"Everything happens for a reason."
"Don't sweat the small stuff" (and for some reason they'll add "and it's all small stuff.")
"If it's meant to be, it will be."
Yes, everything does happen for a reason - because someone made a choice, whether that person was me or you or someone else. Whatever happened is a direct result of someone making a choice and performing an action. It's not a mystery, it's not comforting to say there's some supernatural reason for things to have happened...because there isn't. The reason is that a human performed an action or spoke chosen words or made some other choice. Or there was some natural disaster.
It's not all small stuff. In fact, most of it is pretty big stuff. If it's truly not a big thing, someone wouldn't feel the need to reassure me. Instead, they should say "get a grip, it's not a big thing, get over it" or something of the like. There could be some explanation as to why said thing is not a big thing, or a question directed at me as to why such a thing is a big thing, and it may turn out to actually be a very small thing after all. In which case, get a grip. Otherwise, it's a big thing and it's something worth stressing over and working hard for in order to gain the desired outcome.
Nothing is "meant" to be. You don't just sit back and count on the things to happen that are "meant" to be. You make those things happen. You choose to act or not to act. If you think you ended up so lucky to have had something amazing just happen to you, think back to past choices you've made - the people you choose to associate yourself with, the job you choose, the location you chose to be in at a given time, etc. Everything else is a result of the choices of other people.
I know that at this point, you're probably thinking "wow, how cynical, how can she ever be happy with that attitude, etc etc etc..." I'm just not reassured when people say any of those above examples to me when something happens. Let's be honest - there are some things that have happened or not happened that I wish I could say "it happened (or didn't happen) for a reason." But that's not actually my opinion at all, so lying to myself about it to try to make myself feel better sure doesn't work. Being honest, making modifications to my actions and choices, trying again, trying differently, putting some sort of WORK into it usually results in the desired (or at least an acceptable) outcome, or at least puts me onto the right path towards the desired outcome.
And sometimes, you just have to know when to freaking quit already. And it's okay to quit. To choose to lose touch with "friends" you don't feel are such good friends anymore, or maybe never were but you didn't realize it until now. To choose to try another career path, to choose to walk away from a project that truly is a small thing but somehow was made into a big thing much earlier and now has drained an incredible amount of productivity that could have been put toward something that actually was a big thing. It's okay to ask for help, to seek more information, to change my opinion about something when it's warranted. Quitting, asking for help, etc - none of that means admitting defeat. It means prioritizing and moving forward.
I could probably keep going on about this and get onto lots of different tangents, but I tried to avoid that this time. I just wanted to share general thoughts on some comments I've heard over and over and over in the past 9 days that, as well-intentioned as their speakers may be, have not been helpful. Of course, except for the fact that I then reflected on those comments and why they were not helpful or reassuring to me.
Anyway, thanks for reading y'all, and until next time...goodnight!
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Labels, Doing It Wrong, and Judgment
Disclaimer: I probably do some of the things I complain about in the rest of this post, but know that I consciously and actively try to not behave this way. The following is going to be sort of rant-y, but I'll try to keep it more informative and eye-opening rather than simply complaining about things. I'll try not to be on too tall of a soap-box, but I'm also not going to beat around the bush.
It seems to me that these days when someone asks a question, it's not because they're truly curious and actually care about the answer. It seems like most of the reason people ask is so they can apply a judgment to you without all of the information, and then talk about it to other people. Somehow putting others into categories with specific labels makes us all feel better, as if our brains can only handle so many different varieties of people and so we just put everyone into certain well-defined groups and everyone in those groups is the same and the mainstream stereotypes applied to those groups are necessarily applied to every individual in each group. This seems to be completely normal, is socially acceptable, and we see it in all topics across social interaction. We see it with regard to visible differences in people such as race and religion and sexuality (sometimes these differences aren't as readily visible), and relatively invisible differences in people such as family lifestyle and philosophy.
Well, here is where I'm going to say that it's ridiculous.
There was a Ted Talk from Christina Warinner recently called "Debunking the Paleo Diet." If you peruse the Internets at all, you've probably seen people talking about it and maybe even watched it yourself. If you haven't seen it, you can watch it here. Basically, she uses half- or less-than-half truths (sometimes even blatant lies) to insult this "fad diet," and then spends the last ten minutes spouting off information that's actually supporting said "fad diet," without realizing that's what she's doing. To be honest, it was almost laughable how little correct information she had that supported her attempted point. For a breakdown of her whole talk, I recommend Robb Wolf's assessment of the whole thing. Perhaps even better is his podcast discussion of the Ted Talk. He does get pretty fired up in this episode, and rightfully so - Warinner is off the mark on a lot of things and clearly picks and chooses her homework, and not very well. I personally enjoy Robb Wolf's podcasts because not only is he super duper smart and nerdy over science things, he doesn't say anything unless he's got a LOT to say to back it up, including references to scientific studies he has carefully analyzed for validity. He is quite possibly one of the most objective scientists I've heard talk. (Another would be Chris Kresser, so check his blog out as well (to the right).)
So, just had to throw that out there. Robb makes some really great points about research in the field of nutrition, and also how food and health policies are put into effect at the government level. That's a whole other rant in itself, and makes me sick just thinking about it.
At any rate, I just want to clear up some things and just state that everyone chooses their own lifestyle, including what they eat, and as much as Primal Toad can sometimes get so excited about things that it's annoying, he makes a really good point that maybe there shouldn't be titles to these kinds of things. Because titles and labels lead to the specific stereotypes and assumptions to apply blanket-style to anyone who might fall under these labels, and then all of a sudden, everyone who's been labeled is "doing it wrong" because they're all doing it differently. SHEESH.
