Indulgent Self Care Lesson from a Chocolate Bar

 

Browsing at World Market on my lunch break today, I pondered Christmas presents and tried not to feel as tired as I am.  I could use about a 10 hour nap, but I've got 4 more flute lessons and a 2 hour class to teach before I can go home, get into what my husband and I refer to as "comfies," and enjoy the beauty that is our couch.  I found myself wandering away from the journals, soaps, figurines and ornaments and straight to the candy aisles.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Realizing that this is one of those days that will just be better with chocolate, I decided to embrace that fact and go all out.  Rather than consuming a cheap snack that was more about sugar and caffeine than taste, I searched for a beautiful cocoa experience.  I truly believe that by embracing the possibility, even in a moment of weakness (life long sugar addiction...sigh), I opened myself up for one of the loveliest moments I've had all week.  

I found an elegant, educated, creative woman on the back of the chocolate bar package, instructing me on how to enjoy chocolate.  Since I love learning even more than I love chocolate, I eagerly read her inspiring words (above).  She told me to take three ujjayi breaths. Turns out, Ujjayi is a diaphragmatic breath which fills the lower belly, rises to the rib cage and then to the lower chest and throat (thanks, Wikepedia!). I made a mental note to remember this term for myself and my students to help with flute playing and then enjoyed the three breaths. 

 

 

She told me to See.  I looked and noticed.  I saw the gorgeous, rich brown color of the chocolate, the charming illustration engraved in one square and the beautiful inscription on the other.  She told me to Smell.  I rubbed my thumb on the chocolate bar and couldn't believe how well her instructions worked!  Instead of just a predictable chocolate smell, I inhaled a salty, sweet, complex and aromatic experience.  I Snapped the chocolate bar and heard the soft break of hard exterior and soft, caramel interior.  Then...





 

Pure magic. The taste was out of this world lovely.  Taking the pictures as I learned my chocolate bar lesson and appreciated it through all my senses only made the experience more alive.  Suddenly, I wasn't tired anymore.  The sun was brighter, my optimism and energy perked up for the music filled afternoon ahead of me and I quickly hopped over to the library to write this blog article before heading back to teach. 







I can't help but think, wouldn't it be nice if we had an elegant, patient guide that walked around with us during our day?  What if we were all reminded to See, Smell, Touch, Taste, Feel, Imagine and Connect with the world around us?  What if we all took ujjayi breaths not just once, but many times throughout our day? Maybe indulgent self care could include simply using our senses to soak in the beauty all around us, available in every moment, if we just decide to breathe and take it in.

Just in case you're craving chocolate now, click HERE to see more Vosges Haut Chocolate.  

$5 Beauty Feast

For my Artist Date today, I feasted on the beauty at my favorite mall and only spent $5.  To be honest, I was just going to window shop, but when I saw this beautiful glass doorway (below), I couldn't help but fish my camera out of my purse.  Picture after picture, my Artist Date took on a life of its own and turned out to be more beautiful and inspiring than I even expected.  

Another reason I couldn't help but snap pic after pic was the stunning light in the mall today.  I was just talking with one of my adult flute students about how October has a special light to it.  The windows and sky lights in this mall drench you with sunlight as you  take in the sights and sounds of shopping.  

I love Earthbound Trading company and stopped in to browse the odds and ends. The smell of incense filled the store and the eclectic mix of items today was geared towards the mysterious in honor of Halloween.  Looking briefly at few trinkets, I headed to the back of the store.

My imagination lit up when I saw this blue hookah vase (below).  I instantly thought of the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland.  The shine and sparkle of all the vases reminded me of the treasure room in Return to Oz. To watch the caterpillar, click HERE and to watch the scene from Return to Oz, click HERE.

In the mood for a little more magic, I wandered into the Disney store.  Some of my earliest memories of connecting with music involve the heroines singing in  The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.  Today, however, my eyes were drawn to the villains.   

On my way out of the store, I took a picture of one of Disney's latest heroines, a rambunctious redhead named Merida.  I love the waterfall scene when she is so happy, she throws her arms out in sheer joy.  I also like that she has crazy red hair!  To see the trailer for Brave, click HERE.

