A slice of pizza with a friend for dinner—sounded easy enough—a relaxing way to end the day with some carbos, veggies, cheese and red wine. That is how I look at a meal—what does it bring to me and what enjoyment do I get from it…on a night like this—a lot.

Pizza, lively conversation, a water view at sunset—I opted for all that but afterwards, I felt a craving—my body needed vegetables. The tomato on the pizza didn’t quite “do it” for me, so I thought about what I could eat that would be good for me and good to my palate. Though Trader Joe’s coffee ice cream could have called my name—it would have been yummy and easy, but it would NOT have served my craving. So I opened the frig and started rummaging for spinach, celery, avocado and tomato; NOW I was ready to toss it all together with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (why have just regular virgin oil when you can have extra, whatever the hell that means) and balsamic vinegar with spices and add a generous grating of good aged parmesan. I was in heaven! I toasted with some wonderful Fennel Kombutcha from the Spa Juice Bar on Las Olas and even added a very small sip of leftover Sauvignon Blanc, as I decided to also husk and steam a couple of ears of corn I had in the produce drawer. I always plan to cook things immediately, but then life happens…

So I steamed the rather fresh corn in salted water till just crisp, then I set one ear aside to eat and one for tomorrow’s lunch. I over-salted the water a bit with kosher salt, so the corn tasted so good and different, it was like an extra cheat on a vegetable—almost as good as a corn chip, but bursting with flavor and juice! Being full after that treat, I put the rest of my salad into a Tupperware for tomorrow and said good night to the kitchen—it was after all 10 PM, and it was time to get back to my computer for Chapter 4 of my day—before workout, after workout, before dinner and after dinner—which can be anything at any time of the evening, but it is generally followed by one more stint at the computer, doing email, reading industry news or trying to write creative copy.

Time for creativity can only happen it seems, when my personal needs are settled and my mind is free to roam. Only then do I seem to come up with the thoughts that explain the specialness of what I am writing about and why you should be compelled to read the story. That is what I love—doing something and then telling why it is so special and that is why I am sharing this story with you tonight. I made choices that gave me a simply lovely evening. I took the time, after having my fresh veggie snack, to roll on the floor with a medicine ball, getting rid of the tension in my legs, back and shoulder, just slowly rolling, methodically and to the tune of some great classic jazz, the pain and stiffness right out of my body. That sigh of relief is what I feel compelled to share with you and everyone around me, so that you can achieve a state of peace and lightness in your body and mind. One follows the other.