Shopping at your local farmer's market for your produce, where they sell delicious radishes, among other vegetables, can reduce your carbon footprint on our planet and save you some money.
Likewise, patronizing restaurants that serve meat, cheese and produce purchased form local farmers reduces their carbon footprint multiplied by each patron they serve. We need to jump onboard this train while it's still in the station and get a momentum going, giving reason for more and more small farms to proliferate and come back into their own. For decades, we subsisted on food from local farms and not only were our bodies healthier, our pocketbooks were, too.
Did you know that the longer fresh produce is out of the ground, the more nutrients it loses?The produce section in the supermarket might be misted with water every thirty or so seconds, and I agree that those veggies are pretty... but do you know how long those good looking vegetables have been out of the ground...
We pay scads of money for organic produce because we believe it's healthier for us, and it probably is; but again the question begs to be asked -- how long has that produce been out of the ground? We aren't ingesting unhealthy pesticides, but are we also being shortchanged on the nutrients our bodies need? If we make a decision to support local farmers (who really do want to continue farming, by the way), we can eat healthier and save money, to boot.
The big problem surrounding this issue is one of taxes. The erection of more and more concrete jungles and sterile looking subdivisions (otherwise know as land development) inflate land values, which causes farmland to be hit with high taxes that the small farmer just can't afford. This is where we, as reasonable and intelligent consumers come in. The bigger the demand for local produce, the more farms there will be, and it all becomes one delicious cycle. Some things that were done in the "old days" have great merit. Change simply for the sake of change is really quite mindless.
Let's save the farmers, our health, our pocketbooks, and our planet by making eating the old-fashioned way the new and best thing to do.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Monday, January 23, 2017
Women's March Call to Action for Equality
Grassroots activism makes this country great. Do your part. Full citizenship demands responsibility.
Saturday, January 21, 2017
The Art of Reinvention, Part 6
Do You
The post below is the final part of a series on Reinvention that I wrote for Osiris Magazine, and I just unearthed it recently and I believe it's worth sharing and definitely worth my time to re-read.
"Do You" is one I have appropriated from Russell Simmons, who wrote a marvelous book on doing you; and my son, Sterling, often reminds me to "Just do you, Ma."
I thank you, Dear Readers for investing some of your precious time with me in your quest to become more of who you are; and of course the person who really deserves a lion’s share of the thanks is you! So find a mirrored surface and say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” to yourself.
We have only been on this journey for a short time, and remember that you will always be journeying because your life on the planet will always be about becoming all of who you are meant to be. That doesn’t mean that you should be down on yourself for where you might currently find yourself at any given time. Instead, it means to look forward with expectancy toward the greater things ahead because you know in your heart that those great things are just awaiting your discovery. And may I address greatness for a moment? Greatness has a different meaning for different people… I have often lamented the fact that I’m just taking up space and not accomplishing fantastic, out of this world things. When I shared this with my therapist (Yes, I have one! I believe that we all need at least one unbiased person in our lives with whom we can have an honest conversation about any- and everything), she suggested that I work on coming to terms with the idea that not everything worthwhile has to be on a super-grand scale. Hmm-mm. You see, I am guilty of having always functioned in a superwoman mode, and when various things in life happened to me, my cape was taken away, but my superwoman belief system was still deeply ingrained in my psyche.
Sometimes, we put too much pressure on ourselves to achieve what we perceive are the big things because we equate worthy with big. When we do that, we completely overlook the little things that have the power to mean so much to someone else (and ourselves). Example: I had to provide a Bio because I was sitting on a prestigious panel some years ago, and I was in a panic because I knew that the other women were “grand” in their accomplishments and then there was me. What had I done -- nothing!? Imagine my shock and bug eyes when my husband started listing the things that I had done. Wow! I. Was. Impressed. You see, many times the things that we do which are just automatic and normal to us because “we do what we do,” to someone else, those very things are something to admire and to which another can aspire and believe that they can reach because they saw that it had been done before; and you gave that gift of belief to them.
Also remember that you’re not in this thing all by yourself. We are all connected. Everything and everyone on the planet flows one into the other. Ask questions that will help you, but remember to use caution because everyone won’t be in your corner. Some people have not learned that there is enough for everybody in this world, and their scarcity thinking keeps them from wanting to share what they know because they are afraid that if you get something, then they won’t have enough. Believe in goodness, but watch your back.
