Fly with the eagles or squabble with the chickens

“If, in fact, it is what’s inside us that makes all the difference, then the difference is made when we choose what goes inside.”

What we take into our minds and into our hearts influences our character and the state of our hearts.  The books we read, the t.v. we watch, the music we listen to, the people we spend our time with all make impressions upon our being.  They live imprints in our hearts and minds.

You share the opinions of people you associate with.  If you choose to spend a significant portion of your time with those who are lazy and choose to complain, you too will begin to share their opinions and outlook on life.  Our beliefs and attitudes are reflected by the people we allow into our lives.  Do you want to associate with those who gossip and self-pity or those who choose to live for tomorrow and greet each day with new opportunities?

Mend It!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Modern day society has caught on to the recycle component- but reccurently the “reduce” and “reuse” are easily forgotten.

Reduce- less consumption means less in the garbage can.  Making the right choices should go beyond being trendy.  Purchasing 16 reusable bags with cute logos when only 2 or 3 is necessary is somewhat hypocritical and missing the point.  Cut back on the consumption of one use products & products in general.

Reuse- try donating lightly used items to charity.  If something is broken- mend it!  Fixing it rather than replacing it helps the worlds resources last a little bit longer.

Every small action can create a larger impact!

Vegan in the b-country

I have survived an entire weekend tenting and hiking whilst following a vegan diet.  I wasn’t sure how it would progress and if part-way through the weekend I would suddenly crave meat and cheese -or something that was removed from a plant-based diet.

Several weeks ago now, I spent an entire weekend setting up and officiating at a Orienteering race- which included roving around the bush all through the night.  I packed lots of strawberries, trail mix, veggi sushi, and coconut bars.  I felt great!  And too my surprise my pack didn’t seem all too heavy.

Thus- I will continue to test out the waters of a vegan diet mixed in with backcountry travel, mountaineering, and climbing etc and discover if it seems possible.  I have two fears- I become fatigued with the heavy fruits weighing down my bag & I lack the creativity to conjure up variety.

Summer & Vegan diet-> bring it on!

Kombucha

Kombucha is a delicious and tasty beverage prepared with fermented tea and kombucha cultures and sugar.  The culture is known to look like a rubbery white pancake comparable to a sourdough starter.  The culture is also known as a Kombucha mushroom due to its fungus like qualities.  This culture is placed inside a tea and the tea begins to ferment.  The finished product can have varying tastes depending on what type of tea is used.  I believe some of the more traditional teas used are black, oolong, green, and white.   The company Synergy offers a variety of flavours such as cranberry, gingerberry, mango, passionberry, and the list goes on.  Wonderdrink also makes this delicious beverage.

The health claims are bountiful- whether they are true is not clear.  Many websites and products state how Kombucha is full of antioxidants, helps to reduce stress, and improve digestion- the list is much longer than I care to mention.  Kombucha contains many acids including glucorinic acid, which is a powerful detoxifying substance.  This acid occurs naturally in the human liver, but I imagine drinking more of it would aid in detoxifying the body?

Regardless of whether the health claims have merit, the drink is a delicious alternative option and certainly much healthier than a lot of other products.  I assume this product would be available at most health stores; it is available at Calgary’s Community Natural Foods.  The drink was only a dollar more than other popular beverages such as Vitamin Water, Arizona Iced Tea, and Tropicana.

And for those folk who enjoy tradition and history- this drink is an ancient Asian tradition thought to have originated in China.  It also found its way to Russia, Germany, and other parts of Asia.