Most of us like to read some sort of short-distance offering: a specific newspaper, perhaps a blog or internet newsletter, or a magazine. Whatever we're reading in this category of literature, it's among our favorites for a reason. We like certain topics, certain angles in reporting, etc. However, even within our favorites, we don't always bother to read the thing cover to cover. Most of the articles interest us, but some of them we just scan or skip.
I've mentioned Body+Soul Magazine on this blog before... so, obviously, this is one of my favorites. In general, the magazine emphasizes my subjects of interest such as meaningful living, yoga, healthy diets, stress relief, meditation, useful resources for green living, etc. Nonetheless, I never read the entire magazine. I read a lot of most of them, but, naturally, there are some articles in which I have distinct disinterest.
However, the April 2010 issue of Body+Soul has been read cover to cover.
I mentioned an article Body+Soul published last year around this season in a recent entry... concerning Spring Cleaning. They brought up this topic again this year in terms of how much most of us dislike cleaning. The article encourages us to change our perspective on chores. The writer quotes Thich Nhat Hanh and his view of washing dishes as though he were washing the newborn Buddha: If I am incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish them quickly so I can go and have a cup of tea, then I will be incapable of drinking tea joyfully. I suppose the point is that if you cannot find joy in chores, it has the power to diminish your enjoyment of things you genuinely like.
Even if that doesn't work for you, it's not like the housework is going away. Even after you're done cleaning, there will be more to clean tomorrow, the next day, and so on. The writer of the article quotes Benedictine oblate Kathleen Norris who says,"You'll have to wake up tomorrow just like you did today. If you despise repetition, what you're really saying is that you despise life itself." Perhaps that's extreme for our taste, but she has a point. There are plenty of tedious repetitions in our daily lives... some less demanding than others perhaps. The note on which the article chose to end encourages us to focus on the "doing" of our least favorite tasks rather than the ending result, or what you'll do once you're done. You'll do a better job and, therefor, feel better about the effort you placed on getting things done... the effort you didn't waste on grumbling.
Another article in which I took particular interest concerned vegetarianism. While I wasn't sure, at first, what to do with this woman's perspective, I think she managed to approach the topic in a way that doesn't alienate meat-eaters or make people feel guilty when confronted with someone who has taken a stand. She empathized with what might be a big hangup for most people. Most of us were raised with the standard dinner plate: meat, starch, vegetable. While you ate your steak, and your mashed potatoes, I'm willing to bet that most of us were asked or bribed with dessert to eat that slimy spinach on the plate, or boring canned green beans. When that's what you know, cutting out a third of that plate probably sounds unreasonable. The writer enlightens the reader on a number of topics that serve to encourage one to eat vegetarian even one night a week... to save money, promote better health, to help improve the state of the environment (seeing as how industrialized meat production is guilty for 20% of man-made greenhouse gases emitted each year, contributing to global warming), and to add diversity to your diet since there are hundreds of fantastic combinations of grains and vegetables.
The magazine also covers research on how and why to de-stress your life, an interview with one of the few religious/spiritual writers I respect (Anne Lamott- I don't agree with her on many things, but I like her writing and appreciate her perspective, her story), labels of mineral-based make-up, things to do to celebrate Earth Day, safe ways and reasons to work towards a yoga inversion, etc. It has been like... a custom-made issue just for me...
...Made for a great cup of tea in the morning and a reason to get up early and read before I step into my day...
