The Wisdom In Our Bones

 

Spending time in a forest acts like a bridge between worlds.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I started to appreciate forests and the density of old trees living together in such a mysterious way.

They seem to have a ‘larger than life’ presence and give off a sense of peace. There is a protected wisdom that resonates from a group of trees and the inherent power they possess. To think that they not only have the power to stand hundreds of feet high, but to create fire, build homes and provide shelter. Trees provide us with many basic needs but they offer us much more with their mystical connection to spirituality, health and wellness.

Much healing energy and wisdom are believed to flow through trees. In Japan, forests are believed to be “therapeutic landscapes”. They may decrease the risk of stress-related diseases.

A study done on 500 Japanese adults on the psychological effects of the practice of simply being in nature, connecting with it through our six senses of sight, hearing, taste smell, touch, and energy intuition, found the participants reported significantly less depression and hostility and felt significantly more lively.

Spending time in the forest acts like a bridge between worlds. By opening our senses, it bridges the gap between us and the natural world and generates balance between healing and wholeness.

What is really fascinating is that a cross-section of a human bone cell and a cross-section of a tree look amazingly similar. Bones grow in rings like the circles of a tree!

Our bones are our roots. They ground us to the soil of our life and allow us to grow. Bones are our foundation. They are our home and anchor in the physical world.

When I combine the thought of trees and human bones, it helps me understand the relationship between the energy shifts that happen from year to year, as we end one stage in our lives and begin another.

Trees retain wisdom year to year as they evolve. Each year, a tree forms new cells from the middle out in annual growth rings. The oldest rings closest to the center of the tree. Elements such as drought, excessive rain, fire, insect plagues, air pollution, all leave their marks on a tree’s annual growth rings.

Like a tree, we hold our ancient wisdom closest to our center. Emotions, thoughts, and environmental elements each year as we build the framework of our lives. Our ancient memories and wisdom lie within the feelings in our bones. Our wisdom will tell us if we are living in a thriving and healing environment or where negative emotions still stick to us like sap.

By the time you get to be my age and the outer layer of your “bark”, the inner layers of “wood” have already been laid down. It takes discipline and a great deal of patience and compassion to allow your inner wisdom to come out.

We can begin by taking a look at how we support our physical body and what we are doing to increase that support.

The next time you are in a forest, place your hands on the trunk of a tree and feel how solid it is. Spend some time there and take in the flavor of the forest to release your sense of inner joy and calm.

Our bodies are connected in and to nature. We can now cross the bridge to the wisdom, healing and the happiness we have within our very own bones.

My Journey to 1K Medium Followers

When inspiration invites you, say “yes”…

I’ve mentioned in earlier stories that writing is my lifelong dream and it did, in fact, take nerves of steel and a quarantine for me to submit the first piece for publication on Medium for the first time in April 2020. Inspiration invited me to do this and I grabbed it’s hand like Thelma & Louise and said “yea, let’s do this” and we drove off that cliff together.

From what I’ve read about the experiences of other writers on the Medium platform, I’m slow to get here. It hasn’t taken other writers quite this long to get to this level of followers but I had to work at my own pace.

I will admit, it has taken a lot of work and courage for me. At the same time, it has been a huge learning and healing experience to research the topics I’ve written about and set the research to words that would make sense to other people. If it has inspired at least one person — that would be more than enough for me.

I’ve wanted to write since I first held a book in my hands at a very young age — not long after I realized I existed on Earth as a physical entity. Many times throughout my life, creativity knocked at my door and, many times I had to say “sorry, I just can’t get my act together right now. Come back later.”

So you can say I got started at this game on the late side but when I sit down in front of the computer to write something, I don’t feel like a 60+ year old, I feel like a woman with something to say.

My goal is to write to inspire, entertain and educate my readers.These days I have to say that writing is where I am the most authentic version of myself.

I haven’t suffered from writer’s block. I don’t even know what that is. I write like I talk and I can say for sure I’ve never suffered from talker’s block.

I’m still hoping to get curated and always working on improving my craft, but I’m infinitely grateful to the loyal followers and publications within the Medium platform who have published my work consistently and made me feel like I am doing something “real”. I can no longer say I’ve “dabbled” in writing. I now have a following of at least 1K followers on Medium — the world’s largest online publishing platform!

