Higher Power – What it Means to Me

I’m not exactly what anyone would consider religious. I always thought I’d burst into flames if I ever went back into a church after childhood. As soon as my mom stopped forcing me to go, I was gone and never looked back. I don’t like the idea of any particular religion, and I definitely don’t want it forced on me.

I found it extremely hard to believe that any one religion has it “right” and that any any particular one “knows” anything for sure. So most of my adult life I shunned them all. I needed tangible proof and never got it, so I took the more scientific route over the spiritual one.

That got me drunk. For over 20 years.

Even though I didn’t believe in any particular religion’s idea of God, I always felt there was some kind of something out there that was a power greater than me. I just didn’t know what it was or how it worked. I still don’t know how it works, I just know that it does and it exists.

I know that if I ask my Higher Power for guidance or help, I will get it. It won’t always be obvious, it might come as intuition, or a stroke of luck, or a coincidence. But the more I practice getting in touch with my Higher Power, the better I get at understanding how it is helping me.

It won’t ever produce something tangible. That’s not how it works. I can’t ask it for a new car and **poof** a new car appears. It might not always be clear, but my Higher Power is always with me, working behind the scenes. It’s got my back and it helps guide me through life, as long as I remember to keep an open mind.

Every morning I ask my Higher Power for help through the day. I ask it to help keep me away from selfish thoughts and dishonesty. I ask it to help show me what the next step should be if problems arise. I take comfort in the fact that I know my Higher Power will never give me more than I can handle, even if it doesn’t seem so at the time. I ask it to help me remember to pause when I feel agitated, doubtful, or discontented, and to share with me the right thought or action to take.

I turn my will over to my Higher Power every day and tell myself I am no longer running the show. There was huge burden lifted off my shoulders when I finally turned my self-will over to the care of this power greater than me. My stress level has gone way down and I have more of a feeling of inner peace than I used to. I still get angry, but the feeling doesn’t last nearly as ling as it used to.

I also ask for my fear to be removed and my attention directed to what my Higher Power would have me be – helpful to other people. I ask it to help me be kind and loving to everyone. I’m not always kind and loving to everyone, but I keep practicing and my Higher Power helps me remember to try.

I was so stressed out and negative for close to two decades. I knew I had to make some major changes because the way I was living wasn’t working and I just couldn’t stand feeling that bad for one more second. I started by practicing gratitude every day. Every day I make a list of at least six things I’m grateful for, sometimes more. It helps me get my mindset right for the day.

I think everyone has their own Higher Power that is always with them, whether they choose to accept it or not. Good Orderly Direction. That’s how I think of God and my Higher Power. This power greater than me helps guide me through life with Good Orderly Direction, if I ask. I’m learning the difference between spirituality and religion. I practice contacting my Higher Power every day.

~Thanks for reading – LC

Adaptability

“Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone did things our way?

Wouldn’t life go much smoother if everyone were on the same page and thought things should be as we like them to be?

Unfortunately, that almost never happens. One of the many things I’ve learned in my recovery is that my serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance.

Even though you can’t always control outside occurrences, you do have control over how you deal with it. You can overcome what life throws at you once you learn to adapt to situations and work through your inner conflicts.

But how does one do this? With a little open mindedness, faith, and in some instances professional help.

It’s human nature to do what it takes to survive. We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for our ancestors amazing adaptability. I find it fascinating that there are humans all over the world, living and thriving in just about every climate. Our brains enable us to assess the world around us and make choices based on our surroundings.

Adapting to change is something I struggle with. I don’t exactly “Go with the flow” very well. One of the things that helps me cope with change is my openness to new ideas. I like the idea of learning new things and new ways to do things, even though I feel a little resistant at first. I’m learning to look for more than just one “right way” and to consider multiple perspectives.

Acceptance

I think acceptance to change has a lot to do with the ability to adapt. And willingness. Accepting things I can’t change instead of being resentful toward them, having an open mind, and having the willingness to try something a different way are all key factors in being able to successfully adapt to change.

