No Regrets

This post is a little personal. It has all been percolating in my mind for a while, and I've only now been able to put it to words.

I've noticed something since I started grad school: people getting advanced degrees are insane. Sure they're intelligent and are (hopefully) going to do something wonderful with their degrees, but at what cost? I'm not talking about the actual cost in dollars (although it's usually significant); I'm talking about the emotional and physical cost of spending so much time studying. I know about this all too well both from my own experience and that of my peers.

You would think that at a school for natural medicine, people would make an effort to have balance in their lives. In classes, we emphasize the importance of balance, and we encourage our patients to reduce their stress levels and have fun. But how many of us can say that we are walking our talk? Not very many. I find it fascinating how many of my peers look down upon the lifestyle of workaholics but spend all of their free time studying.

I recently made the decision to drop the herbs portion of my program. I may choose to pick it back up next year, but I may not. I decided that I needed to make space in my life for me. Although I am certain that I could have done well in the program, it would have required an insane amount of studying on my part, and quite frankly, I don't want my life to be all about school. My schedule is still imperfect, and I don't always have as much time to see my friends as I would like, but I at least have time to breathe and not be stressed all the time. It was the best decision I've made since starting grad school.

Part of me wants to scream at my classmates (some of them, anyway) that it isn't worth it, that it's more important to live your life than to get perfect grades. If I were to die tomorrow (and who's to say I won't?), would I look back at my life and think, "Boy am I glad I studied so hard! That 4.0 was totally worth all the sacrifices I made," or would I say, "I am so grateful for the amazing relationships I forged with people and the experiences I had."? I think it's safe to say that I wouldn't be thrilled with myself if all I had to show for my life was a great GPA and a lot of knowledge.

Of course, this applies to people who are not in school as well. If you devote your life to work instead of to living, you may have a long list of accolades, or a great deal of money to show for it (if you're lucky), but if you fail to forge quality relationships with people, what is the point of it all?

(Warning: Here's where it gets a little personal) My sister was a workaholic. She devoted her life to medicine, and she rose to the top of her field pretty quickly. She lead a very lonely life with only a cat for company. She didn't make a lot of friends, and she didn't date, always putting things off for later. When she was in her mid 30s, she became extremely ill and was no longer able to work. The only people she was able to turn to for help were her family members, and some of them did so only with great reluctance. My relationship with her had always been good, but I wasn't in a position to help her. Only near the end of her life did she make any effort to establish new friendships, but because she was always in and out of the hospital, it was difficult to create anything meaningful. I can tell you now that she looked back at her life with regret, confessing to me that she wished she had made more time for people. In 2007, she died at the age of 40 with only a handful who mourned her passing.

Mahatma Ghandi said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” I would also add: Love as if we were all to live forever. My goal is to live my life with as few regrets as possible.

::Edit::
One of my facebook friends posted a link to this website about the top 5 regrets people have when they die. It seemed like an excellent addendum to my post.

What Would You Like to See?

I haven't been posting much lately. Sadly, I've been so busy that I haven't had much time to create new recipes, and my creativity seems to be running dry.

Is there anything in particular that you, my dear readers, are interested in me posting about? Perhaps some suggestions will give me the inspiration that I need to begin blogging again. Hopefully, with spring well underway, I'll feel more inspired in general!

Rights for Mother Earth

I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of politics. Politicians rarely work for the common good and instead focus on personal gain, and the whole lot of them make me want to admit defeat and start my own sovreign nation on a remote island somewhere tropical. Since that's never going to happen, I make due and do my part by voting and signing petitions and whatnot.

Today I read this article that made me want to hug a politician. Granted, it's not an American politician, but this gives me hope. According to the article, in Bolivia, they are working on passing a bill that will grant Mother Earth the same rights as humans. The belief system of the indigenous people includes a goddess who is similar to the Greek goddess, Gaia, whom we often refer to as Mother Earth. They are granting her the rights to live without being polluted, and the right not to have genetic modifications (meaning no GMOs!), among others.

I know there are going to be a lot of skeptics and naysayers, but I say it's about time the people in charge of our world take a stand for the planet. We only have the one, and it has selflessly given our species everything we could ever possibly need. Still we demand more while giving back nothing and in fact, causing harm. Of course Bolivia will face some challenges, which is always the case when you drastically alter the status quo, but I think they can pull it off. Hopefully they will be a role model for the rest of the world, and we can all work together to undo the harm our species has caused to the planet.

