sexualYes, I've been watching more television than usual during the pandemic.  Like everyone, I need a bit of escapism. A few weeks ago, my daughter and I binge-watched all of the seasons of Schitt's Creek--a series imagined and written by Daniel Levy.  I had tried getting interested in the series a year ago, but it just didn't click and I gave up after three episodes. With more time (and more desperation for entertainment) on my hands, I gave it another try.  I'm so glad that I did.  The series follows the Rose family as they go from riches, to rags, to a different kind of riches in the small, down-and-out town of Schitt's Creek. The series sports a fabulous ensemble cast including Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara and Chris Elliot (as the town's mayor).  

One of the reasons why I had a tough time getting into this series is that it starts off with the obnoxiously wealthy family (money was made from a video store franchise) losing their assets when their advisor absconds with their funds.  They are forced to vacate their mansion and have only one place to go: Schitt's Creek--a town purchased as a joke by Johnny Rose for his son, David.  They arrive at the Budd Motel, a ramshackle roadside facility that has seen better days (though probably not much better).  They're cranky, self-absorbed, whiny and demanding all at once.  The show literally starts with a cacophony of complaints as they must cope with their sudden impoverishment.  

If you can hang with a few episodes, the show becomes infinitely more interesting as the family starts to adjust, adapt and evolve, all while living in two rooms of a really dumpy motel and eating all of their meals at the local Cafe Tropical (known for its extensive, but not very well-executed, menu).  The most evolution takes place with the character of Alexis Rose (played by Annie Murphy).  We meet her as a vapid, self-absorbed social media-ite who struggles to find her way without the constant affirmation of clicks, likes, friends and parties.  Each season she becomes more and more interesting as she becomes increasingly capable, flexible and caring.  Her brother, David (played by Dan Levy), is a neurotic art gallery curator who must adjust to the lowbrow atmosphere and tastes of his new hometown crowd.  Early in the series, we learn that David is pansexual--a revelation handled with incredible tact and tenderness.  After some failed relationships, he eventually meets a man who will become his better half.  

I love many things about this series, but I especially appreciated that Dan Levy decided to have his character meet the love of his life without any hometown complications.  No homophobia.  No slurs.  No beatings.  No rolled eyes or turned-up noses.  At first I found this remarkable and perhaps even a bit naive.  But here's the thing.  Why can't this be the case everywhere for all couples?  You have two people in love who are clearly suited for one another.  Why must their happiness be blighted by anyone else's limitations or opinions?  I was delighted to see a gay story line that decided not to take a journey into strife, hardship and bigotry.  However, it also saddens me that this offers such an unusual take.  After all, why should any couple have to endure hatred and verbal and/or physical violence for being in love?  Why should this show be a case of poetic license?  Imagine your own relationship status.  If you're heterosexual, think about if others found your sexual preference abhorrent.  If you're in an interfaith relationship, or an interracial one, think about the strictures that used to limit those marital ties and how it would have impacted your lives.

If you decide to commit to watching Schitt's Creek, be prepared to laugh and to learn and to re-imagine rural America.  What is truly important to you?  What would you do if faced with sudden ruin?  How do you pick up the pieces?  How do you ask more of yourself?  How do you deepen your relationship to others? To place? To a new version of self?  Enjoy and grow with the Schitts!  You will emerge with a sense of what could be, for yourself and for your communities.

How many of us are relying on movie therapy to get us through the coronavirus lockdown?  I know that now, more than ever, I'm looking to motion pictures to provide an escape from the reality of life in quarantine.  Along the way, I'm discovering some great films and thinking about those which have been my favorites.  I tend to favor wholesome films, though I do have some junky "guilty" pleasures as well.  I'm planning here a series of blogs looking at my favorite films in categories that I've put them in with some ways to use their art and lessons to lift up your own life.

Let's start with the Fairy Tale Parable--I love films that have a bit of a fantastical touch to them that makes life a little magical and surreal.  These films rely on unusual circumstances and unknown influences on characters and plot development.

