Mystic Polly

This is my blog about living kindly being kind to others, being kind to myself and kind to the environment. I do not always get things right, I am a work in progress but writing this blog helps and reminds me to continue my quest for kindness. Being kind makes me happy!

This week I went shopping at Lush, a new store opened in Mall at Millenia in Orlando so I went to check it out. I have been using Lush products for about the last 5 years. Since the beginning of this year my aim has been to drastically cut down on the number of products that I purchase in plastic containers. Lush has a range of products that are more or less packaging free.

I usually just rinse my hair with apple cider vinegar but I needed some hair conditioner to use after I henna my hair. I was delighted to find that lush has produced some solid hair conditioners that look like bars of soap -I purchased the coconut oil and sea salt bar. I hope that it will work for me. The reviews are mixed :)

Big Conditioner by Lush

Products without plastic!!  There are also solid deodorants, shower gel and shampoo with no plastic containers from Lush.

Here are some similar posts: Kind Woman Blog

Blueberry Picking

Plastic Free Toothpaste

Pauline Courchene Life Coach email me at [email protected]

This is my blog about living kindly, being kind to myself, kind to the planet and kind to others. I do not always get everything right but I am a work in progress.

This is the beginning of blueberry season in Florida and we are fortunate enough to have some blueberry growers near to home. To make this even better, these blueberries are organic, which is really important if you are consuming soft fruits with no protective peel to save the fruit from contamination. 

It is great to support local growers and it is also enjoyable to spend some time outdoors. This grower, Blue Bayou Farm is located in Yalaha and also sells bootleg liquor, fruit and vegetables and homemade pies. I discovered that the best picking rows, were in the middle and the middle of the row. People usually start from the beginning or the end but rarely in the middle!

I picked several pounds of blueberries and put most of them in the freezer for use on breakfast cereal and smoothies. Perhaps I will even be adventurous and make a blueberry crumble! It's really good with ice cream or hot custard.

Blue Bayou Farm

Here are some similar posts: Kind Woman Blog

Plastic Free Toothpaste

Plastic Free Aisle

Pauline Courchene Life Coach email me at [email protected]

This is my blog about living kindly, being kind to myself, kind to the planet and kind to others. The last few months I have been trying to cut down on my use of plastic, especially single use plastic. Yesterday I spent a happy day at Disney Springs and then I had lunch at Burger Fi in Windermere. However there was something that really bothered me and that was plastic forks!

I know that using plastic forks is not a huge issue in the scale of things but if you count polluting our seas and killing all the fish as a problem, which I do think is a problem, then this needs to be addressed now. Yesterday, I enjoyed a gluten free doughnut from Erin McKenna's Bakery,  it was a gorgeous, sweet sticky doughnut which I ate with a one-use plastic fork.

Later in the day I enjoyed a cruelty free burger, vegetarian, at Burger Fi, (you have to ask for no mayonnaise or cheese to ensure that nothing was tortured for your meal), my burger came in a lettuce sandwich, it was gorgeous but so mucky that I had to use a knife and fork. It would be good if these fast food chains used wooden utensils,(they used to be available to eat fries) or even real knives and forks, that would be the ultimate in re-cycling! Anyway I used a plastic knife and fork and disposed of them, it did not feel good.

Today, I went to Target to the camping section and purchased a couple of Sporks! There are from "Light my Fire" and I will carry them in my purse and use them multiple times, at least that is the plan! I wish they were metal but at least they are light. These Sporks are also available in a 4 pack from Amazon.

Next time, I will take a look at take out drink cups.

Re-useable Spork!

Introduction, Plastic Packaging; Plastic Free Juicer;  Plastic Free Toothpaste

Plastic Free Aisle 

 Plastic Free Kettle

Pauline Courchene Life Coach email me at [email protected]

This is my blog about living kindly, being kind to myself, to the planet and to others.  One of my goals for this year was to cut down on the amount of plastic that I use. I usually purchase fruit juice in a plastic bottle, I have looked for glass bottles but those juices are very costly. Living in Florida we have plenty of fresh citrus fruits so I decided to purchase a juicer.

