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** Quote From Kathleen ** There is NO failure in this plan, only more information to help you learn about your body and your self. **********************************************************************
** Testimonial of the Week ** Chat last night really grabbed me. For days now I have been thinking about "stack-ables," the bad ones, picturing them like bricks strewn about (because I have a few laying about) and trying to get an idea for how to keep them from stacking together and against me. The visual wasn't really working but what you were saying at chat about good "nanos" being the bricks clicked. Here's how I picture it in my head relating to my experience. I picture it like Jenga (the game where you build a tower of wooden blocks and then remove them one at a time 'til it falls). So I built my recovery tower doing steps 1-6. It was pretty basic, nowhere near 250 nanos of breakfast, not to mention the other steps. Then the bad weather hit (bad stackables), a little rain (wonky sleep), a little wind (that horrible receiving job), some hail (wintertime/no exercise), then an earthquake (mom's hip, relationships coming apart). Meanwhile some blocks got taken out (timing, justas). The weakened structure could not withstand the weather and eventually tumbled. Rebuilding, I added in more nanos than the first time around. Having the steadiness of step 7, I'm adding in even more and really notice the difference. And more blocks in my tower means more stability to withstand the weather that can't be avoided. I really clicked with the idea of *building* my recovery. I have this vision of building my radiance/recovery/self so I can go out in the big ol' grownup world and take it by storm (smile). And don't get me started on the nano cards, lol. I'll talk about that soon in another post. :) Janice in Maryland **********************************************************************
** Radiant Ambassadors ** Where do you imagine Radiant Recovery will be in, say, 5 years time? A household name with leaflets in your doctor's office? Posters and bumper stickers maybe? The medical profession knowledgeable about sugar sensitivity? Local RR groups, perhaps? All it takes is a little vision and application and they can happen, every single one of them. If you want to talk about your ideas, come on over to the Ambassadors list and help make a difference in someone else's life. Selena Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Kitchen ** I have a couple of Thermos brand thermoses. If you go to the Thermos website you can get information on the different models of thermoses. Yes, they have different models - like car manufacturers LOL. For best results you’ll need one that is rated for keeping food hot for 24 hours. Neither of mine is rated for 24 hours. I only saw one on the thermos website that actually said it was rated for 24 hours. If it doesn’t say it’s rated for 24 hours, it’s not. (grin) Aladdin was another brand that was mentioned in some of the web research I did. I don’t think it matters what brand, just the 24-hour rating. I will probably buy another thermos with the 24-hour rating so I can try some of the recipes I found online. I tried cooking brown rice in my 10 oz. 5-hour rated thermos without success. Both of my thermoses are wide-mouth, which allows a lot of the heat to escape, but makes getting the food out easier. I made regular oatmeal in my 10 oz. thermos yesterday (just to try it out) and it was too hot to eat straight from the thermos an hour later. When I made the steel cut oats at Ranch, the 10 oz. size was perfect for one serving. It wasn’t piping hot, but it was hot enough to melt my butter. I made a double batch in my larger thermos to share with my roommate nearly every day. I wrapped the thermos in a towel to help retain the heat. To make hot oats use ¼ cup whole groat or steel cut oats to approx. 1 cup boiling water. Temper your thermos by adding hot water for about 5-10 minutes. Then drain it and put your oats and boiling water in the thermos. Put the lid on and shake it to mix the contents. Lay it on its side so the contents will cook evenly. Cook overnight and wake up to hot cereal that is as easy to make as those instant packets. My thermos cooking is still in the experimental stages. I found a cookbook that has a section on thermos cooking. I may have to get it. Terri For more great program-friendly recipes, check out these great cookbooks in the store.
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** Your Last Diet - More Than What You Think ** I know you all have seen the new chat transcript format that we post on the YLD main list. It is a very exciting transition. Gretel has been doing the transcript by hand. It has been a fairly labor-intensive task. Glenn volunteered to write a little computer program to automate the sort and clean process, and Heidi volunteered to take on the editing. We had fun playing with a format that was more readable and fun. So one more progress to report. The transcripts add a whole new dimension to the role of chat. We talk, we create, we explore and then we can share it with those who are not there. Thanks, to all of you for the innovation! If you are not a YLD member, come and join us. Click here if you are ready to change your life or just have some plain ol' fun! **********************************************************************
** Radiant Recovery® Store ** David manages the Radiant Recovery® Store. He is also Kathleen's oldest son. Well, we sure would love to have you come over and visit our revised store. We have been renovating. If you have ever visited the store, make sure to REFRESH or reload your browser page so you can see our new look. Let me know what you think. Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. **********************************************************************
** Our Online Groups ** A "BigOne" is a person who has 100 or more pounds to lose. The Radiantbigones list is unique in that we don't just focus on food challenges but we also share information and support for issues that non-BigOnes may not even realize are an issue in day-to-day life. The interaction on this list is great because everyone is so supportive of everyone else and we learn so much from each other. We have people on the list who are in various stages of the 7 Steps, so if you're a BigOne, you'll fit right in! Come join us. **********************************************************************
