Addicted to Ginger (and WHY)

Welcome back, my friend!

Two days ago (from when I initially sketched this post) we went in the town for our weekly grocery and window shopping, and I was feeling terrible: headaches, inflamed sinuses, blocked AND running nose, sweating and nausea and sneezing. Before leaving the house, I prepared my lemon water as I always do (Lemon water is like my second wallet, or, better said, like my life jacket). Out of desperation probably, I chose to add some fresh, grated ginger to my lemon water...

Hot lemon ginger drink

I kept sipping my ginger lemonade until we got back home. At home, finally having time to make a tea, sit down and relax (and THINK), I realized that I was feeling so well: energized and healthy. I could breathe like a normal person, and all the cold symptoms were completely gone. 

Thinking about it, I knew it was the new added ingredient: the ginger. This miraculous root handled my infection/cold so fast that it turned me into an addict overnight. Curious to find out more about it, I kept on reading and I concluded that many of the great vitamins and supplements I take could be replaced by ginger. I love this because I would rather pay the farmer than the chemist (even if I love my GMO free, soy free, vegan, Kosher supplements). 

So here are some reasons why you should add ginger to your cooked food, lemonade, (green) tea or even dessert. By the end of the list, hope you'll decide to give ginger a try!

Ginger's proven health benefits:

Antibiotic: Ginger's antibiotic effects may be exceptional and it has an antibacterial effect on respiratory and periodontal infections.
Anti fungal: Ginger has  anti fungal capability, curing even the most difficult to treat fungal infections including the drug-resistant forms.
Asthma: Because ginger enhances bronchodilation (a substance that improves breathing) and it is a much safer alternative to the medications on the market that can have serious, even lethal side effects.
Bacterial Diarrhea: Zingerone, a compound found in ginger, binds the toxins released by diarrhea, so that it cannot interact with the gut, thus preventing diarrhea. 
Blood Circulation Regulator: Ginger contains chromium, magnesium and zinc, helping to improve blood flow, preventing chills, fever and excessive heat. It curbs down cravings and can help maintain a healthy digestion.
Heart: Ginger inhibits fatty deposits on the arteries, reducing the risk of a stroke.
Cancer: Ginger can defeat several types of cancer cells, like lung, ovarian, colon, breast, skin carcinoma, prostate, and pancreatic.
Diabetes:  Ginger can both prevent and treat diabetes, along with the related abilities to lower blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood fats.
Gastric Distress: Ginger can ease any gastric distress: it eases pain and as a antispasmodic agent, it helps prevent ulcers. 
Ulcers: Ginger can prevent ulcers, and can inhibit the existing ulcers too.
Inflammation: Inflammation is a serious, modern-age problem and ginger's anti inflammatory ability can help with many chronic conditions (in arthritis, cancer, prostate disease, and general inflammatory processes).
Nausea and Motion Sickness: Ginger can ease nausea in all sorts of situations: morning sickness and pregnancy related nausea, sea sickness.
Menstrual Pain: Ginger is as effective as both mefenamic acid and ibuprofen (most prescribed drugs).
Immunity: Ginger helps battle a bad cold and a throat irritation, fights common respiratory problems.
Radiation: Ginger can help prevent vomiting and taste distortion associated with radiation poisoning. It reduced the severity of symptoms and mortality -when it is taken before the radiation.
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Knee Osteoarthritis, and Indomethacin: Ginger is, at a minimum, just as effective, and sometimes even more than indomethacin (the usually prescribed drug).
Toxicity: Ginger helps prevent the toxic effects of a wide array of substances, including the pesticide lindane, the chemical bromobenzene, and the excitotoxin monosodium glutamate (MSG). Lindane, an agricultural insecticide and a pharmaceutical drug, can be carcinogen in humans and it affects the nervous system, the kidney and the liver and it can be an endocrine disruptor. Brombozene is used as a motor oil additive and is highly toxic, damaging the liver and nervous system extremely rapidly. Ginger has been shown to alleviate its liver damage. MSG are cheap, synthetical glutamates, present in some canned food and most restaurant food (especially Chinese); MSGs can trigger neurological and psychological disorders, but  ginger extract protects against MSG nerve damage.
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (Fructose Damage): Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NFLD) is now on the increase because of the prevalence of fructose as a sweetener. NFLD is associated with dyslipidemia (abnormal amount of lipids -cholesterol and fats- in the blood) and excess triglycerides (bad facts in the blood, that can raise the risk of heart disease) in the liver. Ginger may help this condition by lowering serum cholesterol.
WEIGHT LOSS!!!!: Ginger can boost metabolism by up to 20%, helping burn the stored fat. Ginger can also infuse the feeling of fullness after a meal and suppresses the appetite, making it easier to avoid overeating. Dr. Oz believes ginger can help you achieve a flat stomach, and uses it in his flat stomach tea recipe.

