Rainbow Rachel's Recommendations #2

Hello beautiful Steemian. I hope your day is off to a fantastic start!

A few weeks ago a made a post called Rainbow Rachel’s Recommendations where I highlighted 5 things in my life that I am in love with and highly recommend. I’ll be making these posts every few weeks or so, highlighting books, movies, recipes, meditations, songs, etcetera! Anything that makes me want to jump for joy and tell the world about is fair game. 😃 💚

Today, I give you the second edition of Rainbow Rachel’s Recommendations. Enjoy :)

1. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by. Daniel H. Pink

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Not all hours of the day are made equally. Different times are better suited for different activities. Early mornings are great for contemplation and reflecting, while late morning/early afternoon is great for mental stimulation and accomplishing your toughest tasks. Evenings, for most of us, are perfect times for relaxation and creativity. And if you mix up what you’re doing during these times too often, you may be making life much harder than it needs to be…

I am currently in the process of finishing up this fascinating book called When, from author Daniel H. Pink.

This book talks about the importance of timing and how understanding the “when” can help you have the most productive and successful day, every day.

Pink shows how the practice of perfect timing is actually a science, and can be learned and mastered by all.

One of the most important things I learned from the book, is that if you attempt to make big, important decisions at the wrong times of the day, or attempt to have intense discussions with loved ones or business partners at the wrong time, you could be creating some major issues for yourself without even knowing it. Pink tells stories of CEOs and ship captains who make big decisions at the wrong times and it results in tons of money, and even lives being lost.

He talks about how every single of us has a cycle of timing that we go through each day. We are either “Larks” (early risers), “Third Birds” (people in neither extreme), or “Night Owls” (those who peak in the evening hours), and understanding which category we fall into, and thus which daily rhythm and cycle we are on can really help us to get the most out of our days. But he also talks about how we tend to be different birds in different times of our lives, depending on what our goals are. Those who are business-savvy, or entrepreneurs can most likely be the most successful if they follow the rhythm of the “lark” or the “third bird”, whereas those who are focused on creative endeavors may do their best work when they follow the path of the “night owl”.

A few months ago my partner Michael taught me about the “Chi Clock”, which is the the Traditional Chinese Medicine look on how our days should play out. I found it to be fascinating, and incredibly helpful when trying to understand myself more and how to be the most productive and successful, day in and out. And so when I read this book, When, and found that it also supports the Chi Clock, it made me that much more convinced about the importance of understanding timing.

While I’m still not finished with the book, it is already teaching me so much valuable information and is helping me to be the most productive and energized version of myself. I know when to push myself, and when to let myself take breaks. When to focus on big mental tasks, and when to allow myself more creative, relaxation time. Knowing this ebb and flow, and understanding the patterns of time we humans all go through is such an important skill to know.

It’s a great and easy read, and I highly recommend!

2. Invisibilia - A podcast about the invisible forces that control and shape our lives

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Listening to podcasts is one of my favorite way to pass time. It’s a great alternative to watching netflix, and a great way to passively learn and grow when on the go, or when you’re too tired to read a book. It’s my favorite travel activity. I love listening to stories and hearing people speak and teach about interesting topics.

One of my favorite podcasts is called Invsibilia which is from NPR (the National Public Radio). Invisibilia talks about the “unseeable forces [that] control human behavior and shape our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions.” (npr.org)

Invisibilia has been around for 4 seasons so far, and they have discussed ‘the history of thoughts’ (do thoughts reveal who we really are?), ‘the power of categories’ (how categories define us; humans interesting desire to fit into one category or another), ‘the secret emotional life of clothes’ (and how much clothing can affect our actions), ‘bubble hopping’ (social bubbles, media and political bubbles), and our ‘emotions’ (how do our emotions work? Do we react to things in the environment and then experience an emotion? Or do we experience the emotion first, and then react to our environments? How much control over our emotions do we have?)

I find every episode to be super entertaining, and I’m always learning something new. Check it out!

3. A Quiet Place

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A few weeks ago I was home in the USA with my wonderful family, and for our movie night we rented the new film, A Quiet Place.

This thriller takes place in a post-apocalyptic future. There are some sort of alien beings/monsters who have taken over, and have killed off most of the population. There aren’t too many people still living, but those who have survived have only done so because they have figured out how to be undetected from the monsters….. And that is by being absolutely SILENT.

This movie was unlike any other film I’ve seen, because there is pretty much no dialogue, which made the scenes even more intense and captivating. The characters have to stay completely silent, because the monsters, although they cannot see, they have incredible hearing abilities and can detect even the tiniest amounts of sound.

The story is about a family of 5 who have managed to survive. They walk around without shoes as to keep their sounds to a minimum, and they have created a world for themselves underground. In one of the opening scenes, you learn that the oldest of the 3 children is deaf, and thus the entire family knows sign language, which is a big reason why they have been able to survive so long, because they are used to communicating without words and sounds.

