Wise Words

The King of Spices

Almost everyone knows that a dash of black pepper can add flavor to just about any dish. What you may not know about the “king of spices” is that it comes from a plant that can grow more than 30 feet tall in tropical climates.

Indigenous to India, pepper has been a covetous spice for thousands of years.

The ancient Greeks used it as a currency and offered it as a sacrifice to their gods. Many Greeks even paid their taxes with pepper – something you may wish the IRS would allow. By the time of the middle ages, men calculated their wealth by their stockpiles of this wonderful spice.

Why has black pepper been considered so valuable? Not only does it spice up food, but it’s also an excellent source of manganese, vitamin K, iron, and fiber.

It also improves digestive disorders and keeps the intestines healthy.

That’s right: the taste of black pepper alerts the stomach to secrete extra amounts of hydrochloric acid which helps to digestion. In fact, if our stomachs have a deficiency of this substance, then food will sit in our tummies long enough to give us heartburn and indigestion; when these putrid food particles are passed to the intestines, then a lot of unpleasant symptoms, like flatulence, may occur. So think of pepper as a type of aphrodisiac in that you won’t repel prospective mates.

Black pepper also contains remarkable weight loss properties – the outer layer of the peppercorn fuels the breakdown of fat cells, keeping you slender, energetic, and even younger.

Of course not all peppers are created equal. While all peppers come from the same vine, different kinds result from harvesting the berries at distinct stages of the ripening and processing them in diverse ways. For example, green peppercorns are picked long before maturity in the green stage; white pepper comes from completely ripe peppercorns that have been picked close to maturity. And finally, our beloved black pepper come from berries as they are beginning to ripen from green to yellow and while still relatively immature. They are then boiled for a short time, and then dried naturally in the sun until they’re perfect.

Unfortunately most pepper sold in the U.S. is a mixture from a variety of low-grade peppers bought at the lowest possible price. A superior form of pepper comes from the Lampong district of South-eastern Sumatra, the center of pepper production in Indonesia. Lampong pepper berries tend to be smaller than those of Indian pepper, which gives it a finer flavor than other peppercorns. Lampong pepper is one of the one of the strongest and hottest black pepper with a powerful flavor.

Past Present and Future

The past is unchangeable, the future too uncertain, but the present is here now, so enjoy the time you have now because it’s gone in a flash.

Self hypnosis promises the most as a meditation tool!

Meditation is considered as one of the best ways to reduce stress, lower your blood pressure and increase longevity. While there are several ways to use meditation as a relaxation method, self-hypnosis gives you the additional benefit of temporary behavior modification. Contrary to what you might imagine, self-hypnosis is a very simple procedure that you can learn very quickly and only requires a few days of practice to master. This is what you do in a few easy steps:

Select a comfortable position like sitting, lying down, etc, away from all distractions for at least 10 minutes.

Close your eyes and concentrate on relaxing your entire body from one end to the other.

Start at your feet, feel your toes and feet relaxing, keep repeating rhythmically to yourself the words "relax, relax" as a mantra as you feel a warm tingling sensation in each muscle in your body. Whatever happens just relax, anything you do is a plus, we are not looking for perfection, each time you do this it gets easier. Feel your feet totally relaxed, keep your thoughts focused on relaxing the part of the body you’re working on. Experience the calming down effect of letting go of all tension.

Travel up to your legs concentrating in your principal muscles, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hamstrings, torso, abdominals, your chest, back, hands, arms, head and face. Feel pleasure as each part of your body is rid of tension. Undergo the transformation from tightness to looseness.

When you reach your chest pay particular attention toward your breathe, making sure to take deep breathes, inhaling and exhaling to a totally relaxing pace. Let go of all tensions feel the tightness disappearing from your back and shoulders, come into contact with the feeling of relaxation in each part of your body as your travel through it. Include your face muscles and your neck, following a sequence to include the entire body.

After covering all your main body parts independently go around your body a second time now at a faster pace while concentrating in larger portions of your body feeling your entire feet and legs completely relaxed. Feel the gentle warmth traveling your entire body, keep your thoughts in this sensation, still repeating to yourself to relax. As you approach your chest area go through the breathing cycle.

