patina  1 a fine crust or film on bronze or copper, usually green or greenish-blue, formed by natural oxidation and often valued as being ornamental    2 any thin coating or color change resulting from age, as on old wood or silver

In the garden this morning, I was struck by the beauty of patina, and patina is nothing more than age. 

I see my age.  Every day when I look in the mirror, I see the wrinkles around my eyes that have come from  much smiling.  But I would not trade my smiles.  In fact, every time I see those wrinkles I should be thankful that I’ve had things to laugh about.

The patina in the garden is beautiful to me.  If there’s anything I love about winter, and there are some things about winter that I love, it’s the fact that this patina — the age — becomes so much more prominent when the beauty of youth — the flowers — is sleeping. 

There’s a Jewish proverb.

For the ignorant, old age is as winter; for the learned, it is harvest.

That, dear friends, will be written into my  journal today. 

I do not want to dread another day because there might be another wrinkle, or because my joints say stay in bed when my mind says but I want to do things.

I want to wear bright colors and practice beautiful sayings in my mind and smile and have a beautiful spirit.

It bothers me, for myself and for my daughter, that we are surrounded by a culture that honors youth more than wisdom.  Neither of us is immune to the natural tendency of a woman to want to be pretty, but I struggle to help my daughter grasp now, in her youth, that a beautiful spirit is priceless.  It’s all the more reason for me to act my age and try to show her.

In parting, let’s smile.  It has been said that old age is when actions creak louder than words. 

Happily, we are all headed that way. 

I’ve been thinking lately about potential.  There are a couple of reasons that the subject of potential has been on my mind.  Maybe the most obvious reason is the breaking forth of tiny buds on all the trees and shrubs and the appearance of flowers in the garden, just waiting to open into full bloom. 

There’s great potential in the garden for a delightful show of color and scent and visiting wildlife over the next six months.  In fact, with the garden, it almost seems like promise, but we have had storms in the past that destroyed plants and tore down arbors, so it’s still just potential in my book. 

The other reason, I’m sure, is that our community is grieving the loss of a young girl, killed in a car wreck last week.  I’ve thought much about her young life and all of her unfulfilled dreams, and of course her parents’ unfulfilled dreams for her.  Even though I did not know her that well, it’s a tragedy that makes me want to sit down and cry.

Potential.  I’ve thought about the word potential so much that I took out the dictionary and looked it up. 

potential – possible, as opposed to actual

Honestly, that definition has really grabbed ahold of me at the moment.  Potential ends at the grave.  What is actual, stands. 

It brings to mind one of my favorite verses: Ecclesiastes 9:11

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

I may be swift, but I won’t win if I’m not running.  I may have some wisdom, but what if I get lazy?  And we are all subject to time and chance.  Life can end suddenly for anyone.  That’s sobering.  Makes me want to be sure to do today things that should be done today.  When all is said and done, what we have accomplished with our lives is what is actual.  We can have all the potential in the world, but until we act on it, it is still just unfulfilled potential.

Now, before it starts sounding like all of my rambling about unfulfilled potential relates to this beautiful young girl who died, it’s not about her.  Not at all.  I am concerned with my own unfulfilled potential.  I’ve been convicted that when a little voice points out to me that I am able to do something better, I need to get busy doing it better, not just walking around with the thought in my head this has the potential to be so much better.  When I get a little glimpse of something that would be beneficial for my family, something that would require me to make some sacrifices, what if I’m not willing?  

I picture fruit dying on the vine.  Because of me.  

I just really want to be the best that I can be.  And I don’t want to ignore any of those little voices telling me that I could be doing something so much better if only I’d put a bit more into it or make a few more sacrifices.

I’ve come to a conclusion.  Potential is easy.  It’s actual that takes some doin’.

to take care of you during this wonderfully busy time of year.

Even a fun sort of busy-ness can be straining.

I like to have a cup of hot tea by the flickering flames in my old gas heater, while I sit with my feet up, thinking only of pleasant things.