I researched different juicers, I wanted a manual juicer and no plastic. There are many juicers out there and having read the reviews, I decided on a large juicer from "Gourmia". It is large and strong and should last me a lifetime. I have had to change my philosophy from the "throwaway" attitude that I previously held.

I ordered the juicer from Amazon Prime and I am excited!

Contact me: [email protected]

Kind Woman Blog

Gourmia Large Juicer

Here are some similar posts: Natural Hair Dye, Hand Wash Dishes, Healthy Food, Introduction, Plastic Packaging 

Plastic Free Toothpaste

Pauline Courchene Life Coach email me at [email protected]

This is my blog about living kindly, being kind to myself, kind to the planet and kind to others. Life is a journey and I do not always get it right!

One of my goals in my "year of living kindly' was to be more eco aware and to cut down on the amount of plastic packaging that I use and also incidentally on the number of plastic products that I purchase. We all know by now that the oceans are filling up with plastic, plastic does not bio degrade or it takes 1000 years to break down so our plastic use is not sustainable.

Step one is to use re-useable bags when shopping, I am at about 50% on this one. I wish that the US had a law that makes shops charge for plastic bags like the one in the UK, I know everyone would be more motivated to bring bags along. When I first moved over here there were paper bags at the checkout but everyone preferred plastic, so the stores stopped using paper. Please bring them back!

Step two - look around the home and see which products are packaged in plastic, next time you go shopping, try to buy the products in non plastic containers. I am currently working on this, this week I needed toothpaste, I like natural fluoride free products but there are no toothpastes in my local stores that are not in plastic tubes. I visited one of my favourite websites: My Plastic Free Life for ideas and decided to look online. I found a couple of options on Amazon and ordered Taylors Tooth Powder , it is made from charcoal so I will see if it works for me.

I also needed some dish soap and after researching found that baking soda and vinegar are supposed to work well, baking soda comes in a nice cardboard box but the vinegar I have is in a huge plastic bottle, so next time I will hunt for a glass one. I tried using this yesterday and it seemed to clean well.

Laundry soap - I decided to try something natural and opted for Eco Nuts Soap, I have to wait for this to be delivered but I will update you on how well if works. The Eco Nuts are natural berries that produce soap, you place them in a bag in the washing machine and voila you have soap!

I hope my purchases this week, will work well and become a habit saving the earth from many more plastic bottles and tubes. We can change what manufacturers produce and sell by voting with our dollars and supporting smaller businesses that do care about the environment. If we choose natural packaging with minimal printing, recycled paper, burlap sacks, recycled card or tins, we are making a start. If we choose products that are more natural we are saving our bodies from an onslaught of toxic chemicals.

Here are some similar posts: Natural Hair Dye, Hand Wash Dishes, Healthy Food, Introduction

Pauline Courchene Life Coach email me at [email protected]

Surround yourself with the beauty of natural things.

This is my blog about being kind, kind to myself, kind to the planet and kind to others. Life is a journey and I am working on becoming a better person. 

At my age, my roots become grey or white every few weeks. I am still at the salt and pepper stage and I do not believe that my hair colour would be flattering if left to it's own devices. This means that every month I dye my hair. I am uncomfortable using chemicals in my hair so I switched to Mehandi.com there are a variety of kits for dyeing hair of all types and colours using ground up plant leaves. The company has expanded it's range and now includes products for African hair.

I originally just used henna on my hair but I found that my hair became darker each time I dyed it. The problem with henna is that once it is on your hair it seems to be impossible to lighten it. If you bleach it, the colour turns orange! I learned to just dye my roots so that the colour does not darken, henna does not fade.

The wonderful thing about natural hair dye is that it makes your hair thick and shiny which is a definite plus. I had been dyeing my hair a vibrant red which gave me red highlights through my grey section but I have switched to a dark blonde mix and I am trying to decide which I prefer. The great thing about hair kits from Mehandi.com is that if you are only dyeing your roots monthly, the kits last for months.

I prepare the dye the day before use because it needs to sit for 6-8 hours. I use a brush to put the dye on my roots. I leave the dye on all night and sleep in a plastic shower cap and head scarf, very glamorous! I then take two baths in the morning to wash the dye out, it is a bit like mud in the hair and very mucky. I then use a conventional conditioner to detangle the hair.

My hair feels soft, shiny and strong!

