Work-Life Balance

I’ve been thinking a lot about work-life balance lately. The typical American lifestyle is that you fit life around your job. You rush to get your morning coffee, maybe grab a quick breakfast on the go, race to work, barely wake up enough to be on the top of your game and you drift through the morning til lunch, grab something quick and eat at your desk while you continue working. By mid-afternoon you hit a slump and take a break for a Caramel Macchiato to get through to the end of the day. When 5pm finally hits, you race out of the office, go the gym for a power session on the elliptical and rush home to make dinner for the family. You eat quickly, if even together, before everyone parts ways to finish a few tasks before falling onto the couch exhausted in front of the TV, only to do it all again tomorrow.

But what if you could structure your work around your life?

Really think about it, what are the things you value most, the things and activities that help you to be the most efficient, joyful, healthy version of yourself – (those are usually the things we cut first when we are too busy)?

I’ve noticed this in the life I have now; I give little time for the things I say I love, and I go about my days in a constant state of “rush.” Life is not meant to be lived that way. I want to be someone who walks my talk, so I’m starting with this question:

What are the truly most important things I want in my life? (Your current schedule might not reflect them now, but think about your ideal.)

For me, it’s time for art, writing on my blog, long walks in the woods with friends, yoga and taking time to actually make a nutritious meal on a regular basis. But of course, in my hurry to do the traditional model of American Life ( i.e: work hard to acquire material things, have a job with benefits, a 401(k) and feel secure…), I’ve cut out the things I want to have in my life because I’m too “busy.”

We tend to think of the things that enrich our lives most as little luxuries that we can’t always afford the time or energy for if we are following the standard American life. Well, I’m tired of it. I propose that as a tribe, we start a revolution of people committed to putting our health, well-being and balance first and scheduling our lives in such a way that we have time to go to yoga, to take a long walk, and to create beautiful whole meals everyday.

The concept of life-design is not new, but it takes planning and creating goals, and schedules to ensure that we are balanced in hos we use our time so that we can get those value self-care items into our daily practice.

What do you say, will you revolutionize your life with me? I’m starting now by preparing a beautiful pot of soup, lingering in my kitchen with good music playing in the background. That to-do list of extra work I brought home can wait. This moment is mine.

Are You Deprived?

Stop living as if you are deprived. No really. Stop it right now.

I’ve noticed that many of us have the attitude that life has been holding-back, depriving us of good things. (You know the yo-yo diet kind of living that happens trying to lose weight, so you cut out anything with flavor from your cupboards and live on a stiff regimen of of things that taste like cardboard.Then that logic follows suite into other aspects of your life and relationships that the best quality is too hard to come by, too expensive, you would have to work too hard etc. so you settle for the superficial version with no depth because it’s easier? Yeah, been there.)

When I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)  a few years ago and trying desperately to avoid all gluten, dairy and sugar to improve the symptoms, instead of feeling better I suddenly felt even more deprived. It wasn’t that my body actually was deprived, I just got stuck in the logic that anything healthy, gluten-free, raw etc. that would benefit my body would be flavorless and insignificant. I felt like PCOS had handed me a life-sentence of a depleted, passionless life.

That’s when it hit me…the loaded question…if food was now flavorless, what other parts of my life had become flavorless because I thought sacrificing pleasure meant I was creating health?

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Occupy Your Turkey

This Thanksgiving, Livin’ Spoonful wants to occupy your turkey… or your tofurky.

Do you have a creative recipe for using our crackers to make a delicious gluten free turkey stuffing? Is there another way Livin’ Spoonful crackers have rounded out your Thanksgiving feast?

Please send us your Thanksgiving recipes by Sunday, November 27th. We’ll select our favorite recipe to feature on our website, and we’ll send the winner six cracker packages as a thank you gift!

We hope your holiday is filled with joy and love!

If it’s not delicious, it won’t be sustainable. Comments 2

That’s one of our operating principles. It’s not news to previous generations, but for many of us raised in the era of “store bought is better” what qualifies as yummy often comes in a shiny package. So does that mean we have to give up our convenient and sinfully salty snacks to achieve real sustainability?
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Julie’s story

I am from Boulder,Colorado and have gotten quite used to local, fresh organic food. I chose to start eating more raw foods recently, for health purposes. Eating a raw diet can have it challenges, even in the safe confines of the “Boulder Bubble”. Boulderhas been known for its “hippie-esq” qualities and it is easier to find a Shambala center, than it is to find a McDonalds. Some would find this frustrating. A frustration, only a visit to the Shambala Center can fix. Boulderis unique, needless to say.
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