#Gratitude

I am drawn to talk more and more about my choices in terms on food lately: Why don’t I eat meat for the last 13 years ? My main concern is related to the way the animals are treated, including how they are killed. I want to avoid putting what I qualify as tortured beings in my body.

But lately I am pushed to consider even further than that. It started with all the diseases like mad cow disease, foot an mouth disease, etc… It made me think that maybe Nature intended for us not to consume so much meat.

Then studies started to relate meat consumption with diseases such as Alzheimer, and cancer. Many would explain that the way we feed our cattle is causing damage upwards of the food chain…

2 years ago I was tested for food intolerance and found out that I was intolerant to dairy and eggs… It was devastating news for a French person addicted to cheese like me ! But I read more into it and found out that there are different degrees of intolerance and different kind of dairy products. I also found out that cow milk is probably bad for you, contrarily to all ancient beliefs, it actually is damaging for bone coherence and depletes calcium rather than supporting its absorption : http://saveourbones.com/osteoporosis-milk-myth/

And then there was this video about how milk cows are treated…https://www.facebook.com/vegetik/videos/1073972219314651/

In the same way, I am mindful of the very little differences between Caged, Non Caged, Free Range, and Organic chicken and eggs : http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/think-you-know-free-range-and-cage-free-chicken-think-again/ and http://www.salon.com/2011/01/20/what_chicken_labels_really_mean/

I saw a truly terrifying video on Facebook of the way cows are killed. It must have been removed because I can’t find it anymore. After seeing this, no one could ever convince me that these poor peaceful loving animals are not tortured… And what gives us the right to slaughter living beings? How are we “better” than them ?

I am not trying to convince anyone to stop eating meat and I am certainly not saying that I am perfect. The fact that I still eat fish and seafood shows some level of hypocrisy in my beliefs… But I just want to make you aware about what you eat. In fact, I really like the Christian’s tradition of giving grace before a meal, it came from paganism by the way.

And I would like to invite you all to be conscious of what you will be made of because all the cells you put in your mouth will either be the resource to make new cells in your body or they will become waste, recycled.

Here is a meditation from Thich Nhat Hanh on how to eat mindfully which helped me understand and be more aware : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxE9g5iVf74

I invite you to try… And share your experience and opinion on the matter in the comments.

Sometimes around Christmas, I get in a craze of Giving Mood… I buy stuff for my family and friends, I treat people to anything they desire when I can, I cook and bake and go mad with giving giving and giving some more ! People who know me should agree that I am a giver, sometimes at my own cost. But that’s the way I am and, call me selfish, I get so much happiness from Giving !

So Now, apparently it is time for me to remind you all to be generous and why…

With the guidance of a yoga guru friend of mine, I have started paying more attention to people in need around me. He gave his students some challenges : to give to someone in need, and to talk to a stranger. I started bringing the 2 challenges together, I put together some sanitary and basic hygiene products in little bags and distributed them to some homeless people I saw in town. I started to chat with these homeless people and I asked them about their journey… I was most of the times overwhelmed by their courage and their generosity, but what happened to me EVERY time is that I received something in return : the gift of a smile, some gratitude, a small token of their own making, a warm greeting the next time I was coming near them, a wonderful story, a hug, a glint in their eye, an idea for how to help others better … I never left them with less than I brought them!

You might have heard about Abundance, and the Law of Attraction and the Secret. There are loads of talks, posts, feeds and so forth about these topics lately, everywhere ! Well I happen to believe that the Universe is one energy, all the same. I happen to know that when you create a gap, the Universe has an irresistible urge to fill it with something. Ho’oponopono gurus call it the state of zero, and they say that the gap is filled by inspiration from the Divine. But,hey that’s the catch : you don’t ONLY get inspired from the Big Joker… When you give or when you let go of something, don’t forget to add in a pinch of Gratitude (remember my blog about Gratitude ?) and you will notice that your life will fill in with more of what you are grateful for, without failure !

So start giving now, start being generous, Pay it forward ! You might think that it means you’re losing or wasting something, or you might even believe that generosity is a selfish act that makes you feel better about yourself… Don’t listen to the little demon on your shoulder saying that : it’s your greed and your ego talking. You don’t need most of the stuff you have accumulated. All you need is LOVE! Yes the Beatles were right : that’s all you need to exist! That’s all you need to feel alive, that’s all you need to keep going, that’s all you need to be able to give in return (I will write a blog about how Simple Life should be and about how little you need things)… And if you give your Love without expecting anything in return, if you give your Love unconditionally, you will ALWAYS get it back one way or another.

And remember the Universe is a Big Joker : you might not get a biggy in return, it might not come back to you as you expect it… Look for the little pieces of joy and happiness around you, see the Goodness of your life, of your heart, of other people’s heart; see the Beauty all around you; it’s there, in the small details. Like these beautiful flowers, they come in instant of your life that you expect them the least :

Leave the Big Picture to the Big Joker : Happiness is in the little moments. They are precious. Decide to see them NOW because only YOU can be the master of your Happiness. Choose LOVE, choose to be Happy (see my other blog on the topic )! It’s like that at first, and once you notice the little moments, the impeccable miracles around you, you will start to be grateful and then they will multiply and flood your life ! Gratitude is an amazing Key to so many things…

I am so Happy right now, my heart is overflowing with Gratitude for everything I have experience, for what I am now receiving and for whatever comes next !

So here is a challenge for all of you : what are you doing this Christmas to make a stranger happy ? Which bit of you or you possessions will you give away to someone who needs it more? Please comment, please share your experience, create a bit of Joy, restore everyone’s Faith in Humankind !…

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Tag: #Gratitude

Eating mindfully…

Start giving unconditionally: Generosity Pays !