Gluten-free Holiday Dinner

Have you been introduced to “gluten-free” food yet?  We changed our diet to wheat-free over two years ago and discovered it to be more holistic than we expected.  Did we change because a doctor advised it? Actually … no.  We were simply curious. So we tried it. The effect on our body, including our skin, brain, joints, and digestion surprised us. Yet, despite how important it is to choose food to contribute to your entire being, most people we meet struggle with the idea.

“Gee, it tastes good!”

Friends are many times aghast when we serve a lovely, delicious meal and tell them it is gluten-free.  Our colleagues interested in focusing on the importance of taking care of their whole being (body, mind and spirit) have never tried it. Yet, when introduced in an esoteric way, a special and rare treat, they pick up on the new trend of gluten-free, and want to share it with people they meet.

Give up bagels?!

Some of our students discuss the true value and ask if these new “healthier” products are just new money making potential for expensive new age stores. The bourgeois followers of the standards and conventions in their social circles fear they may have to give up their morning bagel or toast or sandwiches to conform.

So why do it?

Advantages that can be yours when you make this simple change can include dropping weight, rashes going away, joints feeling better, and thinking more clearly.  How many of us are aware of a “brain fog” that hits after a bowl of cereal or a plate of pasta?  You might remember finishing a plate of pasta, and wanting to simply relax and take a nap after eating.  Yet, having a clear head is so appealing that my clients do consider it, and sometimes pull out their smart phone to look up what else they might have to “give up” to join the gluten-free, clear-thinking shift. Hey, it’s a start.

The pragmatic view of eating so much wheat comes from years of living in a society that includes breads, cakes and cookies in celebrations, meals, and meetings.  We’ve learned to use wheat in cooking as well as in products like sauces, lotions and even make-up. Yet, there are many foods you can enjoy.

Gluten-free and delicious

Here is a list of some gluten-free items (many more exist):

• Fruits, Vegetables
• Nuts (unprocessed), seeds, beans
• Eggs, Dairy (check label)
• Meats, fish, poultry (watch the batter-coated and marinated)
• Grains including: Corn, Flax, Buckwheat, Arrowroot, Amaranth, rice, soy, millet, Quinoa, sorghum, tapioca and Teff

There are many wonderful recipes where wheat is excluded and tastes great.

Want to try it?

Making a shift from wheat to gluten-free is best when you give yourself three weeks to a month. Consider it a healthy vacation. You might come out of the experience feeling better and more conscious of eating. This healthy advice comes with one minor caveat: You may feel so good, you might live longer and happier.

Gluten-free Fair

A “Gluten-free Fair” is being held in Portland today, Saturday, May 18th at the MJCC. Who knows… they may have “Gluten-free” bagels. If you’re curious, try it. You’ll like it.

Watch for Hoola Hoops

Watch for Hoola Hoops Ahead

“How do I know what to do?” A person is going through changes. Moved. Relationship changed. Running from an old life and trying to be more authentic.

“What do you want? How would that look, sound, feel, sense to you?  Listen. Then… become aware. Watch for signs,” I say. “What is around you that is sending you messages? How do you feel in your body; is there some communication you need to hear or sense? How would you like to be and do?”

“I feel like I’m just spinning. What does that mean?”

“Good question. It sounds like you are needing to spin. How about spinning your body, and see what happens?”  This may sound nutty, but then this world is a silly, silly place!  Interestingly enough, if you get that signal to spin, why not try it?

Ask Questions. Look for signs.

Questions are tools to build realization.  Real “Coaching” involves using lots and lots of questions!  I’ve heard some people say that they are coaches and they tell people what to do, but then does this give the client their answer or the coaches?  You can’t just put an answer on someone and expect that to be the solution. Questions are asked. People go inside and get their own insight. Then choose responses right for them.

Just for fun…

Signs around us give us information of what’s coming and what to be aware of around us.  If your head is spinning, maybe you need to relax. Get out.  Get some air.  Walk along Terwilliger Boulevard near the VA Hospital and OHSU.  You’ll see lots of signs. One of my favorites is a person walking with a “hoola hoop.”  Do you know what a hoola hoop is?  It’s a big ring that you spin inside of or twirl.  It helps you get more flexible and let’s you be playful, too!  See this link at Hoolahoopla to see how it’s done and sign up for classes to get in better shape.

