Pursuing Wellness

By Susie Crossland-Dwyer

"Don't work towards freedom, but allow the work itself to be freedom." -Dogen Roshi

February and March were tough months. They weren't life-threatening or anything major--I'm aware conditions could be much, much worse. But being sick for three weeks (and not really knowing what I had) was a big enough jolt to my current paradigm. It reminded me of the quality of life I normally have and that I need to continue to consciously create it daily. So, although wellness has always been my goal and #1 pursuit, I'm renewing my vow to it by freeing myself of all (or most) of the habits that prevent me from living vibrantly.

Jaden (our middle son) knows that wellness tastes good.

A few years ago, Chris said to me, "You are the healthiest person I know." Although, that may still be true in most regards, I want to reclaim the title with integrity for MYSELF. I've decided that if by helping others "be well" I'm creating un-wellness in myself, then it isn't worth it. I want to BE the change I wish for others. Why would this be different for any one of us? If the things we spend our time on are creating less harmony and less health in our life, are they worth it?

For the last few years, out of necessity of getting a business going, I've slept only about five hours per night and worked three times that daily. This necessary practice is a pattern I've worked hard to change in the past few months. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE what I do but there are healthy limits. I have a strong belief that I can manifest just about anything I put my intentions upon.

Running in the woods is total playtime for us.

Here are the practices I have been playing with/working on with success so far in 2013. I will continue to create the following conditions in my life through intentional living (this is my inner cheerleader speaking).

-Sleeping 7-9 hours per night (even if it means less entertainment, education or progress on work)
-Saying "no" more often to things that don't match my values
-Replacing work with play and stressing less about things I can't control (or even ones I can)
-Spending time with the people I love deeply
-Observing the people/conditions/foods that nurture me and saturating my life with them
-Filling my body and my house with foods that nourish me and give me energy to GO, BE & DO.

Here is a snapshot of some of our favorite plant-based (vegan) foods. We aim to live very simply but when it comes to healthy, life-giving food we don't hold back. We eat often and we fill up. Abundance is beautiful.

We aim to keep our dining room table stocked with fruit. All good for juice, smoothies or blending one at a time.

Our banana "tree" and box. We go through this many in about a week.

My morning smoothie.

Some of our fridge produce for soups, stir-fry, etc.

I like grab-and-go stuff. Chris takes the sweet potatoes and blends them for breakfast before a big workout.

Our pantry shelves. I like to be able to see everything we have.

Local bee pollen for smoothies & honey for just about everything. I still have a sweet tooth and the honey helps. The brown rice protein is a good alternative to the synthetic crap.

Nuttzo is one of our absolute favorite treats but it's also really expensive ($19 per jar). So, we've experimented with making our own.

I love these for breakfast with honey & blueberries.

My latest smoothie ingredients. Macca powder (superfood) on the right.

Blueberries are frequently on sale and easy to freeze. Nutrients are preserved better when frozen straight from picking. 

What Chris calls a "big-ass salad."

Some other beauties.

Telling the world about our intentions can help make them stronger and us more accountable.
Join me in making YOUR OWN intentions clear and maybe even making them known.
Peace, love and wellness.