• August Rush--this film about a young musical prodigy never fails to delight me with its unusual soundtrack, its great views of New York City and its excellent performances. Robin Williams did some of his best acting work here as a brutal handler of August as a busker.  The conclusion draws you in and is uplifting as well.
• Chocolat--A terrific adaptation of the book by Joanne Harris (who's writing I generally love).  The filming of the French river town perfectly captures the allure of European villages and their mixture of medieval and modern architecture and values. The chocolate making and food preparation is ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response--it's when we see tasks performed that are extremely satisfying to watch, like tempering creamy chocolate) and Judi Dench turns in a terrific performance as a crusty old curmudgeon.
• Groundhog Day--this fable relies on a novel plot line where the character keeps reliving the same day over and over again.  He must learn how to navigate the limits  of 24 hours so as to grow and work his way out of the time warp in which he is trapped.  A magical performance by Bill Murray shows us why this actor has endured in his popularity over the decades.
• Pleasantville--Another of the "time warp genre, this movie follows two teenagers into a TV town which exists in black and white and is stuck in the mores of the 1950s.  The characters must learn how to alter their behaviors while opening the minds of those of living in Pleasantville.  I find this film features some of Reese Witherspoon's and Joan Allen's best work as a world-weary teen and a naive mother.

I could list more, but I think this list provides some great fodder for contemplation.  August Rush teaches us to appreciate music, genius and the endurance of love.  It alerts us to recognize the special brilliance of especially-talented people.  They are rarities who should be appreciated, not envied or controlled.  Are there any such people in your lives?  Or, are there people in the arts or sciences who you should rediscover as inspiring examples?  Perhaps listen to the work of Mozart, or his equally brilliant sister Nannerl?  Maybe read the work of Stephen Hawking?  Or enjoy the art of the self-taught Van Gogh? 

As for Chocolat, the story teaches us to appreciate the personalities of all those we encounter: young, old, freewheeling, uptight, shy, loud.  Everyone has something to offer, especially in the microcosm of the village.  Rethink your villages: that might metaphorically be your workplaces, spiritual organizations, clubs, teams or classes.  Gather an appreciation for the richness of diverse personalities.  And, of course, appreciate the magical quality that food prepared with knowledge and love can communicate.  View your kitchen as a medicine chest, not just a place to grab gut fill.  How can the herbs and spices you have on hand be used to create foods with healing qualities?

And finally, Groundhog Day and Pleasantville teach us about the art of being present.  In both movies, the main characters are tossed into an alternate reality because of their frustration with their current circumstances.  And, in both films, the characters must then work in new parameters to engineer change.  In the case of Groundhog Day, the change is entirely incumbent on the main character played by Bill Murray.  After he works through boredom and despair, he comes to use his unique situation as an opportunity for work on both his abilities and his attitudes--one day at a time.  In Pleasantville, the main characters work to free their fellow citizens from limiting mindsets and habits.  Knowledge becomes a metaphor for sex and is used to bring people alive with color and desire.  The film reminded me of how thrilling it was as a teen to discover good literature and  good music and to crave reading and hearing more.  

Choose thoughtful films while sheltering at home and use them as a means for creating your own renaissance.  Rediscover the thrill of a good movie and how alert and alive it can make you feel.  My next film genre will be: Comedy, because laughter is good therapy too!

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay engaged--Lisabeth

I'm writing this while finishing my third morning cup of green jasmine  tea.  Why is this a big deal?  Because I'm a former morning coffee-holic.  I've been drinking coffee since I was about fourteen years old.  Of course, at that time (back in the 70s) my morning cup was made from Maxwell House instant crystals to which I added Coffee Rich (a non-dairy 'creamer' made of hydrogenated coconut oil, water and corn syrup, seriously) and sweetened with either sugar, or more likely, Sweet-n-Low (saccharine in that little pink packet).  What can I say?  I grew up in the era of laboratory foods: TV dinners, instant mashed potatoes, Stove Top Stuffing, Cool Whip, Velveeta--you get the idea.  I remember my parents trying to step up their game by emulating Mary Tyler Moore on her show by buying one of those hour-glass drip coffee pots (see below).  By the way, I spent much of my childhood salivating over that apartment! So cool.

