Check Your Mind At The Door

Ok, well not exactly leave your mind behind, but give it a break. The value of this cannot be underestimated and twice in the past few weeks I've been given the opportunity. Not bad.

This morning I went to my first Buddhist mediation! It's been something I've wanted to try for a long time in fact, but tried once, failed to get the time right and then it just slipped off my radar. Being one of the "spiritual but not religious" folk, different religions and their foundations have always interested me. Buddhism is one of the religions that I sort of left in 6th grade Social Studies class with Ms. Harrison. I remember some dude named Siddhartha going off and finding nirvana, but that's about the extent of my grasp on the topic.

Thankfully, a local Buddhist center offers Intro to Meditation class every week, so I decided to give it a go. And I must say the take away was profound. Our instructor told us about the practices and the foundations of why one must meditate. Then after getting an overview of how to meditate and mastering the body posture, we gave it a try for several minutes. The basis of the practice entails letting all of your thoughts go and focus on your breathing. We were told that if a thought, bodily distraction or emotional state enters your meditation, you must recognize it and let it go. The important thing is not to dismiss the distraction completely, but to not get involved during mediation. See it clearly and let it go. I had the usual first-timer issues with having thoughts pop in and my foot falling asleep and so on, but overall it was pretty interesting to try.

In the teacher's follow up to our beginner fears of having too many thoughts and being uncomfortable, he revealed the big kicker for me. Meditation, he said, was not the eradication of all thought, but the clear observation of our mind and what it does all the time. He stressed that this is how our mind is always functioning; little randome thoughts popping in from all over the place, constantly stealing time with our brain. We are humans and thankfully we're intelligent. Minds think, that's what they do. The difference here is that you can take a step back and look at this happening. Yeah, cool.

In a less controlled experiment, I had the good fortune of taking a trip to St. Maarten in the Caribbean with a group of great friends two weeks ago. A week of good company, waking up to turquoise water and sunny skies and the 4 o'clock pina colada everyday would be enough to chill anyone out I would hope. And I couldn't help but take note by day 3 as I lay napping or watching the waves, how quiet my mind was! In a good way too. For the first time in who knows how long, my mind wasn't in a thousand places. I wasn't checking my phone or email or planning what I was going to do next. It provided amazing clarity...enough that after a day or so of nothing on the brain, my thoughts turned more toward a sense of positivity about things that I had previously been stressed or anxious about. A great state of mind indeed.

Not we can always just jet off to an island resort whenever we need to think, but it is good to remind yourself from time to time, that it IS possible to take a step back, and look at things without getting your mind, emotions and wellness all twisted up and tangled in the rush of everyday life. So go ahead and check your mind at the door every few days or weeks and just take a look at your mind for a bit. Peace of mind be with you :)

The Sounds Of Silence

Itching for the great outdoors and a good hearty hike, I packed up Greeniebeanie and head for the hills on this quiet Father's Day in Ohio. Perhaps it was my subconscious way of being closer to my dad who has always been sure to get us girls close and comfortable with the great outdoors. And if there is one very important thing I have learned from this man, it is how to appreciate silence. Our road trips together are an unspoken struggle between his desire for peace and quiet and my Ipod playlists. Even if begrudgingly at first,  I have learned to find the value in the peacefulness of detaching from the constant barrage of our noisy world. Never was this more apparent than on my solitary hike this afternoon at Clear Creek Nature Preserve near Logan Ohio. Nestled in the foothills of Appalachia and miles off the highway that took me there, the park and trails were serene and quiet beyond any silence I experience in Columbus. But what I found surprised me and once I noticed it I couldn't stop. The silence was deafening with the hidden life of nature that really can only shine through in the absence of all the static of our busy lives. In every nook of my surroundings I could sense all that I miss without the silence of being so secluded.

I loved finding the undisturbed rain droplets all over the forest! I just find the stillness of water still in a little capsule from the sky an amazing feat of nature. Untouched yet by any feet, hands or bodies, the trail was full of little perfectly preserved drops and pools. I also encountered my fair share of ghostly webs that seemed to attack for a moment and would vanish at one swipe of the hand. So too did the hum of the (quite) occasional mosquito visitor by my ear always announcing it's presence so faintly but definitively. The trees swayed high above me as I went along, occasionally sighing from the strain of the strong summer breeze. Thunderstorms on the horizon, the frequent rush of hot humid air bathed my body and would then recede to some new patch of air.

