An attitude of gratitude

I've gone through a lot in the past 18 years. I've made some good choices and then some not so good choices but all in all, I think that I have learned from them.

I remember one time when I was unemployed, that I would pray for money for food. I would get calls from friends and neighbors that said "hey, I have an extra turkey, you want it?" Or why don't you and your daughter come on over for dinner. I wasn't at all grateful. Or at least to ME, I wasn't because it was NOT what I had asked for.

Another time I found myself in a situation and being ungrateful was when I worked as a contractor for this company who paid me far less than I asked for and even less than I was worth. (Don't even get me started on that story) I often complained about not being able to make ends meet. Those two ends never seemed to get along long enough to stay together. I complained about little things like not being able to go shopping or going shopping but not being able to buy all that I wanted or how I wanted a bigger house. I know it sounds superficial but that's where I was at then.

One of my friends told me about this Nature and Healing Expo they have once a year in Bethesda, Maryland. I went. There were many vendors there, some of which were psychics. I thought, why not. I could use a reading and some direction. The first thing this woman said to me was "You need to change your attitude." Excuse me?? Who WAS this lady talking to? She don't know me like that. Since I was paying her, I let her continue.

She proceeded the reading with telling me how blessed I was despite my situation and that I was not utilizing my gifts and that I was blocking my blessings by speaking negatively on everything. She said should change my negative attitude to a positive one. OKAY.. WOW!! Like that was a mouthful and she wasn't even done. She continued with when you speak negatively about whatever your situation is, you magnify the negativity and prolong receiving your blessings. She said you speak things into existence and dwell on things that may or may not even happen. This lady DOES know me.

I thought about everything she said all the way home. How can I change my words and my thoughts? Your thoughts become your words and your words become your actions. It was hard at first but I did it. I began to see immediate changes. In fact, I started noticing how everyone else speaks negatively about their situations and how the energy made me feel. I didn't like it. I know if I didn't like it when folks did it to me, imagine how they felt when I was doing it? I started showing gratitude for the things that I had rather than what I did not have. We tend to want to live beyond our means for things we don't even need. Did I really need another handbag when I had a fifty of them? Did I really need a bigger townhouse when I didn't show gratitude for the one that I had? When I showed up with an attitude of gratitude for all the things I had, more came into my life. There is nothing wrong with wanting something better but showing appreciation for what you already have goes a long way in the eyes of the Universe.

As always, visit my website www.nu-bodi.com and I will see you tomorrow.

Do you supplement?

To supplement or not to supplement... that is the question. When I tell people that I am a vegetarian, someone always ask how do I get my vitamins. Simple. Fresh fruits, fresh live vegetables and herbs. So their next question is well how do you get your protein? Simple. Fresh leafy green veggies,  beans, and other protein sources such as vegan chicken or crumbles and such.

Vitamins are necessary. Most people need a multivitamin and or are deficient in specific vitamins where they need more of an individual. Its not meant for one to stay on vitamins for forever. The purpose is to supplement what you are not getting in your diet until your body reaches levels that are sufficient and balanced to where you ARE getting the vitamins and minerals through your diet then you stop. Many people aren't told that some vitamins need other vitamins to be properly absorbed in the body. So you end up taking more than you anticipated.

When used in the right proportions and correctly, food can act as a medicine. Now a days, people don't eat to heal. They eat to feed an emotion or just because. When food is eaten as a medicine, healing can begin. Lemons, oranges, grapefruits and limes all contain vitamin C. Wild rice contains vitamin A, calcium, zinc and a few others. Almonds can be a very beneficial snack instead of chips or junk. They are a source of protein and also contain vitamin, A, E, calcium, iron, potassium and zinc just to name a few. Herbs also contain vitamins. Alfalfa, a blood purifier; reduces and prevents symptoms caused by arthritis contains vitamins A,B-1, B-6, B-12, C, D, E, and K, along with some trace minerals.

Knowing what foods to eat, when to eat them and other food combinations can help you boost your immune system and combat illness. With a few diet changes you can tremendously change the way you feel and look. By making healthier food choices, you become less dependent on vitamins and minerals through supplements become reliant upon food to provide what you need.

As always, visit my website at www.nu-bodi.com and I will see you tomorrow.

The Present is a Gift

Where does all the time go? If you are anything like I was, a Worry Wart, then you spend most of your time worrying about things that may or may not even happen. Most of us don't live in the present moment. Myself included. We either live in the past hurts, the "could have done this or could have done that, or the regrets. Then you have the others who live in the future. "By the time I am 35, I will have a husband, a house, 2.5 kids and a dog." Or "in five years I am going to make partner of this firm if it kills me!"

