OUR LIVES AS WORKS OF ART

A portrait of the - would be - artist
As a young person, I fancied myself as an artist and spent endless hours working on sketches with pencils, crayons, and water colors. Most of that artwork is long gone - from me and probably from the planet. I even have a formal background in art – at least, that, according to the undergrad degree that I obtained years ago. But I never did much with it after college, just an occasional drawing or two. Of the little I did, I kept a small part and gave away the rest to people who I hoped would value them. I was just too busy guiding my efforts in other directions, that being, caring for a family and my lifelong work in public health. 

And during all those decades that I worked and raised two children - up through their university years, I kept busy with what I saw as my priority commitments.  With the “extra” time I had, I allowed myself to do needlework and some personal journal writing. There just weren’t enough hours in the day for artwork. I always said that, someday, when I could, I’d go back to painting or drawing and perhaps do more than just write in my journal.

Luckily, since retirement, I’ve found time to dedicate a lot of time to creative outlets that I thoroughly enjoy – cooking, blogging, crafts, needlework, and drawing. The products of these activities continue to be personal in scope. My interest in these endeavors just hasn’t found any commercial outlet. I follow the SPIRIT OF LOVE AND BEAUTY– through art. This path has brought me blessings of joy, love and light, which I gladly share with others. To the extent that I can, I freely share my art with family and friends, mostly through Facebook. And, of course, the artwork in this blog serves some small part of the Internet public at large.

Creative energy abounds.
As to my drawing techniques, they are mostly done is computer graphics. Playing with colors & form is a joy for me.  It usually goes something like this. I have a feeling about a subject for a drawing and envision a theme. Occasionally, the drawings appear to me from something I've seen on Facebook or even as part of a meditation or the content of a dream. Whatever the initial motivation, I hone in on the feeling and remembering the “feeling”, I begin to elaborate on it, letting colors and shapes go where they will. The computer drawing software lets me swiftly make and erase many versions as I expand on that feeling. So, I have the freedom to enjoy each stage of the process, adding here, taking away there. The outcomes often surprise me, expressing extraordinary kinds of energy in the form of design and the color.

To date, mine’s a totally a digital project and I haven't even printed out all of my drawings. I share them on the Internet through Facebook and  greeting card apps. When I do get around to printing, I usually do an 8" X 10" or a letter-size page. Often I display them with wood or plastic frames and put them on my walls or give them to friends and family. Perhaps my most successful ventures were two sets of printed note cards of my drawings that I gifted to family members - one was of flowers and another with Christmas themes.

Drawing: WHIMSICAL FLOWERS, 2014.

Our beautiful future.
We can all foster beauty in our world by relearning some age-old, but mostly forgotten, principles about WHAT’S REALLY OUT THERE. And WHAT’S OUT THERE is ABUNDANCE. Our lives aren’t too limited or too flawed. As a matter of fact, we’re not limited or flawed in any real way. We just ARE and life just is - LIMITLESS and MAJESTIC.

When we allow ourselves to sit quietly (especially in nature among trees and gardens) - even so little as 10 or more minutes – at peace and present to our surroundings, we are released from past mental burdens and we see all around us with new eyes  And, from that vantage, we can see ourselves, standing in bright, uplifting clouds of energy. These boosts can also come from many creative endeavors.  And, for all of us, these lifts are the crayons in our very own coloring book of LOVE.

We can make our lives into works of art when we take time to expect, recognize and accentuate the beauty in our lives. What’s more, it’s all part of the immense energy available to us everyday - all the time. So, feel the glow of LOVE’S strength in the world. Meditate on beauty, harmony and peace. In those moments, we stand proudly in the band of loving souls who see astounding beauty and hear harmonious music.

Leave all those habitual worries behind and look up. There is the beauty of the world. And, with that vantage of beauty, get busy and manifest the colorful, unprecedented reality that all of us long for.  This can happen in many creative ways - through dance, drama, fine and communications arts, music, as well as through heartfelt concern and support of people and other living things. There is much joyful work to be done.

DITCH YOUR FLUORIDE TOOTHPASTE, TODAY.

You've probably heard it somewhere (but may have overlooked it - thinking that it couldn't be so). Bad news. Yes, it's true. Fluoride is a poison. As a matter of fact it’s a highly toxic waste from certain industrial processes, and it’s first use was as a rat poison. But since it was cheap and huge amounts were sitting around in vats, someone had to come up with some novel use for it. And some genius said: “Let’s sell it as a mouth hygiene product”. After WWII, having run a few dubiously “scientific” experiments, there was the highly publicized news that fluoride treatments decreased cavities.  At first it was just a suggestion, and many people continued with their usual tooth care methods. But shortly thereafter, came the "last word" in tooth care: “Fluoride must be in your toothpaste. Otherwise, you'll lose our teeth”. Today, we even see toothpaste for children with fluoride – despite overwhelming evidence that little ones can poison themselves with it. (Of course, many people continue to have cavities and lose their teeth. They are told that they didn't follow the rules right - poor brushing technique, too few trips to the dentist, too much sugar, etc. )

So, how bad is the situation? Well, toothpaste with fluoride contains 1,000 parts per million of fluoride - or even more. That amount of fluoride will kill a small child if he/she decides to eat most of an entire tube. More shocking is the fact that no reputable laboratory study has ever shown that fluoride helps to prevent tooth decay. It’s not particularly good for your gums, either.

So, why have we been regularly buying and bringing this poison home for so long? Because, now, 99% of the toothpaste sold in the US has fluoride in it. And publicity about its merits has been pounded in at us through a non-stop publicity campaign - that along with the total complicity of the American Dental Association. It appears that US dentists want customers who return for all kinds of procedures (big profits) much more  than they want dental disease prevention.

(Oh, and by the way, over the years, fluoride treatments have also gotten into the municipal water systems in most of the country, too. And that great public health debacle has only been addressed and stopped by a minority of US communities. (Worldwide, the word about how harmful fluoridated water is out. Today, 11 countries - China, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, The Netherlands, Japan, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Norway and Hungary - have outlawed it.)

So what to do for cavity prevention?

