Black Friday? Cyber Monday?

Now, you may wonder where I come from but I only recently found out about this Black Friday and Cyber Monday thing...  and I was outraged...  From my understanding, this comes from the USA... and it happens on the week end following Thanksgiving...  From what I remember, USA Thanksgiving was a HUGE thing...  people, friends, family, who are often spread out in different states, all come together for that long week end... maybe even more so than for Christmas and New Year's... It was a time to all be together... to express gratitude and love... If I got this right...  but that is beside the point anyway...

This Holiday in the states marks the end of November... and the fact that we're getting closer to Christmas...  and over time Christmas has change a lot, here and everywhere... it is now all about giving the most expensive gift!!!  The biggest one!!!  at all cost...    Therefore, the timing of Black Friday and Cyber Monday are excellent!!!!  People are festive...  they are off from work... they most likely have just seen all their loved ones... or feel guilty for not having done so... therefore, what better timing to use people emotions to spend more than they would or should... and the amazing deals in the store makes it so that you can buy even MORE for the same price!!!  Who doesn't win from that???

Well I can tell you...  not the stores... not the big millionaires selling us all that stuff that we "need"... They are home, or more likely on an expensive Holiday enjoying your cash with their loved ones!!!

But those people, that you can see here do not win from the Black Friday event! At the time I am writing this, there has been 4 deaths and 74 injuries on Black Friday events in the USA... the link above is actually a site where you can track death count for Black Friday.... HOW CRAZY IS THAT???   I bet the kids and family of those 4 dead people would have chosen their presence over their gifts...  but now it's too late for that...

Did you know that on average, an adult will spend 768$ on gifts for the holiday season??? Only on gifts... no other expenses link to the season... like outfits, fancy dresses, shoes, food, restaurants, alcohol...  Did you know that most people can't afford to spend that much and that they spend the rest of the year paying it on their credit cards?

Have you ever looked at the trash bins the few days after Christmas???  It makes me sick....  all that stuff that we no longer want because we got newer stuff... all that stuff that could be useful to someone else... all that packaging being thrown away because we just don't have the time to recycle it...

Did you know that on average, we'll spend 15 hours, alone, shopping for those gifts to show people we love them??  Why not spend time with them instead of going shopping???

Do you realise that all the resources used to manufacture the stuff you spend the money and time you do not have to please people you no longer have time to spend with are LIMITED!!!  Just like your time and money... 

Enough said...  I know I am not perfect...  I am not at the point I would like to be... but I am trying... and maybe you are too!  But some are not... and they need to get this message... This as become ridiculous!!!

This year, my husband and I made a budget for Christmas shopping accounting for people we want to give presents too and according to our budget!  first time ever that all our shopping will be paid cash!!!  No credit card... no line of credits...  of course, we'll have to cut down on money spend on each person...  afterall I am out of a job...  and I will have time to make homemade stuff to go with the gift... I think it will show that I care more than just buying something... I also came up with a list and I will refrain for falling into the last minute guilt of "I did not spend enough for that person"... once the $ are gone there is no more... period!

What is you plan???

love&peace,
nath
xox
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4 weeks later...

It has been 4 weeks today...  that I am without a job... 
At first I had a hard time..... but it's going much better...

At first I felt:  lost, useless, lonely, scared, insecure...

Now, 4 weeks later, I feel: oriented, useful, surrounded by great people, confident, hopeful...

What changed you might ask? because I am still unemployed...  Well I changed...  I changed the way I see things...  I did my yoga... I found myself again...  I am now making use of the free time in ways I love instead of not knowing what to do... 

I am taking a course
Preparing a road trip with my brother to start of the new year
Writing
Blogging
Reading
Knitting
Walking
Cooking
Baking (yes I am attempting to veganize some deserts)
I met a few friends

but more importantly, I am taking time to myself... doing my yoga and mediation... because this is really when I see how I am doing...  if I cannot shut up my mind during mediation, there's something bothering me... if I am unstable or unable to do some yoga pose, I am not rooted enough... I have learned that over the years...  and according to my last few yoga practice, I am doing much better!!!

I am moving forward slowly...

As part of my training, I had to question the orientation of this blog...  and define the subjects I wanted to address and the common vision for all those topics... what it the linking thought behind the subjects...  I came to realise that all I write about (or almost), has to do with health...  physical, mental and spiritual...  and therefore HEALTH will be my direction from now on... and the subject by which I will discuss health will be : yoga, stress management, minimalism and nutrition.  To me these are the essential route to a healthy life...  If you agree you will love even more where this blog is going...  and if you know people who would love it to, please share...  and encourage to sign up! The more the merrier!

