Thursday Thoughts

- I plowed through Brendan Brazier’s Thrive book last week, studying it as if I were back in college preparing for an exam. If it hadn’t been a library book, I would have totally whipped out my yellow highlighter and done what I used to do, which is highlight 85% of the words on the pages. I just never liked feeling like I might be missing something important, you know? Instead, I tore up little pieces of post-it notes, marked all of the sections that I wanted to remember, and then went back and typed up the quotes the day the book was due back…as if I’ll never ever have that book in my possession again (I will – it’s next on my list of books to buy).

There was a lot of information in Thrive that I found interesting and helpful, but two of the quotes that resonated the most with me were actually about career and general happiness, not nutrition:

I can’t over-emphasize the importance of enjoying your livelihood: You can’t be discontent for that many hours of each day and expect to be healthy in other aspects of your life.

Many people put up with things that are unpleasant but tolerable, rather than changing them; their situation needs to become unbearable before they take action. So, in effect, an unbearable job is better than one that is simply dissatisfying, since it will be the catalyst for change.

If you’re familiar with my story or have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I went through a really rough time with my career, moving to San Francisco and back, and just generally identifying what I want my life to look like and taking steps to make that vision a reality. I have lived these quotes, hit that point of unbearableness, and come out of it a much stronger, more decisive, and grateful person. I’m not exactly where I want to be, but each day I’m a little bit closer.

- On a lighter note, I discovered the site Vitacost last week thanks to a recommendation from my friend Kait. She said it was generally even less expensive than iHerb. She’s right. I splurged on Vega One (if you haven’t tried their new protein powder – you must!), hemp oil, coconut flour, coconut butter, hemp seeds, organic shampoo and face wash…this is going to be a problem. A fun, delicious problem. Also, that Vega One was a whopping $15 cheaper online than at Whole Foods.

- I discovered organic champagne grapes earlier this week and I may never eat regular grapes again. They’re intensely sweet and grape-y (that’s a new word), and oh-so-adorably small. Aaron gets frustrated that they’re miniature and not conducive to shoveling in his face, but I’m looking on the bright side and saying they encourage mindful eating. Unless you plan on eating the stems, which I’m not sure you can even eat, these grapes will force you to slow down. This is a good thing.

- I have no idea how Olive is not bald considering the amount she sheds. We regularly brush her, and yet I still need to vacuum every day. I don’t, but I should. We’ve joked about shaving her, but in all honesty, most of the time she’s such a pain in the butt that her good looks may be the only thing working in her favor. The other day, I was folding laundry and Olive walked up next to me, positioned herself over our faux sheepskin rug, and made the biggest pee I have ever seen. We’re talking gallon-sized, like she had been saving it up for days. No warning, no trying to hide it – she just let it rip and sauntered off. I won’t get into how long it took me to hand wash, dry, and brush out that stupid rug. It’s just a good thing Olive is cute.