I hope now you can give ginger a try! I did, and now my hot lemon water always has some grated ginger in it! Also, ginger tastes great in green tea. But should not take ginger if you suffer from a bleeding disorder or take blood-thinning medications (such as warfarin or aspirin).

Happy ginger day everyone! Right now, I am having my 'healing drink' and I'm loving it! Here's a yummy recipe:

Resources:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-of-ginger-that-you-didnt-know-about.html
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/node/83545
http://www.progressivehealth.com/ginger-for-weight-loss.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265990.php
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/04/ginger-benefits.aspx
http://www.thewhistlingkettle.com/lemon-ginger-cooler-pu-erh-white.html

P.S. If you want to learn more about the health benefits of HOT LEMON Water, scroll down to one of my earlier posts! :)

Walking through the desert

We all like happy places, comfortable places. That's why most of us like to be inbetweeners: not cold, but not hot either. Just comfortable. Comfortable 'inbetweeners', neither cold nor hot.

Dry desert

But funny enough, we hardly get to be comfortable in this life; it is all a journey, and never are we static, but always threatened by change. It is like God can't stand this comfortable fluffy existence, so He's always interrupting our otherwise comfortable nap!!!  In this article I invite you to meditate on the walking through the desert season.

Let's remember God's chosen people, the Israelites, who found refuge in Egypt during the seven-year famine that ravished their country. They came to Egypt, the pagan land, for food and comfort, and they flourished there under the leadership of Joseph, who ruled the country with Pharaoh. In the Egyptian prosperity they had forgotten they were chosen for God's good plans. They forgot that they were chosen to reign, so instead they served as slaves. But when they got abused, experiencing the hot Egyptian weather, not wearing linen, nor enjoying refreshments or sunbathing during the weekends, they remembered God and cried out for help. Only when the Egyptians started to hated these immigrants and "worked them ruthlessly" for few centuries, they remembered their divine legacy and cried to God for help. God heard their cries and send Moses to rescue them and bring them to this promised, blessed land.

Then appears Moses, a man with a divine calling, but also a federal fugitive. This man was sought for with murder charges, and was deserving death under the Egyptian law, but God chose to give him life, and life in abundance - making him the leader of Israel. As as his tainted past was not enough, Moses was 80 years old when God called him to lead His people out of Egypt. He was old! He had  spent the first 40 years of his life in Egypt learning first from his mother about God and then learning from Pharaoh the skills needed to run Egypt.  The next 40 years he had spent as fugitive, working as a shepherd for a priest in Midian.  There he took care of sheep all day long, and HAD experienced God's refinement. Moses became the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3). Chosen and refined, this old fugitive is the man that God used for His mighty plan - this so clearly shows the heart of God.

So here comes this fugitive whom God gives specific instructions, and the Israelites miraculously get under his leadership and left Egypt. 

No one likes to leave. Not even the slaves. Their hearts broke leaving the known territory for the Big Unknown.  So their freedom starts with leaving Egypt behind. But somehow God did not work His magic like they must have expected it. God did not get them out of Egypt and did not transplanted them in the promised land immediately. There was no instant miracle in that. They had to WALK through DESERT. They were HOT and THIRSTY. They were HUNGRY. They wanted the food they had in Egypt. Walking, step by step, day after day, though foreign territories, with a cloud guiding them, all this started to look insane in their eyes. The longer they walked, the  more things they had to give up and leave behind: heavy gold they must have saved for years, life possessions they relied on, family members they lived for.

Desert season, anyone?

But God was apparently very interested in their walking though the desert.

Are you having a desert time in your life right now? When it is all dry and you are dragging yourself out of breath and strength. When you see nothing else, but blurry clouds of sand in front of you.The Israelites were walking with their feet towards the promised land, but with their hearts away from God. They were walking and complaining, and when they got the food and water they were complaining about, they were not even grateful for it, and didn't like it. They didn't like God's daily provision as they already knew how that provision should have looked like:  Egyptian meals and Egyptian drinks.  The past was still defining them. Well, this walk took 400 years, so the complaining generations all died before reaching the promised land. Their dead faith eventually resulted in their death.