Once you accomplish a state of deep relaxation where your thoughts are away from your usual routine and into your body you may select to give yourself a suggestion at this point. You are in a very susceptible state, you may repeat to yourself: I will come out of my self-hypnotic state full of energy ready to do my project X with enthusiasm. Or you may say to yourself: whenever I experience anger I will feel love and trust for myself or others and I will react with compassion. I will have a strong desire to forgive myself and others. Repeat these or other suggestions several times during your hypnotic condition. Do not attempt to make multiple suggestions in the same session.

Try it now, do it today, you will see instant results; just don’t expect miracles only improvements. Develop a routine to meditate once or twice a day. Remember, the more you do it the easier it becomes. In a few weeks you will be able to relax under the worst types of conditions and very quickly. Meditation as part of a strategy to take care of your emotional health and well-being can add decades to your life and will greatly improve your ability to relax and concentrate. Additionally, self-hypnosis in particular will take advantage of the power of suggestion in practically any area of your life where you can use a little help.

It might have been

When I look back, way back, I sometimes think that that particular angel of light could have been my second half, if only I'd done something to show her my heart; perhaps a gesture, an exchange of friendly words, a compliment, a brush against the shoulder even. Then the saddest four words conjure up in my mind: It might have been.

Is shyness, timidness, or even the thought of, what if, enough to overrule and outweigh the feeling of regret bore in,"It might have been", that'll follow us to our graves.

The struggle is a complicated one, but then again, that's the price and battle of love.

Products of our Past

We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it. Listen: those who have hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on to the pain through resentment. For your own sake, learn from it, and let it go.

A Mothers Love

The most dangers space on this planet is the space between the Mother and her Child.

When you are feeling down

1. If you want your dreams to come true, don't oversleep.

2. The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention.

3. Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.

4. The best vitamin for making friends....B1.

5. The 10 commandments are not multiple choices.

6. The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.

7. Minds are like parachutes...they function only when open.

8. Ideas won't work unless YOU do.

9. One thing you can't recycle is wasted time.

10. One who lacks the courage to start has already finished.

11. The heaviest thing to carry is a grudge.

12. Don't learn safety rules by accident.

13. We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.

14. Jumping to conclusions can be bad exercise.

15. A turtle makes progress when it sticks its head out.

16. One thing you can give and still keep ...is your word.

17. A friend walks in when everyone else walks out.

18. The pursuit of happiness is: the chase of a lifetime!

Happiness

Happiness can be thought, sought or caught, but never bought: the best way to keep happiness is to share it.

For a cleaner environment...

One dollar of every ten dollars spent on food products is used for packaging, which is rapidly filling our landfills. Most products have layers and layers of unnecessary wrapping, plastics, and boxes and as consumers we have to let companies know we don't want to support such wasteful practices.

Pay attention to the packaging that comes with what you purchase. Most plastics are now recyclable, but manufacturers are still selling their wares by packaging them in hard to recycle or non-recyclable plastics. Look for the symbol with three chasing arrows to find out what type of materials the packaging consists of. Then, call up your local recycling center to see what types of paper and plastics can be recycled in your area. Plastics stamped #1 or #2 are most widely recycled but some facilities can take other types.

Also, try and look for products that have been packaged in already recycled materials. Buy products in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging that ends up in landfills or try and buy products that are themselves reusable (i.e. reusable razors instead of disposables). Do you need a bag for one or two items? Make sure you let them know that you don't. These are just a few simple steps we can all take to decrease our waste and clean up our environment.

Life in a glass

An Optismisitc person see the glass of water as half full, the Pessimistic person see it half empty, the Blessed Man will just drink it.

Finding Courage

Courage is finding the inner strength and bravery required when confronting danger, difficulty, or opposition. Courage resides deep within each of us, ready to be accessed in those moments when we need it. It is the intangible force that propels you forward on your journey.

-- Cherie Carter-Scott