Play is the Highest Form of Research

Play is the Highest Form of Research

Cat Wilson plays when she trains.  Albert Einstein said, “Play is the highest form of research.”  So, learning and researching and becoming you is a form of play. Her coaching technique is playful. Many students and clients asked her years ago if she would create a class to teach them how to do her form of coaching, so she created a class.  Then she pulled together some of her most respected and fun colleagues and they added their “play to the mix.”

Cat Wilson and Rich Aanrich hold coach training at Apositiva once a year to help other people learn how to use and develop questions and help others with the signs.  Cat’s training techniques are playful and fun and experiential.

Want to learn more about becoming a coach? 

Join us in “Growing Coach Training.”  Classes begin June 21st, 2013. Experiential training in a safe space where you learn in a small group. Space is limited. Want to learn how to be a coach click here.  Sign up by emailing Cat Wilson at cat@apositiva.com.  Call Cat at 503-816-5104.

Cat Wilson Walking in Rain

Want Healthy? 
Healthy = Being + Doing + Sharing.  Plan regular daily trips to “Healthy” using activity. Prepare for your daily healthy living by taking your bodies outside … walking and talking. Being in the moment and sharing.

Being alive means being present in the moment.

Be active in the experience of your life. Portland, Oregon sees a lot of rain, but no matter, the runners, walkers, bicyclists, and even the dog walkers are out in it, doing what they do.  Yes, we get wet.  Smiling… we see one another, say “hello,” nod or smile and keep on moving in the rain.  We adjust our thinking for what we choose. Doing these activities feels good in our bodies.  On the beach, in the city or the forest, birds and animals are fine in the rain, so let’s take you. Click here at Portland Afoot for some ideas about walking in the area.

Doing a run, riding a bike, walking helps your body inside as you enjoy the outside.

Enliven your systems! Your lymphatic system supports immunity and absorbs the toxins, but you need to be active to keep it flowing. Lymph systems move when you do, muscle action with the skeletal movement supports you in clearing out the toxins. Your muscles and blood need the air to create the energy to flow through you. As you move you breathe and get oxygen flowing inside.  Oxygenated brains make you more fun and smarter. Thinking, talking, moving, and sharing enliven your creativity, too.

Sharing the walk in the rain is beautiful.

“It’s so green, fresh and lovely here!”  Look around. Walk quietly for a while. Stop and appreciate something. Look out into the distance.  Feel the air. Sense it.  Listen to birds in trees, look up. Find the birds.  Where is that birdsong coming from?  Inhale and smell deeply. What is that?  Share what you are noticing with a little conversation, “Oh, look! A beautiful plant over there.” The path to conversation is here in your experience of the walk.

Experiencing our walking path, we like to see it clean and clear.

So, we plan for this clarity, bringing small bags to pick up along the way, helping keep our neighborhood pleasant.  We walk for 15 minutes or so… and on the way back … bend over here or there … picking up stuff.  This stuff is evidence that others leave of themselves on our path and includes candy wrappers; drink cans, cigarette packages, clothing (t-shirts, socks, gloves, shoes, and once we found trousers), as well as receipts for purchases of food, medicine, bus fair, and prescriptions.  Visitors to the hospitals that we walk by park along the path. We suspect that they don’t realize the life around them here.   Oh, well. The next walk will be cleaner tomorrow. Sometimes people notice what we’re doing and say, “Thank you.”  We say, “Thank you for noticing.” Along the way is a trashcan and we release our bags …  the stuff of others along the way …  feeling good inside with the knowledge and movement of our walk.

Ready.  Set. Go!  You can go with us in your mind first, then your body.

Tonight, before you go to sleep, plan on getting up early and going on a walk to healthy with me in the rain.  If the sun is shining… it’s okay.   Portlanders call rain “liquid sunshine.”  However you view it… is all in the mind.  Remember: Sharing + Doing + Being = Healthy.

Apositiva NLP Primary

Learn to focus your mind on a higher level.

