Mindfulness

COM|PASSionate Events

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Hey All! Happy Friday! Hey, guess what?! You made it! One more week down. Whether it was a week that tried the buoyancy of your spirit or a week that spoiled your heart, be victorious. Sometimes it's just about heading into the next week. Sometimes it's just about how you decide to write it into your life story.

{Image Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/457326537138456456/|}

And, then, once we've taken a breath and patted ourselves on the back, we can take the weekend space to solidify our stories in ways that feel right to us. It's all a hustle, but since we're going to expend the energy anyways...

{Image Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/236016836696218301/}

We can't always control the ways our stories are set up or the adversity we encounter, but we can utilize the agency we have to walk through them. We can view the hustle as power, the hustle as a privilege.

 EVENTS

Get out, take care of yourself and heal in community!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Don't forget there's lots of upcoming ways to get involved!

RECOMMENDATIONS

Practice writing, reading, and re-writing your story. Infuse it with compassion and gratitude and YOU. Celebrate your victories, honor your challenges, and be gentle with your first drafts. Craft your hustle into a heroes journey so that you're rooting for yourself to win as the final pages turn.

Some tips to get started!

 

Writing ourselves into the hustle,

The COM|PASSionate REVOLT Community<3

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*Events are put on by the CR Community/CR Community members. Other events are by friends of the CR Community or of interest to the CR Community. Feeling a little nervous about getting out and involved? Email us and if we can we'll make some introductions so you have a friendly face to say "Hi" to when you get there!

**Most of these events will be local to Southern CA (unless we notice an event that sets us off into road trip dreamland.) If you want to do a COM|PASSionate event round-up for your local area let us know!

***Are you an individual, meet-up or community group that has some COM|PASSionate events of your own? Email us for details on how to submit your event to our calendar!

****Have your own story about healing or thoughts on healing? Are you a queer vegan healer? Want to talk to your community about ways you're living consciously and connected? Do you want your blog, org, or event to be featured on one of our running series or want to do an interview introducing yourself to the COM|PASSionate REVOLT Community? Are you a unicorn in a pony world disguising your magickal star dust sprinkling mane to live amongst the commoners?

Pitch us a blog series or interview idea!! Contact us at compassionaterevolt@gmail.com!

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There are photographs in this post that were borrowed lovingly from the internet and do not belong to us. All are linked and credited to the best of our abilities in hopes of attracting more traffic to the photographers and websites who have blessed us with this imagery. The inclusion of a photograph here should not be interpreted as an assertion of the subject's or artist's identity or beliefs. If there is a photo included here that belongs to you and you want it removed, please email compassionaterevolt@gmail.com and it will be removed promptly, no questions asked.

Musical Temperance: Guiding Light

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Banner Oh, Seattle. People who barely know you always lament about the rain and gloomy weather, but last week you showed me nothing but sunshine.

I’ve just returned from the Emerald City from hanging out with family, attending Gender Odyssey’s Professional Conference (by the way, CR’s Traci was insightfully badass during the discussion portions of the panels we attended), adventuring in familiar and unfamiliar pockets of the city, and being reminded of the importance of slowing down and taking a breath.  

You see, I’m an accidental workaholic. Although I am admittedly lazy by nature (translation: I will have food delivered from this restaurant across the street from my apartment because I don’t want to put on pants and go outside), I have a hard time being still. I barrel through the days with little awareness of how I survived my work week and with nothing substantial to show for my efforts. I sometimes go through the month without knowing the actual date.  

Many of us were taught the value of being busy growing up. We were meant to feel accomplished when we were exhausted at the end of the day, but no one specified how we were meant to spend our time, and now we are busy just for the sake of it. Even during my time in Seattle, I stacked up my schedule so I worked in four hour chunks during random times of each day. As usual, I was glued to my phone, reading and responding to emails, text messages, and checking social media anytime I heard that familiar notification chirp. I was so wrapped up in the functional tasks of my day, I almost couldn’t get myself to slow down long enough to enjoy it.

Greenlake

I half-expected Seattle to have the same motivational current as Los Angeles, with everyone rushing to their next destination. Its dreamy stride was unsettling at first. I remember walking through Green Lake and being surprised by its wide open space and how familiar it felt despite the fact that I had never been to that park before. The sidewalks weren’t overcrowded with joggers. In fact, I was able to walk as slowly as I wanted. I was able to feel the dirt crunching under my shoes and breathe as deep as my chest could hold (which I rarely do in LA, because you know, dirty LA air).

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I was completely present in that moment, aware of how the afternoon sun hit the back of my neck and how my arms cut through the air with surprising ease with each step. I didn’t feel claustrophobic, as I often do in LA. If I wanted to change the direction of my path, all I had to do was point my foot where I wanted to go. We are often so swept up in the routines of our daily lives that we forget we have the ability to change the momentum of our lives. When we slow down, either purposefully or because cell reception is spotty and makes you want to throw your phone into a lake (not that that happened to me, of course), we have an opportunity for us to assess where we are, but more importantly, to use our desire and agency to either stay on path or change course.

MTLake

I sat at the water’s edge in Green Lake with my feet dangling above the dirt and rocks. The view was beautiful, spacious, and I knew exactly how I got there.

