A LOVE NOTE TO WOMEN

A love note to women.

I want so much for you. I want you to live your best lives now and, as you do so, prepare yourselves for the future. It is often acknowledged we want long lives, yes, but we want long, healthy, active, productive lives – not simply logging sedentary days, months and years.

For decades it has been my life’s work to share – and model – the gifts of health and fitness.  Over the years, trends have come and gone. I have gone through periods of focused cycling or focused Yoga or focused group classes. Now, I am finding the current trend to be both challenging and meaningful.

Here I want to share with you a few insights and suggestions and hope that you will make wise choices for yourselves.

 The intensity and amount of what is now recommended is daunting yet should at least be acknowledged and attempted as much as possible.  Yes, there are always roadblocks – but usually there are detours around them!

In recent years I have learned a great deal from prominent podcasters and writers such as Andrew Huberman,  Andy Galpin, Rich Roll and Peter Attia.  Lately I have been avidly following Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, Stacy Simms and others emphasizing womens’ health and longevity.  (This recent visit of Dr. Lyon with Dr. Vonda Wright is powerful!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kd1c-RNlss )

Stories are legion of seniors who simply fade away from frailty. Though we know to fear diseases that can kill us, we sometimes overlook the importance of muscle and bone health, the need to challenge our cardiovascular systems, the significance of balance, and the overarching ‘dynamic duo’ of mobility and stability.

A quick summary of what benefits us most is easy; doing it is not. Worth it? Yes.

.adequate, quality sleep

.nutrition that checks the boxes of needed nutrients, protein & hydration

.aerobic exercise: several days per week (minimum 180 minutes) of Z2 training as well as 2 bouts of high intensity interval training blocks

.strength training – resistance work starting with light weights, bands and body weight and progressing to lifting heavy!

.mobility and stability work can be an add-on as often it is included with some of the above yet in my mind there is nothing better than a good Yin practice coupled with a slower Vinyasa flow.

And about Yoga – though I agree with some that Yoga alone is not enough to give us optimal health and strength, the practice offers far more than physical benefits and is an excellent way to complete our self care.

“Take your good fortune and

lift your life to its highest calling.

Understand that the right to choose

Your own path is a sacred privilege.

Use it.

Dwell in possibility.”

Oprah Winfrey

SUNRISE… SUNSET…

Sunrise Qoahog Bay Harpswell Maine August 2024

One cannot read the words “Sunrise, sunset …”  without hearing the melody from Fidler on the Roof (if, of course, one is familiar with the musical). The words of lyricist Sheldon Harnick are both melancholic and eternally true.

 “Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze.
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears.”

 Indeed, as I write this short post, I am astonished that it is already September, sunflowers are prolific, and the days are flying by, “one season following another.”

Sophie, sharing the view from the deck with me – with interest!

  Rather than share my every thought, I encourage you, my friend, to pause a moment to observe your next sunrise and see what thoughts float into your consciousness.

 And then, perhaps, deliberately plan a little outing to the best possible place to follow the progress of a setting sun. When there are landmarks, like a treeline on the opposite shore, the progress of the setting is surprisingly rapid. Furthermore, it is always interesting to note that some of the most vivid colors follow the disappearance of the sun from sight, the afterglow. Does this tell us something about life’s experiences?

In any event, perhaps you might follow the process in the series of pics posted below.  Enjoy. And do pause to reflect on your own Sunrise and Sunset.

Sunset at Lookout Point Harpswell Maine August 2024

 

 

The Energy of June

The Energy of June is light and bright and full of promise. Daylight hours reach completion, personal energy and enthusiasm run high, and a celebratory sense is almost palpable. To those of us who never quite abandon the academic calendar, we intuitively respond to the notion that graduations/end of school year and summer vacations greet us fresh every morning. And, speaking of mornings, we might be fortunate enough to wake up to birdsong, catch the morning dew on the grass, and note little shoots and buds appearing in our gardens, and wonder at those that have come to rich, full bloom!

Mind you, I am writing from Vermont where we are a bit slower to arrive at the threshold of summer, but perhaps our delicate spring season makes the wait more worthwhile. Though many here flourish in snow, others relish the gorgeous days at the other side of the year’s life cycle.

