my homage to water & good hair days

This week I've taken the challenge to avoid using flush toilets. In fact, I'm bathing in the lake instead of a shower and only using the (spring water) tap for brushing my teeth.

Why? It feels like the right thing to do. Some people take a vacation and go to all-inclusives for a week. I decided to give Mama E a break and be as nice to her as I possibly can.

It dawned on me sometime ago that shitting into water that's taken in pipes to a plant where it's "cleaned" and then put back into the eco system or recycled for another round of use is just ludicrous. The "grey water" situation is just as heinous, especially when we consider all the chemicals spilled down the sink. Drain-o anyone? Ugh.

Water is much more precious than they way we treat it. All water. Perhaps composting toilets aren't practical to have in every building....and perhaps that's the way we've cultivated our society - to flush things away instead of dealing with them and using our waste to make things grow.

Is there a metaphor in there somewhere?

For example, is our shortsightedness with water impeding some sort of epic high-rise architecture/engineering that allows us to poop and feed our plants and heat or power our buildings? Who knows? I'm no architect or engineer.

I have however witnessed countless examples of human ingenuity and I KNOW there are way better ways to do things that would improve the quality of our lives, in general AND specifically with water.

This is the obvious statement of the year.

An entire industry could be created with true waste management. And I'd bet that if we had to deal with our poo instead of flushing it away we'd be more mindful of what and how much we consume.

For me, I've come to a place where I'd prefer to poop in a composting toilet, and pee in the woods. That  makes sense. Obviously not always practical. But I know it's my preference.

And I'd rather clean myself in a beautiful lake or a invigorating stream. It's a preference, and again not always practical.

Let me tell you though. I can guarantee myself the best hair day ever when I let nature's structured water get ahold of it. And that makes me very happy.

Pictured above: Gorgeous spirally lake tendrils.

looking good, baby

My big thing is looking younger than I am. Besides wanting to continue looking attractive, keeping my youthfulness is important simply because it’s an output of information. Compound effects are largely what cause aging. An accumulation of xyz toxins in the body can cause things to look less vibrant. Maintaining a fresh radiance is simply a way of gauging how well I’m attending to my body-mind-spirit.

In that vain, I thought I would share my beauty protocol.

Here are some of the things that I do, want to do, aim to do as often as possible. At the very least, I know that doing them benefits me – and this is helpful in creating new habits. Having an objective accompanied with knowledge makes it easier to accomplish because when the opportunity arises to do one of the below protocols, all I have to do is act.

Diet:

-Eat sulphur (olives, cabbage, celery, cucumber, garlic, onion, broccoli, cauliflower) & silica rich foods (celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, nettle & horsetail (those last two are very rich in silica - you can find them dried and can take them as tea)). In this book Eating for Beauty, David Wolfe shares TREMENDOUS information on what foods to eat to transform yourself from the inside out.

-Use olive oil. The best you can get: ICE PRESSED. This is serious business. A quality Olive Oil in your life, ingested and smeared on you regularly can up your youth & happiness quotient tremendously. The olive oil I love most is Rallis Olive Oil.

-Drink this morning lemonade: freshly squeezed lemon, 1 tsp msm crystals, pinch sea salt, drop of honey. Blend in some fresh aloe if it's available. It’s a great way to start off the morning.

-Add fresh aloe to your (taste appropriate) smoothies as often as you can.

-Avoid cooked fats & oils, baked goods, processed foods. Eating something like caramel – which is basically sugars & fats cooked at high heat - is a recipe for premature aging. EW. Don’t do it. The technical term is Advanced Glycation End Products. There is NOTHING sexy about it.

Now geez, that kinda takes the fun out of life. But at the end of the day, we have to remember that it’s the cumulative effects that will really take us out, and also remember that there are SO MANY delicious options out there that won’t fast track the very opposite of what we’re going for that we may as well make the best choices always.

-Use schizandra berry crystals or drops (add these to your teas, smoothies) daily & add pearl products to your supplement regime. These have been used in China for thousands of years for their skin youthening properties.

-Do a cleanse. Even a short cleanse will help clean out the hatch. When your body is cleaner it runs more efficiently, and actually doesn’t want to ingest shitty foods. It’s true that when your body is cleaner it can’t tolerate junk food as well anymore. Suddenly crappy foods are easily relegated to the “sometimes foods” category….perhaps even the never category. This makes it easy to eat, feel and LOOK better. Be smart about it. Choose a time when you can lay low for a couple weeks. Shop around, get informed and even consult with a health care practitioner. It’s way easier to do a cleanse when you have professional support.

-Commit to drinking better water (spring water in glass or self harvested if possible) most of the time (95+%). This makes such a profound difference; you can only experience it to really understand what the fuss is about.

Besides ingesting a bunch of health foods, & designer supplements & superherbs and avoiding crappy foods, etc, there are other practices you can incorporate into your ‘beauty regime’, including skin care, exercises & attitude... Remember, it's all about the compound effect of our habits & practices. Stay tuned for part two.

Pictured above: A raw, unairbrushed self portrait of a 33 yr old aspiring beauty queen.

flying high

I've adopted quite a few habits to keep myself healthy despite all the flying I do.

I'll wear a Schumann Resonance device like a zapper to help keep me grounded while I'm flying. I'll fly at night whenever possible to avoid the high radiation that daytime flying brings. I'll take MegaHydrate - a potent antioxidant - to keep myself hydrated and again protected from the avian elements. Further, vials of Quintessential give me a mineral intense moisture. So appreciated way up there.

