Thoughts at 7:50

Noticing that as I sit day after day, the mind is relaxed, less frantic.  most of the time it is effortless to sit for 30 minutes a couple of times a day.  Could be that I am in a smooth and untroubled phase of manic/depressive illness or it could actually be that meditation is having a positive effect on my life.  Could be that both are true.
Don't feel comfortable with 'bipolar' - prefer manic depression as it is more accurate and descriptive of what I actually experience.  It does take longer to type so maybe I won't make a firm decision at this moment.

Watched a vegetarian Indian cooking video yesterday - Manjala is the woman's name.  She prepared kidney beans in a wonderful sauce of tomato, ginger, jalapeño, and marvelous spices.  I had the ingredients on hand so I tried it and - Yummy!  Beans are right up there with my favorite foods and I could probably eat them daily.  They are, according to Dr. Greger, the healthiest food.  Can't remember the qualifying details but I should memorize them because I believe it.

Have been thinking about how much more cheaply I could eat if I stayed away from these fancy and complicated recipes that I am frequently drawn to.  If I ate beans, rice, and vegetables most of the time, I could save a bundle.  Plus, I would likely lose some weight as I exercise regularly.  Tricky part...I would have to give up the popcorn.  Ever since my son and his family came to visit earlier this summer, I have been on a microwave popcorn kick.  I never knew that one could buy movie theater style popcorn in the grocery store and have been eating (or should I tell the truth and say overheating) it for the past three months.

Enough for today.  Tomorrow I'll write about the Insight Meditation Timer and how it has 
changed my life.