My name is Catherine Morgan, I'm a writer, nurse, and mother. This is a blog about inspirational thoughts, ideas, quotes, and articles; I write it for anyone looking to make positive changes in their lives. I also write a lot about nutrition, dieting, and healthy living; because currently I am trying to make some positive changes in that area of my own life. Enjoy.
A few weeks ago I was flipping through the million channels on my TV trying to find just one thing worth watching (which isn’t an easy task). Luckily I found Dr. Wayne Dyer on PBS.
I read my first book by Dr. Wayne Dyer (Real Magic) about twelve years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since. So when I watched his seminar on PBS that was based on his latest book, of course I had to run out the next day and buy it. This one is called Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life, and it’s his interpretation of the 81 verses of the Tao.
[The Tao Te Ching was written five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, and offers advice and guidance for living a balanced life.]
As I read, I came across aspects of this wisdom that are helpful in my quest for better health and weight loss. So, even though I’m no philosopher (obviously), I thought I would share some verses that stood out for me. They offer guidance for healthy living and even weight loss. Here are three.
[Keep in mind that I am only pulling the parts of these verses that I find most relevant to good health, this is by no means a complete look at any of these verses.]
Verse 9 – Living Humility – To keep on filling is not as good as stopping.
The America’s Giving Challenge will be over in another ten days. Thanks to the generosity of everyone here, we are still in the running to win the $50,000K. If we win, we can help many children like Mon Channy have a better life. And all for a donation of $10 and asking your friends to do the same.
Mon Chany’s Story
Frequently, children in very poor families work in order to bolster the family’s income, and this prevents them from attending school. For Mon Channy,10, The Sharing Foundation’s Khmer Literacy School has provided huge opportunity. Mon Channy is the only child of his widowed mom, who supports herself and her child through her work on the TSF farm. Channy, who is very small, probably due to early malnutrition, is proud to be going to school as his mother never did (see photo). He looks forward to advancing to the village school. His teacher, Ying So Ry, says Channy is a very attentive, hard working student, and she sees a bright future for him.
Both Bora and Nhuong, young people from Cambodia, who are donors to Sharing Foundation, know this story all too well:
As Bora says, “I don’t know what I can do as a single Cambodian citizen to help next generation of my country. But I know for sure that all of our contributions will make different. Our $10 donation can help one child to go to school for the whole month. vuthbora.blogspot.com/2008/01/new-year-welcoming-donation…
Nhuong says,”I understand how difficult it is to obtain an education when you have no money and more importantly when food and clothing are scarce. For most children in Cambodia this is a story that is all too common. Most children are illiterate and work on the family farm. As the country industrializes and leaves behind the agrarian lifestyle, these children grow up to be migrant workers with nowhere to go. Unlike those children, I was lucky enough to come to America and receive an education. This is why this cause is important to me. theasianeconomist.com/?p=6
Global Giving is offering additional incentives to heat up the competition – over the next five days, the organizations that get the most donations in a single 24 hour period will receive an additional $250, plus the largest donation will be matched. So, if you haven’t contributed yet, this would be an excellent time to donate $10!
Donate $10 or more to the Sharing Foundation through Global Giving Fundraiser set up by Blogger Michele Martin of the Bamboo project!
If we are four of the top causes to get the most unique donors, we’ll win $50,000 for the Sharing Foundation as part of America’s Giving Challenge. With $10 you can help improve the lives of over 1,500 children in one of the world’s poorest countries.
Quite Smoking…If not for yourself then for the ones you love. — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)
Recent studies show that about one third of non-smokers who are exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke, have similar damage to their lungs as actual smokers. It shouldn’t really come as any surprise that secondhand smoke is bad, it only makes sense that if smoking is bad for you, than secondhand smoke can’t be too good. Right?
To give you an example…Over 15 years ago I had a patient who was dying of lung cancer and had never smoked a day in her life, her husband was the smoker. It was very sad.
I’ve been hearing a lot today (CNN) about two interesting studies on the subject of secondhand smoke. One shows actual MRI images of smokers and non-smokers, with an image of a non-smoker that was exposed to secondhand smoke in the middle. The other was a study out of Indiana, that shows a 70% decrease in heart attacks of non-smokers admitted to the ER, that directly coincides with a smoking ban that was put in place at the same time.