OK. That stuff is really bad for you and worse for children. But you may not be sure of your options for good mouth hygiene. Well, the first thing is to brush the teeth at least twice a day – with an adequate technique - with whatever product you choose and to floss as needed. And while you might not find it in the BIG BOX stores, there are several brands of effective non-fluoride tooth paste in health food stores and available online.

Other non-fluoride teeth cleaning options that have been around for hundreds of years. Tooth paste was only popularized after WWI. Before that. people used tooth power. The principal ingredient in most tooth powder was/is baking soda. It’s a popular natural ingredient that helps deodorize the mouth and whitens teeth. You can just stick your toothbrush in the baking soda if you like. (I don’t like it to use it because the taste is too strong for me.)

Hydrogen peroxide is another option that’s used in some natural dental products. You can make your own mouthwash by mixing hydrogen peroxide and water.

Essential oils, such as tea tree oil, mint, and cinnamon, are good tasting flavorings in natural commercial and homemade toothpaste.  You can find some recipes for homemade toothpaste by searching online.

Now, I hope you're convinced that fluoride is both dangerous and ineffective at preventing tooth decay. And that you have options. Just say: “NO” to it and find the non-fluoride teeth cleaning routine that best suits you. And let other people know about your decision and why. Everyone should learn about how bad fluoride is, so that they can demand that it be removed from all toothpaste (and from water supplies, too, of course).

Note: I simply brush with a little salt water  (1/2 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt) swishing it around in my mouth before and after brushing - and dipping my brush in the mixture as needed.  I rinse my mouth out with simple water when I finish. That seems to clean my teeth pretty well and my entire mouth feels fresh. Of course, I've yet to convince my husband to do the same, so I'll soon be buying some non-fluoride toothpaste for him. I'll probably use it once a day and continue doing the salt water routine for the second brushing.

VEGAN COFFEE CAKE, A GREAT ADDITION TO POTLUCK DINNERS.

Last February, when my husband and I first started with our new diets – vegetarian for him and vegan for me – I quickly adapted any number of cooking recipes to accommodate our new eating style. Still I was at a loss, at first, as to how to make egg and dairy-free desserts. I researched on the Internet and found that many brave cooks were coming up with vegan recipes. After, studying a few recipe posts, I began experimenting and came up with my own. I decided to concentrate on coffee cake.  I’m always looking for a not-too-sweet treat to drink along with my mid afternoon pick-me-up coffee or tea. Coffee cake is my favorite. Luckily, it's really easy to make vegan coffee cake and it really tastes good.

So, for the past six months months, I've been making vegan coffee cake at home. Lately, I started carrying it to the potluck dinners at our meditation group’s weekly meeting – with a lot of success. It has disappeared from the dessert table quickly every time.  Several people have asked me about the recipe, so here I've tried to remember just what I do. I had to sit down and think about it since I almost never follow or write any notes. The truth is that I've have made it a bit differently every time.

Try making a vegan coffee cake. 

So, here it is. By popular demand, I’m writing up my favorite recipe for vegan coffee cake. It’s a classic kind of coffee cake, but with a twist, of course. There are no eggs or milk in this cake. The moist sponginess of this cake – traditionally associated with eggs, happening here without eggs - is due to some tricks, including a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and 2 heaping tablespoons of cultured coconut (non-dairy) yogurt, and only one minute of stirring in the ingredients. Over beating the batter will definitely flatten a vegan coffee cake.

My first recipe was for in-season fresh blueberries and it turned out fantastic! But since then, I've used raisins and dried blueberries and even pureed pumpkin as additional flavors. Just about any fruit you have on hand or any combination of nuts will combine successfully in this cake. However you make it, it will go great with coffee (or tea) and it’s an excellent choice as a breakfast treat or a snack at any hour - also guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser at covered dinners. The vegans in your group will love you for it. 

For health sake, organic ingredients, while not required, are highly recommended.

Ingredients

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (choose the non-aluminum kind)

pinch of salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I use sunflower seed oil)

2 small, ripe bananas or 1 large one, mashed (Canned pumpkin and applesauce are good alternates.)

¼ cup dried blueberries or raisins

1/4 cup coconut milk (or coconut water)

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons of cultured coconut non-dairy yogurt, optional

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

juice of half a lime

½ cup of pecan pieces (or walnuts or cashews, etc.)

 Preparation

 Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees and grease an 8” X 8” baking pan (glass or stainless steel is better).

Stir together the flour, soda, and spices, and other dry ingredients. Whisk in the oil, lemon juice, coconut milk, and vinegar in the same bowl. Don't beat it like you would cake batter. When well mixed, fold in the dry fruit and nuts.

Bake on the center rack, until the middle is firm and the top is golden—about 20 minutes.

For topping, I simply drizzle vegan margarine on top of the hot baked cake and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before trying to cut this cake. It’s best to let it cool completely. Otherwise, the cake crumbles and the slices tend to be uneven. 

I GAVE AWAY MY MICROWAVE OVEN - WHYS AND WHEREFORES.

You may think that the microwave oven is your best friend in the kitchen. But, there's a dark side to your supposed friend. It's something like the Trojan horse of Greek history that looked like a gift, but brought tragic, unforeseen consequences. Here's the story.

Domestic microwave oven models were first offered in 1967. It didn't take too long before it became another item that brought "prestige" to consumer households who could pay what was initially a high price tag. Over the past decades, the much publicized microwave oven became much more affordable, and this led almost all U.S. householders to buy and use large and small units. And the younger generation probably believes that it's impossible to run any kitchen adequately without one. Hundreds of specialized cookbooks have added to the popularity of these ovens. It all seems to make sense – preparing and reheating food - in just a few seconds. It appears to be something that no "right-minded" man or woman would want to do without. But think again.

Big problems with microwave ovens.
First of all, it's been shown that microwave cooking breaks up proteins, vitamins, and minerals into much smaller molecules that the human body can't use as well for nutritional purposes. And its radiation effects create decomposed compounds that pose risks for cancer, reduced immune function, and impaired memory.

One study found disturbing changes in the blood of individuals consuming microwaved milk and vegetables for a few weeks. Study subjects ate combinations of the same foods cooked different ways. Those who ate foods processed through microwave ovens, compared with the controls, showed hemoglobin levels decreases and over all white cell levels and cholesterol levels increases. They also had important increases in leukocytes – signs of poisoning and cell damage - with the microwaved foods.

