This Is The Perfect Time To Panic

There's no way you can live in this world today and not feel a twinge of concern about where it's headed. I look at my children sometimes and wonder what kind of world they will encounter as adults—right now everything seems so out of whack.

While I've never felt the need to tell another how to live, I have felt compelled—at times—to ask the openly apathetic individual who decides that nothing matters anymore, what their goal in life truly is?

Seriously, what do you have to offer that cannot be misconstrued as your taking a huge crap all over every personal freedom that thousands have bravely sacrificed their lives for you to have?

Again, not trying to judge, but my patience level for the uninformed, misguided, and utterly oblivious person who has decided that apathy is "cool" for no other reason than it goes against the grain of what the majority would have you believe, is slim.

Am I the most politically active person in the world? No, by no means, but I'm also not willing to give up on the possibility that this world can be better—particularly when I have two children who will one day try to make their way through it. So, I do what I can and I inform myself as well as I possibly can so that when the possibility for me to make a difference arises, I can do so with intelligence.

As far as what party can effectively lead us back to the promised land, I gave up on that concept a long time ago. I no longer pledge my allegiance to any one party because, quite frankly, they all have an agenda. All I want to see is a man, or woman, come to the table minus an agenda.

I want to see him/her lay their cards on the table and say, "things suck right now, but I'm going to do my best to fix it, and I'm not going to screw you over in the process", and mean it.

Is there a person out there willing to do that? If so, could he or she please stand up, because we can't see you from the cheap seats.

There's Always One Moment

Each morning, around the time I manage to get my bearings together (in other words, about the time I realize it is morning, I do have to get up, and it will be another busy day), I've found myself engaging in one particular ritual: There's about sixty seconds where I decide if I will be a positive or a negative presence on the day.

Now, I know what you're thinking, who chooses to be a "negative" presence? Negativity isn't usually the go-to option of anyone. We all strive to be positive, don't we? Well...not really.

Think about it, in choosing to be positive, you are committing to taking each moment as it comes—with zero preconceived notions.

For example, let's say you agree to meet a friend for lunch, and that particular friend has been known to be a touch over-dramatic—about everything. You might find that you actually begin to "prepare" yourself for your interaction with them before it actually happens.

Through that act of preparation alone, you've already begun setting the tone for your lunch date.

Whereas, if you chose to take things as they came, and remained open to the possibility of good (i.e. perhaps this time they will be different), you would leave room for a less stressful atmosphere because, let's face it, if you go in with negative expectations, that is precisely what is likely to greet you.

Does that mean you won't become annoyed if your friend does indeed live up to their reputation? No, but at least you wouldn't have diminished the chance of having a pleasant lunch simply by attaching your negative energy.

Positivity takes conscious effort. You have to work hard at it, daily, if you expect to make it a habit. And each new day will force you to make a choice as to who you will be in this world.

What will your choice be today? 

How Calorie-Counting Changed My Life

Before January 10, 2011, I considered myself to be a fairly health-conscious individual where food, exercise, and overall well-being was concerned. 

I tried to be smart about food choices (nothing fried, lots of whole grains, and very little sugar), I took my vitamins everyday, and incorporated a bit of exercise, at least, 5-6 days a week. So I felt confident that I was not taking advantage of the temple God gave me.

That said, I also had my weaknesses—cheeseburgers make the very top of that list, with IHOP's double blueberry pancakes sliding in at a close second—and there were many days where it was tough for me to pass up the opportunity to indulge myself in one or the other. However, at this point, I am finding that enough food alternatives exist that I can even keep those cravings at bay.

Quite frankly, there are more and more days where eating meat is something that doesn't happen at all. I don't crave it, don't want it, and don't miss it.

So, when I stumbled across an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, on my disgustingly overloaded DVR, where she challenged her staff to go vegan for one week, it intrigued me. The show offered the perspectives of both a full-on vegan in Kathy Freston, as well as that of a "vegan-ish" writer, the great Michael Pollan—who, coincidentally, changed my life with his book "Food Rules"—and I found that I fall squarely into the "ish" category at this point in my life.