As you continue to reassess yourself and adjust the direction of your travel, check in with your compass and then take the time to give yourself a thumbs up because you are the first and the most important one who needs to believe in yourself and where you’re going. Until we meet again, Happy Trails!
Peace and Love
The post below is the final part of a series on Reinvention that I wrote for Osiris Magazine, and I just unearthed it recently and I believe it's worth sharing and definitely worth my time to re-read.
"Do You" is one I have appropriated from Russell Simmons, who wrote a marvelous book on doing you; and my son, Sterling, often reminds me to "Just do you, Ma."
I thank you, Dear Readers for investing some of your precious time with me in your quest to become more of who you are; and of course the person who really deserves a lion’s share of the thanks is you! So find a mirrored surface and say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” to yourself.
We have only been on this journey for a short time, and remember that you will always be journeying because your life on the planet will always be about becoming all of who you are meant to be. That doesn’t mean that you should be down on yourself for where you might currently find yourself at any given time. Instead, it means to look forward with expectancy toward the greater things ahead because you know in your heart that those great things are just awaiting your discovery. And may I address greatness for a moment? Greatness has a different meaning for different people… I have often lamented the fact that I’m just taking up space and not accomplishing fantastic, out of this world things. When I shared this with my therapist (Yes, I have one! I believe that we all need at least one unbiased person in our lives with whom we can have an honest conversation about any- and everything), she suggested that I work on coming to terms with the idea that not everything worthwhile has to be on a super-grand scale. Hmm-mm. You see, I am guilty of having always functioned in a superwoman mode, and when various things in life happened to me, my cape was taken away, but my superwoman belief system was still deeply ingrained in my psyche.
Sometimes, we put too much pressure on ourselves to achieve what we perceive are the big things because we equate worthy with big. When we do that, we completely overlook the little things that have the power to mean so much to someone else (and ourselves). Example: I had to provide a Bio because I was sitting on a prestigious panel some years ago, and I was in a panic because I knew that the other women were “grand” in their accomplishments and then there was me. What had I done -- nothing!? Imagine my shock and bug eyes when my husband started listing the things that I had done. Wow! I. Was. Impressed. You see, many times the things that we do which are just automatic and normal to us because “we do what we do,” to someone else, those very things are something to admire and to which another can aspire and believe that they can reach because they saw that it had been done before; and you gave that gift of belief to them.
Also remember that you’re not in this thing all by yourself. We are all connected. Everything and everyone on the planet flows one into the other. Ask questions that will help you, but remember to use caution because everyone won’t be in your corner. Some people have not learned that there is enough for everybody in this world, and their scarcity thinking keeps them from wanting to share what they know because they are afraid that if you get something, then they won’t have enough. Believe in goodness, but watch your back.
As you continue to reassess yourself and adjust the direction of your travel, check in with your compass and then take the time to give yourself a thumbs up because you are the first and the most important one who needs to believe in yourself and where you’re going. Until we meet again, Happy Trails!
Peace and Love
Thursday, May 19, 2016
We Need Therapy, Seriously
May is designated as Mental Health Month, and if you haven't considered it before now, this is the perfect time to choose to springboard your way to getting your head (and heart) squared away.
I posit the bold opinion that the United States of America, collectively, needs therapy. The current mess that is the presidential election campaign of 2016 has demonstrated quite clearly that the 'U' in USA is a misnomer and perhaps for the sake of truth in labeling, should be replaced with an 'S', for Schismed because we sure as hell aren't trying to come together and personify an entity that can factually be called united.
It has become far too easy for people to evoke the name of Hitler these days when hurling insults, but I'm not trying to hurl insults, just sharing a thought worthy of consideration: When a person who is a legend in his/her own mind is given a platform to light and stoke fires that speak to the basest of human desires and ideas and the fears that are buried just beneath the surface, and those desires and fears are fanned into a roaring fire which spreads uncontained, you can see how Nazism became the rule of the day in Europe. It wasn't that Adolf Hitler was such a great person -- it's that he tapped into the worst thoughts of the human being and fanned those sparks into an all-consuming flame; and that's when it became okay to personify evil. It happened before...and it can happen again.
