Tag: spring

Days are becoming balmy, daylight lasts into evening, and the flowering trees are now awash in color. If ever there was a moment that the kiss was invented, somehow I feel sure it was when the world awoke to springtime.

In fact, the earliest recorded kisses date back to India in 1500 BC where early Vedic scriptures describe lovers "setting mouth to mouth." But other historians date the origin of kissing to the biological drive of survival and reproduction, which is why the earliest forms of kissing, with the practice of brushing noses to smell potential mate’s makes so much sense.

I am redesigning my blog again and have opted to let go of the whole "Daily" concept in favor of my primary voice. As my creative director and I have been going back and forth about the look and feel of these words, saying no to curly cursive, no to all caps in varying shades of bold, I found myself explaining how these words, "making love sustainable" need to look like the small inner voice that moves us to stay, like the prayer for grace we say when we realize we need it most, or like a circle that always comes back around.

The seed catalogs arrived two weeks ago. Today you got a mail order catalog featuring—horrors!—swimsuits. Hint, hint: It’s time to shape up for spring. In fact, it’s the perfect time. If you get started right now, you can lose those five to 10 pounds of extra winter padding by the time the first buttercups and tulips bloom.

Here are 10 fresh ways to trim down and shape up:

1. Change your ’tude. Change your mindset about the quality of your life. Imagine how life would be if you woke up feeling great, with a healthy glow and looking fantastic.

We all have our favorite seasons. My wife’s is summer. She loves the heat. My neighbor’s is winter. He yearns for the cold. Me? I prefer fall. Cool. Colorful. Brisk.

We experience seasons in life too. They come and they go. We each have our own winters, springs, summers, and falls.

With more and more warm days in the forecast, most of us are excited to say goodbye to winter layers for the next six months. But between cold fronts, rainy days, and brisk breezes, it’s still a bit too early to leave the house in only a sundress and sandals.

While you probably can’t wait to wear spring’s colors, fabrics, and styles, you also aren’t eager to freeze (or maybe fry!) in the name of fashion. Since there isn’t a specific day when we "officially" switch from cool to warm temperatures, your best bet is to approach the seasonal transition with an eye toward versatility and comfort.

Spring is here and the steady stream of fresh produce arriving into your local market is about to begin. Some of the first vegetables of spring include artichokes. Artichokes are very healthy, plus peeling off petals while dipping them and scraping them against your teeth make artichokes fun to eat for the whole family.

Artichokes are an excellent source of potassium and magnesium—they are also a good source of folic acid. Here are a few pointers on picking, storing and preparing the freshest and the best tasting artichokes of the season.

If winter is the time to hunker down and be meditative, spring is the time to, well, spring into action! If you're ready to shake off the winter blahs and the extra padding you accumulated over the past few months, take a cue from nature.

Think about it: The animals are coming out of hibernation and getting active. New shoots are breaking through the frozen earth and feeling the sun. The sunlight is brighter and the days are lighter and longer. Nature sends us messages about how to get healthy by making seasonal changes too. All we have to do is listen.