To answer all the questions I've been asked, and all the ones I know people are thinking of but keep to themselves and make judgments about instead, I thought I would just clarify what we choose to eat and what we attempt to avoid. I should mention that in situations where we are out to eat with friends, traveling, or at a large social gathering where there is food present, there are only certain things we can control. In those situations, we make the best choices we know how to make, knowing that they aren't always ideal. And that's ok - but not to those who judge without any information about us, apparently. Get over it, I guess. So, here goes:
We try as hard as we can to eat the following: lots of produce, organic when available and reasonable; homemade sauces, dressings, and dips; grass-fed and free-range animal products including dairy, eggs, and organ meats, among other meats; nuts and seeds. We aim for unprocessed (or as minimally-processed as we can find) food, and really try to get as much local food as we can. Being in Arizona, it's proven to be kind of difficult because the farmer's markets are quite small, when we can find them, and Arizona isn't exactly known for its wide selection of local produce. We have found a farm from whom we like to buy our meat, and we have found some local eggs, but those do tend to be sold out by the time that farm gets to our local farmer's market on Wednesday evenings. We do our best given where we live and our budget constraints. We have re-prioritized some things in life so that we can make quality whole foods a top priority.
We try as hard as we can to avoid the following: anything processed. Let's be clear here: anything that's processed is going to contain canola oil, soy products, wheat products, corn products, or any combination of any of those ingredients. Wheat products are used as preservatives, even if the item isn't a pasta or bread or something else that's obviously made from wheat. Bread and pasta and the like are processed food products. Canola and soybean oils are literally in just about everything that comes in a box or bag or bottle and is not in the refrigerated isle of the store. Corn products...don't even get me started. What doesn't have high fructose corn syrup in it will still likely have corn syrup as the sweetener (although not concentrated), corn meal, or some other form of corn product or by-product. So, we avoid wheat products, corn products, soy products, and canola oil.
Really, it's about eating unprocessed whole foods, nutrient-dense foods, local foods. I'm not sure that sounds so radical, now that I put it that way. Cutting out the vast majority of processed foods effectively cuts out almost all canola oil, soy products, wheat products, and corn products. So, really, it's not much more of a stretch to pay attention to the tiny list of ingredients in certain things we do buy from the middle of the grocery store in order to avoid those ingredients as much as we can.
It comes down to just feeling and knowing that we are healthier than we were before, and for some reason some other people don't like that. Is it jealousy, self-consciousness, denial, or plain immaturity? I don't know. And frankly, I don't really care about the reason behind the smirk or scoff. If you're curious, be truly curious. If you want to try it after you find out more information, I'm willing to help if you want it. I'm willing to share my knowledge and resources and tips and tricks and recipes.
If you want to judge, why bother asking in the first place? Keep it to yourself.
I know that may not have been very well organized and I could have added more information, but thanks for reading; I hope you enjoy a little bit of a rant on occasion :) Haha. I promise next time I won't be so soap-boxy.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Interview
Hello! So, some sort of big news since my last post - earlier this week I went back home to interview for a job. It was a three-day long, in-office interview and meet-and-greet with the doc, his wife, and the entire staff including the current associate. Talk about a stresser!
But, it was completely awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, and I really hope the whole office did as well. It will still be a couple of weeks until I find out whether this is it or not, but I sure hope it's sooner rather than later. I did allude to the fact that we've been scouting the area for places to live, and that my better half has already planned out his work commute to make sure it will be do-able, which should actually not be as bad as we thought it might when I first started pursuing this job.
The community in which we'd live is pretty great, too. I drove around a little bit and saw the historic downtown areas of the adjacent towns, there's a train station right in the middle of town, an amazing farmer's market 6 months out of the year, lots of mom-and-pop holes in the wall, antique shops, tea shops, all the stuff I just love to death. The office is in the area where these two towns meet, and it's pretty separate from the more mall-and-car-dealership areas of the larger of the two towns, so that's nice.
The doc and his staff are incredibly impressive. Talk about careers to be proud of - they are a well-oiled machine, and it is obvious their level of integrity, professionalism, and career satisfaction is just off the charts all around. If that isn't a place you'd like to work, I don't know what is. I expressed my amazement and desire to work in such an environment, and I feel like I got along with everyone really well in the two days I spent with them - which I realize is not a whole lot of time - so I truly hope I have the opportunity to join this amazing practice.
For now, I am trying SO HARD not to just replay everything in my brain and pick out little things that could possibly be the reason they don't want me. Just little things, not bad things, and not things that I would have changed - because I truly couldn't change anything I said, I was completely honest and real with them. I could have asked more questions about it all, I suppose, but I really felt like all of my questions were answered with the exception of things that would be written in the contract that aren't appropriate for asking just yet. And here I am, picking it all apart again, haha! Relax...breathe...
...And wait a couple weeks with my fingers crossed SO TIGHT that I hear good news.
Now, it is time for bed. Short entry this time, for a change ;) Hope you enjoyed reading, and if you're out there and made it this far to the end, please think happy thoughts for me. Until next time...thanks y'all!
Monday, April 15, 2013
Long Overdue Update
Wow, has it ever been a while since a post! Since I'm pretty sure there are only three people who might (or might not) read this blog in the first place, so I doubt I've been missed. But I've been needing a place to expend some energy and thoughts lately, so this is probably a good place for it.
Great news, first of all - ALL BOARDS PASSED! Written and clinical, no retakes, no extra stress of finding more patients or more teeth or anything like that. All done. I can't wait to graduate and get home! 43 more days! And my family arrives in 40 days, woohoo! My brother hasn't visited at all these last four years, so that will be particularly special.