All I know is that, when inspiration takes you by the hand and invites you, there’s no better thing to spend your life doing than to say a resounding “yes” to that invitation.

I would like to say a special thanks to the editors in the following publications who have published my work consistently and thereby made a huge contribution to my reaching this level; Be Yourself, Heart Revolution, Illumination, World Traveler’s Blog, Loud Updates, Journal of Journeys, Data Driven Investor, An Idea (by Ingenious Piece), Be Unique, Happiness Now.

The 5 W's Of Life

 

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” — Mark Twain

The 5 W’s are usually used in journalism, research and police investigations. They are a method for obtaining the full story on a particular subject.

I remember being taught a version of the 5 W’s — Who, What, When, Where and Why to be used for writing or research.

When we look at our life story, we can probably identify the 5 W’s in the different phases of our lives. In this perspective, they can be a metaphor for focus, self-discovery and realization.

During our teenage years, our focus is mainly on Who we are, this being a time of significant change in our bodies and our minds.

When we get into our 20’s, we start to think seriously about What we want to do with our lives, especially when it comes to our career path.

When we get into our 30’s the focus becomes more intent on When and Where. This is when most of us set time-based goals: When we want to get married, have kids, or reach a professional milestone. At this time, we decide where we want to live long-term -as these are the prime income-earning years.

By the time our 40’s approach, recognized as the midpoint of our lifetimes, we start to consider the Why for the first time. Why do we do what we do? Why is it important? We might also begin to consider our core values through reflection and self-discovery.

This is the time when we start to uncover some answers and start looking into the spiritual side of things. We see the roadmap of our lives and start moving away from things that don’t serve us. It is a time of recalibration of friendships, relationships and careers.

Even after we realize there is a disconnect between our Why and our What, it is still difficult to make any big changes and adjust our lives to the Why. Many times this means rocking the boat, taking big risks, or giving up safety in search for success.

This may involve giving up a good-paying job that you don’t enjoy when you have important financial obligations. Most of the time, we settle for just staying put, even if you know you can do much better. Many times, it takes a significant external event to bring on a forced change that sets us on the path that we know we are meant to walk.

I think that COVID-19 brought about a silver lining for many — a forced disruption that eliminates the safe and easy option. Maybe it is the catalyst that we need to make the changes that are long overdue and finally lead us to the important friend of the 5 W’s: How.

I’ve noticed that once people clarify their Why and lock into their purpose and values, they are motivated to redefine their How. They consider their legacy, looking at how they can have the most fulfillment and success at the same time.

How is bigger than What because it’s less about what you do and more about the outcome, or impact that you want to make in your lifetime. How is more often connected to your Why and your values.

If a door has closed for you during COVID-19, it may be that much needed nudge to take a close look at where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow.

If you’re clear about your Why, are you ready to think about your How? I say it’s never too early, or too late, to start.

Living Within Our Means

 

Is it a thing of the past?

In the past, we used to save for the things we wanted and bought them when we could afford them. It seems that, in the last 30 or so years there has been a dramatic increase in the Buy Now, Pay Later loan industry, thus the use of credit cards, personal loans and home equity loans that allow us to borrow money for purchases we couldn’t afford otherwise.

This variety of loan options has made it much easier for us to live beyond our means and buy things before we can pay for them. Saving money over time and paying in full for something we want has become almost foreign.

The experience of accomplishing a savings goal is a thing of the past. Now we have the stress of overextending ourselves and pledging our future income before we’ve earned it.

Of course, there are valid cases where it makes financial sense to borrow money to make a purchase. Buyers often borrow money to invest in an asset that appreciates — like a home or a business. However, borrowing money to pay for a depreciating asset like a car, furniture, or vacation, can pull you into a never ending debt cycle.

There is something ironic in the works here — buying things is often used as a reward “deserved” for hard work: “Why don’t you buy yourself something nice?”. This implies that work is drudgery, so in order to ease the pain, the money earned is spent on some gadget, therefore requiring more work.

I think it’s our level of discipline and ability to delay gratification that makes the difference between saving to buy something and taking on debt to buy something. After all, a payment on a debt is really just a form of forced savings, except with an additional interest expense.

