Well, we got to see a pretty cool sunset last night!
I asked Eric if I could take him on a date last night…
‘Can I take you on a date tonight?’ *grin*
‘Why do I feel like this is a trick…?’
He knows me too well, my friends….too well.
He reluctantly agreed to go on a run with me, so I threw on my gear and sat at my desk until he was ready. He has been working on renos in the basement this week, so the fact that he agreed to a run was nothing short of a miracle. We didn’t have time to work on the food photography collage, but I will be updating tonight or tomorrow on it!
I pumped myself up by listening to ‘Magic’ by B.o.B- my newest favourite running song!
You have to fake it til you make it, especially for evening runs!
I really wasn’t that excited, I just pretended I was! Seemed to work.
Did you know that smiling- even when you aren’t happy- increases the release of endorphins in your brain? When you are unhappy, the simple act of smiling can help you feel better!
Before we left it looked like this….
2 miles into the run it looked like this…
The sun was a blazin’! I had one of those zen + oohhhhh + ahhhhh moments for a brief 10 seconds as I watched the sunset. It was beautiful. Just as quickly as it came, it was gone and I was back to huffing and puffing and hauling my butt up the crazy hills. I take what I can get.
By the way, I am still LOVING my Pearl Izumi running hat! It is the best hat I have ever run in. It is mesh, so it breathes and I swear it keeps me cooler than my previous hat did.
The run:
- Distance: 3 miles
- Time: 27:01 mins
- Avg pace: 8:59 min/mile
Mile splits:
- Mile 1: 9:24 (warm-up)
- Mile 2: 8:56 (pick-up)
- Mile 3: 8:39 (in the groove)
After returning, I made a Post-run Juice. It is an all veggie juice packed with nutrients and just a pinch of sea salt to replenish what was lost during exercise.
It is sooooo good. Like V8 only much tastier and fresher!
Athlete’s Vegetable Juice
Ingredients:
- 3 tomatoes
- 4-5 romaine lettuce leaves
- 1/3 English cucumber
- 1 stalk celery
- 1/3 of a small beet
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 clove garlic (optional)
- 1 pinch of sea salt
Directions: Juice the vegetables and pour into a large glass. Add a pinch of sea salt and stir well. Serves 1.
This morning I made Raspberry Vegan Overnight Oats!
Unfortunately, raspberries in a banana soft serve are quite sour tasting (at least mine were). I think the only thing that saved this was that my banana was very ripe (hence, sweet) before freezing.
For the VOO I used: 2 tbsp chia seeds, 1/3 cup oats, 1 cup Almond milk, 1/4 scoop Amazing Grass chocolate powder.
Deelish!
Some overflowage, of course!
The ‘hat’: 1/2 tsp Unsweetened coconut, 1/2 tsp cacao nibs, and 2 raspberries.
So refreshing on this hot morning!
Eat Pray Love Quote #3
[For the previous two discussions, see the bottom of my quotes page.]
I have another favourite quote from EPL that I wanted to share with you this morning! On page 54, Elizabeth talks about how she spoke with a comforting presence when she was deep in her depression. She would sit on the bathroom floor at 3 in the morning and ask for help or she would scribble her thoughts in a notebook in Rome.
She writes: “This is what I find myself writing to myself on the page: ‘I’m here. I love you. I don’t care if you need to stay up crying all night long. I will stay with you…There is nothing you can ever do to lose my love. I am stronger than Depression and I am braver than Loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust me.’
Tonight, this strange interior gesture of friendship- the lending of a hand from me to myself– reminds me of something that happened to me in New York City. I walked into an office building and dashed into the elevator. As I rushed in, I caught an unexpected glimpse of myself in the mirror. In that moment my brain did an odd thing- it fired off this split-second message: ‘Hey! You know her! That’s a friend of yours!” And I actually ran forward toward my own reflection with a smile, ready to welcome that girl whose name I had lost but whose face was so familiar. In a flash instant, of course, I realized my mistake and laughed in embarrassment at my almost doglike confusion over how a mirror works. But for some reason that incident comes to mind again tonight during my sadness in Rome and I find myself writing this comforting reminder at the bottom of the page:
Never forget that once upon a time, in an unguarded moment, you recognized yourself as a friend.”
This story in the book and most notably the quote at the end really hit home with me for a few reasons.
Firstly, that whole embarrassing mirror experience has happened to me (thank goodness I am not the only one!!). I actually remember when it happened to me because I was in university at the time and I considered myself the enemy. I remember seeing ‘a friend’s reflection’ in the window of a store and I had that same gut reaction as Elizabeth did. I remember feeling a sinking feeling when I realized it was ‘just me’ in the reflection and that sense of happiness faded quickly. As I recognized myself, I remember saying something negative about myself almost immediately, when just before, I had seen a beautiful, smiling friend looking at me.