Because it's October and smelling candles is a surefire way for me to conjure up images of comfort, warmth, nostalgia, holidays and the like, I stopped in a candle store and inhaled my way through their current selections.  The "Home Sweet Home Candle" (below) instantly transported me to an overstuffed couch, curled up with a great book and a cup of cider.  The "Peppermint Bark" candles smelled good, but I was a little dismayed at the push for Christmas when we haven't even had a chance to process the fact that it's fall, yet!

The window displays at this mall are beautiful, especially with the sunlight and reflections making the glass windows shine.  I really like "words as art" and was taken by this creative display of the word, "tranform" (below).  It reminded me of the study described in one of my favorite movies, What the Bleep Do We Know?.  To watch a scene from the movie that explains what I'm talking about, click HERE.   My favorite quote from the scene is, "...if thoughts can do that to water, imagine what our thoughts can do to us."

The gorgeous blue butterfly (below) was on a poster that read "Living Beyond Breast Cancer."  Part of me wished I could just take in the idea of flight, imagination and color without the sadness of thinking of all of the women who suffer and have suffered from breast cancer.  I think of my grandmother, who recently passed away from the disease, and hope that wherever she is, there is beauty all around her like I see around me here.  

Somewhat accustomed to breathing through sadness, I reminded myself to appreciate my lovely day and to keep enjoying the fact that I am lucky enough to have energy, life and the ability to see, hear and smell the wonderful sights, sounds and scents around me.  All of the sudden, I was invited (rather enthusiastically) into "Teavana" by a sales associate offering me tea samples.

Appreciative, I tasted the Youthberry White Tea and was delighted by the flavor.  I asked the salesperson if the tea was sweetened and he, again enthusiastically, explained all about German rock sugar and then how strainers were part of the cast iron tea pot.  I felt a little bad that I wasn't planning on spending money today, just enjoying all the free sensory pleasures.  I did enjoy the free lessons, though!

After a quick thanks and assurance that I would "be back for Christmas gifts," I headed out to the food court.  The carousel was lit up and parents were watching their children go round and round. The air smelled of fried butter and flour and lunchtime mall goers had loud conversations over their various crispy items.  

I was amused by the blend of high art meets Texas paraphernalia in this large, overhead sculpture (below).  Thankful that I had a particular lunch in mind, I was happy to bypass the greasy fast food selections and wait until the end of my mini date to eat.  Relieved to leave the cacophony of eaters behind me, I headed out of the food court.

As I strolled through the sunlit mall, I passed by a big display of Clinique products.  Since one of my motivations for starting this blog was to get the word out about my side business, Rodan & Fields, let me just take a moment to say that I am SO glad to be out of the scramble to find good skincare.  I feel relaxed and confident, knowing I have at home my Anti-Age Daily Cleansing Mask to tighten my pores, comfy Anti-Age Eye Cloths to remove my makeup,  Unblemish Dual Intensive Acne Treatment to keep acne at bay and Rodan & Field's unbelievable Multi-Function Eye Cream to prevent under eye circles. Even the super creative, eye catching Origins display (below) didn't prompt me to go in!

(Click on any of the products above to browse or shop my R&F website - there might be a couple of "text enhancements" so if it's not Rodan & Fields it's not a link by me).

Next up, the "As Seen on TV" store!  I get such a kick out of thinking of all of the people and situations that came together to get these creative little items on store shelves.  Pictured below are an "Extendable Back Scratcher," a "Perfect Tortilla Pan Set" and the item that the salesperson said was their biggest seller lately, "The Magic Mesh Hands Free Screen Door," hanging magnets that part when you (or your pets!) walk through them and then *snap* back together (rather comically, if you've seen the commercial J).

I took a picture of these sweet bracelets (below) because I love words on art and jewelry.  If you haven't seen the new bracelets by Kelly Rae Roberts, my favorite mixed media artist, I highly encourage you to click HERE.  I've often had the urge to make jewelry, but get quickly overwhelmed at the craft store looking at all the beads and tools. Oh well - I've got plenty of other creative outlets at the moment!

I forgot where the footsteps on the mall floor were urging me to go, but I just liked that some of them said, "Follow Your Feet."  As you might have read in an earlier blog post, I love the quote by Dr. Suess, Theodore Geisel, that says, 

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself 
any direction you choose. 
You're on your own. 
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go....  

Taking a picture of this footprint (below)  reminded me of his sound advice.  

