Rants & Raves 7/7/13


Oh, the webbernet! It gets me all riled up with dire news and mainstream idiocy, then blammo! it hits me with something so awesome, it must be shared. Welcome to a new collection of Rants & Raves!

Rants

I just don’t even want to be all Negative Nelly right now, so no Rants this week. Only Raves… here’s to focusing on the good, right?!

Raves

It’s really not that groovy, I promise!
I began meditating in the fall of 2011 as part of my Healing Experiment, and long-time readers know, I approached meditation and yoga, loudly kickly and screaming, thoroughly against my will (and every other “NO!” cliché you can think of). But now I’m a convert. And the worst kind of convert, because now I want you to try meditation, too. This piece from The Atlantic digs into How Meditation Works — and makes an excellent case for why you should consider devoting 15 minutes a day to a mental time out. (I also like this short article about how yoga alters our gene activity, which is analogous to how eating paleo can alter our gene expression, a.k.a., epigenetics.)

letitbe1

I have thighs like hams.
I’ve written about my “ham thighs” before in a joking way, but (1) they really are quite ham like in their solidity and shape; and (2) I do love them quite a bit. I was reminded of that by this awesome post from  Hanne Blank. Here’s a quote to get you going:

Real women are fat.  And thin.  And both, and neither, and otherwise.  Doesn’t make them any less real…. There is a phrase I wish I could engrave upon the hearts of every single person, everywhere in the world, and it is this sentence which comes from the genius lips of the grand and eloquent Mr. Glenn Marla: There is no wrong way to have a body.

Read it all right here.

headshotThis is Hanne. She is an awesome writer.


I have thighs like hams, part 2.

Let’s keep the good body image train rolling with these kickass quotes from women about womens’ bodies. My favorite: “Real beauty isn’t about symmetry or weight or makeup; it’s about looking life right in the face and seeing all its magnificence reflected in your own.” ~Valerie Monroe

body-boosting-image-quotes


Beating the Sunday blues.

I admit it: I’m spoiled. Because I work at home, I don’t fall prey to the Sunday blues. But 20 years of corporate life made me very familiar with that sneaking sense of dread that can materialize on Sunday afternoon when the work week begins to encroach on your peace of mind. Psych Central offers 7 helpful tips to stop Sunday night anxiety.

131475

A nice cuppa.
In the journal that I kept during our 6-week European adventure this summer, I wrote, “When in doubt, have a nice cup of tea. A cup of tea is always a good idea.” George Orwell agree, only with much stronger opinions than mine about what tea should and should not be. The Kitchn gives us George Orwell’s 11 Golden Rules For Making the Perfect Cup of Tea. (For what it’s worth, this Rooibus Earl Gray from Adagio is my favorite right now.)

tea

A Final Thought…

justmarried

It’s our anniversary! Dave and I have been married for 6 years, but partners in crime for 21. That’s more than 7500 days of togetherness, and it is totally awesome. Please join us in raising a glass (or a cup of tea) and listen to this song in honor of true love.

Rants & Raves: 10 January 2020

It's been ages since I posted my favorite links each week, but this year, I'm bringing it back! Buckle up for some of the best...

Read More
Rants & Raves – 09 March

Rants & Raves is where I share links to stuff that caught my attention online during the previous week. Today’s collection is all Raves because...

Read More

Comments

  • Lisa K says:

    I like the quote by Cheri K. Erdman. I never thought about it that way. Happy Anniversary!

  • Aussiebird says:

    I literally think you are the most beautiful person I have ever come across. Thank you so much for your amazing blog, it brightens my days with every entry. I am trying trying trying to beat a major eating disorder, sugar addiction, etc and eat paleo – am finding it so hard to make the complete leap but without knowing it, you are helping me!! And I know it’s the way to go. Thankyou. And I LOVE the photo of you and Dave – happy anniversary.

    • Mel says:

      You are so very nice with the compliments… thank you! Wishing you all the best in managing your eating disorder and other food challenges. We’re all in it together!

      Thank you, too, for the anniversary wishes.

  • nalani says:

    Happy Anniversary!

  • Barbara says:

    Gosh! Thanks for the wonderful quotes about our bodies! Thanks for the fabulous read from George Orwell! And thanks for the Bobby Darin song!
    Thank you for lifting my spirits this evening.
    Have a wonderful anniversary

  • De23 says:

    Happy Anniversary! Since you’ve been married 6 years I see that you were one of the 7/7/07 weddings. I guess that luck has held! It’s also my son’s birthday today. He was born in 2000, which means that on 7/7/07 he turned…7. And yes, he’s pretty lucky too!

    Anyway, here’s one of my favorite tea quotes, from CS Lewis: “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” So true for me and I suspect for you as well!

  • Courtney says:

    Happy Anniversary! Lucky man 🙂

  • Wendy says:

    I have thighs like hams too!!! lol.

  • Nicole says:

    Congrats on your anniversary!

  • Happy Anniversary! That’s a beautiful picture of you both 🙂

  • hwalkerf says:

    This post did a mind and body good after returning from an extended absence; as always thanks for sharing.

    PS. I wanted to say how stunning that photo is of you…but that doesn’t quite cut it. I’m sure the photographer is quite talented, but the beauty captured is all you!

  • Lynn Collins says:

    Hi Mel,

    Congratulations on your six-year wedding anniversary! How wonderful!

    I, too, tried meditation but I had a really hard time with it (several years ago). My goal was to do it each day for a year. I made it three months. While I didn’t stick with it, it did teach me to breathe – and breathe properly – when in a stressful situation, so I can kick anxiety in the butt whenever it strikes. Meditation taught me how to use breathing as a tool, so I can be prepared for whatever life throws at me.

    Thank you for your interesting post!

  • I hear-tea-ly approve of a cuppa at any time of day.

LEAVE A NOTE