It’s not a smoking gun, but it’s smoking-related, and it’s there in bright medical images: evidence of microscopic structural damage deep in the lungs, caused by secondhand cigarette smoke. For the first time, researchers have identified lung injury to nonsmokers that was long suspected, but not previously detectable with medical imaging tools. — From Science Daily
Jewel has a song, and in it she sings….”In the end, only kindness matters”. Those are very profound words. I would even say, that these are words to live your life by. Because, it is so true. In the grand scheme of things, we are here on earth only a very short time. Many of us spend much of this time being angry at people, making judgments on others, and generally just not being as kind as we could be.
EVERYTHING CHANGES, NOTHING EVER STAYS THE SAME — by Catherine Morgan
We all know that nothing stays the same. We all know that life is constantly changing. However, I think that we all under-estimate this fact in many ways. What I mean is…When things are going great in our lives, we don’t think about the times that they weren’t so great. And, when things are going badly and we are feeling sad, it’s sometimes hard to remember that we were ever happy. In both these cases, it is important for us to not only remember, but to also reflect.
I think this is important because, if we take some time to reflect on the bad days, on days that are going well for us, we can get a better perspective on our lives. Seeing a bad day from the perspective of a good day, allows us to become “aware” of the notion that time heals. Something, that on our bad days, we may not be able to fully appreciate.
On our bad days, the notion that “time heals”, may seem like a small consolation. That brings me to the reason that on a bad day, taking some time to reflect on the happier times, can be helpful in not allowing ourselves to spiral into those hopeless feelings.
Our perceptions of the changes in our lives, both good and bad, are what will determine our reactions to those changes. So, if we can react with the “awareness” that nothing stays the same, and that nothing is meant to stay the same, then we are creating a more comfortable reality for ourselves.
So, what I am trying to say is. Don’t take your highs, so high, that when something brings you down, you crash. And, don’t let your lows, bring you so low, that when something comes around that could pick you up, you are so deep in despair that you can’t even realize it. This may seem easier said than done. But, as with everything else, the more you practice it, the easier it becomes.
Abusive Relationships: Are you or someone you know in one? How can you tell? What can you do? — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)
How do you know if you are in an abusive relationship? Do you know someone who is? What warning signs can you look for?
Since nearly one third of American women have been in some sort of abusive relationship, chances are that one of these women may be you or someone you know. So, what do you do? How do you help? I think having as much information as possible is a good place to start.
Abuse is a pattern of coercive behavior (physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, financial, and spiritual) used by one person to control another’s actions and feelings. One way to think of these behaviors is as tactics, actions which are chosen and planned. An abuser is not “out of control” — the abuser is trying to control the victim.
Apparently Wednesday was “World Reiki Day“, I guess I “sort-of” missed it. But, since Reiki really does deserve to have a whole week of awareness…I’ll officially declare this “World Reiki Week”. Can I do that??? Hope so. Okay, now that that is settled, let’s talk about Reiki.
Reiki means “universal” and ki or chi in Chinese means “ life force energy”, and it is said that “life force energy” is the foundation of all life. Reiki is much more than “hands on” healing, when a person discovers Reiki, they often also discover a deeper awareness of their own spirituality or potential for personal growth. And, Reiki can fit into any lifestyle (materially, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) – making Reiki “inclusive” and available to anyone.
There are five principles of Reiki:
1. Don’t get angry today.
2. Don’t worry today.
3. Be grateful today.
4. Work hard today.
5. Be kind to others today.
It seems to me these are principles we could all stand to live by.
New Study: Diet Soda May Increase Risk of Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, and Metabolic Syndrome — by Catherine Morgan and cross-posted at BlogHer.org
A new study, says that drinking more than one soda a day (even if it is a diet or sugar free soda), can be associated with an increased incidence of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors linked to the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Low-Carb Diets to combat metabolic syndrome
Eating a low-carb diet improves the hormonal signaling involved in obesity and improves the sense of fullness, allowing weight loss, according to study leader Matthew R. Hayes, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.
If You Want To Attract Love, Be A Loving Person — by Catherine Morgan
Did you ever notice that angry people tend to attract other angry people? That greedy people, enjoy the company of other greedy people? Just like we choose to associate with people in our lives that have similar interests as we do, we are also unconsciously choosing people that are putting out that same emotional “frequency” as we do.