I also want to get a tattoo... for the longest time, I was thinking about it... but it had to be significant... mean something to me...  something that I am sure will not change... I have finally found...  I just have to find the perfect tattoo artist...  AND come up with the $... and most importantly raise my pain threshold before I go...  but it has to be soon as I was told that it's better to get a tattoo done in winter to avoid sun exposure...

I love the way my life is now... and I know it will change.. because it always does... but I also know that that's OK...  because after a few weeks, I will have adapted and be happy again because when you live the life you want, more of it will come...  and it will be even more amazing!!! Things happen for a reason, to bring you somewhere else and when you make the best out of it, you cannot be disappointed... ever!

Also, I would like, with this post ask you, my lovely readers, a few questions... I am really looking for answers here...  you can reply in English, Francais, Portuguesa, German, Espagnol.. I'll figure it out!!!  Do not worry about spelling... really I just need the info... this is not a spelling contest!!!

1)What do you want from me?   How can I help you?
2) What question can I answer for you?
3) At what frequency would you like to get blog post from me?

thank you, merci, obrigada, danke, gracias!

love&peace,
nath
xox
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Yoga practice and Christmas decoration

Hello lovely readers!!!

You might be wondering how I can link a yoga practice and a Christmas decoration!?!

Well it's fairly simple...  I do a yoga practice everyday...  actually my whole life is a yoga practice!!! Yoga is so much more than asanas that you do on a yoga mat! I mention it often...  But actually, this is the most challenging part of yoga!  Living it daily... minute by minute... 

I am good at doing my daily mantra practice and 3-5 times per week practicing asanas and meditation ...  the rest of the time I try to be a true yogi in all I do....  I'm OK with the food...  I am pretty good at speaking the truth and being kind...  I do not steel... I share...

What I, most of the time, have trouble with is being in the present moment at all time!!!!  And I find that when I do something that does not require a great deal of concentration, it is even worse!!!  My mind wanders a LOT!!!!  I am working really hard on controlling it and not letting it go every where at anytime...  but it is not easy...  therefore, I had set forth an objective for myself today...

To do my Christmas decorations with my son without looking at my phone, thinking of anything else on my to do list....  just enjoy doing the decorations and being with my son...  and I am happy to say that IT WORKED!!!!  I had put some Christmas music...  and we took out all the decorations we have (it really is actually only 3 small boxes including the tree) and decided which ones we would use this year... I wanted to do something really minimal... it took us all in all an hour....  if I stretch it... and I was There the whole time...  and it was so much fun... 

Why is it so difficult to be present at all time?  What do we have to gain or loose by letting our mind wander so much???
Will my to do list complete itself?
Will my emails, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest account miss me? or vanish?
Am I gona forget something that is life threatening?
Am I gone solve some major issues suddenly just like that by constantly thinking about it?

No, no, no and no!!!  Surprise???   

You shouldn't be....  Life does not stop because we are busy doing something that we care about...  If I completely focus on being here and now, everything else will still remain unchanged... will still be there when it becomes my new here and now!

But you have so much more to gain by being here and now...  all the small life details that we may miss when we are "elsewhere"... when our minds are busy on something when we are doing something else.... we miss the light in our child eyes.. the smile on it's lips when looking at a particular decoration... the questions they ask us... the comment they pass that might be "insignificant" to us mature adults but so important to them... 

We miss those moments and THOSE are never coming back... every minute you miss being here and now is never coming back... 

I will try that more often.....  and instead of waking up wishing that today I'll be able to be in the here and now all day, I will give myself smaller objectives... one task at a time... and if my mind wanders, I will stop, breathe and get back on track as soon as I realise it...  I think that even being in the "here and now" has to be the objective every minute... not for a whole day or week...

What will be your next challenge?  On what task will you try to be in the here and now?

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And don't hesitate to leave a comment!!! I love reading you too!!!

love&peace,
nath
xox
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what if you had only one chance?

Now you might be thinking, well that's it!  she lost it!!!
I always tell you that you can always start over... that change is good... that you can move, change job, take up a new hobby, stop an old one...  that there's always another chance awaiting for you to make things right...

Then why would I write a post about "what if you had only one chance?"

