long lazy weekend...

labor day weekend... cookouts, concerts, family time, friend time... mine has been a bunch of "me" time - and it has been perfect so far. but "me" time has included family and friend time - i get so much out of these times. friday and tonight entail dinner with wonderful longtime girlfriends, and saturday night was spent with my brother. monday i will see yet another dear friend, then spend some time enjoying the great outdoors with a new friend. i feel so blessed to have so many i care about so much.

part of my downtime has also included baking. a new recipe. one i tweaked while making it because i thought just from looking at it that i could make it even better (nevermind i never tried it as written before changing it...). i really liked my result and have already thought of additional ways to truly make it my own. my next attempt will likely be soon and i plan to make it my first official food/recipe post. gosh there are TONS of food blogs out in this thing we call cyberspace, and this blog was never intended to be all about food, but i do want to do some baking and cooking posts because when i engage in the kitchen i am truly being kind to myself. it relaxes me. it calms me. it helps me clear my head. and when i share my treats with others - family, friends - i feel like i am spreading kindness. who doesn't like something homemade and homemade with love and care?

there's still a lot of this nice holiday weekend left. i am going to continue to enjoy it. hope you are, too.

run baby run...

today i ran the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon... for the very first time. i've never had the desire to run it - or any half marathon for that matter - until this year. i'm so glad i did it. it was, in a word, awesome. sure, i was praying for it to end by about mile 11, but i just. kept. running. so glad i did.

that was how i was extraordinarily kind to myself today... some might think that's crazy - that it sounds more like punishment than kindness, but i love running so much, and the sense of accomplishment i had when i was about 3 miles from completion was just amazing. when i had the finish line in my sights my eyes welled up and i nearly lost it. quite an emotional moment... and even more so when i crossed that line... and guess what??? i can't wait to do it again - i am already planning my next half in the fall.

so after all of that excitement i was able to relax, enjoy a few cold cocktails and some good food, and know that i will sleep well tonight after a very exciting and productive day.

yum yum yum...

i don't work on fridays. well, i don't work at the office. i work at home - i study and attempt to complete my law school assignments for the next week. i typically snack throughout the day rather than have an official breakfast and lunch... i like to graze... i get hungry a lot... and i always want different tastes... it's kind of a problem...



but today i decided to treat myself right and make a true lunch. i made this yummy salad:

i finally found truly delicious-looking strawberries at the grocery the other day, and they are chock full of flavor. i grabbed a carton of blueberries as well. to that i added a nice red onion and some crumbled goat cheese for that tasty tang....

look at those deep red strawberries... i'm going to have to pop a few for a snack later on. to top off my masterpiece, homemade vinaigrette - really, the only way to go with salad dressing. and it's so simple! this batch, i must admit, is a bit funky - in a good way, mind you - because i thought i had more balsamic vinegar than i actually did. so instead of starting over (i'd already chopped up my shallots and added mustard - not gonna waste those!), i just poured in some red wine vinegar. seriously, it's all vinegar, so who cares, right?

i'm so glad i took a few minutes away from studying to be kind to myself for lunch today. do the same for yourself... and try my vinaigrette. i promise it's easy and tasty!

my go-to salad dressing: adopt as you wish based upon ingredients on-hand ~

shallot, minced (a few teaspoons) - sometimes i use garlic if i don't have a shallot

dijon mustard - a dollop or so

salt and pepper - generous on the pepper; freshly ground, of course

vinegar - any kind you like... i've used balsamic, red wine, champagne, white wine - so many great options - a nice healthy pour

extra virgin olive oil - i use less than what most recipes call for ... oil goes a long way and even though it's good for us (most kinds), it's still laden with fat, so be a bit more conservative here

whisk all of your ingredients while drizzling your olive oil into your container (i use an old mayonnaise jar - it's a mixing container + storage container)

enjoy!

the best start...

life is so crazy and all i seem to do is run run run... but truly, it is when i am literally running that i feel the best. these Puma running shoes are my best friend right now... they're on my feet between 4:50 and 5:20 every morning - depending on the day - and they take me to a place where i feel strong and healthy and accomplished.

running is my favorite way to start the day and i always feel like i have been kind to myself and my body when i'm finished... even though some days i spend my entire run wishing it were over, ha!

being kind begins at home...

i think we have to be kind to ourselves before we can be kind to others. ever notice how someone who isn't kind seems to be generally unhappy? spreading kindness tends to have an amazing effect... at least it does for me... it tends to make me a happier, more joyful person. but first i have to be kind to myself in order to spread that kindness to others.