Reading this passage in the book made me sad for that experience that I had, but it also made me happy that I no longer get that sinking feeling when I see my reflection in a window or mirror. I see a friend looking back at me, and for years this wasn’t the case. This only changed when I started treating myself like a friend instead of some annoying pest that was constantly screwing up her life and doing everything imperfectly. Make no mistake, our thoughts define how we perceive the world, including ourselves.
I think this quote is so powerful and I almost did a dance when I read it over: “Never forget that once upon a time, in an unguarded moment, you recognized yourself as a friend.” I think this shows that when we leave our negative thoughts out of the picture and let our instincts take over, we will find that we love ourselves and that we see ourselves as a friend. Only when we let the negative thoughts ‘win’ do we start to entertain the thought that we are something else other than a friend.
Some questions today…Do you consider yourself a friend? Can you relate to the experience that Elizabeth had in the mirror? Have you ever had a shift in how you perceive yourself over the years?
This is an issue I’ve been dealing with all my life. Just recently I figured out that I just need to decide to be happy, to let things go, to stop dwelling on all the negative in my life. I have to make that choice every day.
While I haven’t had that “mirror” moment yet, I am learning to become a friend to myself. Instead of constantly berating myself I become curious to find out what is actually going on with me at that moment. It’s a much kinder way to treat myself, and it’s what I would do with a friend.
I read this book last year while on a very relaxing beach vacation. It’s been great to revisit it through the blog. Thanks!
I just recently have had a shift in my relationship with the face in the mirror. I’ve never felt downright ugly for more than a day or two at a time, but never felt very “feminine” (whatever that means) or pretty for more than a day or two at a time either. After starting to exercise and really following my bliss in the little things every day, I’ve just been feeling better over all and started noticing parts of myself that I could find attractive. Soon, I started finding more and more of them and now it’s like an automatic response when I look in the mirror to go, “Wow! I look pretty/joyful/beautiful/healthy/fill-in-the-blank!” It just puts a smile on my face and now I get why my autistic brother spends so much time looking at himself in the mirror. He probably finds himself good-looking too! haha!
I just wanted to pop in and tell you that I really enjoy the thoughtfulness and intelligence of your posts. The time and effort you put in shows and it really helps make your blog a stand out.
I like this quote a lot too. I feel like I see myself as a friend most of the time (and definitely much more than I used to) but there are still times when I let negative feelings about my appearance drag down the way I see myself as a whole. Sometimes it’s hard not to let what’s on the outside (or how you feel about what’s on the outside) cloud your judgment about what’s on the inside.
For a while when I was have crazy friend issues and was desperately seeking to make and keep new friends I would get so down on myself. There would be literal moments when I would actually annoy myself and thought inwardly, “If I’m annoying myself I can only imagine how annoyed they must be.” It was a terrible feeling. Especially to think that that annoying person is the real you. I had to really spend some time figuring out why I thought I was annoying or no fun and I realized that really I wasn’t any of the above. I was annoying to myself because I was trying to be someone I wasn’t in order to make friends. And it wasn’t that I wasn’t fun, it’s just that in an effort to make friends I was doing things I didn’t care about or want to do. I finally let go of the facade and spent a few lonely months with myself and in the end I came out of it more confident than ever, and totally in love with myself. In a good way :)
I wish I could get my husband to go running with me at night!
I’ve never had the mirror experience but I’ve definitely waved at people I thought I knew and didn’t! In all seriousness, yes, I’m a friend to myself. It helps me when I feel like I’m in a bad place, or being annoying, or snippy with people. I’ll get off the phone and think… how would you feel if you were talked to that way? And then I call back and apologize and it turns out it was no big deal ;) I also used to hate being alone, but in my teenage years I read the quote that you can’t love others/others can’t love you til you love yourself, so I started practicing being happy when I was alone. Now I crave alone time from time to time!
I loved EPL. I can related to so much of what she writes about. Sometimes it takes a reminder to think of ourselves as a friend rather than a hurdle we have to get over to be “better.” Also, that is probably the classiest looking veggie juice I’ve ever seen.
Hmm I think I’ve had similar experiences, especially concerning self-judgment. Sometimes I would see my reflection in a window and think, what a beautiful girl, and then realize it’s just me and criticize myself.
My views definitely have changed over the years. I don’t think I’m completely there yet and am still learning how to love myself wholly but I definitely have more respect for myself as an individual, and look at myself in more positive ways. :)
Why do your parfaits always look so good??? lol
My perception of myself has definitely changed since I went to college. I feel that I have gained more confidence and see myself as equal to others. Before if someone was prettier than me or was dressed nicer I would feel that I was inferior. I felt that they wouldn’t want to talk to me or have anything to do with me. What I quickly learned in college though (where the harsh lines of high school are blurred) is that no one is really “above” you. We are all humans and regardless of how pretty someone is or how thin they are, we all have the insecurities and we all eat and drink and procrastinate on papers. Once I saw that the similarities outweighed the differences, I really found a new confidence and comfort around people who would previously have intimidated me.
Whew- that was long! Hope there was something worthwhile reading in it, haha.
This is so beautiful. I’m going through this right now in college. It is so great to see someone who has already went through this.
