There is a controversy over how many muscles it takes to smile. Research suggests it could be anywhere from 4 to 17, but some silly chain letter from Aunt Milda says it's 26. There are only 43 muscles in the face, so it can't be more than that. Does it really matter? Smiling is awesome regardless of the inconclusive research.
What IS pretty conclusive, however, is that smiling is good for your health. Smiling can help trick your body into thinking it's in a better mood, and helps release endorphins and seratonin (a happy hormone). Smiling makes you more attractive and lifts other people's spirits, too.
Today, I made apple smiles. Remember those from kindergarten? Yeah, I totally owned that shit. And it definitely made me smile my way through lunch. :D
With April fast approaching, the women's book study I started back in November is coming to an end. We've enjoyed each other's company immensely over the past 5 months, and have explored a wealth of perspectives on problems facing modern women. We've read books of great polarity and extremism, engaged in great dialogue and conversation, and enjoyed delicious treats along the way. :)
A book club member graciously offered to bring blooming tea this last time, and treated us all to quite the delightful visual experience:
Blooming Tea kit comes with a glass tea jar and lid,
and several flavors of tea bulbs.
Simply pour hot water over the bulbs and steep. We
used one bulb of jasmine and one bulb of pomegranate
flavor to get a delicious blend!
Then we watched as the tea bulbs blossomed!
The bulb will drop to the bottom as it blossoms,
exposing a flower that floats to the top like a lilypad.
I started the book club primarily as a venue for empowering women through discussion. Not surprisingly, I got to combine many of my other interests as well: deep conversation, reading, and finger foods! I am always looking for yummy appetizers and finger foods for parties, and the book club was a wonderful outlet to test run small batches! I recently made cheesecake-stuffed strawberries (which a friend of mine had made for an in-home jewelry party she hosted a while back) and they were heavenly! I simply blended an 8 oz package of softened cream cheese with a heaping 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, a splash of milk, and 1 T of vanilla extract. Then I put the filling in a cake decorating bag so I could easily squeeze it into the berries. I cut off the tips of the strawberries (so they sit flat on a plate) and the tops, making sure to core out the middle. Squeeze in the filling and sprinkle crushed graham crackers on top and there you go! Simple. I used the same filling to decorate a kiwi slice with a blackberry just to see what it would taste like and angels sang.
Cheesecake-stuffed Strawberries and Kiwi-Blackberry Tarts
I've had many people suggest that I get a job. Not because I sit on my ass all day or because I'm missing payments, but because I lack routine and financial stability at this point in life. It's a logical response to an unstable lifestyle and to money problems. However, it typically arises from that person's own discomfort with risk or personal experience, and not in response to my reality. In reality, my money situation is far better off than most. When others prompt me to think about this route in life, my response is simply, "Jobs are for people who rely on regular paychecks for comfort and stability." Jobs are beautiful constructs of an economy where many people cannot handle the unknown. I am not implying that this is a bad thing. Plenty of people cannot handle instability because they have children to care for or debt payments with high interest or other obligations. Others can't handle the unknown simply because of mental anxiety or psychological needs. Whatever the case, I am not one of those people - yet (I'll have kids someday)! Naturally, I do need comfort and stability like any human, but my comfort and stability relies on relationships with other people.
I'm not adverse to ever getting a job, but at this point it would simply be to make money. While money is an essential for our basic needs, many of us have forgotten what real NEEDS are. Minimalists, like myself, require little money to live because once our basic needs are met, we are content to forgo tons of material goods, cable tv, weekly bar nights, movie theatre outings, shopping sprees or even any clothes shopping in general, or eating out at restaurants frequently. These luxuries are wonderful, of course, and when I have a little disposable income I like to engage in some of those activities, too, particularly when they facilitate building relationships. But I don't NEED them.
It is for this reason that I have not gone out and snagged myself a "job." Having a job interferes with my ability to facilitate relationships, as well as my ability to pursue my own passions. Perfect example: I spent the past two days in labor with a client. She called me at 4am Wednesday morning and I met her at the hospital a little over an hour later (my commute was an hour). We had no idea what would happen, how she'd progress, when the baby would be born, etc. I cancelled my Wednesday meetings and stayed with her. I stayed overnight. Then Thursday morning came around and I rearranged my Thursday plans as well... There are not many jobs that are going to allow me the flexibility to leave whenever I get a call and to be gone indefinitely. The people I had to cancel on, or reschedule with, were accepting of the circumstances because of the relationships I'd built up with them. Attending that laboring woman was my top priority and having the freedom to not worry and be present to her was an incredible luxury. I DO get luxuries in life, too!
