I’ve been thinking about how much we miss when we just skim the surface of life. We live in a world that praises the highlights, the fast-paced reels, and the quick summaries. But there is a rare, magnetic power in slowing down to look around and appreciate it. Whether it's diving into a massive, heavy book that everyone else just quotes, or taking the time to master a raw, intricate skill that requires patience. True mastery isn't flashy. It’s quiet, it's meticulous, and it happens when you fall in love with the hidden details that most people are too distracted to notice. Breathe through the chapters. Slow down, get your hands dirty, and appreciate the depth of the craft.

Suffer carries a handful of new creative possibilities. Your woundedness, your beauty, the loss of the closest and dearest being—these are not impossibilities to continue living, but rather they are just a deepening of the space in which you will find even more buried talents and treasures. An artist, do not respond to your opponent with words, but with deeds. If they throw a stone at you, make something out of it. There is an unnamed, heavy, too-deep suffering that pulls you into silence. And in that silence, another world emerges—a world that overcomes your suffering and your pain. These are spaces in which a person no longer feels suffering. It is an anesthesia that comes from the other side of the world. It is a surpassing and transcending of our horizons, from which wisdom can speak—wisdom that this world does not know. In suffering, it is actually most important to know how to wait, because suffering is of short duration. Happiness is eternal, evil is short-lived, and goodness is limitless. One must know how to wait. Then either circumstances will change, or your heart will. Wait, and you will surely see it through. From every negative situation, create something great and positive. That is the art of living. From every sorrow, create something good for someone. From every suffering, make a home and a future. And from everything you have lost, gain threefold. That is the secret you must learn. Let God guide you through the school of life.

1.) Spend time daily in deep relaxation, at least an hour throughout the day...more if possible. This is a powerful way to balance and decrease the stress hormone cortisol. The more cortisol you have running through your body, the more your body will gain and hold onto weight like there's no tomorrow. 2.) Take longer pauses between your meals. You can do this by eliminating snacking throughout the day, or extending the time between dinner and breakfast. Doesn't have to be the same pause every day, it's actually great to vary it up, but more time pausing between meals will help you lose weight. Some people call this intermittent fasting. Don't matter what you call it. It works by decreasing insulin and countering insulin resistance. Insulin resistance can make weight loss almost impossible. Similar to cortisol...the more insulin you have running through your body, the more your body will gain weight and refuse to let it go. 3.) Start a Food and Mood Journal. Write down everything you eat, and how you felt while eating and afterwards. No judgment, just data. You can use dirty napkins to write it down, or a fancy journal. Don't matter, just write it. No need to analyze, or think about it after you write it. Simple, straightforward, just write it down. Anything we bring awareness to, we naturally and automatically start to change for the better. As long as we don't judge it and bring shame to this process. 4.) Eat more vegetables and low sugar fruits. If you are looking to let go of weight, strive for at least 50 percent of each meal being veg/fruit. The nutrients from these foods prevent cravings that come from malnourishment. The fiber helps you get full faster and keeps your digestion humming along nicely. These are some of the basic steps I took to let go of over 70 pounds in just a few months. I had an aunt that also let go of a lot of weight during the same time. She worked REALLY hard...exercising daily, for an hour or more, eating special foods. I respect her immensely. I felt guilty sometimes that I was doing less and having similar results.