Professionally I may be a Personal Trainer and Yoga Instructor, but I truly live my work. Concepts of strength, endurance, stability, mobility and balance infuse my daily hours and make my life one of abundance.  I enjoy robust health and, as I was recently told, Qi! Perhaps it is a gift of experience, but I am also learning to trust my judgment a little more and to honor quieter moments integrating life’s action. Meditation, generously defined, seeps into many minutes as a reminder to focus on breath managing previously stressful pinches. Above all, my personal hunger to learn and experience life’s richness, enables me to share and even teach. In fact, I am mandated to do so.

That being said, I circle back to the academic concept of a year and to the many meanings of teacher/student. I encourage each of us to pause to consider that we, in our own individual ways, are always students. As research demonstrates, the best way to learn is to turn around and teach what we are learning to another. Therefore I suggest that we are all teachers and that teachers are always students. (talk about circling!)

June is a gorgeous month in which to ponder this. So much happens, so much promises, so much celebrates and all with such clarity. Borrowing from TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and the Five Element theory, June is that perfect juxtaposition of Wood and Fire. Transitioning from the Wood Element’s spring season – one in which birth, growth and creativity thrive – into the Fire Element’s summer season – one in which the flames of Yang energy roar – this hiatus is one of clarity before the possible mugginess of summer’s heat settles.

June. With pearls as birthstones and roses as the June flower, what’s not to love? Long ago someone somewhere (probably ancient Italy?) suggested that June signify Juno, an important and powerful deity (counterpart to Greek Hera), and queen of a bunch of gods, goddess, etc.  Not surprisingly, Latin could be the root with lunius associated with this month. And as so often happens with etymology, lunius segues to Juno.

June is considered gender neutral and borrows youth and playfulness from the French ‘jeune.’ Though I have only known females named June, I learned that there are men named June as well. (I wonder if the guys are as sunny as the gals I know.) If you are looking for a name for your pet, June is highly recommended! All joking aside, some of the characteristics of the recommendation for doing so point to the energy and quality of this month. For example, one site suggests: “June is a name that exudes warmth and energy. It brings to mind the summer months, which are often associated with fun and adventure.” Playfulness, a strong sense of loyalty, a mysterious side – all pieces of the puzzle that make up June.

Venturing into the animal kingdom, (are bugs animals?), there’s the junebug. You’ve probably heard this: “all over it like a duck on a junebug,” which refers to doing something with great eagerness. In my area, babies are showing up everywhere. So far we’ve only encountered six adult bears, but one was a mamma with triplets. Uncomfortable but exciting. And, after a brief territorial dispute of five geese, two won out the rights to the pond I see from my large windows and ultimately five little ones joined the community. June is a month of proliferation.

May you celebrate June 21, 2024, the day of the Summer Solstice. Though we may not gather at Stonehenge the evening before to watch the sunrise on the longest day of the year, we might at least pause to acknowledge this gift and open it with anticipation. Indeed, June is a time to live life, not just check the boxes and get the jobs done. I leave you with this:

 “Help me to be less fearful of the measure of time, and more fully alive in the time that simply is. Help me to live time, not just to simply use it; to breathe it in, and return it in acts of love and presence.” (Avis Crowe)

 

SPRING EQUINOX – A TEASE IN VERMONT

Spring Equinox 2024 is just around the corner. Daylight Savings time is in full gear, spring break is not that far away, and most likely, after another mud season and maybe even another snow storm or two, spring will arrive in Vermont.  For a number of years I was first, a contributor (Correspondent) to the Rutland Herald and Times Argus and eventually a Field Editor for a page appearing weekly on Sundays entitled “Active Vermont.” Though challenging to fill an entire page each week, it was a happy time as I not only had the opportunity to write, but I attended events, interviewed athletes, learned from experts and was happy to share it all. (I even had the opportunity of regularly working with the fabulous photographer, Jeb Wallace-Brodeur.) Just now, as I sat down to write a post about Spring in Vermont, I remembered several articles I had written for my page. The one, reprinted below, is one of my favs. Hope you enjoy and hope you make good use of those special days. Might they be gifts from the universe?

This is one of my all time favorite photos, taken in 2010 by my friend Jeb Wallace-Bordeur.

