CALM: November-2021 Calendar

Greetings all!

Here is the November-2021 calendar from CALM: and it’s all about gratitude and paying attention and not taking things for granted (from https://blog.calm.com/blog/november-2021-calm-calendar).

So many wonderful suggestions! My favorite ideas were from November 8, 27, and 30! 

Image from 

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/grateful-gratitude-thanks-2940466/

November 1 - Think of one thing that you are grateful for right now. Give yourself time to soak in the feeling of gratitude and notice how you experience it in your body.

November 2- Think of the person who makes you laugh the most in your life. Send them a text expressing your gratitude.

November 3 - Name a part of your body that you are grateful for and why. Optional: draw a little heart there (a temporary tattoo of sorts).

November 4 - Think of someone who has been kind to you. Take a moment to pause and feel your gratitude for 30 seconds.

November 5 - Mindfully eat your lunch today and practice gratitude for the food you have to eat. Listen to Calm s Gratitude Before Meal session.

November 6 - What teacher are you thankful for? Tap into gratitude and take a moment to think about what you've learned from them.

November 7 - What song makes you happy? Take a few minutes to lie down, close your eyes, and listen deeply. Or, dance!

November 8 - For every letter of the alphabet, write down something that you are grateful for.

November 9 - Take a photo of something that inspires gratitude in you.

November 10 - Think of a place in the world that you love. Close your eyes and imagine yourself there.

November 11 - Practice maintaining eye contact when you say thank you. Do the same when someone thanks you.

November 12 - Buy or make a small gift for someone you appreciate.

November 13 - Take a gratitude walk. Open your senses to your surroundings and silently say thank you to everything that you are grateful for.

November 14 - Talk about gratitude at the dinner table tonight.

November 15 - Relate to your hands and feet with gratitude. How do they support you? How do they bring possibility into your life?

November 16 - Practice gratitude for the people who have come before you. Think of the people who have helped make this moment possible for you.

November 17 – Write a thank you note to yourself for all of the ways that you have loved and taken care of yourself over the years.

November 18 - Get crafty & make something to remind you to practice gratitude. Maybe a gratitude jar, a note on your bathroom mirror, or a gratitude chalkboard in the kitchen.

November 19 - Ask 3 different people what they are grateful for and why.

November 20 - Relate to water with gratitude today. Savor the warmth of water while bathing, your access to clean drinking water, or the soothing quality of the ocean.

November 21 - Thank your body for sleeping last night (even if it wasn't for as long as you wished).

November 22 - Is there something in your life that you might be taking for granted? Take a moment to reflect on this.

November 23 - Do something you LOVE doing today. Be sure to give yourself time to FEEL the experience.

November 24 - Write a letter to someone who has made a difference in your life. Thank them and tell them why you are grateful.

November 25 - Think of a time when you felt seen and heard. Remember what you most appreciated about that moment.

November 26 - Type "gratitude" into the search bar in the Calm app and choose a session to try today.

November 27 - Look for the goodness in someone who you find challenging to be around.

November 28 - What color do you love? Keep an eye out for that color in the world today, and take a moment to soak it in each time you see it.

November 29 - Choose one of your senses (sight, touch, smell, taste, or sound) and move through your day with awareness of and gratitude for that sense.

November 30 - Inhale and think of something you're grateful for. Exhale gratitude. Repeat at least 5 times.

Hope you have a great week! Stay well and find gratitude!

Selection of Funnies: Cartoons from Captainscratchy

Source (and more!): https://www.boredpanda.com/uplifting-animal-comics-captainscratchy/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

Thought of the week - Responsibility

Greetings all!

Here is an inspiring thought for the upcoming week (from http://www.deeshan.com). 

Of course, some things are not in our control. But in general, can we focus on the the positive? Can we choose how to react to what happens to us? Can we choose to create harmony and not difficulties? Our choice is our responsibility.

Hope you have a great week! Drop me a line!

Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness

Greetings all!

Do you love this “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”? This is how English poet John Keats referred to autumn. Hot days give way to cooler weather, leaves change color and fall, and there is a hint of melancholy in the air and in our mood.

As I was enjoying looking at the pictures of autumn around the world, I could not help but research a couple of interesting tidbits about the season! 

Why do leaves change color? Reddish or yellow is actually the natural pigmentation in leaves but during the spring and summer when there is more sunlight, leaves get overpowered with chlorophyll which turns them green. So as days grow shorter, there is less sunlight and less chlorophyll. Also strong red or purple color is actually sugar content from sap trapped in the leaves.

Were you ever curious why in some parts of the world this season is called fall and in others autumn? Read on!

According to Merriam-Webster, “Autumn and fall are used interchangeably as words for the season between summer and winter. Both are used in American and British English, but fall occurs more often in American English. Autumn is considered the more formal name for the season.” 