Similar Posts: Healthy Food, Gardening for Birds and Squirrels, Kind Woman Blog -Introduction

Pauline Courchene, Life Coach, email me at [email protected]

My new year resolution was to be kind this year, kind to myself, kind to the planet and kind to others, this is my blog about my journey to become a kind woman.

However kind we think we are, sometimes we will be challenged by the perceptions of others. This happened to me yesterday at work, I cannot go into exact details, but I had been working with a client and I thought that I was giving them excellent service, I was in fact going a few extra yards to help them. Unfortunately some people who were not in possession of the full facts about a situation jumped to a conclusion and dropped my name in the dirt and trampled on me.

At this point I had a choice, I could go into that persons office and explain myself, send off an indignant email or do nothing. What should a kind woman do? Kind does not mean being defenceless but it does mean being smart and thinking of what you will achieve by your actions and how those actions will make you and others feel. This blog is about being kind to yourself and others and the answer to this question no doubt will vary by personality.

I gave this some thought yesterday, if I ran into the office to defend myself, I could look aggressive and threatening and then perhaps a situation would be escalated. I could send out the angry, indignant email that would initially make me feel good, "take that...." but it would make the other person feel bad and would enable me to score points. Why do I want to score points and show the other person up as being ill informed? I realised that I don't need to score points, I know the truth and I did the right thing, I stand by my actions and I feel good!

This is another win for the kind woman but it was a challenge! My advice is to follow your gut feelings, do not go for the immediate rush of winning a battle, in the end kindness and truth will prevail.

Kind Woman Blog

Email me: [email protected]

This is my blog about my fun art projects, the focus is on fun not art! It would be nice if some art happened.

Like many people, I gaze at abstract art and think, I could do that! It looks so simple, colours on a page, no-one can say if it's right or wrong because no-one knows what was intended, except the artist. After my recent foray into the local art shops I was inspired to take out my acrylic paints and have a go.

The first thing I realised was that you have to have some idea in your head, I think, I did not seem to be able to randomly start painting. I picked some colours that I like, mixing purple and turquoise, I wanted peacock but ended up with baby peacock as I had run out of black paint.

Subject, I love trees and nature and I felt that abstract art is better when it looks a little bit like something so I founds some twigs and decided to use those in my art. I painted the background and smeared the edges with a sponge. I was just going to  paint the twig and print it onto the canvas but that didn't work out, it was really scratchy so I painted the twig and this kind of spoiled the whole abstract thing, I then used some leaf prints to give the whole thing a measles effect. I think I need to go back to the drawing board, literally. I like my baby peacock colours though.

The sun shone brightly in a purple sky, while the leaves from the oak spilled softly like measles on the turquoise grass...

College Advisor: I have worked in education for many years teaching business and information studies and advising students on which college program to take and which university to attend. I have helped hundreds of students with college applications. If you need a life coach to help you with anything related to education, please email me at [email protected] I can help you to set goals and give you the benefit of my experience.

Kindness posts: Natural Hair Dye ; Turn off the TV at night ; Kind Shopping ;  Kind Gardening ; Eating Kindly ; Being Kind When Challenged ; Use less plastic  ; Composting  ; Plastic Free Juicer ; Plastic Free Toothpaste ; Plastic Free Aisle ; Eliminate plastic forks ; Plastic Free Kettle ; Plastic Free Doormat ; Staying Motivated ; Reading positive news ; Blueberry Picking ; Kind Gardening; Plastic Free Hair Conditioner ; 

This is my blog about my fun art projects, the focus is on fun not art!

When I was strolling around the local stores on Sunday, I saw some eco cell phone speakers made out of bamboo. They looked simple enough, a slice of bamboo cane with a hole in the top and painted. I have so much bamboo in my garden that I thought I would give it a go. I chose the widest piece of bamboo that I could find and cut a slice. The first thing I learned is that bamboo is not hollow at the knots so I had to cut off another section. 

Step two was to cut a hole the size of my cell phone, I did a rough pencil mark and set to making holes in the bamboo and then cutting it with scissors. It took me at least 6 attempts to get the right width and length and the hole looked messy.

