I had a very interesting experience at the supermarket today.   I was in a hurry since I had less than 24 hours to unpack from our family vacation, get the house ready for a weekend without me and catch a plane to Denver for a Hay House Writer’s Workshop. Although I usually shop at Whole Foods, I decided to pick up a few things at our neighborhood grocery store. I thought it would be nice for the family to have a BBQ this weekend so I headed to the meat department hoping I would find some grass-fed ground beef options. What ensued left me, well let’s just say, with something to think about.

I first heard about ground beef fillers from the movie Food, Inc, but The Daily Show with Jon Stewart recently did an episode on this “pink slime.” It is a process by which the waste particles that are trimmed off the cow are boiled, drained, sprayed with ammonia, dyed and then added to ground beef.  I really didn’t know it was so common and decided to ask the guy at the meat counter if they used it there.  He immediately got defensive  and acted as if I should feel perfectly comfortable eating ground beef with “pink slime” added to it.  

The points he made were:

1. It’s just a filler and only sounds bad because Jon Stewart called it “pink slime”
2. It’s not even pink, it’s red
3. They have been adding it to ground beef for 20 years and everyone does it, even Whole Foods
4. It makes the meat cheaper and a lot of people wouldn’t be able to afford ground beef if it didn’t have these fillers

When I asked if they sprayed it with ammonia he said, “Yes, I believe they do.” I noticed an older woman listening to our conversation and moving closer. I told him “Well, I think I prefer to just get the grass-fed one with no fillers.  I don’t mind paying more.” As I picked up the grass-fed beef, the woman confided, “I just buy chuck roast and grind it myself.”  Then the butcher chimed in, “I do too. I’ve been grinding my own for 20 years.” They both agreed that it tastes so much better. Hmm I think. Very interesting.

Since I could tell I had a sympathetic ear in the woman, I decided to address some of the points the butcher brought up when he was making a case for that “pink slime” that he doesn’t eat.

1. They have been adding it to ground beef for 20 years: Is it mere coincidence that cancer rates and other diseases have skyrocketed in the last 20 years? I’m sure there are many factors to consider, but I can’t imagine that eating something sprayed with ammonia could be healthy.

2. Yes, ground beef would be more expensive if it actually was ground beef, but the government should be subsidizing real, healthy whole foods instead of food fillers, genetically modified crops and highly processed fast food. Everyone deserves healthy whole foods and the more we ask for it the more it will be available, and hopefully the more affordable it will become.

Oh, and I checked with Whole Foods. They do not add any fillers to their ground beef. Thank goodness for that. I shop there and pay a premium for “whole” foods, not “filler” foods, so that is what I would expect.

My lesson for today… Consider what people do, not what they say. If meat with “pink slime” isn’t good enough for the butcher, is it good enough for you?
 

“Find someone who thinks he is alone and let him know he is not.” -Mother Teresa

When I was at Oprah’s Lifeclass with Tony Robbins a few weeks ago I was totally blown away by Tony, as always. He is truly amazing and has been affecting my life in so many positive ways for over a decade.

I’ve been reading and learning a lot lately about creating an exceptional life by changing how you feel. Discontent in our lives helps fuel our desires and from there, we go about the business of clarifying what it is we want. The stronger the discontent, the stronger the desire that can then be manifested. I love that because what it says to me is “Don’t fret if things aren’t the way you want them to be. Your discontent is an indication of great things to come.” The manifestation of our desires comes from feeling and actually experiencing what it is we want before it has happened so as long as we focus on what it is we want and not what it is we don’t want, we are on the right track. I do believe this is a powerful way to change our lives because it has helped me not only have a strong sense of peace, but also helped me draw into my life many things I have wanted.

Tony really stirred things up for me, as he always does, and I think it is because he helped me get in touch with my discontent. What I heard him say was, “Make a list of everything you don’t like in your life and then change it.” Honestly, I usually have enough discontent to work with that I don’t need to go digging around for it, but when I’m in class I usually do my lessons, so I did. What I realized is that I want to make changes in almost all the major areas of my life. I want to lose weight, start creating income through meaningful work and deepen my relationship with my husband. I don’t see this as a bad thing and it doesn’t mean I don’t have a great life in many ways already. It just means that there is ALWAYS room for improvement. What I love about Tony and what he teaches at his seminars is that he shows us how we can change our feelings, or state, by changing our physiology and how we use our body. He also talked about the importance of telling the right story about our lives and developing strategies to affect change we want to see in our lives.

He went on to work with a few people on relationship issues and I heard him coaching people on embracing their masculine or feminine energy. This really resonated for me. I often feel like I have to take on the world. I’m responsible for almost every aspect of raising the children and taking care of the home and I am also thinking about going back to work. When we are “taking care of business” we are using our masculine energy and it is really important to balance that out by nurturing our feminine side. We can do that by taking bubble baths, getting our nails done, dancing, singing, playing, having lunch with friends, etc. And if we can help our men step into their masculine side by nurturing more of our feminine side, that is even better.

I heard Tony say something at Lifeclass that brought tears to my eyes and made me think, this is what every woman must want to hear. He was coaching a man and had him say to his fiancee, “I love you. I worship you. I will take care of you. You will never worry.” I thought those words and the conviction with which he said them were absolutely beautiful and music to my ears. I hope that you already get to hear those words from your partner, but if you don’t, try saying them to yourself. And men, if you haven’t yet, try saying them to your loved one and see what it does for your relationship. I predict sparks!!