I wonder if we walk though our desert to live, or to die. I wonder if we spend our time complaining, or praising God. I wonder if we complain about what we had to leave behind, or thank God for his daily provision.  God is right and just, and He took care of them though the desert: their shoes did not break, not their clothes tear apart, they all had food to eat and water to drink. But their dead faith did not allow them to see God's provision. They had their own agenda, and couldn't see  God’s. God had a plan for them, but their unbelief prevented it. They persisted in unbelief for 40 years, separating themselves from the promise of God (Romans 11:20,23). Their dead faith dictated their dead end: "According to your faith it will be done to you."(Matth. 9:28-29). Because of unbelief, they did not entered into God's promised Canaan rest (Hebrew 3:19). Because they did not believe and trust in God's deliverance, (Ps. 78:22), they did not get delivered. They all died in the desert, before reaching the promised land. Only the new generation that was not tained by unbelief entered into the promised land. 

For me, this all looked like refinement. God wanted to refine them and make them ready for His promise, but they just not having it. Ever since I got disrupted from my previous life and came here, on the other side of the ocean, I've felt l that I’m walking though the desert myself. Ever since I came, I had reasons to complain and to be bitter on a daily basis, and some sounded so reasonable. The sun did not set in the summer, and I could hardly sleep at all; the sun does not exist in the winter and I can hardly wake up at all. I am a foreign young wife in this very American land, and I am so very aware of it. I did not find a place to belong yet, nor did I make friends like I wanted to.  Shopping can no longer be my therapy for happiness, as I am now accountable to my husband with our money. I am far from the things I loved, and there's not even a coffee place nearby.  I can complain so very well, and sometimes I do. But then I remember God's calling. Then I thank God for my husband and how well he provides, I thank God for the dog that makes some noise keeping me busy and sane, and I  thank God for the time I have to read and cook, and clean the house. 

I choose to let my walk though the desert build a thankful heart in me. A heart that relies on God and waits for His plan. The desert is not forever… From the winter solstice, we started to get some sunlight, and with every tiny sun we have almost each day now, I get happier and happier, knowing that summer is coming. I can see it. The desert is not forever.

New season sign

.Time will come to rejoice, celebrate and help others with their deserts. The sunrises and sunsets I see almost every day talk now talk about the sun who is coming back to us: 
"The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race" (Psalm 19:1-5 NLV.

For anyone wanting to hear more about the signs of the new season God is starting in you, please listen to this podcast, it will empower you and skyrocket your faith: Robert Madu podcast (2nd from top of the list down):
http://www.hillsong.co.uk/podcasts/

Please see Israel's journey below:

Israel's journey to Canaan

Now, sister, go and help your sisters with their faith! Believe for them, pray with them, believe, believe with them! Enjoy this beautiful day, sister and...I see you soon!:)


References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exodus

http://biblehub.com/exodus/13-18.htm

http://www.gotquestions.org/wilderness-wandering.html

http://www.bibletimelines.net/article/145/available-timelines-sorted-by-category/moses-the-exodus-timeline

http://www.bible-history.com/maps/route_exodus.html

http://www.localhistories.org/bible.html

Beth Moore: Praying God's Word

My 2013

London 2013

Now that 2013 is left behind, it is somehow easier to look back and understand what last year was all about. 

2013 has been a hard year for me, in almost every possible way. I entered 2013 from the cold loneliness of a cute London house, watching the lazy snowflakes, sipping on some tea, eating biscuits and missing my hubby who was at the other end of the world. We had been long distance for 18 months already, were half married (ceremony in my home country), and I had given up a good job for one that would keep me sane at least -meaning: keeping me close to my church.

That night, when I prayed over 2013, I sketched up my resolution: to basically be reunited with my hubby and finally start our lives together. Also, I secretly wished, but did not dare to pray, that this would happen by May, so that the famous Alaskan winter would be almost gone and so I could also attend the Hillsong Women's Colour Conference with my sister - a surprise I had in mind for her.

Then 2013 hit hard and quickly, and it all felt like nothing new was about to happen. January was cold, dark, and wet, and then February felt better as hubby came to visit. Then March felt cold again, with long working hours every day and hardly any time for a book to read or a run at the gym. I struggled to believe my prayers would be answered, and the only strength I had was in the God I knew, in the lattes with friends, and in the shopping Saturdays I loved.

 Then all of a sudden I was announced that my visa was finalizing. Between all the mixed feelings of uncertainty still, I decided to quit my job, and arranged for my sister to come over for the Colour Conference. After that, it all worked like in a scripted dream: my sister came over and we had a great sister to sister time, I had my visa, shipped my things and was flying over to my new life. By the end of May, we were fully married and we started our 'together' life in June.

