I was even part of a champion Foosball team.

But my dirty little secret was this: I didn’t do things I wasn’t immediately good at.

Over the years I’ve turned my nose up at myriad opportunities to try new things because I just didn’t seem to be very good at them: improv, writing music, jogging, weight lifting, sculpture … god the list seems endless.

The reason is obvious: Fear of failure. I don’t think I’m alone in this. I’ve been developing my failure callous lately because I’m walking directly into rejection territory: I’m approaching publishers and agents for my book.

Now I’m an optimist on almost every day of the week, but I’m forcing myself to be a realist here. Books are rejected all the time. Henry Miller’s work was rejected. So was Kurt Vonnegut’s. Sylvia Plath’s. And Rudyard Kipling’s. Hunter mutha-effin’ Thompson!?!

I just know I’m going to get some of those letters. I think this is the first time in my life I’ve walked into certain “failure.” It’s sorta unnerving; I just keep forcing myself to do a little more each day. I’m spinning in a completely unfamiliar orbit, the fool on the hero’s journey.

Is there such a thing as certain failure? Is it considered failure if you later succeed? Or if you walk into it knowingly? I don’t know. I guess I don’t like using the word because it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But as my good friend Nicole says: Failure is a filter. It separates the brave ones from the rest.

I’m also hoping for some good news in there too. Because, while I may not be good at publishing a book, I am a pretty decent writer. And plus, I’m still an optimist.

If you wouldn’t mind, please send out some positive light and thoughts my way to make this thing happen! And if you know any editors or agents in the publishing industry, I wouldn’t mind hearing about that either

I thought about waxing lengthy and poetic about my sweet home, but haven’t I done that enough? I mean, c’mon, been there, done that. So I thought I’d just be a tourist and show you how a former local enjoys the great Twin Cities.

I was only in town for a few days, but I caught a rare Twins win at the new Target field, wandered around Lake Harriet, and grabbed a Surly Coffee Bender (*drool*) at Joe’s Garage (restaurant bar with star gazing at night).

We shopped local in Uptown, checked out what the first sake brewery/restaurant outside of Japan, Moto-i, and saw that yes, Mama Mia is playing for the umpteenth time in Downtown’s theater district.

Of course I had to go to the sculpture garden (art bigger than me is my favorite), pick some lilacs (the fact that I randomly managed to be in Minneapolis while they’re blooming makes me believe in a greater power), hit some crafty locales and enjoy a sewing lesson courtesy of my dear Nicole.

I’m thrilled I got a chance to experience spring in Minnesota, which is about as elusive as those lilacs. It’ll probably be three more years until I go back again, and I’m sure by then, there’ll be more new things for me to discover as a tourist.

Ever since I was little, I’ve looked for meaning in numbers. I could find something special about the house number I lived in, my phone number, the license plate on my car. But for whatever reason, the number 32 has always eluded me.

Multiplication came easy, except for that pesky 8×4. (It is 8×4, right? *gets out calculator*) And even though I love my birthday and consider it long before the day arrives, I couldn’t think of anything that 32 meant.

For a minute that bothered me, but not for as long as it would’ve a few years ago. (I guess I’m growing up.) Instead, I decided that 32 is a reasonable number of things to list.

Since Earth Day is right around the corner, I’ve decided to use my birthday wish for our lovely little planet.

I wish that each and every person who read this post would pick one (or two or five) things from my list below and implement them for one month (or one year or forever) in their own life.

For me, I’m going with #18. It’s almost always about food with me, isn’t it?

1. Improve your recycling karma. Most people probably already know to recycle, but what about those times you’re carrying a plastic bottle and want to toss it? All you see are trash bins. Why not take it home with you and recycle it there?

Or what if you see an aluminum can sitting in the trash? Why not grab it and toss it in the recycling? One can never go wrong with a little extra good karma.

2. Wash your hair less. Most stylists I know (including my sister) say washing your hair everyday is unnecessary and can even damage your hair. You don’t have to be a dirty hippy to pull this off.

Monica from blog Ask The Duplex with her "dirty hair." Impressive, no?

After reading this tutorial, I can go for more than a week without washing my hair and still pull off business-casual if I have to. You use less water, less product, and less energy. Win, win win!

