Vegan Chocolate and Free Buddhism Classes

Endangered Species brand is non-GMO, certified organic, certified vegan, and fair trade chocolate

Gave away a ton of giant yellow squash to friends today. There’s no way to keep up with the crop! But I’m not complaining at all. I’m hoping to have some ripe tomatoes for family this weekend.

Got my hands on some great vegan chocolate. Endangered Species brand is non-GMO, certified organic, certified vegan, and fair trade chocolate that is perfectly sweet but not too much so. I’m loving their dark chocolate with cranberries and almonds.

My mom was just in the hospital for several days. God, I hate hospitals. They just assault the senses. Blinding lighting, chemical smells, constant noise, patients groaning, dank colors, plastic everywhere, and largely non-supportive staff. They’re completely antithetical to healing. I’m glad she’s home.

Last night’s dinner was an amazing smoothie of bananas, fresh strawberries, coconut, garden kale and parsley, spirulina tabs, and Green Vibrance powder. Sweetened with a little agave. I had come home thinking I wanted a meal, but I had the smoothie, and I was good. Woke up this morning feeling lighter and cleaner than if I had eaten a late meal. Win!

Starting in September, the Buddhist Faith Fellowship at Wesleyan is offering free monthly classes in Buddhism, mindfulness, and meditation. This is the best news I’ve heard in a while! I took the Shin Buddhism semester with BFF at Wesleyan’s College of East Asian Studies starting last year (this was a paid course), and it was among the best things I’ve done for my practice.

That they’re now offering this free course of study that you can jump into at any time, without the responsibility of paper writing and testing, thrills me. The Shin class was great, but really challenging. Lots of homework and reading. This will be instruction and meditation without commitment. First class is September 11. I’m so in.

Check out BFF’s website (bffct.org/bff/) for a list of their instruction, field trips, classes, and other activities. There’s an August 13 field trip to Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, N.Y., that’s looking good to me. I can’t endorse BFF enough. Connecticut so needs this epicenter of Buddhist studies and fellowship. Just north of us, in Massachusetts and Vermont, there’s so much support for Buddhists. But there’s a dearth here in Connecticut.

The garden grows. I have chocolate today. All is well.

Live in peace.