My year resolution was all completed, but God's wasn't. Ha!!! I still had to learn to be happy and content being in a foreign country where everything was new. I had never been without a job before, so there I was, a home stay wife, cooking and cleaning like I was born with the spoon and broom in my hands. Not that I was any good, but I was trying. Besides learning to drive, take care of a pet hubby came home with one day, I learnt to feed our marriage first and not my emotions. I learnt to be content and happy in this beautiful place that does not define me at all - but a place where I had all the time in the world to read, go to the gym and sleep. It all felt a bit like a holiday after my tiring London life, and I am touched that God even chose to have me rest. He does answer even the silent prayers! It also felt like a burning fire where I was being modeled into this kind of wife, pet person (never had a pet before, and never felt the need or wish for one), and I had to embrace it.

Overall, It has been a good and a full year!

And stepping into 2014, I am sure that it can only be the same good type of year, as it has the sealing of the same God that loves and cares. The new year comes with new dreams and prayers, and it is all fascinating how life always changes, and we are more and more refined into being what we were meant to be.

Happy New Years to you!

$3 for a friend?

$3 for a friend?

Welcome back, friend!

There's magic in the way life unfolds and tries us. This short article is about a pair of shoes: a pair of shoes that tried my heart and made me think of how common, embraced and loved 'stealing'/benefiting from others has become nowadays, even among the 'holy' ones.

These few last weeks I decided to inspect my shoes collection and simply get rid of those that I haven't used more than once in the last couple of years. (Ps, I do love my shoes and before moving to Alaska I had already given many pairs away, except those darlings that even if I did not wear, I so totally loved).

So I posted these shoes on a website and people pressed the 'like', but not the 'buy' button. I waited for a week or so, then re posted with a price reduction/or best offer. This time I also prayed for buyers.


So, there was this lady that said she wanted my new pair of shoes, but omitted to include when she was going to come and get them. I waited for like a day for her to just tell me she was coming to get them, then I decided she was not a serious buyer, so I made the shoes 'available' on the website again. Within minutes, she wrote that she was coming in few hours to get them.  I was making dinner when the door bell rang and there was a very young, cute lady, with a foreign accent, giving me $20 for the shoes. I did not expect not to be given the exact amount ($15), so  I hurriedly looked for change in my purse, then in my husband's, checked any jackets and pants pockets, but all I found was $2. I said sorry, that's all the change I have right now;  the lady said it was OK: she loved the shoes and did not mind it at all. And then I wished her to enjoy the shoes and off she went, and back I was to my baking.


Covered in flour and stuff, I started to process the fact that she paid more for something I promised her for less. She said she did not mind, but...if I had found 5$ change in my wallet, she would have taken it. It did take me few seconds to realize that I benefited from the situation, and she lost. None of us planned to lose or win, it's just happened. It was not fair, I know, but we complain all the time that life is not fair, aren't we? And then I asked myself: Am I that kind of person who just lets things happen or do I take full responsibility and choose to make things happen? Was I responsible for shorting this lady with 3$? The more I thought about it, the more I decided that yes, even with her blessing, I benefited from her.

I am a giver, so I did not feel good about it. I thought about how many people benefit from other people, just because it is so easy, so comfortable and doesn't apparently  hurt any of them from in the front place. I was thinking of how many people nowadays just get something that is not rightfully theirs: people that have their friends do things for them for free, parents that forget to pay the babysitter or always have less cash than what they agreed on. I even struggle with people that complain all the time - it feels to me like they always expect and think they need more than they have. This 'I need more' makes me feel like they're thinking 'I need more of what you have right now, give it to me!'

Well, the end of my story is that I contacted the lady and went and dropped the change I owned her.  She was so impressed by my gesture and I found out that she has two children and is a stay home mom. I know how it is to be on one military income as a family, so with two children that would obviously be more challenging. To say the least, I just felt so happy and relieved to learn that I should never take lightly even the small things (those that we always forget to care about). I promised myself one again that I will be at least fair even in small things. Later in the week, the lady invited me to her house for Filipino snacks and coffee. I gained a potential friend just by being fair. I wonder how many of us 'lose' potential friendships just because we can't just spare the time and the money of being fair...Since I came here to Alaska, the materialism of people continues to shock me. The truth is, when you are consumed by yourself (what I do not have, what I need to have right now), you are too absorbed to see anyone around you, and you forget everything and everyone, but yourself.

