Amiri Baraka's "Somebody Blew Up America"

Dear Sir,

I love you.

Love, Kelly

On Dreams

Let not your thoughts rise in conflict with the work of your hands, or the worth of both will be none. All valuable creation must come from your body and mind, as one. At times of bodily work, make your mind to rest in silent support. But first give rest to the body before the unfolding of your thoughts. If you wish to live a dream, work from a place of personal wisdom and truth. Only from there can one fly higher than all liars burning in the greedy fire of self-deceit.

Make a practice of perching your judgment on the banks of your mind and for a time just sit, watch the river of thought flow around you, through you, and beyond you.

If you should choose to dive in, first release all judgment and reason. Thoughts from the purest divine source will float you downstream to a pool bubbling with dreams. Find yourself an oasis within, where in you can create and recreate.

The brave make their home here, harvest trees: dreaming trees. They shade out the rays of impossibility from piercing dreams. Dwell here, and rest while all you worked to search for rains down upon you and your dreaming trees.

Do not depress the dreams that you collect, but let them stay afloat with you into wakefulness. These dreams are not visions birthed from boredom, or distractions, but they are the life happening within us we have not the courage to manifest externally. It is only when we release the reigns that we can see the reality in our dreams. They need not be chased, merely welcomed and given space.

Allow your dreams to take up residence, respect them and be the accommodating host. Be wary of trimming, training and twisting what came to you in time. Progress takes away what forever took to find and so, don’t rush to improvements or revisions.

Burrow deep enough into your mind, and find it expanding, find your mind and the rest of the world to be two mirrors, which your dreams dance between. Keep not your dreams locked away like the relics of childhood, only visited on occasion for nostalgia. Wear your dreams like a crown of jewels, for all the world to see. Doubts dissolved allowing wisdom to say: “this is me.” Share your dreams.

Share first with your own body, and do the work of dreams. Do not dream of your life, but live your dream.

To the dreamers, magic-makers and my sister.

Here's to hoping that my dreaming trees are mango trees, organic.

Love, K

You Are Exactly Where You're Meant to Be, Because Life is Your Cup of Tea

Story of the Tea Cup

There was a couple who took a trip to England to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. While there, they shopped in a beautiful antique store; they both liked antiques and pottery, and especially teacups. Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked, 'May we see that? We've never seen a cup quite so beautiful.'

As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke, 'You don't understand. I have not always been a teacup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My Master took me and rolled me pounded and patted me over and over and I yelled out, 'Don't do that.' 'I don't like it! Let me alone.' But He only smiled, and gently said, 'Not yet!'

'Then WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. 'Stop it! I'm getting so dizzy! I'm going to be sick!' I screamed. But the Master only nodded and said, quietly, 'Not yet.' He spun me and poked and prodded and bent me out of shape to suit Himself and then He put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door. 'Help! Get me out of here!' I could see Him through the opening and I could read His lips as he shook His head from side to side, saying, 'Not yet.'

'When I thought I couldn't bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good! 'Ah, this is much better,' I thought. But, after I cooled, He picked me up and brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Oh, please, Stop it, Stop, I cried.' He only shook his head and said, 'Not yet!'

Then suddenly He put me back into the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I just knew that I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up. Just then the door opened and He took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited and waited, wondering 'What's He going to do to me next?'

'An hour later He handed me a mirror and said, 'Look at yourself.' And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful!!!'

Quietly He spoke: 'I want you to remember,' He said, 'I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life. If I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't have survived for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you.'

(Author Unknown)

So when life seems hard, and you are being pounded and patted and pushed almost beyond endurance; when your world seems to be spinning out of control; when you feel like you are in a fiery furnace of trials; when life seems to 'stink', try this.

Brew a cup of your favorite tea in your prettiest tea cup, sit down and think on this story.

Coke is bad.

This is what happens to your body within an hour of drinking a coke.

Don't you know that coke is bad? Or all soda for that matter!

You can use it to clean your toilet though. Pour it in and let it sit for about two hours. Scrub, scrub, scrub. Squeaky clean!

Love your Wednesday!

K

My Hula-gan Hero

I need to know what this kid eats for breakfast.

Lightbulb! I just got an idea. Could we somehow harvest some of that rotational kinetic energy and make it usable?? We can charge batteries pedaling bicycles...

