Caregiving Versus Caretaking  

How do you feel when you find out, after the fact, that your spouse didn't tell you about an incident with one of the kids, because you were sure to get upset?

Or what about when your boss smiles everyday and says, "that's fine" and then uses your annual review to inform you of everything that "needs improvement" but hasn't told you day-after-day?

And when your buddy turns down your invitation to see "The King's Speech" because he needs to study, and later you run into him having dinner with friends instead...does it sit well with you?

For many of us, such scenarios evoke responses from annoyance and anger to disappointment and disgust.  And yet...I bet you do it, too.

If you've ever told a "little white lie" or "lied by omission"  

and later regretted that you didn't simply speak the  

"whole truth and nothing but the truth,"  

join Joanne Lutz for this informative seminar...

Communication Without Caretaking

How, then, do we stop lying and engage in clear, honest communication...every day...in every conversation? 

Learn to connect with yourself and practice caregiving.

This one-day class will be offered in two parts on 

Saturday, March 5th

9am - 1pm - Learning About Caretaking 

(information required for afternoon)   

and  

2:30pm - 5pm - Practice Caregiving With Coaching  

in Arlington, MA

REGISTER ON-LINE

Ask how you can attend for FREE!

Get Slow

 "There is more to life than increasing its speed."

-Gandhi

Who doesn't feel like there aren't enough hours in the day?  We rush through the day, running here and there, and end up exhausted.  Somehow these days full of duties, obligations, and busyness have begun to build up and become our lives.  We spend our time doing things we don't really want to do, yet feel we should.  We've come to believe that being productive and crossing things off our to-do list is the ultimate goal.

The truth is, life on Earth is a brief gift, and our time is too precious to be used like this.  If we want our lives to be balanced and healthy, we need to lessen our load and increase our down time.  This means planning less in a day, prioritizing those things that make our hearts sing and de-prioritizing those things that are not imperative.

If we must accomplish many things each day, we can still change the quality with which we do things.  How can we transmute that sprint for the train into something delicious, instead of the usual gripping and tightening experience?  Where can we find ease in the midst of stress?  How can we cultivate the art of going slowly?

Take a few moments before you climb out of bed in the morning to remember your dreams and to think about what you want from the day.  Leave your watch on the bedside table.  Take the scenic route.  Sit for a moment with your eyes closed when you start your computer.  Check email only twice a day.  Don't pack your schedule so tightly that there's no time for a short walk.  Light candles before you start to cook dinner.  Add one moment here and there for slowness; it can be done simply and will have a profound effect on your well-being. 

-Contributed by Nathalie Blitz of Vitamin N

Adapted from an article by  

Marco Visscher & Jay Walljasper, Ode Magazine, Issue #15 

"Deserving is a funny word, isn't it?  My grandmother used to say, 'someday he'll get what he deserves,' as a commentary on someone who, in her opinion, had just earned a karmic whiplash.  But I think her negative perspective on deserving doesn't honor the most essential premise.  We all deserve love, connection, success, happiness, as well as our feelings of sadness, anger, and fear.  It's a human entitlement - part of the experience of being," says Joanne Lutz, creator of What's Next?! Workshop.

Why is it, then, that we so often believe that we have to earn the right to be happy, loved, sad, etcetera, or that we have no right to it at all?  Why can we accept that others deserve these things, but not us?
 
This dismissal of ourselves is learned.  And like anything we learn, when new information comes to light, we have the opportunity to change our minds and our way of approaching the world.  As part of the What's Next?! Workshop program, Joanne Lutz created a one-day class devoted to examining the ways we hold ourselves back and how we may open to a new way of being, relative to the concept of deserving.
 
This experiential class will explore what we've learned, how we respond when we feel we do or don't deserve something, and begin to forge a new pathway - a truth within - that we are deserving, even if we don't always get what we need.

Getting a Taste of What You Deserve?! is a self-contained class that is a perfect addition to the What's Next?! Workshop series.  Ideal for someone stuck in an old paradigm of belief that you have to "pay your dues, " "give yourself away," or "don't deserve" love, connection, and happiness.

Whether you are a What's Next?! Workshop series alum who's been waiting for a continuation of the series or a curious wallflower wondering how the six-month series operates and what it may offer you - this class will serve you well.

April 16th ~ 9am - 4pm

SIGN UP ON-LINE TODAY!

ask about the "bring a friend" discount"

This self contained one-day class is a facet of the What's Next?! Workshop process.  Getting a Taste of What You Deserve is open to all (including past WNW participants), and will be facilitated by Joanne Lutz, creator of all the What's Next?! Workshop programs.  

 
Not all oils and fats are created equal.  Heavily processed, hydrogenated, "trans" fats and oils that are used in prepared, packaged foods can be extremely damaging to the body.  However, fats and oils from whole foods and other high-quality sources can steady our metabolism, keep hormone levels even, nourish our skin, hair and nails and provide lubrication to keep the body functioning fluidly.  Our bodies also need fat for insulation and to protect and hold our organs in place.

A healthy percentage of high-quality fat in a meal satisfies and leaves feelings of energy, fulfillment and warmth.  When there are excess fats and oils in the diet, especially heavily processed fats, symptoms can include weight gain, skin breakouts, high blood pressure, liver strain and an overall feeling of mental, physical and emotional heaviness.  Signs of insufficient high-quality fats are brittle hair and nails, dry skin, hunger after meals and feeling cold.

There are many sources of healthy fats and oils.  For sautéing and baking, try butter, ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil, because they do not break down when used at high temperatures. When sautéing and stovetop cooking at moderate temperatures, try organic extra virgin olive oil.  Oils like flaxseed, sesame, toasted sesame, walnut and pumpkin seed are best used unheated in sauces or dressings on top of salads, veggies or grains.  Other healthy fats are found in whole nuts and seeds and in their butters like almond butter or tahini.  Whole foods such as avocados, olives and coconuts are great sources of healthy fat, along with wild salmon and omega-3 and omega-6 organic eggs.  Experiment with these healthy fat sources and see which agree with you and leave you satisfied.

When selecting oils, buy the highest quality organic products you can afford, since cooking oils are the backbone of so many dishes.  Good words to look for on the label are organic, first-pressed, cold-pressed, extra-virgin and unrefined.  Words to avoid are expeller-pressed, refined and solvent extracted.  

-Contributed by Nathalie Blitz of Vitamin N