Problem: I have little money and less time for holiday shopping.

Solution: Give an honorary donation to charity on behalf of your friends and family.  This is really easy, fast, and budget friendly. 

Go online and finish your holiday "shopping" in about 30 minutes.  Here are some of my favorites:

• Make a $10 donation to Habitat for Humanity on behalf of someone special. You’re "helping families to break the cycle of poverty and build long-term financial security." Plus, with your $10 honorary gift, Habitat will send a card to the person in whose name you donated.  Save a stamp!  You can do this in 5 minutes.  Here's the link: https://www.habitat.org/cd/giving/one/donate.aspx?link=271&source_code=DHQOQ1008W1BNG
• Shopping for an animal lover?  Make a holiday gift donation ($ amount of your choice) to the ASPCA and they will send an adorable holiday e-card to the person in whose name you donated.  Everybody loves a card with a picture of a puppy dressed as Santa.  You can do this in 5 minutes.  Here's the link: https://donate.aspca.org/donate/donations/website/website_holiday.aspx?PlacementID=2471542
• The Heifer Project lets you donate to "help children and families around the world receive training and animal gifts that help them become self-reliant."  This is especially fun because you get to chose the animal (or share of an animal) you want to donate, like rabbits, sheep, chicks, goats, ducks, water buffalo, or honeybees.  Heifer will either send a card in the mail to the person in whose name you donated, or you can print a card, or you can send an e-card describing the gift.  You can do this in 10 minutes.  Here's the link: https://secure1.heifer.org/gift-catalog.html?msource=magento 

Extra Credit:  Check to see if these charitable gifts are tax deductible, then print your receipts for tax time.

Free Gift with Purchase:  Giving to charity might improve your karma just in time for final exams!

Happy Holidays!

Peaceful Playlist: December

Need to de-stress during finals?  Try adding these songs to your playlist:
Treefingers: Radiohead
Breathe: Alexi Murdoch
It's Alright: ellery
'S Wonderful: Joao Gilberto
I'll Take You There: The Staple Singers
Love and Happiness: Al Green
Moment of Surrender: U2
Harvest Moon: Niel Young
Ripple: Grateful Dead
Mere Gurudev: Krishna Das

Under Pressure during Final Exams (a la David Bowie)

Final exams are terrible.  David Bowie and Queen totally nailed it with these lyrics:

"It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming 'Let me out'...
Chippin' around - kick my brains around the floor
These are the days it never rains but it pours...

Love dares you to care for
The people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves..."

Please take good care of yourselves and each other during finals, OK?

Holiday Wishlist

Not sure what to request this holiday season?  Let your friends and family know that you're interested in taking good care of yourself, and how they can help. 

• Gift subscription to audible.com, so you can listen to your favorite books on your ipod
• Rice cooker, so you can multitask while making healthy meals
• Massage gift certificate so you can undo the damage from sitting at your desk
• A balance ball so you can tone your core while sitting at your desk
• A month's supply of Emergen-C to keep you healthy and cheerful
• A year's supply of hand sanitizer
• A plant for your desk
• A supply of nuts, beans, brown rice, oatmeal, dark chocolate, and other nonperishable "superfoods"
• An air-pop popcorn maker so you can make popcorn (which is considered a healthy whole grain) without all the salt, preservatives, and artificial flavors that come in microwave popcorn
• Candles to set a cheerful mood or use for your Feng Shui makeovers
• Tabs, pens, folders, labels, binders, storage boxes, etc. to help you organize
• Stainless steel water bottles to remind you to stay hydrated
• Lavendar pillow spray to help you have sweet dreams
• An assortment of Green, Ginsing, and Chamomile teas
• A meditation cushion
• A Yoga mat
• A crock pot
• A beautiful journal
• A new 2012 Planner Pad to help you set goals and plan out each week
• Food storage containers (lots of them)
• A delivery of fresh flowers

If These Inmates Can Meditate, So Can You.

I watched an amazing, thought-provoking  film recently called Dhamma Brothers, about inmates in a federal prison in Alabama who participate in a demanding silent meditation training program, and how it changed their lives. 

Here's an article about the prison program:

http://dhammabrothers.com/docs/FromMurderToMeditation.pdf

Here's a link to the film trailer:

http://dhammabrothers.com/Trailer.htm

Fun With Feng Shui (Part IV)

I asked Sandi Powers, Feng Shui Consultant, this question:

I have a desk at home, which I bought at a yard sale.  How can I set it up to help me be productive?

Here is her answer:


1.       First clear the old energy of the desk with intention by placing your crystal on the desk for a day or so or by burning sage and clearing the negative energy that might be on the desk.
Please wash or polish the desk, learning to love its flaws. Nothing is perfect and a second hand desk is a great way to remind us of that.  Love the imperfection in everything , keeps us  humble.
2.       We need to consider the desk top’s space as we would a room.  Placing your computer/books  in the center of your workspace. This is career and life path. Right now studying law is your career. 
3.       Assuming the computer is in the center of your desk the area behind it at the back of your desk is your area of Fame and Reputation.  Fire energy.  Passion. If at all possible put your light here. If not possible place a plant in a red/blue /green pot/container. Obviously keep it alive with love and water and hopefully some sunlight. If  living plants are not your “thing” a photo or figurine of an animal, something alive.
4.       Again we need to address the area to the direct left, Knowledge and Self-Cultivation. Yellows, earth tones , pottery, shells, natural items.  Square coaster for your  pottery coffee/tea  cup would fit nicely here. (wash after use ---no dirty dead energy in  your knowledge space)  Also a candle or mountain picture will keep you grounded and open to learning. A simple sea shell or sea rock will keep that area grounded and open for learning. Just recall the expanse of the ocean…so much to learn.
5.       The area to your direct right is Travel and Helpful people.  Anything metal, brass, gold, sliver, circular objects, natural objects…crystals or a paperweight. Also, anything that might remind you of a special teacher or mentor ….a favorite quote, book. 
6.       As always, keep the space organized as best as you can. When we see disorganization, we pick up that stressful, negative, overwhelming energy on a subconscious level. Even if being messy is what you consider to be the way you are, it has a subtle effect on your subconscious…try to focus and stay organized, not always easy , but making the effort is the good energy you want to create around you.

Note from Rachel:  Here's how I made over my desk per Sandi's suggestions. Yellow candle and sea stones on the left; computer in the center; light, plant in a red container, and bird figurine behind the computer; favorite books representing Helpful People on the right (look familiar?). 



Find Healthy Meals in Any City

The website HealthyDiningfinder.com lets you search for healthy restaurant meals in any town.  You can search by city name or zip code, and the search results provide specific menu choices at local restaurants, including nutritional information for each menu option.  Search before you go out to dinner with your friends, and you won't be stuck scrambling to find something healthy.

You're on your computer all the time anyway...you might as well use it to stay healthy.

http://www.healthydiningfinder.com/Home