Spring Equinox – A Tease in Vermont

The word equinox is associated with the balance of equal parts day and night. To be more correct, equinox is all about the sun. At the Spring Equinox, March 20, 2011 at 7:21 P.M. EDT and again at the Fall Equinox, September 23, 5:05 A.M. EDT, the tilt of the earth’s axis will be neutral, neither towards nor away from the sun. The sun’s center will be in the same plane as the Equator.

Often celebrated as the “First Day of Spring,” the Spring Equinox becomes a solar festival. Yes, the earth’s axis is balanced, but it is ready to tip towards light. The days are about to lengthen and signs of new life will appear. With the added help of an early Daylight Savings Time (effective this weekend), spirits rise as each day becomes longer and brighter.

Button Bay early 2023

Spring in Vermont, however, is a tease. As we experienced this week, snow may fall heavily – in both quantity and quality. Variable temperatures, mixtures of rain, snow and ice, combine with inevitable thaw to create flood potential in swollen rivers, lakes and brooks. Mud season, our fifth and dirty season, is near.

It is the yin and yang of spring that tease us. Skiers shift gears and enjoy the unique characteristics of spring skiing as winter’s competitive season winds down. Plants that were only dreamed of in January are blooming profusely at home and garden shows. Hockey gear is being replaced by lacrosse equipment; bats and gloves are surfacing as news of spring training hits the papers. Runners, cyclists and paddlers are eager to take their training outdoors.

Yet all is done with an ear tuned to the meteorologist and an eye on the sky for just about anything can happen to upset plans. Perhaps the key to the changing conditions of a Vermont spring lies in flexibility – not muscular and joint flexibility, though that is always useful, but in creatively taking advantage of whatever opportunity each day may offer.

When my children and I moved to Vermont, we had been accustomed to springs marked by March tulips, forsythia and azaleas. By April it was short sleeve weather and by May we were mopping the sweat off our horses and ourselves.

During my first winter here, a coworker offered good advice. “Good days are rare – you know, the day when the sky is bright blue, the sun is shining and the air is crisp and clear. If possible, rearrange your work schedule to take a day off. Then go.”

We put his theory to the test and created one of the singularly memorable days of my kids’ childhood. It was April and, yes, we were supposed to be somewhere else. Though I am usually responsible to a fault, when the day dawned as a perfect day for spring skiing, and because I had worked hard all winter and not skied once with my children, I turned off the alarm clocks, gulped, and never looked back. I packed lunches, fed the animals (I would be mucking stalls after dark that day), grabbed a camera and woke up two surprised children.

The day was more than perfect. It was a memory in the making. By noon we were skiing in Tshirts. My kids were much better skiers, but with the forgiving corn snow, I was able to go with them on trails I had only imagined. We laughed, we played, we threw back our heads on the lifts to catch the glorious rays on our way up then raced down as if the hill belonged to us alone. During a late picnic lunch sprawled on the snow overlooking one of the most beautiful valleys in Vermont, we decided that life did not get much better than that.

Flexibility. We must be able to change our plans – cancel dinner reservations, delay a trip, read a book instead of hiking on a muddy trail, go to the gym instead of running on an icy road, or throw on sneakers instead of snowshoes. The weather rules; it is what it is. Our challenge is to adapt, to look for possibilities and perhaps even see opportunities where none seemed to exist, to be creative. Time is finite. What we have, we must use well.

photo by Jim Heins, 3-17-2024

If the Equinox is about balance, could we honor the coming of spring by seeking balance in our own lives?

 

MY WORD FOR THE YEAR, 2024 = CHANGE

Change is one of those Yin/Yang words. Just thinking of change has the power to initiate thoughts of fear, loss or unease. Reframed, the concept might be exciting, rich with opportunity, at the very least different but potentially better. The Yang version might be drive or struggle while the Yin side might be flow and process. In any event, change – something different – is often just around the corner.

All one needs to do to find words of wisdom encouraging change, is to use that search engine and have at it! Surely your favorite writer(s) have said something wonderful about change – often counseling the reader to begin with one’s attitude. There seems to be a moral imperative to change as life moves on and maturity comes to the party. And, as with Yin and Yang, balance is crucial.