My encouragement for us, today, is that we will be different. Fair people. Happy people. Blessed people. My prayer is that we can spare $3 or a cup of coffee to just be fair. I wonder how many friends and blessed relationship you can get just by being fair. A friend is an invaluable asset, and it might never cost you more than 3$. But sometimes a friendship starts by giving, and not by receiving. Let us not forget that! Let us be fair even in the small things that everyone else is happily ignoring!

Dieting or NOT?

Or loving it?

I often hear friends going on different diets and believing that this one will work, will have to work...because everything else has failed. Most of us have been there, done that...

Hating it?

With every failure, we get depressed and more inclined to indulge in any sort of 'feeling good'
treats who give us some sweetness that would instantly wash off our bitterness. The truth is, dieting is an industry and it is supposed to make big money. It is estimated that Americans alone spend $35 billion a year on weight-loss products. This dieting fashion that's entangling us is not supposed to make us look like Hollywood stars, but rather make us believe you we found the 'recipe' to the 'Hollywoodism'. In fact, the 'recipe' doesn't work:  95% of all the people that lose weight by dieting regain it in one to five years.


And of course that The American National Institute of Health has the solution, while subtly blaming who has failed: "To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you eat. Portion control is the key. When trying to lose weight, you can still eat your favorite foods -as long as you pay attention to the total number of calories that you eat."
I don't know about how you, but I could never eat half of a Reese cupcake or half of a pie (even). If you're mastering the portion-control art, congratulations and I hope you know that you're a rare specimen. Common folks like me, have to carefully prepare my meals, making sure that eating as much as my tummy needs won't make me fat, but full and healthy - this is the secret of sparing myself the pain of counting calories and reducing my portions to some ghostly meal size.

As an avid reader of anything to do with health, nutrition and fitness, I have understood that the human body is designed to gain weight, keeping us ready for any emergencies that would need those extra pounds. The more we starve our bodies, the more our bodies believe there's an emergency happening, turning into our bodies into the 'survival mode' - when actually the body doesn't want to let go or any fat, and also turns into fat whatever food it gets. The secret is, again, in eating foods that keep you full and make you lose weight. 

On the other hand, I do sympathize with The Old Continent ( The New England Journal of Medicine) stating that "Diet without lifestyle change is not enough." 
I embrace this theory  because it approaches the person (me and you)  in a holistic way, taking into account the complex system that makes our lives and lifestyles. When you want to lose or gain weight, please take time to reflect on your health conditions, your exercise life, your eating habits, your stress and body inflammation levels. It is important to be kind to yourself and allow your soul, mind, body time to change. Change happens slowly, so be patient with yourself! 

I'm always hard on myself and hard and I had to learn to be gracious with my body. Getting married to a very gracious man has taught me what grace is. I have learnt to be happy with my faults, to allow myself time to recover and to even relax. I have learnt to admit my faults and cravings, to give in for an occasional, weekly treat or not to beat myself for a daily work I ditched. And I have magically become calmer, more content and more happy with myself in general. More balanced and reasonable, more understanding and more gracious.

Dieting is in the end a fight: the psychological drive is trying to control and suppress the biological drive of wanting and needing to eat. It should not be so as "There is no one solution for everyone, a one-size-fits-all wight loss strategy that works all the time for every person. It is about finding the right diet for you, based on your understanding the unique ways in which your genes and metabolism interact". There are many books and resources that try to explain what metabolism is and how you can turn a 'slow' metabolism into a 'fast' one. Well, just remember that metabolism is the sum of all the chemical reactions in your body, resulting in your health or sickness. The secret is to make your metabolism and body work for your benefit: by eating the right foods for you and by getting into the right exercise too.

Also, keep in mind that there's a parallel increase in inflammation and obesity, like they are connected. Inflammation in the body is the first sign that something is wrong out there - and inflammation should be taken seriously as it can cause auto immune diseases, cancer, obesity. I have experienced inflammation for many years, mistaking it for something else. For my own experience, I have seen how inflammation needs to be dealt with before anything else. The number one inflammatory trigger nowadays is modern wheat, which was genetically modified and simply can't be processed by our bodies. Keep an eye on this and google 'wheat belly' if you feel like wheat might be your enemy. 