Regardless of your level of income, when you make it a habit of living beyond your means, you are creating a future liability that will come due and could have an adverse impact.

On the other hand, living within your means has many benefits. It contributes to being happy in the present moment. It allows you to buy things without having to borrow money and may give you the ability to survive an unexpected emergency or setback.

Ironically, people are often most innovative when they have to work with financial constraints, as opposed to having the freedom to buy a solution to every problem. On the other hand, those who live above their means leave themselves open to catastrophe when misfortune strikes.

I believe we can still accomplish great things without lavish spending or living beyond our means.

What might it look like for your to live within your means?

The Invisible Beautiful Mind

 

How unfortunate it is that we live in an era in which the physical appearance always counts first.

When I think about this, the movie “ A Beautiful Mind” comes to mind. While certainly an entertaining and a highly inspirational movie, it was not about appearances. It was about the life of the American mathematician John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics and Abel Prize winner and his battle with paranoid schizophrenia. Jennifer Connelly, the actress who played Alicia- the wife of Dr. Nash, said she wanted to play the role because it was a story that had value to it. It had mortality to it. It had a heart to it.

They say “don’t judge a book by its cover”. In fact, what we see in front of us with our eyes is not always the truth and even mirrors can be deceptive. It may as well be invisible.

I truly believe that true beauty is about who you are as a HUMAN BEING, your principles, your morals, your character. It is about how you make OTHERS feel about themselves in your presence. And after.

I think people who are humble are beautiful. I think passionate people are beautiful. I love it when their eyes start glowing whenever they start talking about their passion. A person’s energy can either lift you up or bring you down. After being in the presence of a truly beautiful person, you too will be left feeling beautiful.

I firmly believe that Love can transform the way we see other people and ourselves. There’s a tiny nuance that makes me completely go in awe of someone. It’s the way they talk. The way they express themselves, explain a topic or even crack a joke. It’s that uninhibited charm of their expression that makes them so beautiful. I have always felt this. Always been an admirer of how amazing it is to look at people when they’re talking about the things they are passionate about.

A man who holds women in high regard is beautiful to me. I considered my late husband, who always claimed to have “a face for radio”, a most beautiful human being indeed. I still think the most attractive part of a man is his brain — or maybe his heart. The jury is still out on that one.

I once heard a saying that I absolutely love: “What you are never changes, but who you are never stops changing”. I don’t remember where I heard it.

Apart from acts of kindness, I think this must be what makes people fall in love. You know, when you see- really see, and start noticing how incredibly gorgeous the person looks when they talk about something they love. When you notice what makes that person happy and how their face expresses that happiness…that hope for a beautiful tomorrow.

A beautiful mind for me is one that is inquisitive and takes whatever it learns and invents things or ideas to make life easier for others. One who supports the progress of society without the desire for personal gain. It’s a mind that is selfless and treats people with fairness and balance. It’s a mind that is youthful and has not lost the inner child, that can play and enjoy the beauties that Mother Nature has given this earth.

I subscribe to the belief that beauty is important as long as it is not painful to look at you. Past that point, intelligence, far and away, wins out.

Beauty itself is nice, but beauty fades and it’s boring. We may lose our physical beauty after a certain age but our inner beauty will not fade.

Heart Revolution

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Putting Sleep On The Agenda

 

We can all be part of the solution to an official public health problem

We’ve all been there — dragging yourself through a workday when you didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Not only is it unpleasant, it makes everything more difficult and depletes the quality, accuracy and creativity of your work. Let’s not even mention your level of patience when dealing with other colleagues.

If you manage people, sleep issues can compromise all the good things you do. If you suffer from sleep issues, you will be far less receptive to even the best management and culture in the world. If you didn’t sleep well, it will be hard to get your attention or full engagement in a project.

Your workday demands energy that only sleep can provide.

Consider the many demands your workday makes on you- such as maintaining focus, solving problems, making decisions and recalling important information. You have to collaborate with your colleagues and respond to their concerns. You need to be ‘on call’ for client calls and internal meetings and, last but not least, you need the physical stamina to make it through the day.