So, in the spirit of being able to see the light at the end of this tunnel, shining quite brightly and getting bigger and brighter each day, I've been reflecting on the last four years a lot lately. Maybe I'm getting a little nostalgic about leaving Arizona (I mean, the weather hasn't quite officially gotten hot, and spring time here is pretty darn comfortable), maybe I'm going to miss my friends (the few I've actually made here), maybe I'm going to miss being in school since I've been in school for almost 25 years...or maybe I'm just reminiscing about all of it and looking forward to what the still-uncertain future will bring! Either way, these are some things I've been thinking about and have learned over the last four years...(and actually, even some reflection back to middle school...)
Thoughts On Gratitude
I have been so, so fortunate to have lived the life I have lived thus far. I freaking got into dental school. I'm about to be a stinking dentist! Sure, I have $400k+ in student loans at an average of about 8% interest, but I GOT IN, and I'm literally going to be a dentist in 43 days. This is what I have wanted to do with my life since I was old enough to know what I wanted to do with my life. I'm not financially successful, I haven't been part of ground-breaking research or developing new methods or new procedures or materials, and I still have A LOT to learn. But I am where I have wanted to be for 14 years, and I'm about to leap off this cliff and trust that the net is there at the bottom - because it is.
One thing I must emphasize, and definitely have recognized over the last 16 years, is that I did not get where I am by doing it alone. I have never been afraid to ask for help along the way, and boy, have I had some AMAZING mentors. Somehow I was able to build a fantastic support network without even realizing it - actually, more than likely it was with the help of my parents, both in the form of their amazing network of friends and coworkers and by way of their encouraging me to keep in contact with great people and stay involved in my community.
Not only did I have fantastic mentors in my teen years, I managed to find great mentors in undergrad and then in dental school as well. AND, what amazing patients I've had in my past two years of clinical experience. Building relationships with my mentors and patients has taught me what dentistry is really all about - helping people improve their quality of life.
I must note here that most people I have encountered in dental school are less than grateful. One of the things I am looking forward to most about going home is returning to my "tribe," members of which are grateful for the experiences they've had (whether hardship or fulfilling), the opportunities they've been given, the support they've received - or the lack of all these things that has made them the strong, resourceful, independent people they are today. Being grateful doesn't mean you have to be privileged or have opportunities handed to you - to the contrary, most of those I've met who have had it all handed to them on a silver platter are truly ungrateful and entitled and not genuine or loyal.
Last thing about gratitude: to me, it's not enough to just feel it. I think we need to SHARE it. Tell the important people in my life that they are important. Thank them for opportunities they've helped me find, or that they have directly presented to me. Show appreciation for the work they do so that it makes my day/work/efforts run that much more smoothly. Make sure their supervisors know of their efforts, where applicable. Thank my patients for the learning experiences they provided for me. Visit past teachers and show them the difference they've made in my life.
Thoughts On Adulthood
So I guess technically I'm not quite to "adulthood" yet since I'm still in school for a few more weeks. But, one of the things I thought would be awesome about professional school is that we're all supposed to be adults...at least in age. Unfortunately, I came to the harsh realization that most people in most stressful situations still act like 13 year old girls. Whether they managed to get into any professional program or whether they're in the working world and are established in their career or job - the drama is still there for some reason, and very few people can be tactful 100% of the time. Some of my mentors from back in high school were literally shunned at their places of work, for being dedicated and devoted to their profession, for going the extra mile and being exceptional at their jobs, or for simply having a different opinion about any given topic no matter how minute.
We have recently read an article in the Scientific American MIND magazine that talks about how we as a society have made adolescence a self-fulfilling prophecy. Basically, because we "accept" that adolescents are irrational, irresponsible, self-absorbed, rebellious, disrespectful, etc...we allow that to perpetuate rather than strive to be better role models for children to become responsible and productive adults. Sure, the adolescent brain is changing just as much as the brain of a rapidly-learning toddler, this has been demonstrated in study after study - but that is no excuse to NOT be a good example of what they should strive to become as adults. The SciAm MIND article compares homeschooled kids to kids at huge schools throughout their educations, and also compares different cultures regarding how children are raised and nurtured and taught. The discussion leads to the fact that we are fostering a society of 20-somethings who return home (or stay at home if they never went to college) and try to "find themselves" rather than grow up. If you want, I think you can access the article by clicking here.
Thoughts On Pleasing People
I'm over it. Actually, I'm not entirely sure I was ever that interested in pleasing people in the first place. For the record, this is completely different than taking care of a patient by providing a service they've asked for, or know they need, in order to improve their quality of life. Pleasing people is bending over backwards, or even being willing to help when asked, when I know there is no possible long-term benefit for myself. That probably sounds selfish, but I'm simply just not here to be taken advantage of.
Sometimes I am pretty naive. (If anyone knows the keyboard shortcut for the two dots above the i, please share...haha). Most of the time, I assume the best of people, and I've been burned by that many times. But I'd rather learn along the way than assume the worst of people and never be happy. I do, however, have quite low expectations and mostly try to have no expectations at all because I'm pretty sure the vast majority of the general population is deeply, deeply stupid. Which is why I'd rather start out assuming the best in people. I enjoy the expression of this idea in Hanlon's Razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." Stupidity, as I interpret it from this quote, could either be deliberate ignorance or simply the lack of experience or knowledge. If there is something that someone can learn, and is willing to learn in order to be better, their behavior should not necessarily be attributed to malice. I think most people have a sort of innate understanding of the importance of taking care of each other, in the sense that it's actually a rather selfish idea - if we are loyal to someone, we expect loyalty in return, and we need a tribe we can trust. Now, understanding that idea and practicing it are very separate things entirely.
Wrapping It Up
As I've been working on this post for a few days now, and had to update how many days are left until graduation, I think I'll wrap this up. After all, I don't even know if anyone actually reads this or not. So, until next time friends, thanks for reading (if you did), and hopefully see you soon.