Each of us has learned to embrace some smelly thoughts, even if we've kept them under wraps for the most part. I say that we learned to embrace ugly thoughts because only brand new babies are untainted with the sense and fear of otherness. That choice to keep undesirable thoughts under wraps comes from a deep knowing that stinkin' thinkin' is not the best of who we are or were meant to be.
You or I might not be the smartest, funniest, most attractive, etc., in the room, but there's no reason for either of us to fear the person who does embody the traits or characteristics that we might be without, because God has imbued each person with their own individual gifts. So we need to work on tamping down that fear...there is enough for us all. Abundance abounds. And YOU are enough. Additionally, tearing someone else down doesn't build you up. No, it actually decreases your stature, even to yourself if you're honest. A good mnemonic for fear is: False Evidence Appearing Real.
I began this piece by saying that we need therapy, and we do, so that we can come to terms with the real deal of who we truly are as individuals and realize that one plus one can indeed equal three, four, five, six, ad infinitum; because when we grow together, we do so exponentially.
Peace and love.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Reality
As I drifted into sleep/
I looked into the distance which became a forest/
And I beheld myself as a tree//
Actually, a sapling was I, with crooked spindly branches/
I observed the wonderfully strong verdancy around me and it
was beautiful/
I was not/
So I was ashamed, and it showed in the way my trunk began to
hunch and my branches became even more crooked//
Then something from deep memory, of those who came before me
whispered my name and reminded me of the inherent strength of
my kind/
And I felt myself grow, stretch and strengthen/
Bright and lovely leaves appeared and actually smiled as
they shimmered in the breeze//
Before sleep overtook me, I came to know that the real me
stands as tall as the majestic tree.
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Loving Is All, But Can Be So Hard
Have you ever really thought about Love, and what it truly is; what it truly means to love? Yes, it's a heart thing, but I also believe that agape (ah-gop-ay) love is a heart and head thing; at least in the beginning. I believe that because we find some people to be just plain ol' unlovable, no matter how we try to flip it. That's where the head part comes in; because we want to always be loving individuals; nice girls and guys who wouldn't hurt a fly. But. You see the blowhard who you can just picture being stuffed down a toilet (by you), and that love just ain't there in your heart. You wrestle and struggle, saying 'Come on, Heart, don't fail me now.' Heart ain't havin' it. Nope, don't want to attend this party. Engage head...'Okay, I see blowhard and I must work at it, but I can handle it and have love.' It might take more than a minute, but hang on in there for your sake and the sake of humanity.
Agape love is a beautiful thing, but it takes practice because it's pure, untainted love. You're wondering right about now if I could have love for someone who committed unspeakable acts against me and mine, aren't you? The answer is that I would have to work like Paul Bunyan and his ox, Blue, and it just might take me years, but I wouldn't give up on myself because I want Peace in my life/soul/spirit. I don't want to drag around chains like Jacob Marley ('A Christmas Carol').
It's easy to love those who are good to you, and that's a wonderful thing. We all need wonderful in our lives; but Life ain't easy, Baby. It's tender, then it can be crushing; joyful, and despairing; uplifting, dragging you down to the pits. In those negative times, love is the last thing on your mind; but you can train yourself to let it be the second or third thing on your mind. This time, the one you are loving is YOURSELF. We sometimes forget about ourselves because we're so focused outward; and truth to tell, we sometimes think that we are undeserving or unworthy of showering ourselves with compassion and love. But. I believe that when you love you, it's so much easier to love others.
So as the song says...'Let a little love in your heart.' And I say...remember to also use your head, as needed.
Peace, Blessings, and Love
Saturday, May 23, 2015
The Art of Reinvention, Part 5
I thank you, Dear Readers for investing some of your precious time with me in your quest to become more of who you are; and of course the person who really deserves a lion’s share of the thanks is you! So find a mirrored surface and say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” to yourself.
We have only been on this journey for a short time, and remember that you will always be journeying because your life on the planet will always be about becoming all of who you are meant to be. That doesn’t mean that you should be down on yourself for where you might currently find that you are at any given time. Instead, it means to look forward with expectancy toward the greater things ahead because you know in your heart that those great things are just awaiting your discovery.
