It’s National Wildlife Refuge Week! National wildlife refuges are America’s best-kept secret – offering unparalleled opportunities to experience the great outdoors and providing vital habitat for thousands of species of animals and plants, both abundant and rare. With at least one national wildlife refuge in every state and territory (plus an hour’s drive of most major metropolitan areas), there’s a wildlife refuge nearby waiting to be explored. Photo Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico by Robert Dunn.
This week for Erin’s things, I’m talking about a couple of interesting ingestibles, Marijuana for your health and the comeback of one of my favorite sneakers – just a couple of things that made my week a little more interesting!
1. Bone broth and Collagen powder –So, what exaclty do bone broth and collagen have in common? Apparently, it’s ridiculously amazing health benefits. Glowing skin, shiny hair, strong nails and good digestion is a start…well, I’d wager to say it is at the top of the beauty spectrum that most of us desire to achieve. However, there is more, this growing trend to drink bone broth and/or to drink collagen (in protein powdered drink form) is also said to reduce inflammation. This trend is not about to go away, precisely because it isn’t about sort term gratification, it is a commitment to long term benefits. I’m in.
2. Cannabis as wellness- Whether you are a user or not, one cannot deny that the taboo associated with cannabis is on the decline. LA’s Goda Yoga offers 420 classes for medical marijuana users. These are what you call ‘Cannabis workouts’ and they are finding their stride in everyday wellness routines across the country. Also, the non-psychoactive extracts of the plant are said to reduce anxiety, lower inflammation and subtly lift your mood. This then trickles down into anti inflammatory skin care as well as products to soothe menstrual cramps. The future looks green.
3. Kava root drinks – Kava Sutra (NYC), Bula Kava (Portland) or Kava Lounge SF (San Francisco) are indications of the boom in the newest mind altering and stress relieving drink on the market right now. It is an ancient root based drink from Pacific Islanders, that is often used as a type of sedative. It is said to increase or regulate our GABA receptors in the brain, which are the neurotransmitters that balances our mood and optimizes healthy brain function. As it is a root sedative though, it should never be mixed with alcohol. I feel as though its main attraction in the wellness community is allowing oneself to be brought more into the present moment of whatever it is you may be doing.
4. Helix – personalized mattress – yes, you read that correctly. The ‘where has this been all my life’ moment is upon me. It is custom made to cradle your own body (measurements sent in and sleep style noted), it regulates body temperature throughout the night and it is made to order to your exact firmness preferences- and can be blended to take into account your partner’s needs as well! The bed is the beginning and end of a good day, it is ingenious that this company has delivered magic to one of our most important household items. Bonne Nuit.
5. Nike Cortez – The 70’s running shoe is having a huge comeback moment and I could not be more stoked. They are sleek and comfortable, the newest design is in white mesh, which is easily paired with any outfit, even an LBD. Sneakers are becoming a fashion staple and my feet couldn’t thank me enough.
Hope you enjoyed the list and I’d love to hear what you’re loving this week!
Fall is a great time to visit Zion National Park in Utah. The crowds get smaller and the temperatures cool. Along the Virgin River, cottonwoods turn golden yellow and bigtooth maples add splashes of scarlet to the canyons and trails. These streaks of color enhance the already magnificent landscape. Photo by Robert Caton (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).
Romantic break for two? Long weekend with the guys?
Europe offers so many different and interesting destinations. Whether you want to embrace your inner foodie in France, run with the bulls in Spain or traverse Italian city canals, there is something for everyone in Europe.
For those on a budget, long weekend trips can mean exciting experiences. You can get away for a few days, explore a new destination, and save more money than you would if you go on a longer holiday.
Looking to make your break as affordable as possible?
Try avoiding the main European hubs and venture a little off the beaten path. There are so many hidden gems in Europe and by choosing the right destination and going on a long weekend, getting a break doesn’t have to break the bank.
Here are the top destinations in Europe you should definitely add to your list:
For Foodies
Lyon, France
Via thousandwonders
If you are looking for an alternative to the gastronomic glamour of Paris, try Lyon. Nestled in the Rhone Alps region, Lyon is hailed as the gastronomic capital of France. One of France’s oldest cities, its roots go back to the Roman period.
The city’s old town, Vieux Lyon, is a beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can meander through quaint passageways, cobbled streets, and stunning old world architecture. Foodies can try one of the charming ‘bouchon lyonnaises’ that serve traditional lyonnaise fare.
Take note that Paris can be notoriously overpriced, so if you are looking for the perfect base to explore the French culture and cuisine a bit deeper, then Lyon is the perfect budget destination for you.