Sleep is the food of the brain. Not only the quantity counts, but the quality does as well. It has a significant impact on your neurological performance.

The better you sleep, the happier you live and work.

More than one-third of Americans suffer from poor sleep. So much so that the Center for Disease Control has designated poor sleep as an official public health problem.

It’s surprising how little sleep is discussed at work, and it has been proven that a short, restorative nap can have a big impact. Fortunately, working from home makes that a lot easier.

It’s important to respect your sleep. It’s more than just downtime. It’s a vital part of your wellness routine — along with diet and exercise.

It’s also important to create a better sleep environment — such as a supportive bed and a cool dark room. But it’s even more important to develop good sleep habits like a regular bedtime and activities that slow you down before you down before bed and let your mind go.

At work, you can do your part by having open conversations and discussing the challenges and wellness programs that can play a role in improving everyone’s sleep. We can all play a part of the collective solution.

It can be a major force for good.

How To Live The (Aging) Vida Loca

Growing older without getting old

What’s the most important thing to getting older without getting old? Here are some tips to living the (aging) vida loca.

Age is just a number right? As far as I know it only measures the time you’ve been on earth. In fact, it has little to do with how many years you have left.

The thing is that if you believe you are young, you are. By the same token, if you believe you are old, you are! Your mind is much more powerful than you can imagine and, if you harness the power of your mind, the rest will take care of itself.

Praying and going to church can feed your soul and spirit. Or you can connect with your source in other ways. The point is to just do it in whatever way you choose. By connecting with a higher power, you keep your soul young.

It’s true that you are what you eat but you are also what you WILL BE. What you put into your body fuels it and gives you energy. Highly processed foods and drinks such as fast foods and boxed foods have little to no nutrients for your body to use. Fast foods don’t give you enough “fuel” to burn for energy. Often times it leaves you even more tired than if you hadn’t eaten.

Give your body whole foods like lean proteins such as chicken, fish, beef, pork and eggs and lots of colorful vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Also include healthy fats such as olive and nut oils, nuts/nut butters, avocados and coconut oil.

Proper supplementation is another important part of feeding your body right. Keep in mind that just about every person, even if they eat organic whole foods, is still lacking in nutrients. Our top soil has been depleted of minerals due to all the spraying with herbicides and fungicides.

Most of the commercial food sold today is lacking in nutrients so, when searching for supplements, make sure the ingredients are NON-synthetic, earth based and water soluble.

Drink water to keep your cells hydrated. Just like Mother Earth, our bodies are made up of 60–70% water so drinking water is important. With coffee, sodas and energy drinks as the staples in our diet, many of us are walking around dehydrated. When we have the urge to eat without really being hungry, it is a signal from our brain that we need water.

Having a fit body helps keep you young. You don’t have to bench-press your body weight but moving your body and doing some sort of weight-bearing exercise will keep your body agile. You want to retain as much muscle mass as possible to keep your body young and vibrant. Whatever way you like to move your body is better than not moving at all.

Sitting is this generation’s smoking as a health hazard. If you work at a desk job, get up every hour and walk around and do a couple of stretches or squats to get the blood flowing. For many years now, I’ve turned to walking as a form of exercise and meditation. It increases the heart rate and builds strength. While walking, I can solve a problem or finish an argument with myself or someone else.

Connect with nature as much as possible. Let the sun soak into your skin and get your bare feet on the ground if you can.

Creating quiet in your life is more important than ever. Our poor brains are on constant overload with information. We need to unplug from technology. You can do this by reading, prayer, meditation, or finding a hobby that allows the creative side of your brain to flow.

I have found writing and photography to have an immense impact on my mental well being. Both hobbies have forced me to stop and enjoy the present moment. There are many online courses nowadays (many of them free) that allow you to learn a skill or hobby and use your creativity.

Most of us grow up fearing our 50s and 60s birthdays when, in reality, getting older can be a blessing. The older you get, the better you know yourself and you’ll finally have the time to explore your passions.

A Conversation With Elizabeth Gilbert

 

There are worlds inside us waiting to be unlocked

Elizabeth Gilbert’s best selling book, Eat, Pray, Love, began where many of her readers have found themselves: kneeling on the bathroom floor in crisis. The book, and subsequent movie, is a narrative of the adventures following her divorce through Italy, India, and Bali. It is an exotic travel memoir with incredible scenes, transcendent experiences, and fascinating characters.

