It pains me to see the number of people that are taking some form of prescription drugs to relieve depression and stress. More and more people today are falling under the effects of stress and stressful situations. In the rat race’s that we participate in on a daily basis, from deadlines, to overwhelming bills, relationship problems, job insecurity, to traffic jams. Is it no wonder that a record number of people are on prescription medications such as Xanax, Valium, and other similar drugs.
There are other more natural ways to deal with the effects of stress such as deep breathing or meditation in which I speak about frequently, although if this is not enough for some there are natural supplements that you can take for stress.
A new one that is on the market is AbsoluteCalm. AbsoluteCalm is made from Magnolia extract and many say that it relieves the effects of stress immediately. If you are under a deadline and are worried whether you will make it or not, the purpose of the product is to calm the body and relax nerves before or during a stressful time to make you feel refreshed and focused.
The ingredients are totally natural with no hidden additives, they include Vitamin A (beta carotene), Lecithin from soybeans, Olive Oil, and Magnolia bark extract. It is non addictive or habit forming being all natural.
If you are thinking of starting on some type of prescription medication due to depression or stress, please do yourself a favor and try alternative and natural methods before you jump into these un-healthy habit forming prescription drugs that so many are on these days. You owe it to your self and your health.
There is a new book out called The 100 mile diet, now this is not a diet in which your goal is to loose weight, but rather the goal is to be more conservative and sustainable. The concept is to not eat anything out of season or that comes from more than 100 miles away from where you live. By doing this it accomplishes a lot of good results, for instance:
1. Shopping at your local farmers’ market, most local produce has been picked inside of 24 hours. It comes to you ripe, fresh, and with its full flavor, unlike supermarket food that may have been picked weeks or months before. Close-to-home foods can also be bred for taste, rather than withstanding the abuse of shipping or industrial harvesting, not to mention Organic and less chemicals.
2. When we eat locally, we eat what’s in season. You’ll remember that cherries are the taste of summer. Even in winter, comfort foods like squash soup and pancakes just make sense–a lot more sense than flavorless cherries from the other side of the world, that took millions of gallons of fuel to get to you.
3. A study in Iowa found that a regional diet consumed 17 times less oil and gas than a typical diet based on food shipped across the country. The ingredients for a typical British meal, sourced locally, traveled 66 times fewer “food miles.” Or we can just keep burning those fossil fuels.
4. We support our local farms and give back to the community and local economy.
These are just a few things that the 100 mile diet accomplishes, I think it is a great concept, in fact I practice the 10 step diet, because it takes 10 steps to get to my own garden. Think about it, and learn what you can do to be more sustainable. And don’t forget about the great Gardening Book “The All New Square Foot Gardening“. Take Care All!
Summer is in full swing now and the kids are all outside enjoying the warm weather. If you are like me, you hate wearing shoes and socks, in my opinion it makes me feel like I am being suffocated by wrapping my foot in cotton and leather. Nothing feels better to me than walking barefoot in some nice cool grass (minus the thorns). When I am forced to wear some type of footwear I usually go for my sandals, because its the closest thing i have to no shoes at all.
My children have the same idea as I do about wearing shoes, but when they must wear them, they usually reach for the sandals as well. There favorite sandals are their Crocs Shoes. Not only do they allow their feet to breath, but also they can stomp around in water or mud and not have to worry about ruining them. All of the kids in the neighborhood are wearing the Crocs Shoes now and there is even a side craze that has been started concerning these shoes.
Can you say Fad? My kids are probably just like yours wanting things because the other kids have them, and that is the new decorations they are making to adorn the Croc shoes, let me see if I can explain it a little better. If you are not familiar with Croc Shoes, they are made of a lightweight soft rubber, are very comfortable and slip-resistant, while being fashionable and functional. These shoes contain many ventilation holes around the shoe which makes room for the new fad I am talking about, Jibbitz!
What the heck is a Jibbitz!! A Jibbitz is a small pin type decoration that attaches to the holes in the Croc Shoes.(I wish I would have thought of this) So the kids are collecting, trading and showing off the different Jibbitz that they have.
If you are the outdoorsy type that frequents the river or beach in the summertime, your missing out on a lot less cleaning of dirty backseats, shoes, etc. by not having some of these shoes, Trust me from experience. Have a great and safe summer!