So this week, as I try to jump back into the chaos known as Los Angeles, I invite you all to take a breath wherever and however you need it. I had this playlist on repeat while I was exploring Seattle. It’s meant to be heard in a wide open space, a place where sound is able to travel effortlessly through the air.

spotify:user:thestarsaregone:playlist:6RV0izR05fYivvTxYLfoAO

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Kristel is a sometimes angsty writer from Hawaii who now lives in Los Angeles, CA. She claims she’s a Marketing Director at a web design agency, but she spends most of her day in front of the computer while wearing pajamas.

Musical Temperance is her small attempt at creating the perfect soundtrack to help her survive an extended quarter-life crisis. Additional musings and playlists can be found at kristelyoneda.com.

Picnic Lunch: Treat Yo' Self!

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Happy Thursday Everyone! PLBanner

Yup! A double dose of Picnic Lunch this week! Why?

Why not?! Welcome to the first installation of Picnic Lunch: Treat Yo' Self!

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsABTmT1_M0[/embed]

BTW we're sure Donna meant, "Fine {Faux} Leather Goods." :) Here's one of my favorites... eco-friendly Matt & Nat Bags. On my "to treat myself" list... but I digress...

Something that comes up a lot when talking to folks about veganism is the question, "Isn't it hard to stick to such a strict diet?"  

A) Nope. It's awesome.

B) It's not really restrictive. It's awesome.

C) We're looking at this all wrong!!!  It's awesome!

My decision to not consume animal products isn't a punishment or a sacrifice. It's something I get to do! It's a privilege. It's a privilege that I honor and hold in high regard AND it's a way that I "treat myself!"

For folks that are thinking about taking the plunge into compassionate waters, for folks just trying to make more space for different nourishment options and even for you folks who feel that a bacon sealed tomb is a sign of a life well lived-- I hope you'll open yourself up to this point of view.

The food that we, choose or have access to, put in our bodies is literally what's fueling us. Our caloric consumption literally gets sent out and enmeshed with all the fibers of our being. So, if we are lucky enough to have some choice around our food, it seems like we should consume consciously.

We're giving our bodies the right materials to go forth into this sometimes challenging and chaotic world. And it's my belief, that this extends beyond the physical. {I'm not going to talk ya'll yet about energetic components of this, cortisol and biological evidence. I meant what I said when I invited you bacon lovers to the conversation.. I'm going to ease ya'll in... I'll be gentle.} This means that when I encourage you to "Treat Yo' Self!" with a diverse and nutritious plant based diet to fuel your body, I also think you should engage and try to satisfy your sight, smell, heart and spirit!

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Treat Yo' Self Mindfulness Practice

IMAGINE (meditate or practice) THIS:

Carving out some space in your busy week to treat yourself to a date night at home. Pause. Take a breath and ask your body what it needs. Something warm? Something light and green? Something quick because you want to take a walk after dinner and still get to bed early? Something you ate as a kid?

Plan accordingly and include prep time! Dinner prep reservation at 4pm? Sure! It's five o'clock somewhere!

Set out all your ingredients like they do in those cooking shows! Stay present with each step. Have you ever seen that shade of golden beet before... seriously... like ever in nature? Have you ever stopped to smell a meyer lemon versus a regular one? Do you notice how the smells of herbs intensify as you chop them?? Have you ever minced something and paid attention to the wonder of your body's ability to... mince something?

Everything done? Feeling like you're going to finally represent and bring plant based honor to Top Chef??? Everything look less than perfect but smells delicious? Awesome.

Take a seat. Don't turn on the television. Maybe turn on some music but not too loud. Get yourself a large glass of water with some citrus or cucumber (oh, you fancy huh?) Take a look at your masterpiece! Bring it up to your noise! Waft like you're a sommelier at a five star restaurant!

Take your time taking bites. Taste parts of your meal separately. Taste them together! Use your fancy water to toast your fabulous self dominating another day and taking time to honor yourself with a date night and a great meal!

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Feel any differently about the relationship to food, your body and your heart?

I know that our lives aren't setup to have these luxurious date nights all the time. I'm as guilty as the next person of eating in front of my computer while I get some work done now and then, but I try to keep it at a minimum. This practice can be done in so many different variations and at different levels. Maybe it's just five breaths before you start eating. Maybe it's a slow down after to see how you feel from what you consumed. Maybe it's just a quick internal toast to yourself!

Here's one of my favorite meals to treat my mind, body and spirit. Fancy finger food night: Bread, Almonds, Vegan Cheeseball, Olive Tapenade, Dried Fruit and Roasted Broccolini!

unnamed-1This meal is quick, easy and has so many different combinations! It also slows me down and cues me into the process as I assemble my plate and then assemble each bite before I eat it. Most importantly, it feels fancy like I'm treating myself!

It's all a practice in mindfulness and a celebration!

So is it hard to stick to such a "strict diet?" Click on some of the links above and you tell me! The food industry in our country is a complicated one and not without conflict (including vegan food industry) but we can minimize our harm to the world around us. There are so many beautiful and delicious ways we can treat ourselves and, though some would like to have us believe it, our pleasure doesn't have to be another's pain. This way you can enjoy, celebrate and consume with no conflict to your mind, body and spirit!

Go ahead revolutionaries- the hustle is real- take a night to "Treat Yo' Self!"

In COM|PASSionate and RAVENOUS Appetite,

Traci

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Traci is a COM|PASSionate vegan foodie and diligent student of interconnections.  COM|PASSion (Intention towards passionate compassion) drives their own healing journey as well as informs their healing practices. They offer themselves here to this space to feed, nourish and create dialogue over shared conversational meals and celebrations.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."