3. Compost. You’d be floored by the amount of food you throw away that could easily turn into mulch in a few months for your garden, shrubs, trees, etc. The less trash your garbage truck hauls away, the less energy is used. And your plants will be happy. Bonus!

4. Buy compostable trash bags. These are expensive, no doubt about it. But if you’re recycling and composting, you’ll probably use about one bag a week (for two people). Forget about how long it takes plastic to decompose … when it does, it breaks down into poison. Better to buy bags made of potatoes. Mmmm…french fries.

5. Shop at the thrift store. The materials have already been made and energy has already been expended. Make it go further and save some cash. Trends are always recycling so why not your clothes too? Or be a style diva and make them your own.

T-shirt + Crochet Runner = Awesome

6. Make your own clothes. So I’ve only just started the whole knitting/crocheting thing, but I do know that making things yourself gives you a much greater appreciation of the craftsmanship and labor involved. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to buy a blanket for $19.99 at Target from Bangladesh after seeing how much work goes into making one. If you buy locally sourced materials, you’ll reduce your footprint even more. Solid!

7. Bike or walk for trips less than a mile. Yes yes, you say. Blah blah blah using less gasoline. Let me tell you what, do you know how great your butt is going to look after a year of doing this? The Earth is going to be a better place because your ass is so fine

8. Reuse. Everything. I’m not sure why I always think of old grandmas being cheap when I reuse my salsa and butter containers, but I do. But why am I buying plastic and glassware to store my food when I’m tossing these same types of containers in the recycling every week? So I embrace my inner-Depression-era miser, wash out the containers and reuse, dammit! Reuse!

9. Shop the bulk section. What do I need all those containers for, you ask? If you’re not familiar with the bulk section in your local grocery store, learn about how to use it, save money and reduce waste. Plus you start to get adventurous with food. I can’t tell you how many times I end up in the bulk section, Googling an ingredient I’d never heard of and it ended up being a staple in my diet.

Celtic salt. Mmmmazing.

 10. Slow down.  Driving is part of many people’s lives; I know it’s not easy or fun to use public transit when you’ve got four bags of groceries. Fuel economy in most cars tops out around 60 mph. Every 5 mph you drive over that is like paying $.31 per gallon more for gas.

11. Use reusable bags for all of your groceries. Reusable grocery bags are awesome. But have you seen the reusable produce bags? *in an opera voice* They’re amaaaaaazing!

I finally just caved and bought about 20 of these bad boys and threw them in every reusable grocery bag we have. Now I can buy loads of mushrooms and baby spinach and come home without any plastic. Sweeeeeeet.

12. Bring your own lunch to work.  It’s not just about how much money you save, think about how many different energy sources and people have to come together to make going out to eat possible: the food delivery, the supplies delivery, the gas and water to prepare the food, the cooks to create the food, the dishwashers to wash it, and you to drive there. I get we need a break from the office, so how about pack a picnic and …

13. Get outside. The more you appreciate nature and the beauty of clean air and lovely scenery, the more likely you’ll be to want protect it. Treat the Earth like a good friend: spend time with it!

14. Substitute local(ish) ingredients. I wanted pesto the other day but pine nuts were $30 a pound. And they were from China. Yeowch! So I grabbed walnuts from California at $6/pound. It was still pesto-goodness and my food footprint was so much smaller. Yay, tiny footprints!

15. Grow your own food. Speaking of tiny carbon footprints, I’ve read this is one of the best ways to reduce yours. Start small and grow what you love to eat all ready. And get ready to get addicted. There’s nothing more satisfying than needing an ingredient while you’re cooking and heading to the backyard to grab it.

16. Get a good reusable water bottle. Please do this. The amount of single-use water bottles sold in the U.S. is staggering. When you consider the waste and oil used just for manufacturing it just makes sense to skip single-use plastic anything if you can help it. And then…

17. Fill it with tap water. It’s cheaper. It’s cleaner. It takes less energy. Again: win, win win!

18. Eat more vegetarian cuisine. Until pretty recently, I didn’t know eating meat put a strain on our environment. And lamb is the worst? *sigh* I was just getting into rogan josh. But there are some seriously good veggie meals out there. Participate in meatless Monday! Your body (and Earth) will thank you.

Make this: Vegan Pad Thai....omnomnom! (Click for recipe.)