Great news, first of all - ALL BOARDS PASSED! Written and clinical, no retakes, no extra stress of finding more patients or more teeth or anything like that. All done. I can't wait to graduate and get home! 43 more days! And my family arrives in 40 days, woohoo! My brother hasn't visited at all these last four years, so that will be particularly special.
So, in the spirit of being able to see the light at the end of this tunnel, shining quite brightly and getting bigger and brighter each day, I've been reflecting on the last four years a lot lately. Maybe I'm getting a little nostalgic about leaving Arizona (I mean, the weather hasn't quite officially gotten hot, and spring time here is pretty darn comfortable), maybe I'm going to miss my friends (the few I've actually made here), maybe I'm going to miss being in school since I've been in school for almost 25 years...or maybe I'm just reminiscing about all of it and looking forward to what the still-uncertain future will bring! Either way, these are some things I've been thinking about and have learned over the last four years...(and actually, even some reflection back to middle school...)
Thoughts On Gratitude
I have been so, so fortunate to have lived the life I have lived thus far. I freaking got into dental school. I'm about to be a stinking dentist! Sure, I have $400k+ in student loans at an average of about 8% interest, but I GOT IN, and I'm literally going to be a dentist in 43 days. This is what I have wanted to do with my life since I was old enough to know what I wanted to do with my life. I'm not financially successful, I haven't been part of ground-breaking research or developing new methods or new procedures or materials, and I still have A LOT to learn. But I am where I have wanted to be for 14 years, and I'm about to leap off this cliff and trust that the net is there at the bottom - because it is.
One thing I must emphasize, and definitely have recognized over the last 16 years, is that I did not get where I am by doing it alone. I have never been afraid to ask for help along the way, and boy, have I had some AMAZING mentors. Somehow I was able to build a fantastic support network without even realizing it - actually, more than likely it was with the help of my parents, both in the form of their amazing network of friends and coworkers and by way of their encouraging me to keep in contact with great people and stay involved in my community.
Not only did I have fantastic mentors in my teen years, I managed to find great mentors in undergrad and then in dental school as well. AND, what amazing patients I've had in my past two years of clinical experience. Building relationships with my mentors and patients has taught me what dentistry is really all about - helping people improve their quality of life.
I must note here that most people I have encountered in dental school are less than grateful. One of the things I am looking forward to most about going home is returning to my "tribe," members of which are grateful for the experiences they've had (whether hardship or fulfilling), the opportunities they've been given, the support they've received - or the lack of all these things that has made them the strong, resourceful, independent people they are today. Being grateful doesn't mean you have to be privileged or have opportunities handed to you - to the contrary, most of those I've met who have had it all handed to them on a silver platter are truly ungrateful and entitled and not genuine or loyal.
Last thing about gratitude: to me, it's not enough to just feel it. I think we need to SHARE it. Tell the important people in my life that they are important. Thank them for opportunities they've helped me find, or that they have directly presented to me. Show appreciation for the work they do so that it makes my day/work/efforts run that much more smoothly. Make sure their supervisors know of their efforts, where applicable. Thank my patients for the learning experiences they provided for me. Visit past teachers and show them the difference they've made in my life.
Thoughts On Adulthood
So I guess technically I'm not quite to "adulthood" yet since I'm still in school for a few more weeks. But, one of the things I thought would be awesome about professional school is that we're all supposed to be adults...at least in age. Unfortunately, I came to the harsh realization that most people in most stressful situations still act like 13 year old girls. Whether they managed to get into any professional program or whether they're in the working world and are established in their career or job - the drama is still there for some reason, and very few people can be tactful 100% of the time. Some of my mentors from back in high school were literally shunned at their places of work, for being dedicated and devoted to their profession, for going the extra mile and being exceptional at their jobs, or for simply having a different opinion about any given topic no matter how minute.
We have recently read an article in the Scientific American MIND magazine that talks about how we as a society have made adolescence a self-fulfilling prophecy. Basically, because we "accept" that adolescents are irrational, irresponsible, self-absorbed, rebellious, disrespectful, etc...we allow that to perpetuate rather than strive to be better role models for children to become responsible and productive adults. Sure, the adolescent brain is changing just as much as the brain of a rapidly-learning toddler, this has been demonstrated in study after study - but that is no excuse to NOT be a good example of what they should strive to become as adults. The SciAm MIND article compares homeschooled kids to kids at huge schools throughout their educations, and also compares different cultures regarding how children are raised and nurtured and taught. The discussion leads to the fact that we are fostering a society of 20-somethings who return home (or stay at home if they never went to college) and try to "find themselves" rather than grow up. If you want, I think you can access the article by clicking here.
Thoughts On Pleasing People
I'm over it. Actually, I'm not entirely sure I was ever that interested in pleasing people in the first place. For the record, this is completely different than taking care of a patient by providing a service they've asked for, or know they need, in order to improve their quality of life. Pleasing people is bending over backwards, or even being willing to help when asked, when I know there is no possible long-term benefit for myself. That probably sounds selfish, but I'm simply just not here to be taken advantage of.
Sometimes I am pretty naive. (If anyone knows the keyboard shortcut for the two dots above the i, please share...haha). Most of the time, I assume the best of people, and I've been burned by that many times. But I'd rather learn along the way than assume the worst of people and never be happy. I do, however, have quite low expectations and mostly try to have no expectations at all because I'm pretty sure the vast majority of the general population is deeply, deeply stupid. Which is why I'd rather start out assuming the best in people. I enjoy the expression of this idea in Hanlon's Razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." Stupidity, as I interpret it from this quote, could either be deliberate ignorance or simply the lack of experience or knowledge. If there is something that someone can learn, and is willing to learn in order to be better, their behavior should not necessarily be attributed to malice. I think most people have a sort of innate understanding of the importance of taking care of each other, in the sense that it's actually a rather selfish idea - if we are loyal to someone, we expect loyalty in return, and we need a tribe we can trust. Now, understanding that idea and practicing it are very separate things entirely.
