New year Same me 2021
Happy New Year ! New Year same me over here in Italy . We’ve gone down to negative temps and pouring rain for the second week in a row. Cold, Wet, and dark is not my favorite season . I told myself you can’t go another day without posting and saying hello to your sweet friends and fans so here I am! The last three or four posts I’ve attempted to publish were drafted. Maybe it’s writers block, or something I call “Groundhog Day Syndrome”. Don’t get me wrong I’m NOT depressed, anxious, or sad. I am GRATEFUL and always preach about having gratitude. Our minds really have the power to steer our emotions or projections so most days I wake up with a positive mental mindset. I have everything I want and need. If I’m having a tough day like yucky weather, someone is late paying me or I read something crappy on the web I don’t take it too personal. I feel like one day is melting into the other. I’m doing the same things over and over. Cook, clean, yoga/workout ,repeat. Every. Single. Day. I have the sanctity of my home, and my family. When I look at things from a global perspective and from the viewpoint of other friends and associates I know I have it good. This year has forced many people to understand that we are all affected by one common thing, Disease. Anyone can get sick whether you’re rich or poor, any ethnicity, skin color none of it matters. The entire world has just stopped. Many people have lost their jobs and traveling has been difficult or just impossible. No shopping, visiting friends or family. No dining out, you can’t even get a workout in at your gym! I don’t want to go into politics for obvious reasons and because this blog is more about how I feel and what I want to share with you about me and my daily life. It’s been hard from that perspective because I just feel so uninspired as of late…. My main goal at the beginning of the year was to finish my studies and obtain my degree in Food science/ Food Chemistry. Especially after the first hard lockdown we did from March until May. I felt like I was headed in the right direction and now more than ever the public needs more education about food sources, food supply, how food is processed, and how food can be used as medicine. I will never denounce modern medicine and how far we’ve come but we should be open to understanding how vital the role of food plays in our overall health. Herbs, plants, oils, flowers, spices and so many other alternatives are out there. We don’t need to over sanitize our hands and spaces to be healthy. We need to dig deep within ourselves and listen to how our body functions to fuel it properly. We are force fed so much so how do we really know which sources are credible? What really works? Is every label worth over reading? Does Grandma really know what’s up or is it just some outdated method she tried because back in her day they didn’t have anything else? Now that we really have access to almost anything online you can spend hours bouncing from website to website until you drop your phone on your face researching every remedy under the sun. I’ve had a hard time with online school myself. I enjoy being in an academic environment and having that taken away is hard. I just learn better hearing lectures, and working with an instructor. I’m also having to read, write and listen to lectures in Italian, which is not only hard because it’s not my first language, but it’s slowed my absorption process by half. Sigh….. I’m not going to say I’ve given up.. I’ve taken a step, maybe two back and like most people I’ve just been in home mode… Constantly cooking, cleaning, and parenting. If you don’t know, now you do. I’m a mother and I can’t do this over so I’m hands on two hundred percent. Priority number one which leaves little me time for anything else. I’m enjoying the time though.There was a time when I told myself you should slow down. You need to just be present. Just relax for awhile, do home stuff and enjoy the break….. There’s been a few years where I was traveling on the road either feature dancing, attending conventions, trade shows, and nightclub appearances. I was gone sometimes 300 days a year. I never went home to LA I would just buy new clothes on the road. I left clothes in my hotel rooms, I’ve left entire suitcases . If another gig was a week or two away I’d find a country in between to travel to, that’s how I ended up getting some countries off my bucket list which was awesome!!! I LOVE to travel. Many artists will tell you the road is lonely but I’ve never felt that way and I really enjoyed traveling alone. It gave me such perspective on life and I can’t even being to tell you how many wonderful people I’ve encountered, experiences I’ve had and journeys I’ve been on. I believe most people are kind and good. This has been my experience. I get so much inspiration from my travels and this too has been hard, for a lot of us. I feel stagnant, and growth is so critical to who we are or can become. I don’t want to live in a bubble or behind a computer screen. I want to sip a Cocktail with my friends and laugh out loud. I want to see my professor again and have study groups. I miss being around like minded people hungry for knowledge, then going to the piazza where I’d sip my chai out of my Hello Kitty Thermos and eat my noodles as my Italian friends told me
Lockdown Labor Day 2020
