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<channel>
	<title>Gorgeous Things Blog</title>
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	<link>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog</link>
	<description>Making it easy for women to look fabulous and feel great naturally</description>
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		<title>Book Review: The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern</title>
		<link>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/book-review-the-book-of-tomorrow-by-cecelia-ahern/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/book-review-the-book-of-tomorrow-by-cecelia-ahern/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:58:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gabrielle</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Great Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Things n Stuff!]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/book-review-the-book-of-tomorrow-by-cecelia-ahern/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Reviewed by Gabrielle Sutton
When someone experiences a particular difficult event in their life whether it be a death, divorce or other major life changing experience, advice is usually given to take ‘one day at a time’. What if you knew what tomorrow held? Could you change it? Would you want to change it? And what [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.harpercollins.com.au/books/9780007326341/The_Book_of_Tomorrow/index.aspx" target="_blank"><img class="size-medium wp-image-315 alignleft" style="margin: 7px;" title="The Book of Tomorrow" src="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/The-Book-of-Tomorrow-206x300.jpg" alt="The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern" width="206" height="300" /></a></p>
<h3>Reviewed by Gabrielle Sutton</h3>
<p>When someone experiences a particular difficult event in their life whether it be a death, divorce or other major life changing experience, advice is usually given to take ‘one day at a time’. What if you knew what tomorrow held? Could you change it? Would you want to change it? And what would be the consequences of changing the future?</p>
<p>Cecelia Ahern’s latest book, The Book of Tomorrow’, tells the tale of a young lady, Tamara, whose whole life is sent into upheaval by a death. The events that follow are outside her control, and she has no one to confide in or support her. The book is set in Ireland (Ahern is Irish). Following the death, Tamara and her mother must move from their home in the exclusive Dublin beachside suburb, Killiney, to live with family outside a remote rural town in southern Ireland.</p>
<p>We all live in our own reality. Cecelia Ahern’s The Book of Tomorrow’explores what happens when we step outside that reality. When we start to realise that our behaviours, expectations and relationships are formed by the very limited environment in which we live. Tamara’s new life and new friends are a far cry from those of her old life.</p>
<p>Cecelia Ahern, like other contemporary Irish authors like Maeve Binchey and Monica McInerney, has the ability to bring to life the unique Irish spirit and humour and rich country side, transporting the reader to Ireland. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.</p>
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		<title>Take the DailyWorth Savings Pledge</title>
		<link>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/take-the-dailyworth-savings-pledge/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/take-the-dailyworth-savings-pledge/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:36:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>LA</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Things n Stuff!]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/take-the-dailyworth-savings-pledge/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The DailyWorth helps you to build your Net Worth with plain-English advice - Gorgeous Things joins their savings pledge for 2010.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_307" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 293px"><img class="size-full wp-image-307" title="The Smart Piggy Bank" src="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/iStock_000006194675XSmall.jpg" alt="Watch your money grow!" width="283" height="424" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Watch your money grow!</p></div>
<p>I&#8217;ve recently signed up to the <a title="The DailyWorth" href="http://dailyworth.com" target="_blank">DailyWorth Newsletter </a>(financial education for women in plain-English) and I&#8217;ve gotta tell you &#8211; it&#8217;s the best thing I&#8217;ve done in 2010 so far!</p>
<p>Check it out and if you have something you want to save for in 2010 &#8211; take the pledge and get saving.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s the pledge they sent me in my DailyWorth Newsletter this morning. I love the way it&#8217;s worded &#8211; very action orientated and empowering! <a title="Join me in the savings pledge on DailyWorth" href="http://dailyworth.com/component/content/article/2-blog/322-join-save-up-dailyworths-saving-challenge#jump" target="_blank">Join me </a>in the pledge and make yourself proud of your saving efforts in 2010.</p>
<h2>The Pledge</h2>
<p><em>Yes! I pledge to save in 2010.</em></p>
<p><em>Yes! I already have a savings account that I would like to contribute to, or I will set one up. I am calling this account my (choose: Emergency Fund/Curve-Ball Fund, or anything you&#8217;d like to save toward) savings account. I will set it up by this day:                            . </em></p>
<p><em>Yes! I will automate this savings by setting up a transfer to happen on the day of every month.</em></p>
<p><em>Yes! I will start by saving 5% of my monthly income, or an amount that I am comfortable with, specifically $ a month.</em></p>
<p><em>Yes! When I am confronted by fear or hypnotized by the latest sale at (name favorite store), I will choose my future and save instead.</em></p>
<p><em>Yes! I will be patient with myself, and I won&#8217;t let small set backs keep me from reaching my goal of $                  saved by December 31st, 2010.</em></p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p>I&#8217;m starting 2 accounts, the first one is the sensibly titled &#8220;In Case of Emergency &#8211; Break Glass&#8221; fund  &#8211; this is where I&#8217;ll be putting my 5%. The other, slightly more frivolous fund is &#8220;The Little Blue Box Account&#8221; &#8211; that&#8217;s right, I&#8217;ll be taking those savings (the money I save by halving my weekly coffee expenditure) straight down to <a title="Tiffany &amp; Co" href="http://www.tiffany.com/au">Tiffany &amp; Co</a> in Castlereagh St this coming Christmas and buying myself something nice.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s no need for you to make your amount public if you&#8217;re not comfortable doing so. It will though help you to be accountable to your pledge if you at least tell someone, I&#8217;d suggest your least judgemental friend.</p>
<p>Good Luck! Might see you Christmas shopping (for yourself) at Tiffany&#8217;s <img src='http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
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		<title>Naturelle Perfumes to make your Heart Sing: Y-Yo</title>
		<link>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/naturelle-perfumes-to-make-your-heart-sing-y-yo/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/naturelle-perfumes-to-make-your-heart-sing-y-yo/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:28:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Angela</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Things n Stuff!]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/?p=285</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
by Angela Stewart
When LA and I decided to review these products I was waiting eagerly to see if they would live up to their enticing descriptions.