It takes a lot of energy to try and rearrange life to suit yourself. Sometimes you might find you need to change your core principles to keep up with changes in the both the world, and life in general.

It can feel almost impossible to change a feeling. An open mind is a key factor in being able to adapt to change, and openness to new ideas and the idea of learning something new are two concepts which in turn can shift thinking. It’s possible to gain new positive experiences with an open mind but it will take a lot of time and effort.

Nothing worth having comes easy. You have to be willing to work for it.

Check out this article on 12 ways to adapt to anything life throws at you.

~Thanks for reading – LC

Grilled Scallops and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

½ -1 pound of dry sea scallops (pull off the tough muscle)
1 TBS minced jalapeno, serrano, or habanero pepper (pick your spiciness)
½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted
¼ tsp fresh cracked Pink Himalayan salt
½ tsp fresh cracked pepper
1 English cucumber, de-seeded, quartered, and sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 tsp lime juice
1/8 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 green onion, thinly sliced (green and white parts)
¼ cup toasted walnuts
1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Procedure:

Toast, then chop cumin seeds
Combine cumin with the S&P, and minced peppers
Rinse and dry scallops, then rub with the spice mixture
Put the scallops onto skewers, set aside, and preheat grill to med-high
Mix the lime, EVOO, and chopped cilantro
Add to it the cukes, green onion, and toasted walnuts
Check the seasoning. You might want to add S&P.
Oil the grill rack
Grill the scallops (about 4 min each side, depending on their size)
Remove scallops from skewers, place on top of cucumber salad
Enjoy!

The Forming of Good Habits

landscape nature africa boy — Photo by Julian Jagtenberg on Pexels.com

Ever wonder how some people just seem to have everything go right for them and they never seem frustrated or overwhelmed? It’s not by accident, or lucky, it’s by design. With a little planning and forming of good habits, you can set yourself up for success with nightly and morning rituals and routines.

“What good have I done today? What good shall I do this day.”

– Benjamin Franklin

Try sitting back and just reflect on the events of the day.

What was good about it?
What went wrong?
Is there anything you would have done differently?
What worked and what didn’t?
Can you do anything better than you did today?
How can you make tomorrow flow better?

You could even write all this down in a journal. Sometimes seeing things written in black and white helps to clarify and bring it all together.
After you’ve done your daily reflection, look ahead to tomorrow and come up with a plan of attack.

What is on your to-do list?
On what are you going to improve?
What good habit are you going to replace a bad habit with?
Is what you are doing today getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow?
What is your new plan for how you want to tackle life?
Make sure you always have enough gas in your car instead of waiting until it’s almost empty.

Reflection on the day and planning for tomorrow can help you stay focused on your goal.

Making these routines into consistent habits will greatly improve your chances of success.
Come up with some ideas of routines you can try that will help you to relax and wind down, and focus on positive outcomes.

For example:

Drink some relaxing tea and meditate.
Shut off all electronics.
Soak your feet and read.
Think about what you are grateful for instead of dwelling on the bad stuff.
Write out a plan of action for the next day.
Lay out the clothes you want to wear and gather any items you will need to take with you.

Make whatever you come up with a nightly routine.
What can you do for your morning routine?

If you’re like most people it probably involves coffee. While waiting for your coffee you could get out and walk down the block and back. That would help get your blood flowing, and your body moving, and your brain working to plan out your day. Do some light yoga stretching while you think about how your day is going to go.

Have a healthy breakfast, but not one too big and heavy. You need something that will give you energy, but not weigh you down.

Make sure you get up in plenty of time to get ready. Oversleeping leads to being rushed, being rushed causes stress, stress causes mistakes, and the next thing you know you’re having a bad day before you’ve even begun.

One of the habits of successful people is going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. Some even get up at 4:00 am every day. Even on their days off work. If you think you can’t do it, or won’t do it, remember that your life won’t change for the better if you don’t make changes.

Set yourself up for success!

Make the most of your day! Find a routine that will enhance your health and life.

Having a solid plan for your day can do so much for your peace of mind.

Build better habits that create success, and you will be well on your way to creating the New Super You!

Remember, invest in YOURSELF!