Second, these microwave ovens make up a substantial part of the cumulative problem of so much electromagnetic radiation in our homes, offices, and schools. It's the electromagnetic radiation that agitates the molecules generating an internal heat that "cooks" the food. At the same time, an unknown amount of the same radiation is escaping from the oven and going into the surroundings. That's why people with a pace-maker and pregnant women are supposed to stay aways from these ovens. The radiation leaks out of all of them – to some extent.

Another concern had to do with the fact that you shouldn't be using any type of plastic in these ovens. Plastic contains BPA and other substances that are released into the food with all that super heat. When the manufacturer says that it's microwave safe, that only means that it won't dissolve in the oven, not that it won't bleed toxic substances into your food.

 

The real deal - you really don't need it
Here, I'd like to tell you my experience and how I stopped being a convinced fan of  microwave cooking. Some months ago, my husband and I visited a friend for a few days. We cooked our food in her apartment. And with the first breakfast that we made, I noticed that the coffee was getting cold. I asked where the microwave was. She said she didn't have one. Well, I knew that my friend kept a rather Spartan apartment and had virtually eliminated all unnecessary items in it. But, I was amazed that she had no microwave. She told me about the negative health effects of having a radiation box in the home and that, microwaved food had a bad taste when compared with food cooked in a conventional way. More importantly, that it wasn't good for you, nutritionally. And that microwaving causes changes in the molecular structure of food, so that you don't get the same kind of nourishment from it as you would eating food cooked on a regular stove. While I was impressed by what she said, I didn't think enough about it, at the time, to stop using my microwave oven at home.

Some time later, I began to read about the negative effects of microwaves and that microwave cooked food was a health hazard. And after a time, I made a decision. I  gave away my microwave oven and bought a small, cabinet-top toaster oven to replace it. Now, several months have passed – sans microwave –and I'm satisfied that I did the right thing. Also the general quality and taste of our meals have improved – at least my husband tells me that. And, while, it may be due to any number of healthier changes in our lives, we both feel better, too.

Your chance to protect your family and the environment
You, too, can get along without that big monster hovering over your stove or hogging limited kitchen counter space. After all, those meals that you’re preparing for loved ones should be done in the best way you can. And, yes, things can get busy in the kitchen with everybody already hungry. But there are any number of ways that you can simplify your menus. Food can be served as salads or vegetables quickly steamed, in the conventional manner, during those hectic times. Tell your family that, yes, you're having to spend ten to fifteen minutes more in food prep time but that they're avoiding health risks and getting more nutrition in the process. Surely, they'll thank you for the extra effort made on their behalf.

And, why contribute to so many environmental problems created by the need for more and more electronic products? Just remember most families trade out out those big items - like microwave ovens - every few years or so. Our consumer-buying frenzy creates too much use of natural resources and leads to deadly levels of industrial smog. And it doesn't matter that the large part of that smog falls over Asian cities. It all comes back in the form of global ecological destruction - through acid rain and worldwide climate change.

Here's something that you can do right away. Take out your microwave and put it in the garage or in a closet for one month. Switch over to a toaster oven for warming your cooked food and heat up liquids in pots on the stove. Try this simple exercise. If it works for you, at the end of the month, I'm sure you'll be more than happy to give or throw away your microwave oven. At any rate, you will know that it's not such a good idea to use it and, if it reappears in the kitchen, your use will surely be less frequent.  

WHO'S KNITTING CHEMO CAPS? - HOWS & WHYS

In my last post, I wrote about charity knitting circles and why people get involved in them. This post gives more information for those who want to start charity knitting. What I say here comes mainly from my recent experience working with five volunteers at our local meditation group who want to form a charity knitting circle. Our meditation group has already been doing cancer patient support activities for a full year. To date, the activities include light snacks, drinks, and reading materials taken to the chemo area of a local oncology hospital. The five knitting volunteers are more than willing to begin, but most of them feel they lacked sufficient knitting skills. So, I told them - and later announced to the entire meditation group - that I would teach all those who wanted to be part of the circle how to knit. As a first project, I proposed a simple pattern for loom-knitted chemo caps.

Most everyone knows some cancer patients, children or adults, who have lost their hair during chemotherapy and has seen how baldness is a major discomfort for most of them. In response to that problem, many groups, nationwide, are making chemo caps that cancer patients can wear at home for sleep and leisure. And some of these caps are so elegant that they can even be worn on the street. The caps mean warmer heads in cold weather. But they have a greater meaning, too. As cancer patients face the many challenges of their cancer, tenderly handmade caps can give them new hope and help them gather personal forces to combat their illness.

What kind of cap works for cancer patients?
Having decided to knit chemo caps, the next question is what style cap works well for these patients and still is easy to make. I suggested that our small group of volunteers begin with a really simple beanie cap that only involves beginner knitting skills. With these ideas in mind, I recommended loom-knitting and an easy pattern with some special features.

The caps, themselves, will be worn more comfortably if they are made from soft polyester yarns, cotton, bamboo, baby yarn, etc. Pure wool and wool blends are often too hot when worn indoors and some people have allergies to these fibers. Cotton and bamboo yarns are cooler, less allergenic, and much nice for hot weather. Also, the design should include stitches that are knitted fairly close together so that you don't see patches of baldness through the spaces.

Beyond that, solid color or slight variations on a color are better because they draw less attention to the wearer’s head. The more uniform colors also go better with more outfits. And thinner knits, rather than very chunky ones, and caps without seams are preferable because lumps are uncomfortable for sleeping and long hours of wear.

Once the cap is finished, it should be gently washed and dried before before being given to a patient. Washing helps to avoid passing on germs to a sick person who shouldn't be exposed to any kind of infection. It also helps to soften the yarn. No commercial fabric softeners should be used because many of them are allergenic.


Pattern for a seamless, loom- knitted chemo cap for women.
Materials - for an adult woman with an average head circumference.
- round peg loom, 32 to 36-pegs (3/4" apart)
- about 120 yards of chunky yarn or twice as much for thin yarn that must be doubled for this cap. Cotton and bamboo yarns are best.
- loom hook
- crochet hook
- yarn needle

Instructions
Use 2 strands of a medium weight yarn or one strand of a chunky yarn in a light, bright color. Subtle differences in shades of the same color are acceptable.