Join our NLP Training in the Pacific Northwest.

Classes are ongoing, which means you can find one that works.

Focus and be your highest and best possible you! Be Pro-active and Call  503-525-0595.

Check our website for dates and more info.

• NLP Primer – May 11th, 2013, Beaverton, Oregon
• NLP Practitioner – Begins October 11th, 2013, Portland, Oregon
• NLP Master Practitioner – Begins October 18th, Portland, Oregon
• Life Coaching – Begins June 21st, Portland, Oregon

It’s 3:33 a.m.  what are you doing up at this time? We all need some rest… some more than others. To sleep is to heal, to mend, to regenerate new cells, to enjoy.  Yet millions of people are up in the middle of the night… waking up or just not getting to sleep. So, today when I woke up, I heated up my cup of hot water, heated a neck wrap and placed that around my shoulders, and picked up a pen to write for you… you who are up… now … wanting to know about sleep.

When you go to sleep, what are you thinking? We set ourselves up for success or … failure in funny ways. Thoughts. Busy, wordy, fussy things that can make you giggle or sigh or imagine or whatever. Selecting the best thoughts for sleep can fuel your bedtime dreams.

Want a better night’s rest?  First, let’s get a handle on some activities or thoughts that get in the way:

• News:  Are you watching late night news and hearing the latest in scary incidents?
• Worried about your daughter’s happiness? Thinking about your son pursuing a Master’s Degree in playing the Rain Stick?
• Lonely and thinking about being lonely and sad that you’ll be lonely forever and your lonely dog doesn’t like anyone but you, and your cat ignores you?

Stop and take a moment to shake loose. (This is your cue. Stand up and Shake everything.) Now, that you feel loosened up. Remember: Your mind and body are being “prepped” before you sleep with your thoughts and intentions. So, pick some good thoughts… by intention … plan good feelings and ideas to flow through you at night.

Prayerful Intentions

I am sad for all the people who are in a place of struggle or unhappy. So, I will pray for you when I’m falling asleep and plan one thing I can do to help. Even if it is sending one dollar to an organization supporting people or sending a happy greeting card.

Imagination Intentions

It is so lonely for so many. I will imagine myself in a ballroom, dancing and smiling for just two minutes with every lonely person in my inner mind and spirit. Please forgive me. I forgive you. Nice dance.

Bored? Plan Fun Intentions

Plan something interesting. Here’s a link to make a Rain Stick. Your cat will enjoy the sound.

And… really… make plans. Plan for awakening at 7:00 a.m., smiling with one happy deep breath, and imagineering a great day! Going into your kitchen and slicing a grapefruit for you and your partner, or making a lovely breakfast of salmon and vegetables or having a chicken breast or slicing a banana to enjoy with cinnamon or just enjoying a hot cup of English Breakfast tea with a dab of honey.  Then playing your Rain Stick!

For every “problem thought” plan whatever simple way you can to “help” or “change” or “forgive.” Imagine sleeping all through the night  now and letting your prayers and imagined ideas reach their recipients. Enjoy your night (or day if you work nights).

Hypnosis for Sleep

By the way, we have a Sleep Hypnosis audio to help sleep. Using hypnosis for sleep is a natural and safe process wherein you may relax your body and mind. If you are waking up in the night and want to see how it works, you can begin right away.

Order and we’ll send this audio to help sleep to you to get you snoring. Here’s a special offer: You order it and we’ll cover the Shipping and Handling in the US. Start by clicking here: Sleep Sleep Sleep

As I sat in a cafe, I overhead two women discussing meditation. One lady with lovely brown curly hair spoke joyfully, exuberantly about an experience. She was talking about meditation. I heard her say to the person across from her, “what is the difference between meditation and spacing out?”

What an interesting conversation to drop in on!  The other woman spoke quietly, so I didn’t hear her side, but since I know a little about this area, it seemed like a terrific topic! (I would have loved to be in the discussion!)

Meditation is sitting still with a mantra, chanting, focusing inward or on a candle or object like a pretty flower. The idea is to go quiet.