So, who cares? Well, you should. That is; if you are interested in “attracting” people into your life that are kind, caring, and loving, and not angry, bitter, and hateful.
IS IT EVER TOO LATE TO FOLLOW OUR DREAMS? — by Catherine Morgan
With the pressures of daily life, do any of us really have time to think about our dreams? Do we even know what our dreams are? Kids know what their dreams are, just ask them…What do you want to be when you grow up? It is always such and easy answer for them. But once we do grow up, then what? Is is too late for us?
What if we never realized, that we might have been forgetting to follow our dreams? Worse than that, what if we thought we were following our dreams, but it turned out that we were living a nightmare? Then what? Is it too late? Do we get a second chance at our dreams?
This is some information from a new site called Climate Counts…
Everyone’s talking about global warming, but what can you personally do about it? Companies and the things you buy from them have a huge impact on climate change. When you make climate-conscious choices, you’re sending a message to companies that climate change matters to you.
I will not be invisible anymore. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has taken a lot from me, but I still have my voice, and I will be heard. With my voice I hope to help bring awareness and visibility to a disease that has been misunderstood and ignored for too long.
On May 16th and 17th the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee will meet in Washington, D.C. where a dedicated group of top CFS experts and advocates – will report on the latest research findings and patient needs, and submit budget allocation recommendations to the Secretary of HHS.
I was hoping to attend this meeting and give a five minute statement to the committee, as both a patient and an advocate of this disease. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons I will be unable to attend. However, the committee has agreed to enter my statement into the record, and for this I am very grateful.
We all know about the oath our doctors take to “do no harm”. But, we also know that doctors are human, and humans make mistakes. What you might not know is; Death due to medical mistakes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. It is estimated that over 100,000 people die each year from preventable medical errors.
The way you eliminate homelessness as a social condition is multi-faceted. It is not merely a matter of shelter. That is the first thing that must be understood.
It is not a matter of mental health issues and addictions alone, nor of finances or any other condition alone. Homelessness is a condition brought about by a variety of factors, and every individual situation is not the same. The end state, however, is.
There is a way to end this. The solution is right in front of us and ready-made, if we as a society have the desire and fortitude to pursue it. It is society itself—as a concept.
I came across this article today and I thought it would be something to share with all of you. These are great ideas on ways that you can spread random acts of kindness, and make a positive difference in someones life. Sometimes, the smallest kind gesture, can be what turns around someones day. Not only does your kindness resonate with the person you have been kind to, but the more you do this, the more you change your own personal energy, and in-turn bring more kindness and kind people into your own life. Try it for a week and see if you notice a difference. Be an angel in someones life today, and give them the gift of kindness.
FOUR STEPS TO HELP YOU SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS — by Catherine Morgan
We all carry around stress and worries about problems in our lives, some of us more than others. If you are one of those people that can’t stop worrying about all the problems in your life, then this article is for you. Worrying about our problems only adds to our problems, and no amount of worrying about a situation is going to make it better. Letting go of negative thoughts and worries is an important step in our overall happiness. Hopefully these steps can help you get passed some of the problems that have been bothering you, and allow you to let go of the negative thoughts that block you from your true happiness.
Take some time and write down all the problems that have been bothering you. Write each problem on a separate piece of paper, make sure you cover ALL the problems, the big ones and the little ones. For 10 problems, 10 separate sheets of paper. Do this when you have some time to really get a complete list together — Sometimes going to bed a few minutes earlier than you normally do, can be a good time to do this, and provide you with the quiet time you need.
At this time also write down the reasons for wanting to solve this problem, and what you hope to achieve by resolving it.
EVERYTHING CHANGES, NOTHING EVER STAYS THE SAME — by Catherine Morgan
This isn’t “breaking” news. We all know that nothing stays the same. We all know that life is constantly changing. However, I think that we all under-estimate this fact in many ways. What I mean is, when things are going great in our lives, we don’t think about the times that they weren’t so great. And, when things are going badly and we are feeling sad, it is sometimes hard to remember that we were ever happy. In both these cases, it is important for us to not only remember, but to also reflect.
[The Tao Te Ching was written five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, and offers advice and guidance for living a balanced life.]
Be the change you want to see in yourself 