Music: New Appreciation for The Dead

Okay, Grateful Dead. To me, they are all about PEACE, about loving community. Not sure about physical health, but certainly they embody personal freedom, an ecstatic and natural way of being. I know you're thinking, "People still listen to them after all these years?!?" (That thought perplexed me back in 1977 when I was in college, and look how long their appeal keeps lasting). Yes, people still listen. Teens, happily, have discovered The Dead because their music is COOL. It's authentic. It rocks. It's funky... The deep bass of Phil Lesh. Those spacey jam sessions.

I treated myself recently to an Amazon.com purchase, the soundtrack to "The Grateful Dead Movie," a 5-CD set of live performances from 1974 and MAN, it's good stuff. You can drive to it and it's really enjoyable when the sun hits you in the eyes as you're cruising down the parkway, the music and the bright glow making you feel so ALIVE. You can work to it, sitting at the computer and bopping along, singing along while you work, "Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world... Wake to discover that you are the song that the morning brings..." A special treat is hearing Donna Godchaux, the only female vocalist with the Grateful Dead for 7 years. Her voice isn't spectacular, but neither are the guys in the band such stellar singers. They are simply a group of musicians who are literally "in harmony."

"Sometimes we live no particular way but our own. Sometimes the songs that we hear are the songs of our own." Is Jerry Garcia a prophet? Actually, I think Robert Hunter was their lyricist. I love the way The Dead's music is on melody and then veers off into distraction and improvisation, sort of like life; it builds and gets back to the melody again before it segues into another melody and train of thought. It is joyous, it is meditative, it is sensuous, it is colorful. The music blends into the background and also tickles the foreground. It makes you want to MOVE!

Dive in and discover. They left behind a treasure trove of music. I am grateful for The Dead. Ha ha!

Music speaks to my soul. Perhaps there is music that speaks to your soul. I say, indulge your soul! Hear the songs of your own...

Food: 11 Best According to NY Times

I'm still learning how to use this blogosphere, but I wanted to start a dialogue about FOOD, one of my very favorite things to talk about and experience! Here are the 11 "best foods" in a popular article in The New York Times recently. I eat 7 of them regularly and there are 3 I eat often and the pomegranate is not on my radar at all, but I eat other anti-oxidant foods and drink teas, so I think I've got that territory covered! Also, I don't eat frozen blueberries but go for fresh instead, but in season (spring/summer). My husband and I add a few big dashes of turmeric to our cooking water when we make rice. And I sprinkle liberal amounts of cinnamon on lots of things. Sardines are more delicious than I remember and have added more to my diet. Enjoy the list. See what you think and what resonates for you:

1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
   How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
   How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
   How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
   How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
   How to eat: Just drink it.
6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
   How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
   How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
   How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
9. Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
   How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
    How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
    How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Welcome to Audrey's Peace & Health Blog!

I'm delighted that you have chosen to read my blog today, and hope very much that you enjoy my thoughts and experiences in an adventure of healthy habits and inner peace. I'm not entirely, 100%, successful, but it is a journey after all and I keep trying and refining. It is by sharing that many insights are reinforced and I'm happy to share what I've discovered along the way (and keep discovering, which is cool) that has worked wonderfully for me. In general, I feel GREAT! And I am humbled by the extraordinary friends, clients, family and colleagues who have supported and coached me along the way. None of us can do it alone. I hope there are kernels of wisdom that will "resonate" with you. Please share with me where you are in your own health and peace experiences, and where you would like to go... Let's go there together!