Did you know that before the 1300s, this season was referred to harvest, which was probably rather confusing! Then the Latin word autumnus came into the English language, and poets sang praises to "the fall of the leaves" - later shortened to fall.

Both autumn and fall were born in Britain and as the British Empire expanded, the English Language was traveling to the far-flung places. In my travel-obsessed mind, I have the image of a language packing a carry-on with all the words and grammar rules and embarking on an adventure!

Fast forward to the American Revolutionary War with the United States gaining independence from Great Britain – and the resulting divergence of some of the language. Isn’t it fascinating?!

Regardless of whether you call this season autumn or fall (or something less!), it is a beautiful time of the year.

Image from https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-ojyaq

Image from https://www.maxpixel.net/Nature-Landscape-Forest-Leaves-Autumn-Trees-4561183

Rakotzbrücke Devil’s Bridge, Germany (image from SmarTours)

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia (image from SmarTours)

Lapland, Finland (image from SmarTours)

Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom (image from SmarTours)

Sources:

• https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/autumn-vs-fall

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Autumn

• https://smartours.com/autumn-around-the-world/

• https://earthbuddies.net/special-autumn-melancholic/amp/

What did you think? Drop me a line!

Poetry Of Departures [Poem of the Week]

Sometimes you hear, fifth-hand,
As epitaph:
He chucked up everything
And just cleared off,
And always the voice will sound
Certain you approve
This audacious, purifying,
Elemental move.

And they are right, I think.
We all hate home
And having to be there:
I detest my room,
It's specially-chosen junk,
The good books, the good bed,
And my life, in perfect order:
So to hear it said

He walked out on the whole crowd
Leaves me flushed and stirred,
Like Then she undid her dress
Or Take that you bastard;
Surely I can, if he did?
And that helps me to stay
Sober and industrious.
But I'd go today,

Yes, swagger the nut-strewn roads,
Crouch in the fo'c'sle
Stubbly with goodness, if
It weren't so artificial,
Such a deliberate step backwards
To create an object:
Books; china; a life
Reprehensibly perfect.

By Philip Larkin 

Sources: 

• https://allpoetry.com/Poetry-Of-Departures
• https://poemanalysis.com/philip-larkin/poetry-of-departures/

Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter – or Jam!!!

Greetings all!

I was recently discussing ravioli with a friend, who thought ravioli can only be served with a marinara or a similar pasta sauce. Imagine his surprise when I said I like my cheese ravioli with jam!! 

But think about it! Crepes can be served with sweet sides – so why not cheese ravioli!? If you are still hesitant to explore the ravioli+jam realm, here is a fantastic recipe you can start with and then work your way to a sweeter side!

 Image and recipe from https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/ravioli-with-balsamic-brown-butter-recipe-1948105

Ingredients

• 18 to 20 ounces store-bought ravioli (cheese, mushroom, or squash)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter     
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt    
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain ravioli onto a large serving platter.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides, and the butter begins to turn a golden brown, about 3 minutes, turn off the heat. Let cool for about 1 minute. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
3. Transfer the ravioli to the pan saucepan with the balsamic brown butter. Sprinkle walnuts and Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.

When you are ready to taste my jam variation, cook cheese ravioli as described in Step 1 above and then serve with your favorite jam! 

Bon Appetit! Let me know how you like it! 

Selection of Funnies: Overheard at the Symphony

Image from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/85216617922236955/

– [While the orchestra is tuning] “I don’t know the name of this piece, but they always open with it.”

– [Before a performance of Pachelbel’s Canon] “What do you mean there is no cannon? That’s the only reason I came to this thing!”

– [During a performance of Turandot, after ‘Nessun Dorma’]: “The guy playing Pavarotti didn’t even look like him.”

– [Before a performance of Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’ Symphony] “Are we supposed to clap at the end, or...?”

– [At a Beethoven concert] “And which one of them is Beethoven?”

– [After a concert of Mozart symphonies] “I thought there would be some singing as well.”

– “My husband has a very loud sneeze. We were at a piano concert and when he sneezed, one of the pianists was startled right off the piano bench.”

– [A child at a performance of Rhapsody in Blue] “They stole the airplane commercial music!”

– [A child listening to the Dvořák Cello Concerto] “Daddy, can we go home when the old man has sawed through the box?”

– [A small child in the Royal Opera House foyer before a family performance] “But mummy, will they sing *all* the time?”

– [Woman on the phone during the interval of a concert where Krystian Zimmerman was playing Chopin] “I thought he was taking me shopping.”

– [Boy talking to his mum] “Why do they have to taste the wood thing before they tie it to their instrument? Does it taste good? What flavours do they have?”

– [During a performance of Aida] “A man in front of me slept through the whole thing, woke up right at the imprisonment and loudly asked ‘What happened? Did someone die?’”

Source: https://amp.classicfm.com/discover-music/humour/funniest-overheard-comments-at-classical-concerts/

Which one was your favorite? Drop me a line!