Do you have 5 minutes?

Do you have five minutes? 

That simple question led me onto an incredibly rewarding and life-changing path of practicing meditation. I celebrate my seventh year of almost daily practice this spring. 

The question was posed on a now largely forgotten radio show by the Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker, writer of The Color Purple. What stuck with me was her belief that if everyone on earth meditated for five minutes each day, the world would be a completely different and better place. The simplicity struck me, and I decided: I have five minutes. Let's see what happens.

Guided meditations work best for me, and I began by using free meditation podcasts available on iTunes.  A simple search will bring up several choices. 
My favorite is Mediation Oasis, which has many excellent guided meditations under twenty minutes. I often listen to podcasts recorded several years ago.
Learn to Meditate is an Australian podcast targeted toward beginners who want to develop context around a topic. They begin with some information and lead into a short guided meditation. Browse the titles to see what resonates with you.

Type "meditation" in the search box on iTunes and then look for podcasts.

In the past two years, I discovered Headspace, a app that is very user-friendly and informative. After listening to the many free podcasts and watching their easy to digest animations, I purchased a subscription to the service. Most of the meditations now are 20-25 minutes, mixed with helpful videos from the company's founder, Andy Puddicombe. He also wrote a book called Get Some Headspace: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in Ten Minutes a Day. The book is a good next step if you are interested in understanding the many reasons that meditation has been gaining in popularity and acceptance. 

Some days, it is very hard to sit still. I do things like braid my hair into ten braids just to keep some part of my body busy. Other days, the act of sitting and listening feels very natural. I try not to judge and instead focus on noticing. Some days will be different and there is no reason to judge. Just notice. 

It is hard to explain how positive the impact of meditation has been for me. It has been at the base of all my good decisions. I have been able to learn and grow from challenges in ways that truly have changed the course of my life. 

Please give it a try. Download a short meditation and see how it feels to listen. Ask yourself, do I have 5 minutes?  I hope the answer is yes. 

Photos from Pinterest: “5” by Otto Rieger, 1978, and Pinned by Francisco Notti Gianella

Browsing Bart's Books in Ojai, CA

Bart's Books in Ojai, California, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Founded in 1964, it remains the largest independently owned and operated outdoor bookstore in the U.S. 

Sadly, I only had a few minutes to browse before heading to the airport. It was a magical experience on a hot May day - my first outdoor bookstore, miles of used books in every category, a big, fluffy cat and one of the best bookends I've ever seen. 

While I could have filled a car load, my carry-on bag kept my purchases constrained to three books.

Stardust: The David Bowie Story by Henry Edwards & Tony Zanetta

Noise of the World: Non-Western Musicians in Their Own Words by Hank Bordowitz

A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies by John Murray

Oscar the Grouch likes the David Bowie book best.

the sunscreen situation

I know I should be wearing a hat in the sun - and I do! Most of the time. 

Hats aren't always an option, so I've been on a quest to improve my sunscreen situation. I have been upgrading to products that are free of toxic chemicals but maintain my high standards for being beautiful, luxurious and effective. My everyday body moisturizer is great - Alba Botanical Very Emollient with SPF 15. For my face, I like the Supergoop City Serum with SPF 30 for days when I know I won’t be in the sun for very long.

The search has been harder for a face sunscreen that feels more protective. Since I am trying to avoid chemical sunscreens, a physical barrier like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide is needed to block the damaging rays. Physical blockers have a reputation for leaving a ghostly pallor on the skin. The products I am looking for must have: 

 1. No white, chalky residue

2. No pilling or changing texture under makeup

3. No scent or a very mild scent

Suntegrity SPF 30 is my new favorite.

It is a broad spectrum product and includes a primer, which must be what helps it work underneath makeup so well. Suntegrity has 20% zinc oxide, which I have learned is a good standard for protection, but the whiteness in the tube blends easily into skin. The company was also founded on a very moving premise - in honor of the founder’s mother, who died from skin cancer.

Photo: via Pinterest from thegiftsoflife.tumblr.com