Her book was an account of making peace with the past and setting out to discover her authentic self. It gave women an example of a kind of journey in which the destination is a more truthful life.

This book inspired readers to begin or end romances, embrace motherhood or evade it, to change jobs, or address, or their beliefs. These radical shifts are transformations that don’t necessarily have anything to do with travel.

Gilbert says that the answers to her life are not likely to be found out there. She reminds us that, although the world is an enchanting place, there are worlds inside us too —worlds that are always ready to be unlocked. She mentions that she has a painting of Emily Dickinson, who spent much of her life in her bedroom but still created some of the most monumental poetry ever written.

She went on to write Big Magic, a guide for managing the fears, frustrations and blocks of creating, allowing readers to channel the playfulness they need to express themselves freely. In her other book, The Signature of All Things, which is the story of Alma Whittaker, inspired by the true-life adventures of real 19th century female botanical explorers, Gilbert remains an intrepid explorer of intellectual and emotional terrain.

Gilbert’s trademark blend is one of lightness and earnestness, common sense and magical realism, she says her serenity doesn’t come easily. She says she needs “a dose of courage every day”, because she’s frightened every day. There is a nervous little person inside her. But if there’s a creative project she’s afraid to attempt, a truth she needs to tell, or a painful new reality she must face, she asks herself: “What’s the alternative?”

She says that every day she writes herself a letter from love-divine unconditional love. She asks for advice, and love always gives her kind answers, which she writes down as they come to her. Even in her darkest hours, love has always shown up, saying, “I’m right here. I’ve got you. You’re never alone.”

The one mystery she would most love to solve is about the amount of control we humans have over our behavior and personality. Can we change our nature, or are we all just victims of our brain chemistry, genetics, hormones, and upbringing?

Sixty & The Sixties

 

The two 60’s have a lot in common

There’s a lot to love about being over 60. If you are over 60, you may remember the 1960's. Of course, that may depend on how many mind-altering experiences you had.

As it turns out, the two 60’s have a lot in common. Some good, some not so good.

In the 1960’s, people began wearing sandals as no time before. They became fashionable and inspired a certain freewheelingness in the wearer. The exposure of one’s feet in polite society as opposed to on a beach was considered a bit unorthodox.

In our 60’s, my friends and I are still wearing sandals- mainly comfortable, flat ones. Of course, this likely indicates an inability to wear less comfortable shoes or even the presence of a bunion!

In the 1960’s, some of us indulged in a recreational herb intake. Now marijuana is back! In our 60’s, some indulge still. Or perhaps for the first time. It may not be recreational but medicinal and we may even have a prescription for it.

The herb, not unlike us, has been through a transformation as well. It can now be ordered off a menu. If you have a headache, pot can make it go away. If you’re feeling anxious or paranoid, this herb can take care of it.

“The Pill” was introduced in the 1960’s and made it a lot easier to have sex without worrying about pregnancy. In our 60’s, some still use a pill to make it easier to have sex but we’re still not worried about pregnancy.

In the 1960's, we enjoyed watching Jagger move like Jagger. In our 60’s we still enjoy watching Jagger move like Jagger — after getting over the shock that he’s in his 70's! Some of us can still move like Jagger — well, almost.

In the sixties, we saw The Beatles introduce meditation and the music created for their new enlightenment. We’re still listening to New Age music in our 60’s while meditating and doing yoga and finding our way to enlightenment. I have to say, from time to time, I still enjoy a good protest song.

We are still railing against fighting unwinnable wars in our 60’s just like in the sixties — except now we do it by signing online petitions and donating to causes that match our sensibilities. We still teach our grandchildren to believe in the possibility of peace because we still want so badly for it to happen.

In the sixties, we cared about the world. We thought we could change it so we marched,volunteered, sang, studied, voted, and wore flowers in our hair to show our love for the planet.

In our 60’s, we’re still doing all of those things. We may no longer be trying to change the world but we’re still trying to make a difference.

I have to say a nice flower still looks good in the hair — even if the hair is silver.