Stacey's Blissness: Hummus Kitchen, Removing Tarnish, Kandinsky

Hello Lovely Readers!

I have not posted a Blissness post in a very long time and I am incredibly excited about sharing a bit of my life - and authentic self - through this post. This week has been a busy one for me, and I have barely slept with so much to do and experience. The week started monotonously, with the usual errands and shopping to take care of. Then on Wednesday, I decided to spice things up a bit with ... Hummus!

A friend and I decided to sit down at Hummus Kitchen for dinner and we weren't disappointed. We had an excellent waiter who provided one of the best customer service experiences I have ever had, and the food was delicious. I don't eat hummus very often, but this was surely the best I had ever tasted in my life! Best of all, our waiter took the time to explain the difference between each type of hummus in the sampler plate pictured above, and what goes into each one. From top left working around clockwise, the first is hummus with chickpeas, the second is mushroom hummus, the third is Egyptian hummus topped with fava beans and cilantro, and the fourth is tahini hummus. I think I could eat this plate every single day for the rest of my life (Ahhh! if only I were a stick thin guy with a turbo charged metabolism!). While this was what my friend ordered, I on the other hand, had a Kitchen Salad with greens, chickpeas, pomegranate seeds, cauliflower, radish and a pomegranate dressing. Yum!

After dinner, we decided to go on a little walk to aid our digestion! We ended up slowly making our way up the East River Esplanade to Harlem. My guess is we would have walked all the way to the end of the walkway, if it weren't for my always badly timed urge to use the bathroom. 

The following image is of two pieces of silver jewelry 'untarnishing' by using a technique I learned on YouTube. You can find the process here. My review: I did see a noticeable difference on these two previously highly tarnished pieces, yet one of them looked way shinier when new. 

On Saturday, I decided to meet up with a friend in the city and go to the Guggenheim (where photos are prohibited, hence none is posted) and after being pleasantly surprised to see a collection of Bauhaus artists's works (an art movement that, like, only every professor in college had to mention at some point in the syllabus), we headed over to Central Park to take a walk. This is where I snapped this picture and got my boots muddy from the day's icky weather. After a hearty walk we bought some juice and headed to Theodore Roosevelt Park to sit down and enjoy the breezy evening. And, of course, be reminded that people in the year 3000 will know what life was like in the early 2000s thanks to the New York Times Time Capsule designed by the one and only, Santiago Calatrava. See picture below.

As much as I love having pieces from one of my favorite architects placed in my natal city, where I can readily admire them in person, wouldn't all the vlogs that have ever been uploaded to YouTube do a better job at showcasing our early 21st century musings to the generations of the future than a wedding cake ornament and a copy of Weight Watchers Magazine?! Yes, those are two of the items in the capsule, according to this.

As a bonus, here's the birthday card from Facebook (plus a thumbs up sticker) that I received in the mail when a dear friend sent me a birthday gift through the site last month. Pictures of the actual gift coming soon! Now, what would I have ever done without a "Like" sticker? =)

Words of Blissdom: Speaking of Authenticity...

In my last post I opened up about my issues that prevent me from being my complete authentic self all of the time. I wrote a paragraph about how I cut corners from living my truth and how I fear being judged and rejected. Well, apparently the Universe read my post and decided to give me a heads up, because, ironically, I received two weekly newsletters that I sign up for covering the topic of living authentically, despite the opinions of others. The first was an email from The Wellness Warrior. In this email, Jessica Ainscough wrote about how she was tempted to curtail a blog post she was working on so that it wouldn't spark controversy, as she has strong opinions on the topic she was presenting. However, she realized that if she did this, she would be selling herself, and her blog, short, as she has made it part of her mission to be as authentic and honest as possible. If she were to focus on making her blog post diplomatic and bi partisan, she would be excluding her personality and the quality that makes her unique from other wellness bloggers, from that post. Here is what she had to say about this in her weekly newsletter:

"This week, I was also a special guest at an event called 'Soulpreneurs', and I was asked to speak about how I've built my business based purely on authenticity... I told the audience about how I've been rewarded with so much abundance in direct proportion to the amount I've unapologetically been myself. 

So, if you experience criticism in your life, I want you to remember this: 

Don't attach to it. It means that you're making a difference - if you're not receiving criticism, it means you're not being authentic. It doesn't matter what we have to say - there will always be vocal people who don't agree. Every single person who has made a difference in this world has faced opposition for it. Always speak your truth - even if your voice shakes."