My biggest challenge is water. Since I've committed to not drinking plastic water, this means that I do go thirsty sometime - particularly when I'm on a plane.

This can be challenging, because dang I get thirsty when I fly. But I know that really, anything I could consume that's provided by the plane really won't put me ahead on a hydration level.

Demineralized, reverse osmosis tap water? What the heck is that really going to do for me? Strip my body of all the good things I work so hard to put in? That's what I thought. I'm more likely adding to my toxicity level and I'm also contributing to our waste problem.

It'd be one thing if the drinks they poured on the plane were in reusable cups, but they are not.

I probably average 4 flight segments per month. If I use just one plastic cup per flight, that's 48 plastic cups per year that are used and trashed - assuming I'm on a short haul flight. This is JUST ME! Nevermind all the other people on the plane, and all the other planes & flights. And of course the water that I could drink comes from a plastic bottle - more plastic! These bottles may be recycled after they're emptied, but I don't know for sure.

And further, the water (or other beverage of choice) that comes in these bottles are loaded with xeno-estrogens and other hormone mimicking chemicals that don't do the body good.

It seems like one small thing I can do for myself & for the Mother - who selflessly gives to me each and every day. A little water fast never hurt anyone....and when I do get to my destination I make it a priority to hydrate with a liquid of considerable quality: fresh spring water harvested from the source is the best, or purchased spring water in glass. Coconut water is great too, either from a young coconut or in glass or in a tetra pack.

Those liquids are truly hydrating, and fully worth the wait.

cycles

When I was a kid, I remember my grandma would take us to the local spring to fetch some delicious ice cold water on a hot summer day. I remember loving to do that for a number of reasons. First, I'm adventurous, so my spirit was enthused. Second, we were likely driving from somewhere "far" and kids loves breaks when it comes to long car rides. But mainly it's probably because the water in Myrnam, Alberta tasted so shitty to me, that drinking that water was like drinking from the goblet of God himself. Refreshingly tasty!

Who knew then, that my grandma was oh so naturally showing me what would become a way of life for me two decades later. She knew! Interestingly too, she was staunchly against the casual use of pharmaceuticals. I know whenever we got headaches and asked for Tylenol she told us to go for a nap. The wisest of advise! As I recall - she did take me to see the doctor when I bumped into a wasps nest and things got a little puffy & dizzy & panicky. Acute: doctor. Non-acute: nap.

Here's a pic of a pic of the spring water crew, back in the 80's (that's me in the middle):

The other day my dad and I went to collect spring water at a nearby spring he tracked down. It was a fun dad/daughter event, and an homage to my grandma. Somehow I feel she'd be stoked to see what has come of her eldest granddaughter. Represent. I'm not into baking, and I knitting never was my forte. I would attend stitch n bitches back in my mid twenties and mostly bitch. In two years I worked on the same toque (still unfinished) and a scarf that could have it's own comedy show, that's how funny it looked in the end. I still wore it. My whimsical ways allow for such fashion decisions. Dang, though. I can collect spring water like nobodies business.

And finally, it's been great getting back in my parents' & grand-parents' yards and seeing them with fresher eyes. Now when I look at plants I see the medicinal potential. Picking raspberries at my Baba's place in the sunshine is way fun....and fresh raspberries off the bush - yummy & good for you. Pick the leaves & make iced tea. I'm also drying them to add to an ethereally delicious smoke blend I'm working on. I'll let you decide what that means.

Check out my favorite cotton top (aka: Baba)!

I love the family traditions that are re-emerging. They make sense to me, and geez, considering the shitstorms that are circulating on this planet currently, that is refreshingly tasty.

precious, my precious.

I'm the queen of long showers. I love standing under hot water and letting it wash away the day. On the flip side, I turn off the tap in between rinses while I brush my teeth. I recognize and understand the concept of water conservation, but with tap water in my daily life I don't earnestly practice it. I'm not a mega water waster...but I could be more mindful.

With spring water, that I've collected from the source - this is a different story. Driving for hours to collect a few gallons of pure unadulterated living water - suddenly all my sips and uses are considered - no water goes to waste. Spillage is unacceptable. Every drop counts. Water is sacred again.

When I take ownership of the water I consume, I feel accountable for all the actions that follow. And there is a simplicity of fetching my own water, and then conserving it - all my food and drink choices become deliberate - no knee jerk reaction meals or beverages are created where water is spilled down the drain because something didn't work out or I changed my mind.

Seriously, presence is necessary when handling spring water collected from the source.

And....I savor water more. Drinking water has become a ritual. Pouring, enjoying and feeling gratitude. I feel gratitude that I'm able to drink this amazing water, that I have the resources and knowledge to acquire it, and for the pure, hydrating nourishment it gives my body.

Clearly, it's worth all the effort.

when life gives you lemons

make lemonade. duh!

i heart summer lemonade

• 1 liter spring water or 1 ice cube tray
• 8 organic lemons sliced in half
• 1/4 cup agave nectar

blend & garnish with fresh lemon zest.

easy!

this old-school classic gets a new twist with agave nectar (or your own favorite raw sweetener).
It is fun to make and goes down sooooo good.

Another option: pop the mixture into the freezer for a bit and then spoon the slush into cups.

For pink lemonade just add a few raspberries & a couple sprigs of mint to the blender, and voila! hardcore delicious.

thanks shannon leone for recipe inspiration!

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