While I still, occasionally, indulge myself in a meat-based product, I typically have found that I am perfectly satisfied eating tofu or a black bean burger instead. My new cereal topper is Almond Milk—which in my opinion tastes much better than soy milk—and those meatless soy crumbles you find in the frozen food section can make for one delicious fajita or taco.

Now, let me explain how all this came to be—quickly, of course, as I detest long-winded bloggery.

1. I was looking to drop about 10 pounds—those last 10 can be a stubborn beast. 


2. The best way for me to ditch those ten appeared to be calorie cutting, which meant I needed to be more conscious of the foods I was eating. 


3. Calorie cutting meant finding more foods that could give me a satisfying bite for less caloric buck. 


4. Enter The Hungry Girl who often does that very thing and, voila, more substitutions in my diet. 

That's the cliffs notes version of a journey that began, roughly, four-weeks ago, and I am down better than ten pounds with a lot more muscle, a great deal more energy, and a more positive outlook on life in general thanks to the incorporation of yoga into my weekly routine.

I won't say that I'll never eat another cheeseburger or chicken sandwich again—that Burger King Whopper is certainly a temptation that will strike me again at some point—because that's not realistic for me. However, I can say that I am a much more food aware person than I was 30 days ago and I like the change this consciousness has brought to my quality of life.

Related articles

• Oprah Vegan Challenge Follow-Up [VIDEO] (eatdrinkbetter.com)
• "Kathy Freston Makes Oprah Vegan? (VIDEO)" and related posts (blogs.babble.com)
• Oprah Takes on Veganism, Harpo Studios Institutes Meatless Mondays (treehugger.com)
• Oprah's Vegan Challenge: Can You Go Animal-Free? (huffingtonpost.com)
• Michael Pollan And Eric Schlosser Dish At USC (huffingtonpost.com)

Valentine's Day: Nominate A Happy Couple....for Stoning? (VIDEO)

Okay, full disclosure, I do not "celebrate" Valentine's Day. I don't expect the flowers, the candy, or even the jewelry. That day is just like any other for me and I don't feel the least bit bad if nothing happens to make if feel more special.

That said, I never judge those who do choose to make it an event worth remembering because, well, why not? However, this video (seen below) did give me quite the laugh—it's complete nonsense, of course—but that doesn't make it any less funny to watch.

So, for all you Valentine's loathers out there, this one's for you:

Related articles

• And once again...it's almost Valentine's Day (greenphonebooth.com)
• The Passive-Aggressive Guide To Getting Your Guy A Valentine's Day Gift (crushable.com)

Why I Stopped Shopping At Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart used to be my one-stop shop for everything—baby items, food, cleaning supplies, toys, prescriptions—but it's been more than a year since I've even graced the store's threshold. And, while I don't judge the millions of others who still make Wal-Mart their first, and most times only, option, I no longer feel comfortable spending my family's money there.

Why? Well, I can tell you the switch began shortly after seeing a documentary on the big box giant. The documentary entitled, "WalMart: The High Cost of Low Price" was released in November of 2005 and detailed some of the more questionable company practices employed by the company.

Some of the points that jumped out at me during that time were,

• First, the low-wages paid by the store contributes to many of their workers enrolling in state assistance programs. In 2002, in the state of Georgia alone, more than 10,000 dependents of Wal-Mart employees were enrolled in the PeachCare for Kids program. Wal-Mart is one of the wealthiest companies in the country, yet they have no problem passing the buck of their labor costs to the taxpayer.

• Second, their desire to keep as many of their employees part-time as possible. They don't want full-time workers on the payroll because then they would be forced to enroll them in the company-offered health plan—something they like to avoid.

• Third, they dislike unions, discourage their creation, and take steps, sometimes illegally, to ensure none form at their store.

The above points were enough for me, in 2005 to decide I would curtail my visits to Wal-Mart, but the birth of my first child made that difficult as watching the budget took precedence over taking a principled stance—particularly when Wal-Mart was still the only real game in town for low-priced, decent quality, goods and services.