Take up your loom and wrap a first counter clockwise row. The initial row should be wrapped tight for a better edge. You can crochet a chain for each peg or just turn the loops over, making a half knot for a wrap.

For the second row, e-wrap all pegs. Then lift off bottom loops, in a clockwise direction over top e-wraps (knit row). Make sure that you are knitting without any breaks since this is a seamless cap. E-wrap and lift-off for rows 2 and 4 and all the rest after row five.

Continue wrapping to the right (counter-clockwise) and lifting off to the left (clockwise).  For rows 3 and 5, e-wrap for the entire round. Then, take the loops out, one stitch at a time. Change the direction of the loop - pulled through from behind (knit stitch) to pulled through from the front (purl stitch). The first five rows form a small brim on the hat.

Knit about 28 e-wrap rows (a total of 8 inches) for the main part of the cap.

Next begin the gathered part by taking yarn off peg 1 and placing it on the second peg. Take yarn off peg 3 and place it on peg 4, 5 on 6 and so on all around. Then e-wrap the final row around on looped pegs, skipping the open spaces. Then one final lift-off.

With that row finished and the stitches still on the loom, measure out and cut off a couple yards of yarn on the same ball used to make the cap - without separating it from the knitted work. Put the yarn through the yarn needle and pass it through all loops from behind. Take all loops off the loom. Pull the yarn to make a fairly uniform circle and tighten it to form the gathered part of of the cap. Knot and cut the yarn. Weave the yarn end into the top part of the cap.

What else can be done with chemo caps?
There are some other activities that knitting circles can do along with knitting chemo caps. Again, I'll mention the plans of our meditation group. Organizational leaders will collect all the finished, hand-knitted chemo caps. Once or twice a month, the caps will be taken to the meditation room at regular meeting hours. The whole group will pray for the healing of those patients who receive caps. Each cap will be tagged with a specially decorated card that includes the name and email address of our organization. It will say something like: “Hand knitted for you with love and prayers for your healing.” Tags will also mention that, according to their wishes, people who receive a hat are welcome to contact the organization and the cap maker. 

The chemo caps will be given to staff members of local cancer treatment centers for their distribution. We are beginning our project with just a few volunteers. But, as other group members see how chemo caps make a difference in the lives of cancer patients, we hope to get more participants in our charity knitting circle. Others who want to support the knitting circle but can't find the time to knit can donate yarn and help with decorating the cards to be attached to caps.

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CHARITY KNITTING CIRCLES ARE USEFUL & FUN.

I can remember a time a few decades ago when women formed circles for all kinds of activities. It was a way of strengthening relationships among women, most of whom were unrelated by blood or marriage. And it gave them an excuse to meet regularly as friends and neighbors and work for special purposes. My own mother was part of a circle for decades. They called themselves the "Safety Pin Club" because they all had babies and small children at around the same time. When they got started, their main purpose was to offer each other emotional support and useful hints on how to care for the young ones. The group was diverse and included Catholics, Protestants, and Greek Orthodox from several different national backgrounds. They forged long-term friendships and were still meeting as a group when they had grown children and grandchildren. Most of the time their activities were social but they also got involved in a few charitable activities over the years.

In the last part of the 20th century, what with more freedom for women and their incorporation in the workplace, fewer women seemed to have the need or time for social or charitable circles. Nowadays, many young women don't even consider the need for such a thing. But, for others, both young and old, there are still good reasons to organize themselves and meet - just as women.

Knitters often form circles to reach out other knitters. Whether wanting to learn new stitches or pass on needlework skills, the warm companionship of a knitting group enriches their love of knitting and comes to be an important part of social life. Members of the group also do more than sit around knitting. They share details of their lives, talk about their husbands, children, pets, favorite recipes and so on. Many circles are neighborhood clubs, while others are linked with churches, or workplaces. Some groups meet to knit while watching movies. Others are for mothers with small children. Men who knit sometimes join these circles. Whatever brings them together, everyone contributes to the conversation and shares knitting magazines, patterns and stitchery know-how. 

Recently, a number of women's circles have formed related to charity. And one of the most popular charities involves knitting and crocheting clothing or blankets and donating them to the homeless or the sick. These groups answer a desire to help those in need, but in a way that means more to them than just giving or collecting money for needy causes. And, for some, it's probably the best way to be charitable because they are using their time and  talents when they don't have much extra money to donate to needy causes.

Charity circles tend to be more open than those belonging to particular churches or formal clubs.They are more egalitarian because their primary focus is on helping others in need in the community and secondly, on making new friends who love to do some of the same things. They tend to be informal and free clubs - some meet weekly, others bi-monthly or monthly and welcome members of all ages.

Obviously, these circles respond to a real need to help. At the same time, they give women a sense of satisfaction by being part of a group involved in a common effort. While no group, small or large, can ever begin to do enough, it's the spiritual principle that counts here. Each knitted cap or scarf or blanket can mean the difference of a homeless person surviving a cold winter night, just as meals served to the hungry are really gifts from God. Those who get involved in these kinds of charities consider themselves blessed by being able to help in delivering those gifts. When they do things with other people's welfare in mind, from knitting a prayer shawl for a friend to making a blanket for a homeless person, they see themselves as using their loving concern to contribute to  social justice and peace.

Interested in doing something like this? Well, don't wait. Get involved right away. If you don't find a knitting group in your area, start out by seeking information at a local knitting shop, signing up for charity knitting newsletters and reading columns in knitting magazines. They are also a number of websites that give information on knitting groups nationwide. Some are done as online communities where people never meet face-to-face, but, instead, send in their contributions to a central place which takes care of the distribution to places and people in need. They keep in touch through photos and comments on these websites.

If you want to learn more about charity knitting, you can read a book or books on the subject. One good book, written by Betty Christiansen, is titled: Knitting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time.