Why put off til tomorrow, what you can do today?

Chin up, smile, look yourself in the mirror and say, “It’s going to be a great day!”

Stay positive! You can do it!

~Thanks for reading – LC

Low Carb Hash, for Breakfast

Ingredients:

3 slices bacon, cut in 1” cubes
½ red onion, diced
½ orange bell pepper, diced
½ head of cauliflower, chopped
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne (if you like a little extra kick)
½ TBS minced garlic
1 TBS chives, minced
½ cup cheddar, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Fry bacon in a non-stick skillet until done. Pull the bacon out
while leaving the rendered fat in the pan. Put the bacon on a paper towel and save.
Next add the onions, peppers, cauliflower, and garlic to the pan.
Keep stirring until the veggies soften a little and turn golden brown.
Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and paprika.
Add a little water to the pan and continue to cook until cauliflower is soft. Let all water evaporate.
Stir in the chives, then make a couple holes in the veggies by pushing them aside with a spoon.
Crack the eggs into the holes, sprinkle the bacon and cheese over top, and cook eggs til desired doneness
Enjoy!

Low Carb Asian Marinade for Chicken

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS low sodium soy sauce
2 TBS rice vinegar
2 TBS mayo
1 ½ TBS honey
1 tsp ginger paste
1 or 2 TBS of Sambal Oelek (chili garlic sauce) or Gochujang (hot pepper paste)
¼ tsp black pepper

**Tip: Salt depends on how salty your soy sauce is. Taste before adding more salt.

Method:

Whisk all ingredients together well, add in chicken, and let sit anywhere from 30 minutes to 12 hours. (The longer it sits, the more tender and juicy it will be).
Grill the chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees
Enjoy!

Red Snapper with a Spinach and Beet Salad

Ingredients:

For the snapper:

1 – 5 oz Red Snapper Steak
1/2 Lemon, juice, zest
1/2 Lime, zest
1/2 TBS EVOO
1/2 TBS Raw Honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp za’atar, or dried thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the salad:

2 cups Spinach
1/4 cup golden beets, roasted
1/4 cup dried cherries
Several slivers of red onion
2 TBS feta, crumbled
1-2 TBS Champagne Vinaigrette
Salt and pepper to taste, if desired

Method:

For the Snapper:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Put beets in a roasting pan with a 1/4 inch H2O
Drizzle a little oil over top of the beets
Bake in the oven about an hour. Beets are done when you can stick a skewer through them easily
Cool and peel the beets, then dice them 1/4 inch or slice
Whisk the EVOO, lemon juice, honey, za’atar or thyme, and garlic on a bowl
Completely coat the snapper with the above mixture, and put in a baking dish
Sprinkle with S&P
Bake for 15-20 min, until fish is flaky and firm

For the salad:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, and arrange on a plate
Top with Snapper, hot or cold
Enjoy!

Benefits of Practicing Gratitude

My life got really unbearable. I couldn’t even leave the house without giving myself a pep talk every morning. My drinking was out of control and I was unbelievably depressed, sometimes for weeks at a time. I kept all this to myself. The person I conveyed to the world was not who I was on the inside. I was stuck in this vicious cycle of self-pity, self-defeating thoughts, and self-loathing behavior. I didn’t see the point in going on and wanted to die. And I wanted to be buried upside down so the whole world could kiss my ass.

I needed to shift my focus away from my own head. Being stuck in my own head is a very dangerous place for me to be. I needed a new way of thinking, an attitude adjustment…

I started practicing gratitude every morning. It’s the first thing I do (after making coffee, of course..). I write a list of a minimum of six things I’m grateful for.

Sometimes they’re the little things like coffee, or the sunrise.

Sometimes they’re things I take for granted at times like indoor plumbing, power, and reliable vehicles.

Sometimes they’re the most important things in my life like my wonderful husband who has stuck with me through thick and thin, or other people whom I love very much.

Starting out my day by writing down what I’m grateful for has made my life so much better, and it works almost instantly, almost every time. Because when you’re focused on things you’re grateful for, you can’t have feelings of resentment.

