.SOMETIMES RAW.

“There is a limit to the time assigned to you, and if you don’t use it to free yourself it will be gone and never return” – Marcus Aurelius

Maybe you have had many ups and downs in your life lately. For me, last week was rather overwhelming and packed with events, changes, and adjustments. I am strong. I can deal with it all. Until I just cannot. I was near tears the other day when I entered the Yoga studio for my morning class. It was absurd to cry, I knew that, and yet I felt it in my throat and eyes: the beginning of tears forming and a whimper, which I tried to let out undetectably and quietly but it then began to pace. I do not want to narrate too much about the cause of my state but in addition to my struggles, another 25 little things had gone wrong that day and it was not even 10 am. I just felt like crying and screaming.

My favourite Yoga instructor gave me a hug and said in her rather harsh voice, “Daniela, all this does not matter because don’t forget, you are going to die. We all will eventually. Now wipe away those tears!” I froze, sniffled and considered her point. I saw the days of my life and struggles stretched out in a long, looping sort of domino trail; some happy, some sad, but all lined up nicely in pursuit of a finite conclusion in the end: death. And guess what? My shoulders released. I exhaled. Who cares if X, Y, and Z happened and if A, B, and C will ever happen.

One thing I know about my life. I tend to get caught up in things that do not matter. I may get caught up in some angry thought, voice or in minutiae or in stress or in tons of things that ultimately are not that important. This reminder of my teacher made me take a deep breath and I realized that everything is and will be fine. I don’t have to engage in certain thoughts because I don’t have time for this. I just move on.

Yeah, but the problems are still there, you may say. Yep, you are right and it is not that being angry does not matter, or that bad luck is not important. It is just that death puts all those things that we think matter in perspective when they are pumping cortisol through my veins (which ironically can kill us) like there is no tomorrow.

When I got this reminder today that I am here for just a limited time it was startling and sobering. It also loosened the knot in my chest, dwarfed it with eternity, and made this moment at the Yoga studio just very even sweet. My Yoga instructor encouraged me to just soak it all in, to pause and consider whether what I am doing is in pursuit of something that matters to me. I guess it is somewhat a litmus test for internal alignment rather than Downward Facing Dog.

Life itself is our most unreliable narrator. No one knows where the story is going nor who the heroes in it are going to be; if there are too many or maybe just a few. This is life. And this is what it does. Sometimes, life brings you to your knees. It sometimes brings you lower than you can think you know. But if you stand back up and move forward, if you go just a little further, you will always find love. Life is full of surprises. Every single day and whatever worries us today, will too pass. Nothing really matters anyway.

Fun fact: If you don’t have a spiritual Yoga teacher as I do, there is actually an app you can download that reminds you that you are going to die, ha! It is called WeCroak. Get it here.

Stay happy. Stay healthy. And smile.

Readers keep asking me if I could share more healthy, quick and easy to make recipes (not too many ingredients). Your wish is my command. I will share one recipe weekly in addition to my regular blog post. On this blog, check out the Beauty & Food section for more recipes and (homemade) beauty products. Also, big news. My new holistic nutrition website will be up and running in a couple of weeks. Yay!

Hungry? No idea what to eat? How about Kimchi Spring Rolls. There are super easy to make, healthy, insanely delicious and filling. Enjoy this fresh and bold flavoured kimchi and cashew blend from heaven.

Ingredients:

Dipping Sauce:
1 cup raw almond butter
1 Tbsp freshly chopped ginger
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
add a bit of Cayenne pepper if you want it spicy

Kimchee Filling: Yields 4 cups (makes 7-8 wraps)
2 cups cashews (soaked for 1-2 hours and drained)
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup raw tahini
1T maple syrup/honey/agave syrup (optional for sweetness)
3-4 cups pre-made kimchi

Fresh veggies of choice
Collard Greens (remove the hard stem) and/or rice paper wrappers

How to:

Process cashews, sesame oil, tahini, maple syrup (if using), and ginger in food processor until chunky consistency is achieved. Mix with roughly chopped kimchi and set aside. I used collard wraps and rolled 2 Tbsp of kimchi filling, organic spring mix and julienned veggies (cucumber, bell pepper, and carrots are best!) For the dipping sauce, blend all ingredients in a blender. So easy and incredibly tasty!