All I have been telling you is right... there is always time to "fix" of "change" stuff...  as long as you health is there.... The "one chance" I am referring too refers to your health...  you have only one of that!!!  One body!!!  And it's easy to mess up with it!!!

In today's world, we've come to accept that as we get older, starting around mid 40s to early 50s... we start having health issues... it starts off with blood pressure, cholesterol... early signs of diabetes.... some cancers... and then it moves on to hearth diseases, diabetes, cancers, osteoporosis, dementia...  these are the most common ones... most of us believe and accept that we'll eventually end up with one or more of those conditions... take medication...  and towards the end of our lives move into a "retirement" home...  and die there... most of the time alone... because we are no longer useful to anyone...  or enjoyable... 

But what if today you had a chance to turn that around???  Not for everyone... but for yourself???  What if you didn't have to accept that eventuality... What if you could make things better for you?  What if you had that chance???  Would you take it???  What if it was the last chance you had before some irreversible damages were made to your body?

Well guess what?  there is another way... it doesn't have to be THAT way...  you can turn things around for yourself....  for years, we've been studying people from 4 different places in the world that are well know to live to a 100 years old or more and healthy!!!   That is the norm in those places...  and you don't even have to move there to do it!

I am talking about  Abkhasia (near Russia), Vicabamba (south America), Hunza (near Pakistan) and the well known Okinawa (Japan)...  We've been looking at what do those people do that we don't? Why, even thus they are often poor and have no access to medical facilities and medication they can live so long and so healthy?  In those places, people grow to be a 100 years old or more without wearing glasses or hearing aids, without using walkers...  there is no diabetes, heart diseases, cancers... blood pressure is well under control and cholesterol issue non-existent... hip fracture doesn't happen...  and people die in their sleep one day without suffering... but until then they are active... and in full possession of all they physical and mental capacity!!!

What do they do so differently? (I am not going to go into details because I am not done with my documentation but I couldn't wait any longer to share some infos)

1) they live simply
2) they enjoy life, walk, dance and sing often
3) they have a mostly vegan diet with some incidence of milk, yogurt or eggs
4) they don't have cheese
5) they eat fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes and whole cereals
6) no processed microwavable food
7) food is made from scratch for each meal at home
8) they never retire (in the sense that they do not stay home in front of TV for the last years of their lives), they keep busy
9) they help each others
10) they value aging

Now, here's your chance!  how many of these can you put in place now??  right away?  how many can you put in place in a few months?
Hopefully you will aim to do all of that!!!  ASAP!!!  this is your chance... it is never to late to start but the sooner the better of course!!!

What can I help you with? 

love&peace,
nath
xox
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Turning 41 today!

Today I am turning 41!!!
Wow...  I am having a weird day so far...  but that's OK... 

The path I am on is not an easy one... and there are some good and bad days...  and some have good and bad in them...  I am on a mission to finally discover myself....  over the last few years, I have been working really hard on me... to find out who I am... what I want in and from life...  and it has been both amazing and exiting...  I also worked really hard on learning to assume who I am...  and let go of other's opinion... I have lost people on my way... but met GREAT new people!!!  And that is OK... that is life...

Today has not been easy yet because the last couple of weeks have not been easier...  I was on to something....  but afraid to let it out... and it finally came on to me... TODAY!!! I was still trying to hold on to some older parts of myself... I am not sure how well I will be able to express myself on this one...  how well I will be able to explain it... so if in any way I am hurting any of you, please ask for clarifications... 

Let me start by saying that I love to have discussions with people... I love to meet people for coffee or lunches...  I love all the  interactions I have on the internet with all of you my wonderful readers and friends...  but I am starting to see a side of me I had forgotten existed...  I was never very popular in school...  I was shy... and not so pretty...  I had good grades and was very good in sports... all that it takes to be one of the less popular girl in school... I had made my peace with that and started being very independent really early on in life... I always had a few very close friends...  by a few, I mean maybe 4-5 MAX at any point in time... As I grew older, and especially over the last few years, this number decreased further...  and I needed to confined or justify myself to less and less people...  I still have a great number of "friends"...  but close ones... not so much... and I think this is normal (as we grow older, we have a web of people that are similar to ourselves in interest but not as much friends that you see daily or weekly...)... and what I have had a problem with recently is that the close friends I have, are very similar to me... in that they are strong, independent women... and what have been bothering me is that they are very homey...  they love to be home and do their own things... and I felt left out... and it has been bothering me because I have this in me too... I realised recently that I love to be home, write, knit, cook and do some arts...  listen to my music... practice my yoga... I no longer care so much for restaurants and coffee shop and shopping...  but I was afraid to let it go... because I didn't want to seem boring... I didn't want to loose my friends... but it was making me unhappy...  I felt forced to go out... to maintain an image that no longer suits me...  for the benefit of the people who loved me the most... so that I do not deceive them...  I was deceiving myself...  as if being me and happy would deceive them!!!! I was feeling guilty for enjoying being home... as if I had something more important or interesting to do...  but what if THAT is important and interesting to me???  Who cares really???

