The Pursuit of Happiness…Uh Well-Being
Pursuing happiness seems like a wonderful thing to do. It is even included in the U.S. Constitution. However, like many pursuits, we can end up chasing happiness all our lives and never actually achieve it. That is because happiness is not one single thing. If I want to be happy, I have to define what…
Weed Your Mental Garden: Increase Your Positivity and Reduce Your Negativity
The writer James Allen likened the mind to a garden. If left unattended, a garden will become run over with weeds, choking out the beautiful flowers and plants. Allen encouraged his readers to tend to the mind like a gardener tends to a garden, pulling out the useless thoughts and replacing them with uplifting and…
7 Steps to a Whole Foods Plant-Based Lifestyle
My first attempt at a plant-based diet was in May 1999. I had read one of Dr. John McDougall’s books, and I decided I wanted to lose some weight. I had been struggling with my weight and unable to regulate it as I had in the past. I was 37 years old, soon to…
If Not Now, When? If Not Me, Who?
“One hot summer afternoon the monastery cook, an elderly monk, was spreading mushrooms on a mat to dry in the sun. A young monk saw him and asked, ‘Why is an old man like you doing such hard work in the heat of the day?’ The old monk replied, ‘If not me, who? If not…
There is a Science to Happiness
At the end of the holidays, sometimes it is easy to feel low. My daughter, Bliss, and I took down the Christmas tree today, and as always, we were both a bit sad that our favorite holiday is behind us for another year. Some people feel sad all through the holidays. Loved ones may…