The glass hourglass was a bust.  It produced watery coffee that took too long to drip and was cold by the time you could drink it, but home-brewed coffee was in its infancy.  The Mr. Coffee machines came on the market in 1972 and eventually we got with the program, but probably not until about the late 1980s.  The original plain $20 model is still very reliable for brewing a big pot.  Alas though, coffee--for the time being--is a thing of the past.

At the age of 53 this year, I've discovered that my "entering menopause" self cannot tolerate coffee.  My morning cups were setting off hot flashes which then resulted in stomach cramps and diarrhea.  I stubbornly clung to my morning joe, but finally had to say enough is enough.  Thus, I'm back to tea.

I have given up coffee before--for three full years to be exact.  When my husband met me I was in the midst of a stint drinking only green and herbal teas.  I was lean, healthy and running a lot and practicing yoga frequently.  I had plenty of energy and felt good with my tea.  I'd take a mug with me everywhere, including dinners and parties.  I never wanted my host to think they had to accommodate my desire for green tea with soy milk and stevia (my evening dessert tea).  I'd just BYOB.  Then my husband and I went on a trip, there was a coffee shop we'd visit every morning, and suddenly I was back on the coffee wagon--BIG TIME.  I'm not one for much moderation.  When I fall, I fall hard.  Suddenly coffee was a several cups a day thing.  My husband is Canadian, he teaches up there at a university, so trips up north invariably included multiple cups of Tim Horton's.  There is a Tim Horton's on nearly every street corner so opportunities were abundant.  Given all the research we've been reading about the benefits of coffee, I figured this was an alright obsession.  I was completely alcohol free and didn't ever drink soda, so what was the big deal?  Honestly, it wasn't a problem until MENOPAUSE.  Suddenly my beloved beverage was leaving me doubled over with cramps, sweating and feeling nauseous on the porcelain throne.  That was a problem.

Here's the thing, when faced with necessary change we have two choices.  We can either embrace with enthusiasm, or resist with resentment.  The first option produces a new experience and positivity, the second is merely indulging your inner brat.  I decided to lean into my new self and get serious about drinking tea not coffee.  What does this mean?  I bought a beautiful sky-blue china teapot, a tea cozy (essential for good brewing and keeping tea warm), a giant mesh tea ball to make loose tea brewing easy and less messy, and I am buying teas.  All kinds of teas: Jamaican butter rum black tea blend, organic green jasmine, lapsang souchang (a smoked tea that smells and tastes like a campfire), white tea with a rainbow of flower petals, Breakfast in Paris (an earl grey tea with lavender), and so on.  Each tea fits a different mood and presents a very different flavor profile.  I'm playing and experimenting.  And at night I have a decaffeinated lady grey tea with half & half and a few drops of vanilla stevia.  Yep, I'm back to my evening dessert tea--a comforting ritual.  

The lesson I've learned from this is that a dietary health setback or bodily change does not have to signal loss.  When framed in the right context, it can be an agent for pleasure and powerful change.  So, here's an exercise for you to practice:

1. Identify something in your diet that isn't really working for you.  Sure you may like it, but it doesn't like you back!
2. Think about how taking that thing out of your life will make you feel.  Will you experience profound loss?
3. If loss or resistance is what you feel, then think about a healthy replacement.  It could be tea for coffee (as in my case) or La Croix for soda (even diet soda, which isn't good for you), or rye bread (very healthy) for white bread, or homemade salad dressing instead of gloppy bottled ranch, or soy milk for dairy (if you are finding you don't process lactose well), or peanuts for chips, etc.
4. Instead of feeling burdened, jump into it.  Do some research, look for the best options.  "Eat This Not That" has good nutritional information and reviews of products.  Go with the best so that you don't feel cheated.
5. Buy yourself the right equipment and make it cute or pretty.  My blue pot brings me cheer!

Finally, these lessons can apply to many life changes: jobs, money, relationships, location.  Accept change as necessary and exciting and you'll never be bored!

