Celebrated my birthday a few days ago and the first thing on my mind were to ‘goof off’. I did a great job of doing just that and it didn’t bother me one bit to be unproductive and care less. I relished and bathed in the action of playing just for playings sake.

Now I do this about every once a year at the same time. It’s not enough. We should all incorporate ‘goofing off’ into our lives as a means to reward ourselves for work weeks well done, projects and deadlines completed, and to melt the stress and tension we create for ourselves on a consistent basis.

Think of it as healing and medicine for the soul; to allow our body to reconnect with our mind after being desensitized from the daily grind, to break any cycle of micro-trauma that we may have encountered and wants to be released, to regain our sense of sanity and purpose for the greater good.

So give yourself permission to have fun. Renew your senses, morale, and body. Do what it is that feels like you’re playing hooky and really enjoy it! Life is meant to be fun, allow it to happen!

Goals. What we set for ourselves as guidelines to achieve success in various facets of our lives. We usually focus on long term goals, however short term goals are the building blocks to the aforementioned. My favorite is weekly goals just because they are easier to track and achieve which is very motivating for me.

Setting out weekly health-goals is an excellent way to train your body and mind to shift to better ways of eating and living. This way the goals are achievable, not too far off into the future that it seems daunting, and keeps you in check each week to review your progress. Because these goals are ‘mini’ they do not take much effort and are easy to commit to; our schedules and living habits are not as drastically altered that they’re comfortable and very doable….and those are they keep words ‘comfortable’ and ‘doable’.

Try it out! Start every Monday morning and set out some weekly health goals. A few examples can be as easy as –committing to drink eight cups of water daily, cardio exercise every morning at 6:30, no meat on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, going to bed at night thirty minutes earlier-. My goals for this week…increase my speed on the treadmill when jogging, veggie meals for lunch, and keeping to a bland diet.

Feel good Friday! Allow your Qi to flow smoothly throughout your body to provide nourishment and energy by feeling good now!

Summer weather is approaching fast. Add tomato or apple juice to your diet to clear internal heat. This was definitely part of my liquid intake in Haiti; keeps the mind and body cool and peaceful.

Haiti. First and foremost i love our landlord here in Haiti; he's been a father, friend, transporter, and all around protector. God definitely outdid himself giving us his best guardian angel. As the days close in for our departure, its saddens me to think our days with Erick will soon end.

We visited the orphanage/school in the country side which was a breath of fresh are. Being in the hub of Port-Au-Prince all these days; traffic, dusty roads, hustle-n-bustle of people getting everywhere - made seeing the countryside a nice detox from the big city. it was a bumpy ride (literally) to the country; dirt muddy roads, dusty roads as well, ditches. However, having the atlantic coast to the right of me was refreshing.

All the children and adults we treated, all with smiles, soaked in the treatment like it was food for the soul. Because of the language barrier, they couldn't ask much questions and just TRUSTED us. They all seemed to respond well to treatment; relaxed, slept in there chairs, released any trauma they held on tight to.

This amazing trip has totally put my life in a whole different perspective. All i stress over in America means absolutely nothing since I've been here. Thought i was here to help, yet being here has actually helped me.

Haiti. I've been here for three days and only now have a chance to share some thoughts. A team of four are here providing relief work as acupuncturists. We're here to provide acupuncture to victims of the earthquake, first/second responders, and anyone interested in receiving treatment.

It was a tough first day for me; I definitely had some culture shock and the devastation left by the quake is still very present and doesn't seem to be improving quick enough (then again I'm talking from American standards of what it means to quickly-improve).

Hot. Sticky. Humid. Hot again. Right now where having a rain storm as i write, however we've consistently had one everyday so far at this same time; i love it! Going to the different venues providing acupuncture has been a priceless experience each time; its a chance to give what-i-love-to-do some serious worldly care.

Each day that passes, I'm beginning to love this country, the people, and all its beautiful chaos! Excuse the choppiness of my blog entry....there's so much I wanna share....more to come!

I’ve mentioned before the importance of balancing the liver energy. I will continue to remind us just because it pretty much effects everyone around us. I mentioned in a tweet and on Facebook, “let bygones be bygones”. Expanding on that, releasing grudges and forgiving yourself, others, and past events definitely brings balance and peace to your liver. And when a peaceful liver is present, you’re able to thrive during stressful events and those once stressful events no longer have the heavy energy they once provoked. So begin now to peel off those layers of resentment and grudge, and feel your Qi become lighter and lift up. A sure sign you’re freeing your liver and bringing balance to your body and soul.