Amaze Magazine Blog

A Conversation Without Words by Wendy Strgar

I have many friends who not only rarely sleep with their husbands, they can't even talk about it. I would go even further and suggest that most of their conversations probably move them further away from intimacy than towards it. Connecting with our verbal language has it's limits- especially since men and women, don't just speak differently, we also hear differently. This is why I urge all of my closest friends to explore an entirely different dialogue, one where the spoken word is left outside the door, and the conversation is lead and answered with what some would argue is our true intelligence- the body.

Our bodies do have a profound intelligence that we rarely give them credit for . Emotions are not actually thoughts running around your brain, although this is how we often describe them. Actually emotions are visceral experiences that live in one's body, as true as chills on a windy night or burning skin in a late spring sun.

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Is it Easy Being Green? Yes! Meet Green Author and Consultant Crissy Trask

Is it easy being green? Green author and consultant Crissy Trask says, "Yes!" and her book It's Easy Being Green (Gibbs Smith 2006) attests to it. Trask maintains that when it comes to earth stewardship, although not everything we can do is easy, so very many things we can do are easy—or certainly not difficult. "It's just a matter of getting our hands on the information and resources from which we can learn and start to act," says Trask. To that end, Trask has made it her life's work to put people in touch with solutions that are both practical and meaningful. Through her book, website, articles and business she strives to "reveal the wisdom, simplicity and accessibility of earth-conscious living."

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Want to Make Your Life Easier? Learn to Laugh More!

No one can deny that we live in stressful times—on a global scale and in most of our personal lives. The turmoil of everyday life can take a toll on us both physically and emotionally. No wonder we snap at the cashier in the grocery store or feel a compelling urge to ram our cars into the jerk that cut us off on the highway. The tension we let fester inside amplifies the minor problems we face everyday. So what's the solution? Learn to laugh more. Seriously. Laughter is a proven antidote to stress hormones and it can help make the most difficult situations feel a little more tolerable.

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Should-Free Living by Heather Strang

I should work out more.
I should wait to apply for that position until I'm more qualified.
I should want to get married and have children.

Sound familiar? If you ever find yourself making choices based on what others (parents, friends, religious leaders, co-workers, etc.) think you should do, rather than what your heart desires - then this column is for you. Each month we'll feature questions from fabulous women like you who are ready to abandon the should's and step into their most authentic life.

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Drop the Excuses by Alexandra Boos

If we are willing to listen, I believe that there are earth angels with messages to help guide us on our journey through life. I have not written an article in a long time but lately I have been hearing the same theme: write. The last few years have been challenging on a personal level and every time I tried to express myself through the written word, all my thoughts came out with so much anger. My lack of forgiveness surrounding my divorce feels as if poison was coursing through my veins and seeping out my fingertips as they hit the keyboard. I am an empowerment writer rendered powerless by my own anger. I let my emotional pain rob me of my belief in myself thus stopping my voice and creative expression. Unfortunately, my behavior is common. How often do people stop themselves from showing up in life because of feelings of not being enough? Wrapping excuses around us like a protective mantel, it is easy to play small.

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Seasons Among the Vines by Paula Moulton

"I am a farmer living in California," Paula Moulton says. "To most people the mention of 'farmer' conjures up pictures of a man dressed in dungarees with a piece of hay dangling from the side of his mouth as words like 'darn,' 'dangit,' and 'little missus' slip from his tongue. The truth is I do not fit this picture at all. Instead, I'm more likely to be seen as a gal raising money for a charitable cause and dancing around at the benefit in an evening gown and a pair of sexy stilettos – yet I owned acres of land that I cultivated with my own manicured hands – on top of that I am a business woman, a mother, a widow, a winemaker and an author. This is my story in my own words..."

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THE WRITING DIET: Write Yourself Right-Size by Creativity Guru Julia Cameron

Bestselling author Julia Cameron (The Artist's Way) has inspired millions of people around the world to transform their lives and tap into their own creativity. Now, her new book THE WRITING DIET: Write Yourself Right-Sized offers a unique and rewarding approach to personal health and weight loss—and demonstrates how daily writing can be an effective tool for slimming down.

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Save the Planet One Green Step at a Time WIth Crissy Trask

Want to find ways to save the planet, but don't know where to begin? Now it's simple, with It's Easy Being Green (Gibbs Smith, Publisher; $12.95; April 2006), a helpful resource for all things environmentally friendly. Founder of the online activism site GreenMatters.com, Crissy Trask's guidebook contains innumerable tips, habits, and reasons to conserve natural resources, decrease air and water pollutants and cleanse our communities of unnecessary waste.

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Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Living by Trish Riley

For those that need a little help in getting started on the 'road to green', check out The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Living by Trish Riley.

Increasing awareness and concern over global warming is leading many to seek opportunities to do more to improve environmental conditions and be more responsible and careful consumers of our natural resources. Green living is an option that many are turning to. Trish's book shows readers the steps they can take to make a difference in the world environment and just what it takes to live green.

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Making Love Sustainable Part 7 by Wendy Strgar

"To lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life." - Elizabeth Gilbert

Sometimes we give up one kind of balance for another. Our work lives take over our personal life, new families take over old exercise routines, and sometimes our love life can take over all of it. Losing our balance over love can be fun. Actually that in love, out of control craziness of deep connection can be like a drug, blurring our vision so that the world has a rosy hue and commitments to any thing other than our beloved are hard to keep.

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