Archive for ‘Mindful Living’

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November 15, 2011

Christmas already? Think local, eco friendly gifts!

I’m a huge fan of Halloween.  I love decorating for it, love, love, love dressing up and love to see what other people do.  I think it brings out the creativity in all of us.

This year, however, as I was cruising through a couple of stores looking for some additional items to craft up decorations and costumes, I heard haunting laughter in front of me and Christmas Carols chiming from the aisle behind me.  At the time I was incredibly disturbed by this, I mean seriously, Christmas in October?

Now that Halloween is past and Thanksgiving is approaching, I have to admit my mind has gone there too.  I never let myself decorate, do Christmas cards or begin to shop until after Thanksgiving, but I have to admit.  I’m thinking about it, a lot.  My mind has already moved onto Christmas.

The other day I received an email with a list of gifts to get friends and family that are made in the USA.  The thing I really like about this list of gift ideas is that it is filled with experiences vs. “stuff” which means it won’t be wrapped in boat loads of paper and there’s nothing to throw away, donate or recycle when they get tired of it and eventually want to part with it. The bonus is that the majority of ideas are also local (regardless of where you live) so you can give twice with one gift!  As much as I loved the list that came in that original email, I thought of a few more items so I included those as well.

So here it is…. my list of local, green and eco-friendly gifts.

  • Gift certificate from a local salon or barber.  –   (Almost) everyone gets their hair cut.
  • Massage/Spa/Facial – Who couldn’t use a little tension release after the holidays?
  • Vineyard tour & wine tasting – Assuming of course, that they like wine!
  • Gym membership – It’s appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.
  • Car wash(es) &t detail – Whether you get a gift certificate for one time or a book of gift certificates to last throughout the year, who doesn’t love a clean car
  • Oil changes for car, truck, motorcycle at a local shop
  • Local, independent restaurant gift certificate
  • Half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint
  • Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.
  • Local theater (stage, or LOCAL movie theater)
  • Arboretum membership
  • Zoo membership
  • Children’s theater gift certificate
  • Science museum membership
  • Cooking classes
  • Photography classes
  • Orchestra
  • Brew your own (beer or root beer) classes
  • Local garden store gift certificates
  • Gift certificate to a local Co-op
  • Gift certificate for a CSA

Want to something that will last even longer or is more practical?

 

  • Lawn mowing service for the summer
  • Snow removal (shovel or driveway plowing) for the winter
  • House cleaning by the local “cleaning lady” for a day
  • Golf at a local golf course
  • Computer tune-up through an independent business

What else can you do over the holidays?

  • Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip (they typically get paid just a little over minimum wage and rely on their tips to make a living).
  • Shop at local stores – you’ll find unique gifts!
  • Buy  a few holiday goodies from your local bakery.
  • Don’t forget to give your mail carrier, trash handler, stylist, massage therapist and babysitter a nice BIG tip (or gift card – some businesses don’t allow cash).

If you still want to get something more unique or personal?  Check out local craft shows and buy from local artists.  You will find everything from people who spin their own wool and knit them into scarves, mittens, hats, to homemade soaps, handmade jewelry, pottery, clothing, paintings and photography.

Just remember, Christmas is about caring.  When you buy local you support small businesses so they can keep following their dreams.  And, when we care about the people in our communities the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn’t imagine.

Have an idea I missed?  Post a comment!

Kate

Posted in Healthy Living, Mindful Living, Sustainable Living | 1 Comment »

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November 13, 2011

Living today for tomorrow’s generation

When I started Walnuts and Pears my goal was to create a place to share thoughts, observations and tidbits of information on landscaping, gardening, harvesting, cooking, eating, preserving, and healthy, mindful living.  A place with purpose, passion, caring, love and respect for self, others and Mother Nature.

While a lot of my energy with my posts has gone into gardening, I’ve tried to touch on some of the other subjects now and again.  In the fall I tend to focus inward and pay closer attention to what I’m eating, exercise and spirituality.  I also focus on what I can be doing beyond the realm of myself, my family and close friends.

Yesterday I attended the Northland Bioneers Conference (which is actually a condensed version of the Bioneers Conference which was held in California in October).  Although this was the 6th event, it is the first one I’ve attended.  What I can say is, wow!  It started at 9:00am and went until 9:00pm.  It was a full day, packed with information on sustainable living covering everything from a local level to a global level.  Some of what I heard reinforced what I already know, but a lot of it was truly eye-opening on what is going on in the world today.

The most impactful thing for me was that even though we hear nearly every other day that we’ve completely destroyed the planet and there’s no turning back,  I was incredibly encouraged to find out is that what we’ve been doing to correct the damage is working!  It’s working on both on the local and global levels.  To summarize what I learned very briefly, yes, we’ve done some absolutely incredible damage to our planet, most of which cannot be repaired quickly, but we’ve also set a lot of change in motion, which is on the path to help reverse some of the damage.