Step three- I realised that the cell phone was too heavy and would not stand up in the speaker. I did a quick google and found out that the bamboo needs to be sanded flat to make it stable. Fortunately, I had some sand paper in the garage so I diligently sanded away. I started work in the garage and then sat in the garden which was much more fun.

I sanded until my fingers were burning and the paper was hot, but it made little impression on the bamboo. I would need an electric sander to make this work. I am averse to making purchases for one off projects so I decided to sand the hole I had cut into the speaker and give it a lick of paint.

I used some left over paint from another project to paint the speaker and hung it to dry with a clothes peg. The good news is that the speaker works! The sound from my cell phone is amplified by the speaker. The bad news is that it will not stand up so I have to rest it against something. 

What I learned: to make a proper bamboo speaker, you need a really big fat piece of bamboo that can be sanded with an electric sander to get a flat bottom that will stand the weight of your phone. Small speakers still work. 

College Advisor: I have worked in education for many years teaching business and information studies and advising students on which college program to take and which university to attend. I have helped hundreds of students with college applications. If you need a life coach to help you with anything related to education, please email me at [email protected] I can help you to set goals and give you the benefit of my experience.

Kindness posts: Natural Hair Dye ; Turn off the TV at night ; Kind Shopping ;  Kind Gardening ; Eating Kindly ; Being Kind When Challenged ; Use less plastic  ; Composting  ; Plastic Free Juicer ; Plastic Free Toothpaste ; Plastic Free Aisle ; Eliminate plastic forks ; Plastic Free Kettle ; Plastic Free Doormat ; Staying Motivated ; Reading positive news ; Blueberry Picking ; Kind Gardening; Plastic Free Hair Conditioner ; 

This is my blog about being kind to the planet, to myself and to others.

On Sunday I went back to the farmer's market in "Vultureville" and this time purchased a juicy looking lettuce and some homemade blueberry acai granola from Lifestyle Treats. I am looking forward to the granola and less excited about lettuce. I then walked over to We're Nuts who have just opened a new location, I had already purchased my nuts for the week so I bought a fresh loaf of french bread.

Vultureville is constantly evolving and a new cafe, recently opened in an older store, the store, "Every Nook and Cranny" has a fresh creative vibe. The cafe offers gluten free and vegan snacks and locally roasted coffee, I enjoyed a delicious almond milk chai with local artist Andrea Lauren. Unfortunately this building was sold and the cafe is now closed.

Back at home with my stomach growling I scanned the internet for a recipe to use my sagging broccoli and spinach left over from last week. I am still training myself to be excited by green veggies! I found a great recipe from "The Flexitarian", Warming Broccoli and Spinach Soup, surprisingly, I had all of the ingredients and proceeded to make soup. The soup came out bright green with added texture of garbanzo beans, it was delicious with the fresh french bread spread with Earth Balance Spread. 

This week I will attempt to eat healthy foods all week, the holiday chocolates have been consumed and I have avoided the candy aisle at the store. If I am desperate for a treat I have some candied ginger, so let's see how it goes....

Similar Posts:  Natural Hair Dye ,  Gardening for Birds and Squirrels, Kind Woman Blog -Introduction

Pauline Courchene - Life coach, email me at [email protected]

Mural by Tim Parker at Every Nook and Cranny

We are almost half was through January and I have not seriously attempted to garden yet. If the temperature is below 60 degrees F I am unlikely to do so. Despite this, I like to feed the birds especially when the weather is cool. I have feeders in the front and back gardens with wild bird seed and black sunflower seed. I have been doing battle with the squirrels who even with a squirrel baffle have gymnastically managed to vault over the baffle to get to the sunflower seed.

There is a squirrels' dray in the tree in the back garden so I am inundated with small squirrels chasing each other from branch to branch. I allow them access to the wild bird seed feeder. Last weekend I decided to be kind and buy a squirrel cake, it cost me about $6 but I thought it would last for about 2 weeks. After only 4 days, I came home to find that the cake holder was on the ground and the cake had been pulled apart, the squirrels had finished everything in less than a week. My kind squirrel budget will not be replenished for weeks!