The overall goal of charity knitting groups is to bring comfort and a smiles to recipients and let them know that someone is thinking of them - oftentimes someone they'll never meet. But the people invoved in these activites see their work as more than just a way of supporting those who need cheering up because of illness or social vulnerability. They also consider it to be a spiritual activity just as much as prayer and meditation are. It's a particular way of showing love for others and commitment to a better world - one that is pledged to making and sharing beautiful and useful things. It's all part of a new spirit of living the abundant life and making the world a kinder place.

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SOON YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF IN A “PAY-IT-FORWARD” CHAIN.

Most of us, happily or begrudgingly, according to our mood and the specific message, have forwarded an email or Facebook (FB) post as part of a chain. That's one kind of chain. But there’s a new chain happening - from heart-to-heart -that's growing right now. It's the Pay-it-forward (PIFO) chain. And the links binding this chain give surprising results. When someone starts up a PIFO, they don’t know – exactly – who the recipients will be. That means that you do something or another person does something nice for you without expecting anything at all in return. A PIFO doesn’t have to be same thing that was done before, either. It can be a little or a big gesture but it's one that comes from the heart. And it’s part of the new spirit of loving gifts that express how people feel to be living in 2013. We're now in the Year of the Snake – a time for change. And that change is seen as highly positive for the Earth and for all the people on this planet.

And this idea isn't something dreamed up just recently. It was Ben Franklin who mentioned it in 1784 in a letter he wrote to a friend when he lent him some money. Ben Franklin didn't want to be repaid directly. He asked his friend to pass some money along when he could to someone else who was in need. The same  concept was popularized in a book from the 1950’s, ”Between Planets” by Robert A. Heinlein. Later (2000) there was a Hollywood movie titled “Pay It Forward”. In the movie, a young boy has a school assignment that asks him to come up with an idea that could change the world for the better. He decides to promote the PIFO concept by his own example. In so doing, he creates a long chain of good deeds.

I had only heard about this idea a week ago at my meditation group. It was introduced at our regular  meeting with a short video. (Actually, I’m not 100% sure that’s the very same video but it’s clearly the same idea.) The PIFO in the video involved paying for another person’s tab before leaving a coffee shop. After showing the video, a young woman from our group told us that the PIFO idea would work at a movie show, a toll both, a parking garage, or a restaurant. Summing it up, she described paying forward in the following way. A PIFO relates to doing something kind for someone else in response to having received something good or to a loving feeling that you happen to have. When you pay forward, you’re not “repaying” the person who did something nice for you. Instead, you do something nice for a third person. For example, if someone helps you pick up the groceries that you dropped as you got out of the car, you might “repay” this kind act by taking a homemade casserole to an elderly neighbor who has a hard time getting around.

Accepting Pay -Forward means that you'll do a kindness, too.

Then the young woman held up the PIFO-SMILE card. The business-size card had a big smile face on the front and words saying something like: “SMILE - you just received a Pay-it-forward gift. Be sure to do a nice favor for someone else just as soon as you can.” On the back of the card, there was mention of a website for more information on the pay forward concept. It also said that the very same card should be passed on from beneficiary to beneficiary, thereby forming a loving chain of kindnesses.

Just a couple of days ago, I saw that a FB friend of mine was offering a PIFO. It was sent out as a post to what must be a very large group of friends. The first 5 to comment on her PIFO offer would receive a small gift in 2013. As I remember, it read something like this (my own variation): "Participating in a 2013 Pay-forward chain: 1st five people to comment on this post will receive from me in 2013, a special surprise giftie. The exact date of gift giving is up to me. To be eligible for a gift, then you must be willing to make the same offer to five other people in a FB post and promise to deliver all gifties during 2013."

I liked the idea a lot and quickly commented on her post. When I found out that I was one of the lucky first five, I immediately sent out a PIFO offer to all my FB friends. Five quickly accepted. Now, a couple of days later, I see that the same chain has been continued by others. So, that’s just great. Optimally, we will have gone from one originator to five to 25 to 625, and so on, and all happening in just 48 hours.

OK. You might still be skeptical about the value of the PIFO idea. But, there's reason to believe that acts of love – even little ones – brighten the hearts of givers and receivers. When hearts are bright, they shine on many people around them. Beyond that, there’s reason to believe smiling faces and warm heart feelings extend beyond us to our surroundings. These loving chains benefit our communities. And crazy optimists, like Grandma Susan and many of her friends, believe that the entire natural world and Earth, herself, respond with SMILES when many people are busy doing kind deeds.

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YOUR VERY BEST DREAM IS WAITING FOR YOU

Grandma Susan sometimes writes about subjects that can best be labeled “New Age”. The description,  New Age, generally refers to that what was done by our ancient ancestors in the realm of the sacred. These practices can be revived and carried out by us in our times. Those principles still work. It shouldn’t be confused with witchcraft or magic. It’s a kind of self-care and reaching out in a positive way to the universe – carried out according to some ancient laws. Though only a few, comparatively, several of Grandma's most popular posts have been on New Age themes.

They say that most of the time we are using only a tiny fraction of our brains. New Age practices such as dreamwork, meditation and some other "altered" states often help heighten our mind/body capacities. The real question is whether we are prepared to let these experiences into our lives. Beyond that, we have to  be open to living better lives (expanded heart, greater service to others) on the basis of these practices.

 

Going for your dream

So, you want to remember more about your dreams?  And think, maybe, that your dreams might be useful to you, if  they didn’t slip away from you so fast after you wake up? Well, yes, they can. And there are some ways to go about dreaming with a purpose. And you (probably) don’t have to consult a dreamworker expert on how to do it.

I decided to keep a dream journal a while ago, then, put it down, now it's on my agenda again. It's all good. I write notes and draw rough sketches about these dreams and related topics in my journal. Reflections on these entries have many times have helped me make important decisions or changed how I feel about things, in general. So, keeping a dream journal is a good idea in my experience.

 

Here's an exercise that you can do to begin focusing on your dreams. It's one way to make that best dream – the one you’ve been wanting - happen to you.This is my own purposeful dream technique, based on New Age practice, that you might like to try.

Night time ritual to ask for the dream you want

Moon phases can have an influence on sleeping and dreaming patterns. Many people do this kind of exercise in the New Moon phase, which is a very good time for beginnings and changes in your life. On the other hand, thecloser we near the Full Moon phase, the more dreams tend to be more vivid and feel more consequential.