I’m definitely not saying that everything is good now or that any of us can start to sit back and relax and let other people do it for us, or that any of us have a choice as to whether or not to keep trying.  What I’m saying is that if we all continue to be present in our lives and be present when we make decisions regarding what we buy, what we eat, how and what we reuse, recycle and compost, what we drive, whether we drive, carpool, bike or walk, if we are conscious that everything we do, every choice we make has an impact on the future, whether it’s the immediate future or for that of future generations, it will continue to get better.  Every day we have choices as to whether we support companies that are gearing themselves to continue into the 21st century as responsible leaders or chose to support companies that continue on the old path of using and depleting our natural resources (which is another conversation all together) and eventually die out.   We all need to continue to make good choices.  We need to continue to inform ourselves.  We need to continually pay attention to how we can do things even better.  Don’t get discouraged, it’s not a race, it’s a process.  This is the beginning and there is no end point.  It’s a journey we’re all on together.  A journey of learning to live differently than we used to or than perhaps we’re comfortable with.  But we’re all in this together.  Some of us are going to be really good in one area and not know so much about another and vise versa.  It’s okay.  We can learn from each other. We need to be more open and become more of a community now than we ever have before.  We need to ask each other questions and there can be no shunning, judging, preaching just helping each other live a better more sustainable life.

I know “green”, “environment” and “sustainable” get tagged or stereotyped in many ways and are commonly associated with hippie, tree-hugger and liberal, but forget the tags, the labels and the stereotypes for a moment and focus on the goal.  We all want to be here, breathing clean air, drinking clean water, enjoying life.  Whether your views fall to the left or to the right, whether you’re into the green revolution, the environment, sustainability or not so much, we all care for the people in our lives.  Our job is simply to make sure that these basic things that we all take for granted continue to be available not only for us and for our children, but for future generations.

Please take a minute to watch this clip from Four Years. Go. Then, if you’re inclined,  follow my link to the Four Years. Go. site to take a stand and make your own committment to change the course of history.

Together we can do it.

Kate

Posted in Mindful Living, Sustainable Living | 1 Comment »

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November 9, 2011

The Key to Happiness – Eat a Raisin!

Be Right Here.  Three simple words with so much meaning.

Like many people, I have a tendency to multitask, which in many cases ends up being multi-done-half-assed.  I’ve found that when I don’t truly focus my attention in one area and try to do too many things at once I’m completely distracted, my mind runs crazy, jumping from one subject to the other and I never really accomplish what I set out to do.

A few months ago I decided to try to correct this (and eliminate a little stress in my life) by taking some meditation classes at a nearby pilates and fitness studio.  Having heard the word “meditation” so much I was expecting a profound experience.  What I wasn’t prepared for is how simple it is.  Really simple.  Simple as in SLOW DOWN simple.  Shut everything off, especially your mind and focus on where you’re at right now.  That’s all.  The funny thing is, this is probably the hardest class I’ve ever taken. You have no idea how many things you start to hear when you try to quiet your mind.  You can hear people talking in another room as if they were standing right next to you.  You can hear water running in pipes, wind blowing outside, traffic and sirens in the distance. Your heartbeat seems loud and conversations that took place over a week ago replay over and over in your mind.  It’s a little disturbing.  I wasn’t sure I could do it.  I was frustrated. Other than my freshman year of college taking Calculus and thoroughly not grasping the concept of the limit of infinity there haven’t been a lot of subjects that didn’t click with me at some point.  But this meditation stuff was different.  I really felt like I didn’t “get it”.  And I didn’t, not at first.  Each session we were taught to meditate in a different state… not like Tennessee or Texas, but sitting, standing, even eating.  We even had homework.  Go home and do a routine activity and really “be” there when you do it. Do it mindfully.  I decided to brush my dog.  I went back to class next week and volunteered to go first (a stretch for me) and told about my experience.  “What did you notice?” our instructor asked.  I explained that I noticed the dog really liked the attention, especially because she has short hair so she doesn’t get brushed very often (or ever) and that she was really happy. She obviously didn’t like my answer so she asked “What else did you notice?”  All I could think was “What the hell kind of question is that?  What are you looking for? WHY did I volunteer to go first?”  Yep.  I clearly didn’t get it.

I didn’t think I was made out for this meditation stuff so I did what any other self-doubting meditation lackey would do.  I ordered a book on meditation.  The book is called Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn (which I would highly recommend by the way).  The nice thing about the book is that it’s not a quick read type thing, it’s a “give you something to think about” type thing.  A focus for the day.  He didn’t say anything in the book that I hadn’t already heard in class but it started to make sense.  I think because I had more time to absorb it.  I could read it and re-read it then let it soak in.  That’s when things started to click.  That and when we ate raisins in class.

