I sit in a cushioned chair next to my gas fireplace, George Winston's “Autumn” fills the room with his rustic piano. I sip vanilla nut creme tea. I usually sit in the kitchen but because it is chilly now in the morning and our radiators aren't on yet, I turn on the fire and sit next to it. I love Autumn. I love a quiet morning like this.
I used to have mornings like this all the time. I would play my music, write in my journal and enjoy my coffee. Over the years I have swerved into a bit of a rut. I haven't been listening to my music, I have been typing (like I am now) and I missed making my morning more of a ritual instead of just habitual.
In that time too I have gotten older and I have built up what I feel are a lot of toxins.
Of these toxins I would highlight the following: caffeine, chlorine from tap water, poor food choices, the media and stress.
The last one, stress is a double edged sword because I am naturally someone who gets stressed easily and then I stress that I get stressed. Scary.
I am trying to do things on purpouse now. I have the decaf tea instead of the coffee, I still write on my laptop but try to not habitually read the news or go to websites that are negative. I make sure I have music to listen to. I like George Winston. I have been listening to that “Autumn” CD ever since college.
I am going organic food wise. I am buying all my food now either at my Co-op or in the organic section of my grocery store. I am also taking supplements. A whole food “Nature's Plus” vitamen “green” shake, psyllium husk powder and Apple Cider Vinegar.
The Apple Cider Vinegar thing is weird. I started doing it earlier in the week and I have had more energy that I have had in years. The thing of it is, it doesn't take long for the body to respond to things like this. We are like plants that look all droopy and dying and then you WATER the plant and in a very short time you look over and it has sprung back to full glorious life. It is very important what we put in our systems. Even down to showering in the morning. I am getting a shower filter to remove the chlorine and other chemicals from the shower. Just because you don't drink the water doesn't mean your body isn't absorbing all of those chemicals when you are in the shower. In fact, you absorb even more of the chemicals and more quickly because you are not only dowsing your body with the water, but you're inhaling the steam that contains all the truly horrible chemicals.
I admit I have been a germ freak in the past. I was always using that hand sanitizer stuff. But the chemicals we use to combat these germs are doing harm to our bodies and diminishing our defenses.
Another place where we have chemicals going awry is in our laundry. I have been using major brand detergent and dryer sheets forever. I was reading an article about how important it is to get rid of THOSE chemicals too. Brand name detergent I swear is designed in cahoots with clothing companies. I swear this detergent is designed to ruin our clothes and make us have to go and buy new stuff on a yearly basis. We take our dirty laundry and make it even dirtier by using soap that contains dyes, chemicals, fragrances that adhere to the clothing and then we wear these clothes all day and the chemicals get into our bodies. So I trotted down to the Co-op and bought some laundry soap that was nothing more than that. Just soap with no additional anything except natural water softeners. No smell at all. It was weird to smell something that had no smell. The major brand unscented soaps are STILL scented. So I washed my bedding with this soap and it was so weird to feel sheets (for the first time) cleaner then they have ever been before. And the smell? Cotton. Pure cotton and that was it.
I have also replaced my household cleaners with home-made cleaners that contain nothing more than distilled water, vinegar and when nescessary castille soap. I have also added essential oils of lavendar and lemon grass. It is such an interesting mental shift because I used to freak out about the harsh chemicals I was putting on my counter and my hands would get dried and cracked after cleaning. And Lord knows how my poor body dealt with absorbing those chemicals. Yikes! Now I can pretty much drink my household cleaners (except the castille soap ones). So immediately, there was a major fear (of harsh chemicals) alleviated.
And I believe the energy put out from doing this has made my home feel more balanced.
In turn, I feel more balanced and will continue to work in that direction.