 19. Wash out and recycle/reuse all your plastic bags. Again with the plastic, you say. But seriously, the stuff is everywhere. There’s a continent of plastic in the ocean. Let’s work on taming this beast.

20. Staycation! Or at least close-cation. Explore your fair corner of this earth. Skip the flights more often and opt for driving, tour bus or train. If you must fly, fly coach (you use less space) and try to get direct flights (save fuel). The wanderlust in me gets a bit sad at this, but it does help you make every trip you do take really count.

21. Use natural cleaning products. Lots of chemicals in your cleaning agents might make it seem easier to clean, but it also goes into your water. Not impressed with the natural stuff you’ve found? I’ve started making some of my own, and so far it’s worked impressively.

Tidy Mom helped me kick the Drano habit.

22. Wash your clothes in cold water. Use less energy (up to 90% less!) without heating up the water. Plus your clothes last longer.

23. Line dry what you can. When it rains, it’s almost impossible to dry towels in our house, but other than that, we line dry everything. Again: less energy used and your clothes live a longer life.

24. Buy organic whenever possible. Less scary pesticides in our soil and on our food and in our water is good for everyone, and I’m not talking about just humans here.

Because we're all on this rock together.

25. Carpool. Y’know all that traffic you sit in? Every day? To and from work? Get in a car with two other people and that’ll get two cars off the road. And it’s less stressful because only one of you has to drive and you have company. Or better yet …

26. Use public transit. For those who scoff at the idea of losing the independence of your car, let me tell you that every person I know that got rid of their car in favor of this option (even those in the U.S. where public transit is largely a joke) have reveled in their new-found, carless freedom. Try it once a week. Google  Maps has an excellent (and fairly accurate) transit option.

27. Use and consume less. It may sound like an odd concept, but it is part of the 3 R’s right? Reduce, reuse, recycle. When Sante and I stopped drinking for more than a month, our weekly recycling was cut by more than half. That was a side-effect I didn’t expect.

28. Get creative! Reuse birthday cards or make your own. Spend more time creating art that requires your energy and less time on the computer. Art isn’t frivolous; it’s soul-feeding goodness and it helps us see things differently: like how an expired bag of beans and an old T-shirt can be a cute door stop, not just trash.

29. Use what you have. So many of us have food in our pantry that just sits there or travel toothpaste we’ve accumulated from the dentist in our cabinets. Use that stuff! The energy has already been used to create it. Leaving it to sit and expire is like leaving your heat running while you go on vacation.

30. Turn down the dial.  Keep the heat a little lower and put on a sweater or get cozy under a blanket. Experiment with your water heater to find the lowest temperature you need to stay comfortable in the shower.

31. Share the love: Donate what you don’t need. Giving clothes, toys and furniture another life by giving them to thrift stores, church rummage sales and other organizations is another form of recycling. One man’s trash is another’s treasure.

32. Be a good example. Kids learn by imitating. If our lifestyles are more Earth-friendly, it’ll be that much easier for the next generation to make even bigger strides toward an impact-free life on our amazing planet.

I hope you’ll give at least one of these a try, if only for 30 days. I mean, c’mon! It’s my birthday after all! Got more ideas? Share them with me in the comments!

I didn’t know it, but knitting this blanket would be a metaphor for my journey of breaking a very strong addiction.

I struggled to start this afghan; I started over four times. I knit this project almost every day, and sometimes I felt like it would never end. I made mistakes. I had to rip out rows and re-do them. But when I finally finished, it felt so good, and I can’t help but admire it often, even if it is just a giant scarf.

Addiction has been presenting itself in my life a lot lately. Or maybe I shouldn’t say addiction: My need to deal with addiction has become omnipresent. It’s as if my body and mind can no longer tolerate it.

For my 30 Day challenge in March, I decided to stop using Facebook. The following week, my hubby decided to quit drinking to train for a race, so I opted to stop too.

Both of these are big changes from my normal routine. I work in social media, so not using Facebook meant I might not keep up on all the changes. I quickly realized that all the marketing blogs I read keep me updated just fine. I stay signed in as my clients’ companies so I’m not tempted to check my notifications.

And the drinking? Anyone that knows me knows that drinking has been a big part of my life since I turned 21. I worked at a brewery for years. I love beer… And wine… And Jagermeister.