Seriously, you need these wraps in your life!

xx

If you have no clue what to do with the rest of your day, start by making your bed. No need for expensive Chanel clothes. Just have style and get red lipstick and red nail polish instead. Smile and stand up straight. Trust your intuition and always listen to your gut. Don’t remake the bed after your partner made it. Except that a man won’t understand if you “feel” a certain way or cry out of the blue. Except that he won’t ask if you are okay all the time.

Leave a party when you feel like it. Be patient, good things take time. Do not worry about the jobs you did not get. Other possibilities and opportunities will appear out of nowhere. Perfection is not the point. Just be brave and strong. Don’t avoid things or opportunities just because they seem too big or too adventurous. Don’t live in fear of the Duolingo Owl. Take good care of yourself. Balance and moderation are key.

Be yourself, no matter what. When you have people over for dinner, don’t try to impress them. Make simple, delicious food and keep in mind that no one is grading you. They are all just happy you cook for them. Leggins are not pants and flip-flops are not shoes. Always keep in mind that if a friend tells you a secret about another friend, she has told another friend a secret about you, too.

If you have an urge to keep telling people you do not have a problem with X, Y and Z you do have a problem with X, Y, and Z. Whenever you order food and there are two or three plastic forks in the bag, you are definitely overeating. Look at yourself (or dance) naked in front of the mirror and blow yourself a kiss before you leave the house.

Watch porn like a lady if you choose to and do it without feeling guilty or being embarrassed. Be polite in extreme situations and chew your food with your mouth closed. There is etiquette for the insane: they wave at you, you wave back. They say hi, say hi back. There is etiquette for phone solicitors: The friendly way to stop them from calling is by saying, “Thank you so much for calling, but I have just murdered my [whatever you feel like] and I am currently digging a hole.” Don’t ever feel bad to say “no” and then find yourself in worse situations just because you were afraid of being rude or you simply wanted to be nice and please the other person. Never ever works in the long-run.

And lastly (is this a blog post on its own?) : Airplane etiquette or am I an air marshal?

It is not okay to eat Buffalo wings, Indian food or any other strong smelling stuff (that you bring from home) on a plane. Consider other people. Air gets filtered and circulates on the plane, but c’mon. You will survive eating food served on the plane for once. Food you can always bring on a plane: A gigantic pizza cookie that you can share with the entire plane.

I am about to congratulate everybody who sits next to me because I am probably the most considerate person on this plane. I keep calm in stressful situations but you better check in your carry-on bag that is way too big. Do not stuff it in the overhead bin for too long while people wait in the aisle and try to get to their seats. I am still calm.

Do you still try to stuff that bag in the overhead bin? Honestly, nobody really wants to help you stuff your bag in that bin. They all think you suck and you should have checked that bag in. What is so bad about waiting ten minutes for your bag to show up on the baggage claim conveyor belt? Don’t bring handbags that look like a laundry sack. You won’t be able to fit it under the seat in front of you so now the stewardess (oh, sorry: flight attendant) has to carry your sack and find a place in the overhead bin somewhere far away from your seat so you now walk around and take things out and put others in immediately. Still calm.

Check-in, security check, sitting in your seat waiting for take-off: Wait patiently and read a book. Maybe be on your phone and check or update your Facebook status and see how many people like it. Don’t do anything else.

On the plane and ready to take-off: Oh, wait. Hear that? The woman in front of me just called someone on speakerphone to say that we all just boarded. Nice! Oh, it is her husband. Now they discuss what he is going to eat tonight. He really misses her already and cannot wait for her to come back home. In the meantime, the baby behind me starts to scream but that is fine. Babies do that. The pilot is making an announcement at the same time: “We are grounded for another hour because of ice and snow. Sorry for the inconvenience!” The woman on the phone screams that she wants to speak to the FLIGHT ATTENDANT OR THE PILOT NOW BECAUSE SHE NEEDS TO BE AT THIS VERY IMPORTANT MEETING.

I strangle her with her seatbelt and throw her out of the emergency door. Before that, I take off her high heels. Who gets on a plane with high heels on? Size 6. Perfect for the baby to play with.

I am indeed the most considerate person.