While its fine to make plans for the future or visit the past, it is not fine to live there forever. You can't bring the past back and the future is very unpredictable. Understanding why you live in the future or the past could perhaps be a key to staying in the present. Many of us have heard the saying "Stop and Smell the Roses." Roses don't last forever. Neither does those moments you miss when you are not living in the present. Have you ever smelled a rose? Its fragrance? Have you ever noticed its texture? Its color? Have you ever seen an eclipse? Most of us are running here or going there that we have never seen one. The rest of us are too busy scheduling this meeting or in another where before they know it, the day is over with and they start it up all over again.

Be honest with yourself. If you sat down to calculate the time you spend during the day... how much of that time is actually spent on being present? Do you schedule in your Crackberry time to stop and smell the roses or do you just do it? I spend time with people who are dying and all they want is more time. Time to just BE.   Today is a gift. What you do with that gift is up to you. Open your gift and use it wisely, for tomorrow you may not be given the same gift or a gift at all.

As always, visit my website www.nu-bodi.com and I will see you tomorrow.

Stones that heal

In 2002 I had a squatter who had boxes of pretty stones. She didn't stay long enough for me to engage her in a conversation about  them. I wish that I had. The stones were so beautiful in all of their shapes, colors and textures. Oh well, everything happens for a reason in its own season.

Several months later I found myself unemployed. The threat of me not being able to pay my mortgage loomed over my head so hard that I had migraines. It was suggested that I go to this Holistic Nature and Healing Expo in Bethesda, Maryland. I'm like how is this going to help me!??! I heard there would be a variety of speakers there doing mini workshops and the topics were fascinating. I also heard there would be vendors there and that I should go to see how I can get NUBODI there as a vendor in the future, as it was a huge process. I got excited about going. So I went. When I got there, I saw a lot of the stones my squatter had in her collection. I wanted to know what they were for and why she had so many. I picked up this pretty purple stone and asked the vendor about it. He said oh that's an Amethyst. A what?? It's an Amethyst quartz crystal, part of the crystal family. It has healing abilities. Uh huh... tell me more sir. The Amethyst has the ability to relieve one of headaches and assist with insomnia. SHUT YOUR MOUTH!! I couldn't imagine this stone doing anything but since I was suffering from both, the migraines and loss of sleep. I bought one. Hell, I bought a few of them and some other stones since they were around a dollar or two. I went home, cleaned my Amethyst and plopped it on my forehead. Pleasantly surprised my headache was gone and I was sleeping pretty well now after I put a few under my pillow. I was hooked. I started researching stones and crystals and buying them every chance I got. Here is some of the information that I found.

"Crystals and gemstones are all around us from the sand and pebbles on the beach to the finely polished slabs decorating the facades of the government buildings. The mineral kingdom and the crystals it contains are the foundation of all physical matter and of life itself. Crystals have been revered and given spiritual significance through the ages because it has been recognized that they can created profound shifts in awareness, extending normal human perceptions into the mysteries and powerful worlds of the spirits and ancestors.
Our ancestors used gemstones and crystals as tools and also as healing tools. For example, Smokey Quartz is used for change and of new beginnings and creativity. Why Jade has long be seen to prolong life, strengthen the heart, lungs, voice, bones and blood. Placed on or near the heart, Rose Quartz can assist with releasing stress and trauma.

Over the years I spent so much time studying and talking about the properties of these beauties that I ended up teaching workshops on them. Crystals and gemstones can be used in many ways to access their healing and spiritual properties. Some people carry them in their pocket or in a little pouch, while others place them sporadically through out there home. I have crystals everywhere. I have them in my office, my car on my person and in my home. If you don't believe our ancestors that crystals and gemstone work, than believe me... as I am a witness that these wonderful stones do work.

As always, visit my website www.nu-bodi.com and I will see you tomorrow.