The art of kind gardening is an evolving process around my home. I want to encourage birds, butterflies and bees and not harm the ground water by using any chemicals. I am happy with my front garden that has a mixture of bamboo clumps surrounded by mulch. This is a low maintenance garden, no mowing, no nasty chemicals and no wasted water. The back garden still has a green area, I am not going to call it a lawn as it is an area of weeds or wild plants that is occasionally mown. I am not happy with this a mowing is not a natural activity and who wants to waste time with that!

I do no want to mulch the back garden because it prevents the wildflowers from growing and these are needed by our pollinators the butterflies and bees. I have tired growing vegetables but so far have managed to harvest one red pepper! I am thinking of letting the green area grow and perhaps adding a mulch pathway or stepping stones so that I can still access all areas of the garden if it gets too wild.

My current plan for kind gardening is to feed the birds, placate the squirrels, let the wildflowers grow and keep the garden natural but accessible.

Similar posts: Natural Hair Dye, Healthy Food , The Year of Living Kindly -Introduction

Life coach, Pauline Courchene -email me at [email protected] 

An important part of living kindly is to be kind to the environment. I noticed over the past several months that many of the vegetables that I have been consuming have been heavily packaged, sometimes on trays, in net bags and in plastic, all of this is unnecessary waste, so I stopped shopping at Aldi my favourite store and attempted to shop local. I found a wider array of fruit and vegetables which although not organic were at least free from packaging. I attempted to purchase other things like cereal, nuts and dried fruit in this store but noticed that it was expensive and in large quantities.

I went to Target to look for similar items only to realise that the items in Target were in slick packaging but only a fraction of the size so my local store was in fact better value. I came home and did some research on cutting down on waste. Here are 2 interesting articles: 5 Types of Food Packaging  and Zero Waste Living. Reading these article I learned that it is difficult to recycle packaging that is made of more than one material, which leaves me frustrated because I do not like to buy juice in plastic bottles even though they are recyclable, cartons looked like a better option but are probably less easy to recycle- plastic lined, my favourite container is glass but it is so hard to find any juice in glass bottles that costs less than $6.00. 

The Zero waste living article made me realise that I need to buy in bulk to cut down on packaging and also that I should visit my local Farmer's Market. I went to the market today and discovered fresh veggies, fresh bread, organic meats and lots of goats cheese. I plan to go back there next week before I have completed my weekly shop. 

On another note, as I lay stretching on my yoga mat this morning, I saw a large vulture soar overhead, I am pretty sure that he was checking me out.....

Kind Woman Blog

Email me at: [email protected]

I haven't always been kind, I have been selfish, self centred and ignored facts that were uncomfortable or inconvenient, this year I want to change all of that. I describe myself as a work in progress, I know that I will not always do the right thing but this year will be an adventure to see which things I can get right. When I talk about being kind, it means a multitude of things, being kind to the planet, taking care of the environment, being kind to animals, being kind and understanding of others, being kind to myself, taking care of my mind and body so that I can be a better happier person.

I made a list of things that I should do to be healthier, happier, more creative and more responsible to future generations who will inherit this planet. Today was a tidy up, preparation day, where I cleaned the house, decluttered some rooms, made a pile of things to give to charity and tidied up the garage.

I decided to make a craft room in the garage, I like painting and dyeing clothes and I keep all of my materials out in the garage. The problem with this is that I rarely venture into the garage because it is cold in winter and too hot in summer, there are also cobwebs and dust. So what does cleaning the garage have to do with being kind? If I can access all of my forgotten art materials perhaps I will be moved to be more creative and dye some old clothes, make some cushion covers or up-cycle some household knick-knacks. This I would classify as being kind to my creative soul.

Step one was to make a pile of stuff for goodwill, a pile of trash and a pile of stuff to keep and organise. I unrolled an old rug, organised some shelves, cleaned off an old desk and made some make shift curtains for one of the windows. To make cheap curtains, I used some old fabric and purchased some shower hooks with clips to attach to the fabric. I then went into the garden and cut a piece of bamboo to use as a curtain rod. There were several nails above the windows so I placed the pole above this and now I have curtains in my garage and it is a lot more cosy and user friendly.

The next step is to actually go into the garage and do some crafting - I might also paint the walls as that is not my favourite shade of green!

I started writing this blog in 2018 since that time, I have moved to England where I continue to seek out ways of protecting the planet. It is now 2020 and we are in lockdown for COVID 19. I am starting to feel a shift in people and more interest in kindness and helping others. I hope to add some new products and ideas to this blog in the future.

