Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf.
– Albert Schweitzer

Taking a walk on the Kipuka Paulu (Bird Park) Trail

Volcano National Park, Hawaii

There are more things in the natural world than what we can see with our eyes. I was surprised to see this image captured by my camera that I don’t remember seeing with my eyes while whale watching.

Do you know what this is?

If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.

George Burns

So much of healthy living remains focused on merely eating the right foods or exercise. Few talk about modifications in behavior such as worry less, stress less. A walk in nature, being totally present & appreciating the beauty around us, is one of the simplest ways of releasing stress. If taking a walk is not possible, photos can be a good mental break. 

Life is resilient & persistent.

From Brian Andreas of StoryPeople…

We are so surrounded by negativity sometimes that we forget that the dark thoughts require a great deal of energy to sustain and maintain. So the question becomes simple… do I give my energy to maintain and sustain the “dark thoughts” or is it time to try something different?

The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
– Walter Begehot

How many times have we heard others say “you can’t do that…”, believed it, and it was so? Some people don’t listen and do it anyway… (see November 8 for the most recent example). Yet, it’s not about proving anything to anyone; it’s not about “right” or “wrong”. It’s about following you inner knowing & doubting ourselves less… no matter what others say!

Speaking of “Bizarre Foods”, check out these offerings at the famous Night Market in Beijing, China.

Recent episodes of “Bizarre Foods” on Travel Channel were all about spicy foods- from Korean cuisine in Seoul to Caribbean foods in the Bronx. It reminded me of one of our trips to China that covered Chengdu in Sichuan as well as Zhangjiajie in Hunan province. We made the mistake of asking for “local” food in Chengdu where every dish is filled with peppers. 4 out of 5 people in our group do not eat spicy foods. I later dubbed it my “China diet plan”. We learned by the time we reached Zhangjiajie NOT to ask for local cuisine which was a good thing, since people in Hunan call the Sichuan food “fake” hot. We asked the tour guide what he meant by that and he replied “Sichuan food stops burning after awhile because your taste buds are numb. That does not happen with Hunan peppers!”

It is all subjective!

Formations in Zhangjiajie- the inspiration for Pandora in “Avatar”.

It is quite curious how context alters meaning. To a day person, dawn is start of a refreshing new day.  For a natural night owl, we see dawn only “from the other side” (as some of our morning friends would say). When working a 12-hour night shift, dawn means “Thank God it is almost over…” but when starting vacation, dawn is the beginning of a new adventure.

This is one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes:

Part of the secret of a success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.
Mark Twain

The corollary to this is:

“Life is short; eat dessert first!”