How to Experience Fall in Portland

My First Bowl of Salsa

Gotta admit, the fall version of my local farmer's market is INSANE. Warm leaves, fun folk tunes, juicy apples, handmade pasta, gourds of all colors. No two weeks are the same - the seasons bring fresh stuff for me to discover every Saturday morning!

This week, I grabbed a cool "salsa bag" full of all ingredients (except chips) to make some farm fresh salsa. Sold!!!! The next day, I eagerly diced and sliced the produce up according to the following enclosed recipe:

     5-7 tomatoes

     1/2 sweet white onion

     1 clove of garlic

     a bunch of cilantro

     1 squeezed lime

     7 assorted spicy peppers 

     1 bell pepper

The flavor was refreshing, the texture was somewhat course, and the heat was almost too hot. Just hot enough to be racy and exciting without terrifying my taste buds. The longer I leave it in the fridge, the more garlic seeps out. I'm throwing it on gluten free chips and in rice bowls like a BOSS. 

Now that I know how easy it is to mix up salsa, I plan to grab my own ingredients next time. Experience is sure empowering, isn't it? :)

Try this combo out and let me know YOUR favorite salsa recipe! Heck....that could be a blog all it's own.

The Solitude of a Cemetery 

Who hear frequents grave yards? Any tombstone buffs out there? Perhaps you could better explain the macabre allure of gazing at weathered stone with the names of the long-dead deceased consumed with moss. Perhaps it's the artistry - so seldom do we carve anything into stone. The link to the past is another thought....somehow history still lives within these relics. Could it be our morbid fascination with the edge of our existence? We hope, dream, fear, anticipate the afterlife and these stone sentinels are the last link to those who've crossed over before.

I went for the leaves. 

And fell for the spell of the grave stones. 

Sleepy Hollow is in the air.

Perhaps Nathaniel Hawthorn's haunting tale calls to the reader every October. Who knows! A little spooky does the soul good. 

Granite and fading leaves

Who does this belong to?

Field of Souls.  

Missing the Moment

Breakfast provides me a few precious moments to allow my mind and spirit to fully wake up. After that, life strikes. So I've gotten religious: I eat a little hot rice cereal and flip through a The Buddha Walks Into a Bar at the kitchen table. I read only a few pages each day, but the content is rich.

On Chapter 19....

Here's the latest lesson I'm working on absorbing...not missing...

 "The Moment"

I'm so good at this. EXPERT level! Chapter 19 spoke to me - "Bringing a Spacious Mind to Subtle Acts."
An example the author brings is about "going out" on a Friday or Saturday night to a bar.

When you keep an open mind instead of trying to zero in on having a perfect night, you often end up having a fun experience. Not because you manipulated it in any way, or planned it to be so, but because you relaxed and went with whatever opportunities came up. In fact, when you try to manufacture fun, your evening will never live up to your expectations. It is only through truly relaxing with what comes your way that you will be able to enjoy yourself. 

 I'll set myself up allll week for an incredible date or night out. I'll have picked out the mood, environment, circumstances, and company. My mental table is SET. Then the real situation appears and I'm so busy looking for my "Barbie doll date" that I completely blow the good time that was waiting there for me. If only I'd gone into the scenario expecting nothing other then simply an amazing experience.

Don't try to have a great time, just let yourself have a great time....We don't have to plan every minute of the day. we can go with the flow of our life, and relax into freedom.

Visioning and planning are crucial. But don't let your anticipation of reality prevent you from loving Your Moment.:):):)

Commit to relaxing with me? :)

How to Feel Like a Fox in Under 5 Minutes

Supermodel hair. Million dollar smile. Radiant skin. Effortless confidence. Queen of cool.

Feeling fantastic is the BEST!!!

That constant state of chilled, sexy appeal, and animal magnetism is as heady as it is elusive. At least for me. Only about 5-7 days out of every month, do I feel like God's gift to man - a living, breathing, white buffalo.

WHY CAN'T I FEEL THIS WAY EVERY DAY!!!!????

Spoiler alert!......We can.

This week, I want to share a SEDUCTIVE and ego-altering trick I've just learned to instantly go from feeling schleppy and crummy to outrageously hot, sexy, and awesome.

This uncanny technique is often referred to as 'anchoring.' I think of it as a "dynamo trigger" because it is a repeatable activity that let's you tap into your powerhouse.

Now let's get you feeling like a fox in under five minutes!

Dynamo Trigger Technique

 First off - I'm writing this on the assumption that you have at some point (hopefully frequently!) enjoyed that holistic sense of feeling in tune, in touch, and in sync with yourself.

1. First, think back to the things you were doing surrounding that great feeling. For me it's things like going for a morning run, affirming self-talk, using a high-end skin care product as part of my daily luxury routine, or just filling my lungs with pure oxygen and relaxing my throat and neck. Outside circumstances have an impact too - did I just get a wonderful email from my boss praising me for satisfying a surprising customer request? Did a hot guy just smile at me? Did a funny SNL skit just make me chuckle? Did my lover just kiss my neck? The key here is to identify what your personal dynamo triggers!

2. Now that you've identified the usual times when you are experiencing this wild, carnal, fierce, beautiful feeling, its time to create a personal "dynamo trigger." I love this part. Examples of a dynamo trigger are singing a line from your favorite song, tapping your foot five times, jumping as high as you can - ANYTHING physical that you can do easily. Just pick something. Mine is rubbing the base of my neck below my hairline.

3. Finally, persistently perform this specific action every time you feel crazy great. In about 3-10 days, this newl quirk will have become connected to your being.

4. The Result - NOW, you can start using this personal dynamo trigger every time you feel dumpy!  Because the good feeling is associated on a deep level with this physical action, you have the POWER to recall your best emotions WHENEVER YOU WANT.

The results of this practice blew me away. Wholly MACKEREL!!! In seconds of whipping out my dynamo trigger, my whole mind, body, and being transforms into a Victoria's Secret model strutting the runway!!! After only a few days, I was able to consistently draw on my dynamo trigger to recreate superhuman, foxiness even in the middle of a crappy, crappy day.  This basically is Pavlov's dogs principle applied to yourself. :) Did someone say....ingenious???!!!

I want you to rock the HOUSE! Give it a try even if you think this is phooey.:);):);)

Comment below with a description of your dynamo trigger!

Go forth and be foxy!:)