Summer is upon us and vacations are on everyone’s minds. We are still trying to decide what we are going to do for vacation this year, but are definitely going to go for a long scenic drive, with some camping involved. I would like to hear from some of the readers of one of their favorite vacations that they have taken. Thinking back on the many vacations I have taken, one really stands out in my mind.
The vacation that I am talking about is one that was taken in Las Vegas, NV. Now I know that many people when they here the word Las Vegas, instantly black jack tables and slot machines jump into their heads and for many gambling turns people off. But having said that, there is many things to do in Las Vegas other than just gambling.
I caught some great shows when I was there, not to mention the cheap buffets which have spreads of food that would impress the best food conesouer. One show that stands out in my mind is Cirque du Soleil at the casino Circus Circus, the acrobatics of the performers was amazing, and the visuals of the lights and costumes were amazing.
Also Las Vegas has many outdoor activities to participate in, there is Lake Mead for the boating and camping enthusiasts and you also have one of the eight wonders of the world to check out in the Grand Canyon. Now I did check out the casinos while I was there, and got lucky and one a $200 jackpot on a slot machine, but I have to admit that most people end up leaving with much less money than they came with when they visit the casinos.
With the availability of the Internet planning a summer vacation is much easier, and there are a lot of places to find out travel plans and online travel guides of your destination of choice. My brother is planning on visiting New York this year so I pointed him to Things to do in New York City.
New York is not really my idea of a vacation, I am more of the nature outdoors type,but we all have different desires, that’s what makes us unique. There is a contest going on right now with the prize being a hand held GPS, but you must act quickly because it ends June 30th, all you have to do is sign up for the Trusted Tours & Attractions newsletter.
Whatever you decide to do this year be safe and take lots of pictures, and if you have the time let us hear about it. Take Care all.
I was delighted recently to have received a gift from Mr. Thomas Campbell. The gift I received contained a copy of the “My Big Toe Trilogy” and a DVD copy of his latest seminar that was given in England. I was so excited since I have been wanting to read this book ever since I made a video of the interview that he did with George Noory on Coast to Coast Am.
I quickly dived into the book and so far, even though I have not finished it, all I can say is WOW! I must say to my readers that you have to get this book and read it, for many of you it will be a life changing read, and will open your eyes to possibilities of how the Universe works that you may have never considered.
Maybe some of you are asking who is Tom Campbell, so I will save you the time of looking at my past posts and give you a quick run down of some of the things that Mr. Campbell has to put on his resume. Tom Campbell began researching altered states of consciousness with Bob Monroe (Journeys Out Of The Body, Far Journeys, and The Ultimate Journey) at Monroe Laboratories in the early 1970s where he and a few others were instrumental in getting Monroe’s laboratory for the study of consciousness up and running.
These early drug-free consciousness pioneers helped design experiments, developed the technology for creating specific altered states, and were the main subjects of study (guinea pigs) all at the same time. Campbell has been experimenting with, and exploring the subjective and objective mind ever since. For the past thirty years, Campbell has been focused on scientifically exploring the properties, boundaries, and abilities of consciousness.
In the book that I received when I opened the first page was a personal message and autograph which read “To Charles, may the possibilities of existence capture your imagination.” And that they have, and hearing the thoughts of as many people as I possibly can about the possibilities of our existence makes this life ever so more interesting.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart my friend, like you said, our paths cross for a reason, and I have to admit that ours crossing has furthered my journey On The Path.
Social Networks get a lot of attention on the Internet these days, with the success of YouTube, Myspace, and many others following in their footsteps, the popularity of these types of sites Spark new ideas and thinking outside of the box.
The purpose of most social networks is to facilitate conversations between bloggers and their audience, or for instance conversations between people with similar interests.
There is a new social network that has recently captured my attention called SocialSpark. Social Spark was set up with the idea of connecting bloggers with advertisers. Like it or not, advertising on blogs is here for the long haul, so you can choose to jump on the bandwagon or totally separate yourself from it.
A bloggers content does not have to be compromised by the addition of advertising, unless that blogger chooses to implement it that way. Until now there has never been a site along the lines of Social Spark that provides a platform where bloggers can communicate with advertisers with similar interests on an ongoing basis.
I have signed up for Social Spark to check out what it is all about, it is very easy to sign up and create your profile, and then in turn start connecting with other bloggers and companies looking for advertising opportunities for their products.
I have never kept it a secret that I take advertisements on this blog, although I choose to do it in a way that does not take away from the overall subject of what this blog is about, and that is my thoughts on spirituality, fringe science, the environment, inspiration and happiness, and of course with a little Buddhism sprinkled in for flavor.