My package arrived at the end of a very busy week, so it was great timing. The packaging is simple, eye catching and very easy to read.
I was lucky enough [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="size-medium wp-image-287  alignright" style="margin: 10px;" title="Y-Yo 3 Products" src="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Y-Yo-3-Products-300x225.jpg" alt="Y-Yo Mojo, Slow &amp; Glow" width="300" height="225" /></p>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">by Angela Stewart</h3>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">When LA and I decided to review these products I was waiting eagerly to see if they would live up to their enticing descriptions.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">My package arrived at the end of a very busy week, so it was great timing. The packaging is simple, eye catching and very easy to read.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">I was lucky enough to receive the five cologne sample pack and was impressed by the cute little spritzer bottlers and the ingenious card like packaging.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Treat yourself to these gorgeous Y-yo Ethical &amp; Safe Perfumes online from <a href="http://www.y-yo.com.au/">http://www.y-yo.com.au/</a></p>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">All of the 5 fragrance blends more than lived up to their descriptions…</h4>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><strong>Glow</strong><br />
definitely is the natural, ethical “happy pill”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><strong>Flow<br />
</strong>with the invigorating mint family essential oils and floral notes of osmanthus was every bit as invigorating and reviving as it was described<span id="more-285"></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><strong>Slow<br />
</strong>was certainly the tonic to soothe, slow and take you to a tranquil place – ideal for a five minute pick me up between the end of the working day and a busy evening ahead<strong> </strong></p>
<p><img class="size-medium wp-image-294  alignright" style="margin: 10px;" title="Y-Yo Mojo" src="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Y-Yo-Mojo1-225x300.jpg" alt="Y-Yo Mojo" width="225" height="300" /></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><strong>Mojo<br />
</strong>well, well, well this is definitely not for the faint hearted – an exotic blend to spice things up after dark <em>(LA&#8217;s favourite! &#8211; Ed)</em></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><strong>Y-yo Original</strong><br />
is a fabulous, light and fun fragrance – it definitely doesn’t attract the mosquitoes as it claimed. People commented every time I wore them – “that is a happy, fresh perfume” &#8211; (Glow), “ your perfume is very soothing” &#8211; (Slow)….</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">These colognes are a fabulous range and have all aspects of life covered with the five different fragrances. I love the handy little spritzer bottles, which would easily fit into tiniest of handbags – always an important consideration!</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">They were a pleasure, treat and at times a lifesaver to use. My skin is quite sensitive and I often react to perfumes, but I, happily, had no adverse reactions. While I have been trialling the fragrances, at the height of hayfever season, I experienced no unpleasant sneezing or itchy eyes that are commonly (for me) a hazard when using conventional chemical-based fragrances.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Over the last few years I have read about and used a lot of essential oil products for their effects on the emotions of myself and my family, and was pleased that these products were true to their properties in this regard.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Overall I love these fragrances, the packaging, the ideals behind the products, the certified organic essential oils… there is nothing not to love. The company website was very user-friendly and easy to navigate, and all of the products were reasonably priced.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">I will be certainly purchasing a lot more of them, and be including them among Chrismas gifts for my nearest and dearest – along with some Gorgeous Things tea, of course. Now I’m off to order some of those <strong>Slow</strong> soap, some <strong>Glow</strong> cologne, and some of the <strong>Mojo</strong> candles…. I love online shopping!</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"> </p>
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		<title>Is Yoga really helpful for Managing Arthritis?</title>
		<link>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/is-yoga-really-good-for-managing-arthritis/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/is-yoga-really-good-for-managing-arthritis/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:05:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Megan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Green & Gorgeous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health & Beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Things n Stuff!]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/?p=275</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by Megan Faulkner
The Australian Institute of Health and Wellness (www.aihw.gov.au) has recently published (11 September 2009) health expenditure data for arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders in Australia for 2004-05. 