Change signals positivity. My favorite sweatshirt, a gift from someone who knows me well, reads “Eternal Optimist.” (Spiritual Gangster) It is both a gift and a mandate to be eternally optimistic – a characteristic that must be utilized wisely to meet and temper life’s many struggles and grief.

“Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.”  Eckhart Tolle

Irresistible advice shamelessly borrowed from a friend

Each January 1st I decide on a word for the year. I begin to explore words and how they might be woven into my intention for an entire year. Repeatedly in recent weeks the word CHANGE has come across my radar. So, CHANGE it is for 2024.  TBH I prefer the word EVOLVE. To evolve suggests taking time, changing gradually, and perhaps, significantly, changing from simple to complex, from lesser to greater, growth.  In my mind, gradual change, taking time to develop, suggests doing so with minimal stress and maybe even with a confidence and sense of purpose that sudden change prohibits. No matter, CHANGE works.

Change is a privilege. I recognize that. In my own experience I have been practicing small steps of change in order to protect and grow my personal fitness physically, creatively and spiritually. I made sometimes painful decisions to step back from roles that I had played for years but, when honest, knew that they were no longer serving me and, more importantly, I was no longer playing those roles with integrity – I was no longer serving those with whom I was connected. For me it takes courage to search my soul, so to speak, and then to deal with what honesty has uncovered.

Since Covid, (how often do we mark time with those words – since Covid…?) many of us have reconnected with family and friends. Zoom gave us a platform to shift our personal and professional lives. As months have passed, many of us have needed to shift again. We learn, we gain, we lose, we ebb, we flow. We change. And if we don’t…?

“Life is about growth and change. When you are no longer doing that – that is your whisper; that is your whisper that you are supposed to do something else.”  Oprah Winfrey

Sunrise

Earlier I used the word REFRAME. What a lovely tool! In the midst of turmoil, it is admittedly difficult to pause, to reframe the situation, the decision, the dilemma. But to do so often brings about a natural resolution or, at the least, turns our faces towards the sun.

There is genius to impulse. Sometimes. Often, however, impulse forces backtracking and rebuilding. Or perhaps that is what the impulse was meant to do. Is it creativity that makes us spring for the “meant to be” next step? Oh to discern the difference between creativity and foolishness. To evolve gradually just might do the trick. And, as so often is the case, I suggest that there is space in our lives for all of it!

As Meister Eckhart famously wrote:  “And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”

May you trust the magic of your own beginning in 2024. I am grateful for each and every one of you and wish you health, happiness and love in the new year. I also wish you a word that speaks to you. A Word for the Year is a nice companion with which to begin.

 

Happy New Year from Sophie, Lizzie and me

November Gets a Bad Rap (or Rep, if you’d prefer)

November gets a bad rap. (Or if you prefer, it has a bad rep-utation.) Why? Oh, you can just tick the reasons off on all fingers and toes and have some left over – much has to do with the weather, shorter days, colder temps, holiday stress on the rise, yadayadayada. November is a month of contradictions. Here in Vermont, though the trees are bare and there’s often an engulfing bleakness, it’s also a time of growing excitement for winter sports enthusiasts. Goodness, one of our ski areas, Killington, is already open! Ice hockey, ice climbing, winter hiking, snowshoeing, downhill and cross-country skiing, riding (snowboard), fat-biking and even dog-sledding provide loads of outdoor activities in spite of, or because of, the colder temps.

November is certainly a month of differences, if not conflicts. Politically there are elections. Hunting can be a hot topic as the contrast between ethical and foolish hunters is critical. Though the deer might not be having a lot of fun during rifle season, there is an element of sport for the rest of us. As I don my orange hat and vest and dress my dogs in their orange bandanas and coats, I am reminded that the color orange also represents play. And play is so very important!

Even the Thanksgiving Day holiday has generated debate. While November is often referred to as a month of remembrance, note this: in some traditions it is the dead (especially those who are reportedly in purgatory) who need our prayers; yet it is on Veteran’s Day that we remember the living who have served our country and need our thanks.

Daylight Saving Time? What’s up with that? The outrage! Setting our clocks back (does anyone really do that anymore – doesn’t your device handle this chore these days?) triggers SAD (seasonal affective disorder) – or some variation thereof – in so many. Losing that hour of daylight at the end of the day is purportedly tragic. Well, perhaps it is not so bad. Annually I am reminded of (possibly romanticized, but enticing) stories of farmers who no longer worked the fields late into the night, but instead came indoors in the late afternoon after the livestock were fed and bedded down for the night, and sat by the fire mending harness or knitting.