Check out my profile over at Social Spark ad see what all of the hype is about, if it is something that interests you then go ahead and try it out. I get no compensation if you sign up, I just thought that it was a clever new network that some of you may have an interest in. The reason I picked my profile as a example is pretty obvious, although since I filled out my profile in detail it will be a good example for you to see all of the offerings.
I think it is a great idea, because never before have bloggers been able to talk back and forth with their advertisers through a 3rd party. So now there can be an open discussion between the two on specific likes and dislikes, and then a mutual agreement can happen. The only thing that I can say that I dislike about Social Spark is there is a slight learning curve on how the site operates, and someone visiting for the first time might be overwhelmed.
All in all I think it is a good idea, but only time will tell if it will be something that the public approves of by it’s success, I hope it does well and I will participate as much as possible to make that happen. Take Care all!
Mark at 45n5.com gave me a good idea for a post, Mark runs a blog with the subject of internet marketing, and posted recently that his current interests were homesteading and sustainability. So taking a cue from him I though sustainability would be a great subject for a combination video/text blog post.
Sustainability is humanity’s investment in a system of living that provides the current needs, while ensuring the opportunity for future generations to provide for their needs. In other words providing the things that we need to survive, while at the same time not destroying anything so that future generations will not have the same opportunity that we have now.
This is a very important concept of living and should be considered by all, there are many things that we can do to live a more sustainable lifestyle, whether you live in the big city, suburban setting, or the deep country, we all have things that we can do. Here is a list of things that we all can do to get started on the path to living a more sustainable life.
Trash
Trash is a common problem no matter where you live, and one of the first things we can do is Reduce the amount of landfill trash that we are producing. First step we can do is start buying concentrates and refills, or even going to your local warehouse and buying in bulk, all of these things provide more product for less packaging.
Large Items that you no longer want could possibly be needed by another, we have all heard the saying “One man’s trash is another’s treasure”. Give away or sell items that might otherwise go to a landfill.
Recycle - Most neighborhoods provide a means to recycle plastics and aluminum cans, In Japan they are required to separate plastics, PET bottles (plastic drink bottles), cans, and burnable and non burnable trash. A little inconvenience but something that is easily adjustable to, and helps tremendously.
Compost - About 45% of our garbage can be used as compost, Any vegetable material can be thrown outside in a compost bin and used for organic plant food later on, a great way to reuse waste.
Energy
Turn it off, unplug appliances at the wall that are not being used, many people do not know that their appliances are still using energy plugged into the wall even if they are off. Turn lights off, there is no reason to use lights when the sun is up.
Use hot water wisely, almost 30% of a homes electricity bill goes towards heating water, Check the insulation around your hot water heater, check the pipes for leaks. A wonderful thing to consider is a solar water heating system or a heat pump water system.
Choose energy efficient products, eco-bulbs use only 1/5 of a regular light bulb and last longer, seek out products with Energy Star labels or refer to the appliances star rating. (5 stars is best).
These are just a few things to consider, and can be accomplished no matter what environment that you live in. If you are in the market to build a house, now is a good time to start researching more energy efficient ways to design your house. Look into grey water, solar panels, earthship type construction, solar heaters, heat pumps, etc.. There are many areas of interest that fall under the Sustainability category.
I would like to hear what some of the readers of this blog do, to live a more sustainable lifestyle. I will showcase more specialty areas under the Sustainability subject in future posts, until then take care all!
Now that the summer months are upon us, and there are things to think about that we might not give any thought to on a regular basis. Everyone is familiar with the drinking and driving campaigns, and they have been very effective in reducing the amount of deaths that have occurred from those who decide to make wrong decisions and get behind the wheel after having a few drinks and thinking they are ok to drive.
But there is another aspect of this that seems to go unnoticed and that is Boating Operating Under the Influence of alcohol or other substances. Take for example in 1997 Arizona Boating alone reported 50% of all boating fatalities were contributed to Operating a Boat Under the Influence. The limits are the same as they are with driving under the influence with a 0.8% blood alcohol limit, and unknown to many the penalties are similar also.
We all owe it to our friends and families to act in a responsible manner, it seems that people don’t take boating and drinking with the same seriousness as driving and drinking. You can find more information on Boating Education Online, do yourself and your friends a favor and inform yourself to the seriousness of this matter.
Have a fun and safe summer and make the right decisions and act responsibly. Take Care all!
