Dove Campaign: How Do You See Yourself?

     Recently I was very impressed with the following video clip. It's an exercise that the Dove campaign set up to start a discussion about the way women see themselves. I have watched the video three times. There were some other videos in the series but this one sums it up nicely and is the best one, in my opinion.

     I know I do not see myself as others see me. It would be fascinating to have a larger study done. I think that age has a lot to do with this, too. I have noticed that, after 35 years, women tend to be very critical of themselves.
      This campaign uses the impressions of people who are getting acquainted. It does not address a woman's history. And it does not address situations where negative reactions from other people have negatively affected self-image. Sadly, this is a real problem for many women, too.

What do you think about this? Do you see yourself as others see you? 

Easter Spells Out Beauty

"Easter spells out beauty, 

the rare beauty of a new life."

- S.D. Gorden

Beautiful Wishes

for All My Friends, 

Far and Near. 

"The Walk, Lady with a Parasol" by Claude Monet, 1875

Courtesy of Dover Publications.

4 Ways to Weigh Less

I am a seminary student. There is a lot of pressure. I sit and study for long hours. I am up late, more often than I would like. Over the last two years, I have slowly put on about 10 pounds.

Since January, however, I have made some simple changes that are turning my problem around.

1. First, I have made my apartment as a "safe zone" for eating. We only bring home fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea, rice, whole-grain products, and milk. We use a bit of honey or agave nectar for sweetener. I can have a treat, but I must make it myself. Since my time is limited, that ends up being once a week or less.

2. Second, I take walks, especially when I want to eat something sweet or when I am tired and my mind feels foggy. The walk could just be around the block. But 10-15 minutes is ideal. It would take me that much time to go get a treat anyway, I tell myself. Walking causes my serotonin to rise (which is the chemical my brain is actually craving) gently, with no crash later. Sugar would make me hungrier later, while exercise regulates or even suppresses my appetite.

I try to walk for at least 30 minutes on every day possible and for an hour when I have more time. Along, with that I try to enjoy a bit of sunshine and fresh air -- a natural serotonin lifter.

3. Third, I try to emphasize my own simple, plant-based cooking. I brown-bag my lunches. I study in safe zones where I will not be tempted to snack on unhealthy things or to overeat when tired. I take an apple, some raisins, or whole-grain bread in my book bag.

If I must eat out, my intentional habit is to order a salad without cheese and with the dressing on the side (which I dip my fork into). This is available at most restaurants, and I never have to wonder what I will eat. This frees me up to fully concentrate on the other people and visiting with them instead. If we linger over the meal or over dessert, I can have some nice hot tea and be content. The only exception to this is Chinese restaurants, where I may order brown rice and steamed vegetables.

4. Last, I try to remember to stop eating when I am no longer hungry. I realized that I sometimes mindlessly eat "past my stomach" or munch just for comfort or continue eating to clear my plate. I tend to be motivated to work toward the closure of goals, and this translates even in my eating! I can solve this if I use a salad plate instead of a full-sized plate for meals. I unconsciously achieve the closure of my meal with fewer calories, with the same sense of satisfaction.

These simple changes are really working. I have stopped gaining weight. My clothes feel roomier. I am reversing the trend I was on!

Do you ever eat more than your body actually needs? What tactics have worked for you to bring back a healthy balance?

Further reading: If you would like to read about more ideas for controlling your eating simply, you can go to this post at Veggie Quest: "7 Ways to Stop Emotional Eating" -- written by Lee who is on a quest to eat two pounds of veggies a day! Sometimes, small homemade choices are the best prescription. 

Google Reader is Ending and the Sky is Falling

Yes, Google Reader is ending, and it feels like the sky is falling at Moonboat Cafe. I wish Google would wait until 2016 to make all of these changes. By then I will be out of seminary and on my way to . . .

Well, on my way. With more time to blog.

But Google will not stop for me. Google will not even slow down for me.

While I was busy digging into Greek and into events that happened centuries ago, Google was busy carving out their niche for this century. They are quite determined. They will push me out of the Google Reader and into Google Plus, or else I will lose many of my subscribers.

Does it ever feel to you that you need to be online as a full-time job in order to keep up?

For my Moonboat friends, I am updating our contacts while keeping this space quiet.

So pour yourself a cuppa. Sink into a chair. Rest here. Let the world spin by at its dizzy pace for a few minutes while you pause and notice. Life is a gift. Untie the ribbons.

Changes to the Moonboat Cafe 

If you look at the Moonboat Cafe Side Bar (to the right), you will notice that I have added:

1. Google Plus - you can add me to your Google Plus circle of contacts.

2. Google Plus Reader - you can add Moonboat to your Google Plus Reader.

3. Email Subscriptions - you can enter your email address to receive my posts as emails.

4. A Translation Bar - you can read the Moonboat Cafe in another language.

5. A Poll - tell me what you would like for me to write about.

Please Vote

Be sure to vote in the poll on the right. Check all of the boxes you are interested in. I will continue to have some polls for the next few months, so that you can tell me what you would like me to write about. This helps me tremendously. My blog stats are not very helpful, since many of my most faithful readers do not leave comments. They subscribe, read, and get on with their day. 

Comments

I have two burning questions you can comment on below:

1. How do you think Google will be remembered in history? 

2. What has been one of your favorite posts or topics at the Moonboat Cafe?

I look forward to hearing from you, and if you leave a comment, I will visit you, too.