For Culture Lovers
Toledo, Spain
Via toledosistercities
Just over an hour from Madrid, Toledo is a cultural center in Spain. With its ancient hills and medieval architecture, the historic city is a lively hub for history buffs and travelers. There, they can experience the buzz of the old European culture without the drama or fanfare of Spain’s capital city.
Visit the 13th Century Toledo cathedral in the center of town or the Moorish Bisagra Gate and the Sol Gate, which opens up into the old quarter. Visiting Toledo is like taking a step back in time. You’ll get an unforgettable experience to soak up distinctly Spanish culture here.
Moreover, the savings one can get when traveling to this top destination make it perfect for visitors on a budget. You can save over 66% on a weekend trip when staying in Toledo over Madrid. Fees typically include accommodation, a meal, drinks, and ground transport into the city.
For Trips with Friends
Vilnius, Lithuania
Via cctv
For the more adventurous travelers, Vilnius is the perfect destination. It offers a little more action alongside history and culture. The walkable capital city is nestled in the heart of Lithuania and is becoming one of the more increasingly popular destinations for city breaks in Europe.
Vilnius houses the oldest medieval town in central and eastern Europe and is popular for its stunning baroque architecture. Visit the Palace of the Grand Dukes in Lithuania or the gripping Museum of Genocide victims, housed at the former headquarters of the KGB.
You can expect a little more lightness and fun in the evening as the continental town is one of the cheapest destinations for food and drink in Europe. This makes it a spirited town with a burgeoning nightlife scene, perfect for those stag-dos and weekend trips with friends.
For Romantics
Klosterneuburg, Austria
Getting away for the weekend with the one you love should never be off of your list. You can impress your partner with a romantic holiday to Austria. Although Vienna is known to be expensive, it doesn’t make Austria off limits for budget travelers.
Nearby city Klosterneuburg is only 12 miles away from the Austrian capital and has a whole lot to offer travelers who want to experience the Viennese culture without its price tag.
For starters, you can visit the huge castle built by Salian Emperor Henry IV that sits near the Danube river. You can also go see the Klosterneuburg Monastery, which is home to one of the oldest vineyards in Austria.
With such a short travel time, you can fly into the capital and find an elegant and romantic bed and breakfast out of the tourist trap, saving money on accommodation and food. This way, you get to experience the best of both worlds.
Until London’s regulatory pushback, Uber had thrived in Britain. The interests of the public, as consumers, were understood to be intrinsically bound together with those of this Silicon Valley disrupter in a struggle against restrictive business practices. Yet the past now appears to be exacting its revenge. Or, to be more precise, the future may not look as laissez faire as Uber’s champions would have us believe.
We all want to live a meaningful life since after all, we only have one chance at doing this. Happiness and fulfillment is much more attractive than emptiness, which makes living a life with some kind of meaning one of the widest held goals in the world.
People measure their success in terms of meaningful actions. You will find that everyone is obsessed with life meaning – starting from philosophers and scientists to the ordinary man. And while there is no single or final answer to living a meaningful life, there are several things you can do to get closer to this goal.
Here are 8 amazing tips on how to live a meaningful life:
1. Focus on the Important Things
We all have some things that are more important than others. Pinpointing this is something you must do on your own, since there is no general definition as to what’s most important in your life.
Once you determine the top 5 things that you find to be essential to your happiness, use them to live the life as you want it. If you prioritize your family, focus on spending time with them. If you like singing, turn this into your hobby or job. In other words, pursue your passion in life. The world is your limit.
2. Find Your Life’s Purpose
If someone put a gun to your head and said ‘give me one reason for you to live’, what would this reason be? What do you stand for? What is your life’s purpose? If you want to make your life meaningful, you need to find its meaning first. Otherwise, you cannot really set a meaningful goal.
3. Give to Others
Of course, this does not mean that you should base all your life actions to helping the rest. You are the focus of your life, but giving to others will give your life more purpose and meaning. So, focus on the things you find important, but make sure to help others. This will increase your and their life satisfaction. Sometimes, something as simple as lending a friendly ear or shoulder to cry on can give your life more meaning.
4. Be Aware of Your Actions
What can you improve or change? Review the actions you take on a regular basis to learn what made you stray from your goal or imagined path. Focusing on details will help you accomplish more, as long as you are prepared to make some changes.
5. Find Some Courage
You need to be courageous to live, but living a meaningful life requires a lot more courage. After all, you need to make many changes to achieve this, try new things and put yourself out there.
