Your Well Being Tip of the Day


Stop every now and then. Just stop and enjoy. Take a deep breath. Relax and take in the abundance of life.

Healthy and Delicious Food!

Gabriel's Guacamole

Named after the Archangel Gabriel, this guac is so good (and good for you) that you might hear the angels singing.




Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
1 plum tomato
1 jalapeño chili (seeded and finely chopped)
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/3 cup chopped sweet onion
Salt to taste
Plain tortilla chips (baked, if you like)

Instructions:
Place jalapeno, cilantro, onion, and salt in a large mortar, and grind away with the pestle. It's okay if the onions remain a bit chunky. Cut the avocados in half. Twist in opposite directions to separate. Slip a spoon in, scoop the fruit out, and place it on a cutting board. Chop into chunks. Cut tomato in half crosswise. Gently squeeze to get seeds out. Now add avocado and chopped tomato to onion mixture in the mortar. Mash. Spoon until mostly blended (some of the avocado chunks should remain intact.) Serve immediately. Makes 12 tablespoon-sized servings.

 

Hawaiian Hula Punch - So Refreshing

Fun Factoid -: Papaya is the only food containing papain, a powerful enzyme that digests proteins.





Ingredients:
2 medium bananas, cut into chunks
1 ripe mango, cut into chunks
1 ripe papaya, cut into chunks
4 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
4 cups seltzer

Instructions:
In a blender add bananas, mango, papaya, and pineapple juice. Puree until smooth, and pour into glasses. Serves 8.

… Recipes by Janice Taylor
 

Social Connections and the Power of Happiness

A little while ago I watched a PBS special called "This Emotional Life" and one of the pieces of research they featured was on social connections and happiness. The research was conducted by Dr. Nicholas Christakis of Harvard, who's been researching social connections for decades. And what he has discovered is truly remarkable!

Dr. Christakis’ research reveals that if you have a friend who is happy, the probability that you will feel happy increases by 15%. And if that friend has a friend who is happy (someone you may not even know), the probability that you will feel happy increases by 10%. And if that friend’s friend has a friend who is happy, the likelihood that you will become happy increases by about 6%. In fact, it takes four degrees of separation (in other words, your friend’s, friend’s, friend’s friend) before there is no measurable difference in your happiness!

Clearly this shows that the people we spend the most time with have a significant impact on our happiness, not to mention many other components of our well-being (for more on this, watch Dr. Christakis share his research findings during this fascinating TED talk.) And of course, our level of happiness impacts the people we spend time with as well. In short, research shows us, more and more, that happiness is indeed contagious. What we’ve known instinctively, and felt keenly at times, is now supported by science.

In fact, happiness is so contagious that people we don’t even know have an impact on our happiness and vice versa. Think about it. We have the ability to really impact the happiness of the people we interact with every day by being happy ourselves - whenever we are spending time with our family members, friends, or colleagues we have an opportunity to lead with happiness (even though Dr. Christakis’ research didn’t directly address a family or work context, imagine the link). A simple act like giving someone a compliment, recognizing something they’ve done, or smiling as they pass by could make them happier, which according to this research, may in turn cause others well beyond your immediate social circle to feel happier.

And if you want to discover more ways to boost your sense of happiness, and therefore spread happiness around more, the great news is that researchers in the exciting new branch of psychology called positive psychology are giving us the tools. Their research shows that there are things that we can do to become happier over time – in short, to boost our happiness quotient. If this interests you, I recommend that you take a look at Dr. Martin Seligman’s book "Authentic Happiness" or read this Time Magazine Article.

For several years now, I’ve been using many of these simple yet powerful tools to become happier myself, and to coach my clients to happiness. Time and time again I've seen and felt the impacts of becoming happier – it’s incredible to watch people gradually feel more pleasure, more meaning, and more contentment over time. And now we know that the gains we make in happiness are gains we share with our friends, and with their friends and their friends, etc. This brings new meaning to the words of Bertrand Russell who said "If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years." Absolutely.

Here’s to our collective happiness ☺
Lee

Freshly Mowed Grass – Relaxation through the Sense of Smell

Grass: a carpet of lush green vegetation, a sea of tranquility surrounding houses, trailers and castles alike. Grass is the homeowner’s common denominator. Perhaps nothing sends the mind daydreaming more quickly than gazing at a yard or field of emerald green grass. And what it is that sends the mind to seventh heaven upon smelling freshly cut grass remains a mystery, but rest assured, this aroma is one of nature’s most pleasurable scents.

Some say that it’s the scent in the moisture that the grass releases when trimmed. Others say it is reminiscent of early childhood memories where outdoor play was first introduced. Still others cite the dynamics of photosynthesis. The mystery needn’t be solved, only enjoyed when possible. So take a walk in your neighborhood tonight and see if your nose leads you to a street corner where the grass has been neatly trimmed and memories call you back to your childhood.

…Brian Luke Seaward

 

Eileen Park Bench

This brilliant poem was written on June 20 (the first day of summer) by my very talented friend Brian McClennon, and he's given me permission to share it here. As he says, it's a fusion of image and poem (*note that the copy is included in larger font below the image). I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Eileen D

Today I decided to sit and have coffee with an old friend.
I often enjoy her company.
She’s quiet,
Doesn’t say much,
But is very supportive.

It was two days after her birthday,
And one day after her rebirth,
The first day of summer.
Even though the day was cool,
So was the view,
And was the water,
Where ships squatted in the Bay.

We’ve sat here countless times before.
People watching, reading silently
Or just reflecting as the beauty stretches out before us.
Today was no different,
We did all of the above.

So as the girt of the grinds
Washed up on my tongue
Like the sands of the shore,
I knew our visit was at an end,
And it was time to leave her
Once again

I collected my things,
My coffee cup,
My pastry wrapper,
My book, as well as myself.
And as usual,
Eileen decided to stay behind.