Thanks for reading -be kind!

Life Coach, Pauline Courchene, [email protected] 

Similar Posts: How Do You Choose a Life Coach?,

Kindness posts: Natural Hair Dye ; Turn off the TV at night ; Kind Shopping ;  Kind Gardening ; Eating Kindly ; Being Kind When Challenged ; Use less plastic  ; Composting  ; Plastic Free Juicer ; Plastic Free Toothpaste ; Plastic Free Aisle ; Eliminate plastic forks ; Plastic Free Kettle ; Plastic Free Doormat ; Staying Motivated ; Reading positive news ; Blueberry Picking ; Kind Gardening; Plastic Free Hair Conditioner ; 

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The first time I experienced meditation was through a yoga class more than 30 years ago. I enjoyed practicing yoga, but the best part was always the calm and relaxing meditation time at the end of class. I would practice a little at home but it was never a habit and I didn't think that meditating was going to be important to me later on.

Over the years, I took classes in psychic development and self hypnosis and was able to refine my practice through guided meditation and classes. I also purchased several CD's to learn more about meditation. I used to get upset with myself for not being able to focus and for thinking about mundane things during practice such as shopping lists but now I am able to control these things with ease. I recognise my thoughts and let them drift away like clouds in the air.

My latest experience of meditation is daily practice, I spend some time sitting cross legged under a pyramid of bamboo sticks. I find that the pyramid gives me energy and adds extra power to my thoughts, it helps me to be more effective. I never thought that meditation would be an important part of my life but it gives me a refined focus and allows me to maintain direction and plan ahead.

When life is not going to plan and you are looking for a way to relax, meditation can be a cure without the side effects of drugs and alcohol. You learn to take control of your life and your thought patterns and find solutions through mindfulness.

You don't always have to have a set direction in life, sometimes life provides you with nice surprises like meditation. You have an amazing mind and infinite power to create your world, experience meditation to enrich your experiences.

College Advisor: I have worked in education for many years teaching business and information studies and advising students on which college program to take and which university to attend. I have helped hundreds of students with college applications. If you need a life coach to help you with anything related to education, please email me at [email protected] I can help you to set goals and give you the benefit of my experience.

Kindness posts: Natural Hair Dye ; Turn off the TV at night ; Kind Shopping ;  Kind Gardening ; Eating Kindly ; Being Kind When Challenged ; Use less plastic  ; Composting  ; Plastic Free Juicer ; Plastic Free Toothpaste ; Plastic Free Aisle ; Eliminate plastic forks ; Plastic Free Kettle ; Plastic Free Doormat ; Staying Motivated ; Reading positive news ; Blueberry Picking ; Kind Gardening; Plastic Free Hair Conditioner ; 

I had my first sip of alcohol when I was about 10 years old, my parents subscribed to the theory that introducing children to alcohol young would mean that we would develop a tolerance for it and be less likely to be drunken delinquents. Early on we just drank cider, shandy on Sundays and sherry at Christmas under the watchful eyes of my parents. It still made me feel drunk.

Despite the way it sounds, my parents were strict, at least compared to the parents of my friends, I was not allowed to go to clubs at sixteen or to go on dates with my peers. My reaction was of course to go out drinking anyway, not at night but during the day. I attended at technical college from the age of 16-18 and so was free to attend classes and take breaks between classes. Growing up near the beach meant that there were many bars and so most lunch times I would go out with my friends for a lager and lime.

College of course was a further haze of alcohol and the place where I learned that I could not hold my drink. Alcohol allowed me to be the extrovert and risk taker that lurked somewhere deep inside my small introverted self. I can blame my drinking for numerous dubious situations that I found myself in although fortunately I survived relatively unscathed.

I married a drinker who drank heavily every single night and who regularly became abusive and difficult to deal with. In comparison I was not a heavy drinker and it took me over 20 years to admit that I had married an alcoholic and was actually pretty miserable.

I got divorced but continued to have a drink every night. I still wanted to go out and drink and meet a new man and I still felt that alcohol allowed me to be more sociable. I would fret about drinking and driving laws and blame them for my inability to go out and have fun. 

