Don't forget to breathe

I had a delightful roadtrip this week:

   1 long weekend
+1 amazing friend
+ several scratched CDs
--
 Relaxation & Reflection

Hanging Lake, near Glenwood Springs, CO

Some souvenirs...

Don't forget to breathe:
The hike to Hanging Lake is 1.5 miles, ascending a thousand vertical feet. Within a few minutes of the trail head I started huffing and puffing, feeling my pulse in my ears. Then I started singing--exhaling completely, inhaling in rhythm, and all was well. I should sing all the time.

"You can only get this here." Spending several hours talking, listening, singing...I started to learn more about my companion and myself, the things that make us unique, my unique composition of beegirl, teacher, oboist--these traits/qualities in this combination?  You can only get this here.

"Surround yourself with excellent people."  And learn from them, teach them, love them.

Food Security, I want it

This summer I spent some time at the fantastic restaurant F.A.R.M. Cafe eating well-prepared local food and occasionally serving/cleaning up.  F.A.R.M. stands for "Feed All, Regardless of Means," and the model of the cafe is that people may pay a suggested sliding scale donation or volunteer for an hour to receive a meal.

One of the things I learned talking with the chef/director was that a number of the students at the local university participated in the volunteer/eat program.  Some of our students experience "food insecurity"--hunger and the inability to access food.

The USDA defines food security as "access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life."

There are a few things that distress me about students and food insecurity.  1) Their hunger is largely invisible.  People who are hungry generally don't want to look like it, and will go out of their way to hide any sign of vulnerability or need.  I am grateful for programs like F.A.R.M. cafe and the student-run food bank at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO, for making food accessible in a way that preserves the dignity of the person. 2) I want to expand the definition of food security.  We are not certain that GMOs, for example, are a safe "edible foodlike substance" to ingest, and in fact there is some evidence that GM wheat is toxic because it contains a protein that humans haven't evolved to digest.  Have you tried eliminating wheat from your diet for a week?  I've been off wheat for a few months and my gut feels much better. In addition to GMOs, what is the risk of the prophylactic antibiotics used in Concentrated Animal Feed Operations (CAFOs) to human health?  What is the risk of pesticide residue on human health directly and through its environmental impact?

In fact, maybe more of us are less food secure than we think.  Do you think organic food is too expensive for most people to buy?  Isn't there something wrong if I can buy 2 toxic taquitos with whoknowswhat kind of meat in them for 99 cents? 

Fort Lewis College's student-run Food Bank

Enjoying the Benefits of Good Clean Living

Perhaps you can file this post under 'common sense,' but I admit I haven't always followed these bits of advice.

I have noticed that making healthy choices, what I'm calling "good clean living," has led to positive health outcomes. (See related post about how academic success is a result of specific actions that students take.)

For example, choosing daily exercise, a good run or bike ride or dogwalk or yoga, or whatever way you like to move your body outdoors, can lead you to good energy and focus during the day and good sleep at night. 

Making choices that lead to a good night's sleep can lead to a fresh morning.  Have your materials ready for the next day.  Go to bed early.  Getting plenty of quality sleep can lead to feeling energized, alert, engaged. Don't make me start quoting Ben Franklin.

Eating nutritious food leads to feeling fueled/energized/healthy and to a happy gastro-intestinal system.

Getting good nutrition and good vascular health also leads to good sexual health.  That's nice too.  Making good choices about planning ahead for protection feels empowering and frees the mind to enjoy.

Practicing good mental hygeine, including avoiding synthetic drama, leads to clearer thinking, more balance, integrity and stability.

Exercising moderation with alcohol and other substances (including sugar!) leads to less drama for the liver, pancreas and gall bladder.

Flossing.  My dentist has a sign in his office that reads "Floss only the teeth you want to keep." I like taking care of my teeth, and I positively beam with pride when my hygenist praises me at each cleaning.  "I wish more of my patients were like you, Karen."

Getting off the treadmill

My life functions at a relatively fast pace.  It is not unusual for me to start my day with 7 am yoga, work all day, dinner break, evening meeting or rehearsal, fall into bed. I have friends whose lives function even faster--a friend who has had his furniture in storage for 10 years because he travels so much for work; a friend who still pulls "all nighters" to get work done.

We are a little bit crazy.  Maybe more than a little bit. It is also exhilarating to live fully, to be engaged in one's community or profession.  It is also satisfying to mentor others.

And from time to time, we have the conversation.  It goes something like this: "yeah, one of these days, I should maybe settle down.  Maybe move out of the city. Get a farm. Buy some goats."

I should write a related post about the time I decided to take the goats, on leash, for a run, and my subsequent injuries.  Note the absence of leashes in the photo.  There is some nice symbolism for 'letting go of control' here.

If I were to make a movie of my life, I'd have to include an episode from a few years back when I was running on a treadmill. I was jogging along at a good pace when I mis-stepped and was conveyed at a high speed toward the back wall of the exercise room.  I wasn't hurt, but I felt deeply embarrassed.

This is turning out to be a blog post about the fear of looking ridiculous, plus the fear of actually getting hurt.  My point: Transitions.  Transitions can be awkward, scary. But to live authentically, sustainably, well, and in balance, we need to make the transition through different paces.

College Readiness Faculty to Faculty meeting at Alamosa High School

Here is a word cloud (thank you wordle.net) from a meeting I had this week which included faculty from Adams State College, Trinidad State Junior College, Alamosa High School and Ortega Middle School to discuss the challenges our students face to be "College Ready."

I don't have all the answers, but I'm grateful to be in the conversation.  I'll be attending the monthly Colorado Remedial Education Policy Review task force meeting May 25th and will bring the comments with me.  I'll also bring these ideas with me to the Kellogg Institute (a month-long fellowship to work on our near-peer mentoring project and/or other interventions to support students).