Taking the Dive into the Ocean of Blogging!!!

'They' say you MUST have a website, you MUST have a blog, you MUST have this and that!
I thought: There is NO WAY! I am clueless about all of this and don't even know where to start! I can hardly do email!

As many other people wonder + others have figured out HOW to just pick a place + start, dive in and just take a step and a time and do it!! Like my sister's favorite song by John Michael Montgomery~
"Life's a dance you learn as you go
Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow
Don't worry about what you don't know
Life's a dance you learn as you go"

I have come to the conclusion that even with the wonderful world of technology ~like SO much else in life~ you take a deep breath, you dive in, make some mistakes, pick yourself up every time you trip up and keep moving forward!

Little by little things REALLY DO get done!

I knew NOTHING about all this website stuff (as is obvious from my 1 post in 06) back in 2006. I cannot even believe that it has been 2 1/2 years! HOW in the world does time FLY SO FAST??? I know we all wonder that the older we get! :)

I started my website in October 2008!!! I have worked very slowly to build something that I am proud of and feel good about sharing with my wonderful and supportive customers and friends!

So, I have started at the beginning trying to learn everything! I enjoy it even though it is a LOT of work and overwhelming at times! I find that like many difficult things in life, the hard work and the successful accomplishments are the rewards that keep me pressing forward to keep learning more!

My website has a lot of pages about healthy eating and healthy living: www.gotflax.com and I am excited with the results I have so far! I try not to think about all the to-do's I still have! I will continue to put more information on healthy living and eating! And of course, I would LOVE comments and critiques ;) !!!

This blog will be another way to share about healthy living and eating in a more personal way! I hope to learn alongside you how we can together help each other to live life fully: Healthy Living through Healthy Eating!

Click here for a fascinating ~3 min movie on WHY FOOD MATTERS!!!!

I am VERY excited about Summer being here because it is Farmer's Market time and I will talk about how MUCH I love Farmers, Farmers Markets and all the wonderful people who come!

Blessings To You!
-Ellie

Finding Hope amidst the stress of the upcoming Holidays!

"Every dream begins with a dreamer.
Always remember you have within you the strength, the patience, the passion to
reach for the stars to change the world." -Harriet
Tubman

This is the time of the year when the holidays come quickly and absorb much of our time and energy! It is an exciting time of year when Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, etc, mean getting to spend a lot of time with family and friends whom we may not have a lot of opportunity to see throughout the rest of the year. It may be an exciting, memory making time of year, and yet at the same time, the holidays can also mean added stress, financial strain, less sleep, and feelings of obligation that are difficult to balance.

It is a constant struggle to maintain a balance between all of the things we manage on a daily basis. There are many levels in our lives that need to be balanced: our home responsibilities, work obligations, relationships, physical activity, time for relaxing and reflecting, and healthy eating.

Every day is a new day to search for the balance and the best in life. Each of us has discouraging days when the stress feels insurmountable and we feel that we are drowning in too much to do. These are the times when we need to take time out to relax, reflect and be sure that the body, mind and soul, that we are responsible for, is being cared for and is healthy.

One day I was searching for personal reminders of the purpose and meaning of life and I picked up a wonderful book, "The Power of Letting Go" by Pam Vredevelt, is full of great reminders and practical tips for living life fully.

"We all have problems without remedies and questions without answers. We all have holes in our souls. But acknowledging this takes courage, because we don't easily accept and embrace weakness, need loss, or suffering. For the most part, we harbor a subtle contempt for the weaknesses or deficienceis we perceive in ourselves and others.

And the result? We end up rejecting key parts of our own humanity. We gloss over our needs rather than admit them. We deny, minimize, or at least sidestep many forms of suffering.

That's what gets us stuck.

...The tragedies you have suffered--the troubles you have endured--do not define who you are. Nor do they hold your future hostage. I firmly believe that no matter where you are in life right now, the best is yet to come. Your best years are ahead. Your biggest joys and God's greatest surprises are still up ahead, around the corner, just over the horizon."

Most of all, this is what we all need--HOPE. Practical ways of coping, skilled ways to manage life, and experiences help us do better at our lives, but in order to keep fighting the daily battles and 'trying, trying, trying again', we MUST have HOPE. Without it, we are left broken, bruised, and most of all discouraged.

Sometimes HOPE comes from relaxing and reflecting on life. HOPE may come from regaining perspective on life. HOPE may be something we get by talking with those who are closest to us our friends and family. HOPE may come after we have grit our teeth and forced our way through the impossible circumstances. HOPE may be the 'last thread' we hold on to or it may be a small glimmer of light we aren't even sure is there most of the time.

What is your HOPE for today? What is the HOPE that gets you through your stresses? How do you nurture the HOPE that you have for your dreams, goals, and plans?

HOW do you YOU PASS ON HOPE to OTHERS AROUND YOU who may not have enough HOPE TO MAKE it through their daily stresses?

Take a little time for yourself today and regain perspective as the holiday season gets closer. How can you balance the stresses of your life? What gives you HOPE today? How can you pass on a little to others around you?

You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. -Mike Murdock

Thank you for joining me on this journey to pursue a healthy lifestyle!

-Ellie