Lynn

Walking.
Briskly.
Alone.
Chases away Old Man Blues.
Overtakes vague thoughts that wandered off while I was sitting still.
Leads me, step by step by step, to clearer thoughts.
Walking heals.

I love to walk.  I walk for 30 minutes, hard, during my lunch break.  It’s one of the simplest, most peaceful, most healthful forms of exercise.

It’s free.  You can meditate while you walk.  You can plan and think while you walk.  Or you can let your mind float free and just soak up the sights around you.

Do you walk?

Lynn

Lately I’ve read some interesting threads on line about mommies having “me time” — whether or not they really need it.  I think that is such an individual thing.   I don’t have to be eyeball deep in “me time,” but I can honestly say that it does amazing things for my perspective to have just a couple of hours every so often by myself, away from my usual day-to-day activities.

Last night I had a little reprieve from all that goes on at home all the time.  I guess it’s a bit paradoxical that what I did while I was out was directly related to everything that goes on here all the time, but nonetheless I got out for awhile.

I had ordered a couple of books from the bookstore and received a call that they were in.  One of them was Little Oh.  We are studying The Raft
right now and I just love the illustrations by Jim Lamarche.  I wanted Princess of the Universe to have a few books containing his illustrations, not to mention that the story of Little Oh is a great one.  We also have the book Albert, which is illustrated by Jim Lamarche.  These books are all out for display right now for our FIAR study of The Raft. 

While I was upstairs, I snapped this picture of one of the dressers in our doll house.  Tee hee.  Miss Priss LOVES animals, which is why our study of The Raft will probably carry on for longer than planned.  I wonder if this is an indication of what her real home will look like when she grows up.

Actually, I did not focus solely on things for school while I was out, but I stopped by Whole Foods and picked up some thing that I really love.  The Greens and Whey is something I drink every morning with milk.  Yum.

The Bragg’s seasoning are really good, if you’ve not tried them before.  This is the first time I’ve purchased the plain liquid Aminos because I tend to stay away from anything that says “soy,” but my husband’s heart health information says that soy can help him, so I think he might enjoy using this.  The ginger and sesame dressing, though?  We all love it.  Love it!

So that was my “me time” for a couple of hours last night.  I think it feels good to fix up a bit and just enjoy getting out, going in a couple of stores, perhaps buying something special (like my new wall calendar for 2009), and just being me.

What do you do for ME time?

Lynn

PS – I was excited to find that my total cholesterol has dropped 30 points over the last six years!  Woo hoo.  I plan to post soon about why I think this is so.  I’m sure diet plays a huge role.

I love easy side dishes.  Especially things that are pretty in addition to being delicious.  Like this pasta dish.

You can brighten it up even more with canned tomatoes, but some of my children don’t like tomatoes very much, and I think this dish is actually better without the tomatoes.

Cook up some multicolored spiral pasta, drain and rinse with cold water.  Add in one can of corn, drained, and one can of garbanzo beans, drained.  Then, my favorite part.  You can use Italian dressing, but this, in my humble opinion, is much, much better. 

Bragg’s All Natural Ginger & Sesame Salad Dressing.  Pour this on to coat pasta to your liking and stir.  Season with sea salt to your liking.  And eat.   All of my boys, even my I-don’t-like-vegetables boy, love this dressing.  Bragg’s All Natural Ginger & Sesame Salad Dressing has extra virgin olive oil, fresh ginger, raw honey, fresh garlic, , liquid aminos, sesame seeds, and more.

You can find Bragg’s at many all-natural grocery stores. 

Yum.

Lynn

I quit drinking coffee back in February.  I did love my morning coffee.  Two cups.  Every.  Single.  Day.  I have read recently there are some benefits to drinking coffee.  I’m sure there are, but I won’t be going back to it.   Coffee has a knack for aggravating breast cysts.

I switched to green tea, which still has caffeine but significantly less.  There are also many benefits to drinking green tea.