For me, early light is preferable. My Labs need a nice long walk in the woods first thing and watching the sunrise is more desirable than wearing my headlamp. It’s all in the viewpoint, as they say, but perhaps as we are disgruntled, we could practice reframing our outlook and our subsequent experience. Worth a try, don’t you think?

And if you are upset over the first Thanksgiving feast, perhaps focus on the intention might be sharpened. I do not need to belabor this concept.

Gratitude is an enormous word – especially these days as so many work to support mental well-being.

Finally, let’s lighten up with a nod to a few of the many (just use your search engine if you’d like more) holidays to be observed during this month.

11-1: World Vegan Day*

11-4: Use Your Common Sense Day

11-9: Chaos Never Dies Day

11-14: National Pickle Day

11-19: Have a Bad Day Day

11-24: Black Friday. (Flannel Friday in Montpelier, Vermont).

            Also, Buy Nothing Day

11-30: Stay at Home Because You Are Well Day

 And, today? As I write this post? It’s Have a Beautiful Day Day. Furthermore, may you have a season filled with family, friends, love and gratitude.

*(The little pics you see on this post are of a few of my little treasures scattered throughout my home. I love even the tiniest of reminders. Funny, though, I was unable to find anything that said something like “turkey safe zone – this house is vegan.”)

EMBRACING CHANGE

Seasons change and so must we. Do we embrace or resist the inevitable?

My dogs embrace the transition to autumn – the cooler air and scents of wildlife moving about in my woods. I, on the other hand, resist it all. I pile on the blankets at night and don’t want to climb out of bed in the morning. I wear layers and layers in my house and have already donned hat and gloves outdoors. No, it’s not really cold. Just wait until January – but I find myself clinging to the warmth of summer. (OK, that was a mixed blessing for so many this summer – I am not insensitive – but here we had SO much rain and only lovely little blocks of our usual.)

But the big picture  is how we react to change that is going to happen no matter what we do or how we feel about it. The leaves WILL fall and the furnace WILL eventually kick on. May I offer a few suggestions?

*Step outside our comfort zones – maybe daily, maybe weekly but make it a point to define what a comfort zone is and search for ways to tiptoe outside. Today, for example, I varied my usual morning trail walk with Sophie and Lizzie and went deeper into the woods past tall ledges that might, yes, truly might, house bears. No sightings. Phew. Maybe stepping outside means having a difficult conversation, or finishing a project, or committing to something – anything. It could be the usual – embark on a new sport or do something extreme or dangerous. But its doesn’t need to be huge. It’s just knowingly and purposefully stepping over that line.

*Speaking of outside – do we GO outside EVERY day? For some, this is a no-brainer. If we are fortunate enough to live in a place where outdoor space is abundant and welcoming, well, we are fortunate and therefore have no reason not to open that door and venture out. If we work outdoors, even if we need to get to our cars, or have dogs that need to be walked – again, fortunate. But sometimes we do need to pick ourselves up and spend time in outdoor awareness, noticing the terrain, feeling the air, observing the surroundings and listening. One of the advantages (yes, I count this as advantage) of having a dog is that he or she absolutely must go outside. Opening the door and granting pee time is not enough. Our furry friends need exercise so outside it is – rain, snow, sleet, hail – or so the saying goes. Invariably, we find that even the worst weather conditions offer their own benefits.

*Sign up for something. Take a course. Join a study group. Buy a challenging book. I am one who continues to study anything and everything about my work from listening to Podcasts to reading newly published books to online classes and training. But that’s easy. Taking a course in something a little different, is where I push myself. Recently I completed a highly recommended and deeply valued 6-week Lovingkindness meditation training program with the Vermont Zen Center https://vermontzen.org/  Adding this work to my daily habits has been a game-changer. I also pushed myself in a different but similar direction and joined a book club – even though I needed to bring a potluck dish each month – and for someone who does not cook, this was daunting! Through this group I am nudged to read books I would not otherwise have chosen and then be prepared to discuss, agree, disagree and hone my social skills.