Happy Labor Day weekend! It’s a three day weekend what will you do with that extra day off ? This is typically a time for BBQ’s and get togethers but with lockdown and social distancing I’m assuming for my friends and family in the USA this isn’t going to be possible. During this lockdown period I’ve taken the opportunity to reach out to many friends. I know we get busy with our daily grind so I don’t expect to hear from certain friends every few months. I talked to my sister every Sunday no matter what. Every Sunday we just spend a few hours in between loads of laundry, cooking, and random mom – wife sh$$, leaving each other long voice notes on What’s App. My best friend Charmane and I talk everyday. I have my husband, Mom, Dad, and and a few girlfriends I’m able to just rant to when I need it. Everyone wants to throw 2020 in the trash but hold up a second.. As crappy as this year has been it is important to keep a few things in perspective. The first is prioritizing my health. This isn’t the time to gain heaps of weight, and become indolent. Everyday is an opportunity to better yourself. This has become a time of uncertainty for many, but sitting around stressing about everything right now is counterproductive. It’s also detrimental to your health both spiritual and physical…. Something I started doing was meditating… I tend to be an empath and when friends ask me for advice I sometimes find myself a bit drained. That doesn’t mean I don’t like to listen or be there I do. I love to listen, discuss and give advice. I found that meditation gives me a lot of clarity. It has helped me become less reactive especially in discussions and my business. Before bed I like to do my second session of yoga. I do thirty minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night. Yoga and just some basic stretching helps me let go of tension. I hold so much tension in my neck, shoulders, traps, and scapula. I keep a tennis balls handy ( see pic )and posture curve http://posturecurve.comI’ll even use every door frame in the house on my shoulder blades and lower back to press tension out of me! Resistance bands are a great addition to help with stretching and flexibility with the added bonus of being lightweight and easy to take when traveling. On the contrary this year has been liberating for some. When we go through hard times it tends to make us reflective. This year of lockdown has brought out many underlying issues that we as a society are forcing ourselves and countless others to acknowledge. Even if you don’t actively watch the news or side with one political party and follow politics, you can’t turn a blind eye to what’s circulating on social media. Some of us are seeing who our real friends and family are. We find ourselves wondering ” were they always this way”? How did I not see this? Share your opinion on ANYTHING that has to do with Vaccines, Corona Virus and you’re labeled a conspiracy theorist . No one is allowed to have different ideas or views. The shouting begins! You’re stupid’ you’re a porn star what do you know! I’ve been told by countless fans I should be more active on social media ESPECIALLY when it comes to politics but to be honest I don’t want to. I can have calm, insightful, discussions with family and friends and that’s what I choose. As an entertainer I prefer to show the positive aspects of my life. This doesn’t mean my life is without problems or that I don’t go through things. I don’t feel the need to share them online . My family issues or problems are for my family and I to resolve. Taking to social media for therapy isn’t healthy. So much of this oversharing exists online today and it’s hard to decipher who or what is really serious. Is it just “let’s fake some struggles for clout…”? That’s what entertainment has become and I am not feeding into that.Sharing my problems for attention and sympathy has never been or will never be me. So in closing and in reference to my blog title… I wanted to share a story I read on another blog called http://www.feastingathome.com/chipotle-mayo/ I was cooking shrimp tacos and somehow ran across this lovely blog. There’s a few cooking blogs I like to reference, usually Gordon Ramsey but hers came up instead and I’m so happy it did! Her name is Sylvia Fountaine http://www.feastingathome.comI saw this post for chipotle mayo and though Ooooh! Here’s some other sauce/ salsa I can make since I’ve been on this nonstop binge of salsa and hot sauces!! What I read was a beautiful story about her mother. I shared it with two of my friends who are both at a crossroads in their lives right now too. One is contemplating divorce and another a new career path… If we’ve learned anything from what’s happening around the world right now it’s that change IS constant and it’s always happening. Maybe it’s because as we go on our day to day life routine we don’t see new laws being passed, we take what’s on the news and don’t question it or at this point we just don’t know who or what to believe anymore. Some of us haven’t had our jobs taken away so we haven’t been affected as much. That doesn’t mean we should shut our own eyes and feelings off to those around us who are. This IS a time to seriously evaluate our own place in life. To stay healthy, to have hope that things are going to be ok. Everyone is processing what’s going on in their own way so if you don’t hear from someone try not to take it personal or better yet reach out