After a rude awakening in my late twenties, I cut back, but I’ve always enjoyed a beer or two with dinner. When I sat down and thought about it, I realized I hadn’t gone more than a few weeks without drinking since I was legal. My body could use a break, I reasoned.

I’ve been keeping track of the experiences: stopping smoking, leaving Facebook, quitting drinking. In making observations, I’ve noticed some striking similarities, some of which easily translate into advice and some that just made me wonder, “Hmmm.”

• Accept all substitutes. When I finally quit smoking, it was because I used a nicotine patch. My first week off of Facebook, I’d stare at my Twitter feed and check my email compulsively. And the first week of cooking without sipping on a glass of wine meant there was plenty of pomegranate lemonade, chai tea and sparking juice in my fridge. Quitting anything in your life leaves a void that must be filled, even if it’s only temporarily.
• Some habits are poisonous. I can only drink so much pomegranate lemonade before I just feel sick from all the sugar. After a few weeks without using the nicotine patch, I had a really strong craving. I grabbed a patch, slapped it on and a few minutes later ended up in the bathroom vomiting. On Friday I spent a few minutes on LinkedIn; after I closed the computer, I felt legitimately depressed. Had I been conditioning my body to tolerate all of this? The short answer: yes.
• Losing an addiction is like losing a friend. In October, during my first week as a non-smoker, I thought about Thanksgiving without smoking a cigarette after my meal, and I cried. Literally. The thought of not having a cocktail on my birthday in April makes me wonder what I will do, as if somehow it wouldn’t be a celebration without a beer. When I get on the computer or my phone to kill some time, my fingers twitch to type a phantom “Facebook” into the browser.
• Ignorance is bliss. In order to help me feel better about not drinking, I decided to learn more about what alcohol does to my body.  I’m pretty sure I’m never going to be able to drink again without feeling slightly guilty. I know damn well I’ll never be able to inhale a cigarette again because I never had this level of fitness as a smoker. And after the amount of energy I had after one week of reading deprivation, I’ve never been able to lose myself online or in a book the same way.
• Peer pressure doesn’t go away after adolescence. Why did I smoke? Why do I drink? Why am I spending time on Facebook? There is a certain amount of pressure socially to do these things. I’m as guilty as the next person. I’ve given people a hard time for not having an online persona. I ask “Why?” when someone says they aren’t drinking, as if they need an excuse. It takes a bit of backbone to stand against the current.
• Self-image creates strong impulses. My sister and I used to say we were “natural born smokers.” It’s true. It was very hard to envision myself as a non-smoker because I put that label on myself. And as a self-described beer enthusiast, it makes it difficult to imagine life without a beer in my hand. I also happen to be exceptionally good at social media marketing, which means I should be immersed in social media, right? I don’t know. Does it? Questioning your perceptions of yourself can pull you back into reality.
• Everything in moderation, including moderation. I’ve always loved this phrase, mostly because I could use it to justify the occasional candy binge, drunken evening or weekend of red meat on the grill. But I’m starting to see the other side of it.There is no way I could be a social smoker. For me, it’s a slippery slope. So really, I can’t enjoy cigarettes in moderation. And that’s OK. Maybe that’s how it’s going to be with Facebook or with drinking. I really don’t know, and I don’t have to know. It’s just good to remind myself that moderation isn’t the only option.

My 30 Day Challenge for March is almost over, and the race Sante is training for is the second weekend in April, so these experiments will come to a close soon.

I’ll try to keep you posted on my perspective if I can get myself online. Being in the physical world has just been so rewarding, it’s hard to come back to the computer. However, writing is one addiction I don’t have any intention of kicking, so you can be sure to see a post sooner or later.

When was the last time you received a hand written letter? It’s been awhile? Sick of junk mail? Well, I think it’s time to get out your stationery and write a note to one of your friends. And what a perfect time! Valentine’s Day is next week!

(SIDENOTE: My view of Valentine’s Day is similar to that of The Oatmeal: If you don’t like it, just act like it doesn’t exist. I’ve been single, married, or broken-hearted on this holiday, and every year I enjoy myself because I know that there’s no better way to celebrate it than to do something awesome for people I love, whether it’s my friends, my lover or myself.)

This isn’t a plea to save the mail. The Daily Show already took care of that for me.