one way i try to be kind to myself is by eating well... i am absolutely addicted to Kind bars. and truth be told, i've been inspired by the company and their dedication to living a kind lifestyle. i have tried nearly all of the flavors, but the almond cashew are by far my favorite. they are only 150 calories and are gluten free (which may not be a concern for everyone, but i adhere to a gluten free lifestyle, so it's huge to me). what's more, they are completely natural, low in sugars, and are the perfect transportable anytime snack. i keep these everywhere... in my car, in my purse, in my school backpack, in my desk drawer at work, and, of course, at home. i swear i could live on these bars... and no, i'm not receiving any kickbacks from Kind for posting about their bars - i simply cannot get enough of them! but honestly, i have zero guilt when i consume these... they are so delicious and nutritous! i know when i eat one of these i am being kind to myself... and that makes me happy!

so give 'em a try... and be kind to your body.
~v.

it's not always easy...

i must admit i did not feel very kind yesterday... there really was not a particular reason - i just found myself grumbling... at crazy drivers, people who got in my way, those who failed to hold doors open, the dreary winter weather... etc., etc.,... and of course, every time i found myself thinking or saying something negative to myself, i stopped short and reminded myself that i'm supposed to be focusing on being kind to others and that begins within ME. grumbling or having negative thoughts does not promote living a kind life.

now, i'm not going to sit here and profess to ALWAYS be positive and ALWAYS think kind thoughts about others. if i were to say that is me i would be a liar and a hypocrite. but committing to be kind has already made me all too aware of my actions and my thoughts and my speech and general demeanor toward myself and others. and i'm grateful for that because every time yesterday that i found myself being negative, i reminded myself to be kind. sadly, that happened too many times than i care to admit! but honestly, i was thankful for the seemingly constant reminders to adjust my attitude! ha.

so today i am trying to keep negativity at bay... despite the fact that we are supposed to get MORE snow overnight and well into tomorrow. a little sunshine would definitely help my demeanor, but it IS winter in indiana, so sunshine is a bit much to ask for right now.

anyway... this morning i stopped at McDonald's on my way into work for round 2 of my morning coffee, having already killed several cups at home while getting ready for the day. the drive-thru line was quite long, so i decided to go inside. and i decided to live out being kind by being extra courteous to those waiting on me... i smiled at the woman who took my order, and said "please" and "thank you"... insignificant gestures, no? things we should all be doing every day, right? well, i am afraid these seemingly minor pleasantries have gone by the wayside in our rush-rush me-me society, and i have found that smiling at people and being courteous goes a very long way. in fact, it just may encourage that individual to do the same to the next person they encounter.

small acts can = big results. pass it along. be kind.

~v.

what is this all about, anyway?

so what does this mean, "living a kind life" ??? and how did it come about, anyway? well, i have been considering starting a blog for quite a while now, but honestly did not believe i had anything worth putting out there for the whole wide world to read. i journal, but i'm NOT publishing those pages, hehe, and i facebook so those posts are already public, but they're not particularly deep or meaningful. they're just fun. so why take time to write and post on a forum that is all about ME?

well, it didn't feel right until this morning... i was skimming through the latest post on a blog that i follow and while i enjoy the posts, they're all about food and vacations and pets and, well, nothing necessarily meaningful. don't get me wrong, i am certain they are meaningful to the author because they're about her life. and heck, i follow them and don't even know her - in fact, most of the blogs i read are all about food because that is one of my passions (both preparing and consuming)... but it caused me to think about this incredibly large forum - this podium, if you will, that is the blogging universe. why don't more people use their blogs to advocate for good. why don't more people use their blogs to raise awareness of the needs that are so great in our world. why shouldn't I use my blog to do just that?

recently i have been feeling like i am so stuck inside my own little world that revolves around me and my needs and my problems and my successes and failures. and honestly, i get sick of so much me so much of the time. when i look out into the world i see so much that needs attention. often, however, i feel i cannot do much to give attention to the needs of the world. i don't have a lot of extra time. i don't have a lot of extra money. and sadly, i don't have a lot of extra energy at the end of each day.... and that seems like such a poor excuse, but it's true.

so what can i do?

well, i can be KIND. i can live every day being KIND to people. i can live every day being KIND to our beautiful earth. i can live every day being KIND to myself. i just have this feeling that if i live my life being KIND it will make a difference. it will trickle down. maybe it will encourage someone. maybe it will cause someone to be KIND to someone else. maybe it will make a subtle impression that isn't even instantly recognizable, but leaves some kind of lasting effect. heck, i know it will make me feel better... if nothing else it's living a positive life and that is something.

so this blog is going to focus on living a kind life. i think it will look different every day. and that, to me, is beautiful. my prayer is that if you take the time to read what i post, you will be inspired to live your own kind life. and if that happens, then i have accomplished something worthwhile... something bigger than me.

thanks for reading.

be kind.