I just love Macy's.  It makes me think of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, Miracle on 34th Street and, even though it is WAY too early for Christmas, the department store festive decorations are beautiful and put me in a good mood.  October, November and December are my favorite three months of the year and I'm looking forward to shopping for presents sooner than later! (Earlier, in the candle store, I was put off by the Christmas pushing, but my time at the mall has won me over).

Starving at this point, I head for my lunch destination.  On the way, I pass by one of my magical portals, the escalator leading up to the movies.  Another day, another Artist Date, I will be back here again.  Today, I've got to get back to work soon!

Ahh... my home away from home.  I adore Barnes & Noble.  Pictured below are the entrance, the view from the top floor (I love it when a Barnes & Noble has escalators!) and the mural above the table where a sat to eat my lunch (quickly).  Some of my favorite memories of Artist Dates and Morning Pages are at this wonderful store.  To learn more about both of these creativity tools, click HERE.

Up at the counter, I ask the cashier if he minds me taking a picture of the sign (he doesn't care).  The beautiful Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino beckons me (first picture below), but I remind myself that I've been meaning to try Chocolate Covered Katie's healthy makeover of the same drink (second picture below).  To get the recipe from her blog, click HERE).  Temptation avoided, I order my favorite lunch (Spinach and Artichoke Quiche) and head to my table.

I have a lot of affection for the picture below.  It is the scene I look at on lots of mini lunch dates with myself.  In an ideal world, I would sit, eat slowly, journal and ponder life and beauty.  In reality, I seriously need to hurry up if I'm going to make it back for my next flute lesson.

Even with the clock ticking, I couldn't help but pause at this particular book display.  I chuckle inwardly at The Ultimate Beauty Guide (below).   While Lauren Conrad may have the keys to "looking glamorous 365 days of the year," I know I have the secret to seeing beauty 365 days of the year, something I'd much rather have.  The secret, by the way,  is simply to open your eyes! I hope this post and all future blog entries inspire you to not only take time for yourself and enjoy indulgent self care (which, by the way, spreads much more kindness to people in your life than neglecting yourself does), but also to see beauty in the small things, the free things and the (at first glance) ordinary things.

Here at home now, I have enjoyed reviewing my pictures and writing this blog post.  My husband will be home in approximately 3 minutes (great timing!) and I am satisfied with a long day full of music, teaching and a pretty awesome lunch break.  I've recently discovered Picasa (downloadable for free HERE), and I hope you enjoy my little collage of my trip to the mall.  So much beauty, sunlight and sensory delight and it only cost $5! (Which, if you are wondering, was for the quiche J).


Click on the collage to see a full-sized version:

Learn to Date Yourself

My husband and I are both musicians and teachers and often have dramatically different schedules.  A comforting and familiar part of our routine as one or both of us heads out the door in the morning is the question, "When will I see you again?" If we're lucky, it's before 7pm. More often, it's 9:30 or later.  The wonderful thing about my marriage is that we're both content to spend a day on our own and enjoy the companionship and coziness of coming back together at night.  Our nightly TV and couch dates are one of my favorite things in life. 

When I mention to friends that I went to a recent movie or had lunch by myself, they often exclaim "I could never do that!"  I am constantly surprised by the idea that an adult woman would not know the joy or even feel comfortable with going on a date with herself.  My schedule is absolutely crazy this year, but I have purposefully carved out two (sometimes three!) small windows of time each week that are just for me. Today, I used the first part of my time window to go on a simple, inexpensive Artist Date and I'm now using the last part of it to write this blog post.  I hope you enjoy going on my little date vicariously and that it sparks ideas for you take yourself out sometime this week!

I love eating lunch at Pei Wei.  The corner booths are perfect for spending time writing in my journal and enjoying a light lunch that's pretty tasty.  Every time I have the vietnamese chicken salad rolls, I wish I had a way to make peanut sauce as yummy as Pei Wei's.

You know what? There's no time like the present.  Let me google peanut sauce recipes... Ha! There's actually a site that has the Pei Wei recipes themselves.  You never know until you ask, do you? Click HERE for the link in case you're interested.  On my way out, I grabbed some ice water and a fortune cookie to go.  I try not to eat the cookie, I just like the fortunes :).  