More than 6 million Australians are effected by these conditions and direct health care expenditure was $4billion which equates to 7.5% of the total allocated health expenditure in [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>by Megan Faulkner</h3>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-243" style="margin: 7px;" title="Need some Calm?" src="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/meditation2.jpg" alt="Need some Calm?" width="196" height="179" />The Australian Institute of Health and Wellness (<a href="http://www.aihw.gov.au/">www.aihw.gov.au</a>) has recently published (11 September 2009) health expenditure data for arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders in Australia for 2004-05. </p>
<p>More than 6 million Australians are effected by these conditions and direct health care expenditure was $4billion which equates to 7.5% of the total allocated health expenditure in Australia <a href="http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10699">http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10699</a>. </p>
<blockquote>
<h5 style="padding-left: 30px;">Osteoarthritis accounted for one third of the costs and alot of it is associated with hospital expenditure for hip and knee replacements, and medications.</h5>
</blockquote>
<p>As someone who suffers from mild Osteoarthritis and who is always looking for the most natural solution to the problem, <span id="more-275"></span>I thought there must be a functional way of easing this problem.  There are many therapies and activities that are thought to help Arthritis, such as Tai Chi, aqua aerobics, osteopathy, Feldenkrais and Alexander Technique. However, as a somewhat biased yoga devotee I was interested in the benefits yoga could provide for treating Arthritis pain and stiffness.<br />
 <br />
The John Hopkins Arthritis Centre in Baltimore, Maryland ( <a href="http://www.hopkins-arthritis.org/patient-corner/disease-management/yoga.html">http://www.hopkins-arthritis.org/patient-corner/disease-management/yoga.html</a>) provides yoga classes for Arthritis sufferers based on over 75 scientific studies as a beneficial from of physical activity.  Of those studies only a few have assessed patients with Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis, but those studies found an improvement in joint health, physical functioning, and mental and emotional wellbeing <a href="http://www.hopkins-arthritis.org/patient-corner/disease-management/yoga.html#benefits">http://www.hopkins-arthritis.org/patient-corner/disease-management/yoga.html#benefits</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Most of all the studies found an overall improvement in quality of life, positive feelings and stress reduction.  It is thought that many arthritis sufferers may enjoy yoga more than other forms of exercise and therefore stick with it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>&#8216;Yoga Journal&#8217; magazine has also published blogs and articles discussing the benefits.  One study by the Emirates Arthritis Foundation is mentioned and suggests that only 12 sessions of yoga can make a difference to sufferers of Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Other studies can be found at <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/search?q=arthritis">http://www.yogajournal.com/search?q=arthritis</a>.  Yoga may also ease discomfort for sufferers of osteoarthritis <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/health/2577">http://www.yogajournal.com/health/2577</a>, especially when props such as blocks, straps and chairs are used to accommodate limitations, and when practiced regularly.<br />
 <br />
There are many forms of therapy out there and yoga may not be the right one for everyone. </p>
<blockquote>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">The message is to not let disease or limitation prevent you from trying therapeutic activities that you may enjoy. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Under medical advice explore your options, do research, don&#8217;t be afraid to use props or modified techniques to get you started, and sticking with it is important.</p>
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		<title>Megan visits Cafe Gratitude &#8211; San Francisco</title>
		<link>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/cafe-gratitude-san-francisco/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/cafe-gratitude-san-francisco/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:21:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Megan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Chemical Nasties]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green & Gorgeous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health & Beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Things n Stuff!]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/?p=263</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Interview with Terces and Matthew Engelhart by Megan Faulkner
 

I have always been a healthy eater, I am a vegetarian and try to be conscious of getting a fairly good balance of fresh fruit and vegetables in my diet, one of my favorite places to eat in Sydney is IKU for it&#8217;s creative raw and macrobiotic [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><strong><em>Interview with Terces and Matthew Engelhart by Megan Faulkner</em></strong></div>
<div><strong> </strong></div>
<div>
<div id="attachment_264" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 235px"><img class="size-full wp-image-264" title="Cafe Gratitude" src="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/cafe-gratitude.jpg" alt="Cafe Gratitude - San Francisco" width="225" height="252" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Cafe Gratitude - San Francisco</p></div>
<p>I have always been a healthy eater, I am a vegetarian and try to be conscious of getting a fairly good balance of fresh fruit and vegetables in my diet, one of my favorite places to eat in Sydney is IKU for it&#8217;s creative raw and macrobiotic meals. </p>
<p>Since moving to San Francisco I have really appreciated it&#8217;s focus on sourcing local produce, much of it organically grown.  I was intrigued when I first visited Cafe Gratitude, a cafe dedicated to healthy vegan and raw food meals, drinks and delicious desserts. </p>
<p>However, as I have discovered there is so much more to the &#8216;Cafe Gratitude&#8217; phenomenon than just the food, so I was very excited to have the opportunity to interview the founders of Cafe Gratitude, Matthew and Terces Engelhart.</p></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><em>Tell &#8216;Gorgeous Things&#8217; readers about the philosophy behind Cafe Gratitude?</em></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><em><strong>Matthew Engelhart</strong></em>   I met Terces in September 2000, and about six months later we realised we wanted to have a life together, our children were grown. We said &#8220;what&#8217;s this life going to look like that we&#8217;re going to create&#8221;, and we somehow concluded that &#8220;how about we just live our life from inner guidence&#8221;. </div>