And may I address greatness for a moment? Greatness has a different meaning for different people… I have often lamented the fact that I’m just taking up space and not accomplishing fantastic, out of this world things. When I shared this with my therapist (Yes, I have one! I believe that we all need at least one unbiased person in our lives with whom we can have an honest conversation about any- and everything), she suggested that I work on coming to terms with the idea that not everything worthwhile has to be on a super-grand scale. Hmm-mm. You see, I am guilty of having always functioned in a superwoman mode, and when various things in life happened to me, my cape was taken away, but my superwoman belief system was still deeply ingrained in my psyche.
Sometimes, we put too much pressure on ourselves to achieve what we perceive are the big things because we equate worthy with big. When we do that, we completely overlook the little things that have the power to mean so much to someone else. Example: I had to provide a Bio because I was sitting on a prestigious panel some years ago, and I was in a panic because I knew that the other women were “grand” in their accomplishments and then there was me. What had I done -- nothing!? Imagine my shock and bug eyes when my husband started listing the things that I had done. Wow! I. Was. Impressed. You see, many times the things that we do which are just automatic and normal to us because “we do what we do,” but to someone else, those very things are something to admire and to which another can aspire, and believe that they can reach because they saw that it had been done before; and you gave that gift of belief to them.
Also remember that you’re not in this thing all by yourself. We are all connected. Everything and everyone on the planet flows one into the other. Ask questions that will help you, but remember to use caution because everyone won’t be in your corner. Some people have not learned that there is enough for everybody in this world, and their scarcity thinking keeps them from wanting to share what they know because they are afraid that if you get something, then they won’t have enough. Believe in goodness, but watch your back.
As you continue to reassess yourself and adjust the direction of your travel, check in with your compass and then take the time to give yourself a thumbs up because you are the first and the most important one who needs to believe in yourself and where you’re going. Until we meet again, Happy Trails!
For the space of this one moment, think a beautiful thought.
...Sarah McCormick
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Chasing Lupus with Chemo
I expected to be bent over the toilet bowl, but I am already married to ginger products because of my "sensitive" digestive tract and I decided that I needed to step it up. I did very well until a couple of hours ago when I had to make sure I remained very close to the porcelain throne because I feel as though I'm about to upchuck stuff I digested last week. I'm on my way to make more ginger tea because I'm afraid to go to bed -- just changed the sheets today and don't want to soil them with already digested food and beverage items.
Methotrexate is administered weekly and I'm looking forward to a better experience than previously (by the time I started feeling human again, it was time for another dose), but I'm off to an inauspicious beginning; however, if I can get my Life back on track, it will have been worth it!
Off for ginger preparation. Hope you enjoy a wonderful slumber tonight.
Be well.
"simple pleasures feed the soul"
--------Flavia
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
The Art of Reinvention, Part 4
We're approaching the end of the series...How're you coming along? Please keep in mind that if you do the work, the results will come. In other words, while you have a somewhat solid idea of the result that you would like to achieve, you must live in the present and put one foot in front of the other, living life one day at a time. No regrets over what is behind you, because you are moving forward; yet no projecting into tomorrow, for the future is only imagined. Concentrate on today -- what you can engage in right now.
I am a not so dedicated student of the Tao de Ching, and the first verse encourages us to be desireless and the mystery will be revealed. I choose that to mean, just do the work...
In addition to your consultation with Life Coaches, there are several published works which I have found helpful. A few of them are:
And while I believe that the most important work that we can do is on the inside, I have to say that there's nothing wrong with doing a little sumthin'-sumthin' about the outside. Yes. I do believe in diva-liciousness, and if one of the items on your list (in my humble opinion, it definitely should be), is to become more financially responsible, you can access that Diva (or Divo) by doing some not so difficult searching for the best bang for your buck. That means having a plan and not just heading out willy-nilly, blowing up your bank account. Begin with one total look that makes you feel on top of the world and create it based on something that you already own and love; then go from there. Example: Say that you have a ferocious black skirt...add a belted white shirt and an animal print scarf; shoes can be black or taupe; hoop earrings on your lobes, and you have put the "O" in outfit. If you don't care for the full make-up, at least slick a on a becoming lipgloss (everyone doesn't look good with fuschia lips). How do you feel? See how easy that was; and you just substitute another shirt or blouse and scarf for a different, but still sharply pulled together look. You go, Girl! Guys, same principle (no sans hoops, etc.), and it's actually a little easier for you because you can change your basic look by adding a different tie and belt, or rolling your sleeves up a few turns for that casual pulled-together look. Please shave! Very few men can get away with the scruffy, unshaven look that some in the entertainment industry have chosen to effect. The ones who look fairly decent with facial hair probably pay a barber $600 a pop to achieve that unkempt look.