As I try to decide where my small adventure will take me, I glance around the shopping strip by Pei Wei.  I see a Half-Price Books and remember my very first Artist Date back in January of 2010.  I had a twenty dollar bill in my wallet and I told myself that I would get an interesting lunch and then let myself buy something at Half-Price Books that had nothing to do with flute, music, school or anything responsible.  I tried to loosen up and let go of any rules in my mind.

On that first Artist Date, I got a mango smoothie from the Smoothie King next to Half-Price Books and then went inside.  I ended up purchasing an ancient computer game, SIMS, that I remember playing on my mom's computer years ago.  Long story short, I spent weeks designing little houses when I need a break from homework or practicing.  It seemed so cheesy at the time, but I think I was actually softening my mind and starting the flow of creative juices that led me to my clear-headed, creative, joyful mindset today.  I truly am a different person than I was on that first Artist Date.

Today, I decide to go in and just explore.  I am far more adept at letting my imagination wander than I was a couple of years ago, so I am not embarrassed even a little bit to look in the teen fiction section.  I am simply amazed at the amount of teen fiction revolving around vampires.  My husband and I love to watch True Blood, but I'm not a Twilight fan.  It does remind me that I've been curious about Anne Rice's vampire novels.

In another teen fiction display with even more vampire novels, I see Specials by Scott Westerfield.  A while back, I read Uglies when a middle school flute student recommended it to me.  It was actually an incredibly insightful and poignant story.  In a futuristic society, teenagers are forced to become "Pretties" by having massive amounts of space age type cosmetic surgery.  I applaud the author for getting teenagers to consider the topics of vanity vs. self-esteem and conformity vs. individuality.  Seeing Specials reminds me that I wanted to follow up on that trilogy. 

I have always had a soft spot for Dr. Suess.  The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and Horton Hatches the Egg are my favorites.  I feel a wave of "warm fuzzies" when I glance at the titles on this shelf (below).  Dr. Suess, Theodore Geisel, is also responsible for one of my favorite quotes (from Oh! The Places You'll Go!). 

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go....  

Next, my attention is captured by books about the human body.  My friend and mentor, an amazing eighty-two year old woman with a young spirit and creative teaching techniques, uses a giant book of illustrations to teach her students about breathing and other physical elements of flute playing.  I make a mental note to collect great pics from the internet so that I can have them available for my students. This makes me ponder the idea that book stores are lovely, nostalgic places, but I wonder how long they will still be part of our lives? 

The prices on magazines here can't be beat.  I went through a visualization phase earlier this year and bringing home stacks of magazines from Half-Price Books made for the best vision boards!  If you've never done a vision board, click HERE for a link to get you started.  They are very fun, and I think they really work!  

This beautiful poster of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott brings up mixed emotions in me.  I love the story and used to love the movie with Claire Danes as Beth and Winona Ryder as Jo.  The scene after Beth dies when Jo places rose petals on the bed is exquisitely heart breaking.  The music in that scene has always stayed with me.  

  

Seeking good deals and a lighter heart, I head to the Clearance Section.  Check out the price drop on this Martha Stewart cookbook!  I carried it around for awhile, pleased with my found bargain, but ultimately put it back on the shelf.  Even if it's only $3, I can find lots of Martha Stewart recipes for free online (with lots more gorgeous food photos!). 

I love flipping through old records, mostly to look at the beautiful album covers.  I don't own a record player, but I'm old enough to have an appreciation for the special sound elicited from vinyl.  I took a quick pic of this humorous cover of a singer I'd never heard of before (I don't think it was meant to be funny, but I couldn't resist a smile).  I'm curious now, so I will look her up on youtube...  

Oh!  I found a nice video of her singing Angel of the Morning.  I know the song but didn't know Juice Newton.  Click HERE to learn about the history of the song. Flipping through more albums, I found soundtracks to classic films.  I love old eighties movies, especially Pretty in Pink. 

Satisfied with a few new ideas, some pretty pictures and a more relaxed state of mind, I headed to leave the store, pleased that I hadn't spent money.  I couldn't help it, however, when I noticed a 2013 calendar display right by the exit.  How could I leave without a beautiful, half-priced, Kelly Rae Roberts calendar with big, full pages of her amazing art?  Click HERE if you haven't seen her art, yet!