Spacing out is when your mind is changing gears and you become unfocussed. It could be the switch in ultradian rhythm where every 90 to 120 minutes your brain switches the main focus from left to right hemispheres of brain. Crossing the middle of the road, the corpus collosum, you feel spaced out.  Quiet time.

When you think about diets, do you think about being tired, hungry and spacey? Well, maybe what you need is a nap. You might feel spacey because you are rest or water deprived. Dr. Ernest Rossi talked a lot about the Ultradian Healing Response which allows you to “optimize your health as well as your performance and creativity.”

In hypnotherapy sessions, clients get that relaxing break, except it is relaxation and direction to what you want to focus on when you wake up. So, what is hypnosis? This is focused relaxation. By focusing on words spoken by a Guide, listening to background sounds and imagining a goal, you direct your body and mind to relax, and then direct your unconscious mind to follow your new instructions. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. No one can make you do something you would not normally due based on your value system.

The next time you overhear a conversation about meditation and spacing out, smile, relax, and know. It’s all good … you know you deserve a break in your day. You are a valuable human, and so much more than you know. Be your highest and best possible you.

MORE:  If you are really curious, there is an interesting article entitled: Bringing Unconscious Choices to Awareness: ‘Default Mode’, Body Rhythms, and Hypnosis. Authors are David Hartman and Diane Zimberoff.  Check it out here. 

Give Yourself a Break and Recycle Your Energy. Breathe. Call Apositiva at 503-525-0595 for a FREE CONSULTATION .

Apositiva is a place for people who want creative, interactive training.  Are you interested in playing in learning and having other people give you feedback and experience? Then we may be the right place for you.

In the Pacific Northwest, Apositiva (formerly A Positive Change) has been serving the Portland, Oregon area and attracting students from as far as Argentina, China, and Australia to our fun, empowering and growing courses.

Hypnotherapy

We are affiliates with The Oregon Hypnotherapy Association (OHA) and have been for over 20 years.  Since before 2001, we have provided Affiiate training for people wanting certification to join The National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH). Our courses meet all the requirements, plus we provide over 50 additional hours, including NLP, EFT, script writing, production, and mindmapping to name a few. In addition, our coursework is built to provide hypnosis and hypnotherapy, amidst over 20 years of practicing instructors.  Then we go beyond with our advanced courses in working with children, Age Regression, and more.

NLP

When you step into the world of Neuro-linguistic Programming at Apositiva, you are walking with Masters. Rich Aanrich has trained with all the founders and more including Mr. Bandler, Mr. Grinder, Mr. Dilts, Mr. Hall, Mr. Halboom, Ms. Smith, Ms. Delozier, and many, many, many more. His partner Cat Wilson has also trained and been in association with NLP leaders since 1992 and was one of the four (4) recipients of the NLP World Award.

We know that you can get training for these and many other courses in many places. We just want you to know that we are locally based in Portland, Oregon.  Our classes are fun and interesting, and our students and clients go on to do many wonderful achievements.

It’s “You” that we are here for, and this is why most of our classes are designed  for small (6-12) interactions that give plenty of attention to our students. Yes, it is true that we have held large workshops of 55 to 85 people, and that we bring in exceptional talent such as Michael Hall to teach Genius courses.

COACHING

How do you make a dream come true? What makes it possible to be of more service to a human, even when they are a continent away?  Coaching. It is not consulting, not therapy, not training, it is a specific way to guide people, and still allow them to own all their ideas. You are so much more than you know.

How did Apositiva’s Coaching Certification class come about? Cat Wilson, Rich Aanrich, Dr. Marci Nemhauser and Michelle Rios were all a part of the development of our coaching course. It is Board Certified by CCE, and thereby accredited for counselors, professionals, etc. who want this additional stamp of approval.  Our coaching course includes Life Coaching, Transformational, Executive Coaching, Health Coaching, and Vision Coaching.

MINDMAPPING & VISUAL FACILITATION

You deserve to prosper… Begin in your mind.

Ask anyone who has ever come to a class here if they have experienced Mindmapping in a class of any kind and you will get a smile of happiness.  You see, we know that there is more than one way to learn and express yourself and create. Cat Wilson is a master of visual communication with local businesses, non-profits, small businesses, and individuals seeking more creativity and “flow” in their minds. It’s fun, it’s useful, and you’ll get it here.