As if this beautiful message weren't enough, I then realized that the weekly newsletter from The Simply Luxurious Life had made its way into my inbox, and I proceeded to digest it. About ten seconds into reading it, I had already realized the synchronicity. In this newsletter, Shannon Ables wrote about how mentors and role models are amazing sources of inspiration and guidance, but at the same time, we need to make sure that we choose our own path and seek the things that are important and relevant to us. Society will often give us rules and boundaries to influence how we go about our lives and this may be totally fine for some, but for others, this conditioning may not allow them to live their life to its fullest potential. She emphasized finding the courage to break away from taking the path most traveled and, instead, finding a route that will make us feel totally alive. To dare to be and honor who we are, even when we meet resistance and nonacceptance. 

Here are several excerpts from her newsletter:

"Role models are meant to inspire us and show us what's possible. Mentors are meant to lead us and guide us. And while it is a wonderful blessing to have such people to look up to, it is important that we realize our own uniqueness...

...As Anna Quindlen alludes to in today's quote, we should not try to be exactly as everyone thinks we should be - following the trail that someone else has left for us. Instead, we should follow our own path.

We can use that trail provided by our role models and mentors as a starting point or as a checkpoint, but we must be brave enough to charge out on our own, let our hair down and be ourselves - our authentic selves.

 Ironically enough, it is easier to follow the path that someone else suggests we travel than it is to find the courage within ourselves to simply be our best selves. Because when we follow the "rules" we can blame someone else if it doesn't feel right or we can feel a faux calm upon doing what is needed to be accepted... 

...Instead we should accept who we are individually and not apologize for finding contentment in a life that others may not understand."

These were the words that inspired me yesterday, and which I might be adding to the pages of my planner, because this is precisely the area that I need to work on. Being authentic is of up most importance, because with it we will accomplish what we were placed here to do. This isn't just about becoming more confident or ridding ourselves of silly insecurities (although these are wholly important). Our ability to be ourselves influences our ability to fulfill our life's purpose, which doing so makes everything else in our lives much more satisfying and meaningful. 

As Marie Forleo often says, "The world needs that special something that only you have." Those singular traits that 'single' you out and make you feel insecure and different, those are the ones that need to shine, because the only way to stand out and hold value among so much competition, is to charm the world with your personality and unique way of expressing yourself. When you do so, you inspire others to do the same, and contrary to what most believe, you become more likable and attractive.

A great example, albeit a bit fashion oriented, is this: Which models, when interviewed backstage, are most memorable and seem the most personable... the ones that come across as uninterested and lacking in personality (a.k.a. "normal") or the ones that boldly talk about topics that interest them and say it like it is (a.k.a. authentic)?

To conclude, here is the quote by Anna Quindlen that Shannon included in her newsletter:

"Nothing important, or meaningful, or beautiful, or interesting, or great ever came out of imitations. The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself."

-Anna Quindlen

By the way, I totally recommend subscribing to both The Simply Luxurious Life and The Wellness Warrior for excellent motivational material.

    

Habits of Bliss: Organize

It has been three months since I last posted in January and during this time I have thought about my relationship with this blog and my different priorities. After all this thinking and wondering and turning this matter over in my head, I have decided to continue posting on Bits of Bliss, because, believe me, I really do enjoy writing and blogging here, and after watching a video about a woman who, despite anxiety issues and the normal fear of criticism, continues to vlog on her YouTube channel and revels in presenting her true self in her videos, no matter what anyone thinks, I have decided that I too must continue reaching out through this outlet, because I get joy from doing so and it is one of the few ways that I too can express myself in my truest form. It is difficult to be authentic, which is a topic that I have covered on this blog, before. To get into personal matters, I have a very hard time being my truest self with others. I will dress up my words and my behavior to mimic what I think the person or people that I am speaking with want to see and hear. I do it ALL the time. I am so good at doing this, in fact, that I sometimes get asked if I have an acting background. I do not. I am a terrible actress, in fact. But I am absolutely great at lying and deceiving. Recently, I have been speaking with my therapist about this nasty habit and I realized that it stems from a deep-rooted fear of being judged or criticized negatively. I pretend in order to protect myself from anyone's rejection or decision to dislike me.

Anyway, to begin to post again, I have decided to write an habits of bliss post on organization. I wrote a blog post on being prepared back in November of 2012 showing one of the ways of feeling and being prepared that I choose to employ in my daily life. I am hoping to follow up that Prepare post with additional ones that show other ways in which I keep myself organized and prepared for any emergency or alternate ending =) In this post I will talk about one of the ways that I keep my life organized. Put simply, I will show you my daily planner.