Then who should cross my path but a tortoise friend just taking a rest. I almost didn't see him, but thanks to the lack of any other distractions I zeroed in on his pretty yellow-patterned shell and demon-like beady eyes. He was very patient and posed for my pictures and I was on my merry way. The few puddles in my route hosted a playground of bugs jolting around on the surface. It's truly amazing how they glide across the top of the water without a single sound or disturbance. I was fortunate enough to take a few trails that truly transported me out of the Ohio I know...starting in a normal forest, continuing along a high ridge with meadows and sunny pockets and then down into a Hemlock grove full of ferns and giant rock walls on either side of me. Not bad for a 45 minute drive from the pancake-cake flat Cap City! 

Refreshed from a really great hike, a lot of time to think and the thrill of soaking up the nature around me, my appreciation for the silence I so often reject. There is so much to learn from the life surrounding us everyday that we cannot create from our human hands. The miracle that is our intricate web interactions and play that sustains our planet is worth slowing down for and taking note.

Just for fun - My first and successful venture in home baked whole wheat bread!

Hard Work and Hands Dirty

Laying The Ground Work

As I lay sprawled out on our couch Saturday evening, eyes heavy and limbs limp, my mind couldn't help but mull over the success of the day. My energy tank was empty as I tried to rest up for celebrating a friend's birthday in just a few hours, but my motivation and inspiration meter was off the charts. The restaurant group that I work for, Columbus Food League, incorporates social responsibility and sustainability into its core mission. Each summer the restaurants or our office have attempted to grow some garden produce to proudly serve at the restaurants. This year one way we decided that we could work toward both goals and increase our real impact was to take our garden to another level as a CFL Employee Garden. For the employees, planted by the employees. Providing an opportunity for access to fresh food, enhanced knowledge of our food and how it grows and the community of building something together which we can celebrate in the success of the bountiful (we hope!) harvest.


So Saturday was the rain postponed installation day and we could not have asked for better weather. Partly cloudy and 75 degrees, we got the ball rolling around 11am. Our small group of about 8 wonderful peers didn't give up until the job was done around 7:30pm! Raised beds of cedar planks were constructed, Scioto River Delta soil was shoveled and dumped, mulch bags were emptied, seedlings and seeds were planted and granite slabs (recycled cut outs from bathroom and kitchen sinks!) were laid as walk ways. Not a single complaint; only laughs and positivity filled the day's work. Not to mention, being in the Ohio State Campus area, the house party across the street provided pretty constant entertainment for the day as well. The hours flew, sun shining and progress constantly showing itself in each step that we completed. Fresh and heirloom eggplant, brussel sprouts, chili peppers, tomatos, cabbage, cucumber, broccoli, zucchini and a whole variety of herbs are just a start to what our reward will be come the late summer!

Final Product!

The exhaustion of the day's work was that wonderful feeling of having truly accomplished something; the feeling of creating something positive and the great and unexpected lift that you get from being outside,  rolling up your sleeves, getting your hands in the dirt,  breaking a sweat and loving every minute of it. What was most exciting and racing through my mind laying on the couch slipping into the sleepy bliss of laying vertically and on the soft cushions, was the rush of everyone working together to create. The power of a small group of people is incredible and tangible results like going from zero to full garden in just 8 hours makes a pretty strong case. The day suddenly was almost like a blur in my memory. Not the interactions with our group and learning about each step of the process or sharing our great cook out lunch to refuel. No, those are the salient details, but the physical labor just became part of the result in my mind leaving my fatigued muscles as a side thought and the pride, sense of accomplishment and desire for the opportunity to do more have become my take "forward" of the the day. I am inspired by the positivity of the group and what we did.

This kind of collaboration is everywhere and the hard earned results are starting to make more relevant, immediate and conscious impact; look around in the community. It's everywhere and you don't have to look to far to be inspired. It just takes a little hard work and getting your hands in the dirt.