<div>It&#8217;s not about strategising how to get to the beach with a Pina Colada and a retirement nest egg, but what if we just followed inner guidence and surrendered to that. </div>
<blockquote>
<div>One of the first insights we got was to invent a board game.  This board game was to train people in what we call &#8216;the being of abundence&#8217;, to extract people from the &#8217;scarcity paradigm&#8217;, not enough money, not enough time, not enough beauty, not enough love, not enough, not enough, not enough&#8230;.that human beings have found themselves in. </div>
</blockquote>
<div>So we spent a year kind of just sitting down at a blank canvas so to speak, with some dice and some index cards, and we spent a year creating this game. About a year into that we got the idea to develop a workshop around the game, to write a book around the game, then finally because we saw how difficult it was to inspire people to take time to do a workshop&#8230;everyone has to eat, lets have a gaming parlour where people come and have coffee, eat a croissant and play this game. </div>
<div>In the mean time we tried to experiment with a raw food diet on Terces insight.  We tried it for thirty days and felt so good and so alive, and so clear that we said &#8220;Oh I guess it&#8217;s going to be a raw food gaming parlour.  I would say that&#8217;s the humble beginnings. </div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><em>So the Cafe actually started out of the game?</em></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>Terces Engelhart   </strong>Yes, we created the game first</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><em>And the name of the game is&#8230;?</em></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>ME</strong><strong>    </strong>&#8216;The Abounding River&#8217;.  That game and there is also a book with a 42 day practice in it that are for sale on <em>Amazon </em>and <em>CafeGratitude.com.</em></div>
<div> </div>
<div><em><strong>Is a raw food diet safe?</strong></em></div>
<div><span id="more-263"></span><strong><em> </em></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>ME </strong><strong>    </strong>I think in the United States we&#8217;re kind of beyond that.  I think that used to happen a bit, but I don&#8217;t hear that much any more. </div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>TE</strong><strong>    </strong>And I would say, we&#8217;re not even saying eat one hundred percent raw food.  We&#8217;re saying add more raw food to you&#8217;re diet, and everyone is saying that that knows anything about health, eat more fruits, eat more vegetables, eat less meat, eat less dairy, eat less processed food.  That&#8217;s kind of accepted, and we make raw food so delicious that it&#8217;s very easy to incorporate it into your diet. </div>
<div>We&#8217;d be happy if people, you know, chose raw food as another genre for eating, like italian tonight, thai tomorrow, raw food on Wednesday, you know&#8230;, and started to include it.  It&#8217;s not so much just the food for us as it is the whole experience.  Here&#8217;s what the benefit of raw food is.., you&#8217;re clearer, you&#8217;re more present, because you&#8217;re body&#8217;s not having to work so hard to transform the food into energy.  The food is closer to it&#8217;s original energy source, so it&#8217;s just easier to digest. </div>
<div>Now, I&#8217;m not saying go eat a whole bunch of nut based foods.  If you looked at Matthew, and my diet, or most people who eat a lot of raw food, they eat a lot of fruits and vegetables in their, you know, natural state.  So you&#8217;re just clearer, you&#8217;re more present, you&#8217;re more available to be used for something meaningful in life, is the benefit of raw food. </div>
<div>You have way more energy, you have to sleep less.  Raw food you eat less, because you get more nutrition.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>ME</strong><strong>    </strong>We all know this.  Now, we have Thanksgiving here, I don&#8217;t think you have Thanksgiving, but you have the &#8216;Barbie&#8217; right?   So, notice how you feel after a big barbie, like a barbeque.  That&#8217;s a certain experience, right, not good, not bad. </div>
<div>Notice how you feel after a salad, a really, really fresh salad.  Two completely different experiences.  One the body is groaning to process what you&#8217;ve just put in it. You know after Thanksgiving here in the United States, every one just kind of crashes on the couch, falls asleep and watches football and goes comatose.  It&#8217;s the same thing, raw food doesn&#8217;t require the same amount of energy to process, so you have more energy to live you&#8217;re life.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><em>Are there particular things that women should be aware of if they want to focus more on a raw food diet?</em></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>TE</strong><strong>    </strong>Well, you know, what I would recommend is you want to have&#8230;, I would start with juicing.  You want to increase the nutrition that you&#8217;re getting, and decrease a lot of the empty foods that we&#8217;re eating. </div>
<div>I would say, being a woman, for me the most important thing is lots of great juice, and I also think wheatgrass is a great addition to a diet, and I would stay away from alot of really dense nut based dishes.  There&#8217;s a lot of nuts in a lot of raw food recipies, and I think you want to stay away from eating too many of those.  Some is great, but too many of them you don&#8217;t want to eat.  Then I would say&#8230;</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>ME </strong>&#8230;And when she means juice, she means leaning towards chlorophyll juices, green juice, not like super sweet fruit juice&#8230;fruit juice is great but celery, cucumber, kale, parsley, chlorophyll, chorophyll, chlorophyll.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>TE</strong><strong>   </strong>&#8230;not all carrot juice or orange juice.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><em>Where does your understanding of nutrition and healthy eating come from?</em></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>TE</strong><strong>    </strong>Well mine comes from, kind of coming backwards, I was originally, in college part of my education was nutrition.  For me really it came from, I had an eating disorder so I kind of was fascinated always with food and nutrition, but from the side of trying to manipulate it.  I was also an athlete, and so we were also taught to really manipulate our bodies for energy with food. </div>
