Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Eat, Pray, Love....an excerpt
There’s a wonderful old Italian joke about a poor man who goes to church every day and prays before the statue of a great saint, begging, “Dear saint—please, please, please…give me the grace to win the lottery.” This lament goes on for months. Finally the exasperated statue comes to life, looks down at the begging man and says in weary disgust, “My son—please, please, please - buy a ticket.”
Prayer is a relationship; half the job is mine. If I want transformation, but can’t even be bothered to articulate what, exactly, I’m aiming for how will it ever occur? Half the benefit of prayer is in the asking itself, in the offering of a clearly posed and well-considered intention. If you don’t have this, all your pleas and desires are boneless, floppy inert; they swirl at your feet in a cold fog and never lift. So now I take the time every morning to search myself for specificity about what I am truly asking for. I kneel there in the temple with my face on that cold marble for as long as it takes me to formulate an authentic prayer. If I don’t feel sincere then I will stay there on the floor until I do. What worked yesterday doesn’t always work today. Prayers can become stale and drone into the boring and familiar if you let your attention stagnate. In making an effort to stay alert, I am assuming custodial responsibility for the maintenance of my own soul.
Prayer is a relationship; half the job is mine. If I want transformation, but can’t even be bothered to articulate what, exactly, I’m aiming for how will it ever occur? Half the benefit of prayer is in the asking itself, in the offering of a clearly posed and well-considered intention. If you don’t have this, all your pleas and desires are boneless, floppy inert; they swirl at your feet in a cold fog and never lift. So now I take the time every morning to search myself for specificity about what I am truly asking for. I kneel there in the temple with my face on that cold marble for as long as it takes me to formulate an authentic prayer. If I don’t feel sincere then I will stay there on the floor until I do. What worked yesterday doesn’t always work today. Prayers can become stale and drone into the boring and familiar if you let your attention stagnate. In making an effort to stay alert, I am assuming custodial responsibility for the maintenance of my own soul.
Labels: Eat Pray Love, excerpt, Wise Words
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Wise Words about What to Eat
We live in a world of modern nutrition. Today, almost everyone is on one diet or another. People dwell on proteins, carbs, calories, fats, restrictions and lists of good and bad foods. Each day we are hit with a new discovery, proclaiming the health benefits of a certain food or the best way to lose 10 pounds in a week. Diet books are best sellers. News programs feature stories about America's growing health crisis or the new wonder drug.
It wasn't too long ago that humans existed without this media blitz, without expensive medications and without diet gurus telling them what to eat. People simply knew what to eat and how to prepare it. People naturally lived in harmony with the seasons and with their surroundings. They ate what was local and available and what gave them proper nutrients for their lives.
Modern nutrition theories are all missing a huge part of what nutrition is really about: the individual. Most nutrition books tell you what to eat without any reference to age, constitution, gender, size or lifestyle. I take what I like to call a postmodern approach to nutrition by recognizing this bio-individuality. No perfect way of eating works for everybody. The food that works for your unique body, age and lifestyle may make another person gain weight and feel lethargic. Similarly, no perfect way of eating will work for you all the time. You may eat different foods on days when you are working outside than on a relaxing day spent reading. Foods you loved two years ago may not agree with you today.
I invite you to pause for a moment and think about your own needs. Do you know the right fuel for your body today? As the seasons start changing, you can revisit your own routine. Health counselors need to shake it up sometimes too. Have you been partying too much and need to get back to basics? Or maybe you've been too rigid and need to be more experimental. Wherever you are, remember we are each responsible for our own health and happiness. Only you know what works best for your body.
It wasn't too long ago that humans existed without this media blitz, without expensive medications and without diet gurus telling them what to eat. People simply knew what to eat and how to prepare it. People naturally lived in harmony with the seasons and with their surroundings. They ate what was local and available and what gave them proper nutrients for their lives.
Modern nutrition theories are all missing a huge part of what nutrition is really about: the individual. Most nutrition books tell you what to eat without any reference to age, constitution, gender, size or lifestyle. I take what I like to call a postmodern approach to nutrition by recognizing this bio-individuality. No perfect way of eating works for everybody. The food that works for your unique body, age and lifestyle may make another person gain weight and feel lethargic. Similarly, no perfect way of eating will work for you all the time. You may eat different foods on days when you are working outside than on a relaxing day spent reading. Foods you loved two years ago may not agree with you today.
I invite you to pause for a moment and think about your own needs. Do you know the right fuel for your body today? As the seasons start changing, you can revisit your own routine. Health counselors need to shake it up sometimes too. Have you been partying too much and need to get back to basics? Or maybe you've been too rigid and need to be more experimental. Wherever you are, remember we are each responsible for our own health and happiness. Only you know what works best for your body.
Labels: Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Joshua Rosenthal, Wise Words
