Flush Out Allergens with Saline Solution

The pollen in New York seems to be getting worse every day. I normally don't have allergy symptoms but this year is an exception. With all the green covering the cars and so much rain, it's easy to see why so many people are suffering. I've been drinking extra water and using a saline solution nasal spray several times a day when I have symptoms. Water helps to flush out the irritants. The saline solution helps to keep the nasal passages moist, flushes the allergens from the nose and thins out mucus. It may not always get rid of all the symptoms but it sure helps.

Loving Warm Weather Fruits and Vegetables

I really love the colors and tastes of warm weather fruits and vegetables. It’s like eating a rainbow of wonderful, bright, juicy colors. I especially love strawberries and other berries at this time of year. I love the taste of corn on the barbeque. Everything seems to taste better when the weather is great.

Daily Affirmations

I love affirmations. I keep an entire list of different motivating affirmations in my organizer. Each morning I choose the ones I want to use that day. If I have a particular project I am working on, I often come up with a new affirmation for just that purpose. Throughout the day I either think about them or say them out loud. This keeps the motivation going and reminds me to stay on track. Affirmations are a simple way to keep your attitude positive and keep you moving in the right direction.

Cure for Aching Neck

Unfortunately, I was in a car accident years ago. I was stopped at a light, and a young kid slammed into the back of my van. I wound up with five herniated discs among other things. My neck hurt so much I could barely move it, and I had trouble concentrating. My daughter saw a FOM travel pillow while shopping in the mall. She bought it for me, and I started using it while sleeping every night. It is a small, u-shaped pillow. Wow, what a difference. The pillow supports my neck throughout the night. Now I wake up pain free every morning. Plus it is absolutely soft, comfortable and squishy like a stuffed animal.

Too Many Diet Choices

I was online this morning as I normally am and was once again amazed at all of the diets being advertised. They were everywhere on the page, all types of diets, all promising the same result. One of the problems with so many different diets, all promising to be the greatest one, is that it makes us question our choices.

Instead of choosing a diet and sticking to it for two weeks to a month to see if it is the right one for us, we start to question our choice. The multitude of advertisements makes us believe that a different diet might be better for us. So we go off of the initial diet and then try another and another.

The result is that we may lose little or no weight at all and then feel even worse about ourselves. Instead we should honor our first choice and give it some time. Concentrate on the plan you have chosen and then stop looking at other plans until you have given your choice a fair chance. There are lots of different plans that work great if we just let them. So let's give them a fair chance without casting them aside at the first sign of "something better".

It's Strawberry Season!

Strawberry season is here! I just had the most fantastic strawberries -- so bright, sweet and juicy. They are one of my favorite fruits especially since they are so versatile. They are great alone as well as in salads, cereals and so many recipes.

An entire cup of strawberries is only about 50 calories. Plus they are a wonderful source of dietary fiber, vitamin C and potassium. Choose bright red strawberries since they do not continue to ripen once picked. To maintain freshness, wash right before eating.

I really envy people who know how to make preserves. I think I just may give it a try this year.

5 Years as a Vegetarian

This week is a great anniversary week for me. It has been five years since I became a vegetarian. I was never really that fond of meat but was brought up eating it, and I also cooked it for my family. But 5 years ago the thought of eating a dead animal became too nauseating for me. I am so glad I made the change. The health benefits have been terrific. My diet is better than ever before. I have tried many new foods and recipes. I enjoy what I eat now more than ever before. I also feel better than ever.

Meditation and the Sounds of Spring

I pulled up onto my driveway after working all day and running some errands. It was a gorgeous day outside. It was in the low 70’s, sunny with a light breeze. It was just my kind of day.

Normally, I immediately go into the house to start dinner, the laundry and any other chores I think I can multi-task at the time.

This time I decided to sit in the car and meditate. I rolled down the windows, closed my eyes and thought peaceful, weightless thoughts.

As I meditated I felt the spring breeze floating through the car and heard the soft rustle of the leaves on the trees. The birds were chirping merrily. The chimes on the porch swayed a gentle tune.

I stayed in the car for over half an hour, just listening to the sounds of springs while I meditated. It was such a gentle, comforting way to end the workday. I felt rejuvenated and refreshed.

Mother Nature and the sounds of spring sure have a way of brightening my spirit and making me appreciate the priceless blessings in life.