Take off everything on your night stand – except your lamp. Dust the stand with a sweet smelling, light oil on a cloth. A few fresh flowers in a small vase or petals in a bowl of water also then can be placed on your stand, if you like. 

Take out a piece of a nice note pad and a pen that you like. Sit down and reflect on something in your life that you wish to develop or change, something that, for you, would be a ‘dream come true.” Write it on the sheet of paper. Make it a short note, not an essay. Two or three sentences should be enough if you’ve been thinking about it. Be as specific as you can. Don’t be in a rush to get started. If you're not totally ready, tomorrow or the next day might be a better time to do this exercise. You don’t want to hurry through some part of the ritual or be interrupted.

 

Make sure you have mental clarity about what you’re aiming for before you look for your dream. If your request is imprecise, the answers you get can be fuzzy and disappointing. So, state your dream request as precisely as possible to ensure better results. Any intention that is mentally focused on, written down on paper, and spoken out loud carries power.

Read what you've written out loud. Place the note on the nightstand, face up. Lay some tiny thing that you treasure on top, if you think the note could be knocked off during the night.

Then, say a short prayer, out loud or silently, with words of your choice, asking for clarity on the matter. Clasping the hands together, vertically, is a good way to center your focus on prayer.

Go to sleep as quickly as possible - no TV or conversations - and wait for the dream you want. Your sleeping arrangements don't have to vary from the normal. If you have a customary bed partner, you'll maintain your regular sleeping and dreaming rhythms.

See what happens. If the dream doesn’t occur the first night, don’t think you had some kind of failure. Try variations on the same topic each night for a week or more - each night writing out a new version of your note on a fresh sheet of paper. You may have to go through a whole Moon cycle to get the result you’re looking for.

Sometimes, circumstances during our waking hours will change the importance that we attach to a topic, whether because our wishes were accomplished or because they turn out to be less important than we thought they were. Then, we could imagine that our dream-self has taken care of our needs without being remembered as a dream.

Remember, art, humor, and the future all arise from the unexpected. We can dream the unprecedented reality we want. Go for your best one, governed by love and light. Just be ready for the unanticipated twist that almost always comes with future events. It's almost impossible to imagine, beforehand, the particular ways in which good things come into our lives.

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YOUR NEXT SHOES SHOULD BE CANVAS.

Canvas is a course cloth material made from the hemp plant. It is used in sails, tents, paint boards, and shoes. Shoes made from canvas are casual and constructed very simply with a cloth upper and a rubber sole. Many adults and most children, when allowed to choose, prefer canvas shoes over leather for comfort and looks.

And this post poses a question to you? Do your feet really need those animal skin shoes or would you be happier with a nice pair of canvas shoes? In case you haven’t thought a lot about it, read this and decide for yourself.

GrandmaS wants you to know that she doesn’t sell canvas shoes nor does she, knowingly, have any advertisers that do so. But GrandmaS has been thinking a lot about this topic and, now, is trying to only buy non-animal shoes. She has successfully purchased three pairs of leather-free shoes - the only ones she bought this year. The investment was modest. They were rubber flip-flops - $1, canvas boat shoes -$10, and canvas sneakers - $7.

Canvas shoes are convenient and fun

So, why are canvas shoes highly recommended? First, they're lighter in weight than most other kinds of shoes and mold easier to the shape of the foot. And they're comfortable because they are porous. That means the feet "breathe" better. They also dry out fast, if they get wet.  Looking for more canvas shoe virtues? Here are a few. The rubber soles of canvas shoes don’t tend to stick to the floor and cause missteps on wet surfaces like leather shoes do. They are also casual, versatile, and economical. The cost for a decent pair is usually from ten to twenty dollars - sometimes even less.

You can choose from hundreds of styles of non-leather shoes, clothing, and accessories. And, best of all, no animal needs to be killed to make them. We, humans are causing a major extinction of animals. With the incredible world population of 7 billion with almost standardized customs of animal meat heavy diets and animal skin clothing and shoes, there is a veritable man-made war on animals. We raise millions of animals to kill (in an entirely inhumane manner), skin, and eat them. And we're doing this more and more. Besides that, leather industry is a huge ecological problem. Along with the immense water use and direct pollution of the meat farms, the toxins used in animal hide tanning cause further environmental destruction.

Help save the animals
Animals need human allies who strive to eat no meat or, at least, much less meat and turn away from the wearing of animal based shoes - whenever possible. Of course, having a pair of leather boots for snow and ice is (currently considered) acceptable but, certainly, not the lunacy of many regular people who hoard 20 or more pairs of leather shoes and boots in their closets. It doesn't make any sense at all - except, perhaps, to the industrial shoe makers - who encourage us to indulge in such idiocy through their constant commercial advertising. Their bid is to get all the people with some kind of money, extra or not, to buy a pair of shoes every month of their lives - or more often, if possible.

And, yes, taking a stance against the senseless killing of animals - any animals, horses, wolves, cows or dogs - is being an animal rights activist. But animal right activism is not some kind of terrorist act as is often indicated by the mass media. Concerned people from all political persuasions are trying to lprevent needless animal suffering. Those who are in favor of more humane treatment of animals strive to communicate with everyone on these issues, hoping to expand our moral circle to encompass all kinds of animals - domestic and wild. Wearing canvas shoes is one way to begin your personal animal rights campaign.

We don't need to go on harming so many innocent animals in order to feed and clothe ourselves. And that means we have to be more vigilant in our choice of personal things. Of course, this is best a process instead of an ultimatum, and it’s not necessary to throw out all animal related items for our closets in just one weekend. But a start can be made with that next pair of shoes.

(Now, reducing meat consumption is another matter. Food is something that we can replace fairly quickly. There are not so many acceptable excuses in that area.)

Canvas shoe care

Once you've bought your canvas shoes, you'll want to take care of them. While tough, they’re not indestructible, and you can extend their life by taking some precautions.

- Apply a cloth care spray or starch to the shoes for weather protection. Do this in a ventilated area and wear and wear vinyl protective gloves.

- Wear clean, absorbent socks when you exercise to help keep the insides of your shoes clean and dry.

- Remove your shoes with your hands and not with your other foot, so as not to stretch the canvas and cause the rubber sole to separate from the canvas.