Artfully yours,

​Lisabeth

Ever hear of the phrase "get your ducks in a row"?  Well, that's what you need to be doing right now.  March and April are important months in which to set yourself up for a lovely summer and fall.  What that means is "cleaning" house--doing a proverbial spring cleaning, but you need to know what you are up against!  We are literally being dragged (often kicking, screaming and complaining) from cold, dry weather into cold, damp and wet weather, or temperature ups and downs, or extreme rains, or very high winds, or all of the above in the course of a week.  This plays havoc with our lungs and sinuses, bringing on colds and infections.  In my case, high winds mean fever blister breakouts on my lip. Others have constant runny noses, or watering eyes, or headaches.  You need to start to clean out that damp back-up meaning you want to go for lean and green foods and liquids.  Less fat, more bitter tastes (greens, herbs, teas, even sweeteners like molasses).  You're trying to sweep out the stored fat and any built-up toxins, physical or emotional.

Because this is your charge, March and April can be a tough emotional months and transitions to navigate. You're getting cabin fever, but the weather isn't going to allow you to lounge outside with that latte quite yet. Your beautiful yellow daffodils open up, only to be crushed by heavy snow. Your blossom trees freeze in an ice storm and you don't know if they'll set fruit or even survive. You're slopping around in mud and slush and it seems like your boots will never be clean and dry.  You always seem to have an open umbrella in the hallway airing out.  You may feel tired, blue and worn out just as the weather is starting to warm up.  You need a plan so that you can approach that fresh season with energy and high spirits.

The remedy: Embrace the change with some smart strategies and some positive thinking informed by the knowledge of what this spring cleaning time is all about.  This means "greening up" your diet (and no, that doesn't mean shamrock shakes or green beer), doing some detoxing, seeking healthy heat therapies, moving as much as you can, and getting some extra sleep to help adjust to the time change of Daylight Savings.  Let's start (but not END) with diet:

 Good Breakfast Choices:

1. “Thai” Smoothie (apple or pear, ginger, natural peanut butter, coconut milk, almond milk, frozen banana, cinnamon)
2. “Gingerbread” Smoothie (apple, frozen banana, ginger, almond milk, molasses, garam masala, cinnamon)
3. Green Juice (Spinach or Kale, Cucumber, Apple, Mint, Celery, Grapes, Ginger & Lemon--any or all of the above are great)
4. Fuschia Juice (Beet, Apple, Carrot, Lemon, Ginger).  Drink less often, but for a fun change of pace.
5. Stewed apples/pears (cook an apple, chopped large, in a small saucepan with a bit of water or apple cider, and a few cloves, add a lemon peel.  Feel free to add prunes.
6. Oatmeal with maple syrup or stewed apples
7. Corn mush with maple syrup or stewed apples
8. Chia pudding—seeds soaked overnight in almond milk with vanilla extract, dried cranberries, almond slivers and unsweetened coconut—add cinnamon and nuts upon eating, if desired.
9. Green Tea 
10. Everyday Detox Tea

Good Lunch Choices:

1. Green Salad—lots of veggies/greens with a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.
2. Roasted or Steamed Squash, Steamed Greens
3. Tonic Soup (broth with ginger and garlic) with Greens and mushrooms and green onions, add some buckwheat noodles
4. Lentil Soup with greens
5. Vegetable Stir-Fry with Quinoa
6. Artichoke with lemon/olive oil, steamed veggies with brown rice
7. Asparagus, asparagus, asparagus
8. Edamame/Green Peas with brown rice, lemon, olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs
9. Pureed green pea/arugula soup
10. Fish, eggs or tofu for protein
11. Green Tea
12. Everyday detox tea

Good Dinner Choices: SAME AS LUNCH (or Breakfast)—these are all interchangeable!

• Drink a cup of hot water with lemon first thing in the morning, followed by green tea throughout the day, a detox tea or lemon tea into the evening.

CLEAN A CLOSET! (OR A DRAWER, OR CUPBOARD) My daughter is even more hard core than me.  She really loves spring cleaning.  Closets are done and a mountain of clothes went to Goodwill.  No sentimental hanging on.  It feels great.  No books from book sales come in unless an equal number leave.  It's great karma and very cleansing and liberating.