An Invitation to Talk About Jesus

Have you ever tried to explain your Christianity to someone who did not understand why it mattered? I shared this post with a friend recently. We haven't discussed it yet. My friend is not required to reply. I love my friend, no matter what happens. But I felt that I needed to explain. I needed to give her the ideas and let her think about them.   

Or are you skeptical? Have you been wondering why some people choose to trust Jesus? Have you been wondering if there was some sane, civilized, gentle way to discuss the matter? Here is your invitation: read what I have written and reply. I will try to respond to every sincere comment or question. Keep in mind that God wants you to know him and to understand. He welcomes your questions, and so do I. 

You can read my thoughts on this at my theology blog, Poterion: "Why We Need Jesus."

Bloom in Winter

It was another hard week.

How many times have I written that? But it is the truth. I am finding seminary in mid-life a hard thing to do. Each week (sometimes each day), I pick myself up from the ground, wash away the dirt, and start again. Deep breath, chin up, God is able, now go!

Friends tell me I am brave, but I never feel that way. I am  compelled to do this for reasons I cannot explain, and very concerned because I know full well how inadequate I am. I am getting through it with a breath of a prayer -- that God is able to use a fading, middle-aged woman, that every soul is worth his investment.

 Have you ever noticed how little, accidental things people say can make you ache? Today, I felt all of my inadequacy. Oh, I had known it all week, but today was a series of scenes displaying my vast need and unfinished places. God help me.

It was a cold, raw day. With rain coming straight at my face. But I stepped out anyway, because disappointment was making my feet move. I put on a long, ugly raincoat that made me look fat. Who cared? And I took a black umbrella to match my mood. Outside the blast hit me and chilled me in a minute. Penetrating doesn't begin to explain.

I was on the old campus in town. I stumbled along red brick walks buckled by tree roots. Bare branches overhead. Puddles in the hollows. Then I noticed yellow daffodils like bright stars on wet lawns. And camellias, bravely waving red, rose, and white, in the corners. I went closer. There was only hush of rain and wind. In the shrubbery were nestled lush blossoms with a quiet elegance I might not have noticed, bent over from their exuberant fullness, cold drops shining on them like crystals.

Some petals had fallen on the walk, after yesterday's hard freeze.

"Does that diminish their beauty?" The thought was distinct.

No. They were gorgeous -- even more for their sturdy insistence. They would go on blooming, regardless, their silken petals in colors so deep, catching rain like fire. And I reached out to touch them.

"Bloom in winter."

I almost turned around at the thought so distinct, it might have been spoken aloud. And the tight place in my chest relaxed. I wasn't cold anymore.

Coming back, I met a young bride picking her way up the brick walk under a pink umbrella, her gown glowing like lamplight, her face shining with anxious love. She was breathtaking, a vision of tenderness.

"One day, Lord. One day, we will have a wedding, won't we?" And I was smiling under my black. It rose up in my soul like a hymn from the rain-soaked ground, Yes.

Then I was back inside, peeling off dripping layers, and reaching for a large cup of tea.

Photograph of me in Charleston, touching a camellia, November 2011. 

The Mystery of Security

After a long but very nice Valentine’s Day, I awake at 5:00 a.m., hyper but groggy. After a few minutes, I realize that I am not falling back asleep. The morning is cold and dark. There is no soy milk for my coffee. But after fumbling around, I manage a pot of Constant Comment Tea for spicy orange comfort. And some oatmeal. And a “Castle” episode from a few years ago.

How is the earlier episode different from the ones I am seeing this year? The first thing I notice is that the main characters in "Castle" have become more complex over time. The script has always been fun but not great -- a formula with the usual TV conventions. But as I watched this morning, a new question came to mind.

What is the essential difference between this earlier episode and current episodes? The characters were different people than they are now. How? Then I realized: Becket and Castle did not know what they had then. They know now. They know what it is, how to live in it, and how to enjoy it. The love which was always there under the surface, hidden even from them, is now in the open and a guiding light for their choices.

I feel like that now in my spiritual life.

Last week, my Leadership Professor said that leadership is not about having answers, but about asking helpful questions. My Greek Professor said that learning Greek does not solve problems, only creates more problems. And my Theology Professor said we only have a few incontestable truths, and the rest is debatable. Once we get past the basic essentials of salvation, Biblical interpretation is speculative. Our seminary discussions focus around what this theologian or that preacher proposed, so they do not bring any certainty. They do a far better job of bringing up questions. We have entered an ongoing dialogue which has been happening for centuries.

One of the results of this is that I understand better what I have. My foundation for faith continues to flow from the years of walking with God, years in the wilderness, years with children, years of ministry. I know God is real and good, because I have lived enough with him that the knowing has become part of me. This history has been my anchor in the seminary fog, and it has held me. My little ship has traveled hardly at all, but it is still afloat, and all is well on it. Even if I do not have answers, I know the One who does. This is why I am content, even with mysteries unsolved.

“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). This is the secret. Nothing is better.

What I have been given in my relationship with God is unspeakably precious. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing power may be of God and not ourselves” (2 Cor 4:7). Earthen vessel, surpassing power, glorious God. Ordinary girl, extraordinary God. I have met him intimately and walked with him and seen his power in amazing ways. He has overcome the darkness in my soul and washed me clean and made me new. He has been with me like he was with Moses and with John. I have tasted his glory. He is my strength and my transcending joy, and no one can take that from me.