Food is Pleasure

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Food is Pleasure In my ongoing quest to find and share peace and happiness in everyday life, I’m going to look at food. Food can be a great source of pleasure. Before I go any further I want to stipulate that I’m talking about nourishing, quality food and the action of preparing and enjoying it. I’m not talking about eating a half gallon of Rocky Road or going berserk at an all you can eat buffet… just wanted to be clear on that. Some cook and eat for pleasure while some eat purely out of necessity. Finding pleasure in food comes in a few different forms. The first being in the plants and nurturing of crops to be harvested and eaten. This is such a fulfilling experience because the daily small act of minor feeding and watering will produce huge abundance of crops in many different regions. When one takes Read More

The Slight Edge

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The Slight Edge Years ago, a friend handed me the book “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson and introduced me to the world of “personal development.” Personal development is simply the idea, the action of, and the commitment to, learning and growing in order to make ourselves better human beings. Personal development, for me, carries a connotation of self-study or self-direction as opposed to formal education. But there are plenty of formal and organized groups and classes out there that fall under the umbrella of “personal development.” Now back to “The Slight Edge.” Olson’s central thesis is simple, there is a slight edge in life that we can either use, work and cultivate to our advantage or to our disadvantage. The reason he uses the term “slight edge” is that the difference between the two is so subtle that most people don’t even realize they’re tilting towards disadvantage (until it’s Read More

Music and Mood

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Music and Mood In keeping with the theme of this site, here’s one of my “tricks” to fast happiness. Now, what I mean by this is not lifelong happiness achieved rapidly… here I’m talking about a technique I use to boost my mood quickly. I’ve been a music lover since I was in grade school. I was forced, very much against my will, to watch the movie “Amadeus.” At the time, I had no idea it was a multiple Academy Award winning film. All I knew is that I wanted to watch a movie, and at eleven years old a period piece set in the 1700s wasn’t what I had in mind. I had no idea what I was in for. Begrudgingly I laid on the floor expecting to be bored out of my mind for two hours, what happened next was literally life-changing. When the caretakers burst through the Read More

Keeping the Peace in these Tough Political Times

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The 2016 election was very tough for a lot of us, on all sides. And for many it still is, again – on all sides. The country seems to already have been getting more and more polarized in the last 4 presidential election cycles prior to 2016, but 2016 really seems to stand out. One thing I started seeing on social media were posts saying something to the effect of “If you voted for XXXXX, unfriend, unfollow or block me now!” or something similar to that. Basically people letting their friends and family know that if they differed in their voting actions, then they wanted nothing to do with them. That’s pretty extreme and ultimately not how life works. I found the entire process, the primaries, the election and the aftermath, pretty hard to take and I fell into that mindset of “I want nothing to do with the other Read More

Garden, Lawn, Landscape & Arbor Therapy

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In my last post, I talked about my passion for hiking and some of the peace it brings me. But not everyone has access to the kind of trails I can get to, and to be honest, sometimes it’s a hobby that wears me out. Driving several hours, hiking several hours and driving home several hours is a full day. By the time I’m home, I’m wiped out. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but sometimes something close to home and a little less physical is the best way to find a little serenity. I’ve been into gardening since my high school days. It started when I first began working in kitchens when I was old enough to work. Right away I took to cooking and learning about spices, herbs, seasoning, etc. And when you start in a kitchen, you do the prep work – which often includes cleaning, Read More

A Love Affair with Hiking

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I can remember the first time that I went hiking as a child. I think Multnomah Falls was the first place. I went with my mom and dad and my sister Megan. We got into our 1990 Subaru station wagon and took the hour long drive up the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. We got on I-205 heading East. We kept going past Gresham and then onto Troutdale and eventually ended up at the amazing view. I remember being in awe of how big the mountains around us were. They were mammoth and splendid. As we parked on the cool spring day we prepared our gear. We had a small NorthFace backpack and our shiny red aluminum Sigg water bottle… we were off. We walked across the parking lot and down the ramp that took us under the freeway. We walked past a creek and if this would have been the Read More

Things You Can Do To Show Appreciation To Your Parents 

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Every parent only wants the best for their child. Most of the times, they even compromise their own comfort just to they can give their children the best life possible. They work unbelievably hard to provide top-notch lifestyle to their kids. While this is not debatable, as all parents love their child unconditionally, how do children pay their parents back? How should children show their appreciation for all the sacrifices their parents have done for them? In other words, how do we express love to our parents so they can be proud of us? Here are some ways. 1. Say it. Your parents brought you into this world and are continuously shaping you as a person. Whenever you feel like telling them how much appreciation you feel, say it. Tell them you love them. Tell them you care about them. Tell them about your dreams for them. Tell them how important Read More

Tips For Road Tripping With A Toddler 

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Traveling is an invigorating experience. It’s a way to give ourselves a break from our busy, mundane lives. It’s a way to refresh ourselves, reset our thoughts, and basically relax our mind and body. When you got kids, however, this might not all be possible. You want to relax when suddenly your toddler come shouting and then smashes your face with a plastic toy. You want to enjoy the scenery then you smell something familiar, more like poop and it surely is poop. While traveling with a toddler can take the best out of a parent’s sanity, we can still make the best travel experience by remembering these tips: 1. Keep your toddler fed. Nobody wants a cranky kid in the backseat when you are driving for hours. The best way to avoid that is to make sure your toddler is full. Feed him prior to going on your road trip, Read More

Summer Activities Your Kids Will Enjoy 

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Summer’s here! It’s that time of the year when the kids are out of school and the temperature is just right for an outdoor rush. It’s that time when your kids can explore various hobbies that may interest them, let them meet new friends, and overall have a memorable experience. As parents, you only want what makes your child happy, right? Here are some activities for the summer that your kids will surely enjoy. 1. Swimming What a way to spend a hot summer afternoon than to go swimming on a water park? Playing with water is a good summer idea for both kids and adults. It’s invigorating, enjoyable, and definitely a fun way to bond with your kids. A family day at the pool is something that kids will surely love. You might also consider enrolling your kids to swimming school. This will build their confidence in swimming, and it’s Read More