Would You Rather Be Peaceful or "Right"? ;)

Recently, one reader, Gregory, sent me a very interesting list for some 'alternative' uses for cucumbers, other than eating them (which we have been doing with joy almost every day recently ;)
Here were a few of my favourite cucumber tips from Gregory - I haven't tried to verify any of these yet - I think they're interesting though - lemme know if they work for you ;)

* Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
* Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
* Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
* Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
* Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.
* Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

ENJOY ;)

on August the 13th I embraced:

1 quart water
3 cups goji juice with marine phytoplankton
2 cups greeeeen juice
bowl of yummy daaaaaark cherries
3 cups greeeeeeen juice
2 cups water
shared nori roll meal with Mr. M: *amazing* reed avocado, dulse, sprouts, chopped cucumber and curry-kraut stuffed into nori sheets with kale chip samples on the side, followed by 3tbsp acai powder ;)
2 cups water


It's that time again: voting is ON right now for the 2010 VegNews Veggie Awards :)

You can vote until August 31st on categories such as your favourite veg*n foods, restaurants, chefs, books and so on...AND there are quite a few raw food options amongst the answers to choose from ;) You can also ADD in your own raw-based answers by choosing the 'other' answer option on many of the questions, if you prefer ;)
There are some GREAT prizes on offer too, for those who share their votes, including a global getaway, veg*n foods, books and more...you can get in on the voting at this link HERE - enjoy ;)


on August the 14th I was blissed with:

1 quart water
3 cups greeeeeeen juice
bowl of YUMMmMmmmmmmy dark cherries
handful of fresh figs
2 tbsp spirulina crunchies
2 cups water
random cucumber salad meal with Mr. M and his family - cucumber salad stuffed into nori sheets, followed by 3 tbsp acai powder
mug of herbal tea
1 cup water


on August the 15th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
samples of stone fruit at market, followed by a fresh fig FEAST w/ Mr. M :)
3 cups greeeeeen juice
1 cup greeeen juice
shared nori roll meal with Mr. M: avo, curry-kraut, cucumber slices, sprouts, lecithin and dulse stuffed into nori sheets, followed by sample of vanilla bean living nutz ;)
2 cups water


LOVE, love, LOVE this passage I received by email recently from the Hazelden "Gift for Today" messaging service:

"In every conflict, ask, "Would I rather be peaceful or right?"

The power of detachment, the willingness to choose to be peaceful rather than make every conversation a battleground, is freedom at its very best. There is no mystery in how this is done. It's a decision any one of us can make as often as the opportunity to disagree comes up.

We don't really even have to hope for a more peaceful life. It's ours just as quickly as we make the choice to want something different in our daily interactions. Remember, those who come forth provide us with opportunities for practicing peace."

I *love* this concept of "would I rather be peaceful or 'right'?" ;) I've received the same message before via Abraham-Hicks too...I feel this is such a vital question to ask oneself in interactions with other humans... "would I rather be peaceful or 'right'?"
So many people seem to be remarkably attached to feeling that they are 'right' and/or have 'won' in a situation...yet who is really 'winning' anything, if someone in your context is feeling uncomfortable, unhappy or shamed?
I choose peace, for myself and those around me...what do you choose? ;)

All love and reverberations of delight,
A. Stokes-Monaaaaaaarrrrrrrrch. xxx