Forget chicken soup - heres some cake for the soul... You may have seen my status about my delicious date with a piece of Jewish apple cake earlier today. Heres the story behind it: I lost both of my parents in 2013. My father lost his battle with cancer on April 19, and my mother passed on November 21, ten days after suffering a sudden, massive stroke. If losing my father threw me off balance, my mothers death finished the job and knocked me right over the edge. The holidays that followed her passing were a rushed, hazy mishmash of attempts at keeping-with-tradition, forced smiles, and lots and lots of less-than-ideal eating and exercise habits. What I mean by less-than-ideal is that I ate a lot of crap-tastic food and engaged in absolutely no exercise. I was breaking my own rule. I had abandoned my own mantra that has guided and protected me all along my journey to health and healing: Does this serve me and my purpose? I had forgotten to ask. Or maybe I just stopped caring enough to make an effort to remember. My roots had seemingly disappeared, and I was floating - disconnected like a helium balloon caught up in a directionless wind. And because I felt disconnected from everything, I started caring about almost nothing. I forgot my purpose. I forgot that my main joy is to be of service to others - my husband, my children, my friends, my clients, and my online community - and that starts with being of genuine service to myself. You may wonder why Im bringing this up right now. Because today, I ate cake. Im back on the saddle, back to my mantra, and back to my practice of being of service to myself so that I may serve others. And I still ate a giant piece of the most amazing Jewish apple cake Ive tasted... since the last time my mother made it for me. The theme for this little story is My 3 Best Tips for Eating & Moving With Love, so Im going to give those to you now. 1. Pay attention. Thats all. Dont try to change what youre doing right off the bat. Dont attempt to limit your calorie-intake or start exercising like crazy. Just pay attention to what youre doing right now. Its just like meditation. When we first sit down, cross-legged on our little pillows, we begin by simply paying attention to our breath as it is in that moment. Theres no need to do anything but observe and listen to what our body is saying. This works with diet and exercise, too. When we pay attention, observe, watch, and listen, we begin to understand, see patterns, and affect change without even trying. The easiest way to pay attention that doesnt take super-yogi spidey senses: a food diary. If you bite it, write it. I keep my hand-written food diary in an orange Moleskine notebook. I hear there are special apps for it, too. Im not a fan of calorie-counting, so Ive never found the necessity for such a fancy upgrade. 2. Always be honest, and never judge. Ive lied to myself. Ive eaten pie and forgotten to write it down in my food diary. I know what youre thinking. Why lie when youre the only one who sees it? Because, my dear friends, I often play the same role in my life that you probably play in yours from time to time - I am my own worst critic, my most unforgiving judge. Do yourself the favor that I havent afforded myself too many times - always be honest, and stop your judgement in its tracks. It doesnt serve you or your journey to lie about the reality of your present. Until you reconcile with your present, the Universe will never allow you to move forward. Speaking of service... 3. Does this serve me and my purpose? This is my golden mantra. I ask myself this question before every meal, every workout (that I may or may not be dreading), every business deal, and before entering into any new relationship. Is what Im about to do in alignment with service to myself and in turn to those whom I intend to serve? Ive discovered that time and time again, when I am acting from a place of love and high regard for myself and my purpose, that all decisions become easy... and worthy of me. So lets talk about the cake. I was standing in a local deli with my 14-year-old son. We had just left his doctor appointment, and I decided that instead of bringing him back to school, we would have a special lunch date instead - just the two of us. Even at 35, Im still a fan of ditching school for any option promising more fun. There was a Jewish apple cake in the display case, something that Ive never seen in a deli in that part of South Jersey. I spent the morning and the night before thinking a lot about my mom, so I smiled to myself when I saw the cake. Jewish apple cake was one of her few specialties, and she made it often. I took it as a sign. After ordering our sandwiches and potato salad, I gave in to the urging of the Universe and my longing for a taste of my moms cake. I ordered a slice for each of us and got more excited for it with every bite of my sandwich. I couldnt wait to taste it again. It had been so long. I eat a generally clean diet that consists of mostly raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and only water and herbal tea for beverages. Theres not much room for cake or refined sugars of any kind. However, I try to fit them in when it feels right. Today I ate that huge piece of cake, and it was in total aligned service with my purpose. This piece of cake wasnt meant to cover a pain or fill a void. It wasnt a decadent treat or a cheat on my otherwise pristine diet. This cake was a warm hug. It was a reminder that all is not lost and that there are reminders of lifes beauty (and my mom) everywhere. It surprised me in the deli case today much like when my mother would stop by unannounced with her own cake, still warm from the oven and sprinkled with powdered sugar, ready for us to devour in one sitting. Sometimes when we ask, Does this serve me? and were asking from a place of genuine love and respect for our purpose, the answer may surprise us. More often than not, a yoga class, a date with a person weve been admiring from afar for a while, or a giant kale salad will get a resounding YES! Other times, well get a yes to a piece of cake or playing hooky or watching a marathon of the Real Housewives instead of going to the gym. Today, I am so grateful for the service provided by that slice of cake.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 01:45:15 +0000
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