CHOOSE APOSITIVA

Do these look like happy people having fun?

When you think about “Personal Development” and imagine fun workshops…  and want to wake up your mind, we hope you will choose Apositiva in Portland, Oregon for  your learning experience. Whether it be Hypnotherapy, Neural-linguistic Programming, Coaching, Mind-mapping, or our specialty courses such as “Courage to Prosper,” “Pediatric Coaching,” “Life-scripting Journey,” and more, call us and visit us. You are our priority and we go beyond the “inth” degree to make you feel at home and at ease.

JOIN US.  Please let us know how we can help you. Our focus is to be your choice, because we care about you and listen. CALL 503-525-0595 to reach us at Apositiva Training Center. Welcome, we look forward to meeting you soon!

Thank you!

Procrastinating about cleaning? Boxes waiting to be sorted, shredded?  Dust bunnies rolling around like tumbleweed? Stuff to do taking up your idea creation space? Well, procrastinate no longer, you are about to get a lift!

To Do List

I made a list of things to do, including spring cleaning, taxes, and business to do’s.  And you know how it is… if you give yourself enough stuff to do … eventually it will get to you!

Break Time

Just when I reached the starting position in procrastinating in getting into the Spring Cleaning, I realized I needed a break. So, I went to my local cafe and relaxed with a newspaper. Getting away right before I begin a task with a break is one of my coaching strategies to getting started. Then… an article found me. Just what I needed! A distraction!

Peace of Mind Benefits

In the Wall Street Journal on March 20th, Ellen Byron wrote the article The Cleanest House of All , and listed some amazing benefits of cleaning!  It’s therapeutic! Now studies by the Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia report that we can benefit in just 20 minutes of cleaning a day. It offers Peace of Mind like psychological benefits such as:

• Sense of Control
• Achievement
• Exercise
• Taking Care of the Family
• Nostalgia

The benefits above are really good ones. In the article, one woman reported that when her work was done and things shined that it was just as good as a candy bar. That makes it a weight release program.

Get Busy

I’d like to tell you more, but I am really motivated to get some things done!  The next time you find yourself needing a boost, find a corner to clean and feel some achievement. If you want to learn more about coaching,  our coach training program Growing Coach Training begins April 19 – 21st.   It is Time to Get Busy! Call us at 503-525-0595 or Sign Up Here.

By Rich Aanrich

Wheat Salt Sugar

We work with people who are confused by the messages about food.  “Cereal has vitamins. How can it be bad for you?”  Well, there’s a lot behind the cute animal on the front of the box. Our goal is to help people become more conscious of their unconscious consensus trance. There was a time when we trusted companies that processed wheat products and dairy products to treat us fairly and with respect. Sadly, most food … particularly processed … is no longer even close to what it started out as on the vine. Time to wake up!

Recently, Cat read an article and was outraged by the idea that food manufacturers knew about “child obesity” in 1999 and opted to “not do the right thing.” Rather, they chose the road of high profits and ignored the public good.  If you haven’t read it, let us enlighten you on a few things. The article we are referring to is: “Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us”  “Pleasing Mouth Feel + A Food Designed to Addict” by Michael Moss (NY Times February 24, 2013.)

Remember When Yogurt was Healthy?

Stephen Sanger, head of General Mills, suggested that “the consuming public is fickle, it’s our job to make a profit, don’t talk to me about nutrition.” You might remember when yogurt was a healthy option? Well, General Mills  are the ones who took Yoplait Yogurt and added so much sugar that they turned it into a desert masquerading as a healthy snack!

The article is very enlightening and so worth your reading as they cover how companies including Frito Lay, Dr Pepper, Tobacco companies (who now own food companies) and in fact most food products are designed to has enough salt, sugar and attractors that you can’t get filled and want more. (It’s called Vanishing Caloric Density”) Or how about the thinking of Coca-Cola, “whose goal has been to outsell every other thing people drink, including water and milk.”