Just imagine all the hoop time that can be clocked during recess and break times around the world. And what an entirely positive, feel-good source of energy; good for the planet, our bodies and our playful child-hearts. This boy could really jump start hoop energy initiative.

Join me, let's make this happen!

The rotation of your hips with respect to time

Is a formulated verse to make games sublime.

Call in the physicists!

Kelly

Tarts Make You Smart

Sooo... I have a big exam on Monday in Calculus, thrilling, for which I had planned to study intensely for all day. I declined the offer to go have summer fun on the lake and situated myself in my favorite study spot with comfy pants, water and snacks; I was all set up.

(Un)fortunately, within the hour I found myself down in the kitchen, gettin' groovy to the tune of Jason Mraz and deciding whether or not to garnish the tart I had just made with strawberries.

I think I made the right decision.

The kitchen can be a great 'flow zone' for me. It is the space where I am most creative and attentive in the moment. I believe that everything tastes better when it was serendipitously pulled together without a recipe, especially when you can't quite remember the formula which created the magic in order to recreate it for future deliciousness. So if my recipe posts inspire anything, I hope it is to fearlessly transcend the recipe and follow your own taste buds. Start by taking a trusted recipe and change up the flavor combinations. Take this tart but use almonds in stead of pecans, swap out the peaches for lemon juice, soaked cashews, a banana and and top with strawberries. How can you go wrong? Delicious + delicious=....?

My second hope, however, is to inspire more experimentation with healthier vegan and raw food, which I know is foreign territory to many people, with or without experience in the kitchen. So for inspiration, here is basically how I made this tart.

"This Better Make Me Calc-Smart" Tart

(Raw, Vegan, and crazy-delish!)

Crust:

-2 cups pecans

-1 cup medjool dates (less if dates are super sticky, more if very dry)

-optional shredded coconut (I put in just under 1/4 cup)

-pinch of sea salt

Grind up in food processor or Vita-Mix until very well incorporated into a thick paste that holds together. I ground up the pecans first, before adding the dates, which helped to make it as smooth as possible. Press evenly into your tart receptacle with your fingers loving every minute of it.

Love-filled Filling:

-2 peeled peaches

-3 or four or less or more strawberries

-3 dates

-1/2 cup golden raisins

-1-4 tsp. nutmeg

4 sliced and peeled peaches, a few strawberries for topping

Puree everything but the pretty garnish fruit in whatever you just used to make the crust. Seriously, don't even bother washing it out. I hereby condone the simplification of your life. The goodness is all getting smushed together anyways. Pour filling over crust and artfully place sliced peaches and strawberries on top. Refrigerate for about an hour before devouring.

Did I mention already that this was delicious? I mean it was really, really good! Infinitely better than Calc, I promise. I am definitely going to play around with this recipe (now that I have one) and see where it takes me. How can I make this a year-round tart? I'm not always going to have an abundance of fresh South Carolina peaches from the G-parents. Hm, fall.. apple? pear? ooohh! with a creamy cashew paste and maple syrup? I'll work on it.

I hope you eat something today as good as this tart,

K

Routine Enthusiasm

Good Morning!!

Throwback...

I am always looking for ways to invigorate my morning routine, my good friend Pee Wee provides some great ideas.

Love that enthusiasm! LOVE THAT!

K

A Lesson For Walden Wednesday: How To Be Alone

A Poem by Tanya Davis

"But no one is in your head. And by the time you translate your thoughts an essence of them may be lost or perhaps it is just kept."

This resonated with me in a unique and personal way, playing off my experiences of solitude in both present tense, as I blog, and past tense, remembering how I once spent over 24 hours alone in the woods, mostly reading Walden and meditating on solitude.

I hope, whether you are alone or not, that this poem finds its way into meaning for you.

"Cause if you're happy in your head, and solitude is blessed, and alone is okay."

Love all, even loneliness,

Kelly

Party in my Tummy!

I just had the most rawsome lunch!!! Now I am BUI, intoxicated by the wholesome veggiliciousness. My plate may be empty, but the party is still going on in my tummy, so yummy! so yummy! Don't get the reference? See below...

That never ceases to amuse me.