Also, when I’m making my list of intentions for the day, I leave out the “but”. Like, I don’t say, “I love so and so but…”

Including a “but” implies I don’t actually love so and so, which I do. So I just leave it out.

My disposition and my life improved immensely once I started practicing gratitude.

For more information on the subject check out Sonja Lyubomirsky’s “How to Practice Gratitude”.

You can do it. A little appreciation goes a long way. If you improve your life just a little bit each day, you will be amazed at the compounding effect of improvement, and at what comes back to you!

Invest in yourself, and be persistent!

~Thanks for reading – LC

Persistence

selective focus photography of turtle on bench — Photo by Arun Thomas on Pexels.com

I learned a little about this value back in August…

On my last camping trip there was a thunderstorm with a torrential downpour. Later, after the sun came back out, I went to restart my campfire. I had some wood gathered that I had sheltered under a rock with an overhang, but it still got wet.

I had some charcoal and lighter fluid, but not that much so I used it sparingly. It took a long time to get that fire started. I lined up damp pieces of wood so they would dry out faster around the edge of the fire pit.

I kept rearranging the wood, putting the driest pieces next to the puny flame I had, and I kept blowing on it.. I knew if I could get a nice hot bed of coals as a base I’d be home free!

I tended and nurtured that fire for over an hour before it finally took. Walking around it, blowing on it, putting newly dried wood in, and replacing the edge with wet wood to dry. I was determined to get that fire going, and because I persisted, and didn’t give up, I was rewarded not only with a nice toasty fire, but also the satisfaction that I had accomplished what I had set out to do.

Just like with life, sometimes you have to help it along, and poke it a little, and rearrange a couple of things here and there. Life is an ongoing, ever changing entity. If you stop helping it along the way or fail to make constant improvements, it burns out. But if you keep on keeping on, you can be rewarded with a rich and full life.

Weak desires bring weak results. One of the main instigators of failure is lack of persistence.

Be persistent, don’t give up!

~Thanks for reading – LC

Back to Nature

Getting back to nature always makes me appreciate what I have. All of life’s little annoyances really seem trivial when I don’t have easy access to things like running water, heat, a stove, refrigeration, etc..

When I have to hike a quarter mile up and down a steep trail full of rocks, roots, and switchbacks between my car and creek side campsite I really appreciate and value the conveniences of city life.

I’m camping in Hot Springs, NC right now.

I’m definitely getting in some good exercise hiking through the woods for four days. A lot of leg work.. literally. My arms also got a good workout because I had to carry all my gear down by hand. I probably made seven trips in all!

But the view was totally worth it! I know a lot of people go to the beach for vacation, but I associate the beach with being lazy. I associate the mountains with action and adventure! Not that there’s anything wrong with being lazy once in a while, I just try not to make a habit out of it. When I’m doing well with my work-out regimen and overall life routine, I want to keep it up! I want to hike and bike in places I’ve never been rather than sit out in the sun all day. Don’t get me wrong, I like the beach too, it just seems to me there’s not as much to do and it’s more expensive.

Walking in the forest, especially in the mountains, gives me an uneven terrain to cope with, which helps improve coordination, as well as hills and obstacles. I can feel this constant change in terrain working different muscle groups and it’s breaking me out of my same-old-same-old routine.

Here’s some more good reasons to “take a hike”

Yoga and meditation by the creek has been a phenomenal experience. I love the quiet and solitude. It helps me focus on my breathing. The only sounds are the chirping of birds and the water flow of the creek. I feel the stress just flow out of me into the earth below and sink down and away.

I learned a lot on this trip about:

Life will not wait for me. It also won’t stop when I’m gone. It was good for me to realize just how small a part of the universe I am, but at the same time I am important to the grand scheme of things.

I highly recommend getting out of the same old boring routine of a gym. Try going camping in a remote area for 4 days, or make a day trip of hiking at a park near you. It might just give you the perspective you need to kick start a new routine.

Personal and emotional fitness, and striving for goals are like a campfire. You have to help it along and poke it sometimes to keep it going. Be persistent.