Years passed, I would sit at work and look forward to going home and having a glass of wine,  the highlight of my day. I would fantasise about the condensation on my wine glass and gripping the stem with that first sip of cool white wine.  I was drinking just a couple of bottles of wine a week. However, I started to hear reports about how drinking even moderately could cause dementia in later life and as later life was quickly approaching I decided to quit drinking.

Quitting drinking was easy for me, although I really enjoyed drinking, I didn't think that quitting was permanent, I just stopped buying it and replaced my wine with coffee, tea and sometimes ginger beer. I needed to drink something while watching tv. I feel so much better, less headaches, less dehydration and my interest in hanging out in bars has totally gone away. Why would I want to go to a bar and meet another alcoholic?  Life is a journey, and you can take positive steps to quit drinking, when the time is right for you.

College Advisor: I have worked in education for many years teaching business and information studies and advising students on which college program to take and which university to attend. I have helped hundreds of students with college applications. If you need a life coach to help you with anything related to education, please email me at [email protected] I can help you to set goals and give you the benefit of my experience.

Kind Woman!

People who know me will understand why I have included the exclamation mark in the title. I am definitely a work in progress to becoming wise. What I do have, is a lot of experience. I have worked in many different fields, emigrated twice, been married and divorced once, been a mother twice and I am currently a carer. I am an intuitive person and I like to help people and the planet so some of my blog posts are about that. My latest thought was to develop a 'Carers Anonymous' group but that has not come to fruition yet.

Like most sensitive people I am also very interested in the environment, being kind to the planet and being kind to those around me, you will also find here my kind woman blog, where I attempt to be kind to the planet, to others and to myself.

Kindness posts: Natural Hair Dye ; Turn off the TV at night ; Kind Shopping ;  Kind Gardening ; Eating Kindly ; Being Kind When Challenged ; Use less plastic  ; Composting  ; Plastic Free Juicer ; Plastic Free Toothpaste ; Plastic Free Aisle ; Eliminate plastic forks ; Plastic Free Kettle ; Plastic Free Doormat ; Staying Motivated ; Reading positive news ; Blueberry Picking ; Kind Gardening; Plastic Free Hair Conditioner ; 

I think if I had been given the choice as a small child, I would always have been vegan. I could never square away the idea in my mind that the yummy meat I was eating came from the killing of a poor defenceless animal. I remember saying to my father how much I liked eating lamb. I watched the pretty little lambs frolicking around in the meadow and somehow, it never tasted the same. I really liked the mint sauce, mint and vinegar that was on the meat, not the meat at all.

Years later I was living in Tunisia and I remember being upset when I saw animals being slaughtered on the edge of the road. My friend pointed out that what we do is much worse, driving terrified animals for miles with no food or drink and then letting them watch while their companions are killed. How is that better?

Firstly I became vegetarian, I could still enjoy eggs and cheese.  I discovered that I was intolerant to milk, it always made my nose run so quitting was a good idea.  I then discovered that even free range chickens have their beaks broken and are exhausted from producing eggs that they are not allowed to hatch.  Dairy cows have young that are not allowed to drink their mothers milk because apparently we need it more. Young males are slaughtered young and females die young exhausted by milk production. I learned this from visiting a rescue farm where animals are saved from slaughter.

Vegan became the only option and whenever I think that I want meat, I just think of the suffering animals and the dead flesh that I would be consuming and allowing to fester in my gut.

Let's face it, most of us don't even like to eat dead flesh we disguise it with smoke flavour, hot sauce, ketchup, salsa, mustard, relish, anything to make it taste good.  Big animals like cows survive on a vegan diet, I think that I can too!

Remember life is a journey and it takes a series of small steps to reach your destination, who knows what is next? Could vegan be for you?

College Advisor: I have worked in education for many years teaching business and information studies and advising students on which college program to take and which university to attend. I have helped hundreds of students with college applications. If you need a life coach to help you with anything related to education, please email me at [email protected] I can help you to set goals and give you the benefit of my experience.

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Drippy, droopy leaves,

Your stem is turning brown,

Your petals at your knees

Have all fallen down.

Just take a sip of water,

Some fresh air and some sun,

and when the Spring returns

Your fresh new blooms will come.