*Reach out. Reach out to family and friends near and far. Visit, engage, text, Zoom, whatever. I really need to work on this. Do we get too busy to remember someone? Never. But sometimes we fail to let our loved ones know. And do we listen when we do connect? 

*And just one more suggestion from me – surely you will have oh so many more to add – enhance our daily practice of checking in with ourselves, experiencing gratitude (note – I did not suggest using words to express gratitude but to actually embody gratitude), perhaps spending a few minutes in silence or journaling. Some of us are familiar with Julia Cameron’s The Artists Way.  Talk about life altering! This is a 12 week study complete with daily and weekly assignments and is worth every minute. I first heard of this course from a favorite podcaster, Rich Roll, and have since found many who I respect have nothing but high praise for Cameron’s work. (One is Elizabeth Gilbert who claims that to this day she writes her “morning pages” and that her Eat, Pray, Love would never have been written had she not done The Artists Way first. When I read this, I thought ‘If it’s good enough for Elizabeth Gilbert, it’s good enough for me!’)

Borrowing once again from a favorite writer, Arthur Brooks, (paraphrasing from memory but you’ll get the gist), check in with a daily pyramid suggested by the Dalai Lama of first making sure we can define and live  in accordance with our moral values, then spending some time in meditation, and finally reading wisdom. (From Strength to Strength, Arthur C. Brooks, (2022) And you might also like his new book, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, Build the Life You Want, The Art and Science of Getting Happier (2023) – trust me, not ‘just’ a self-help book!)

Enough? Probably never enough! But yes, we can flip it and embrace change, welcome the newness of each season, anticipate the possibilities and engage in that which touches the very edges of our lives. Happy Autumn from Vermont.

August Pictures Worth Far More Than Words

The month of August falls squarely in the middle of the Five Element cycle*. According to Gail Reichstein, Wood Becomes Water, Chinese Medicine In Everyday Life, “Earth is considered the prime stabilizing force.” Think also of the season, a time that brings spring’s seeds and summer’s growth to fruition, harvest, plenty. Think Mother Earth, nurturing, nourishing, balancing, accumulating, allowing and perhaps even sustaining deeply rooted hope. In today’s world of daily disasters, atrocities and frenetic technology, it is good to step back for a few moments and simply to be.

Recently I have stepped outside my comfort zone to join a book club led by my friend Ana del Rosal (https://www.mountainrosevt.com) and quip that by doing so I am expected to read books I may not have known of and, mostly, to contribute to potluck – my biggest step! Last night we discussed How to Do Nothing, Resisting the Attention Economy, by Jenny Odell. This read was not always easy, but certainly proved to be significant. Putting down our cell phones or moving away from our computers for even a short time, is certainly worth a try. Understanding the addiction to social media challenges our intelligence to find other ways to spend waiting minutes or begin the day.

One of my favorite things to do is practice framing and reframing. I use the latter for problem solving and the former to capture scenes when I choose to take a leisurely walk to simply enjoy the beautiful state in which I live. Yes, ok, I get it. When I actually click the button on my phone to take a picture and not simply file in my memory, yes, ok, I have not turned my cell phone off.

But when you see the pics I am sharing with you, perhaps I will be forgiven.

Today was one of those days – serious rain followed by sun then by clouds then by hot sun then by a good drenching while the sun was shining then by thunder and a downpour then by bright sun …..But walk we did. Coming upon a road closure with two Labs on leash was a real find! Even the invasives are gorgeous as they thrive. Driving home from the local market I was forced to stop to capture the view. Letting my girls play in the beaver pond was so breathtaking, I just had to whip out the phone … and you know what followed.

So, perhaps I pay even more attention to details when I try to frame a picture. Perhaps this falls outside of the “attention economy.” In any event, signs of August and Earth are crowding my lens and I am enriched by them. May you be as well.

Enjoy. Love from Sophie, Lizzie and me

 

*Five elements are Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire.

On Supermoons, Growth and a Reset

No, I have nothing profound to say and certainly nothing that can pass as original thinking. But I have been thinking. A lot. Especially as I walk through the woods with scattered attention looking ahead and in the trees (yes in the trees) for a bear sighting (as that’s where they go when they hear my Sophie) and trying not to trip on the tennis ball that my Lizzie continually drops just as I am about to step.

