Sunday, 28 October 2018
Widow's Endorphins: Life is a Bed of Roses
Widow's Endorphins: Life is a Bed of Roses: Life. It's a bed of roses...except when it isn't. We take the soft, fragrant blossoms along with the thorns. That's lif...
Life is a Bed of Roses
Life. It's a bed of roses...except when it isn't. We take the soft, fragrant blossoms along with the thorns. That's life. Unpredictable and ever changing, with the seasons, with the years. For all our planning, decision making, and focus, life has a way of surprising - even shocking us. Sometimes, we get hurt, and bleed - those damn thorns!
Roses are part of the milestones of our lives. They're in every conceivable bouquet from the welcoming of the birth of a baby, to moving into a new home, graduating from high school, or university, celebrating an engagement, wedding, new job, new business, or retirement. They offer encouragement to someone fighting illness, or gentle consolation to those mourning a death.
With my birthday approaching, I'm getting philosophical (although Scorpios are born with a degree in Philosophy). If there's wisdom gained in aging, it's in a renewed appreciation for life. Live life! Enjoy the small moments every day. No matter what is going on with you, take time to smell the roses!
Taking time each day to detach myself from any stress, any responsibility, any thorn in my side, and enjoy life's simple pleasures, has helped to get me through difficult times, or just the mundane everyday blahs. I practice Mindful Meditation, laugh with friends on Facebook, share meals with the wonderful people I live with, meet friends for coffee, go for a walk with my camera, bake, bike six miles on a stationary bike, watch a movie. The problems don't go away, however, they're so much easier to deal with when I am calm, centred and joyful.
Even when I do housework, I've got Motown, or Stevie Ray Vaughan turned up loud enough to hear the music in the other rooms of my home. There's nothing like dancing to the Blues to chase the blues away!
Maybe you can't dance everywhere...well, you can still tap your feet, under your desk. You can still snap your fingers in time to the muzak playing at the grocery store. Choosing tomatoes takes on a cool sophistication when you snap your fingers to a the jazz, or 60's rock that fills the store.
While you're at the grocery store, pick up a bouquet of roses!
Photographs Copyright of: Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated
Sunday, 14 October 2018
Widow's Endorphins: Vitamin D, Sunshine and Dahlias
Widow's Endorphins: Vitamin D, Sunshine and Dahlias: It's mid October, and big, fat Dahlias are still brightening Toronto gardens with their vivid colours. A Sunday afternoon walk wi...
Vitamin D, Sunshine and Dahlias
It's quiet. The park next door is undergoing a major multi-year reservoir reconstruction project, and only a few of us seem to know the secret path to the Volunteer Garden. The bees are still softly buzzing from blossom to blossom. It's an afternoon of blue skies, sunshine and pretty pink flowers!
It's known as the Sunshine Vitamin. Your body produces vitamin D when your skin is directly exposed to sunlight. Actually, the ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays of sunlight do the trick. Black people absorb more UVB in the melanin of their skin than whites, and need more sun exposure to get the same amount of vitamin D.
In parts of the world where the hours of sunlight nearly disappear for months at a time (think of Canada from November to April), where sunlight is obscured by heavy air pollution, or people live and work indoors from sunrise to sunset, lack of vitamin D is a real issue. An estimated one billion people have vitamin D deficiency.
Then, earlier this month, a controversial review of 81 vitamin D studies showed the vitamin had no effect on increasing bone density, or preventing bone fractures. In New Zealand, Aukland University's Associate Medical Professor, Mark Bolland reviewed nearly 54-thousand cases, and found that even in higher doses, vitamin D had no preventative effect. His conclusion is that if you are healthy, you don't need extra vitamin D to prevent fractures, however, if you are seriously deficient - take vitamin D.
The review did not cover vitamin D and cancer or heart disease. Right now, more than 100-thousand people around the world, are in vitamin D trials, including research into cancer and heart disease.
The weather forecast shows sunshine most of the week, and I plan to be outdoors enjoying the UVBs! Although, midweek could see thick clouds of smoke covering the sunlight in many Canadian cities...October 17th, marijuana becomes legal, and this country's skies could be a little hazy.
Photographs Copyright of: Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated
Monday, 8 October 2018
Widow's Endorphins: Thanksgiving...Action de Grace
Widow's Endorphins: Thanksgiving...Action de Grace: It's Thanksgiving Day in Canada. A country with so much to be thankful for, including two official languages: English and French. ...
Thanksgiving...Action de Grace
It's Thanksgiving Day in Canada. A country with so much to be thankful for, including two official languages: English and French. Thanksgiving in French, is Action de Grace. An easy way to remember, is to think that when we say grace before a meal, we are giving thanks. Thanks for nature's bounty, for the farmers who planted, tended, and harvested the crops, the truckers who transported it, the grocery store workers who stocked the shelves and handled the cash, the people who cooked the dinner, and for those sharing in the meal.
You know how I love to play with words...Action de Grace also makes me think of grace in action. It is in doing acts of kindness, and extending a hand to those in need, that we express grace.
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