It's very simple, my daily planner is just a sheet that I designed after looking through countless planners and organization ideas. It can even be made into a board, but I will talk about that later in this post. Here is a look at one of my daily planner pages:

The concept comes from a board with Post It notes attached, designated for different functions and categories. The background is a Lilly Pulitzer design which I don't own any rights to. On top of this background I posted several virtual post its and labeled each with a category that fits the many daily tasks that I encounter. At the top, I included a frame for the date and the day of the week. I print various copies of this at a time and go day by day. This can also be kept as a virtual planner, if you are handy with creating PDF files and formatting text entry fields. Another way to keep a planner like this, is to take a board, cover it with a print (or solid) fabric that strikes your fancy and then stick Post It note packs to the board. You can label each category with stickers or labels placed above each Post It pack and then hang the board up on your office wall.

Here is my planner page for May 8th:

That is an example of what tasks I include in each category. Feel free to use my design and example as inspiration for personal use. Hope this post has been helpful and I look forward to beginning my new journey with you on this blog... How do you keep your daily activities organized?

Words of Blissdom: Keep Going

Sources: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Words of Blissdom: Worry Not

Sources: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13)

Habits of Bliss Food Edition: Oatmeal Bake

I am proud to present this new post series on cooking and preparing foods. My intention with these posts is to share tips and tricks on eating well and cooking healthy foods for those readers who wish to know more about these topics. What I DON'T intend with these posts: to try to push my eating habits on anyone nor to tie one particular cuisine to wellness. I just happened to make a really amazing, healthy recipe and wondered if you might benefit from my sharing, as I modified the original ingredients so that the dish could fit the vegan/ gluten-free category.

Yesterday, as I was clicking around on Pinterest in the early hours of the afternoon, I happened to stumble upon a recipe for an oatmeal bake. I added it to my Health Foodie board, supposing that it was a healthy (vegan/ gluten-free) recipe, as the picture showed a casserole of oatmeal, berries and banana. However, when I clicked over to the website with the recipe, I soon realized that the bake called for eggs, milk and sugar. Moreover, it also needed a pinch of vanilla extract and the only bottle of this that I had in my house had corn syrup in it. So here's the picture of the original recipe and then the ingredients that I used in mine:

Ingredients for Stacey's Oatmeal Bake

• 4 large bananas (one banana replaces the two eggs in the recipe)
• 2 cups almond milk (to replace regular milk)
• 2.5 cups old fashioned oatmeal
• 1.5 cups of berries (mixed berries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
• 1 tablespoon of honey (I eat honey although I follow veganism)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• cinnamon and nutmeg to taste (replaces vanilla extract)

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until a consistency similar to regular oatmeal is reached. I advise that you throw in the berries last, so that your bake looks more like the picture above and not like the red/ purple bake that I got. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and place the recipe (in a heat-resistant mold) in the oven for approximately 45 minutes.

This was my oatmeal bake, which tasted absolutely delicious, but was extra purple as I threw in frozen berries early and these began to melt and stain the mixture. I stored my bake in the fridge as it contains perishable ingredients, but it can be re-heated to consume warm. You can cut the bake into pieces beforehand and grab on the go. This makes a healthy and sweet-indulgent breakfast or brunch. Enjoy!

Picture Source

Blissful Thinking: Last Year's Most Valuable Lessons

With the new year already here and in its sixth day, I have decided to share with you some of the greatest "ah-hah!" moments that I experienced in 2012. These were quotes and words that made me realize, "I need to change the way I approach that particular situation in my life." I became aware of where I wasn't living to my fullest potential and could use improvement to move along my path more smoothly. My hope is that you, too, will reflect upon the many things that you learned in the year 2012 and acknowledge how much you have grown and evolved in the past twelve months.

Here are my 'MVL' (Most Valuable Lessons) of 2012, in no particular order:

I'll admit that I do worry about the future. I worry if certain situations will arise and if outcomes that I seek will actually happen. However, worrying about these things isn't my job and it isn't what I was meant to do, either. The Universe takes care of these details as it sees fit. My purpose, like everyone else, is to be an extension of love and work towards living a purpose-filled life. Not to worry about the tiny details that I can't control. When I let go of this worry and begin to trust, not only am I able to enjoy the moment and be less stressed, but things have a way of effortlessly working out, too. 

