I send bi-monthly newsletters via email on various health and wellness topics. While I hope this blog is both informative and entertaining, the newsletters cover specific health topics in greater detail. Please contact me by email at bebymarcy@gmail.com or through the blog to be added to my mailing list. I’ve posted an edited version of one of my newsletters below. Thank you and enjoy!
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Spirituality 07/12/09
I was fortunate enough to hear Daniel Vitalis speak and I was blown away by his knowledge and passion for all things health-related. He has a beautiful concept of life and uses the term “surTHRival” to describe his approach.
He explained the negative connotations of surviving. For instance, we can survive on substandard foods and get by with little exercise. And we can put up with high-stress, unfulfilling jobs to make money to buy more stuff. We are alive, we are surviving, but we’re not living the life we were meant to live.
SurTHRival is about embracing life by eating healthful foods, exercising, learning, loving, traveling, spending time with friends and family and reconnecting with nature. It’s about living the longest, healthiest, most vibrant life possible.
I was left wondering how different the world would be if each of us embodied this concept- if real health and happiness were considered personal priorities.
Up until recently, I never gave spirituality much thought and although I consider myself an open-minded person, spiritu ality always seemed too ‘out there’. After all, spirituality is for yogis, gurus and flower children, right? Wrong!
Over the past year, I’ve become a spiritual person without even realizing it. Veganism became my basis for spirituality. For you, it may be the wonders of childbirth, a near-death experience, a self-help book, a beautiful sunset or a single conversation that causes a shift in consciousness.
Spirituality can be incredibly simple or incredibly complex but, at its core, I think it’s about believing in yourself and your ability to live gracefully and happily. It teaches you to appreciate the little things that make life worth living. Dirty dishes are a drag, but the wonderful, nutritious meal that you make in the process of dirtying those dishes makes it all worthwhile.
I hope these simple principles, based on Victoria Moran’s teachings, will allow you to incorporate ‘everyday spirituality’ into your lives.
Be Grateful.
‘Daily gratitudes’ set the tone for a positive, upbeat day. Before you see the sink full of dishes and the dust bunnies congregating in the corner, lie in bed and list 10 people/things/experiences you are grateful for. Every day, my partner Chris and our kitty Sparkles top my list. Sometimes silly things, like green olives (a recent obsession of mine), also make the list. There are no rules. This exercis e simply allows you to appreciate your life every morning.
Drink Good Coffee, Eat Good Food
In our culture, we tend to focus on quantity over quality. We have duped ourselves into thinking that bigger portions are more important than organic, whole foods. To make matters worse, we eat on the run out of plastic containers or in front of the television while talking on the phone.
Slow down and insert some quality into your life. “Start with what goes into your mouth, and go from there to elevate the quality of the “food” you put into your mind and heart.” Eat the best chocolate available. Read a classic. Buy yourself fresh flowers.
Cultivate Compassion
I have a perfect example of how showing compassion for others comes full circle. Just now, as I am writing this, a mailman named Eddie called to say he found my missing package! The other day, I was waiting in line to pick up mail and I overheard all three women in front of me harass this poor postal worker. I decided to be extra sweet as I approached the desk. I gave this man a smile and my slip and he went in the back to grab my package only to return empty-handed. The package was MIA. What did this man do? He gave me his cell number and told me to call him personally with my tracking number. And so I did.
I thought for sure this package was gone forever, but this miracle worker found it and notified me. Honestly, if you’ve ever dealt with the USPS, this is uncanny. I think Eddie appreciated my compassion and while I didn’t expect anything in return, he made it his personal mission to help me. Amazing.
Victoria Moran eloquently writes, “Compassion means living with the knowledge that your life is as important as mine, your dreams are as valid, your children as precious, your pain as real. Compassion gives us a more valid view of the world by taking us out of its center.” Love her!
Be Gracious,
Marcy
