What Is My Passion Thursdays: Sojourner's Healthy Lifestyle and Green Juice

For those of you who have been following our What Is My Passion Thursdays blog for the month of October, you would have been previously introduced to Sojourner and her son Ohm.  Sojourner's passion and purposeful career includes a love for travel, blogging, teaching, volunteering, and bringing her son along for the adventures.   It is also worth mentioning that Sojourner is an entrepreneur.  She is producer of a line of Reiki infused body care products (body butters and fragrance oils) called Touch of Ohm.  

This woman has it going on.  What or whom makes it possible for her to develop and maintain her passions? For one, she has God in her life (she's a Preacher's Kid aka "PK" too).  Secondly, she has a healthy lifestyle in body, mind, and spirit, including the practices of Yoga.  And thirdly, it's in her juice, her green juice to be precise.

When we met Sojourner and her son during Labor Day weekend, Sojourner had a green drink in her hand.  So what was in Sojourner's green drink?*  

Photo Credit:  healthycosmos.com

Kale- Green leafy vegetable.  Excellent source of Calcium and Vitamins A, C & K.  Bonus:  it's often linked to cancer protection and lowered cholesterol. 

Cucumber- Made up of 95% water, this vegetable rehydrates the body and aids in its elimination of toxins.  It's also an excellent source of B Vitamins and Vitamin C.  Bonus: placed on the eyes, it reduces swelling with it's anti-flammatory properties. 

Apple- An apple a day keeps the Dr away!! This benefit is highly taunted but extremely true.  Often linked to reducing risk of heart disease, cancer, hypertension, and diabetes.  Bonus: eat an apple before exercise and it increases your endurance.

Ginger- As an herb, it's used as a spice.  But it does so much more including treatment of nausea (and other stomach upsets) and menstrual cramps.  Bonus:  as ginger juice, apply to skin to treat burns and as a drink, aids in naturally reducing a fever and the subsequent "common cold".

*Information retrieved from several websites, including Eating Well and Medical News Today.

Rhonda and I also juice fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, in addition to taking daily supplements.  It keeps our mind and body regulated, and along with exercise and meditation/prayers, it empowers us to be our best as we align ourselves in our Passionate and Purposeful Careers.

So, how do you, our dear readers, maintain a healthy lifestyle? And how does it aid you in finding and/or maintaining your Passionate and Purposeful Career?

Rhonda W. & Sharee W.

Travel Tuesdays: Community Gardens, an Urban Oasis

A Brooklyn Brownstone*.

Two weekends ago Sharee and I were walking in the early morning hours in my cousin's Brooklyn BedSty neighborhood, where we were staying for a couple of nights. We paused at the signage below:

Behind the fence was:

The ground is ready for herbs.

and 

Herbs being grown.

Who would have thought we would have seen a beautiful oasis in an urban setting? 

We walked again the next day and saw a similar oasis in a park and between apartment buildings.

Community garden created by neighborhood kids at a nearby park.

A landscape yard with a gazebo between Brooklyn dwellings.

This peaceful oasis can occur in any neighborhood. Have you created or want to create a community garden where you reside? Comment below about your experiences with community gardens.

*All photos were taken personally by Rhonda & Sharee.

Rhonda W.

Time to Unplug

We're taking the advice of fellow bloggers Jennifer Poe of Important Chocolate and Danyelle Little of The Cubicle Chick and taking some time offline.  It doesn't mean we're going to totally disavow the Internet, emails, or social media, but take the time to put life in perspective as we create a work/life balance.

There have been times when we have been way out of balance on either side, and it makes sense to reduce the "noise" so that we can find "clarity".  We'll continue to update the blog 1-2 times a week; check emails at least twice a day during week and once on weekends; make comments and interact on social media at least once a day during the week and unplug completely on weekends; and promote our  E-book, Take A Leap Career Mentoring Program, and WCP, LLC projects in online and offline platforms.  And if you need to get in touch with us outside of email or social media, a phone call is nice.  If you don't have our number, contact us via email at weconnectedprod[at]gmail[dot]com and we'll be glad to share our deets.

Here are some reasons you might find it necessary to unplug:

#1)  Refocus- whether in career or personal life, there are times you will find yourself needing to refocus.  For us, we find it in reading motivational books and magazines, talking to our Mentors, and in prayer.  Refocusing gives us new, thought-provoking, and think-out-the box ideas.  The creative juices are explosive.  Especially when you follow this tip along with #2.

#2)  Healthy lifestyle- as soon as we're off from work, we walk around our neighborhood trail.  Not only do we walk during the week, but also on weekends and vacations.  We also juice our fruits and veggies for instant and long lasting energy throughout the day.  We no longer feel sluggish at 2pm.  Taking time to unplug allows us to exercise, eat healthy, and put our energy into a strong body and mind.

#3)  Reclaim family time- we love finding time to spend with family whether in church, family gatherings, or sporting events.  There's nothing like being in the present with the ones we love.  And as the jet setting twins will have it, outside of SC, we also find time to visit distant relatives and often make trips to NY, NJ, TX, and NC.  Family means the world to us, and if we had a choice as to how to spend a day, it'll be with family.

What are some reasons you find it necessary to unplug?  Can you do it for a day? 3-days? 7-days? An entire month? Longer?  Please share a comment below.

Rhonda & Sharee