-Remove any loose dirt with a small hard-bristle brush.

- Don’t put them in the washing machine (unless they are really grubby and, if you do, be sure to use the gentle cycle). It’s always best to wash them with dish soap with a clean sponge or toothbrush.

- Wipe away any soap remaining on the shoes with a cloth.

- Dry them by blotting the cloth upper with a hand towel. Put them toe-side up, vertically, against a wall to drain off any water.

- Put them outside in the air overnight or place them in front of a fan.

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HERE’S TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH IN 2012 & BEYOND!

Well, as we all know, 2012 is just around the corner. So, whether you’re looking forward to it or have been frightened by vague rumblings about great changes - and maybe disasters, our next year on this planet is going to be 2012. So, whatever it may bring - for better or worse - it’s good to get ready. We can do this best by being healthy and helping others to stay well, too. And that advice is good for any year to come. Here’s my short list of things for you to think about as you prepare to stay well in 2012. All these activities are Earth-friendly and none rely on any sort of consumerism. The goal is for you and yours to be as healthy and useful to others as possible without putting any extra burden on our planet's resources.

Prayers and meditation do a body good
Whether our problems in 2012 are already well known or new to us, we need to be ready to deal with whatever comes. To do that, stress reduction techniques are essential. People who regularly meditate and pray have a brighter outlook and can better face stressful situations. So, plan for meditation and/or prayer to be a part of your daily life. Whether it’s meditation, prayer, reading the Bible, or reading some other inspirational book, just taking a few minutes of your day can clear your mind of a lot of external things. This, in turn, allows us to open our minds and trust in higher powers to bring us peace and guidance. Try to set aside some 15 minutes a day to get quiet, clear your mind of day-to-day worries, and ask for the help that you’re needing to overcome stress and lead a better life. Beyond that, be grateful for all the blessings received. Feel thankful for every single day. This feeling of gratitude benefits our health, increases our sense of connectedness and gives us the psychic energy we need to be friendly and kind to others.

A healthier diet will make a difference
Eating healthy means reducing the proportion of dietary sugar, fats, and meat and eating more fruits and vegetables, topped off with lots of water. You probably already know that eating plenty of produce - especially green vegetables, fruit, nuts, and beans - every day gives the body those necessary anti-oxidants to fight off disease and stop premature aging. Fresh produce also provides the fiber needed to regulate cholesterol and maintain proper bowel function. So, emphasize fruits and vegetables in your meals and snacks, and eat some green leafy vegetables every day.

Water is fundamental to all life, and our bodies are made up of 60% water. People who drink more water during the day report fewer physical complaints and higher energy levels than others who say they drink less water (and usually more coffee and soft drinks). So, aim for drinking at least eight, 8oz. glasses of water a day, and, for health and lower energy use, no plastic bottles, please. Take plenty of filtered water with you in a stainless steel reusable bottle whenever you go out.

Get a move on early and late
A major part of staying healthy comes from daily exercise. Do stretching exercises for at least 20 minutes in the a.m. and take a half hour walk at midday or late afternoon.  Exercising right when you get up is ideal. Set the alarm and get up 30 minutes earlier and start a stretching routine. Stretching helps you maintain strong joints and keep a good posture. Whether it’s yoga, gi gong, or old-fashioned calisthenics, get a move on in the morning and feel better all day.

It's particularly good for you to exercise outdoors. By spending just a fraction of your time outside – walking, jogging, bicycling, etc., especially during the daytime hours, you promote both mental and physical health. So, grab your reusable water bottle and head outside to stay fit among the marvels of nature. Sunlight affects moods positively and stimulates the body produce melatonin, a substance that boost the immune system and helps achieve proper restful sleep.

Make a green-action plan
Take this opportunity to talk to your close family and friends about what you'll be doing next year to reduce your impact/carbon footprint on the Earth. Make a list of things that you could do. Categorize these activities in three columns - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, and then, try to think of ways to add them to your lifestyle.

Your goal for next year should be to cut back both your overall energy use and your trash production by 50%. There are all kinds of library reading materials and Internet blogs that can show you how to save energy, reduce your trash output, and salt away a little money in the process.

Stay connected with others in important ways
As humans, we form families, raise our children, and identify ourselves as part of circles of friends, neighbors, religions, clubs and other groups. Connecting with other people and forming close bonds of trust nourish both our emotional and physical health. In the past several decades, many people have become increasingly cut off from others, leading them to feel depressed and isolated. While the Internet helps in some ways to connect people, it just isn’t enough. What really matters for mental health are opportunities for positive, day-to-day interactions with all the physical components of voice, touch, and face-to-face communication.

That brings me to a more specific recommendation for 2012. It’s my opinion that you would do well to learn an art or craft that you can perform on behalf of others. I’m talking about a service that you can do to benefit other people without the use of specialized equipment or dependence on outside energy sources. Call them domestic arts or survival skills or whatever, it’s important to know such things. For example: how to do simple carpentry without power tools, cut hair with only scissors and an ol’time straight razor, cook from scratch over a wood fire, cultivate a small garden, make or remake clothes from what’s on hand, etc. And, of course, I don’t mean that you should necessarily learn a whole set of skills; the point is that real connection among people involves constructive help, and helping means a lot more when it’s person-to-person, without the need for modern technological interventions. Now’s a good time to choose a skill that you like, study how to do it better, and put your talent to practice by helping others.

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"HELLO, HELLO. ARE YOU THERE?"

Phone calls were important.
Looking back sixty or so years ago, telephones in the US were used mostly by businesses, and only the affluent were sure to have a home phone. Growing up, where I came from, "regular" people typically used a pay phone and did so only when a call was deemed important. If some family on the block actually had a phone, usually what they had was called a ”party-line” (often shared line by four or more families) and waits for a line were sometimes long. Relatives and neighbors often came over and asked to make a necessary call, and this gave them an excuse to stay and visit for a while.