That outlook lasted until 2009 when I learned about the infamous "dead peasant" policy:




After learning of this, the deal was sealed for me as far as Wal-Mart was concerned, and I haven't set foot in one of their stores since.

Of course they aren't the only company using shady practices to protect and bolster their bottom line (dead peasant policies are actually quite common—unfortunately), but they make so much money doing so that it makes them an easy target for those who simply don't like the way they do business.

It seems important to add here that, as a consumer, I had issues with them long before 2005, but there were few alternatives to them at the time so I sucked it up.

I found that I was frequently frustrated by standing in long lines at checkout (Wal-Mart was infamous for having only a handful of cashiers working at peak times), returning food items because they were not of good quality (on more than one occasion, I came home with spoiled or expired goods because the shelves weren't frequently checked or stocked), and I was never a fan of their sub-par customer service (I don't know who those people on the commercials are, but I've never met such a character at a real store—at least not where I live).

Overall, I just feel a sense of relief because I know I'm not supporting a company that seems more interesting in taking from the community than giving back to it. This isn't Sam Walton's Wal-Mart anymore, it's just a big store, with a bad agenda, and a whole lot of question marks as to just how much value they actually provide.

For my money, there are better options...even if they won't always come cheap.

Related articles

• Wal-Mart, humbled king of retail, plots rebound (sfgate.com)
• Wal-Mart At-a-Glance (sfgate.com)
• City Council To Address Wal-Mart Concerns Thursday (newyork.cbslocal.com)

What's Your Dream?

Your dreams are your dreams. No one should judge them and tell you that they're too big, too small, too outrageous, or too silly. Your dreams are your dreams and you should do whatever you can to make them happen.

See, the problem with us—I include myself in that equation—is we spend far too much time trying to figure out if our dreams are worth having or even possible. In fact, we spend so much time doing it that we, eventually, feel it's better to let them go rather than pursue them and that's when the excuses set in.

You know the excuses, right? Here's a couple of good ones for you: "they were never going to happen anyway" and "I don't have time to do the things I want anymore because of x, y, or z". Life gets in the way of what we want and time shortens the possibilities for ever seeing them come to fruition.

Well, here's the question: who's in charge of your life and your time?

That's a question you need to answer and, once you do—if you do—then you should come back and revisit why it is your dreams aren't able to find a place in your life.

We all have responsibilities, and we all have things that will, temporarily, knock us off our path, but those things should not become the things that keep us from remembering that we have dreams and that those dreams are worth keeping alive—if for no other reason than to keep us living, loving, and moving forward.

Sometimes You Get In Your Own Way

I'm constantly amazed at how wonderful the world looks through the eyes of a child. Everything they see and hear is a source of wonderment for them, and they never complain about their experience (no matter how big or small it might be)—most just appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the moment.

It's truly a beautiful thing to watch, and it got me to thinking, where has our childlike wonder gone?

We have evolved into a nation of people who are either distracted by the enormity of our responsibilities, or absent altogether. None of us are willing to take a moment to see what this life has to offer because we remain blinded by the negativity of its occupants.

In short, we're paying attention to the wrong things and we're too out of touch to realize it.

The children of this world, even the so-called "broken" ones, provide the perspective that we all need to be seeing this life through. Their lens offers the clearest, most consistent, and most positive path to what we all hope is our ultimate destination—happiness and peace.

Of course some might say the ability to revert to such a pure way of thought was lost long ago. "We simply know too much" now to make a change.

How does one forget the pain, the sacrifice, and the knowledge he/she has gained—that same knowledge that led us to the way we feel/think today—jaded and skeptical that this life has anything good to offer? How can we erase these thoughts when they play such an intrinsic part in who we are?

To that I only say you're thinking too hard.

To approach each day like a child, you would cease to dwell on the infinite impossibilities presented by this life, but rather, instead, be awakened and energized by the endless possibilities that your presence within it presents.

You must remember that you are a bright beacon of light, no matter how hard the world might try to dim you. It's up to you to take what this world has to offer and make the best of it.

You are your only true roadblock to progression and sometimes you have to have the strength to get out of your own way.