**Radiant Ranch ** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.
Many people have asked me what we will be doing at Ranch this year so I thought it would be helpful to actually talk with you about what Ranch is and how it works. I originally started Radiant Ranch ten years ago as a way to gather our leadership team once a year. I wanted to use it as a time for me as well - a way to regroup, to listen deeply and to do some strategic planning. We had so much fun, our leadership folks suggested we open it up. So we did. Those first ranches were held up at Ghost Ranch in Abiquii, NM which is spectacularly beautiful. When we started, it was still pretty small and the conference staff were thrilled to accommodate our food in whatever way they could. We loved being there. The management changed and they were no longer willing to pay attention to special food, so we needed to move. We decided to hold Ranch in Albuquerque. We found a moderately priced hotel and worked out good food and a good routine. This had some draw backs, but the staff was wonderful, very accommodating and we loved getting together. We had a balance of returning people and new people and we learned what worked best for everyone. Two years ago, the hotel scene fell apart. The food was terrible, the service was worse and we were mighty glad for the good attitudes of our senior people who made everyone welcome and happy despite the surroundings. Last year, we changed venues again. Now the quality of the food and the service match the workings of the seminar. It is quiet, attractive, professional and a good match. We work hard to balance the needs of newcomers and the old timers who have been coming for a long time. This year will be a special year. Last fall at Euroranch, I did a pretty in-depth presentation about an overview of the program. We recorded all of it and have edited it into a pretty wonderful collection that will be available to everyone in a month or so. With this as a foundation for our audio offerings, I will use ranch to provide material that you cannot get anywhere else. So let me give you our planned agenda for this year: Friday evening: People arrive and register. Then we share a dinner that is totally program-friendly. This gives everyone an opportunity to meet in a lovely social setting and to enjoy fine dining. After dinner we have our first session. This session is a general orientation to the seminar and also gives us an opportunity to hear any special needs or concerns that the attendees might have. We keep it light because many people will have traveled in that day. Saturday morning starts early for those who wish. We offer a 6:30 AM meditation time, and a 7:00 AM 12-step meeting called RA RA which combines AA and Radiant Recovery. It is the highlight of the year for many of us. The runners often go running in the neighborhood and then join us for breakfast in the ballroom at 8:00 AM. From 9:00 to 10:30 I will talk about Key issues in building a successful program. This will include why the steps are designed the way they are as a sequence. Then from 11:00 to 12:00 we will talk about the process of moving through the steps. How long does it take? How long should it take? Is there a predictable developmental timeline to be aware of? Lunch break goes from noon to 2:00 PM. We offer a program-friendly meal to participants in the ballroom. If it is nice (ranch is later this year), we might plan this for outside. From 2:00 - 3:30 I will share about the concepts of stacking and nano steps. Some of you have heard about this from YLD and last week's newsletter. We will look at how they can support you and not be scary. This will be the first time this material will be presented and discussed. From 4:00 - 5:30 I will share new information about the 7th step... what it is, how you can use it to build recovery and why it is so exciting and so challenging. Then we give you two hours for dinner. People make plans to go to the local restaurants. Those with cars do the driving. We give you suggestions from the Brazilian meat house to the Indian Curry place, to the New Mexico local special places. Some people do eat potluck at the hotel. There is a welcome meal for everyone. This year will have a combination of entertainment and fun sharing. I have invited Vivian Nesbitt and John Dillon of www.artofthesong.org to play for us. Anyone who has an instrument is welcome to bring it and jam as well. And we will also have crafts going on. So if you have beads or knitting or fun things you would like to do, bring them. Think of Saturday night as a interactive coffee house. Sunday morning will bring the same early morning offerings as Saturday. We share breakfast in the ballroom and then do our morning sessions. From 9:00 - 10:00 we will do the famous safe place meditation. This will be particularly fun this year because I have been granted permission to formally use the music I had used informally for 20 years. So it is a renewal. Then from 10:30 to noon, we will do some exercises for transition back to our regular lives. Ranch formally finishes at noon. Most people plan to stay through Monday or Tuesday to do some sightseeing. People have planned sightseeing trips, have taken the cable car up the mountain, gone horseback riding at dusk or simply hung by the pool and enjoyed one another. By Sunday, no one is shy so there is always lots of company. We have a special yahoo list to do ranch planning ahead of time. So if you want a roommate or you want company on your flight or you want to have help in finding a fantastic airfare, we can help. There is a sweet natural foods store right up the road. You can request a refrigerator for your room. There is a great swimming pool and hot tub outside, and under the stars in NM in May cannot be beat. David comes and sets up a full store so you can stock up and then he will send things home for you. Or you can go shopping all over Old Town and he will send your treasures back for you. Most of all, Ranch is about the people. You get to meet folks whose names you have been seeing all year. You get to sit with leadership over meals and do problem solving. You can make connections with people from your region. It makes me smile to even write this all out. Ranch is wonderful. We love doing it, and we love having you. Hope this helps give you a better sense of it. Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together:
Gretel, our webmaster, puts it all together. David runs the Radiant Recovery® Store. Selena provides the weekly Ambassadors column. The banner photograph is by Patti Holden. ©2008 Kathleen DesMaisons. All rights reserved. You are free to use or transmit this article to your ezine or website as long as you leave the content unaltered, use this attribution: "By Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. of Radiant Recovery®", and notify kathleen@radiantrecovery.com of the location. Please visit the Radiant Recovery® website at http://www.radiantrecovery.com for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction. You are getting the weekly newsletter from Radiant Recovery® in response to your signup. A copy of this newsletter may also be found posted on the web at http://www. radiantrecovery.com/weeklynewsletter.htm. |