I’ve never had an experience like that before that I can remeber. I have looked in the mirror and asked to love myself. i think it is a crucial part of growing, especially for women, to look at your physical self and become one with your inner self.
on a side note. your hot rocks :)
I definitely consider myself to be my own best friend! When I moved out to DC over a year and a half ago now (wow), I didn’t have a single friend here! It really forced me to get out there, meet people and find activities and interests to make me happy, outside of the comforts of home. Although my life is full of friends and fun now, I will never forget how important building a good relationship with myself was in my first months.
That vegetable athletes juice looks absolutely delicious. I’ve been meaning to invest in a juicer for awhile, is it a worthwhile investment?
It is if you have the time to clean it. I find sometimes I wont use it just b/c I dont have time to clean it and all that…It is a bit annoying at times. It also requires lots of produce to use.
I’m pretty hard on myself most of the time, just recently I’ve noticed that I stopped a good amount of negative self talk… And while it’s a constant struggle I think what you’ve mentioned is so very important and I’ve never thought of it that way.
It reminds me of something Kris Carr (www.crazysexylife.com) mentioned in a vlog the other day… She said that when she realizes she is being really hard on herself or pushing herself too hard she looks at a picture of her as a little girl and says would I do this to this little girl?, would I tell her she’s not good enough/thin enough/smart enough? NO! I would protect her and help lift her up and make her strong… So why don’t you do that to yourself?
Be your own mother and be your own best friend. Be kind to yourself. Thank you so much for posting this!!
P.S. I went out and bought Eat Pray Love yesterday from your review of it, I’m going to start reading it today! :)
I always joke that I’m in “a committed relationship with myself,” but it’s absolutely true. I definitely consider myself a friend, and I’d rather hear my own thoughts that anyone else’s. The mirror situation has never happened to me, and I’ve never had some big dramatic shift. I think just bit by bit over the years I’ve learned to do what’s best for myself and listen to and love myself above all else.
That quote is so moving. I am really trying to improve my life and health lately, so I can definitely relate! I think I may be hitting up the library for this book very soon!
I’ve never really seen myself in the mirror. I think that the flash-instant thoughts that run through your mind when you least expect them to are the truest, most honest thoughts you can have. Beautiful quote indeed… I hope I can become a friend of myself soon.
Wei-Wei
I am currently trying to see myself as a friend but it is not an easy process. It is so easy to be critical and to constantly focus on my flaws but I am trying each day to see myself in a more positive light and to love and appreciate all of me, not just the parts that are easy to love and appreciate.
My perception of myself has changed. For the first time in my life I feel strong and beautiful. It’s such an amazing feeling; I can’t begin to describe how freeing it is.
Yes, I’ve had the mirror situation a couple of times. The first time was when I was walking out of a cinema and they had these huge wall-to-wall mirrors and I saw me and said ‘hey, I know her’. I don’t remember if I ‘recognized’ myself as a friend though. Most times I don’t like catching myself suddenly in a mirror because I have a huge issue with my droopy eyes and sad mouth. I’m slowly wisening up :)
The second time is funny: I had a l.o.n.g bout of illness because of which I was completely bed-ridden for 3 months. I gained about 12-14 kilos (25 pounds?) in this time and steadfastly refused to look at a mirror for the entire 3 months.
After the 3 months were up, one day, home alone, I caught my reflection in a glass and for a moment thought, “Who IS this FAT lady?!”
Did I say it was funny? I think so now, but I was heart-broken and utterly devastated then!
I was inspired by your veggie juices to try my own the other day: I used a beet and 2 carrots, lemon and some salt. It tasted fine except for the pulp that made me want to gag! Do you filter out the pulp or do you drink it all? I can’t tell from your ‘juicy’ pictures ;)
Thanks!
My breville juicer removes the pulp :) its pretty smooth
I’ve always been somewhat of a perfectionist, and it has definitely caused a lot of stress in my life. I would feel like a failure if I didn’t make high enough grades, even if it was a low A, if I discovered I was doing something completely wrong for my health, or if I said something important to a friend and then wished I would’ve worded it differently. It made me feel like I couldn’t do anything right. But throughout all of this and still today when things like this happen, I would have conversations with myself in the mirror (yea, weird isn’t it?). I guess it was my form of a diary because I could release all of my feelings to someone who knew exactly how I felt and wouldn’t become annoyed or bored by me venting all my frustrated feelings. And it’s kind of funny because sometimes I’ll think of something perfect to say to someone about whatever I’m upset about, and I’ll sort of “practice” it in the mirror, but whenever I talk to that person, I can never do it quite the same way.
What a beautiful post, pictures and all. And the food looks incredible. Question–how the heck did you get so good and creative at cooking? Do you have a cooking degree or something?
I hope this doesn’t sound creepy, but one day I’d really hope to meet you. Your blog is really inspiring.
~Amanda
Thank you so much what a compliment! :) Made me smile.
No cooking degree, just a passion to learn and the courage to experiment and fail