I'm still learning how to do all this - and every now and again I make a real blooper - like this!

Nature cycles

Please claim your special ‘thank- you’ gift at the end of this newsletter for being a Mind over Fatter newsletter subscriber - or you can just click on this link now! Password: 8522234

Don’t you just love the way nature cycles... that we have different seasons – and that it isn’t always summer, or always winter? I love the way my garden changes so that it looks different all the time. Different plants pop up at different times, trees have different leaf coverings – it’s just glorius.

Who would ever want to miss out on all the seasons? Yet it strikes me that we humans are so busy trying to stay only in the spring-time of our lives.

Ageing body bits are thought of as the winter of our lives – it’s almost a dirty word – we want to stay ‘immergroen’ (which means ‘forever green’ – or in other words ‘forever young’). We think of ageing and the effects of gravity as the ‘winter of our lives.’

It really doesn’t have to be. You see, when it comes to gardens the different seasons are about physical manifestations, but when it comes to the seasons of our lives, well…

that’s an internal mental job.

Diet City was the Winter of my life

For example, when I look back now, what I see is that when I was stuck in Diet City (the mental jail of food and body obsession), in reality that was like being living through a really harsh winter.

Now 2 decades later, with body bits giving in to gravity, I’m mentally in springtime. I love my life – I like my body – I even like the ‘laughter lines’ that are proliferating on my face.

I’m sprouting new leaves of creativity and passion all the time. The tree of my life is so much fuller and more vibrant than it was ever before. The winter of my life was when I noticed every little so-called ‘imperfection’ and wanted to do whatever to get rid of it.

And yes, I know there will be times when some of my leaves drop, or I enter another period of winter – that’s that’s just a time of preparation for the next glorius burst of springtime.

Watching flowers blossom

I also love watching some of the Mind over Fatter flowers in ‘my garden’ growing and blooming into more joy-filled bodies.

Joan Smith is a Mind over Fatter group leader in Parow South Africa (for more info on our groups or becoming a group leader please e.mail Melette@mindoverfatter.co.za) and I recently received this (shortened) e.mail from one of her group members:

“I've been with Joan for just over a month and can honestly say that it was the best decision I have made in a long time. I bought the MOF book after having seen an article in the "O" magazine. …."Thank you Cari for writing an amazing book and setting up the groups, because you have changed my life for the better…

One of the ladies in the group has inspired me so much that I am going to do the "Spar" 5km ladies walk - not run!!!!... I sat up last night doing the growth work for the week -the letter to our bodies, and it was so emotional but I made a promise to my body and to myself to start giving it the love and respect it deserves because I am nothing without it.

WOW that was hectic! I have always been such a tom boy and I bought myself my first dress (other than my wedding dress), I haven't worn a dress in over 20 years and tonight I have to wear it to the group and I am so nervous!!”

Well done Joan –all the planting and planting you are doing in people’s lives is blooming!

To download a free sample chapter from the Mind over Fatter programme right click on the 'Download your free sample here' and from the menu select 'save as.

Download your free sample chapter here

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Cari's book launch

Many years ago – the author SARK wrote and illustrated a book that was a significant part of my journey with myself, my body and self love called ‘Succulent Wild Women.’

I recently shared the beautiful endorsement she’d written for ‘The Joy-Filled Body: Eat! Play! Love and Live!” (it’s the same book that O magazine featured an excerpt from and that is published in South Africa under the title: Mind over Fatter: learn to feel great without every dieting)

Well in March, Readers Bookstore in Sonoma (California) was kind enough to host the launch of 'The Joy-Filled Body'. As SARK had written me such beautiful words about my book and told me she “looooooooved it!”, I invited her along never dreaming she’d actually arrive.

But she did. I felt so honoured to have someone who has so inspired me (and written 26 best sellers) come to MY book launch. It felt like every blossom on my tree was coming into bloom at once! Thank you SARK!

A self-pollinating 'Thank- You' Gift

The ditch-diets-live-light website continues to grow in visitors and the number of pages viewed – it’s so gratifying to watch… it’s like watching bees visiting flowers…. And then off they go and pollinate their friends with their enthusiasm for the site and soon a whole new set of bees are all a-visiting. Bees from all over the world!

It’s simply amazing to watch and I’m about it make it a whole lot easier by adding an “email this to a friend” button! And you’ll be able to bookmark and send your favourite pages to Facebook, Digg and all those wondrous places too.

I'm just about to add a shopping cart (when I find out how - technology really challenges me) and I've added loads more pages on exercise and how our thoughts affect our health as well.

You can find them under the Exercise and Thoughts Nav tabs

Life really is so beautiful that I wanted to give you each a ‘Thank You’ gift written especially to help you take ‘One Magical Minute 4 You” today –because that’s how we blossom – by taking small moments to water and nuture our own garden.

To sign up for it just click on the link I gave you at the beginning of this newsletter.

And… it’s a gift you’re free to play forward so you give the gift of self-watering to other too – all you have to do it pass this message on! You can even use it as a ‘thank – you’ to all your clients or share it with any groups you belong to. I’d be so thrilled to know that thousands of people will benefit from this gift.

Advice from a tree

I shared this bit of advice from a tree with my online group

Click to join our free Mind over Fatter online forum

Now notice it doesn’t say what season the tree was in – I think this is relevant because it can be just as true for every season: "Stand Tall and Proud. Remember your Roots! Reflect the Light of your True Nature. Drink Plenty of Water. Enjoy the View!" Our Roots and the light of our true nature is that we are ALL Sacred Beings who deserve to stand tall and proud because when we do this our view of ourselves and our seasons is so vastly different. And yes, given that 70% of the human body is water - we need to take in a lot of it too.

There’s lots going on at Mind over Fatter – check out Cari's diary No matter what your season, wrap yourself in the warm blanket of accepting the gift of giving yourself that One Magical Minute a day – and watch yourself blossoming.

With love, light and laughter Cari

P.S. I love feedback on my newsletter and website - that's how I make them better




 

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