Very true, just sitting quietly and freeing your thoughts is remarkably calming. I need calm, having retired, I feel the need for calm and also solitude at times ..not because I am angry, or mad at someone but just because I value time and now I have time to do that…it energises me and gets my thoughts flowing.
Living in Thailand has taught me to be calmer and there is no lovelier place to do so….it may be at the beach under the shade of a palm tree, or in my quiet space at home or just walking…
Meditation is a part of daily life here. Most homes and places of business feature a ” Spirit House” just outside the building. If you have a new business Thais always get it blessed by monks before it opens and that includes large corporate companies like Tesco Lotus, Makro they all have an opening ceremony around the Spirit House. A new house or car is always blessed by monks for good luck
This picture is typical of a Thai House being blessed. The monks come and the food is provided for them, they sit and eat with the family and bless the house… this is generally done before any furniture is bought into the house.
All my gardens here have had a spirit house except for this one which has a prayer room…
Diet, while trying to be mindful of what I eat I am discovering that vegetables are one of the ways to go and being aware. I had thought for many years that grain fed beef was good for you, however, I have changed that view as in these days of GM foods etc Grain fed doesn’t hold any attraction for me.
It seems like the quick way to fatten the calf so to speak whereas grass-fed obviously take longer to mature without additives so that’s the route I am taking. Seriously looking at where my food is made and raised and eating a diet filled with lots of veggies and raw to boot or very, very lightly steamed in some cases..so I am following the Thai way of eating as much as I can… I do think my taste buds have changed since living here or maybe it is the advancing years…
What way of eating are you following?
There are so many ways of eating and I suppose I incorporate a bit of many and advocate healthy eating with little or no processed foods ….. A typical Thai meal would be like this one pictured…
The fish is called Batu and is very similar to mackerel it is quite an oily fish, this fish is also used for a dip like the one in the middle of the dish it is pounded together with chillies, lime also Nam Pla or crab is sometimes added which is an acquired taste…I am getting to not like it as such but can eat in small amounts…lol
Vegetables are varied and include long beans, white cabbage, cucumber, cauliflower, Thai basil, Grapow, banana flower, flower heads of which I don’t know the proper names many are collected before the sun comes up, the flowers drop off overnight, they are lightly streamed after having removed stamen and eaten. Various vegetables some easily recognised as being eaten worldwide and others not so common to me…Much is still foraged for here as are many mushrooms although I tend to steer clear of any which I don’t recognise. Some I recognise many I still don’t …Some I have tried and like and others I find very bitter… This soup I was shown how to make when I visited a family village it was very nice…
https://blondieaka.wordpress.com/2017/02/21/authentic-thai-village-soup/
The nose to tail eating is also followed here especially here in the North, Spinal cord soup, intestines, stomach every part… Those I have passed on they just don’t appeal to me I suppose that is my western palate kicking in… Although thinking back over the years my mum used to cook pigs trotters and the like so was that so very different and tripe is still eaten by many…
Ants eggs I have tried and like… they have a lemony taste and make a nice salad…
https://blondieaka.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/some-of-thailands-most-unusual-foods/
Thai’s are always eating as most of the meals contain lots of vegetables which don’t fill you up for long, very little dairy is eaten with the main carbs being rice, sweet potato, yams but many meals as above are just fish and vegetables…lots of them… every meal in any restaurant comes with a plate of fresh or lightly steamed vegetables as the norm… which is healthy and the diet generally is a healthy one as MS is also not as widely used as it once was.
Well, that’s it for now stay safe, laugh a lot and be mindful …
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Enjoy the rest of your weekend I hope you have a lovely Sunday and the weather is kind to you xxx
Retired? No one told me! 