My legs hurt, as do my arms and my so-called nonexistent core…yet there is a sense of satisfaction. Five days of bloody hard yoga (stretching myself to the very edge, bending into a pretzel, holding the warrior while ignoring the burning thighs…). But what did stay from the practice is I am rewriting my own boundaries – while juggling work, taking care of a demanding toddler and cooking healthy meals for my family, I have given up on the constant procrastination that I can’t exercise because there is no time to making the time…and what I have found on this journey is a vibrant enthusiasm for life, a lot more energy and happiness.
I am still that person who tries to live with little – frugal to the point where K1 questions my sanity. I am learning to live on little not because I have to but because I want to...from shopping at the Farmer’s Market for seasonal vegetables and fruits to buying my organics on sale to cooking my meals from scratch. Here is an example which makes my case – I asked my son what he wanted to eat for dinner on Monday evening – he said Mac and cheese mommy…now the nutritionist in me wouldn’t just quickly make a quick cook Mac and cheese for my son …so out comes Annie’s Organic Mac and Cheese. I sautéed about equal amounts of vegetable to pasta in lemon infused olive oil and K2 got a semi-gourmet Mac and Cheese ala vegetable bake. I of course had left over Mac and cheese the next day. So when I asked K2 what he wanted for dinner he said Eggs – So was born the idea of Mac Frittata and lo and behold – two wonderfully nutritious and healthy meals for K2 ( did I mention the pasta was whole grain)…for visual stimuli please check the pictures taken with my E72.
I am still that person who tries to live with little – frugal to the point where K1 questions my sanity. I am learning to live on little not because I have to but because I want to...from shopping at the Farmer’s Market for seasonal vegetables and fruits to buying my organics on sale to cooking my meals from scratch. Here is an example which makes my case – I asked my son what he wanted to eat for dinner on Monday evening – he said Mac and cheese mommy…now the nutritionist in me wouldn’t just quickly make a quick cook Mac and cheese for my son …so out comes Annie’s Organic Mac and Cheese. I sautéed about equal amounts of vegetable to pasta in lemon infused olive oil and K2 got a semi-gourmet Mac and Cheese ala vegetable bake. I of course had left over Mac and cheese the next day. So when I asked K2 what he wanted for dinner he said Eggs – So was born the idea of Mac Frittata and lo and behold – two wonderfully nutritious and healthy meals for K2 ( did I mention the pasta was whole grain)…for visual stimuli please check the pictures taken with my E72.
I show my roots every time I quote Freud, Maslow or Herzberg BUT Herzberg with his 2-factor theory makes my point for me – there are 2 kinds of factors that motivate/demotivate people – Hygiene Factors (which in my case are basic things like a clean house, an organized closet/pantry/refrigerator, a diminishing to-do list, a well fed and happy family for Personal Needs and my work needs are not very different – good interpersonal working relations, job security, self worth, the list goes on…). However, in the past couple years I have noticed that money is not as big deal as it used to be about a decade ago…nor is it branded clothes, cars, fancy house/appliances (ok here I do have to confess that I have been lusting after a Le Creuset Dutch Pan for about 3 months and my self restraint will crumble and I will probably end up buying it…). In terms of the Motivators which is the other set of important factors in life – I am looking for in my personal life Health, Contentment, Happiness and constant learning…big words I know, but every day I strive to learn, change the little habits that I can change and grow…I won’t say it is easy and I won’t say I succeed every day but I try. In my work life I want to have an impact, I want to help change the way people perceive things and I want to learn and be liked and respected…(I never did say I was self-actualized). Every day of my life is a day I adapt, grow and constantly redefine boundaries…ask me a year back and I would have never been able to say that a Mac & Cheese can morph into a Frittata…but today I know different.
How was your weekend? Mine was pretty eventful. A wonderful dinner on Friday at a fancy Californian French Restaurant (whatever that means) with a 4-course meal of Crab Cakes, Caesar Salad, Grilled King Salmon on a bed of Greek Salad ending on a sweet note of Chocolate Ganache (accompanied by a blackberry mohito). Saturday saw us at a picnic in the zoo with close friends followed by a family style Italian dinner with another set of close friends, celebrating K1’s B’day (I won’t tell you how old he is). Sunday saw me take a trek to the Farmer’s Market – I got from my vegetable guy – Habenaros (a pound), Cherry Tomatoes, Persian Cucumbers, Broccoli, Cauliflower and sweet corn; From the fruit stand – Black and Red Grapes, Juicy White Peaches; from the Egg Ranch – Jumbo Organic Brown Eggs and Quail Eggs (the little guy wanted those) and from Beckmann’s Bakery - Lemon and Currant Scones and Shortbread Cake (tastes divine with fresh berries) – Life is good. Yes, there have been a couple hiccups along the way – what with K2 getting a fever on Monday…but we will survive.
How have you been redefining your boundaries…?
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