Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Age Old Battle

Two Wolves



One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a

battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son,

The battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.



One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret,

greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment

Inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.



The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope,

serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,

empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute

and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"



The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Monday, April 4, 2011

A Perfect Moment







  I was having one of 'those' days. You know...the kind of day where, by no fault of your own, it feels like there must be some malicious force at work that gets it's kicks at causing you grief.
 
  My divorce lawyer had informed me that things we going to take longer, as my ex was not agreeable to my terms, and in fact thinks himself entitled to more money. Sigh! I had gotten my paycheck a few days prior, and it was far less than normal due to the short month of February, meaning I was in for  some penny pinching days ahead. My stomach was aching, I was exhausted from working strange hours, and even the weather...nice the day before, now matched my dark and stormy mood.
 
  I had checked my account online as I had deposited via ATM, and was a bit wary of this. I needed to get gas desperately, so I was glad to see everything had gone smoothly with my deposit. I asked for $20 in gas and went inside to pay, picking up a soda for my evening shift. When I went to pay....the teller told me that my bank card was coming up saying there was an issue, and I was to call the bank. This had actually happened twice before (the bank clerk had made a mistake...x2!) so I was totally appalled to be in this situation yet again..not to mention mortified by the humiliation of having this happen to me in front of the now long line of customers.  
 
 As I was standing there dealing with this, a lovely lady offered to pay the gas, but I declined her offer, as I was still on hold and was sure they would fix their error promptly. But she smiled at me, paid the man with cash for my gas, and gave me her business card. I thanked her profusely as she left. The banks themselves were closed, so I only reached their after hours person who could do nothing as the account had been held due to an issue with the ATM machine.  Whomever had done this had forgotten to remove the hold, and couldn't fix it until the morning
 
  I was now severely late for work, panicking over the new girl being there alone, and totally bewildered by what had just taken place.  But mostly I felt overwhelming gratitude for the kindness of a stranger. I was profoundly moved by her gesture of good will!  The one small act of sheer thoughtfulness caused me to look at my day differently... The unpleasant event wasn't so bad at all anymore, when it ended with such a wonderful gesture.
 
  The next day, the bank fixed their mistake, apologizing profusely. I sent the money along with a nice thank-you note to Bernice, filled with all my warmest thoughts and gratitude. I hadn't thought a whole lot on the incident since, as life has it's way of bustling you forward at alarming speed sometimes.
 
Until today
 
  In my mailbox, was an envelope and I recognized Bernice's name on the return address. I was concerned..."Did I not send the proper amount back?" But, when I tore into the envelope I found a beautiful card.
 
ONE SEED CAN START A GARDEN.
ONE SMILE CAN LIFT A SPIRIT.
ONE CANDLE CAN LIGHT A ROOM.
ONE CONVERSATION CAN START A FRIENDSHIP.
ONE PERSON CAN
 MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE-
 
THAT ONE IS YOU.
 
 
 
That's what the card read. Along with a note in the neatest of handwriting.
 
  It seems silly to send a thank-you for a thank-you but I really felt I wanted to! I wanted you to know you made my day and at the risk of sounding very cliche, restored my faith in people!
  It was my pleasure to help out and I would hope someone would do the same for my daughter if she was in your spot. And we've all been in that spot at sometime.
The most amazing thing to me, about this whole episode, is the integrity that you demonstrated. To take the time to write a note and to follow through as you did, really demonstrates your character, and you should be proud!
 
Bernice
 
 
 
Life doesn't get more much more lovely than that!

xoxo

Sara




Monday, March 14, 2011

Smooth, Soft, and Supple: Sara Style

For years I have had dry, dry skin.
 And dry skin causes you too look older, sooner....and this my friends, would not do. I was also prone to breakouts in my T-zone area, which is gross. I have tried a ton of products, ranging from expensive to mayonaise...nothing seemed to work at all. I was tired of spending my hard earned dollars, and all the waste I was putting into our environment with tubes, and jars of stuff that didn't work and had to quit using. I went in search of the most natural way possible for me.  After much trial and error, and research on the topic, I have FINALLY found what works for me, and wanted to share.

It was wierd at first, as washing with a bar soap has always been reported as the worst of sins...but my new secret weapon is just that...

DOVE BEAUTY BAR (sensitive skin-fragrance free)






Costs like 2 bucks...and works wonders!! Even removing eye make-up like a charm. Love, love!!

Next I slather on Derma e Vitamin E cream...I swoon over this rich, silky cream! So in love with it...and at your local Walmart for just $9.99!


To my wonder cream I have added a lil known ingredient...Seabuckthorn Oil. PURE MAGIC!!

Link to read more  about this amazing, wonderful healing product. Our local healthfood store had only the pure Fruit Oil, which tends to stain, and isn't as recommeneded for topical us as the seed oil, so I added about 12 drops to my Vitamin E cream, and it blows me away!! It is the most expensive item in my regime at about $24.00, on sale...but it seriously will last me about a year or more, and was worth every penny!! And I plan on planting some in my garden this spring, as it can stand harsh climates such as ours!! How awesome!

For morning cleanses that won't strip my face of it's essential oils, and get rid of grim from sleep, I have been using, and loving on Thayers Rosewater and Witch hazel Toner

Alcohol Free, Natural and smells so sweet!! It was around $15.00 at local health store, but again...will last quite awhile, so worth it. And because of my dry skin, I am only using it for am, but if your skin is a bit on the oily side, then you may use more often, say after the Dove Beauty bar.