Smoked Salmon and Apple Macaroni Salad

One of the best things about living in Seattle is the availability of amazing seafood. There is a booth at my local
farmers market where they always hand out samples of the most amazing smoked salmon I've ever tasted. This weekend, I decided that I would treat myself to some even though it's more expensive than I can usually spend.

Although I could quite happily eat it without anything else, I decided to whip something together with what I had in the kitchen. Like many of my recipes, this is more of a guideline than a true recipe. I didn't measure anything, so you just have to go with what tastes good.

Smoked Salmon and Apple Macaroni Salad

Elbow macaroni (I used gluten free quinoa pasta, but any will do)
Broccoli cut into bite-sized pieces
Smoked salmon cut into biteXsized pieces
Fuji (or any other variety of crisp apple that you like) apple sliced thinly and tossed in a small amount of lime juice to prevent browning
Olive oil (I recommend using a high quality one because it will greatly influence the flavor)
Balsamic vinegar (I used some that was infused with hot peppers and garlic)
Salt
Pepper
Dried basil

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. While boiling the pasta, you can steam the broccoli in the same pot if you have a steamer tray. Only steam the broccoli until it's bright green, then remove from heat to avoid over cooking. Drain pasta
In a large bowl, combine olive oil (you want enough to lightly coat everything, but not so much that your pasta is swimming in oil), salt, pepper, and basil to taste. You'll also want to add just a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Combine all other ingredients and toss until everything is lightly coated. Taste the pasta to make sure it's properly seasoned. Be aware that the smoked salmon will make everything a little saltier, so don't over-salt the pasta.
When it is seasoned the way you want it, refrigerate and eat chilled.

This recipe was so yummy that I ate every bite even though it was intended for 2 meals. The apple and salmon went together really well, plus the apples added a nice, crisp texture. I still have a lot of salmon left, so I will be making this again in the next couple of days.

Coconut and Cashew Bars

I'm on spring break after the most challenging quarter I've ever experienced (which is why I wasn't posting much). For a good portion of the quarter, I wasn't cooking much. I just had too much to do. Today I spent some time in the kitchen, and it was wonderful.

My roommate recently introduced me to Lara bars. They're quite tasty, made from only a few ingredients, and they're inexpensive, but none of their ingredients are organic. Because their ingredient list was so simple, I decided to make my own using organic food, and they turned out pretty well. All of the ingredients were raw, in addition to being organic, so this recipe works for anyone on a raw food diet.

Coconut and Cashew Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup cashews
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
At least 10 dried and pitted dates
2 Tbs almonds coarsely ground (large chunks are fine)
1 1/2 Tbs virgin coconut oil

Put all ingredients except the almonds in a food processor and grind until you have the desired consistency. You don't want to make cashew butter, but you do want things to be ground pretty finely.
Put the mixture on a piece of parchment or wax paper. It should hold together and be reminiscent of dough. If it's not holding together, add more dates and put through the food processor again.
Mix the almonds in by hand (these give the bars a nice crunch)
Shape into a rectangle or square approximately 1/2" high.
Cut into pieces the size and shape you want.
Eat and enjoy.

Optional:
Add a dash of cinnamon, hunks of dark chocolate, or any other dried fruit or nut your heart desires.

Acupuncture in the Military

This morning I woke up to a story on NPR about how the military is starting to use alternative therapies for pain management: The Weight Of War: New Efforts To Treat Pain. Acupuncture is extremely effective at treating pain and often works where other therapies have failed. I am absolutely thrilled that the military is hiring acupuncturists, and I hope to see this trend grow.

I was surprised to learn that soldiers' and veterans' health insurance doesn't cover acupuncture at this point in time unless they go to a military hospital where it is offered. Maybe it's just me, but I think our soldiers and their families should be given every opportunity to receive the best possible medical care. They put their lives and bodies on the line so that the rest of us don't have to. I won't be practicing until 2013, but when I do, I plan on offering reduced rates for anyone who has served in the US armed forces.

Cure for Diabetes?

Recent research is found a "potential cure" for Type I diabetes. The article here. They have found that glucagon suppression may enable diabetics to go without insulin.

This is a topic that is very close to my heart, and I think this news is absolutely thrilling. Insulin-dependent diabetes can become horrendously debilitating, even when the people who have it diligently regulate their blood sugar levels and carefully regulate their diets. It would be absolutely amazing if this works.