Once you determine the essential actions to improve your way of living, you can easily find courage. Don’t be afraid to be different or try something new – you can rarely achieve your biggest goals without a bit of a risk.
6. Focus
Rather than micromanaging 20 goals and focusing your attention on them all, focus on one thing at a time. This does not mean that you will leave the rest of your priorities behind. It solely means that you will dedicate all your energy in making sure they are all achieved, step by step.
You can easily achieve this. Make a habit of creating a list of goals you will do over the day or the week, not further. This list should consist of things that are achievable and realistic to avoid failure. If you learn how to do things at their time, you can achieve more.
7. Simplify the Life
This may sound strange, but in order to make your living meaningful, you have to make the life simpler. The life is more meaningful if you spend your time doing things that fulfill you, so get rid of all those things that cause stress and frustration and basically, simplify your way of living.
8. Express Yourself
You are who you are and there is no one else like you. Accept yourself for who you are and be authentic. Instead of fearing and struggling from fear of rejection and criticism, embrace this in a way that allows you to be who you truly are. If you aren’t yourself, your life cannot really have a meaning. Finding your life’s meaning is a journey that never ends. It is not something you will find and be done with it, but you must maintain your living meaningful every step of the way. After all, you may find something to be meaningful today, but this does not mean that you will find it meaningful tomorrow. Seeing that you are the one giving meaning to things, it is your job to pursue them.
Jade Parker is a marketing expert that has worked in the industry for five years. She is developing her own small business and helping others build successful marketing strategies. Over the years, Jade has started writing and contributed several of her works to assignment writing.
Every author has a story beyond the one that they put down on paper. The Barnes & Noble Podcast goes between the lines with today’s most interesting writers, exploring what inspires them, what confounds them, and what they were thinking when they wrote the books we’re talking about.
Whether Roxane Gay is writing fiction or essays and memoir, it often seems as if there’s no territory she can’t make her own, turning her sharp insight and wry humor from feminism and gender politics and sex to literary criticism and television and movies and other points of pop culture. The title of her acclaimed, bestselling essay collection, Bad Feminist, started as a joke for her — but soon became something of a badge of honor, and a touchstone for a generation of readers. In her work she uses candor to pull into the light of day a familiar but often repressed jumble of desires, insecurities, anxieties, fears, and feelings–the messy stuff of life that many might prefer to shove in a box under the bed. She joined Miwa Messer on the podcast to talk about what drove her to write her first book-length memoir, Hunger.
“I ate and ate and ate in the hopes that if I made myself big, my body would be safe. I buried the girl I was because she ran into all kinds of trouble. I tried to erase every memory of her, but she is still there, somewhere. . . . I was trapped in my body, one that I barely recognized or understood, but at least I was safe.”
New York Times bestselling author Roxane Gay has written with intimacy and sensitivity about food and bodies, using her own emotional and psychological struggles as a means of exploring our shared anxieties over pleasure, consumption, appearance, and health. As a woman who describes her own body as “wildly undisciplined,” Roxane understands the tension between desire and denial, between self-comfort and self-care. In Hunger, she casts an insightful and critical eye on her childhood, teens, and twenties—including the devastating act of violence that acted as a turning point in her young life—and brings readers into the present and the realities, pains, and joys of her daily life.
With the bracing candor, vulnerability, and authority that have made her one of the most admired voices of her generation, Roxane explores what it means to be overweight in a time when the bigger you are, the less you are seen. Hunger is a deeply personal memoir from one of our finest writers, and tells a story that hasn’t yet been told but needs to be.
It would seem that the ruling conservative party, Fine Gael, has already decided that there will be no great liberalizing of abortion laws in Ireland, no matter the unexpectedly liberal results of a recent Citizens’ Assembly vote. If this is indeed how it plays out, aside from the implications for women’s health, it will mean the party will have disregarded a meticulous exercise in deliberative democracy that it put in place (at considerable cost to the taxpayer), simply because it wasn’t satisfied with the results or because those results were not politically expedient.
Last week, the Northern Lights were shining bright over Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve in Alaska. On dark, clear nights, there’s nothing quite like watching the aurora borealis reflect off the mighty Yukon River. Photo by Jake Wiley, National Park Service.
This marvelous renovation of a 19th century house-farm was carried out in 2013 by architectural firm van Ellen + Sheryn and specifically coordinated by talented architects Eilir Sheryn and Ian Phillips. It has a total area of 400 square meters and is located in the middle of Dartmoor National Park, in Devon, United Kingdom. This country house and its granaries needed an urgent repair and renovation. The idea was to..
Sig Nordal 