By the mid-fifties, the private line telephones were popularized and soon the device was a household "must". Just about everyone was phoning everybody else. Family members had lengthy daily chats and made frequent calls to businesses for information, for appointments, or to have things like groceries and carryout foods delivered. And about that time, as I remember, it wasn't unusual for people to spend a couple of hours or more a day talking on the phone. One of the first items of information exchanged among workmates, classmates, and even the most casual acquaintances was: " What's your phone number?" And call they did - at any hour from 7 am to after 10 pm. Apparently, almost everybody was overjoyed to use the phone for all kinds of social interaction. We acted to a phone ring like Pavlov's dog - jumping up and scurrying. We dropped even the most important happenings in the home to answer the phone. It seems it was a sign of social importance to answer the home phone ten or more times a day, and all calls were answered with eagerness, if not urgency.

Gradual disenchantment with the telephone
Now this “in love with the phone” trend, continued for several decades. We talked often to friends and family and made numerous calls each day for information or to leave messages. If my memory is correct, that would have been up to the 1990’s. At about that time, the technology improved and caller ID and voicemail became widespread. At some point, most people stopped jumping up to answer every time the phone rang. (Undoubtedly, a lot of telephone dissatisfaction was related to the exponential increase in phone-sales calls.) They began to think, at least at times, that the device was obtrusive and remained seated at the dinner table or watching a favorite program, saying, " Let it go to voicemail." They checked their voicemail usually once or twice a day, and would return a call or not, depending on their judgment of its importance.

There was a fast re-enthrallment with phone conversations again around the turn of the present century as the cell phone began to be a “must” for people of all ages. Some people, and particularly teenagers, continue to be frequent cell phone users. The cell phone turned out to be handy, but what with major car wrecks while conversing and a potential brain cancer link, it's no wonder that a substantial fraction of the population has cut back on cell phone calls. Of course, the vendors of the phone technology were more than anxious to offer all kinds of other services – texts, email, games, music, Internet, etc. – and so the newer sorts of cell phones continued to find huge markets. Dialing a number for a conversation is only one of many options on the latest phones.

Now, more than a decade into the 21st century, a lot of people don’t pick up either their home or cell phone when it rings. And, some of us don't even listen to voicemail, except at work and then only if we’re instructed to. If you really want to speak to these people, you have to email first and set up an appointment for a phone conversation. Even the mere asking for a phone conversation may create certain hesitancies, if not embarrassment.

So, if we are no longer talking to people outside our homes by phone, how can we possibly hope to stay in touch? We still have contact, of course, but we do it another way by "more advanced” technology. And that technology is double-edge sword. It allows us to communicate but it takes away our "presence." Well, even the phone created some level of "disembodiment," as family and neighbors visited without the person-to-person dimension. But, at least, the phone allowed for a voice, which is a very special part of one’s physical self.

Who’s calling, please?
For lots of us, a phone call from a friend or a family member is an unusual event. Of course, we still love our family and friends, but it's the digital message - an email, a text, a tweet, a photo - and not the spoken word that is more likely to get through. Large sectors of the population don’t bother to have a home phone and just carry a cell phone. What's more, the youth excepted, a lot of us seldom use our cell phone for voice-to-voice calls and just keep it for "emergencies" that could occur outside of the home. At home, we may have a computer phone instead of “land-line,” something that’s a lot less expensive than a regular telephone and has the advantage of portability. But, as communication initiators, we are just as likely to send a quick text or email as to actually "dial" a number. And as communication receivers, we would often rather read a quick message than to "bother" with a phone call that might extend itself more than we expect or otherwise take up our time with "extraneous" topics.

Like it or not, for the time being, the Internet and the cell phone text are our main communication methods at work and at home. And it’s clear, as well, that every hour of Internet time makes for even less time for face-to-face contact with other people. It seems that many of us have actually “traded in” most of our in-person interactions for Internet activities.  Beyond that, if most households continue to be made up of just one or two people and both with "busy" schedules, there might not be many opportunities to have a personal chat with anyone outside the workplace, where I presume some oral communication will continue to occur. But, then again, even in banks and offices, we’re often instructed to use the automated functions for both regular transactions and to “report” troubles. I'm reminded of a current TV commercial where two people are seated at a dining table facing each other, unspeaking, and sending their messages to one another via texts and email.

A scary panorama
Recently, I ran across a new book that sums up a frightening state of affairs. It’s called: The Lonely American: Drifting Apart in the Twenty-first Century by pyschologists Jacqueline Olds and Richard S. Schwartz. It’s a report about psych-patients who became so isolated that they stopped intiating contact, even with people who were the most important to them. Having shut off, or been shut off  from family and friends, they became increasingly morose and some were suicidal. The authors describe extreme personalities – the ones who underwent pschotherapy – but it’s their opinon that a large fraction of the US population suffers from some degree of isolation, either socially- or self-inflicted. And, speaking for a lot of us, who don’t consider ourselves candidates for psychotherapy, we still have to admit we are just plain lonely a good part of the time. Texts, email, blogs, and commenting on blogs help to fill up the void. But, in a nicer world, more of our waking hours would be filled with friendly, human voices.

Can you imagine a time in the future when most children wouldn’t learn oral communication skills? And, no, I’m not talking about abused or neglected children, but about the wider population. It might be quite enough for them to convey their needs and feelings in texts, email, and uploaded videos. Speech would tend to become a thing of the past - mostly left to lawyers, politicians, pundits, and other news reporters. Under those circumstances, witticisms, prose, poetry, and dramatic sequences might continue to blossom, but the warmth of a friendly voice, in-person or over the phone, would be an infrequent event. Is all this a fantasy or a look at the future. What do you think?

Other thoughts on the situation
A century or two ago, a lot of people lived long distances from a good part of their family and friends. Their main way of staying in touch was by letters and those could easily be months apart. On the other hand, back then, most people lived with, or close by, their large families so they really didn’t miss out on much human contact – in fact, some folks probably had more in-person dealings than they wanted. Nevertheless, many of them expressed sadness because of little communication with so many of their loved ones. One principal way they had to overcome this problem was through visiting. Visitors were few and far between, but when they did arrive, they tended to stay for periods of weeks or months.

Maybe, we should encourage some longer visits from people who are important to us, and in that way, assure ourselves more hours of much desired, face-to-face communication. In the meantime, and between visits, don’t be so hesitant to dial up loved ones and be ready to repeat the dialing (or send out advisory email) until they pick up the phone.

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