My lessons I have learnt so far:

-Pay attention to your body! Recognize your symptoms and learn how to know what caused them! (start by eliminating any food you think might be guilty for making you fat/bloated etc)
- Do not skip any meals! Eating breakfast is like telling your body to wake up and start to burn more calories than it does into the 'sleeping mode'.
- Eat lots of vegetables, meat, and some fruit. If no weight loss is happening, cut on grains (wheat) and fruit.
-Clean your kitchen: bin all sources of sugar and refined food (bleached flour too). It is sugar that makes us fat. 
-Learn how to read labels! Any food package that has a long list of ingredients is a non buy, also any ingredients that you're not sure how you should pronounce are either preservatives, additives or MSGs, something that a good looking person will never buy - stay away!
-Drink plenty of water and hopefully daily lemon hot water (for detoxing your liver). Most people can't distinguish between thirst and hunger, so just to make things safe, they eat whenever they feel like they need anything.
-Work out every day. It has been proved that 30 minutes of exercise ....3-4 times a week can increase your metabolism. One hours of moderate exercise a day is just for keeping you at your present weight. If you are serious about losing weight, learn how to love weights in order to tone up. Muscles burn more calories than fat, so it will work in your advantage to have more muscle than fat.
-Even on your lazy day, give your metabolism a 'boost' by doing squats, going for a jog or just cleaning those windows fervently. 
-Last but not least, breathe in and breathe out every day! Be happy and do not let your happiness evolve around food. Learn how to make healthy treats for yourself, using real ingredients you find at the market (hopefully a locally grown market/farm). There are lots of websites around about clean eating, so why won't you give them a try?

I hope you enjoyed the article, I hope you got inspired towards a healthier and a better looking YOU! Please team up with friends for a 'gorgeous looking' transformation, or ask to join one of my fitness 'challenge' groups that are always up to something!



To anyone interested in understanding more about how you can lose weight and keep it off, I recommend:

'Ultra-Metabolism' by Mark Hyman - best book I have read about health, metabolism and losing weight (and I'm always reading on this subject)

 'The China Study' by Colin Campbell - great book about how certain foods have different nutritional value, about how food can either make you fat and sick, or healthy and fit.



Enjoy your healthy food today!

Are you crippled by fear?

Living in the interior Alaska (red spot on the map) is different than anything before. You experience all sorts of wild fears.




For example, walking around the house instantly sends me in the 'alert' mood, making my senses grasp more noises and smells. The natural beauty of this place cheers my heart and feeds my soul, but the 'avalanche' fears are still there, making me stop and look for wild animals while praying for protection at all times. The scariest it ever got was to be stopped from my 'immersing in the nature awe': by concerned drivers that told me mamma moose is just feet away from me, or by just seeing these huge, beautiful moose with their babies, feeding on grass on the side of the street...My mind stops working instantly and my emotions of fear take over, making me hurry in the opposite direction (which is somehow the longest). Crippled by fear, I start hearing noises I have not heard before and even the wind blowing the leaves gently scares me. I can only say that we need to be careful in handling our fears, as these bundles of emotions and energy can just cripple us, making us paranoid and hear and believe in things that do not even exist.
I







When Sam, our hyper dog, accompanies me, it's even worse. I fear for her impulsive reactions and us ending in some 'mama moose's love hugs...I fear her making the situation worse with her barking at the non familiar animal and her excitement to just meet another animal that might as well become her new 'play' buddy. When all this walk is over, and I am finally in the safety of our home, I can think back how many times having the wrong person next to you just makes you fear more...There are people that are just barking and jumping and do not understand what's going on, but rather make everything worse with their noise...

                  

I love living here...Whatever happens: rain, snow or wind, it is just beautiful all the time. Living inside of this massive block of nature kind of makes me more aware of the majesty of our World: makes me trust more and makes me fear more - all in the same time. 

This place can be lived in a daily awe, or it can just get more and more depressing as the winter approaches...Short, grey days with no sunlight, quiet and serene everywhere - it all looks like frozen postcard of an unreal territory. More than that, it might look like I am damned to develop the only skills of this world: the skills of distinguishing between different wild animals, the skill of baking cookies and sipping on hot chocolate all year long - these all seem like lazy ways of spending some time you don't care about; not real life skills that can take you to the next level we've all been dreaming about. More than that, I do not fancy any of these Alaskan skills, but I'd rather be in cafes and museums, walking around big cities and discovering some hidden historical sites, or would rather be in a dusty library working on a boring university project.

In the end, it all comes to a choice, of course. My choice.
Do I let the environment dictate who I am to be? Do I let my justified or unjustified fears rip me off of my identity, dream or destiny? Do I let the other 'hibernating' people tune me into the hibernation mode and print all over me fears that I didn't even know they existed? Am I brave enough to acknowledge my deepest desires and rise up to them -in spite of everything?And when there's simply no way for any dreams, am I still believing in the One that granted me this life and purposefully situated me where I am? Our roles are vital, wherever we are, and they need us wholly, not crippled away by any fears. 