Throw a few Billion Dollars worth of advertisements in all manner of media and hire people to go into poor areas like New Orleans, Brazil, etc. and convince them they need coke more than water? Wow!

When  you see rows and rows of special deals on junk food, ask yourself, “What will happen inside of me when I eat this?”  Cat has a funny way of applying it. She says “Hmmm.  which thigh will I have room for these on?”  If you find yourself craving salt, it’s a sign. STOP.  Hypnosis is useful for changing behavior and reframing. This is where we can help you. All it takes is an appointment and the time to attend to more valuable parts of life. You!

Think Twice

I am sad to say that we have to think carefully before putting a pretty package of food in our precious bodies.  You can’t judge a book by it’s cover… the same goes for a package of “potatoes.” It is a lecherous society of some greedy food companies when almost anyone who dares to speak up or point out how unhealthy the current eating choices are that are being promoted … aren’t treated nicely. After all … in their minds (and pockets) it is about the Profit Margin, Stockholders Shares, and Bonuses…not you!  It’s time for a change.

Check out this article and I hope you find it as illumination. Our hope is that you will stop and think and then eat a bit healthier too … because, it is about you!  You count.

Spring Cleaning

When you do your “Spring Cleaning,” be sure to empty out the cupboards of any “junk.”  Call Cat or Rich for Spring Cleaning with Your Life, and use the special gift certificate below good for $20.00. Check out our Workshops for Better Living.  Give us a call at 503-525-0595 and we’ll help!

Open your eyes, blink, open. Surprise!  Happy Valentines Day to You!  I Like You. I Like Me.  All the staff at Apositiva also want to wish you a day to enjoy yourself and others with a loving thought!

Hey! We are who we are and we all deserve to be loved, even with flaws. As we begin with appreciating ourselves as human beings we can feel better by trying to “love our self” and others. It’s odd how when stuff happens, we impose lots of rules on others … and yet somehow the person in love doesn’t see all the flaws. What about those rules that we impose on others, you say?

In the movie “Despicable Me,” the mad scientist (or the good guy bad guy) adopts a trio of little girls. Upon arriving at his weird home with a monsterous dog (dog?) and lots and lots of minions, he brings the new members of his family into the kitchen, the children are given ground rules in the movie Despicable Me.

Rule Number 1, “You will not touch anything.”

Rule Number 2, “You will not bother me while I’m working.”

Rule Number 3: You will not cry, or whine, or laugh, or giggle, or sneeze or barf or fart!  So, No No No annoying sounds.”

Agnes replies, “Does this count as annoying?” and and makes popping and funny sounds with her hands on the side of her face.

Apositiva Loves You

    Agnes is adorable in the best scenes in Despicable Me, even when she plays childhood tricks and prays for a mommy and daddy who have a pet unicorn and a house made out of gummy bears. Unrealistic? Sure, but it makes you smile, doesn’t it?  When the girls mischieviously pull pranks he falls in love with them. (Despite the rules, they giggle a lot.) It’s a joyous personal growth to watch them all learn how to live together and love together.

    SPECIAL GIFT FOR YOU OR LOVED ONES. It’s time to pause for your time. Why not give yourself a little love and joyous personal growth? Attached to this blog is a special gift certificate for $20 off any session or workshop. It’s good for ten (10) days. Our little Valentines Gift for you! Call us to schedule your time or sign up for fun workshops at 503-525-0595.

Sweet thoughts to you and yours on this day!  From Cat, Rich, Cindy & Gang

By Cat Wilson

It is my philosophy that every day I try to solve just one (1) problem.  It could be a loose button, a burned out light bulb, coming up with an idea to solve world Hunger. Anything!

Today, I awoke and walked past the row of video DVD’s that I lined up in the hallway. I put them there recently, as I explained to my partner who had to carefully walk by without setting off a series of dominos DVDs, that boxed up videos were not being enjoyed. They had been there in the closet for over a year, and we needed a better solution so we could enjoy them better.

Looking around at spaces, I spotted one set of cabinets that we rarely used. Old baking cookbooks. Ah. Yes. Well, I didn’t have the time to bake these days, and especially now that we were Gluten-free I rarely used recipes for cookies, cakes, breads, and pies.  We were living a healthy diet. It was clear to me that I could take these out and see if my children wanted then, and if not bring them to Good Will.