I've written about this before. Living in the moment is something that I need to remind myself of, constantly. My mind rushes to the next moment, the next day, sorting out details of what I am to wear and who I am to call and what time I should wake up. When those moments arrive, I realize that there are so many details to plan for in the future and I repeat the same pattern of thinking, again. I never truly am in the moment that I am currently living. And in this moment is where true importance lies. In this moment there are people around us who we can reach out to. In this moment, we have the power to change our life, and our future. In this moment, we can seize opportunities that will get us further along our path than any future alarm clock or phone call can. Right now may not be how you ultimately envision your life to be, but that doesn't mean that you can't experience love and joy right here. Focus on the now and reap the benefits.

This made me experience a major paradigm shift towards the end of the year. Right now, you have blessings that you will recall with nostalgia in the future. I have no psychic powers, but I can almost guarantee this. Four to five years from now, some of the people that you currently acquaint yourself with will have moved on with their lives and chosen different paths, leading them in separate directions. Five years from now you may experience loss and bereavement. Five years from now you will be older and it will be physically noticeable. Five years from now you may move to another place, find your soulmate, change your career, lose or gain money - a limitless amount of variables can occur. So, breathe and look at your life right now with all its areas, nuances and grandeur, because soon five years will pass and your life will never be just like this, again. Not because you don't deserve what you have, not because you did something wrong, but because change is an inevitable part of living in this world. Exterior factors will change and you will become wiser. There is no moment like the one we're in right now, it is unique and will not repeat itself. So be present and really be thankful for what the Universe has given you so far, because chances are, it has been generous with its blessings.

This quote from the teacher, Thich Naht Hanh, may as well be some sort of deja vu. The theme behind this quote is one that has repeated throughout my life. It is so easy to take things personally and play the victim. It is so convenient to say that we are the ones who have been hurt because of others unfair actions and that we need help to be able to overcome those evil offenses. The reality is that we will be alright if we look at the offense, deal with the feelings and forgive. The person who has done us wrong, however, may be wallowing too deeply in their pain to see themselves out of it. 

From personal experience, I have realized that for safety reasons or otherwise, we can't always be the person to extend that aid to those that have hurt us. A prayer or wishing them well will not hurt and the best help you can give another is to set a good example by walking your talk. 

We shouldn't carry a vengeful attitude nor give thought to how we can "get back" at someone who has done us wrong. However, if you are one who constantly gets caught in the trap of thinking that you need to get revenge on someone, consider this: if someone has purposely offended you, it is because they feel that you have power over them and/ or they feel intimidated by you. When we acknowledge the offender's innocence and the fact that they are believing an illusion (that they can be hurt, that we are separate), we can feel empathy for them. We realize that they are also human and that they have made an error which can be forgiven. Then, we can move on with our lives. If you can't reach this conclusion just yet, remember: living well is the best revenge. So, engage in your life and live it with arms wide open and a peaceful demeanor. Your "enemies" will be jealous. 

Such a bitter pill to swallow, but so liberating, all at once. What do you get defensive about? Maybe it's your flaws or your chosen career path. Maybe it's your religious views. Whatever you get defensive about is probably something that you have given permission to identify who you are. For example, if someone overhears people talking negatively about their hometown and they allow this to affect them by becoming upset or angry, they have allowed their place of birth to become a crucial part of who they are and how they identify themselves. If we believe that we are spirits within bodies who have no color, gender, hierarchy, race, region, separation, then we realize that we are all really extensions of one thing. Nothing can define us, we are limitless.

In 2012, I learned not to meddle with the order of the Universe. Although I had given up some of that compulsiveness to control before, I still sought to manipulate outcomes, manipulate people and frazzle myself by thinking obsessively about what would occur. I was aggressive, had anger problems and was not at peace. With therapy and spiritual growth, I am now able to catch myself when I begin to get antsy and tell myself that if I just let the Universe show me what its got I will be much happier than if I don't. If you are meant to get the girl, the job, the last piece of pie, you will - just show up and do your part, then let go. Remember that in the end we don't know what will make us truly happy and if we get everything we want we might just end up miserable. The Universe has you covered, so relax.

Unless we face our flaws and darkness, these will keep repeating themselves in our lives, through situations and people, in order to get our attention. The sooner you look at them and heal them, the quicker you will spare yourself of unnecessary heartbreak.

Being a visual person, pretty, shiny things are bound to catch my eye all the time. But, as the old adage says, not all that glitters is gold. Something that looks appealing and promising may not always be good or right for us. Luckily, if we choose to see with the eye of the heart instead of our physical eyes, we can determine what is really worth our time and effort. 

Last but not least... to grow we must make peace with our past. Once we quit replaying the same old, sad story, then we can move boldly into the present and receive all that it's offering us.

Sources: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)