Have a blessed day:-)

“When wonder and love become as indispensable to you as foundation and blush, you will become the most radiant woman in the world.” – Sara Ban Breathnach

“Prayer and housekeeping – they go together. They have always gone together. We simply know that our daily round is how we live. When we clean and order our homes, we are somehow also cleaning and ordering ourselves.” – Gunilla Norris

As I was driving to the wonderful Hay House Ignite conference a few weeks ago I was experiencing all the beauty of the trees and landscape in San Jose and ruminating on the love I have for the Bay Area. Then it struck me that I love almost all the places I have lived. This is true for the geographic as well as the spiritual, mental and emotional places I have been.

I have been in some dark and scary places literally and metaphorically. And it is true that I much prefer living in the light and surrounding myself with good feeling things and good feeling people. But, I have learned to fall in love with ALL of my past.

Growing up in Oakland was often scary and there was one woman who I had once found particularly scary. She smoked crack and always seemed very unpredictable to me. Sure enough, when I went to visit my mom while I was in the area, she approached me as I got out of my car. As soon as she recognized me and before she could speak, I opened my arms to hug her.

Loving my way past the cigarette smoke, it was wonderful because her crooked body just melted in my arms and the outpouring of Love from her was something I never expected. I was so surprised at how my decision to let go of my fear and come from a place of Love affected the whole situation. It truly was a demonstration of Love at work.

When we come from Love, Love is what we get in return because our environments are no more than a reflection of what is already inside of us.

I have not just made peace with my past; I have made Love with my past. I have found deep contentment by coming to appreciate all the things of my life. I know that on a fundamental level, I chose every experience of my life so that I could become more as a person and be of greater service to the world.

There is no reason to fear the darkness within yourself or the world because there is nothing that Love cannot transform. All we need to do is get out of the driver’s seat and allow Love to do its work.

I wanted to share excerpts of this poem by one of my dearest and most respected mentors, Diasaku Ikeda. I dedicate this to all the mothers of the world. Shine on!

Mothers
have
beautiful,
resolute hearts.

The nobility of mothers
lies not in their appearance or
clothing,
nor in their social status or
possessions,
nor in the size of their home,
nor in the spaciousness of
their garden.

Mothers are the sun,
brightest of all.

Mothers are the earth,
infinitely bountiful.
Mothers are the symbols
of happiness,
ever optimistic,
walking tall with their
heads held high.

Mothers dedicated to
truth and justice
are never
intimidated
by jealous
or malicious attacks
aimed at them.
…………
Don’t make mothers suffer!
Protect mothers!
Praise mothers!
Don’t belittle mothers!
Give mothers
all your support and love.
That is the way of
humanity.
…………
All people
are born from mothers.
Mothers
risk their lives
giving birth to us.
…………
The world
is now praising
the mothers of Soka [value creation],
comparing them to orchids.
…………
Widely admired like the orchid,
the network for peace of the mothers of Soka [value creation]
is actively promoting friendship and dialogue,
with each member epitomizing what Nichiren Diashonin calls
“a friend in the orchid room,”
positively influencing others
with their lofty virtue.
…………
Mothers!
Great and noble
mothers of Soka [value creation]!
May you who are gentle and wise,
strong and true, like Buddhas,
courageously and masterfully
conduct a grand symphony
of triumphant happiness
resounding high into the heavens!

We just got back from New York City last night after a long trip and delays due to the tornados in the Dallas area. I had a fantastic time at Oprah’s Lifeclass: The Tour with Deepak Chopra and Tony Robbins, but I couldn’t wait to get back home to my sweet and cuddly little girls. It was oh so hard not to be home to comfort them during the storm.

The tornado was in our neighborhood around 2:30pm yesterday, but the house and kids were all safe. We even made it home for dinner and funny enough; the sun was shining when we got in. I know there was some pretty severe damage to the east, so please take a moment to say a quick prayer for the families affected.

My first visit to an Oprah production was truly amazing and I only wish my phone had been working so I could tweet and post to Facebook during my time there. We had tickets to the afternoon class with Deepak Chopra and were blessed to be seated in a reserved area toward the front of Radio City Music Hall. We were also able to get tickets for the evening class with Tony Robbins. I felt a deep sense of gratitude for how everything seemed to be flowing so well and for the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful event. The class with Deepak was about forgiveness, something I have had to become very good at both with others and myself.

Perez Hilton, the vicious celebrity gossip blogger, spoke about his transformation that occurred a year or so ago and how he is now being very conscientious about only putting positive energy out into the world.  After he spoke, I could hear the gasps and see people shaking their heads, unable to fully forgive him or accept the new Perez. I could understand where they were coming from, but I was so glad to have already gotten this lesson.

Deepak made 3 very important and valuable points:

1. We are all on our own spiritual path and we do the best we can with what we know at the time.

2. When we judge others we are also judging ourselves because fundamentally, there is a oneness that connects us all.

3. When we have put something negative out in the world, we often try to balance out that karma by creating good and this is what Perez is doing.

When I think about things this way, it makes it so much easier for me to live at peace, in forgiveness and with Love.

Is there someone you are having a hard time forgiving? Do you think the ideas here could help you make a shift toward more forgiveness in your own life?

I am one with the universe and all people.

I am forgiving of myself and others.

I put only good out into the world.

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do”. – Eleanor Roosevelt