Spring Allergies

I recently developed allergies. I never had them as a kid, but somehow they caught up to me as an adult. At times I get severe headaches and find it hard to work and concentrate. I prefer not to take any medications. Although I meditate, I never really thought about meditating and visualizing these headaches away. Yesterday, I decided to do some deep breathing and visualize the headaches fading away. The result was a headache free afternoon plus I felt rejuvenated with an extra session of meditation added to my day.

Spring is in the Air

I love spring. It is my favorite time of year—a time of rebirth and hopeful thoughts for the future. The sun is out; the grass is turning green and the flowers blooming. Everything seems new again.

I know for many people that New Year’s is the time for making resolutions and pondering changes. Not for me. Springtime seems to be the start of my year. I love planning projects and vacations. I love trying new foods and recipes. I love making a list of all of the things I want to try and then seeing how many I can accomplish.

And most of all I look forward to renewing my mind, body and spirit.

A Quick Cure for Motion SIckness

I’m a big baby. I admit it. I really don’t travel well. Whenever we go on a family vacation, a long ride, pretty much anywhere at all, I’m always the one to get motion sickness. If I’m the one driving, I’m fine. I’m usually okay when my husband drives, but absolutely no one else.

We went into New York City one day. One of the things we decided to do as a family was take the Circle Line cruise around Manhattan. It wasn’t long before I was violently ill. I was completely sick to my stomach and could barely turn my head because I was so dizzy. The motion of the boat was like a slow, torturous death to me.

The awful truth of it was – we hadn’t even left the dock yet! The boat was swaying and knocking into the dock; and I was leaning overboard turning green. That’s when my kids asked me if I had taken my ginger – the ginger I normally carry with me. So I admit it; sometimes I’m not too bright. The ginger was still in my purse.

Fortunately, ginger works quickly for me. Within 45 minutes, I was feeling back to my old self. Of course, I did have to listen to my husband and kids make fun of me. But I figure I deserved it.

Apparently it isn’t enough to just carry those ginger capsules with me; I actually need to swallow them! That’s the last time I forgot. Ginger capsules and I have a great relationship now; we always travel together.

Live Like You Were Dying

I listened to Tim McGraw's song Live Like You Were Dying over and over again this morning. I really love this song and its meaning.

I have a really big organizer that I carry with me everywhere I go. In it, among other things, is a list of things that I want to try for the first time. I think it's time to update that list and come up with some other great ideas.

This week would be the perfect time to Live Like I Was Dying, try doing something I've always wanted to try, and really enjoy life to the fullest. Now all I have to do is choose which one to try!

The Music in My Heart

I must admit I live in fear; a daily overwhelming fear that is what propels me forward. My fear is simple really. I don’t want to die before I achieve my heart’s desires. It is the fear that I will leave this world never having accomplished my life’s purpose.

Now some fears can be horrible and debilitating. On the other hand, some fears can be great. That’s what my fear is – absolutely, truly, wonderfully great. Whenever I am hesitant about trying something new that I really want to try, I listen to the music in my heart. Whenever I wonder if I can accomplish something, be good at something or make a difference, I listen to that music.

I know I always have a choice. I can live my life choosing to follow my own path or I can choose not to. The fear that I will come to the end of my life never having listened to the sounds in my heart is a blessing. I don’t want to compromise. Each day I want to live according to my values and morals, cherish my family and friends, acknowledge my blessings, and be the best I can be. Each day I choose to do something special just for me even if it is just some extra quiet time.

When I reach the end of this life, I don’t want to think ‘what if’. Instead I want to think back and reflect on what a magnificent symphony my life has been.

Stormy Nights and Fog Horns

Wow, the rain was unbelievable here last night. By the time I went to sleep, the rain was coming down so hard that the windows shook. It made me think about another storm that happened years ago.

I was really tired and decided to do a different meditation before going to bed. I spent fifteen minutes visualizing myself on a boat off of Montauk Point. Fortunately, I’m able to form pictures in my mind with great detail. I felt the gentle swaying of the boat, saw the beautiful blue water, smelled the salty air and felt the smooth wood railing. I pictured a blue lighthouse, with windows overlooking the water surrounded by sand and shells. Occasionally the sound of a fog horn could be heard in the distance.