I have been very though on them recently... and I am sorry for it...
I now understand that we can be very good friends.... and I can still care and feel connected to them even if I do not see them on a regular basis because what we have is stronger than time and space.. the connection we have goes beyond that... it goes beyond knowing what they do every minute of their lives...  This is new to me... I have always been the type if I do not see you almost daily I eventually forget about you...  but those 2 friends, I wish not to forget about them at all... (they know who they are...)

Once again, I am sorry if I have been putting you thru a roller coaster....  I am feeling better now! :-)

On another note, I like to make a summary of my life at my birthday instead of New Year's...  just because this is more significant to me... last year, I had set a goal to work on selling my book and I did that... sales are going up slowly but surely... I will still work on that this year... and I am setting up to start a microbusiness...  not sure how this will evolve precisely but there sure is an ebook coming for a start....

As for the rest of the year, I am not making big plans... I want to see where life leads me...  I am tired of trying to control everything...  and I am going to let life bring me where I should be...  It has always done a great job despite me trying to control everything so I am giving up (on controlling) and will just live my life...  who knows what great thing is awaiting me???

Now, I will go on to my yoga practice and having supper by myself (husband and son are working and at their dad's respectively) which will most likely be my favorite smoothies (almond chocolate milk, banana, raspberries and chia seeds) with a side of 1 or 2 apples... I will knit and maybe rent a romantic movie...

Happy birthday to me!

love&peace,
nath
xox
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it has been 2 weeks... since I lost my job...

It has been 2 weeks since I lost my job...  to tell you the truth, I am still having a hard time...  and I was wondering why...  I am not one to hold on to past things.... at least I don't think so...  I was quite happy to leave this job because to me it meant I was moving on to another phase of my life....  for the last 36 days, I was doing a countdown...  and I had a huge smile on my face...

So I was wondering, why is this job more difficult to leave behind?  Everywhere I worked I had a good time and met great people...  everywhere I work I was lucky enough to do a job I liked....  everywhere I worked I miss some of the people...

The differences lies in the fact that at this last job, I felt like I made a difference...  I felt like the work I did was worth more than a pay check! I felt I was appreciated for who I was....  not only the work I did...  and this to me is really precious...  So my last coworkers who are reading this blog (you know who you are), you might be happy to know that I am still sad... and I still miss you...  and that the big smile I had over the last days, was mostly for you guys...  for you not to feel sad that I am leaving....  or feel bad for me...  I knew I was gona be all right in due time... I have been honest with you all along, but I am really bad with good byes... this is how I dealt with it.... concentrating on the after B******...  to avoid the sadness of going away... 

I now need to move on slowly but surely...  I just feel lost... I have many ideas...  many project..... but I am unsure to which one I should hold on too..  which one I should put first on my priority list... which one to hold on really tight... I am VATA in nature (this is my dominant dosha according to Ayurveda), which means I get carried away easily...  I stress easily (yes I do... I just learned to manage it really well)...  My mind flutters from one thing to another... I get involve in many things but rarely finish anything...  this is when my dosha is unbalanced... like when you're going thru major changes in life...  it can do that! (next Friday I will post more about the doshas... I am no expert but it can be interesting to have an introduction to the subject...  it is a science more the 5000 years old so there has to be some truth to that!)

I need to rebalance it in order to stop going from one idea to another and keep my focus... on what should be first, second, and so on...  I can do that by meditation and yoga...  the "funny" thing is that when my VATA is getting out of control, it is even more difficult to meditate... 
I can do it with food also... depending on what you eat, you can play with your doshas... I am in a good season food wise to have to work on my VATA... 

I have all the tools I need....  I know what I should be doing...  and I also know that I need time... time to wander around and do nothing meaningful... or that seems to be... but everything is always meaningful...  this time that my logical brain is calling wasted time is time where I rebuild myself... I need it... for the future....