<div>My mother was educated in nutrition, but again that was nutrition of the fifites, which is not the nutrition of today.  Then I would say personal experience, and what we read, what we&#8217;re presented with in all the&#8230;you know people who come through with products and ideas. I wouldn&#8217;t consider myself a nutritional expert, I personally think there is so much conflicting information about nutrition, that it&#8217;s better for people to get to know their own body and listen to their own body&#8230;it&#8217;s pretty amazing that&#8230;</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>ME</strong><strong>    </strong>Yeah, one&#8217;s body is one&#8217;s expert</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>TE</strong><strong>    </strong>It&#8217;s pretty amazing, we know there&#8217;s more information about how to take care of a car than how to take care of your body.  There&#8217;s more agreement for the car.  So I think people need to learn their own body, and trust themselves, because all of us have different backgrounds and your body has adapted to how you were raised and the foods you&#8217;ve eaten and how well you take care of it.  A body is amazingly resiliant.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><em>Can you share any of your favorite recipes?</em></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>TE</strong><strong>    </strong>Well I like icecream, so icecream is one of my favorite sweets in the cafe.  Then I would say I think we do and amazing job of the cheeses that we offer, most of those are cashew based, I think those are amazing.  Things that people feel like, if they have to go on a diet there&#8217;s some &#8216;loss&#8217;, so I think it&#8217;s easy to incorporate those.  Then I would say, there&#8217;s the &#8216;I am grace&#8217; smoothie, which has been around since the beginning of time, same as the coconut cream pie, both of those are coconut items.  I like our yoghurt, I think our yoghurt&#8217;s amazing, coconut yoghurt.  I like a lot of our food.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>ME</strong><strong>    </strong>There&#8217;s two recipe books available on our website.  One&#8217;s just desserts and one is most of the recipes for Cafe Gratitude.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>TE</strong><strong>    </strong>One&#8217;s called &#8216;I am Grateful&#8217; and the other one&#8217;s called &#8216;Sweet Gratitude&#8217;.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><em>Any future pursuits that you&#8217;re working on related to the Cafe?</em></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>TE    </strong>Cafe Gratitude is expanding, it&#8217;s still in the growth mode.  As much as we all resist that.  More? Take on more? You must be kidding.  So it&#8217;s still in growth mode and we&#8217;re also opening up &#8216;Gracias Madre&#8217;, which is a new concept.  It&#8217;s organic vegan mexican, and it will utilise all the raw cheeses and dairy and all that.  It&#8217;s not stricly raw though. That will open up in November.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><em>&#8230;And in terms of &#8216;The Abounding River&#8217;, do you see that going in any other direction?</em></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>ME</strong><strong>    </strong>We&#8217;re just doing the second printing of the game. We&#8217;re leading workshops, we&#8217;ve led them in Mexico, led them in Canada,&#8230;all over the United States.  So where ever there&#8217;s a demand, there&#8217;s conversation about having one in London, in Phuket Thailand.  We lead three workshops, one about &#8216;Sacred Commerce&#8217;, one&#8217;s &#8216;The Abounding River&#8217; which is about the being of abundance, and the other is called &#8216;Kindered Spirit&#8217; which is our relationship workshop.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><em>In the &#8216;Sacred Commerce&#8217; workshop, who are you normally working with? Do you go into organisations?</em></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>TE</strong><strong>    </strong>Both.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>ME    </strong>Either way.  Sometimes they come to us, sometimes we go to them.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>TE</strong><strong>    </strong>We host them at least once a month and we often go to other organisations and they sponsor us.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>ME</strong><strong>    </strong>And now what&#8217;s really new is, we&#8217;re training &#8216;trainers&#8217; so that there&#8217;s people that can consult and go out in the world and lead these workshops and we don&#8217;t have to be there, in fact we&#8217;re having a training tomorrow.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><em>And do you run those trainings?</em></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>TE</strong><strong>    </strong>We do.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><em>Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?</em></strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div>For me it&#8217;s not just the food it&#8217;s the philosophy, and the philosophy is that you get to create your experience of life based where you put your attention.  That it&#8217;s not just your circumstances.  And so I think for us it&#8217;s the combination of, if you&#8217;re gonna clean up you&#8217;re life, then I would say purify your diet, but purify your thoughts as well.  Think happy things.<strong> </strong> </div>
<div> </div>
<div><em>More information about the workshops, game and food can be found on the Cafe Gratitude website, <a href="http://www.cafegratitude.com/">www.cafegratitude.com</a>. </em></div>
<div> </div>
<div>By the way readers the coconut icecream is <em>amazing</em>. Although my recipie hunting skills are as yet unsuccessful I can share with you another of my favorite raw dessert recipes (you really can&#8217;t believe how good these are, and so easy to make).</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>Carob Walnut Biscuits</strong></div>
<div>1 cup raisins</div>
<div>3/4 cup raw walnuts</div>
<div>1/4 cup raw carob powder</div>
<div>1/8 teaspoon sea salt</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Combine raisins, walnuts, carob powder, and salt in a food processor.  Process until dough starts sticking together.  Press dough into any biscuit cutter or shape you like on a tray lined with baking paper.  Place tray in the freezer to chill and firm up for 30 minutes or more before transferring to the fridge.  Thaw 5 minutes before serving.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><span style="color: #ffffcc;"><span style="color: #0000ff;">The future depends on what we do in the present. &#8211; <strong>Mahatma Gandhi </strong></span>what we do in the present. &#8211; <strong>Mahatma Gandhi </strong></span></div>
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		<title>How Cool it is being a Woman!?</title>
		<link>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/how-cool-it-is-being-a-woman/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/how-cool-it-is-being-a-woman/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:06:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Domestic Goddess]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[In a single moment I felt the deep inner wisdom of what it really means to be a woman. The moment was a simple interaction between myself and an incredibly charming man - and this simply is how it went.
