Here it comes...

The next month is going to be busy, challenging but hopefully rewarding. Next Monday, my 30 day Bikram challenge will be complete and it will be the first day of my new job. I currently have four weeks left of the semester so it's going to be interesting to see how I manage the first few weeks on the job with the last few weeks of school..yikes. Of course, not being one to do anything by halves, I'll be embarking on my 30 whole days challenge with the HH crew. As long as I'm able to get up at 6am to fit in a yoga class every day I should remain sane by the end of May. Best of luck to me!

WHOLE foods

I'm so excited to be starting a different kind of 30 day challenge on May 1st. This is an online group challenge, managed by Happy Herbivore, to eat only whole, non-processed foods for the month. As I've been considering what I currently eat, which overall is quite healthy, it's amazing how much food we consume that is far from being in a natural state. First concerns included worrying about the lack of satisfying meals without any carbs but then remembered that brown rice and quinoa are fine. But realizing that no soy products (except perhaps edamame!) are allowed made me freak out a little - no soy sauce or tofu for a month?! There are definitely going to be days that are much more challenging than others, and any time I eat out will certainly be interesting, but I think in a time when prepackaged meals, negative corporate dominance of the agricultural industry and fast food are causing so many societal issues, it's great to see so many people join to discover the natural joys of food.

Turning point

So far, turning 30 has been a wonderful turning point. I'm sure it's coincidental, but life has been great since my birthday. My 20's really feel like a blur and this isn't necessarily a negative thing as I feel that each day I am becoming more true to my self and discovering more goodness in life. My vegan diet continues to make me feel wonderfully healthy and my regular yoga practice continues to provide me with mental clarity and physical strength.

The abundance of love I received on my birthday was such a lovely reminder of how many amazing people are in my life, and the amount of unconditional support I receive from all these people is phenomenal. Perhaps this is my karma for being loyal, honest and supportive to others. Then, after many disheartening months, I was offered a great job at a fantastic organization. Certainly an industry (for lack of a better term) I did not expect to find myself in, but also a good reminder that not every finance firm is the "devil incarnate". I know that I will be offered so much experience in this role and hopefully the opportunity to develop towards further towards my career and educational goals.

In light of all of this, there was one thing still lacking. My need for a regular creative outlet. So with some savings and a little birthday help bought myself a DSLR which I'd been wanting to do for so long! I spent some time this morning figuring out the functions and capabilities and am extremely happy with this purchase. Now if only I can focus on finishing my schoolwork ahead of schedule this week so I can spend a day out taking photos before I start my new job...