MOVE!!!  Take a walk outside or do a walk/exercise dvd inside.  If it’s rainy then grab an umbrella.  Go for at least 30 minutes.  Take in the weather, landscape, sights, smells and sounds.  If it's just too depressing, then do indoor exercise but do not skip it.  Take yoga classes.  Bounce on a mini-trampoline.  Jump rope.  Lift weights--get a dvd for instruction, or look something up on You Tube.  No excuses, there are so many options nowadays.

HEAT THERAPY: to combat all that cold dampness, drink lots of hot/clear liquids and if you have access to a sauna or whirlpool bath, use it.  If not, then run a hot bath (if your skin is dry and itchy, add colloidal oatmeal to the water).  Or, if you cannot take a bath, run a hot shower and add a few shakes of eucalyptus oil to the shower stall.  Use body butter or massage oil on your skin afterwards to ward off dryness.  Soak your feet in a basin with hot water and Epsom salts, add an essential oil like lavender or eucalyptus.  If you want  an upgrade, buy a "foot spa".  I purchased a Homedics one for $39.99 on Walmart's site.  What's wonderful is that the water stays perfectly warm.  Marvelous and easy luxury!

SKIN THERAPY: My latest easy favorite, inexpensive Korean facial mask sheets, I put one on while having that hot bath.  Clean your face nightly with cold cream, it cleanses and moisturizes.  I also love a high quality face cream (my latest crush is Charlotte Tillbury's Magic Cream).  

SOUL THERAPY:  Find some good reading material.  Now is a great time to delve into a spiritual book you've always wanted to read. Something by the Pema Chodron, or Surya Rama Das, or Eckhart Tolle, anything that examines life and your place in the universe.  It's also a great time to dive into the work of a favorite poet.  Maya Angelou, Rita Dove, Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost---whatever you find feeds your soul.  I like to read a poem first thing in the morning while drinking my hot water, do it before opening email or social media.  My latest favorite is Hart Crane--an Ohioan who unfortunately killed himself at age 37.  He used language like no one I've ever seen.  So lyrical.

MORE SOUL THERAPY:  Visit your local botanical gardens (it really can be a salve at this time or year), the art museum, a natural history museum, a concert or lecture at the library.  Give yourself the gift of more knowledge.  Water and nurture your mind.

Remember, May is around the corner, leaves will bud and open, flowers will bloom, sunny days will arrive, heavy sweaters will go back into the dresser drawers.

March into spring like a gentle and wise warrior!
Happy Greening---

​Lisabeth

March, despite the arrival of Spring Equinox within it, can be a very difficult seasonal transition for the body and spirit.  Most schools (including mine) have their "spring break" and yet the weather often does not cooperate.  We're ready for sunshine, light jacket weather, and blooming bulbs.  Unfortunately the weather is often mercurial with snowstorms, heavy rains and ice.  In Northeast Ohio, we had temperatures in the high 60's in February (I hiked in a tank top one day) which encouraged the bulbs to pop up.  The snowstorm that hit the eastern half of the U.S. the past two days has certainly taken care of those.  And so it goes--we get a little lift, and are smacked back down into the cold, gray and damp of late winter, sort of like that old "whack a mole" game.  And then there's Daylight Savings Time--an hour lost!  This is March Madness after all.  Not the basketball kind, of which I know very little, but rather the winter to spring, cold to wet (before hot and dry) kind of madness.  

March is an important month to set yourself up for a lovely summer and fall.  What that means is "cleaning" house--doing a proverbial spring cleaning, but you need to know what you are up against!  We are literally being dragged (often kicking, screaming and complaining) from cold, dry weather into cold, damp and wet weather, or temperature ups and downs, or extreme rains, or very high winds, or all of the above in the course of a week.  This plays havoc with our lungs and sinuses, bringing on colds and infections.  In my case, high winds mean fever blister breakouts on my lip. Others have constant runny noses, or watering eyes, or headaches.  

Just as important, March can be a tough emotional transition to navigate.  You're getting cabin fever, but the weather isn't going to allow you to lounge outside with that latte quite yet.  Your beautiful yellow daffodils open up, only to be crushed by heavy snow. Your blossom trees freeze in an ice storm and you don't know if they'll set fruit or even survive.  You're slopping around in mud and slush and it seems like your boots will never be clean and dry.  You always seem to have an open umbrella in the hallway airing out.  