I was part of a group who&#8217;d been listening to the aforementioned gentleman speak on a subject he seemed incredibly passionate about. At the end [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In a single moment I felt the deep inner wisdom of what it really means to be a woman. The moment was a simple interaction between myself and an incredibly charming man - and this simply is how it went.</p>
<p><a title="Orchids for Easter" href="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/easter-orchids.jpg"><img style="width: 200px;" title="Beauty" src="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/easter-orchids.jpg" alt="Beauty" hspace="7" vspace="7" width="200" align="right" /></a>I was part of a group who&#8217;d been listening to the aforementioned gentleman speak on a subject he seemed incredibly passionate about. At the end of his presentation I decided to go over and personally thank him for sharing his knowledge in such an inspiring way. He saw me approach him and smiled as he put his hand out to shake mine &#8211; I could feel the energy build between us as I approached and decided I&#8217;d just smile and continue to breath calmly and fully. I chose to be present &#8211; and I now actually know what that really means.</p>
<p>As our hands touched and our fingers folded to clasp firmly, I met his gaze at closer than usual quarters, then thanked and praised him for his presentation. He beamed a warm smile and thanked me for coming along. At which point it would have been quite natural for him to release my hand and acknowledge the person behind me waiting to thank him also. Instead we stood for a moment, held each others gaze and seemingly enjoyed the exchange of energy.</p>
<p>Now I don&#8217;t know what you&#8217;d call that in the Tantric world but to me it was something quite beautiful. A passionate, present man, standing together with a calm, present woman &#8211; now that&#8217;s an experience I will cherish and re-create at any opportunity.</p>
<p>I felt like a woman &#8211; that&#8217;s the only way I can describe it.</p>
<p><em>&#8220;Thanks Martina&#8230;it was something special to be part of your Day for Women&#8230;and without a doubt &#8211; a life altering experience.&#8221;</em></p>
<p><strong>Related Posts</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/waaaaay-outside-my-comfort-zone/">www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/waaaaay-outside-my-comfort-zone/</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/natural-way-to-better-sex/">www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/natural-way-to-better-sex/</a></p>
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		<title>Homebirth Rally &#8211; Passionately Supporting Midwives &amp; Families</title>
		<link>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/homebirth-rally-supporting-midwives-mothers-families/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/homebirth-rally-supporting-midwives-mothers-families/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:37:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Angela</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Things n Stuff!]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[THE MOTHER OF ALL RALLIES
by Angela Stewart
Homebirth Rally 7 September 2009, Canberra ACT
Recently, on a very cold, wet and dull Canberra day, my close friend, her four year old daughter and myself joined more than 2000 others to protest against federal government plans that would see homebirthing effectively made illegal.
Our participation began listening to Fluer [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>THE MOTHER OF ALL RALLIES</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/love-heart.jpg" title="Pink Love Heart"><em><img vspace="5" align="left" width="150" src="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/love-heart.jpg" hspace="5" alt="Pink Love Heart" style="width: 150px" title="Pink Love Heart" /></em></a><em>by Angela Stewart</em></p>
<p><strong>Homebirth Rally 7 September 2009, Canberra ACT</strong></p>
<p>Recently, on a very cold, wet and dull Canberra day, my close friend, her four year old daughter and myself joined more than 2000 others to protest against federal government plans that would see homebirthing effectively made illegal.</p>
<p>Our participation began listening to Fluer Magick, an Indigenous woman, perform a special welcome ceremony at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, in front of Old Parliament House.  Despite the weather  the mood was determined and jubilant amongst the crowd.  It was amazing to be part of this energy.</p>
<p>We then marched up the hill to the lawns of new Parliament House, and gathered – under a sea of umbrellas – <span id="more-255"></span>to listen to a range of speakers.  There were many speakers including Homebirth Australia Secretary Justine Caines, Family First senator Steve Fielding, Greens senator Rachel Siewart, Liberals Sophie Mirabella, Ian MacFarlane, Andrew Laming and Gary Humpries – all spoke in support of allowing women the right to choose homebirth.  It was wonderful to hear Sarah Buckley MD, a GP and mother of four – all homebirths speak.  Sarah is the author of “Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering” a leading book on homebirth and calm mothering.</p>
<p>At times it was hard to hear over the excited chatter of friends spotting friends, children sharing their own forms of protest, and the rain… but it was a wonderful experience to be surrounded by so many people willing to ignore their discomfort to stand up for what they believed in.  The crowd was made up of all ages, stages and makes of people.  Babies slept soundly in slings, prams or at their mothers breasts, children ran around and dodged the rain, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, sisters, friends and future parents stood firmly – for several hours – to make themselves heard, and support the leaders of the homebirth movement.</p>
<blockquote><p>It was incredible to feel the warmth and hope amongst the crowd on such a bleak day.  Although homebirth was not a path that I took – I consider it for my second birth until I knew I was having twins – it is a choice that I had, and would like my daughters, nieces, sisters, friends and all of the future mothers to have.   For me it was as much about protecting my right to choose, and preserving that right for future generations. </p></blockquote>
<p>If you are interested in the progress of the protest, and homebirthing <a href="http://www.homebirthaustralia.org/">www.homebirthaustralia.org</a> has up to date information. </p>
<p>If there is something that you are passionate about, or you are simply wanting to protect your right to choose, I would encourage you to stay in touch and informed – I am very proud that we pulled on our waterproof boots and braved to the weather to stand up and be counted.  What moves you???</p>
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		<title>32 Natural Beauty Tips &amp; Tricks &#8211; Exclusive Free Ebook</title>
		<link>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/32-natural-beauty-tips-tricks-exclusive-free-ebook/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/32-natural-beauty-tips-tricks-exclusive-free-ebook/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:09:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Chemical Nasties]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[- Want to know how to get luscious locks without all the chemical nasties?
