I’m at the BlogHer conference in downtown Chicago mingling with 800 other women (promise I’ll link to some great food and yoga blogs once I process all the info that’s pouring into my brain).
The first day, I decided to get some exercise by walking from the train station to the conference center. I was wearing sandals and carrying a heavy laptop bag. I got lost. One hour and five blisters later, I finally arrived. I was smart enough to take a cab back to the train station that night, but once I made it to the suburbs (where I’m staying with a friend) I had to walk another mile to their house. My friend’s husband, Brad, was with me, and he watched as I limped and cringed.
“Ow, ow, ow,” I said as my sandals rubbed against my blisters.
I slipped off my shoes.
“Ow, ow, ow,” I said again as the sharp little pebbles on the roads and sidewalks cut my feet.
“You’re a yoga blogger!” Brad said.
“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked.
“Some yogis walk over hot coals and stuff,” he pointed out.
Now that he mentioned it, I did recall reading a passage in a book about firewalking at a yoga retreat. Although none of the yoga classes I’ve attended have involved hot coals, we do practice in bare feet. Still, smooth wood floors and soft sticky mats may help strengthen my soul, but they don’t sturdy up the skin on my soles.
Walking home that night, I stepped off the sidewalk and onto the grass. It was long and cool and damp. It cushioned my bare feet and brushed in between my toes. I completely forgot about my blisters as I focused on how nice it felt to observe the world through from the bottom up. It had been a long time since I’ve walked barefoot in the grass.
To some, barefoot hiking is a hobby. Richard Frazine wrote a book about it called The Barefoot Hiker, and Common Ground, a sustainable living magazine, wrote an article about it here.
How often do we take time to feel the crunch of leaves or the slick slime of moss or the powder puffs of dirt through our feet and toes? Not to mention walking barefoot is gentle on the planet. I think I will start taking off my shoes more often, especially outside.
As quoted on this website, Sitting Bull said: “Healthy feet can hear the very heart of Mother Earth.”
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Male impotence or erectile dysfunction (ED) is not exactly a serious condition when put in the context of life-threatening. No, male impotence is in no way this serious. However, what makes this condition serious for every man that has it is that part of what makes them a man and mostly their main asset that provides them satisfaction and relief from sexual urges is no longer functioning properly. This is because penile erection is needed to perform sexual intercourse successfully. Otherwise, vaginal penetration is not possible.
The truth is male impotence is not a rare condition as nearly one in five men will have or experience it with some varying points of severity. The problem with this condition though is that, like it or not, if you are a man who is very sexually active, it is an embarrassing condition. In fact, most men with ED prefer not to discuss it with other men, even friends for that matter. They usually keep the condition either to just themselves, or with their partners and personal doctor. There have even been cases where the breakup of couples is due to the male not being able to provide the sexual needs of the female. Such is the dilemma of men with ED. Read more…
The street is cleared of traffic, the tents are up, and the vendors are selling summer squash, cherries, and herbs. It’s the second week this season the farmers’ market has been open in town, and my husband escapes from the office so we can enjoy lunch together and wander by the open-air booths. We buy bread (baked from scratch) from one of our favorite vendors and discuss what we can grill, cook, and drink over the next few days.
As we walk, I start thinking about how I’ll be spending a lot more time at farmers’ markets this summer than I have in the past – it’s easier to find local, sustainably-grown food here than at the grocery stores. I’ve always enjoyed farmers’ markets, but I’ve tended to reserve them for “special occasions.” When I lived in Los Angeles my friends and I would load up with market goodies before going to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, or for a picnic at the beach, or if we had guests coming to town.
With over 3500 farmers’ markets in the United States (visit LocalHarvest.org to find one near you) there are plenty here on the east coast where I currently live. I’ll be visiting more of them over the next few days to get a feel for the ones I prefer, talk to vendors, and gather local meat, eggs, and more fruit and veggies. I know I have my work cut out for me this summer as I learn how to prepare meals, can tomatoes, and make my own salad dressing. But taking the first step and creating the intent to eat clean is one of the biggest hurdles. Besides, it feels good to realize that what used to be a “special occasion” will now be a part of daily life.
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Male impotence or erectile dysfunction (ED) is not exactly a serious condition when put in the context of life-threatening. No, male impotence is in no way this serious. However, what makes this condition serious for every man that has it is that part of what makes them a man and mostly their main asset that provides them satisfaction and relief from sexual urges is no longer functioning properly. This is because penile erection is needed to perform sexual intercourse successfully. Otherwise, vaginal penetration is not possible.
The truth is male impotence is not a rare condition as nearly one in five men will have or experience it with some varying points of severity. The problem with this condition though is that, like it or not, if you are a man who is very sexually active, it is an embarrassing condition. In fact, most men with ED prefer not to discuss it with other men, even friends for that matter. They usually keep the condition either to just themselves, or with their partners and personal doctor. There have even been cases where the breakup of couples is due to the male not being able to provide the sexual needs of the female. Such is the dilemma of men with ED. Read more…