I'm not a visual learner, but a photo can instantly bring clarity to words.

Everyone has at least one dream that's ahead of them, waiting to be taken over and enjoyed. I see our dreams, desires and ambitions like a mountain that's just there in front of you. Ready for you.

There are two options to choose from: getting close to the mountain and climbing on it, taking it into possession; or walking away from the mountain, deleting it from your memory and heart.



The closer you will get to your dream, the more difficult it will become. There'll be more fears,more tiredness than at the bottom of the mountain.

It is in the law of the universe to experience Resistance every time you attempt something bigger than where you are. The Resistance can be anything that holds you back, and most of the times it is just own own fears of not making it, of getting it all wrong. It is the fear and anxiety you experience when you learn a new skill or try something for the first time. It can be the way we know we're stepping up and doing something that gets us out of sunny and comfortable valley.

Steven Pressfield, an inspirational writer that's been on Oprah's show (see link at the bottom), believes that this Resistance is just part of gravitation. It is like the shadow of a tree. It what accompanies anything and at all times, it is this part of the universe that wants to hold us back from the dream that would take us back.

In our Bible terms, it should be what Paul was referring to when he said that he wants to do good, but something from the inside makes him do the opposite. We're certainly living in a spiritual world where we feel  invisible forces. Doesn't matter what we do and where we go, feelings of fear will try to embrace you and squeeze you in a bear hug for as long as you allow them to. What people forget is that we all fear, most of the times. We fear when we start a new job, when we try a dating website, we fear when we meet new people and we fear even when we try a new cookie recipe. Fear is a reality we feel but we do not see. Fear can become a very powerful reality that can steal away the good reality that God has for you.  We need the power of the fears destroyed, and this is possible only by relying on the One who made you for this very purpose you're walking in. “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Ps.34:4).

                


As children of God,we need to let go of fear and embrace trust. Trusting in God releases God's power, energy and potential over us. Bearing God's name, entitles us to all his resources and future victories, by faith. Embracing this reality, which is God's reality, will help you stay on your path, pursue your dream and get to the top of that mountain. Your career, future family, future dream - they all bear your name. They're all yours as God designed them to be! 

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Now just start where you are, just start it! There are no shortcuts, you just need to start as you can.

I find it releasing, friends, that we are all going to experience Resistance any time we dream higher than the visible, than the achievable. I have personally experienced Resistance all the time, especially before I won my biggest battles. The bigger the battle, the bigger the Resistance. Living in the serene Alaska is beautiful, quiet and wonderful as long as you only visit...I'm living here, living my dream of a family, and it has been like a peaceful ooze after the long struggle we had of finally getting together. But now, new dreams are forming up, dreams of a bigger future...Let us all decide to get closer to our dreams with every day that passes by, let us decide today that we will take the step that we've never taken before. By faith. "All things are possible to the one who believes."

See the Super Soul Sunday show with Oprah and Steven Pressfield at the link below AND encourage your friends to rely on the One who changes the perspective!
http://www.oprah.com/own-super-soul-sunday/Super-Soul-Sunday-Full-Episode-Oprah-and-Steven-Pressfield-Video

Dating is like shopping

I have been thinking during the last few weeks that our habits really define us. 
The way we behave here, makes us behave like that there. Everything is interconnected in this whole complex process that makes us individuals - and we can learn more about themselves just by meditating on our habits. 

Dating is like shopping.

So I have come to the conclusion that dating is like shopping. Some people are natural shoppers, but some are not. Some people always find those shoes they had in mind within days, but some have been looking for them for years. 

Why is this so? 

Well, let's look a bit into shopping - my favorite topic always. 
Let's get hypothetical and say that you need those shoes you've been dreaming about...
So you decide to go shopping...

Where and when and how do you shop?

1. Well, if you have the time, the nerves and the fat savings, you go from store to store and mall to mall. You start from here and reach to that far there. You stop wherever you want and buy whatever you want. You enjoy shopping so much, you're so into it, that you totally fall in love with so many things in such a short time...There are just so trendy, look so hot -  you just need to get them right now, while they are still on the hangers. So you buy them...After few hours of shopping (at least) you get home exhausted, poor, but having more dresses, sweaters and shoes now. More is always good, isn't it?