- Maybe you have sensitive skin that reacts to conventional beauty products?
- Or, perhaps you want to know how to bring your abundant inner beauty to the outside?
Here&#8217;s 32 Tips &#38; Tricks to do all of that and so much more!
DOWNLOAD NOW &#8211; [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/girl_in_hat_small.jpg" title="Gorgeous Things"><img vspace="7" align="left" width="140" src="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/girl_in_hat_small.jpg" hspace="7" alt="Gorgeous Things" height="187" style="width: 140px; height: 187px" title="Gorgeous Things" /></a>- Want to know how to get <strong>luscious locks without all the chemical nasties?</strong></p>
<p>- Maybe you have <strong>sensitive skin</strong> that reacts to conventional beauty products?</p>
<p>- Or, perhaps you want to know how to bring your <strong>abundant inner beauty to the outside?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Here&#8217;s 32 Tips &amp; Tricks to do all of that and so much more!</strong></p>
<blockquote><p><strong>DOWNLOAD NOW</strong> &#8211; PDF (500kb)<br />
<a href="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/natural-beauty-ebook.pdf" title="32 Natural Beauty Tips &amp; Tricks from Gorgeous Things"><strong>32 Natural Beauty Tips &amp; Tricks from Gorgeous Things</strong></a></p></blockquote>
<p><em><strong>Hey there pretty lady!</strong></em> While you&#8217;re here &#8211; why not join the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Avoca-Beach-Australia/Gorgeous-Things/109895883569?ref=ts" title="Gorgeous Things on Facebook">Gorgeous Things Facebook</a> page and <a href="http://gorgeousthings.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=28ae74fe77717edc09106830a&amp;id=4942e9daf4" title="Join the Beauty &amp; Brains Monthly Newsletter mailing list">mailing list</a> for regular NEW TIPS &amp; TRICKS</p>
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		<title>Waaaaay outside my comfort zone&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/waaaaay-outside-my-comfort-zone/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/waaaaay-outside-my-comfort-zone/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:49:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Health & Beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Things n Stuff!]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[In the name of possibly life-changing research and leading the way forward for all you gorgeous women who&#8217;ve ever thought &#8211; &#8216;Tantra&#8230;isn&#8217;t that just about multiple orgasms and something Sting and his wife always go on about in Women&#8217;s Weekly&#8217;? I&#8217;m putting myself on the line, stepping way outside of the suburban sensibilities of my lower middle class up-bringing [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In the name of possibly life-changing research and leading the way forward for all you gorgeous women who&#8217;ve ever thought &#8211; &#8216;Tantra&#8230;isn&#8217;t that just about multiple orgasms and something Sting and his wife always go on about in Women&#8217;s Weekly&#8217;? I&#8217;m putting myself on the line, stepping way outside of the suburban sensibilities of my lower middle class up-bringing and delving into the world of Tantric practice. Wish me luck!</p>
<p>You may recall, I met the lovely <a href="http://www.tantricblossoming.com/index.htm" title="Tantric Blossoming">Martina Hughes</a>, Founder of Tantric Blosso<a href="http://www.tantricblossoming.com/workshops.htm" title="Tantric Blossoming"><img vspace="10" align="right" width="250" src="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/tantra-couple.jpg" hspace="10" alt="Connecting with Tantra" style="width: 250px" title="Connecting with Tantra" /></a>ming at the Mind Body Spirit Festival in Sydney some time ago. Martina recently <a href="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/natural-way-to-better-sex/" title="Martina's post on the Gorgeous Things blog">wrote an inspiring post </a>for the Gorgeous Things blog as a bit of an introduction to Tantra.</p>
<p>It might interest you to know - Martina&#8217;s post was the most read item of our Newsletter that month. So I know that many of you are interested in the subject and learning about the benefits of connecting with yourself and your partner on a much deeper level.</p>
<p>Your interest and my own curiosity has lead me to sign myself up for a Tantric Blossoming course and I&#8217;ll be sharing my experiences with you here on the blog.<span id="more-250"></span></p>
<p>To be honest, I&#8217;m quite apprehensive about the whole thing. I grew up in a household, like many of us where intimacy and sex weren&#8217;t really discussed and if they were it usually came with some kind of fearful warning. I&#8217;m not saying our parents got it wrong, they themselves grew up in a time of greater conservatism than you and I. Sometimes though, evolution needs a bit of a kick in the butt to get to the next level.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m looking forward to breaking down a few of my own barriers and I hope you&#8217;ll enjoy the journey and maybe even one day &#8211; take it yourself.</p>