It's The Caffeine Talking

Yesterday was a pretty epic day according to my standards and for my fair city Columbus, Ohio.  Saturday brought the usual beauty of being to first full day off for the usual 9 to 5ers among us, but it also promised great things for those who chose to take notice. 
I certainly took notice about a month ago when it was first announced that The North Market would host the first ever Coffee Roast. They had me at "coff" and I've been counting down the days ever since. The event did not disappoint. Over 2,000 caffeine-starved people showed up for a showcase of 12 local Columbus (or close by) micro-roasters and 2 local dairies. The day also promised several demonstrations about the various aspects of the coffee business from seed to final product. What it turned out to be was a mob of folks with their souvenir mugs waiting as long as 1/2 hour at each table for an opportunity to sip on each roaster's offering for the day. At first it was a bit frustrating, as I though..."there are 12 roasters here, I just want a cup of coffee"! But I soon had my first taste and all the tension just drifts away. Coffee has that power.  Most roasters prepared pour over coffee, although some featured a "cold toddy", strongly brewed iced coffee, which were a nice break from the steaming cups made fresh for each person. I can't really complain with that. Each roaster featured one or two coffees mostly fair trade and organic from around the world. African and Latin American varieties stole the show. 


What did this event really mean though? Why did so many folks smash into the tiny 2nd floor of the North Market and spend several hours drinking way too much coffee than any normal human should in a short span? And here again lies what is I have found to be beautiful about Columbus.


Twelve local roasters?! For a city of our size, that's pretty damn impressive. I didn't realize until when sharing with my sister, she was shocked to hear that all the coffees were locally produced. It just seemed normal though because I think that is the culture and identity that Columbus is slowly crafting and becoming right now. People who care about quality, community and what they stand for are getting stuff done. 


Take for example, One Line Coffee. A new roaster and soon to be coffee shop in Short North, when we stopped at this table, the three very passionate and down-to-earth proprietors presented personally to each group of 8 people in line their focus on sourcing a single coffee bean from a single farm for each brew. They have personally traveled to or interacted and developed a relationship with each producer they source from to ensure that the quality of the coffee and the life of those producing it is held to the highest standards and never overlooked. No pretentiousness in this mission, just pure passion. And there were 11 more equally passionate micro-roaster owners  and 2 beloved dairies that have taken over the scene sharing their craft and purpose. A woman who lost her job and took over her husbands hobby to start a business? Local, female owned and delicious Silverbridge Coffee which is now sold  throughout Columbus, even in our big box Kroger across the street! Milk that is from happy grass fed cows that reduces our carbon footprint? Snowville Creamery, who's energetic and enigmatic owner is running for congress this year! I could not have felt more connected to the fabric of our community. It could not be more apparent why in the middle of America, this place is thriving.


Sufficiently jittery and a wee bit dehydrated, I moved on to phase two of a truly great Saturday. Ohio State's basketball team in the Final Four! Surely not everyone is a sports fan, but who doesn't love a team of nearly all Ohio players of all shapes, sizes and colors (not like those godly human specimens that seem  to populate the other Final Four teams) and bursting with personality. You just want to love them! And it's been such a fun run watching them succeed with poise and pure enjoyment for the game in my opinion (unbiased? not really I guess). Well...this story doesn't end so well. 

Pat's Pesto Pizza Perfection

There will be no Monday night final for The Buckeyes. But I think my roommate Allie said it best when responding to the pondering if "god" has a hand in sports outcomes when she said "god" better not have a hand in sports if there are still starving and homeless  people in the world. So ending with this first world sports tragedy and working backwards, I share with you the beauty how a sports team, comrodery and shared excitement bring out the best in us. Certainly thinking about thousands and thousands of people, singularly focused for 2 brief hours in time is overwhelmingly cool when I think about it objectively. Gobs of people who I will never meet face to face were just like us,  in their living room or shouting at a bar T.V. through every heart-wrenching moment. And then there is the gathering of friends. We surely could do other things together, but the big game spawned a great idea of a home-made pizza bake off to start the evening, that from picture and my own taste bud evidence was a major success. And to top it off, to console our sadness post-defeat, we had the genius idea of finishing off the log of cookie dough in our fridge with warm fresh cookies and frosty ice cream. Happiness is restored :)

Tracey's Breakfast Bean Bonanza

Allie's Greek Goddess 

Happy Place