Wherever You Go There You Are

Try this some time.  Put one raisin in your mouth.  Close your eyes and just let it sit there in your mouth, not just for a second, but for a couple of minutes.  Notice the texture, the smell (I for one can say I had never “smelled” a raisin before), how it feels in your mouth.  Then, bite it.  Just once.  What do you notice?  (I swore I had the most plump and juicy raisin on the planet.  Juicy?  Really. Juicy.  Try it!)  Then, chew it.  Really chew it, sense the flavor, texture, smell, everything about it.  THAT my dear, is being mindful.  Who knew eating a raisin could have such a profound impact, right?

The thing is, that is how we should be in every part of every day of our life.  Granted it’s not always possible to eat everything mindfully to that degree or one meal would literally run into the next, but applying that same concept to cooking, cleaning, driving, reading with our children, being with our friends and family, truly “being” there instead of being distracted.  It truly is amazing.

So that’s what I try to do now, be mindful with everything that I do.  Don’t  get me wrong, I don’t always remember and I’m not trying to say I’m perfect, far from it!! But what I can say, is that I’m aware and when I remember to slow down and be in the moment I really enjoy what I’m doing.  I even bought an inexpensive little bracelet to serve as a reminder.  It has a little tag/charm with “BRH” on it… Be Right Here.  I wear it daily as a reminder.

Be Right Here

Just think, if all of us put the cell phones down and were really there when we were driving, focused only on driving, seeing the road, the traffic, anticipating others errors and not getting angry because we saw it coming; if we were really there with family and friends and listened wholeheartedly hearing what they said, being in tune with their feelings, emotions, excitement or disappointment instead of pretending to hear them while we were busy texting, emailing or posting on Facebook; if we all put the focus and importance on what was going on in front of us instead of what was going on in the background I think we’d all live a happier, more fulfilling life because then, we would be giving our whole selves to each other and not just a distracted piece of it.  We would be living mindfully.

Today I encourage everyone to eat a raisin. Be Right Here in whatever you do.

I hope it brings you happiness.

Kate

Posted in Meditation, Mindful Living | 4 Comments »

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October 13, 2011

You’ve got an hour

When I originally started Walnuts and Pears the focus was going to be somewhat broad as far as the subject matter, but the common thread is that all things tie back into living today not just for ourselves, but for future generations, living mindfully .

During the spring and summer much of my focus has been on gardening and caring for our injured dog because that’s what was right in front of me. Reflecting back, it’s kind of funny how things work out.  Shortly before Darby got hurt, my full-time job changed to a part-time job.  My original plan was to use the 2nd half of the day to blog (daily) and combine my landscape, garden and marketing background into something new.  While I have picked-up a handful of design jobs, its honestly been tough.  Things haven’t been exactly going according to that plan and frankly, I’ve been struggling.

Recently someone reminded me that life is what happens when you’re busy planning.  The funny part about that is that I’m really not that great of a planner.  I’m more of a big picture kind of person.  I like to keep things loose so I can do something fun, take a class, or follow a whim.  What that also means though, is that when I do actually plan something, I get kind of H-E-double hockey sticks bent on sticking to that plan.  So the fact that things aren’t following my plan has been frustrating to say the least.

Instead of simply flipping a switch at the end of my 1st job and switching over to the 2nd as originally intended, I now switch into “Dog Mom” mode.  Caring for Darby has been much like caring for an infant.  She’s getting stronger every day, but she’s still dependent on us to walk.  And walk she does.  She gets 3 short walks a day as well as stretches and exercises 2 times a day.  Jake is still a puppy in a full size body, so he has a lot of energy that needs to be released each day through play and walks.  Since the two of them still need to be separated, all of this happens independently.  By the time this is done I usually have about half an hour to get anything else done that I have in my “plan”.

Yesterday, on my walk with Jake, it dawned on me (sometimes I need a 2×4 to hit me over the head to make this happen), but I realized, this is the plan.  It might not be my plan, but it is what I’m supposed to be doing.  Caring for the dogs has actually done a lot for me.  Having been sick for a couple of years, my body got weak.  Supporting Darby and staying active with Jake has strengthened me both physically and spiritually.  While I’m being leaned on, I need to lean on someone else for strength to get me through it all.

So while things aren’t going according to my plan, I wouldn’t change a thing.  I’m trying my best to help Darby recover as fully as possible, watching the baby steps of success everyday while at the same time trying to make sure Jake gets what he needs as well. In the interim, I’m trying to stick to my commitment to myself to blog and do landscaping and other creative “stuff”.   Right now I don’t have the time to do it all, so I’m learning to allow myself to simply do what I can and ask for help when I need it.  (The asking for help thing doesn’t come easy for me. Call it pride, stubbornness, heritage or upbringing it is one of my “quirks”.)

So today, I had an hour before the kiddo gets home.  My choice was this… post for 1/2 and take Jake for a walk for the other 1/2.  That’s my plan… and with 29 minutes left, I’m kind of sticking to it.

This…..  is where I’m headed.

A walk in the park

Kate

Posted in Mindful Living, Organic Gardening, Pets | 1 Comment »

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