• contains polyphenols (such as catechins, quercetin)
• phytohormones
• flavonoids
• polyphenols that may help skin
• antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral
• anti-inflammatory
• antiaging
• may protect against cancer (studies in many areas on this)
• may help lower cholesterol
• promising as a weight-loss aid
• may help burn fat
• may help regulate blood sugar and insulin
• reduces clotting tendency
• may protect the heart
• may protect against cavities

I say “may” do this or “may” do that because it just seems safer.  I’m no doctor and can make no guarantees about anyone’s health or longevity.   I just know how much better I feel since cutting the coffee and switching to green tea.   I also dropped a good number of pounds without trying very hard, and the only permanent change I have made is adding green tea.

A note about milk in tea:  it may bind with the flavonoids in the tea, reducing the amount of flavonoids available to benefit your body.

Why am I sharing this today?  Just because.  Because I love my green tea.

One note of caution:  There are reports that green tea plants take fluoride from the soil and from water and store it in their leaves, which in turns ends up in your tea cup.  This is significant because some studies show that consuming fluoride may have a negative impact on the thyroid gland.  Just FYI. 

Lynn

“There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy.”  Robert Louis Stevenson

Just a little something to think on today.

Lynn

I’ve read before that happiness is a form of courage. 

It’s perplexing to me that one of the hallmarks of hitting middle age is the possibility of being suddenly shrouded by this thought: my life is not what I thought it would be.  Then, coming out on the other side of that, I know many 50+-year-olds who are at their happiest ever! 

Am I happy?  If I don’t think about it, I’m fine.  If I think about it, I’m confused.

Am I happy?  Or not?

There’s another saying I like, and Tasha Tudor mentioned it in one of her books: Take Joy.  If Joy is there for the taking, then isn’t it a choice to be joyful or not?  Perhaps it’s all choice. 

There’s another little saying:  Happiness has to be cranked up; trouble is a self-starter.  Oh my, do I know this!!  I am genetically prepared to look at the glass half emtpy, but as I get older I am trying to look at the glass half full.  Or maybe completely full, even if it’s not. 

Then I get really philosophical and wonder can there be any joy in suffering?  In loss of health, family, friends, home…  Well, here’s another little quote.  Albert Schweitzer said, “One thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”  

Hmmmm.  I think a spirit of servitude can be cultivated in almost any circumstance.  A thankful heart.  An humble spirit.  A smile.  Friendship.  Quietness.  (Did you know it’s hard to be quiet?)  Sharing your bread.

I think there’s joy in being content.  So, today, even though I’m working, and even though I was up until nearly midnight last night baking birthday cakes for Princess of the Universe, and even though a time-out for her party this afternoon will leave me with extra typing to do tonight, and even though most kids are away in the summer and her party may end up being just her brothers and her mommy and her papa bear, I am taking joy today.  I’m not even going to look at the glass half empty because I have so much to be happy for.  In fact, I am happy.  I am glad that, at least for today, I have:

• food
• healthy children
• sunshine pouring in through my office window
• an old aspirin bottle dug up from my garden adventures in my own yard, sitting in an old, old window with a flower in it
• flowers
• a girl who’s turning 10
• a birthday party to look forward to
• running water
• recycling trucks that come by and pick up things to recycle
• a creative mind
• butterflies and bees in my yard
• clothes — and thrift stores
• my mother
• my sister
• my hard-working, handsome husband

What gives you joy today?

Lynn

I try really hard to support local crafters, so any time I see some beautiful crafty thing that has been made locally, I try to purchase one or more if it’s something I can reasonably afford.

I cannot tell you anything personally about the owner of Southern Essence, but I did want to support her business when I came across some of her soaps in Youngsville at Hill Ridge Farms.  I purchased a bar of the Eucalyptus and it’s an awesome bar of soap!  The scent is wonderful and it lathers very nicely.  I’m picky about what goes on my body and it passes the test.  Also, it looks like the soaps are getting better and better, with even more soaps to choose from.

 I’ve been wanting to put these pictures on my blog and share the link to Tricia’s website.  The option is there to order on line.  I know I’ll be purchasing more of her soaps.

Lynn