I found the move to be fascinating and completely entertaining. I loved the minimal dialogue and how the actors and director used visuals, sounds effects and a compelling storyline to convey messages between the characters. Also, I really love John Krasinksi, who not only starred in this film, but he also directed it. And I loved getting to see John Krasinski and his real-life wife Emily Blunt work on a film together.

Super entertaining, and highly recommended!

4. All natural cleaning product - Vinegar and water

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A few years ago I attempted to removed all the harmful chemicals from my life. In body lotions and body sprays, in cleaning products and prepackaged foods, in shampoos, soaps, and conditioners, and I even stopped taking pain relievers and got myself off of hormonal birth control.

When I first started this process I was amazed when I started reading the ingredients list of my cleaning products and toiletries. Everything is full of so much garbage and toxic chemicals!

So I made the switch and began making all of my own cleaning products and toiletries.

I’ve experimented with tons of different recipes for shampoos, soaps, and all purpose cleaners, but now, years later, I find myself using the most simple recipe ever… Vinegar, baking soda, water, and essential oils.

That’s all it really takes to create a product that cleans and disinfects without any harmful chemicals. Vinegar is awesome in removing mold, mildew, soap scum, and stains.The vinegar/baking soda combo leaves mirrors and surfaces sparkling clean (just like windex, or other generic window cleaners, but without the ammonia and the toxic chemicals!). Vinegar also cuts grease, so it’s great to use for washing dishes, and it’s perfect for washing clothes as it eliminates any odors and leaves your clothes clean and sparkly.

Plus, simple white vinegar is incredibly affordable! You don’t need to spend tons of money on all these different cleaning supplies. Just buy yourself an empty spray bottle, fill it with 3 parts distilled water, 1 part vinegar, a scoop of baking soda, and a few drops of some essential oil (lemon, tea tree, and orange are my favorites for cleaning supplies) and BOOM, you've got yourself a perfect all-purpose cleaner. Wipe down counters and tables, mop your floors, clean your mirrors, wash your dishes and your clothes, all with this one simple cleaning product. Plus, as soon as it’s dry, vinegar is odorless, so it doesn’t leave your home smelling like chemicals. And if you add essential oils you’ll be left with a fresh, non toxic smell. (Note: some people suggest you make the mixture of vinegar to water about 50/50, but I always use more water than vinegar)

Do yourself and your family a favor and stop using chemicals to clean. Make the switch today!

5. Pai Specific Recommendation: Earth Tone

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I’m here in Pai this week, which is a beautiful, peaceful, small little town in the mountains about 3 hours North of Chiangmai. In comparison to the busy, city-life of Chiang Mai, Pai is so quiet, so relaxed, and so chill. There is so much beauty everywhere you look, and life moves much more slowly here. For me, Pai is about relaxing, spending time with nature, having some mini psychedelic experiences with the help of mushroom shakes, and of course, EATING!

So much eating! The food in this town is AMAZING! The town is full of yogis and vegans and healers and healthy, happy people, and so there is an abundance of healthy, nourishing, healing foods.

So for this week’s Thailand-based recommendation I want to tell you all about one of my favorite restaurants here: Earth Tone.

Earth Tone has a HUGE menu, full of variety. They offer smoothie bowls, waffles, japanese curry, buddha bowls, salads, sandwiches, tempe, spring rolls, and pastas. Healing juices, teas, kombuchas, and elixers. Vegan ice creams, cacao balls and an entire fridge full of desserts like Bananoffee cake and coconut cacao pie. They even have a little shop where they offer natural healing products like soaps, shampoos, cosmetics and toiletries.

The restaurant itself is built into the jungley mountainside, so there are green trees surrounding the entire place, keeping it cool and cozy, and with beautiful views in every direction.

Everytime I come here I am left incredibly happy and satisfied.

My favorite dishes include the Buddha Bowl; full of greens, a rainbow variety of veggies, tempe, and chickpeas, the Tempe Spring Rolls served with a yummy peanut sauce, and the Pesto Pasta, because I am slightly obsessed with pesto... but you really can’t go wrong!

If you find yourself in Northern Thailand near Pai, do yourself a favor and spend a delicious afternoon at Earth Tone.

Until then, enjoy these fabulous photos of what they offer.

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And that’s a wrap for the second edition of Rainbow Rachel’s Recommendations.

I hope you found something in here useful, interesting, or at least entertaining. If you’ve read or seen or tried any of these recommendations I would love to hear your thoughts as well in the comments down below.

I hope you have a beautiful and joyful day. Know that you are loved, and that you are exactly where you need to be. 🌟 💜

Sending you my love and light:
🌈 Rachel

I greatly appreciate any comments or questions, and of course, greatly appreciate every UPVOTE.

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