Recently I have been somewhat grounded – the flood, car trouble and this weekend a fun time dogsitting my grandpup (3 Labs!) – so I have had more time to spend doing what, something? nothing? thinking in spirals or rhymes? meandering mentally and on foot?  TBH it’s been nice.

Which brings me to a reset. What follows are a few notes I have gathered to support my claim.

Supermoons. For those of us who cannot help but love a full moon, August is OUR month! How can it not be? There will be TWO full moons and both will be SUPERMOONS. The first is the Sturgeon Moon because, well, the sturgeons (according to Native American lore) are particularly active and happy at this time of year. The second will be a Blue Moon as it is to be the second full moon in the same month. Now, all we need is to be able to see them (please, no rain and no gifted smoke from our northern neighbors).

What is a supermoon? I share this from https://www.space.com/38940-supermoon-facts.html#  “Because of its closeness, a supermoon can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter compared to a full moon….” And this pic they share of a supermoon rising over Vancouver.  Wow, eh?! (as Canadians would say)

From other sources I have learned that pausing to spend some time with a rising full moon can be a lovely practice. As some of you have heard before, my brother and I have a long-standing connection as we step outdoors to give each other a shout out at each and every full moon. This for many decades! Furthermore, I have also learned that, for those who are in touch with even a tiny bit of astrology, it is significant in which sign a full moon rises. On the night of August 1st, when the supermoon rises, it will be in the sign of Aquarius. Perhaps you might want to take a few minutes to reflect on what has happened in your year so far and to rewrite your to-do list, the list of goals and dreams you may have identified for this year. You may be able to check some off, or you may want to eliminate, alter or add. In any event, oh so many of us welcome this opportunity for a reset.

Life happens. (Please feel free to substitute another four-letter word.) It’s been a challenging 6 months for absolutely everyone I know. I won’t go into detail but, yes, I know you and you have had it as well! To give a nod to the glass half full, perhaps the challenges are also helping foster growth. We may need to think about this or smother a groan but if we look at the world around us, we might plug in for a little personal growth as well.

Here in Vermont we are not suffering from the heat. Yes, we’ve had tragic flooding and far more dangerous storms and rain than we’d like. Please let me say now that my heart goes out to those who have lost homes, businesses, and well-being during these weeks. So, to look at pretty pictures of flowers, means little within that context. Yet, it still means something.

Growth is apparent everywhere in nature as plants, bees, mushrooms, ferns, trees, slugs and of course the wicked woods flies all flourish and thrive! But it is all growth. May we grow as well.

For me, watching the posts and actions of many friends as they worked and gifted to help those in need was humbling and inspiring. When one can be motivated by generosity to act, growth is certainly at work. And once we taste of the meaningful joy that it brings to reach out, we will never go back. Could this be the growth or the silent benefit of disaster – humanity needing help and humanity needing TO help?*

Without sounding morbid or dramatic or maybe even a little crazed, I do suggest that for many and in many ways the first half of 2023 has been chaotic, problematic and uncomfortable. The synchronicity of a Supermoon in Aquarius, suggesting the gifted opportunity to at least symbolically turn inward to the very center of our being and declare a reset, is timely, necessary and profound. Will you join me in doing so? When I shout out to my brother may I shout out to all of you as well? And will I hear your shout back?

 

*At this point in my writing, I reached back in my memory for something I had read by Rabbi Harold Kushner along the lines of answering the age-old question how could tragedy happen and where was God? His answer was that God was seen in the human response to tragedy, the love and generosity of those reaching out to help. As I searched for the exact quote I stumbled upon Rabbi Kushner’s obituary. I was stunned to learn that he had passed on April 28, 2023. Since reading “Living a Life That Matters,” (Anchor Books, A Division of Random House, Inc, 2001,2002) a book of his that I treasure, I have been a devoted fan. When a friend gave me a signed copy of one of his books, she proclaimed that I had found “my Rabbi!” May I suggest that you find a book title of his that peaks your interest and spend some reading time with this wonderful man? I share here from Ralph Waldo Emerson:  “To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you lived – that is to have succeeded.”  Oh, Rabbi Kushner, you have succeeded.