Wrapping It Up
As I've been working on this post for a few days now, and had to update how many days are left until graduation, I think I'll wrap this up. After all, I don't even know if anyone actually reads this or not. So, until next time friends, thanks for reading (if you did), and hopefully see you soon.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Re-prioritizing and Purging
Hello all, my how long it has been. I'm not entirely sure how many people keep up with this, but I'm assuming it can't be that many. So, I suppose it's time for an update.
My attitude over the last month or so has changed dramatically. This may or may not have something to do with the fact that it's a new year - the changing of the calendar doesn't really affect me all that much; I've never been one to really make New Year's resolutions or anything like that. However, THIS particular calendar year means I'M GRADUATING, and leaving this awful valley and all of its brown-ness and dustiness and dirtiness and dryness, and I'm going HOME. Still working on the whole be-an-adult-and-get-a-real-job thing, since I have literally been in school my entire life minus 1.5 years during which I was applying to school...and working as a server in a restaurant and then a nanny. Not bad experiences, to be sure, but definitely not my ultimate life goal.
I had a super long post that I was working on for a while that is still saved as a draft, because it started getting really long-winded and more involved than I wanted. It was about priorities and sustainability, based on some other blog posts that I had found particularly intriguing at the time, and also based on my former attitude towards my own life at that time. Suffice it to say that my attitude and behavior were NOT sustainable, I had my priorities out of whack (and some of them still are, let's be honest), and I was not doing anyone in my life any favors by being such a Negative Nancy.
To remedy this, I rearranged a few priorities and started literally cutting things out of my life. I started saying "no" to people and things. We started getting rid of one thing per day from our home - which has been awesome, by the way (more on details of that later). I started listening to my wise clinic partner, and now we brush things off by uttering "shenanigans!" or "that went well...could have gone better..." to each other when things in clinic just are ridiculous, which is literally multiple times a day. We have a good chuckle about it most of the time, and it has truly helped me just brush things off. Plus, I remind myself constantly that graduation is THIS YEAR, I've made it, and all I have to do is pass my regional licensing exam that is coming up very soon.
There are, of course, things I have definitely continued to procrastinate about. After all, I am the master procrastinator. But let's get back to how awesome it is to get rid of stuff!
The idea to get rid of one item per day from our home came to me as I was writing out my rules for leveling up in the game of life. One of the big things we are doing this year is moving, which is my absolute least favorite activity or event EVER. In addition, we have SO MUCH STUFF. I would not classify us as hoarders, but I have already admitted to you all that I could open my own Hobby Lobby store with all of the craft supplies I have. Let's add the fact that we are both sentimental, and have outdoor hobbies such as camping that require special equipment, and the fact that I will never have enough pairs of shoes...you get the point. We already had decided that there were some larger pieces of furniture that we would not be moving across the country with us, but I thought to myself, "what if we could take less small stuff with us, too?" GENIUS. Less boxes, smaller truck, less trips up multiple flights of stairs, less clutter in both our current and future homes...winning all around.
So, we have actually done a really nice job of keeping this habit up. Although it's not literally "one item per day," we have purged so many things in the last two months that I feel like I can actually enjoy our little apartment a bit. I got rid of a TON of clothes that I finally admitted to myself I would never wear again, and get this - when I tried them on, most of them were actually TOO BIG for me! It was an amazing feeling to be rid of so many clothes. I was able to consign a bunch of them, and donate the rest to an organization that helps in-need women get training and jobs to improve their own lives.
Other things we've purged: old mismatched pots and pans and crap frying pans we each brought from our respective previous living situations (we did buy a new set as a combined late wedding gift/Christmas gift to ourselves...but they are AWESOME and we will keep them for years and years), old t-shirts, several other random kitchen items, some of my craft supplies, reusable water bottles, some random household items such as a soap dish and some bookshelf decor that was unnecessary...and all of that went to Goodwill.
There has been a ton more that we just threw away, like old issues of magazines that we'd read halfway through, mail we thought was important that we ended up shredding (some of it was scanned to PDF form just in case) since it hadn't been filed in its appropriate "important folder" yet, coupons I thought I had put in a useful place but had expired, half-used samples of lotions and perfumes and make-ups, etc etc etc. Some stuff I just ended up using the rest of and then throwing the empty away. What's the point in having a whole collection of travel-sized lotions you love if you don't even use them? Man, the Palazzo, the Sheraton, and the Hilton have awesome lotions. I definitely pack the first one so housekeeping will leave a second one, and I take that one too! But what's the point if I don't even use them - I don't get to enjoy them! Well, I AM NOW! And it's awesome.
So, that's it for today y'all. Rambling as usual, and now this is super long. But, I hope I made the point that priorities and a sustainable attitude are tightly connected, and hopefully I've even given you some inspiration to re-prioritize some things in your life that you may feel are weighing you down. Remember: re-prioritizing it might mean purging it altogether.
Now, for my afternoon tea :)
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Guilt-less Lazy Day
Today is, sadly, the last day of our fall-winter quarter break. Tomorrow is the first day of winter quarter 2012-2013. The last winter quarter I will ever endure! Six months until graduation, and it can't go by fast enough. These last six months will be full of compiling my cover letter and intro video, job searching, interviews (hopefully...), board exams...and just trying to get through clinic from day to day. Hopefully all of the other things that need to get done will make everything go that much faster. My experience is that the more you have to do, and the more you keep busy, the fast time goes by and you wonder "where did that year go?" Kind of like, where did my last two weeks go?
I rescheduled my written exam from this week to December 20th. I decided that it was more important for me to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday weekend than to stress out over not studying on Thanksgiving Day, trying to study during all the awesome football games, and complaining about studying to my husband who had a four day weekend from work.
