It’s never too late to (re)learn something new

I love the fall. Yes, I was one of those nerdy types who was happy about returning to school in September. I love learning! That’s probably why I’ve spent so many years pursuing my education. And, to this day, I still look for new things to add to my activities. Right after graduate school, I treated myself to quilting classes. I am a decent quilter and I love to collect fabric.

For the past few years, I have been toying with the idea of learning to speak french again. Despite having started in the 3rd grade and studying french into college, I never became fluent with it. And, since my life has not yet included that trip to Europe, I have forgotten most of what I had learned.

That was until last month. After seeing “Eat,Pray,Love” my daughter and I were dreaming out loud about traveling to France and Italy after she graduates from college next year. Mainly my dreaming, she has already been to Europe twice (the things we do for our kids). Anyway, I decided to start re-learning some french. After buying a cd to play in my car and taking out several library books, I have been practicing abit everyday. Then last month I found a french-speaking group for all levels in town. I attended my first meeting this week and it was a lot of fun. No one made fun of the newbies, and the native speakers were very patient as they helped us participate in conversations. And, I was surprised that I could actually understand them pretty well.

We have all heard how important it is to exercise your brain as well as your body. I’m not one who enjoys crossword puzzles or Sudoku, but
I love studying french again. Next step is to start planning my dream vacation…

Eat, pray, love

Of course you’ve heard about the new movie starring Julia Roberts. I decided to wait until I had finished the book before I saw the film. The book of course has more substance – you just can’t put everything into 2 hours and 15 minutes. I loved the way she described her feelings, good and bad. I found it easy to relate to her even though I have not had the same experiences. Elizabeth Gilbert’s year-long trek to find God and herself took her around the world. For the rest of us, however, that opportunity may never come.

But, there are some simple steps that anyone can take to help them find a sense of peace and happiness. As a woman and a psychologist, I am quite familiar with the way that women base their self-worth on their looks and/weight. This propensity has caused us to become obsessed with diets in this country. You would think that with all the diet plans out there, we’d all be thin by now. But, no, the rates for overweight and obese people continue to rise.

My suggestion is that we focus on what we are really hungry for – good, clean, healthy food. This is not a shout out to pig out. If we feed our bodies properly, I’m sure we would be surprised at how good we would look and feel. Give up the fake, chemical-based substances we have accepted as the common American diet. Let’s eat like we are in Italy or France: fresh produce, small amounts of dark chocolate, meat without growth hormones.

Prayer is our communication with God. It’s really that simple. I’ve had many clients over the years who feel that they are missing this connection. They are usually surprised how simple it can be to develop that relationship. Some find it in church, others in nature. God is there, if we look.

I believe the love part comes easily after you have the first two steps. I am not talking about romantic love, but that could come afterwards. You have to learn to love yourself. That is so foreign to some women because they are focused on trying to twist themselves into what someone else wants instead of being who they are. By taking care of yourself, valuing who you are, and knowing that God loves you (despite knowing all about you), will help you to find peace in this crazy life. Love isn’t that hard but it does take effort. Often, practicing small, random acts of kindness towards others can bring love and happiness into your life. Those are my tips for eating, praying, and loving your way to a happier life.

My newest toy

Back in December, I received an email from a colleague stating that she was getting a ‘nook’ for Christmas from her dear husband. She was looking to connect with others who had one. After scratching my head for a few days, I decided to swallow my pride and ask her what was a ‘nook’? She explained that the Nook was an e-reader which allows owners to actually loan books with one another. She encouraged me to check out the website (Barnes & Noble) and try the Nook.

Well, I kind of forgot about it until I was spring cleaning my library at home. I realized that I was running out of bookcase space and that the stacks of books (yes, we are a family that reads) were taking up the dining room chairs. I logged onto the website and spent way too much time over the next few days researching the Nook. In my quest to make our home ‘greener’, I thought this device could be a good thing for me. Before the week was out, I had signed up for a free class at B&N about the Nook, and bought myself one that night.

It’s been about a month now and despite a few glitches the first week, I love my Nook! I have so much fun buying books online and seeing how quickly they download to my Nook. I can carry many more books on trips without worrying that I will missplace one or get it dirty. I recommend you check out the Nook.