skies and fresh breeze. Our bodies feel relaxed enjoying, for now, less blazing hot parching weather. It feels like early fall "already."
What do I feel about summer?
I feel: a four year old child running gleefully through the sand at Daytona Beach, Florida. I tossed vanilla wafers to the flying seagulls circling and shrieking overhead. They caught the cookies in mid air! I laughed with joy and wonder! My parents and I dug in the sand, I filled my blue and white sand pail with fresh seashells.
I feel: "three months with no school" freedom. I remember one June, I stood in the back yard surrounded by tall trees feathering overhead. Spots of sun coins peeked through the deep shade illuminating the emerald grass shadow land. I was seven years old, and my Mom had planted small Sweet William flower bushes gloriously blooming. The fragrance spread through the air from candy pink and white blossoms tossing in the wind.
I feel: touching my grass forest with my hands, pretending the seeded fronds were really giant forest trees. I took my toy animals out under the trees.
I feel: my first puppy Patches the Beagle's shiny smooth short coat. His playful puppy bark, and his puppy way of chewing things remains in my memory. Later Patches found his true home, a friend took Patches to become his hunting companion. Patches loved playing with my smooth walking stick. I picked it up in Cooks' Forest in Pennsylvania under the quiet canopy of pines.
Later I found Albert Payson Terhune's Collie books and became a Collie Fancier.
Breathing and Stretching into my day:
"It doesn't get any better than this...."
Namaste~
Blog Key Word Search: Horse, Dog, Cat, Tai Chi and Meditation
Resources:
Albert Payson Terhune, author, journalist, mystic. Lad a Dog, Grey Dawn and other books captured many collie lovers' attention.
Paul Lam, M.D., Tai Chi for Health Worldwide. Tai Chi enters the entire arena of your life.
Deepak Chopra, M.D., author, spiritual teacher, Chopra Center Meditation
Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor
Photos
Capturing a Shell, photo by Dahlis
Grass Forming Seeds, photo by Paul
Dahlis with Patches and Dahlis and Laddie, photos by my Dad, Robert G. Diess
Dahlis, Tai Chi in Arizona Mountains, photo by Paul
Looking into a painting is like looking through a window.
Huang Shan, Yellow Mountains in China, are coming into view. Years ago I saw a picture of the sacred granite cliffs with far away mountain ridges on a friend's computer, photos she had taken while traveling. Bits of green sprinkled here and there,
clarity and mist combined. I consciously memorized the scene for future reference.
Later I set out to capture the energy of the sacred mountains. I chose a canvas that was half painted but wasn't working. Using elements and colors of the unfinished painting underneath the new one, the thick paint and large worn brush twisted and turned in unpredictable ways! The rocky style was totally unlike my own!
I love it~
When the picture was "finished," I noticed a faint "Tai Chi in the Park" words peeking through from under a thin layer of soft blue and muted white brush strokes. I left them there even though the words were "sideways" on the vertically oriented "new canvas."
Then I loaded a thin chisel brush with thalo blue (a blue green) and tweaked the paint onto the top of the mountain range by turning my wrist with sharp spontaneous strokes. It looked like a parade of running horses "appeared!" Where did these mysteries come from? They had a feeling of Chinese calligraphy about them?
Stepping back, where did this painting originate? Maybe I should soften it up a bit to be more "me?" It's not quite "my style."
*Sharon, my angel spoke, "Don't touch it, it's *San's first painting!"
Recently I draped a shawl around the painted mountain scene. The woven fabric comes from friends from Kun Ming China where they were born. Subtle colors spoke to me and then blended into the painting to give an increased "depth" of experience, like looking through a translucent window into the heart-soul.
"The Friend is Here," Rumi
Key Word: Angels
Related Posts
* Angels 101, Electric Blue, painting of San (Jan 2011)
Healing Hearts (May 2011)
The Human Angel (Oct 2011)
Resources:
Ask Your Angels by Alma Daniel et al
Doreen Virtue's books and resources, Healing with the Angels and More
Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor
Oil Painting by Dahlis
In Depth, The Yellow Mountains (Huang Shan)
Detail Tai Chi in the Park peeks through
Parade of Horses
Detail of Horse
* Loving and enjoying my daily unsweetened slightly melted dark chocolate rose to new heights recently.
In a quiet moment, a friend expressed the following:
"My relative was dying after some years of physical suffering, strain, and self-searching. The day came when he felt ready to let go. He had completed and edited his books and completed his projects. He felt at peace, his journey well done."
"Friends and relatives gathered in the room. Someone brought in a paper bag and handed it to me. I opened the crinkled paper and spied (wait for it) chocolates! A variety of chocolates greeted me. I pulled out a large bar, unwrapped it, and broke it into bits along the pre-marked creases and handed them around the room. Stillness, love, and peace abounded. "
Silent Smile
"Instead of breaking bread, we had Chocolate Communion, a celebration for all of our sacred life journeys."
My friend continued: "A short bit of time passed. I 'heard' from him! I heard songs streaming into my head! I heard singing!"
I inquired, "Do you always hear music in your head?"
"No! This is new for me!"
Rejoice~
Someone I know wrote in to Facebook celebrating her husband's birthday along with friends and relatives. He is no longer here on Earth....
What a positive loving connection with the great beyond!
* "There is no difference between the visible and the invisible. None."
Just yesterday over lunch another friend told me she and her husband sit down every afternoon to enjoy chocolate and tea.
Every Day is Chocolate Communion~
Related Posts:
Incoming Green (Apr 2014) Sharing Chocolate and Memories
Wake Up! (Aug 2013)
For the Love of Chocolate ( Jan 2012)
* By an Unfaltering Trust ( July 2011)
Resources:
My favorite chocolate is Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate "Easy Break Bar." Every day I enjoy a semi-melted 1/2 oz. piece of Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate, plain or eaten with a variety of foods: Silk Unflavored Unsweetened Almond Milk, various nuts like pecans, almonds, walnuts, or Brazil nuts, and/or Let's Do Organic unsweetened organic shredded coconut. Yes Please and Thank You!
Dr. Joseph Mercola, articles all health topics, Health Benefits of Chocolate, free newsletter, books
Dahlis Roy Visionary Artist Author and Tai Chi Instructor
Photos by Dahlis:
Chocolate Communion
Wake Up!