The Aroma and the Therapy

I love making stuff. Especially the smell good stuff. I got into aromatherapy because I wanted to make my own products. You know... shampoo, conditioner and of course bath and body type goods. Why pay someone else $20 for shampoo when I can make it myself... right?? Well I thought I had been doing well with my knowledge of aromatherapy. One day for my birthday, I wanted to be SPICY. So I hopped out of the shower and put on some Cinnamon essential oil straight on my body. Oh I was HOT and SPICY alright. My ass was on FIRE!! I hopped BACK in the shower to wash off and felt like I was burning even more. My  poor little body was completely red. It was then that I remembered that oil and water didn't mix. I needed to drown myself in a carrier oil such as olive or almond. I brushed up on my knowledge of the oils and had been making my own products for awhile and doing quite well, until my co-worker, a retired nurse, told me about this spiritual aromatherapy certification program. She was ranting and raving about it and how she was going to take it and that we should take it together. Spiritual huh? I wasn't buying it. I researched the site, reviewed the information and I was hooked. My one eyebrow went up like the Rock and I had this stupid grin on my face like OH YEAH. After I researched the program, I signed up for the next available date near me. What fascinated me about this program was the fact that the founder of it was a former nun and nurse. I was like WHOA... what a combination. This wasn't your average one day course. Its a clinical aromatherapy certification. This aint your granny's whip out some Castor oil and put it on your a cut type of learning. This program was phenomenal!! It took about six to eight intense months to complete but the knowledge I gained was invaluable. I learned how aromatherapy can assist the mind, body and spirit with a variety of methods of applications using pure essential oils. I learned that each oil has properties that could heal mental and emotional issues or that the same oil can heal something physical like a cut or a burn.

“Aromatherapy” is a word that is often loosely applied to a number of different practices.  It can mean different things to different people – which is why there is often a lot of confusion and “controversy” surrounding the practice of aromatherapy. By definition it means "the method by which the natural oils taken from aromatic plants are used to enhance health."

So I have completed my certification and I am now a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist. Well what does that mean LaTreviette?? It means that I can create the most powerful SYNERGISTIC oils known to man using pure essential plant oils for whatever ails you. I can safely combine five or more essential oils to assist the body, mind and spirit in healing. 

From experience, I can tell you the essential oils do work. Coming from someone who was diagnosed with depression almost some sixteen years ago, I can tell you the oils (among other alternative methods that I practice) saved me from a life of loopyness and drugs. If you want to know more, visit my website at www.nu-bodi.com or send me an email.

As always, see you tomorrow.

Hard as nails

They say you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their hands. Like whether they do work or not. Looking at my hands, you would have thought I had been working since birth. Some say you can tell if a person has had a hard life by the lines in them. The fingernails also tell a story about one's life.

My nails grow quite long and are very strong. Not because I don't do any work but because of my diet and life style. I'm not a fan of nail polish only because I am quite lazy to keep them up and coordinate with my outfits. I do that with my handbags and shoes. I also went to school for hair and nails and am aware of the chemicals that go into nail products. The process that the nail goes through for acrylic nails and tips is brutal to the nails. While you have a perfect set now, the long term damage takes a long time to heal. Even the stripping away of the nail polish with the remover can cause some damage.

Lately though, I have been noticing some changes in the appearance and texture of my nails. So I researched my nails and what it says about nail health and found some interesting things. For example: Pitting or ripplings in the nails can be associated with Psoriasis or inflammatory arthritis. Or if you have nails that are half-white, half-pink nails that could signify a kidney disease or imbalance in your kidneys. Your fingernails can even tell a story about your personality. Bitten Nails indicate that you have a nervous temperament.While short nails may indicate you are analytical, with a tendency toward perfectionism.

What are your nails saying about you?

As always, visit my website at www.nu-bodi.com and see you tomorrow!!

Ebb & Flow

Ebb and Flow... Ebb and Flow... sounds like a rap group to me. LOL I have never got the concept of Ebb and Flow. It seemed to me that the people I know were always in the FLOW and never the Ebb. Me and Ebb.... we never really got along. I'm not particularly fond of Ebb. Now Flow.. I can get with her alllll day. Over time I have grown used to how ebb and flow work. By dictionary, ebb and flow means to decrease and then increase. Think of it in terms of the Wheel of Fortune. The wheel is up... your money is grand. When your wheel is down.. well your fortune might be down or things might not flow as it was when you were in the Flow. When you are in your Ebb.. that is a time to use it to your advantage and get clearer about what it is you desire and magnetize it to you. There is always going to be a change in your flow and during your Ebb (when what you are trying to attract slows down) is your time to re-evaluate and make changes. That was hard for me to understand. When I was in my Flow.. I was flowing not thinking about what I would do when my Ebb came around. "The more you can appreciate the gifts you are receiving while the tide is out, the more rapidly the tide will come back in. Focus on the abundance you have rather than what you don't have and you will receive more." Speak your abundance into existence during your Ebb. "To increase your prosperity, talk about your abundance. Words are important. Everything you say has the power to potential to create the reality you experience."

"Creating your desired reality takes patience, persistence, and commitment. Trust that whatever you are experiencing right now is perfect for your growth."

As always, visit my website www.nu-bodi.com and see you tomorrow.