Well I certainly slept well that night. Throughout the night I heard the fog horn over and over again. I thought it was just my imagination recalling the details of the meditation. I woke up feeling relaxed and refreshed – perfectly ready to start the day.

My husband, on the other hand, woke up with huge bags under his eyes. He told me that he kept waking up during the night and had difficulty falling back to sleep. He said it was one of the worst storms he could ever remember.

I told him how well I had slept and that I heard a fog horn occasionally through the night. He gave me one of those looks of disbelief. He then told me that the fog horn I had been hearing was actually the sound of house and car alarms going off, thunder, trees banging on the windows, branches breaking off, and the leaders and gutters overflowing.

I thought it was funny; he didn’t until he got some more sleep.

The power of meditation to relax mind, body and spirit is an awe-inspiring experience. It certainly is a great way to reduce stress. And a good night’s sleep isn’t bad either.

Rainy Days and Daydreams

It's been raining in New York for a couple of days now, and it looks like it will for a few more. I've been gazing out my office window, letting my focus go and just, well, daydreaming. A rainy day seems like the perfect day to daydream. I like to close my eyes and drift back in time reliving some of my favorite memories. I love to close my eyes and picture the faces of all of the people who have touched my life -- teachers, friends, family, mentors.

Daydreaming lets me wonder what it would be like if I took a chance and did something new and unexpected. Well, maybe I won't be an Olympic Gold Medalist, a championship rider or a famous scientist as I daydreamed when I was younger; but then again maybe I'm not too far off the mark. After all, it isn't too late to take skating lessons, learn to ride a horse, take some science classes, write a best-selling novel. It could be that those very things I used to daydream about as a kid were a prelude to what I can accomplish as an adult.

I may not become world famous but I know I can let loose and take that giant leap to actually living out some of my daydreams. Besides, I want to hold onto some of those dreams of knowing I can accomplish anything and everything. And even if I don't get to live out all of those dreams in reality, I know I can close my eyes and be anything or anyone I want to be. And, well, isn't that what rainy days are all about?

Thoughts for Mother's Day

My friends and I were talking about Mother's Day. We reminisced about all the silly little crafts we made for our own moms when we were growing up. We laughed about how we used to dream of having our own families when we were younger. And now here we are with our own children almost grown.

My son will be away at college this Sunday. I already know that he will call, tell me how much he misses me and loves me. He'll remind me that he'll be coming home for the summer next week so we can do something special then. And we will. My daughter is already making plans for a special Mother's Day. That's just the way she is and always has been. To her it is a special day, a time when we do things together like baking or making candy. I cherish each day spent with her, Mother's Day or not.

Mother's Day isn't just a once a year holiday for us; every day spent with my children is Mother's Day. It is a day of making memories. This is the day that they got to make special plans hoping that I would love each moment of the day. And I did. I look back on all the funny things that happened in years past -- like my daughter making a batter for chocolate cake and taking the beaters out of the bowl before turning the mixer off. We found out just how far chocolate can fly! Or my son letting me know what special meal he thought I should make that day or how he thought I would love going to a baseball card show! And I did.

This Sunday we should remember that the day isn't just about moms; it is also a day about making special memories that our kids can laugh and think about years from now when they have their own children. To those no longer with us, thank you for the great memories left behind. To my daughter, Jennifer, I'll be looking up at heaven this Sunday wishing that you were here with us. I'll love you forever.

The Voice Within...Listen To It!

I was stopped at a light yesterday, waiting to make a left turn. The road I was about to turn onto was a 55 mph two lane road with lights. When the left turn signal came on, I took my foot off of the brake, getting ready to make my turn. The little voice in my head quietly whispered “stop”. It was just a single word, nothing dramatic or overwhelming. It was just that one quiet word.Well, that little voice has never let me down. Women’s intuition is just too great a thing to ignore. So I stopped. I must admit that if the car behind me had honked, I still wouldn’t have budged.A second or two later a truck ran the red light right in front of me. He went by so quickly that my vehicle shook. He was going well over the speed limit and had probably speeded up to get through the light. He certainly missed since he ran a red light. Had I ignored that little voice, I would be either seriously injured or dead. He would have rammed into the driver’s side of the car.I drove home with a smile on my face, feeling absolutely wonderful. I love that little voice. The few times in my life that I have ignored it, I have always been sorry. Women's intuition is too great a gift to ignore.