The remedy: Embrace the change with some smart strategies and some positive thinking informed by the knowledge of what this Month is all about (after all, it is named after the Roman god of war).  This means "greening up" your diet (and no, that doesn't mean shamrock shakes or green beer), doing some detoxing, seeking healthy heat therapies, moving as much as you can, and getting some extra sleep to help adjust to the time change.

 Good Breakfast Choices:

1. “Thai” Smoothie (apple or pear, ginger, natural peanut butter, coconut milk, almond milk, frozen banana, cinnamon)
2. “Gingerbread” Smoothie (apple, banana, ginger, almond milk, molasses, garam masala, cinnamon)
3. Green Juice (Spinach or Kale, Cucumber, Apple, Mint, Ginger & Lemon)
4. Fuschia Juice (Beet, Apple, Carrot, Lemon, Ginger)
5. Stewed apples/pears (cook an apple, chopped large, in a small saucepan with a bit of water or apple cider, and a few cloves, add a lemon peel.  Feel free to add prunes.
6. Oatmeal with maple syrup or stewed apples
7. Corn mush with maple syrup or stewed apples
8. Chia pudding—seeds soaked overnight in almond milk with vanilla extract, dried cranberries, almond slivers and unsweetened coconut—add cinnamon and nuts upon eating, if desired.
9. Green Tea 

Good Lunch Choices:

1. Green Salad—lots of veggies/greens with a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.
2. Roasted or Steamed Squash, Steamed Greens
3. Kitchari (seasoned yellow lentils) and Greens
4. Tonic Soup (broth with ginger and garlic) with Greens and mushrooms and green onions
5. Vegetable Stir-Fry with Quinoa
6. Artichoke with lemon/olive oil, steamed veggies with brown rice
7. Edamame/Green Peas with brown rice, lemon, olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs
8. Pureed green pea/arugula soup
9. Fish, eggs or tofu for protein
10. Green Tea

Good Dinner Choices: SAME AS LUNCH (or Breakfast)—these are all interchangeable!

• Drink a cup of hot water with lemon first thing in the morning, followed by green tea throughout the day, a detox tea or lemon tea into the evening.

MOVE!!!  Take a walk outside or do a walk/exercise dvd inside.  If it’s rainy then grab an umbrella.  Go for at least 30 minutes.  Take in the weather, landscape, sights, smells and sounds.  If it's just too depressing, then do indoor exercise but do not skip it.

HEAT THERAPY: to combat all that cold dampness, drink lots of hot/clear liquids and if you have access to a sauna or whirlpool bath, use it.  If not, then run a hot bath (if your skin is dry and itchy, add colloidal oatmeal to the water).  Or, if you cannot take a bath, run a hot shower and add a few shakes of eucalyptus oil to the shower stall.  Use body butter or massage oil on your skin afterwards to ward off dryness.  Soak your feet in a basin with hot water and epsom salts, add an essential oil like lavender or eucylptus.

SKIN THERAPY: My latest easy favorite, inexpensive Korean facial mask sheets, I put one on while having that hot bath.  

SOUL THERAPY:  Find some good reading material.  Now is a great time to delve into a spiritual book you've always wanted to read. Something by the Pema Chodron, or Surya Rama Das, or Eckhart Tolle, anything that examines life and your place in the universe.  It's also a great time to dive into the work of a favorite poet.  Maya Angelou, Rita Dove, Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost---whatever you find feeds your soul.  I like to read a poem first thing in the morning while drinking my hot water, do it before opening email or social media.

MORE SOUL THERAPY:  Visit your local botanical gardens (it really can be a salve at this time or year), the art museum, a natural history museum, a concert or lecture at the library.  Give yourself the gift of more knowledge.  Water and nurture your mind.

Remember, April and May are around the corner, leaves will bud and open, flowers will bloom, sunny days will arrive, heavy sweaters will go back into the dresser drawers.

March into March like a gentle and wise warrior!
Happy Spring--

​Lisabeth


​