I have register for an online course that should help me get direction with the next step in my life... I think, that before this course gets completed, I should hold on making any major decisions.... and avoid unnecessary steps or actions that would not get me where I want....

For that reason, I will keep my current engagement but will not make anymore before the Holidays...  between the few engagements left and the Holiday season, I will be taking time to myself...  reading and completing my online training....  preparing for a new year.... and a new me!

Of course I will keep my bi-weekly post on this blog...  and my weekly post on Vegan restaurant finder blog  ...  and a weekly post on my website - starting next week...  the blog on my website is new and will be less of my emotions, state of mind, reflection... more of facts, tips and tricks... to live simply, healthy and peacefully...  this will start next Thursday!!!  Can't wait for that!!!

What about you???  what do you do when you feel like everything is out of control???  when you feel like you have no directions but all directions are open to you???  what do you turn too??? 

love&peace,
nath
xox
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Follow up on my Project 333

Today I do not feel like a very deep meaningful post...  I am in a mood for something light...  and because I have been doing this 2 months of not buying anything challenge with myself and because I realized a few things about my Project 333, why not talk about clothes???

I had committed mid September to not buy anything that was not essential...  well it worked out until last Friday...  I bought the dress pictured above... to my defense, it fits me really well... goes VERY well with my style and it was 50% off!!!  I can also wear it in a few different ways and at least for 3 seasons....  so it's a GREAT buy!!!!   I will take picture of me wearing the dress in different ways and make a post about it later on...

Do I feel bad because I did not succeed???  Not at all... No regrets is my moto...  It was at a price I could afford... It fits me well and is my style...  rarely do I find pieces nowadays that can actually fit all those 3 criteria...  especially in "regular" stores...  Of course I had only on more week to go...  and it would have been a complete success... but quite frankly, this "game" of not buying anything no longer is fun...  or challenging... as I truly do not even feel like buying most if the time! I am at a point, where I buy what I need, at the price I want, when I need it... if it is a perfect fit to my body and my style...  I will have to come up with new challenges....

As for Project 333, you might think I am not a fast learner...  cause I seem to be making the same mistake season after season...  I try to stick with the 3 months as suggested by Courtney here ... However, for some reason, it does not seem to work here in Montreal and with my lifestyle... I started October with 33 items on the nose....  Now I removed some as we got to early November...  and I feel like putting more on the side as when snow comes in, I am not very likely to wear them...  althus I might feel like it once in a while...  So I will be starting my own season of Project 333... It will start today...  and finish once the nicer season gets back...  this is more likely going to be end of March...

I will have 2 sets of clothes...  some regular ones... which will consist of what I wear 95% of the time... and some not so regular ones that I will put away but not too far in case I feel like wearing them...

Regular clothes:

2 pairs of jeans
1 corduroy purple pants
1 grey corduroy wide wide leg pants
1 black cotton harem pants
1 green cotton harem pants
1 red velvet skirt
1 beige and navy skirt (a dress that I have turned into a skirt)
1 LBD
1 funky 70's dress (picture above)
1 jean shirt
1 flannel shirt
1 black/mustard fancy top
1 black long sleeve
2 grey long sleeve
2 beige long sleeve
1 grey plain t-shirt
1 white plain t-shirt
1 Ganesh t-shirt
2 grey vest
1 mustard yellow vest
2 beige vest

Total : 26 items

Not so regular items:

2 pairs of wide legs jeans
1 long black skirt
1 long grey skirt
1 black jumpsuit

Total: 5 items

Grand total of 31 items...  still below my permitted limit of 33!!!  Ye!!!

Even keeping a safety net, only because I have never worn so few items in such a long period, I am still following my rules of 33 items...  After I am done with this season, I will have to figure out what to do... as I clearly still have too many items.... however I really do LOVE all of them... so this is not going to be easy!

I will also have to rethink my seasons....  we may have some shorter and some longer then 3 months here in Montreal... as I like the idea of Project 333 in the sense that it makes me rethink my wardrobe, if I want to keep following it, I will have to come up with new ways for me to do just that.... as Courtney likes to say, "this is not a project in suffering" therefore I will have to find my ways to do that...

What about you, are you following project 333?  why? or why not?

I am always happy to hear from you... do not hesitate to contact me!!! And forward this post to people who may be interested!

Don't forget to check out my Facebook page.... or personal profile... connect with me on twitter or google +...

love&peace,
nath
xox
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