So I've been thoroughly enjoying this last weekend of holidays and freedom. I've done a pretty good job of getting ready for Christmas: put up the stockings and decorations on the mantle (we don't have room for a tree, so I hang a few ornaments in a big wooden frame and set some right on the mantle itself), finished Christmas card address list and ordered them to be direct shipped, planned part of Husband's Christmas present, did some serious wine cork crafting including some Christmas ornaments, planned Brother's Christmas present, and got some other Christmas gifts and decor taken care of via Heritage Makers. See wonderful project to do with all your digital photos, here.
In addition, I am having a Mary Kay sale with various items put into gift sets by me (i.e. items from my inventory that go well together, not gift sets designated and sold by the company as a whole), so please contact me via email or telephone if you are interested in any of these sets as gifts this Christmas - I have descriptions written out for all of them, and can snap photos if you like as well, so if you need more info, let me know! All of these gift sets, as well as all fragrances I have in my current inventory, are 25% off. This is my MK business website, but it does NOT include the custom gift sets I have compiled this season. You'll have to directly contact me for that info, like I said. Thanks :)
Today, I am enjoying one last day of NOT studying for my written national exam. Instead, I am watching the Seahawks game, working on wine cork ornaments, making turkey stock, snuggling with the dog, drinking tea (of course), and generally enjoying life. I am forcing myself to not feel guilty about not studying over the last three or four days. This is a holiday weekend, I rescheduled my test for a reason, and I'm going to DO WHAT I WANT before I have to go back to school tomorrow.
Maybe one of these days I'll post some photos of the cork ornaments I made, and some gift sets too when I compile them for photo ops. The cork stuff (ornaments and keychains) are for Mom's business; she does in-home wine tasting and sales. She's awesome.
That should be all for today mates, back to doing whatever I want for the next nine hours!
I rescheduled my written exam from this week to December 20th. I decided that it was more important for me to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday weekend than to stress out over not studying on Thanksgiving Day, trying to study during all the awesome football games, and complaining about studying to my husband who had a four day weekend from work.
So I've been thoroughly enjoying this last weekend of holidays and freedom. I've done a pretty good job of getting ready for Christmas: put up the stockings and decorations on the mantle (we don't have room for a tree, so I hang a few ornaments in a big wooden frame and set some right on the mantle itself), finished Christmas card address list and ordered them to be direct shipped, planned part of Husband's Christmas present, did some serious wine cork crafting including some Christmas ornaments, planned Brother's Christmas present, and got some other Christmas gifts and decor taken care of via Heritage Makers. See wonderful project to do with all your digital photos, here.
In addition, I am having a Mary Kay sale with various items put into gift sets by me (i.e. items from my inventory that go well together, not gift sets designated and sold by the company as a whole), so please contact me via email or telephone if you are interested in any of these sets as gifts this Christmas - I have descriptions written out for all of them, and can snap photos if you like as well, so if you need more info, let me know! All of these gift sets, as well as all fragrances I have in my current inventory, are 25% off. This is my MK business website, but it does NOT include the custom gift sets I have compiled this season. You'll have to directly contact me for that info, like I said. Thanks :)
Today, I am enjoying one last day of NOT studying for my written national exam. Instead, I am watching the Seahawks game, working on wine cork ornaments, making turkey stock, snuggling with the dog, drinking tea (of course), and generally enjoying life. I am forcing myself to not feel guilty about not studying over the last three or four days. This is a holiday weekend, I rescheduled my test for a reason, and I'm going to DO WHAT I WANT before I have to go back to school tomorrow.
Maybe one of these days I'll post some photos of the cork ornaments I made, and some gift sets too when I compile them for photo ops. The cork stuff (ornaments and keychains) are for Mom's business; she does in-home wine tasting and sales. She's awesome.
That should be all for today mates, back to doing whatever I want for the next nine hours!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Thanksgiving is Tomorrow!
I LOVE Thanksgiving. The only other holiday that even comes close in my book is Independence Day. The two are actually tied for my favorite holiday, but no others really compare all that well.
Of course Christmas is great, but who needs the stress and awkwardness of reciprocal gift-giving? Thanksgiving has everything Christmas has, without presents and commercialism. That's why it's way better.
My birthday is pretty fun, but as you've probably gathered, I'm not really all that interested in getting more stuff than I have (one of my requirements for leveling-up in my Game of Life is to purge at least one thing per day), and I'm not a huge fan of being the center of attention in a large group of people for longer than my part of a conversation.
The 4th of July is comparable to Thanksgiving in that there is a huge seasonal feast involved, and gathering of people you really want to spend time with. Plus The 4th has fireworks and bonfires and roasting marshmallows and summertime parades and of COURSE, the best event EVER, the Maxwelton 4th of July Egg Toss!!! In case you didn't know, my brother is a reigning champion.
This year will be our first Thanksgiving that we don't eat things like rolls and white potatoes and stuffing and regular pies and all that. Yesterday, The Paleo Mom posted a great Recipe Round-Up to cover all the bases for Thanksgiving dinner, without straying from our Primal lifestyle (too much, anyway).
In case you haven't looked at any of the info on my Blogroll about the lifestyle, it pretty much involves eating only REAL food. Therefore, if it's prepared before it gets to my house (with a few exceptions), we avoid it. If there is an ingredients list, we typically avoid it (again, with a few exceptions - some things aren't very practical to attempt to prepare yourself, like seaweed, wine, our favorite dark chocolate bar...).
That means we eat a lot of produce, nuts, expeller/cold pressed olive and coconut oils (NO seed oils or vegetable oils!), and animal products except for milk (unless it's full fat or heavy cream).