This is a plea to start sending more of your actual energy to people instead of computer energy. I’m not saying email doesn’t have its place, but it’s hard to stay close to someone through a screen. Seeing someone’s handwriting along with the quirky spelling is way more fun than email.

While I’m not suggesting you send a Valentine to everyone you know, sending one to a person who could use your spirit near them is an act of love.  Get in the spirit! Plus it costs about $.45 (or $1.05 internationally) to mail a letter. No need for fancy cards, although my dear friend The Oatmeal has some delightful ones.

I heart dragons.

Choosing to work out or be more active is one of the top New Year’s Resolutions every year. And if you’re having trouble getting motivated, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Exercise is NOT fun at first, no matter what your work-out addicted friends might tell you. It’s painful and may seem to drain you of whatever little energy you have left.

Even the most seasoned vets in the game have to resort to tricks to get themselves active some days, but trust me when I say it will become something you love, if only because of how you feel if you don’t do it … kind of like any addiction. But this is (for the most part) one of the most healthy addictions you can develop.

So if you want a few tips to keep up your exercise resolution, I’m happy to provide them, only because I’ve been on the other side: tired, sick of not seeing instant results, and the couch beckons.

1. Find your motivation, even if it isn’t the “right” one. I’ll admit it. When I first started working out,  it wasn’t because I wanted to lower my cholesterol and help ease my depression. It was to look good naked. And when I told a friend that, she cracked up but said “Hey, whatever gets you in the gym.”
2. Make it part of your routine.  Bike or walk to work. If your transportation involves your body, you’re always being active so you’ll never have a reason to skip it. Unless of course you want to sleep at work.
3. Try to make it something you’re already doing. My friend Nicole went ice skating for her workout this weekend. Awhile ago I spent a few hours rollerskating. It’s natural cross-training!
4. Show up. Sometimes I just throw my workout gear on even if I have no ambition to workout. And wouldn’t you know it? I find the desire. My hubby does this with his bike rides too.
5. Do it in the morning. Even if you’re not a morning person. You’ll still be half asleep so you can hate it less and then it’s done. You can’t flake on it. I did this for about four months before I allowed myself to sleep in again and workout at night. It worked.
6. Find a workout buddy. Craiglist has platonic personals and I’ve seen several ads for workout buddies. I went on a walk with someone I met on Craigslist. It’s better than nothing if none of your friends are into working out. And about that …
7. Ignore the friends who harrass you about working out. It’s a good thing. It’s not vain or selfish or anything negative (unless you’ve got an exercise disorder). It’s healthy and good for you. Just remember, haters gotta hate.

Just remember that change in the world starts with change in yourself, so keep it up! What are your tricks for getting yourself to the gym or to your workout?

Rainy weekends make me feel spectacularly cozy. I tend to hermit out even more than normal. I write this while I’m sitting under a blanket and afghan I’m knitting. I’m wearing wool socks and yoga pants. I haven’t yet opened a beer but it’s in my future.

Sounds relaxing, doesn’t it? But something in my head won’t let it be relaxing. It’s tallying up all the things I want to do this weekend and keeping score.

Will I do yoga? Will I write some letters? Will the ice cream cookie sandwiches get made? Will I make another batch of creamy wild rice with chicken soup? I know, I’m making you hungry.

A while ago I threw out my to-do list, so now it lives in my head. I can’t decide if that’s a good or a bad thing. I was addicted to lists.  The satisfaction of crossing things off was oh, so delicious, but they ruled my life.

Now I’m wondering if it wasn’t so much the list, but the list-maker that ruled my life. I’ve been told that I’ve got a bit of a hyper work-ethic and I know my inner critic can get a little out of hand too.

So what if I just readjust how I view a to-do list? As a way to get all the tasks I’d like to do at some point on paper. Just so I can remember them. And maybe have a little more fun with it?

Do you have a to-do list? Do you love it or hate it or a combo? What’s on your list that’s fun?

No promises, but I may finally put together a recipe for my kick-ass Minnesota soup. It’s on the list

Quite the difference between a runway model and a plus size model, isn’t it? Most of the comments I read were along the lines of “The plus size model is so much more beautiful!”

Unfortunately, I can’t contribute that kind of comment to the conversation. And not because I don’t know that that’s the thing I should be saying. I know the right, grown-up answer to this question.