Hidden Cookbooks

Several of the cookbooks were made by organizations. One organization called CASA, which is an acronym for A Child’s Voice in Court, put a cookbook out called “Stolen Goods” Recipes Stolen from Restaurants and Friends, to Benefit CASA.   The book “Food for Thought: The Santa Cruz Family Cookbook” was written by Santa Cruz and nearby Families to honor the Gomes Family, the mom was diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant and then brain cancer after just giving birth. My brother, Al Luckow, let me buy one, as he was designing and making the cookbook with his wife in their home at the time to help.

Then there was the half size cookbook with brown pages, held together with a piece of leather and the kind of clips that hold lots of pages in legal files. It was obviously prepared on a typewriter and contained recipes such as Mangoes Borrachos, Philippine Turon, Pancit Bihon, and King Crab San Miguel. This was the cookbook composed and assembled by military wives living with their husbands in the Republic of the Philippines, myself among them in 1976.  One memory comes to mind of the unusual meats cooked, including dog, monkey, and snake with side dishes of banana and mango.

Standing out in a bright lemon yellow, sturdy cover was a book simply titled “Recipes” compiled by the Ritzenthaler Special Education Department of Mundelein, Illinois,” with a happy note in green ink from my mom saying, “Hope you’ll find some of these recipes useful.” I smiled at this one, and flipped through the recipes seeing the usual Pumpkin Bars, Grandmother’s Oatmeal Cookies, Brandy Stew, Deep Dish Pizza, but then one recipe stopped me in my tracks!   Elephant Stew!

What?! Elephant Stew!

Even the cookbook in the Philippines didn’t have this recipe!  I read it, and wondered how I could have missed this when I used the cookbook?  When I think of elephants these days it is usually when a client comes to me and is dealing with a communication challenge. “No one pays attention to this problem. It’s the elephant in the living room, you know?”  Yes, I do know. It is one of the reasons that I exist, to help people who want to get beyond the fear that holds them back.  We teach processes and hold workshops at Apositiva, so everyone will have the right pathway to overcoming limiting beliefs and deal with communication in a positive way.

Yet, here I was with an “elephant in my cookbook.”  So many times when we are doing something, we are actually only half there. You know what I mean. Reading a book. Watching a game. Taking a walk. Listening to a person talk. Being with our significant other, spouse, or good friends.  The “I” is part there and who know where the rest of  “me” is? Probably out thinking about other things, places, problems, events.  Yet, an elephant seems a little hard to miss.

Smiling, I pulled out the cookbooks, saving these small special ones, as they held a very nice energy. People put them together for people.  Bookmarking the page on the Elephant Stew, I realized once again something that my good friend Dr. Marci Nemhauser had said to me, “It’s all good.” This means that there is a lesson in there someplace and no matter what a mess a challenge or problem can be, there is something good to be appreciated and learned.

Enjoying Good Recipes 

The videos have a new home. Boy, oh boy will my daughter be surprised when I bring her a box of cookbooks! My Partner can once again walk fearlessly through the hall without regard to starting a cascading series of DVDs to trip him up!

I would like to share this amazing recipe. I’ve never made it, but if you ever have “an elephant in the room” that you want to use, it might come in handy.  If you want to enjoy a another good recipe for you, try an experiential workshop at Apositiva in Compassionate Listening, Creativity with Mindmapping, or Learn Self-Help Processes using tools like NLP, Imagework and Hypnosis.  Rich and Cat can answer your questions. Call us at Apositiva in Portland at 503-525-0595. See you soon.

Elephant Stew

(By K. Beese, Ritzenthaler Special Education Department cookbook)

• 1 medium elephant
• 2 rabbits (optional)
• Brown gravy (lots of it)

Cut elephant into bite size pieces. This will take about 2 months. Add enough brown gravy to cover. Cook over Kerosene fire about 4 weeks at 465 degrees. This will serve about 3,800 people. If more are expected, the 2 rabbits may be added, but only do this if necessary, as most people don’t like to find “hare” in their stew.