Anyways, back to lunch. I whipped up a maki roll filled with shredded carrot, cucumber, avocado, sunflower seeds, fresh mint and raw vegan cashew cheese, the shining star of the meal. The trick to a perfect maki roll is to start with a lettuce leaf, and spread your filling (i.e. hummus, nut cheese etc.) on the leaf. This keeps the nori from getting gummy. Then sprinkle your seeds and spices directly on the stickiness of this layer. Veggies next, right down the 'spine,' you might call it, of the lettuce leaf. Roll the baby up lengthwise and place on the nori sheet, and roll it again, just like sushi. Yum. Yum.

This weekend I experimented with raw nut cheese on a whim, and I think I have discovered a new culinary passion. I did not expect it to be such a hit with my family either, but it seems nobody could resist it's decadent flavor and I'll be making more for tomorrow.

Here's the how to:

soak 1-2 cups of raw, unsalted cashews for at least two hours while you daydream about the delciousness to come. Wipe up your drool and then in a food processor or vita-mix blend up...

-drained cashews

-1 clove of garlic

-splash of lemon juice

-dried or fresh herbs (I used a basic Italian mix of dried oregano, basil, thyme, parsley)

-sea salt and black pepper

Blend until smooth, and enjoy!

I love a food like this because it essentially requires no recipe, everything is to taste, and as long as you're adventurous and creative in testing new flavor combinations you will never get tired of it. I'm already brainstorming about what kind of crazy nut cheese concoction to whiz up next, so stay tuned. Oh yum! I can't wait!

This picture requires an accompanying warning: Tastes way more interesting than it looks.

The other day, in a blissful childlike mood, I suddenly became famished while hula-hooping in the back yard. I have been trying to improve my vortex technique, but my grumbling stomach just wouldn't have it. Snack time! Oh no!...all we have is avocadoooos?!?! Now what?!

That's when this tangy snack came into creation, saving the day and refreshing my adoration for the mighty avocado. I halved a ripe avocado and filled the hole the pit left behind with lime juice, a dash of sea salt and the tiniest droplet of agave. Then I mashed it all up right in the shell and devoured it.Om nom nom.

And it even comes with a cute edible spoon! Jealous...?

Make your own, and if the perishableness of a half-eaten avocado makes you queasy, call up a friend for snack time, trust me they'll be grateful.

As you may notice, I have been getting jazzed about raw food lately. It's fun to concoct, and makes for a happy tummy and a happy environment, even if you can't always splurge for the organic produce. Leaving out pre-packed, preservative-laden, processed foods cuts down on factory emissions, excess plastic use, and toxins put into your body. Support local farmers rather than the corporate giants. I don't want to start a rant on what is already quite the smorgaspost, so just eat your veggies. If for no other reason, to collect their scraps and make compost in order to grow your own organic wheatgrass, like me.

Praise the sunshine,

Kelly

Out of Africa and Back

After returning from the Maine woods with my heart thumping to a folksy bluesgrass beat, my curious ears journeyed to the most unexpected place: Africa. Apparently the banjo, the shining of star of American boonie tunes, has African roots. Who knew?

The answer is American banjo master Bela Fleck. He recently was featured in the award-winning documentary 'Throw Down Your Heart.' The film follows Banjo Bela and his cool and crazy talented African friends as they jam and dance awkwardly. It's a pictorial presentation of soulful African folk music through the lens of a quirky american banjo-er. Check it out. At the very least, give the soundtrack a good listen, it is a sonic masterpiece!

Here's an excerpt:

Also recommended: Asa by Asa from Nigera, and Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba

Now if only I could find that finger piano I once had...

Freshness: It's what's for breakfast

This may appear to be nothing more than my scummy excuse for a meal, but don't be fooled. This green smoothie, this super-food mosh pit, has super powers. A daily slurp of this super-sludge has the power to inspire so many things, and I'm not talking about a gag reflex. (On the contrary, this was delicious, I promise.) Filling myself up with freshness in the morning keeps my brain buzzing and my eyes open to new opportunities for wonderment. Today for example, I started this blog. That's something. And thanks to my super-sludge, I, the cheerful, green blogging machine, now begin on this path through the blogosphere having abandoned the idea of requiring a rational statement of purpose or vision of the result. It shall be called 'Plan Be.' That is all the guidance I should require, and sounds easy enough: just be a green being.

Be good,

Kelly