One of the things that is hard to express to friends and family about this whole thing is that it's not a diet...it's a lifestyle. There is a HUGE difference here...I am starting to get asked the same question over and over now, since it has been almost 5 months since we started this. That question is, "are you still doing your diet?" Yes, yes I am...but it's not a diet. It's how I live. I don't ask you whether you're still eating your insert-food-choices-here. And we don't "cheat" on our lifestyle, either. We make conscious choices about certain indulgences, and probably feel physically worse for it later, but we move on. No guilt, no stress about it, because it wasn't a "cheat" in the sense that a candy bar is a "cheat" on any other diet program. Because this isn't a diet program. There is no finish line. This is long-term, for life, for my own personal health and the future health of my children.
This post is going a lot more into detail than I have mentioned about our lifestyle before, but I thought it was probably time to go ahead and kind of explain the basics first, and refer you to my Blogroll (and future posts, just be patient). It's not just about food being "healthy," or whatever everyone wants to call it. I get that a lot: "oh my gosh, your lunch is so healthy, I wish I could do that in the morning before school!" It's about making conscious choices about where our food comes from, too. What does our animal product eat during its lifetime? Because it has been shown time and time again that what our food eats is what we end up eating as well. Most of that is corn and soy - industrial crops, processed meals, etc. Our goal is to stick so as much grass-fed meat and animal products as we possibly can.
There are some more extreme measures that we haven't taken yet, in order to get more acceptable pork products, like ordering more meat online, but for now we have a nice local source of beef and chicken and we do well with that from our local farmer's market. It's nice that we can get it from a farm that's just across town. For now, we're okay with getting the best label bacon from Trader Joe's - it may not be grass-fed, but let's face it - pigs eat anything and everything, and finding a corn-free soy-free source of pork is impossible in all of the grocery stores we have here.
As far as produce goes, there is myriad evidence that soil quality and nutrient content directly affect the quality and nutrient content of produce grown in that soil. Now, from a science-oriented point of view, this all makes sense. But we all know how mass media and politics can skew anything the way they want it. Without getting into opinions about that, let's just leave it at this over-simplified example - the color of hydrangeas is dependent on nutrient content and pH of the soil. Keep a potted plant in the same pot forever, without extreme fertilization, and it won't do so well. Soil quality directly affects the quality of what's growing in it.
Also, to go back to the statement I hear time and time again about friends and colleagues who idly state, "I wish I had the time/budget/knowledge/insert-excuse-here to pack as healthy of a lunch as you..." It's not about "I wish" this or "this is my excuse" that. It's about priorities. Nerd Fitness posted about that a while ago, I think I may have linked to it in a previous post already about prioritizing rather than making excuses. Sure, we can make any excuse we want and it sounds great and all, but what it comes down to is that whatever it is we're making an excuse about just plain IS NOT A PRIORITY. If it were a legitimate priority, whatever internal conflict we have would be solved by now.
Now, Mark's Daily Apple (see link under Blogroll) has tons of references for papers written about the above issues regarding food source and quality. The Paleo Mom also has some great information, as does Chris Kresser and Robb Wolf. Please, if you are at all curious, I encourage you to click on one or more of the links and do a quick search for whatever information you are curious about. Chris Kresser and Robb Wolf also have amazing podcasts that address these issues from science and medicine points of view.
Random thought to end this post - a couple weeks ago, on a Tuesday, a colleague greeted me at school early in the morning. As most people do, we ask, "how's it going" or "how are you" or something to that effect. We both asked that of each other, and both of our responses were something along the lines of, "ugh, it's Tuesday, so exhausted already, still dragging from the Mondays yesterday," or whatever it is that we say to express our dissatisfaction with being at school at 7 am on a Tuesday morning. After that person left the room, I realized that I just lied. I realized that in fact I was not actually exhausted. I didn't really have any complaints about how I felt in general, just about the fact that I am just sick of school and over the whole thing at this point. It had nothing to do with it being a Tuesday, just general "I'm sick of this place." No actual physical exhaustion or lack of sleep or hunger or anything...it was an automatic response to say something like "ugh, so tired," or whatever it is that we say on Mondays and Tuesdays. For the first time, I realized that I had spoken those words out of pure habit rather than how I actually felt. In fact, I physically felt great. Probably better than at almost any other previous time during school these last few years. I was finally getting enough sleep, satisfied with my lifestyle habits including eating, exercising, recreation, etc. The only thing that could use modification is the fact that graduation is still 6 months away. But everything that is under my control, I am satisfied with it. There was no real reason that I should have said anything along the lines of "ugh it's Tuesday and I'm so tired." What a lie! And it feels great to realize that it was a lie, and that we say things like that out of habit - and now I try not to say that anymore, unless it's legitimately how I am feeling!
Anyway, wow, what a long post. If you're still reading...thanks. Haha; hope you enjoyed my general ramblings.
And as always, please see the links in the right hand module of this blog, they have been most helpful throughout this whole journey of learning about food and lifestyle.
Thanks again ladies and lads; until next time. Happy Thanksgiving!!
Of course Christmas is great, but who needs the stress and awkwardness of reciprocal gift-giving? Thanksgiving has everything Christmas has, without presents and commercialism. That's why it's way better.
My birthday is pretty fun, but as you've probably gathered, I'm not really all that interested in getting more stuff than I have (one of my requirements for leveling-up in my Game of Life is to purge at least one thing per day), and I'm not a huge fan of being the center of attention in a large group of people for longer than my part of a conversation.
The 4th of July is comparable to Thanksgiving in that there is a huge seasonal feast involved, and gathering of people you really want to spend time with. Plus The 4th has fireworks and bonfires and roasting marshmallows and summertime parades and of COURSE, the best event EVER, the Maxwelton 4th of July Egg Toss!!! In case you didn't know, my brother is a reigning champion.