The Common Dandelion – Weed or Treasure

Spring would not be spring without a field of dandelions. The scourge of the perfect lawn, this common weed is due attention and respect. Just three weeks ago, this landed on the internet about the Chelsea Flower Show: “Four of its 12 show gardens will feature plants traditionally regarded as weeds, which are now being rebranded as “resilient” and “heroes”. Weeds are no longer flowers in the wrong place, according to this year’s organizers, but exactly where they should be, softening the designer’s edge and adding a wild note to far corners. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/26/chelsea-flower-show-wild-weeds-vital-plants-soil-insects-birds

Before I move forward with this little essay on the dandelion, I need to retrace my steps. It’s been a minute since I’ve posted. No worries. It’s all good. Life, as always, is an exercise in opposites – meeting challenges and giving thanks for one’s blessings. My daily journal since January 1 is a lovely little book themed Strength and Grace. Elizabeth Gilbert never fails to inspire me.

Furthermore, thankfully as both a teacher and a student my driving force is curiosity, I have learned even more about this spring season than I had known before – or rather, than I had previously processed.

In the Five Element Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is the season of the Wood Element. Since I do not plan to write a book here, suffice it to say that this season embodies the revitalizing qualities of Wood – growth, resilience, creativity, imagination, opportunity, potential, and, thanks to the Yin and Yang organs of the Element, Liver and Gallbladder – a nod to sight/vision and decision-making.

And so, as I have worked with these concepts moving through each day, helping to shape optimism and enthusiasm productively, making decisions that need to be made and observing changes in the outdoors around me, I have made the decision to visit the common dandelion.

As many of you do, I’m sure, I find that in spite of myself, my mind thinks outside of the box and my imagination flourishes by observation as I walk my dogs in the morning. Sometimes we walk in the woods and I am startled by the sun rising brightness through the trees. Sometimes my thoughts meander as the trail, moving past a to-do list to a what-if list. More often than not, I create a message, Yoga practice, Peloton team FB post, strength series,  or email in my head and eagerly return home to work with it. I had not planned to do that. Where did the time go?!

I often take a picture of something that attracts my attention. (Thank you iPhone.) Thus, a few thoughts on the dandelion. Here in Vermont, dandelions reliably color fields a brilliant yellow. Here and elsewhere, we are urging “No Mow May,” and beyond, to protect pollinators and encourage balance in the natural world. And yes that seems to work a little more easily for us in more rural settings than in suburban communities. I get that.

Dandelions are functional as well as lovely. “Dandelion is native to Europe but found throughout temperate regions in the Northern Hemisphere. The leaves, flowers, and root of the plant have traditionally been used in Mexican and other North American medicine. Today, dandelion is promoted as a ‘tonic,’ as a diuretic, and for a variety of conditions, including infections and digestive symptoms. As a food, dandelion is used as a salad green and in soups, wine, and teas. The roasted root is used as a coffee substitute.”https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/dandelion   Hmmm. Are you game?

What about the nuisance factor?  Yes, dandelions are identified as weeds, a perennial, sometimes invasive, prolific and determined little weed.  “It consists of a complex of biotypes that vary with environmental conditions and is a common weed of mountain meadows and turf. It also inhabits perennial crop fields, especially those in alfalfa, disturbed sites, and nurseries…. Because dandelion contains high amounts of certain minerals, it serves as a complement to pasture forage for livestock. In addition to being weedy, the fine hairs of the one-seeded fruit can clog cultivation equipment.” https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/WEEDS/dandelion.html 

But let’s get down with this:  ok, perhaps dandelions are viewed with frustration when they overtake an expensively maintained lawn. But they are also viewed with wonder as they collectively blanket a meadow or individually speak of personal worth. A dandelion reminds us of rebirth, growth, that precious and delicate spring green that breaks forth into myriad shades and intensities after the cold winter months, and their own mini portraits of strength and grace.

Dandelions suggest healing and optimism, the continuation of life itself. Who hasn’t picked a dandelion that has gone to seed, made a wish, and scattered the wisps with our own breath? Today, perhaps more than ever or perhaps the same as ever, we are in need of and sustained by hope. In this season when we might employ the tool of decision making, perhaps the words of Nelson Mandela might be helpful: “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”

Here’s to the humble dandelion. And you.

And to the continuation of life itself.