It's all about The Dirt:

Heave ho up the mountain, escaping in the dark to the hidden trail. Snowshoes are well tightened with light layers on so I can warm myself up by moving fast. Into the abyss I go…

What happens to my brain as I begin to climb in the dark? Something very different opens and lights up my path. Is it the excitement of the anticipating journey? Not knowing what will be around the next switchback? The conquering climb to the top? The peace of it being just me?

I’m not sure what the buzz is, but I’m totally into it. I think I begin to take the sunlit view for granted sometimes, although I said I never would. Maybe it’s the nightly glow, or the mystery of it all. Maybe it’s that I’m fully surrounded by nature and connected to the each branch that tickles me as I pass; each twinkling light of the city getting more and more distant as I lay down each foot.

Maybe it’s my intrigue into the unknown.

I don’t feel lost or scared or misguided. I feel lead to a place where I feel safe and warm. My heart pumps and moves my legs freely; allowing me to gain energy, move faster and breathe deeply. Cleansing breaths in the cool, clear air cleanse my soul.

Obviously this is a spiritually huge moment for me…

Then the lookout bench arrives. A perfect place to rest, reflect and recharge. An ideal place to ponder, praise and be at peace. I definitely feel like I could just fall asleep and end up in the morning as a bench icicle…and be preserved as another piece of nature. To stop in time and relish the moment. True bliss.

Do I stop enough to relish the moment?

As my daughter came from her friend’s house down the short block, it took her twenty minutes yesterday. Stop, kick the snow. Couple more steps. Stop, eat the snow. Couple more steps. Stop, make snow angels…look up at the sky…reach your hands up to the falling snow and catch it…slip and slide… play…enjoy. She was present in herself. She felt the joy of a leisurely walk home to refuel her soul.

Do you only have to be a kid to do that?

I have found this year to be so childlike in so many ways for me. To reach in and grab my happy roots. Find what matters and pull from the immature excitement that I sometimes miss dearly, and often neglect. Do what makes me jump out of my skin with laughter, joy and excitement. To live with intention and gusto. No regrets…

I have every intention of making this year even better. Letting life move me in a positive direction that will catapult me to new places…places I never thought I could ever get to. It doesn’t have to happen in the Spring to grow new shoots or plant new seeds. I will unearth the dirt and come clean with the real spiritual being that I am.

And it’d be even sweeter to see it happen in you…

Live your New Year in utter bliss every chance you get.

Preparing Food with Intention

from Daily OM by Madisyn Taylor

We are what we eat, but more important, we affect what we eat – from the cutting board to the pot to the table. The health-imparting properties of food, also known as the life force, are subtly changed by the way in which we prepare it and the spiritual qualities we project into it.

Thoughts and emotions, both positive and negative, are absorbed by food as it is prepared. Think of the powerful healing properties of what you have cooked for a sick relative or friend. Chicken soup is simply that until it is prepared with the intent to heal. As you cook, your intentions – be they loving, sad, destructive, creative, or joyful – are infused into the food. And food prepared with positive intent provides nourishment not only for the body, but also for the soul.

Before you can begin cooking consciously or with intent, it is necessary to remove sources of unpleasantness or distraction. Transform your kitchen into a comfortable, relaxing, and nuturing space. Concentrate on positive thoughts each time you enter it, because negativity can affect the taste and nutritional value of the meals you make. It may be helpful to think of food preparation as a type of meditation in which your thoughts are free of the “buzz” of the world and are centered and focused on the task at hand: cutting vegetables, measuring liquids, blending spices, and adding herbs.

Devote the same amount of time and energy to simple tasks as you would to the preparation of a complex recipe, as this honors the processes involved in cooking. As you work, concentrate on nourishment and feelings of love. If you like, you may want to speak, chant, or sing a blessing over the ingredients before they are prepared to impart your positive intent. Finally, be present in the cooking process, from beginning to end by paying attention to the beauty of your ingredients and the magical way in which they blend to become something new.

A Zen saying instructs cooks to “see the pot as your own head, and see the water as your life’s blood.” Consciously and lovingly cleansing, peeling, chopping, and stirring ingredients bring you closer to your food and, in consequence, to those to whom you serve it. During preparation – as your soul exists in the moment to give nourishment – your meals will be a source of intense life-force energy and joy to you and others.

If you want phytonutrient energy running your body, go for this recipe. Just mix equal quantities of goji berries, blueberries, raspberries, banana, and blackberries. Let the mixture churn in the blenders for a few seconds.

Add a cup of water, rice or hemp milk, along with a scoop of protein powder and shaved coconut. Other add-ins could be raw cacao powder, chopped nuts, maca powder, hemp or chia seeds, unsweetened carob chips, or any other concoction.

Power up!

Little Wing

Well she’s walking through the clouds
With a circus mind that’s running round
Butterflies and zebras
And moonbeams and fairy tales
That’s all she ever thinks about
Riding with the wind.

When I’m sad, she comes to me
With a thousand smiles, she gives to me free
It’s alright she says it’s alright
Take anything you want from me,
Anything.

Fly on little wing,
Yeah yeah, yeah, little wing

- Jimi Hendrix

Photo and compilation by Alex Sunheart