1-2 times a week I do exfoliate with with either the St.Ives Apricot or Microdermabrasion scrubs. This helps get rid of the dead skin cells hanging around, and brightens up your skin. Both are available at your local Supermarket, for around $4-$6 I believe.





So there you have it....give it a try if you find that you have dry skin too.

Hope it works for you as well as it has for me!

xoxo

Sara



Saturday, March 12, 2011

Out of Hibernation

I have been MIA...intentionally. I just needed a break from blogging....and in Manitoba...January/February is time to hibernate, which I take full advantage of. Been busy working some strange hours, making our new house a home, going to the dentist ( i got a filling for the first time...YIKES!!) as well as other med appts (winter and a fresh new year seem the best time for me to take care of those types of things) and just plain surviving the winter.

\
Got a record player from my pal Jennybean, and have been listening to some great tunes,

Made some YUMMY borscht for the first time ever
We followed this recipe a bit...Borscht Recipe but tweaked it to our own tastes...
Growing up near a lot of people with Ukranine ancestory refined my borscht tastes..

Back in January, I was invited to a potluck where a bunch of great musicians jammed

I went out with friends

Recovered my chairs
And hung out with my sweet lil goddaughter


And coloring my hair red on a whim....

 Also did some painting, Scherenschnitte(which is so fun to say AND do) photography, saw HEART in concert (bucket list item checked off!!) and other stuff n' things.
I have officially quit drinking coffee....for a week now...due to my stomach, and it sucks about as much as I thought it would. But alas, it is necessary. I am drinking this stuff called Krakus...a coffee subsitute and tea as replacements...albeit it's just not the same. I have also been taking half a Caltrate with meals and probiotics as well, and so far so good!!! EEExcited to feel better!


As for the upcoming spring months which I am looking forward to not only the weather smartening up, but also....

  • Riding my bike like a woman obssessed
  • Emailing David Suzuki to help me with my environmental idea
  • Puddle jumping in my splash boots
  • Putting together a team for the Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life
  • Having my Wellness Proposal ok'd at work, and working on that
  • Having my own communal garden and becoming a green thumb
  • Getting my website up and running
  • Planning a SISTERS ONLY weekend for my sisters and I, in April
And now that I am back here, I will document and blog about these many adventures of course!!

What have you been busy at?

What are your plans for spring??

I would love to hear from you and gather great ideas!!! Comment away please!!

xoxxo

Sara

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Vulnerability

I watched this last week and I was blown away...funny, moving and inspirational. I've been working on it...


Tuesday, January 25, 2011

My M.O

Why hello again world.

I love you.



I have been busy pathing down a steady stride forward leading into 2011. Chucking non - essesntials, getting down to basics. Imma be startin' it fresh.

Got my yearly physical.

 Get this...while I try to take this in stride...I mean...monitoring your health is important and a neccesity. So ya gotta do it...it's just darn right sketchy right? So...while I try to concentrate on my breathing, and picture a soft sandy beach until it's over, I hear some strange tinny version of a pop song. And much to my chargrin...it's his cellphone!!
I'm thinking..."no way he'll answer it given the situation" all the while watching him flip it open, mouth at me, "Sorry...important!" And proceeds to leave me there, legs wide apart and thinking...."SERIOUSLY!? @%&** This can't actually be happening to me!" This is some scene from a comedy sitcom or something!?"





Then he gave me the flu shot and I left so bewildred.



Cleaned the house top to bottom, and decorated. Got our stink and germs all over the place. I also did a home cleansing ritual to clear the way for our new life here! I hope to make it a stable, comforting place full of creativity and grace. I got rid of all kinds of excess paper from my paper hoard. But not nearly enough of it I'm sure. I have plans for all my lil notes n' such you see...




Got a 30 cent check in the mail.....instead of one I'd been waiting on. Followed by said check. Followed promptly by a 24 cent check. I will never understand why the government chooses to do things ass backwards all the time.

Seeing the dentist next week, all squeaky and clean....just getting things streamlined and clutter free...which is how I plan to run this Sara show.
Planning and hibernating...



Found this gem recently, on one of my internet journeys at Unicorns for Socialism

Which I feel was an omen...since that same day I saw this.... on my computer screen...






Sara's 2011 Manifesto


Sensory Surroundings, Sights & Sounds:

POWER COLOR: Ruby Red
TEXTILE: Satin
FLAVOR: Sumatra
ANTHEM: All Fired Up




FANTASY, MYSTERY, MAGIC & MIRRORING:

PRETEND BEST FRIEND FOREVERr: Ellen Dejeneres
FANTASY MENTOR: Bob Marley
TOTEM ANIMAL: Wolf
SPIRIT GUIDE:Native Medicine Man (sometime I will blog about the time I saw him)

EMOTIONS & ELECTRICAL IMPULSES:

GENTLY SPOONING: Purpose
MAKING FRIENDS WITH: Doubt
CEREMONIOUSLY BURNING: Emotional Reaction
INVITING OVER FOR TEA: Entrepreneurs

OH, AND...

NON-GUILTY PLEASURE(s): Hidden beauty, Lindor chocolate, solitude, age, non-conformity, minimalism, bath bombs, and shiraz




What is your M.O?