By Nanette Wiser
WORDS OF JOY Spring starts March 20th, so our resident artist Pamela Joy Trow wants to share Sister of the Spring and the poem “Capture the moment, savor the day…may it be happy in every way.” As March 25th is my birthday, I also like her birthday card with this message for all my Aries friends: “If you aim for the stars, you’ll get there someday, heaven is only a lifetime away. As you wait from afar, just live the day and capture the night in your own special way.” This is one of her many fantastic illustrations! Pamela’s whimsical images of nature, mermaids, and messages of hope appear in her cards, prints and other merchandise available at www.pamelajoytrow.com.
HEALTHY SNACKS
Everyone’s snacking more than ever! More than 90% of the U.S. population consumes two to three snacks daily according to Current Developments in Nutrition. If you want to snack for health and weight loss, hummus is your best friend with numerous health benefits. Hummus contains fiber, is rich in protein and can reduce blood sugar spikes. The Journal of Nutrition reports people who ate an afternoon snack of hummus and pretzels reported less hunger than when they munched on a granola bar (both were 240 calories). The hummus was such a potent appetite suppressant that it even helped the volunteers snack less later in the evening, reducing their overall daily intake by 120 calories compared to when they ate the granola bars. I like the red pepper or spinach and artichoke hummus, best paired with veggie dippers such as red pepper strips, sliced cucumbers, baby carrots or radishes.
PRIORITIZE YOUR LIFE Life is a pie, best consumed in slices. You can’t eat it all at once, so start with a list of the most important aspects and rank those areas. Some might be a bigger slice than others, and they can change over time. It’s all OK as long as you honestly speak from your soul and avoid what makes you weary with this suggested list: family, friends, income, marriage or romantic relationship, health and fitness, spirituality or faith, personal growth, professional growth, rewarding work, using your talents, wealth and savings, prestige or status, your impact on society, influence and power leisure or relaxation time, independence, security or the place you live.
SAIL AWAY Our county is a watersports paradise that includes paddleboarding, kayaking, sightseeing boat tours by, speed boat rides, family-friendly pirate ship excursions, and romantic sunset cruises on the Gulf of Mexico, the Intracoastal Waterway, Tampa Bay, Boca Ciega Bay and adventures. Our CVB recommends guided nature tours by boat so you can see local birds and animals. Learn about the dolphin population in Clearwater Bay on a dolphin and wildlife boat tour from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. On the St. Pete Pier, the Tampa Bay Discovery Center also offers nature tours. If you’re a seashell collector, head south to Pass-a-Grille Beach to catch a boat tour to Shell Key Preserve or catch the ferry to Egmont Key State Park to explore the remains of Spanish American War-era Fort Dade in this pristine wildlife refuge. Visit https://bit.ly/3JR3ulU for boating and watersport ideas.