Most of us find ourselves here.We're so enchanted by the colorful world of shopping that we forget what we went there for. We end up with beautiful, sparkling clothes that we do squeeze in the closet, but that we did not need... We've been deceived by the glamorous world of shopping believing that anything would do for now, that anything is better than nothing, that anyone is better than no one...Somehow, dating is like that too. If we have the time, the energy and the disposition, we fall in love with anyone that's around and available..And as the dress that you buy today will always be in your closet tomorrow, the relationship that you develop today will be a part of you tomorrow...
Should we then have a shopping list at least? A dating list with all the 'must have'?


2. Well, if you don't have the time, the nerves or the fat resources, you go straight to the source. You go exactly to your favorite shoes store and use an assistant to help you find what you need. If the shoes are not there, you simply wait and stick around. One day or another, your shoes should arrive.

'All good, none right..'

Some of us are like that. We know what we need, wait for it, while keeping our focus clear and our wallet intact - we will spend as much as needed, but only on the right product and person.
This is a much more focused 'shopping' style and it can usually meet the need we have or get very close to it. 
This 'dating' style pretty much lives by faith,  choosing to stick to the 'must have' list while praying over it and deciding not to go for anything less than the best...Believe me or not, these 'best' are still around and some still single, and if you are focused and stick around for as long as needed, you might just marry them one day, as I did.
Besides having your closet uncluttered and your wallet happy, this 'shopping' style actually spares you some energy and emotions, making you a happier and a more balanced person that those 'date/shopping addicts'.

3. But there are some people that might just want an easier, faster and more convenient 'shopping' way. Maybe these people have been waiting around for a while and their favorite 'stores' simply stopped making those shoes they were looking for. Maybe these people are just too tired or too busy to actually do any shopping. Whatever the reason might be, the good news is: we've go the online shopping (the best thing ever invented)! This online shopping practically brings the world to you. From the comfort of your home, you can look for what you need - and it always saves you time, energy and money!!! Well, it looks like we've pretty much defined online dating too...

You look for a special product, but find so many that seem exactly like what you are looking for. Well, then you read the labels and learn what the product is made from (and where), and also learn the 'maintenance' requirements: how to wash and generally take care of the product. If you like the labels but are still not sure if it is exactly what you need, then you look for some reviews from real people. You read what people say about it and then you take a while to make up your mind. Do you order it or not? Most of us, coming this far, order the product and excitedly wait for it to be delivered. Well, after such a strenuous research, there's a high probability that you will be happy with the product. But the truth is revealed only after the product has been unpacked and you are holding it in your hands. When you see it and try it on. Then, if you are happy with it, if it meets your needs and most of your wants, you are probably going to keep it and put it to good use.

If you are not happy with it, guess what? You can return it. You will be reimbursed and that will be it. You will continue to shop for what you need.

Same is with online dating.
There are lots of 'online' malls and they each custom for different types of 'shoppers'.  You go to this 'online' mall that specializes on dating. If you want an even more focused search, then you choose a 'mall' that reflects your values. A 'mall' that gives you a personal assistant that gets to know you: your personality, your likes and your shopping list. Paying attention to you, the individual, this 'mall' will introduce you to the shopping options that would fit you best. A website like E-Harmony is well known for the personalized dating experience they provide. According to who you are and what you want, it shows you your best 'matches' available. The process is in itself very systematic and the best thing to love about it is: you will only 'meet' people with the same beliefs and life priorities. 

Needless to say, shopping and dating are indeed personal choices, with very personal outcomes as well. I have tried all the shopping and dating style mentioned above -at different stages in my life timeline. We all start in the pretty messy 'experience' shopping style and we grow up and embrace more focused and convenient 'shopping' styles.
 From what I have seen, the online experience has beaten up all the other 'shopping' records. Like pursuing anything else in life, dating is pretty much the same: we need to look at the Provider, the resource, and we then need to find a means to an end -while keeping our identity and purpose. It sounds like something hard to accomplish: it is. Only God's divine fit will embrace yours in that perfect design that will have a greater impact and a bigger dream.



I hope this post has brought some clarity and vision to you. I pray you get inspired to keep pressing for your goal, as is will come...


There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. It’s God’s gift.(Ecceliastes 3)

P.S. These are some good 'follow up' reads on online dating:


http://convergemagazine.com/defence-online-dating-6592/

http://www.oprah.com/relationships/Tips-for-Successful-Online-Dating/1

Thank you for reading the post! Please put some time aside to think about it, discuss it with your friends and share your heart encouraging one another...