It’s in the details. Little acts of kindness.

We forget the small stuff and look at the big stuff, the big picture. The one we have in our minds of what will make us happy, complete. All being an illusion, because it all boils down to the very essence of now. We prepare for the future enjoying now. Isn’t this way of perceiving life a relief!?

We look at the big stuff we want, we expect. The perfect job, home, love, and we go about our day worrying about how to get these things and looking at our existence with a magnifying glass, in search of what we don’t have. Missing the good stuff.

Home at last!

Every day, since I got here about 15 years ago, I am grateful to have landed and actually stayed in this city. I’m in awe everyday.

You are not alone

Who knows me a little bit, knows that I love quotes and Sufi poetry. It helps me to see through the eyes of others, to feel others feelings and share mine. I get to see that I am not alone in my own humanity.

“You do not have to be good.  You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

(Photo courtesy eleisawifelife)

Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, call to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting – over and over announcing your place in the family of things.”  - Marie Oliver

Why do we run?

Is it to torture ourselves? To lose weight? To become tough and rough?

When I ask people, over 40, I get a 50-50 response. Half say they do so in order to be able to eat more and the other half for their mental health. And yes, I agree with both, but mostly with the latter.

I run to oxygenate my brain, to relax, to get some perspective. It’s not a passion though, it’s something I need to do, for my self and others around me.

I read articles where they say that running is bad for joints, for your heart, your feet even. Too much exertion can kill you, but so does sitting on the couch all day! And the saying might be true “¡Lo que no se usa, se atrofia!”

According to a New York Times article: Exercise helps us age more gracefuly!

So, run, walk, jog, swim, whatever, just move!

Laura Carbonell is a bilingual and bicultural language teacher at Casa Hispana in San Francisco. She is a foodie and enjoys cooking and sharing her abuelita’s recipes, and wearing makeup and sharing her findings. You may follow her on Twitter.

 

Coconut oil: multitasking!

I just discovered this gem! Yep! Been around for ages, been used in India for centuries and now I find out! It’s cheap, relatively, if you think how much you spend on products which are only designed or marketed for certain things, as cooking, washing your hair, face, body etc…

Nuestro regalo de hoy para todos

Después de ver esto, nada es tan importante!

Salvia Hispánica-Chia seeds

Add this healthy seed to your diet! It is filling, without the calories! Plus it doesn’t taste weird! Add it to salads and sandwiches. For added Omega-3 oils which are good for your heart and regulating cholesterol.

Protein rich for added energy and fuel. Balances sugar levels in the blood and rich in anti-oxidants!

Laura Carbonell is a bilingual and bicultural language teacher at Casa Hispana in San Francisco. She is a foodie and enjoys cooking and sharing her abuelita’s recipes, and wearing makeup and sharing her findings. You may follow her on Twitter.