“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” ~Teilhard de Chardin

The traditional maps and globes that we look at are not always drawn to scale. Consider this phenomenal portrayal of Africa’s true size:

Thanks to Creative Commons for the innovative map!

Pope Francis has asked citizens to pray and fast on Saturday, September 7th. One day in prayer, thoughts and intentional sacrifice for peace. That is the definition of a lucid practice. And for those of us that believe that our collective thoughts and consciousness (yes all 7 billion of us) can change the world, then this lucid practice might make a difference. A big difference.

Here is Pope Francis’ prayer and call to action. I love this, “each person, including our fellow Christians, followers of other religions and all men of good will, to participate in whatever way they can in this initiative…” Gone are the exclusive days of the crusade where Christians were so focused on converting “non believers,” we are living in a time of inclusion where the Pope has called all men, of all faiths to join in this collective conscious effort.

I love how Pope Francis tells us to do what we can and not insist that we fast or sacrifice in the exact way in which he suggests or for a specific length of time. Whoever you are, wherever you are, and whatever you believe in, join together and do what you can to help.

“May the plea for peace rise up and touch the heart of everyone so that they may lay down their weapons and let themselves be led by the desire for peace…

To this end, brothers and sisters, I have decided to proclaim for the whole Church on September 7^th, the vigil of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace, a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world.  I also invite each person, including our fellow Christians, followers of other religions and all men of good will, to participate in whatever way they can in this initiative…”

Pope Francis, September 1, 2013

Thank you Deacon Bob, for the link to this beautiful prayer!

How to Know Which Fruits and Veggies Have the Most Pesticides

When shopping for groceries, as consumers, we’d like to know which fruits and veggies have the most pesticicdes. Most consumers would buy organic produce if the prices were the same as non organic produce prices. If you have the money, always buy organic. If you’re cash strapped, I recommend purchasing organic produce for fruits and veggies that are most contaminated. Then, to save money, buy non organic fruits and veggies for the produce items that are least contaminated.

In order to know which foods are safe, there are several lists you can rely on. The Dirty Dozen Plus and The Clean Fifteen is a great way to educate yourself.

Based upon this information, a price conscious consumer’s grocery purchases might look like this:

Organic Blueberries (Dirty Dozen)

Non Organic Sweet Potatoes (Clean Fifteen)

Organic Kale (Dirty Dozen)

Organic Spinach (Dirty Dozen)

Non Organic Avocados (Clean Fifteen)

Non Organic Cantaloupe (Clean Fifteen)

Regardless of money, you can always create your own organic fruit and vegetable garden which we view as the best option. You’ll save money, you’ll know exactly where your food comes from, and you’ll have fun! We’ve been documenting our first year gardening on our blog and we’re happy to answer any questions from our readers. Read more about our garden here: First Steps in Creating an Organic Fruits and Vegetable Garden

Green Pepper, Italian Parsley, & Australian Basil from our latest harvest

Much of this post is based on the information provided in the helpful guide below. The guide depicts the cleanest (Clean Fifteen) and dirtiest (Dirty Dozen) non organic produce items for 2013.

The Dirty Dozen Plus and The Clean Fifteen

Share this post with everyone you care about!

~Stay Lucid

We recently blogged about a Q & A from The Atlantic on awareness and attention span in modern society. The interviewee, Linda Stone said makes the point that cultivating a relaxed state of presence leads to what we perceive as “good luck.” Stone points to an experiment:

“A U.K. psychologist ran experiments in which he divided self-described lucky and unlucky people into different groups and had each group execute the same task.   In one experiment, subjects were told to go to a café, order coffee, return and report on their experience.

The self-described lucky person found money on the ground on the way into the café, had a pleasant conversation with the person they sat next to at the counter, and left with a connection and potential business deal.  The self-described unlucky person missed the money – it was left in the same place for all experimental subjects to find, ordered coffee, didn’t speak to a soul, and left the café.  One of these subjects was focused in a more stressed way on the task at hand.  The other was in a state of relaxed presence, executing the assignment.

We all have a capacity for relaxed presence, empathy, and luck.   We stress about being distracted, needing to focus, and needing to disconnect.  What if, instead, we cultivated our capacity for relaxed presence and actually, really connected, to each moment and to each other?”

This state reminds me of what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyidescribes in his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Csikszentmihalyi defines Flow as a person being fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.

Does mindset determine luck? How do you feel during the state of Flow?

“Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.” ~Jonathan Smith