SONG OF THE WEEK

"I cannot think of a song that fires me up and encourages me to dig deeper more than Frank Sinatra's 'My Way.' As entrepreneurs, sometimes we bite off more than we can chew. We have regrets, but too few to mention, as we are people who are willing to take risks and put ourselves out there. I guess the ending is most appropriate. 'To think I did all that / And may I say, not in a shy way / Oh, no. Oh, no, not me / I did it my way.' There's not much more of an entrepreneur-spirited line than that." – Julie Busha, CEO, Slawsa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQzdAsjWGPg

SONG OF THE WEEK

This weeks song of the week reminds us that sometimes it is hard to follow your heart, but do it anyway. Always be true to who you are.  https://youtu.be/j2WWrupMBAE

FINDING OUR VOICE

One of the reasons Zoe and I decided to give up animal products was that we decided to get serious about our health and working to reverse some of our health issues. Better late than never. What we have quickly learned, however, is that we fell into the trap of eating the same type of foods, just vegan style. Our quickie lunches became “chicken” patties with sweet potato fries and salad. We became quickly aware that our menu choices were become increasingly dependent on faux meats and cheeses. Yes, they were vegan but they were allowing us to be on a plant based diet with minimal eating of plants. I think there is something wrong with that

Even the recipes in the cookbook I had said I was going to cook my way through were  vegan, but had minimal use of plants. Now I realize that nuts and grains and beans can be classified as plants. However, for us, we were thinking more about fruits and vegetables. So this week, we made the decision to focus on meals that were 50% fruits and vegetables and the balance could be grains and other proteins. While I may still prepare a dish or two from that cookbook, we have decided we need to make and eat things that are more plant, as we defined it, centered.

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SONG OF THE WEEK

“This is who I am. You can like it or not. You can love me or leave me. Cuz I’m never gonna stop.” This is the theme of this week's song of the week “This is who I am. You can like it or not. You can love me or leave me. Cuz I’m never gonna stop.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=45&v=UvUXm26EKso

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Who you are and what you do are connected

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Be you, because you are perfect just as you are each moment.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Are you listening for the sound of the genuine in yourself? Can you hear it? If not, silence yourself so you can.

DO YOU

This has been a fast-paced and hectic week for me. I was having a hard time quieting my brain enough to get inspired. I was torn between reflecting on an ingredient or a product. This morning, I woke up to a reminder on Facebook of a blog I wrote three years ago today. As I reread it, I laughed as it fits perfectly with our spiritual practice this month -- you. I took this as a sign to share my thoughts again. 

It has been a while since I posted here, while I have been resting, healing, and preparing for the next round of surgery. However, I was reminded of something last night that resonated with my soul and that is in all things to do you. I was watching a special episode of Chopped (no surprise to those who read this blog often) and Katie Lee, one of the competitors, was surprised that she won. In reflecting on it, she talked about how she thought she had won because she had stayed true to who she was. Katie is best known for her comfort foods and that is what she cooked all three courses, foods filled with memories of growing up and cooking with her grandmother and mother. She gave the judges her on a plate.

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BE YOU

This morning I was thinking about this month’s spiritual practice. I had this epiphany that my wife has taught me so much about the spiritual practice of you. One of the first things she said to me when we were dating is that she was allergic to makeover queens. She defined them as those people who placed conditions on love. They are those people who say I would love you if _________ (you can fill in the blank).

I am not sure about anyone else, but I have known more than my share of people who have always let me know I was not enough of something or too much of something. I never quite fit their approval just as I was. The reality, I came to understand, is that it didn’t matter what I did, I would never be cast in their storyline because I would never have their unconditional love and acceptance.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Everyday is filled with opportunities to become wiser and to be able to love unconditionally. Life is our classroom, what you learn depends on your willingness to show up, study, and do your homework.

MY THEME SONG

I remember growing up being taught that my name was a legacy. I was told my name was changed to Sharon because my parents wished for me to become progressively happy in my life. My Hebrew name is Sarai Bella, which means beautiful princess. This was the legacy I was given when my family named me. Consciously or unconsciously, this seems to have become a part of my life. Each day I find myself moving to a greater and deeper level of happiness. Perhaps it in this same sense that I am growing into the calling of nobility that was prophesied for me when I was adopted into my family.

I have been thinking a lot about this today because I was recently asked a similar question. What is your theme song? See it is one day for others to prophesize about you with your name, but when I adopt a song as my theme song or am given one by someone else, it has the same effect. As far as I know, nobody has ever given me a theme song, so I decide to select one for myself. The one I decided to make my theme song is “If I were brave,” by Jana Stanfield. I picked this song because it is a reminder that if I believe that I can and that you are with me in this journey, then I can accomplish anything that I feel led to accomplish. This video is filled with the stories of women who embraced their courage and bravery and followed their heart.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Being of service to others does not mean we are better then them. It simply means we are being of service. Those who are of service to us, does not make them better then us, they are like us simply being of service.

ONE SPIRIT, MANY VOICES

The December issue of One Spirit, Many Voice is now available for download at http://inspiritual.biz/newsletters/

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

We are each on a journey to the deepest understanding of ourselves. It is all about the journey and each of us is on our own.

DO YOU

It has been a while since I posted here, while I have been resting, healing, and preparing for the next round of surgery. However, I was reminded of something last night that resonated with my soul and that is in all things to do you. I was watching a special episode of Chopped (no surprise to those who read this blog often) and Katie Lee, one of the competitors, was surprised that she won. In reflecting on it, she talked about how she thought she had won because she had stayed true to who she was. Katie is best known for her comfort foods and that is what she cooked all three courses, foods filled with memories of growing up and cooking with her grandmother and mother. She gave the judges her on a plate.

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CONSTANCY

Last week, I wrote about consistency and one of my readers commented back to me on LinkedIn that it was also about constancy. This week, I thought I would spend some time thinking about constancy, as it is important both in and out of the kitchen. Constancy has been defined by Merriam Webster as the “state of being constant or unchanging” and as the capacity to demonstrate “steadfastness of mind under duress.” Cooking requires one to constant and at the same not be constant.  There are those moments when preparing the meal, especially during the holiday season or other major event, can seem stressful. However, in those times, one stays centered, focused, and remembers that one will make it through one more time. Watching chefs at work, you can see their constancy. Regardless of how hectic things get and how much duress they are under, that ability to stay constant is important in ensuring the quality of food, but also the ability to be present for the kitchen staff. In cooking competitions, one sees the cheftestants ability to stay constant during competition. At the same time, it is important to be open to constantly growing and evolving in one’s knowledge and understanding of foods, ingredients, preparation methods, etc. chefs can spend years perfecting a single dish. 
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Y is for You

This morning while I was posting my thought for the day to my blog on WordPress, I came across this picture about self-acceptance. While the picture has nothing to do with food, other than counting calories or eating vegan, it has do with something important to one’s approach to cooking, food, and spirituality – YOU. After all, as the sign says we are all different. Our relationships with ourselves, Spirit, and food is not about others, but about us.

As I thought about this, I realized that one could re-create this about food.

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