Water can save a life.

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It took me a few days to catch up on the world this week. I have felt that life has sent me a wave, and I have not done such a good job of riding it. Actually, I’ve belly-flopped a bit.

So when I finally caught up on my emails, and found a good friend had sent me a link to this poignant video, it was just what I needed to kick me in the ass, raise my head above water, and think about Nkaitole’s bucket list. You will have to watch to see what I mean. It will make you appreciate all that you have, it will make you cry for all those little precious ones that might not make it past their fifth birthday, and how access to water can change their world. Please watch.

I hope you did not skip ahead, and you took the time to go on an adventure and hear about Nkaitole’s bucket list. A foot in the ocean, a bubble bath, a hot air balloon ride.

More details about Water is Life.

More details about the lifesaving straw.

What kind of coffee would you be?

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Me? I am all black coffee. Unless of course we are on a road trip and the only coffee around is nasty gas station coffee, and if all I want, yes, all I want at that very moment is nasty gas station coffee, then I will take that watered down dirty coffee and add as much sugar and fake cream to disguise the bitter taste any day. Usually I just decline the bad coffee and go for a water.

Bad coffee aside. If we talk good coffee, local coffee, then it better be black. I want to taste it for all its richness, all its realness, I want to taste that coffee.

If I were coffee, I would be black, raw to the core of the bean, just me. No cream or sugar to coat the edges of that strong hit of goodness, just true to itself, real, and direct. Yes, there might be times when I add a little sugar to things, to smooth things out, but if you want the real me, go get that cup of joe… black as can be. It might come out bitter, it might come out strong, but it is me. I wasn’t always that way. I used to add lots of cream and lots of sugar, more of the latte variety, and over time I have migrated to the no additive version. Of course, I am still finicky, it has to be good coffee for me to drink it black.

If you were a cup of coffee, would you be a latte, a cappuccino, a mocha? Would you add mostly cream, or mostly sugar?

I do it all for me.

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There are not many things in life that we get to do all for ourselves. There is one thing I do each day for me. It is my zen at the end of the day. It is my moment to breathe and process what happened each day. It is just for me. It is my daily run. Multiple times in the past few months I have had individuals ask me why I work out. Do I do it for myself? To lose weight? For Chris?

I run all for me. I work out to take care of me, to stay healthy and fit. I do it because it is the one hour of my day that is entirely for me. I can make the choice to just listen to music, or to read (yes I read while I run on the treadmill), or to zone out and meditate. It is my time. At the end of the day it does not matter how much I weigh, or the tone of my body, it matters how I feel about myself. Am I confident about who I am and how I treat others? Yes. That is what matters, not the curves or the sag of what the years have done to my body.

I am a health nut. My parents passed on when they were in their 50’s. I never once remember seeing my parents workout. Of course, my dad being a contractor had plenty of physical activity, but I never saw them consciously focus on what they ate, or specifically thinking about physical fitness. I want to be different. I want to be active. I want to think about what I put into my body. Is it good fuel, or crappy sugar that does nothing to give me energy throughout my day?

What do you do all for you? I hope there is something.

Everyone wants to be loved

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Over the past few weeks I keep thinking about how we all just want to be loved. I see it in interactions with friends, coworkers, family, and strangers. Sometimes I think you can see it in their eyes, the craving, the desire, the want. We each in our own way crave connection, want to feel needed, included, heard, and seen.

What if you responded to the person that annoys you the most in your day with love? Truly. I mean it. What if you decided to listen to and focus on them? You might find that their attitude actually shifts and you find that you like them more than you thought. It is definitely possible that they will continue to bug you, but maybe, just maybe, things will change.

I can think of a few individuals that I know that annoy a few other individuals that I also know. When I look at the “annoyer” I often see a strong desire to feel included. They only want to be part of the gang, listened to, and accepted. It feels like they try too hard, and it rubs others the wrong way. It makes me wonder if I ever exhibit those same tendencies when I do not feel part of a group.

I have been trying to watch my thoughts when someone bugs me. I stop for a second and ask myself if their actions have more to do with something I do not like, or if really they are acting out of a strong desire to feel included. Just because someone wants to feel included does not always mean we have to give them exactly what they want, but we can be more empathetic to them.

Are you listening and sharing the love?

Fresh grown tomatoes

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I have just grown my first tomatoes. 

I know I am light years behind most folks, especially Barbara Kingsolver, who wrote “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” but you see I never really liked tomatoes too much. Yes, I like some ketchup for my fries, I enjoy a tasty red sauce, and of course there is whatever tops my pizza, but raw tomatoes were never my thing. Until recently. I cannot remember what the turning point was this summer, but I started eating cherry tomatoes with mozzarella, basil, and olive oil. Yes, I know it is called caprese salad. But, you see, I always had caprese sans tomatoes, and now I have the complete shabang. Maybe I’m a late bloomer.

In June of this summer I purchased a tomato starter at our local farmer’s market. I was excited for all the bounty it would bring us this summer. It is called “Oregon Spring” and was developed by Oregon State University. My $3 starter has yielded 3 tomatoes. As a late bloomer to tomatoes, and as a non-green thumb, I am stoked. Although I have to confess, Chris has watered them every day, so really he should be the proud farmer.

As you can see from the first photo, the first tomato is ready, and we cut into it last night. While some of you may say it is a sin to put it into a caprese salad, remember that I am a late bloomer. Baby steps. I still have to learn what varieties are good to grow for what types of eating, just like what types of wine are best to drink with which foods. Ah, there is so much to learn in the world, right?

I am off to gloat about my bounty, however small it may be.