On my way to the library, where I am currently typing this post, my brain was so sensitive to beauty and meaning from my Artist Date.  The sky seemed bluer, the music on the radio more lovely and even the cars and street signs somehow seemed more meaningful and artistic.  A ladybug on my passenger window was a brilliant shade of red (unfortunately couldn't take a pic because I was driving).  I was even sort of fascinated by this big digging thingamabob on the side of the road.  While parked at a stoplight, I took a pic and was thinking of some kind of brilliant analogy having to do with digging into the soul, mining for ideas, clearing space for beauty - well, you get the idea.  

I hope you enjoyed going to Half-Price Books with me!  To learn more about Artist Dates, watch the video HERE.  They can brighten your day, become a catalyst for change or creativity and make you a better version of yourself.  I urge you to feel not just comfortable being on your own, but to take pleasure in the myriad delights that are around every corner, just waiting for you!  Please share - when do you think you'll make time for your next Artist Date?

Farmers Market Artist Date

My Home for the Next Six Hours

At the current moment, I am sitting in the music library with hours (and hours) of homework and presentation preperation in front of me. This is about the last thing I feel like doing right now. An indulgent self care strategy I've decided to use today is to alternate working on this blog with doing my assignments. It might seem like that would slow me down considerably, but I know myself. By injecting something I want to do into an afternoon of something(s) I have to do, I will get WAY more done than forcing myself to do the mandatory tasks.  After all, "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!"

In addition to alternating about 5 minutes of drudgery with 5 minutes of blogging, I am also thinking back to the lovely Saturday morning I had this past weekend.  Headed to the mall to exchange some tennis shoes, I realized that I wanted to stop by my bank first.  Since my bank has branches pretty much everywhere (and I don't have a smartphone, yet - thinking of giving that to myself for an ISC Christmas present), I decided to enjoy listening to music and drive around until I found one.  

Having gone on many Artist Dates before, I have come to enjoy the small sense of adventure that comes from taking a turn down a road I'm not familiar with.  After a few such turns, I found myself at a lovely Farmers Market.  Since I had the time and it had been a while since I'd taken myself on an Artist Date, I decided to stop!

 

The air was perfect.  Just cool enough to feel like fall but not so cold that I needed a jacket. There was a lovely smell of fire roasted hatch chiles in the air.  I am learning to cook and am somewhat of a beginner foodie so I was delighted with the intoxicating smell, the beautiful colors and the friendly vibe of the people working with and shopping for the hatch chiles, canned sauces and lovely vegetables.  

I bought a $4 container of fire roasted (mild) green hatch chiles only after taking lots of pictures.  As you can see below, I was not the only one with this idea.  I could feel the heat from the flames in this one!

My favorite part of the morning came a little later, back at the mall.  I found the perfect pair of tennis shoes and was looking forward to going to Barnes & Noble to find a new journal and then home to create a recipe or two for my chiles.  I walked past a sign in the window of a candy store that proclaimed, "Everything is Bigger & Sweeter in Texas."   

The sign was inviting the reader to come in and purchase ridiculously large items of chocolate and candy.  Because of my life long struggle with a sugar addiction, I normally wouldn't have gone into the store, but it would have triggered my cravings and I would have been more than happy to pay more than $4 for a mocha-soy-something at Barnes & Noble later.  However, this time, I read the sign and smiled to myself.  

I've been playing around with a concept that ideas and experiences are my new candy.  My brain lights up when I see something beautiful or make a new connection in a much more pleasing way than it does when I have a sweet drink or dessert just for the sake of dessert.  Because of my beautiful morning, the gorgeous hatch chiles, the excitement over the new journal, the tennis shoes and the cooking later that day, I didn't crave sugar even a little bit.  

So... back to the library.  I've been sitting here the whole time.  By alternating working on this blog post and my giant homework assignment plus presentation, I was incredibly productive and got through my day without the aid of sugar or extra caffeine (an addiction I am not likely to give up anytime soon!).  I had a lovely decaf Vanilla tea with no sweetener and am relaxed as I head to my 5pm class.  

If you want to learn more about Artist Dates, click HERE.  I highly recommend them!  Because I nurtured my adventurous spirit this past weekend, I survived what could have been a dreary Monday.  Not only did my Artist Date comfort and energize me, it became the fuel for creativity (this blog post and my yummy chicken and hatch chile grilled cheese sandwiches) and helped me keep a beautiful attitude while persisting my way through stacks of books and hours of work. 

Where did you go on your last Artist Date?

My new tennis shoes (in case you were wondering J)