<p>Right, I&#8217;m off! Feeling brave&#8230;</p>
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		<title>Why Outsourcing your Problem Solving can be the best way Forward</title>
		<link>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/outsourcing-problem-solving/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/outsourcing-problem-solving/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:26:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Health & Beauty]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m sharing this very personal little story with you because I was surprised at how many of my girlfriends have experienced something similar and never shared their experience &#8211; with me or anyone else. We all have our secrets but there are some secrets that when shared, become a source of joy and acceptance rather than [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/girl_in_hat_small.jpg" title="Gorgeous Things"><img vspace="7" align="left" width="140" src="http://www.gorgeousthings.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/girl_in_hat_small.jpg" hspace="7" alt="Gorgeous Things" style="width: 140px" title="Gorgeous Things" /></a>I&#8217;m sharing this very personal little story with you because I was surprised at how many of my girlfriends have experienced something similar and never shared their experience &#8211; with me or anyone else. We all have our secrets but there are some secrets that when shared, become a source of joy and acceptance rather than shame and judgement.</p>
<p>How does that song go&#8230;</p>
<p>&#8220;Those who mind don&#8217;t matter, and those who matter don&#8217;t mind.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote><p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Avoca-Beach-Australia/Gorgeous-Things/109895883569?ref=ts" title="Become a Fan of Gorgeous Things">Join the Gorgeous Things Facebook Group</a> - FREE Ebook on Natural Beauty Tips &amp; Tricks for Facebook Fans &#8211; Coming in September!</p></blockquote>
<p><span id="more-228"></span></p>
<p>By the way I&#8217;m building this up you&#8217;d think I&#8217;d done something totally heinous. Nothing quite so salacious I&#8217;m afraid.</p>
<p>I went to see a counsellor, a therapist, a psychologist &#8211; a shrink. There you have it &#8211; my confession. I had a complicated problem that I was struggling to solve on my own so I decided to seek outside help. The details of the problem aren&#8217;t the important part &#8211; we all have problems of varying degrees from time to time in our lives &#8211; mine are no more significant than yours. What is important is that at the end of the first session with my counsellor &#8211; I&#8217;d established a course of action that would lead toward the solving of my problem.</p>
<p>The second session took place on the following Friday. We talked about the steps I&#8217;d taken toward solving my problem. It was all going quite well &#8211; I&#8217;d ticked most of the boxes and had a clear plan of how I was going to tackle the remains steps. What a sense of accomplishment I felt.</p>
<p>No longer was I dwelling on the emotions I had been experiencing due to my problem &#8211; I was pragmatically focused on solving it. Sure, emotions have their place &#8211; they tell us when we&#8217;re wandering off the track and are there as a guide to serve us through life. But we&#8217;re by no means a slave to them &#8211; once emotions have alerted us to a problem then it&#8217;s up to us to take over and seek to solve the problem. It would have done the cavemen no good to be paralysed by fear, they would have become lunch.</p>
<p>No one was more surprised than me when at the end of the second session, my shrink told me I was fine and wouldn&#8217;t need to come back. I felt a pang of &#8220;but surely there&#8217;s something wrong with me&#8221; &#8211; why else would I have had a problem that I needed a therapist to help me solve? She must have interpreted my enquiring expression because she smiled at me and told me that <strong>everyone, from time to time has a problem they need an impartial person&#8217;s assistance to reframe the questions we seek the answers to</strong>. To which I smiled and thought to myself, there&#8217;s nothing wrong with me &#8211; I&#8217;m totally fine!</p>
<p>Anyway, enough about that &#8211; the reason I wanted to share this is that I got a bit of a shock when I slowly started to mention to my closest friends that I&#8217;d been to see a counsellor. All but 2 of them had at one time or another, out-sourced some help with their decision making process or employed the services of a therapist to help them clear of the clutter of their past.</p>
<p>Of the 2 who hadn&#8217;t, one confided that her and hubby were considering a bit of marriage counselling &#8211; things weren&#8217;t all that bad between them but they wanted to learn a few skills in the communication department to ensure things stayed good and they&#8217;d set a good example for their children to learn from.</p>
<p>So, when you think your problem might just need an impartial sounding board &#8211; do what everyone else does &#8211; ask a professional!</p>
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