Soul Runnings

I am thrilled to say I have lost another pound!  That makes a total loss of 14 pounds since I began intermittent fasting about 10 weeks ago! I have done a bit more research, and it all points to fasting as a tool for weight loss, better health and longevity!  The process of autophagy, in particular interests me. This is  the  process in which "the body begins to clean out the old, unwanted, and unneeded cellular material, as well as fixing and recycling damaged parts."  https://medium.com/zero-fasting/fast-your-way-to-autophagy-a8eb08c0dc7a It is also the desired state in intermittent fasting when your body is burning stored fat.   "While autophagy is very difficult to measure outside of a lab environment, many experts agree that the autophagy process initiates in humans after 18-20 hours of fasting, with maximal benefits occurring once the 48–72 hour mark has been reached."   https://medium.com/zero-fasting/fast-your-way-to-autophag...

Ah, Balance! It is like surfing the wave of the present moment. I know when I am balanced.  I am present in the moment.  Not worried about the future. Not regretting the past. I smile easily.  My pulse is slow and even. The breath is easy and natural. And I check out many books and DVD's from the library! Decreased stress is a great mood balancer! I am greatly relieved after today's day at the courthouse with my son.  They have set his sentencing date.  It is roughly two weeks after the due date of his baby boy.  This should be enough time for him to be present at the birth and spend time with him before he goes off to "further his education" as his mother-in-law puts it. We met with his DISP program administrator today.  Everyone we have been working with so far has been wonderful.  She is especially positive. If you are not familiar with DISP, here you go: "DISP is a post conviction, voluntary treatment court for repeat DUII offende...

I think I am in hibernation mode. I am needing a lot of time alone. To think. To breathe. To get in touch with my authentic self. It's working. I'm starting to feel more balanced. I woke up this morning feeling more hopeful.  I did a little happy dance when I realized what the significance of today is. Today being Saturday, August 31, 2019. As of today I have been adhering to an intermittent fasting diet for 2 whole months! I have lost and kept off 12 pounds.  More importantly I have gained control over  my eating! I plan on continuing. I am inserting some OMAD eating plans in my regimen. In case you hadn't heard, "OMAD" stands for one meal a day.  The logic is you get all of your calories for the day, (eating a bit less if  you want to lose) in a 2 hour period.  It amounts to one large meal and a bit of a snack. It works well for me on the days I dine out with family or friends.  You can pretty much eat what you want during that eating ...

Let me first apologize for having been absent for so long! I have missed blogging. I have missed knowing you, dear reader are on the other side of the screen reading my words. Blogging is therapeutic for me.  As much as playing music. Life has been a bit overwhelming. I felt lately as if I were treading water. And then going under. I am not a good swimmer. I actually fear deep water. Almost as much as I fear heights. It is very hot today.  It was 92 degrees at 1:00 this afternoon. I noticed the temperature as I stood at the bus stop in downtown Vancouver, iced blueberry tea in hand. There was a breeze, but it brought no relief. It was hot and dry. Many irritable people surround me. Including myself.  I have been quite irritable and anxious lately.  I recognize that I have lost some of my inner peace. And have not been in touch with my joy. Much of it was related to not knowing what would happen to my son.   But the verdict is in. He will be serving...

I need a vacation from life. Everything feels so dang serious and too intense. I want to take a long walk in the wilderness. Or sit by the ocean. But that's not going to happen in the near future. Even the thought of escaping my responsibilities leaves me short of breath. I have a granddaughter to watch, piano students to teach, a church to provide music for, a mother to visit with, a son to advise and a new grandson on the way.  Plus all the myriad chores of daily life. But I do feel the need for a break from the news, the noise from the internet and inside my head. Basically I need a break from reality. I am not much for television. I put it on at night to catch up with the news. Or put in a documentary to enrich my mind. On rare occasion I binge watch a series - especially British shows. Or even rarer yet, a movie. But I often read while the television is on. What I really need is a good novel. I haven't picked up a good novel since I finished  The Walk  se...

I am so excited! I had my first real conversation in Spanish. And it was totally spontaneous! I was walking across the street from our apartment complex, when I spied an elderly man with a cane walking on the path to the park.  At first glance, he looked like the mariachi trumpet player that I often run into at the bus stop. But when I got closer, I realized it was not him.   I nodded and smiled when he glanced my way.  "Hello", he said in a thick Spanish accent. I ran with it!   "¡Hola! ¿Como estas?" I said excitedly.     "¡Hola! Estoy bien" he said, with a big grin. " ¿Y tu?"   " ¡Muy bien!" says I. I smiled back and waved. " ¡Adios!"     " ¡Adios!" said my new friend, waving. I practically skipped to the bus stop. I had a real conversation with a kind stranger! In Spanish,  no less! On that note, I am going to skip off to teach piano. ¡Feliz jueves! (Happy Thursday)       ¡H ablamo...

¡Hola!  I just discovered how to type a tilde on my cellphone!  ñ 😎 And I discovered how to use an online Spanish keyboard. That's how I was able to type  ¡Hola!  I am having fun studying Spanish. I enrolled in a free course on Coursera. If you are not familiar with Coursera, you should check it out. Especially if you are an education nerd like me. I never get tired of studying! https://www.coursera.org/   My beginning Spanish class is through University Of California, Davis.  The teacher encourages us to join an online language exchange to practice our skills.  I signed up with My Language Exchange https://www.mylanguageexchange.com/ . It's free. And I already have a new friend in Lima, Peru! ¡Estoy muy emocionado!   As usual, I don't have long to blog. I have students at 5:00 p.m.   But I wanted to also mention that I purposely gave myself a cheat day from my intermittent fasting lifestyle yesterday. And I lived to blog...