Je Ne Sais Quoi: Strong

Could you imagine if someone had the audacity to suggest in this day and age that having je ne sais quoi was about a woman’s body? As if presence was all about a nice figure, or a seductive walk, or a thin stature, and not about inner confidence and strength and character. Could someone be so foolish?

Well, yes. I could.
It is true. I, indeed, have the audacity to say that an alluring presence is about the body. Or at least partly about it, anyway. This isn’t, I know, a fashionable idea, but before you judge too hastily and swear to never come back, I invite you to hear me out.

You see, I’ve been learning a lot recently about my body. Not in an anatomy-kind of way (by age thirty, I’m pretty well acquainted with all of that!), but in a body-spirit kind of way. Like how they’re connected, with one influencing the other and vice versa. It is a very, very simple concept, and yet somehow I managed to forget it.
Forget it until about a month ago when I felt like I needed to make a change in my life. I needed a different daily routine and a new outlook. And I didn’t know where to start until I was praying for wisdom one day and felt like I needed to move out. Not move out metaphorically, but actually, physically move out. As in take my body out of my chair, away from my desk, and out of my front door.

You mean, I asked, my physical body actually makes a difference? The answer, it seems, is yes. Although the work I do online, and with words and ideas, and in conversations with others, is important, I had overlooked an important truth: my body supports my spirit. And when my body is too stationary, too immobile, too weak, my inner spirit grows stagnant and also weak.
Perhaps this sounds a bit woo-woo, but I assure you it is entirely practical. We express ourselves through our bodies all the time--through our movements, our body language, our appearance. Think, as an example, of a woman you know who exemplifies je ne sais quoi. I’d bet my house that her movements are captivating--that they draw attention.

And so, in our pursuit of this mysterious inner strength and elegance, I want to challenge us to start with our bodies. If you are feeling weak, than pick up some weights and literally build some muscle. If you are feeling dowdy, than try dancing. If you want to feel liberated, find a nearby swing and fly. If you want to feel happy, try skipping. Of course these movements won’t radically alter your circumstances, but they can impact your spirit and the presence you exude in the company of others.

So, yes, je ne sais quoi is about your body. So get moving.

12-Step Program

Yesterday’s post about fudge butter cake had me a little convicted. Not because I feel guilty about indulging in something as lovely as homemade cake with gooey chocolate frosting (because, really, life is too short to feel guilty about that kind of thing), but because I have been eating rather poorly lately as a whole, scrumptious desserts aside.

Poorly as in far too much intake of meat and bread (think typical summer fare of hot dogs and hamburgers) and far too little of the fruit and vegetable variety. So this morning I decided to enact a plan to remedy this.

It goes like this:

step 1: go to the grocery store and load up on fresh fruits, veggies, fish and nuts.

step 2: deliberate in length about the buy-one-get-one-free offer on London broil steaks. On the one hand, they are a freakin’ good price. On the other hand, they encourage the eating of tasty red meats hot from the grill.

step 3: buy the steaks. Who are you kidding? At $2.00/lb., you’re nuts not to! However, plot immediately to hide them in the bottom of the freezer and ration them slowly to hungry, meat-eating husband.
step 4: cart the groceries home and unpack them onto the counter.

step 5: open the fridge and assess the damage. There will be a lot of it. Do not be alarmed.

step 6: begin the ancient ritual known as The Refrigerator Purge. Start slowly and pace yourself. Aim for the items in the front first, leaving the scarier, more threatening containers dwelling in the back corners for later.

step 7: discard all curdled milk products, molded breads, and fuzzy cheeses. Likewise, toss all slimy lettuces, soggy fruits, and shriveled citrus. Promise to do better next time.
step 8: agonize deeply over a variety of leftovers judiciously portioned into tupperware. Practice letting go by stopping to remember how lovely they were the day you made them. Savor the memory. Linger on the smell. Imagine the taste. Then snap out of it-- realize that if they haven’t been eaten in the two weeks since they were cooked, they probably won’t be--and throw them away!

step 9: take some deep gulps, muster your strength, and pull out those long forgotten containers in the back. Walk slowly...ever so slowly...to the sink. Carefully open the lid, holding your breath. You might want to look away. Turn on the water and the disposal and rinse, all the while not breathing, and perhaps with your eyes closed. Try to think of happy thoughts. Repeat this until all suspect containers are emptied.

step 10: wipe down all refrigerator surfaces. Remove the crisper drawers. Curse loudly at the vibrant hot pink goo puddled in the bottom, wondering silently how sweet-and-sour-sauce could turn that color. When sparkly, put drawers and shelves back into place.
step 11: happily load fresh new groceries into sparkly refrigerator, making earnest commitments to keep it clean and to eat everything before fuzz and/or slime appears.

step 12: enjoy a piece of fudge butter cake to celebrate.

Previous Retro Summer Eatin' Posts:
Crave
Three-Day-Weekend Scones
Ode to Peas

Wellness

As the daughter of a nurse, and a native Coloradoan, I grew up with the concept of wellness long before it became a popular philosophy.  Not that I always adhere to the lifestyle....but I have learned to value it.  So when I read an article last week about companies launching wellness programs for their employees as a way to keep health care costs down, I agreed that it is a good trend.

So what does wellness, and company health care, have to do with being a modern housewife?  Well, if there is anything I have learned about wellness, it is that it takes time.  Shopping and preparing healthy food, getting exercise, resting, enjoying nature, cultivating spirituality--all of these things take time.  And when practicing them all together, they can take a lot of time.  

This is when working full-time in the workforce can present obstacles to wellness.  The last thing I felt like doing after coming home from the office after a long day was exercise and cook a nutritious dinner.  I might have conjured up the motivation for one, but rarely both.  Being at home, though, provides more time for wellness, and it rubs off, too.  I cook healthier fare more often, which both myself and my husband benefit from.  We take more walks together (even the dogs have lost weight), and I spend a great deal more time outside.  

This is not to say that you can't be well when you are working.  If you work for one of the companies that has launched a wellness program, you might be in great shape.  All I am saying is that staying at home can offer the same benefits that a work wellness program can offer.  You can also take advantage of the same financial benefit that these companies are trying to capitalize on.  A household with healthy people saves a lot of money over one that has unhealthy people.  Have you purchased a bottle of cough syrup lately?  How about Prilosec or Ambien?  These drugs are expensive, and can really add up!  Having more time to cultivate wellness at home will decrease your need for them, thus saving you green.  

To conclude, being a housewife is not traditionally seen as a path toward wellness, but I argue that it really can be.  Since I left the corporate 9-5, I really do exercise more, eat better, garden, sleep well, pray more, and save money.    I'm doing...well.

To link to article on corporate wellness programs, click here.