This year will be our first Thanksgiving that we don't eat things like rolls and white potatoes and stuffing and regular pies and all that. Yesterday, The Paleo Mom posted a great Recipe Round-Up to cover all the bases for Thanksgiving dinner, without straying from our Primal lifestyle (too much, anyway).
In case you haven't looked at any of the info on my Blogroll about the lifestyle, it pretty much involves eating only REAL food. Therefore, if it's prepared before it gets to my house (with a few exceptions), we avoid it. If there is an ingredients list, we typically avoid it (again, with a few exceptions - some things aren't very practical to attempt to prepare yourself, like seaweed, wine, our favorite dark chocolate bar...).
That means we eat a lot of produce, nuts, expeller/cold pressed olive and coconut oils (NO seed oils or vegetable oils!), and animal products except for milk (unless it's full fat or heavy cream).
One of the things that is hard to express to friends and family about this whole thing is that it's not a diet...it's a lifestyle. There is a HUGE difference here...I am starting to get asked the same question over and over now, since it has been almost 5 months since we started this. That question is, "are you still doing your diet?" Yes, yes I am...but it's not a diet. It's how I live. I don't ask you whether you're still eating your insert-food-choices-here. And we don't "cheat" on our lifestyle, either. We make conscious choices about certain indulgences, and probably feel physically worse for it later, but we move on. No guilt, no stress about it, because it wasn't a "cheat" in the sense that a candy bar is a "cheat" on any other diet program. Because this isn't a diet program. There is no finish line. This is long-term, for life, for my own personal health and the future health of my children.
This post is going a lot more into detail than I have mentioned about our lifestyle before, but I thought it was probably time to go ahead and kind of explain the basics first, and refer you to my Blogroll (and future posts, just be patient). It's not just about food being "healthy," or whatever everyone wants to call it. I get that a lot: "oh my gosh, your lunch is so healthy, I wish I could do that in the morning before school!" It's about making conscious choices about where our food comes from, too. What does our animal product eat during its lifetime? Because it has been shown time and time again that what our food eats is what we end up eating as well. Most of that is corn and soy - industrial crops, processed meals, etc. Our goal is to stick so as much grass-fed meat and animal products as we possibly can.
There are some more extreme measures that we haven't taken yet, in order to get more acceptable pork products, like ordering more meat online, but for now we have a nice local source of beef and chicken and we do well with that from our local farmer's market. It's nice that we can get it from a farm that's just across town. For now, we're okay with getting the best label bacon from Trader Joe's - it may not be grass-fed, but let's face it - pigs eat anything and everything, and finding a corn-free soy-free source of pork is impossible in all of the grocery stores we have here.
As far as produce goes, there is myriad evidence that soil quality and nutrient content directly affect the quality and nutrient content of produce grown in that soil. Now, from a science-oriented point of view, this all makes sense. But we all know how mass media and politics can skew anything the way they want it. Without getting into opinions about that, let's just leave it at this over-simplified example - the color of hydrangeas is dependent on nutrient content and pH of the soil. Keep a potted plant in the same pot forever, without extreme fertilization, and it won't do so well. Soil quality directly affects the quality of what's growing in it.
Also, to go back to the statement I hear time and time again about friends and colleagues who idly state, "I wish I had the time/budget/knowledge/insert-excuse-here to pack as healthy of a lunch as you..." It's not about "I wish" this or "this is my excuse" that. It's about priorities. Nerd Fitness posted about that a while ago, I think I may have linked to it in a previous post already about prioritizing rather than making excuses. Sure, we can make any excuse we want and it sounds great and all, but what it comes down to is that whatever it is we're making an excuse about just plain IS NOT A PRIORITY. If it were a legitimate priority, whatever internal conflict we have would be solved by now.
Now, Mark's Daily Apple (see link under Blogroll) has tons of references for papers written about the above issues regarding food source and quality. The Paleo Mom also has some great information, as does Chris Kresser and Robb Wolf. Please, if you are at all curious, I encourage you to click on one or more of the links and do a quick search for whatever information you are curious about. Chris Kresser and Robb Wolf also have amazing podcasts that address these issues from science and medicine points of view.
Random thought to end this post - a couple weeks ago, on a Tuesday, a colleague greeted me at school early in the morning. As most people do, we ask, "how's it going" or "how are you" or something to that effect. We both asked that of each other, and both of our responses were something along the lines of, "ugh, it's Tuesday, so exhausted already, still dragging from the Mondays yesterday," or whatever it is that we say to express our dissatisfaction with being at school at 7 am on a Tuesday morning. After that person left the room, I realized that I just lied. I realized that in fact I was not actually exhausted. I didn't really have any complaints about how I felt in general, just about the fact that I am just sick of school and over the whole thing at this point. It had nothing to do with it being a Tuesday, just general "I'm sick of this place." No actual physical exhaustion or lack of sleep or hunger or anything...it was an automatic response to say something like "ugh, so tired," or whatever it is that we say on Mondays and Tuesdays. For the first time, I realized that I had spoken those words out of pure habit rather than how I actually felt. In fact, I physically felt great. Probably better than at almost any other previous time during school these last few years. I was finally getting enough sleep, satisfied with my lifestyle habits including eating, exercising, recreation, etc. The only thing that could use modification is the fact that graduation is still 6 months away. But everything that is under my control, I am satisfied with it. There was no real reason that I should have said anything along the lines of "ugh it's Tuesday and I'm so tired." What a lie! And it feels great to realize that it was a lie, and that we say things like that out of habit - and now I try not to say that anymore, unless it's legitimately how I am feeling!
Anyway, wow, what a long post. If you're still reading...thanks. Haha; hope you enjoyed my general ramblings.
And as always, please see the links in the right hand module of this blog, they have been most helpful throughout this whole journey of learning about food and lifestyle.
Thanks again ladies and lads; until next time. Happy Thanksgiving!!
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