Back to the inside... An exercise referred to by psychotherapists as Morning Pages, can be very helpful in getting out the stuff that is bottled up and just sitting on your heart and in your head; some of which you don't fully realize is there. In this exercise, you begin writing first thing in the morning; whatever wants to flow from your pen onto the paper, just let it fly. No worries about style, grammar, etc. These words and thoughts are from deep inside and they need to see the light of day, to free your inside space for something else. After you have finished, you can read what you have written or not; then trash it. The goal is just to get it out. I have sometimes read what I've written just so I would know, ya know? The possible danger in that though is taking it back in, which voids the exercise. If you do choose to read it, please remember to toss it. It will come out again in a subsequent morning page if you have re-internalized it.
This goal of reinvention is intensive and is ongoing because as long as we are taking breath on this planet, we do not remain the same. The only constant in life is change, and we can choose to evolve to our highest self, or we can be dragged along with whichever tide snags us. What is your choice?
I am a not so dedicated student of the Tao de Ching, and the first verse encourages us to be desireless and the mystery will be revealed. I choose that to mean, just do the work...
In addition to your consultation with Life Coaches, there are several published works which I have found helpful. A few of them are:
- The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle
- Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life, by Wayne Dyer
- Lessons in Becoming Myself, by Ellen Burtstyn (an autobiography)
And while I believe that the most important work that we can do is on the inside, I have to say that there's nothing wrong with doing a little sumthin'-sumthin' about the outside. Yes. I do believe in diva-liciousness, and if one of the items on your list (in my humble opinion, it definitely should be), is to become more financially responsible, you can access that Diva (or Divo) by doing some not so difficult searching for the best bang for your buck. That means having a plan and not just heading out willy-nilly, blowing up your bank account. Begin with one total look that makes you feel on top of the world and create it based on something that you already own and love; then go from there. Example: Say that you have a ferocious black skirt...add a belted white shirt and an animal print scarf; shoes can be black or taupe; hoop earrings on your lobes, and you have put the "O" in outfit. If you don't care for the full make-up, at least slick a on a becoming lipgloss (everyone doesn't look good with fuschia lips). How do you feel? See how easy that was; and you just substitute another shirt or blouse and scarf for a different, but still sharply pulled together look. You go, Girl! Guys, same principle (no sans hoops, etc.), and it's actually a little easier for you because you can change your basic look by adding a different tie and belt, or rolling your sleeves up a few turns for that casual pulled-together look. Please shave! Very few men can get away with the scruffy, unshaven look that some in the entertainment industry have chosen to effect. The ones who look fairly decent with facial hair probably pay a barber $600 a pop to achieve that unkempt look.
Back to the inside... An exercise referred to by psychotherapists as Morning Pages, can be very helpful in getting out the stuff that is bottled up and just sitting on your heart and in your head; some of which you don't fully realize is there. In this exercise, you begin writing first thing in the morning; whatever wants to flow from your pen onto the paper, just let it fly. No worries about style, grammar, etc. These words and thoughts are from deep inside and they need to see the light of day, to free your inside space for something else. After you have finished, you can read what you have written or not; then trash it. The goal is just to get it out. I have sometimes read what I've written just so I would know, ya know? The possible danger in that though is taking it back in, which voids the exercise. If you do choose to read it, please remember to toss it. It will come out again in a subsequent morning page if you have re-internalized it.
This goal of reinvention is intensive and is ongoing because as long as we are taking breath on this planet, we do not remain the same. The only constant in life is change, and we can choose to evolve to our highest self, or we can be dragged along with whichever tide snags us. What is your choice?
"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated."
-- Maya Angelou
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