Give Yourself That Much

While sipping my morning 'joe' of kale/mango/banana/coconut/lucama (wtf?) green smoothie, my heart is leaping and soaring all at once. Nearing the end of Geneen Roth's newest book (the first of which I've read even though I've devoured her column in Good Housekeeping which my mailman drops by, faithfully), is filling a part of me I haven't touched in a long, long while and it's dangerously close to overflowing.

Now one of my all-time favorite books related to understanding and overcoming food issues, Women, Food, and God by Geneen holds its place beside Martha Beck's The Four Day Win. Both are down-to-earth mind-blowing and both touch the deepest parts of ourselves.

Both explain how the mind works, the power it wields, and since we can't live without it, how to get along with it. Not only does this inspire a heart-thumping sense of loving kindness, it also brings its own measure of  peace. So much of it brings me to that place inside I've touched briefly once during a Byron Katie retreat. A place so spacious, so loving, so everything...I've never gotten over it. And makes me want to leap and soar, again, only this time perhaps, with you. Bon Apetit.

Ask yourself what you love. Without fear of consequences, without force of shame or guilt. What motivates you to be kind, to take care of your body, your spirit, others, the earth? Trust the longing, trust the love that can be translated into action without the threat of punishment. Trust that you will not destroy what matters most. Give yourself that much. ~ Geneen Roth

Trust-o-meter

A few years ago I opened a forwarded mass e-mail from a dear friend at my church about how an ex-member, Martha Beck, wrote a book slamming one of our revered church members (Hugh Nibley, Martha's own father).

I'd actually been to one of his lectures and, when I could understand what he was saying, enjoyed it. I boarded the bandwagon and wrote Oprah criticizing Martha's book--never mind that I hadn't actually read it. But surely she was wrong, and surely the world needed my dissenting opinion (all together now, let's roll our eyes in unison.) Oddly, Oprah failed to call me on her show to confront the errant miss Martha.

Fast forward.

A beloved, LOA Martha-Beck-certified Salt Lake City Master Life coach (yeah I know, it's exhausting just writing it) Jeannette Maw, spoke often and highly about Martha. Out of curiosity I read some of her books (Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live; The Four Day Win: End Your Diet War and Achieve Thinner Peace; The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life) and online writings--and was instantly hooked. She was wry, real, and hilariously on the mark, and I ruefully admit to being wrong about Martha.

Last week she did it again, with a powerful article on trust. Perfect timing, as just this week I'd had a conversation with a chiropractor encouraging me to get back into the dating field, because "There are really good men out there". I'd mumbled something about not being able to trust myself to find them. Enter Martha's article, which arrived via Oprah's (long forgiven, I could never stay huffy with O) online newsletter.

Trust me on this one (or not), Martha's wit is electrifyingly eye-opening. Check it out:

http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/200903_omag_trust_beck.

P.S. she sounds an awful lot like another dear friend, Byron Katie....and we can talk about her later over a steaming cup of herbal tea.