But I’m not gonna lie, because I think some other people are and it just continues to do a diservice to another generation of women. It’s time for this say-one-thing-do-another culture to stop.

If I had to choose between looking like the runway model and looking like the plus size model, I’d choose the runway model. Why? Because that is what I was raised to believe was beautiful.

And I’m not the only one who thought this way. The heroin chic model look has been sought after for years, simply because that’s what women see on television, on billboards, and in magazines. And women and children(!) have been starving themselves for decades, trying to be “beautiful.”

I’m one of the lucky ones. I figured out early enough that it wasn’t healthy to be that skinny. I worked on my relationship with food and exercise and weigh a healthy 140 pounds.

But I still fight my brain on an everyday basis. I own a full-length mirror that’s slimming to the point that my husband thinks he looks sick. When I look at it, I see fat. But I know that’s not true.

This culture is crazy-making, and if models continue to get skinnier and we continue to buy those products, watch those television shows and read those magazines, our children will continue to be sold that message, regardless of what we say.

So ladies (and gents), it is up to us. We can talk about about how beautiful the plus size model is but actions speak louder.

• Vote with your dollar: Quit buying celebrity magazines that glorify binge dieting and demonize cellulite. Stop using products that hire unhealthy looking models, whether that product is for air freshener or jeans.
• Examine your habits: “Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of all children.” Eat well. Exercise regularly. If you’re starving yourself and criticizing your body, chances are your children will do the same to themselves. If you need help, get it.
• Please, for the love of god, no conversations like this:

I’m not sure if the physical and psychological damage to women in the past can be undone. I hope so. But the future is bright! Let’s eat ice cream (throw some fruit on there for extra points) and go on family walks and embrace every healthy body.

I’m not a ████ fan of ████████ ████████ to my ████, but ████ is █████████ ████ ████ ██████ ████████, ██████████. I █████ ████████ who ██████ ███████ of ██████, or ████ ███████ in ███████, ██████ █████ ████ and get ████████.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Learn more about what you can do to stop SOPA, whether you’re an American or not. And then actually do it. Please and thanks to all!

• Be nice. In my war against my inner critic, it’s occurred to me that in some cases it’s good to have a critical or judgmental side. So instead of trying to destroy it, I’m thinking it just needs some new vocabulary. Every day in my journal I’m writing five things I like about myself.
  
• Appreciate the moments. I take loads of photos, but most of them sit in a file on a computer and maybe end up on Facebook. This year, I’m printing those photos! Well, not all of them because some look like this:
  

  This was Nobeyaki Udon. It's a bit steamy isn't it?

But there are some that are great; it’s not really about how good the photo is, but how awesome the moment was. For this week, I’m having trouble choosing between this:

Big Sur New Year's Day moto ride

and this:

California Academy of Sciences with Sante's brother and sister

I’ll probably stick with the second one because even though it’s not about the photo, that shadow makes me a little bonkers.

• Try new things.  I belong to a really cool Facebook group called Thirty Day Challenges. This is a way to try new and sometimes outrageous things. Some people have survived off of $200 worth of groceries in a month for a family of four. Others try volunteering a set number of hours throughout the month.

  It’s very non-judgmental and kinda fun. And it’s how I cultivated the habits of drying all my clothes naturally, composting and hopefully after this month, eating more raw fruits and veggies.

  

  This is definitely on the menu. (Click for the recipe.)

• Don’t leave things unfinished. I feel like The Artist’s Way came into my life for a reason. It’s seriously one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself spiritually and creatively. My hubby bought me watercolor pencils for Christmas. Yes, even he believes I’m an artist!

  But I’m stuck, and mostly because I’ve been assigned to read my journals for the past few months.

  

  Seriously? But I've got more writing to do!

• Do more of what you love. Blogging is one of my favorite things, and I want to write more often. This requires me to be less of a perfectionist. I’ve set up my phone so that I can blog while I’m mobile, which will help because I am struck by inspiration most often when I’m not sitting in front of the computer. I know, crazy!

  Sunny Sanguinity is one of my true loves, and I want to spend more time with it. So fingers crossed, you’ll be seeing more posts in 2012 and maybe some upgrades around here. Thanks for reading and may you be filled with kindness, energy, bliss, joy and delicious food!