We are having the most beautiful spring weather this year...in the morning and evening the humidity is low, the temperatures are perfect, and there is the lightest of breezes, all of which brings me such a sense of peace and joy...even when I am not feeling very well, it is pretty hard to feel too badly when it is so magnificent outside. And yet there are parts of the day when it becomes just a bit too warm, the sun feels a little too hot, and the breeze seems to have died down...and I begin to feel just a tad uncomfortable. It brings to mind how much nature is like life itself...one minute you can be feeling as though all is well and nothing could disrupt the great feeling you are basking in at that moment...and then, poof, something happens to burst the bubble...nothing major, just enough to disrupt the good mojo you've been feeling.

It brings to mind how all things turn and change - how the turns of the weather are just like us - all is well, and then it's not...but then things turn once again,and all is well once again.

And so I attempt to learn the lessons that nature offers - to accept each moment as it is...to understand that I won't always feel good, things won't always go exactly according to plan, some days all will be well with the world, and there will be those times when it all feels like nothing is right. It is all just a part of the natural flow of life. I remember Eckhart Tolle (author of A New Earth) describing acceptance as "being the space for what is"...and that is how I am trying to live my life...just being the space for the glorious emotion of that beautiful sunny day, knowing that the sun will eventually be blocked by clouds...and the clouds will produce rain...but then once again the sun will shine...and the cycle will start all over again. And although I much prefer the sunny days, I accept the darker days for helping me to appreciate the good ones all the more. ~ Andrea :-)

Another Earth Day is upon us, and I am so thankful that caring for our planet is no longer considered just a passing fad, but acutally a serious concern that is getting serious attention.

I remember the first time I was exposed to the thought that we have a personal responsibility to care for our natural resources...I was in my teens and saw a television commercial that featured an American Indian dressed in his traditional garb, standing in front of a polluted lake with this huge tear running down the side of his face. That powerful message really touched me, and for the first time I was struck by the thought that we are all caretakers of the resources we have been blessed with...and that the consequences of not doing so, are quite serious.

Many years passed before I was again reminded of this sense of responsiblity - gas prices were on the rise and we were all looking for ways to lower prices, and most especially to become less dependent on foreign oil. We were warned that wasting power wasted energy and oil, and we all learned about recycling, reducing usage, and to reuse. And many of us did start incorporating these small steps into our everyday lives...yet, the reality is very few took this seriously enough, myself included... we continued to drive large vehicles, to want the conveniences of disposable everything, buying new instead of used, and especially not giving up our hair spray and other personal grooming products, that were contributing to reduction in the ozone layer. We cared, but didn't want to sacrifice. And now we are faced with the reality that we no longer have a choice - we have to stop wasting, stop being selfish, and start putting out money where our thoughts are...

Tips for an eco-friendly, green life abound - do an internet search and thousands of articles will appear. I spent the better part of the last couple of weeks writing an article for Heal With Hope outlining ways to build, live, and buy green.

Some of the more general tips included:

Drive Less
Buy Less
Buy Local
Take your own bags to the grocery store or use recyclable bags
Wash clothes in cold water
Buy energy efficient appliances
Insulate your home properly

If each of did just these few things the positive impact would be monumental!!

Whatever you do, on April 22nd please take a moment to look around you - give thanks for the beauty and abundance of this great earth...and make a pledge to yourself to do what you can to honor and love it by living a clean, green life. ~ Andrea :-)

There was a time that no matter how hard I tried it was almost impossible to imagine myself as a healthy, functioning being. I was continually told that if I wanted to put the power of my thoughts to work for me, then I needed to see myself and/or my life exactly how I wanted it to be. At that time I was in such a difficult place, my health so poor, it was hard to remember what it was like to be healthy and to feel well.

It is years later, and although I still have some challenges with my health, the strides I have made amaze even me...I had been sick for so long I don't think many people thought I would recover, and there were times when I was one of them. But somehow I was able to maintain my connection to my "healthy spot" deep within...a place that I believe exists within all of us. How do you find and connect with your healthy spot? Try sitting quietly and do your best to imagine yourself with the kind of health your want to have, or place you want to be at in your life...then concentrate your energy and thoughts to that place, blocking out any other thoughts or feelings the best you can. As you continually connect with your healthy spot you continue to plant seeds of wellness, which in time will blossom and grow deep within you.

I am not saying that this connection is the magic answer to everyone's woes...but I personally believe that by seeing, feeling, and imagining what it is you want for yourself, does make it more possible.

You must also be willing to pay the price for good health - eat right, exercise, learn to manage stress...and if you do these things, and you keep your focus on what you want to do, be, and feel...you may just find that the Universe is guiding you to the people, places and things that can make it happen. ~ Andrea :-)

I think I finally get it.

For years I have struggled with my health, which created stress and challenge in many other areas of my life. And eventually the cycle of worry and fear became a way of life, a part of my being. Without realizing it I was living in a state of constant anticipation of the worst, which only served to impact the present by drawing more of that negative energy into my life. I was unable to be "present" because my mind was always looking backward or forward, but rarely was I living in the "Now".

After reading Eckhart Tolle's masterpiece, A New Earth, and participating in Oprah's online classes with Tolle, I have started to recognize this pattern in myself...and by followng his simple suggestions have made remarkable strides in living in the Now, of being more present, and therefore better able to live in a state of peace and harmony.

Just by becoming aware of how my ego and pain-bodies (emotional blocks)interfere with finding peace in the present moment has been immensely beneficial. When I find myself looking back, or becoming anxious about the future, I focus my attention on my breath, which has a way of returning my thoughts to the present moment. His others suggestions of focusing on the hands, feet, and body to feel their "aliveness", as well as putting full attention on nature are also very helpful.

I know that I can never erase all of the difficult experiences of my past, and wouldn't want to as they helped me to become a stronger and more spriitual person...and I also know that worrying about what may or may not happen in the future is a waste of time and energy...and so the best I can do for myself is to live in the Now...finding the peace and harmony of this moment, as I know that is the best way to make the most of this moment, and to continue to draw that energy into my life. ~ Andrea :-)