Tag Archives: health
More often
“Certainly there are good and bad times, but our mood changes more often than our fortune.” — Jules Renard Not only that, but we can have bad moods during good times, and good moods during bad times. Have you ever wondered how this could be? I know I do. There are similar mysteries in life. …
More important
“It’s bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children’s health than the pediatrician.” — Meryl Streep “Eat your vegetables. They’re good for you.” — almost every mother who ever lived Pediatricians are important in fighting children’s diseases, to be sure, but it might be even more bizarre that we somehow generalize their crucial responsibility …
On foot
“Sickness comes on horseback, but goes away on foot.” — William Carew Hazlitt Seemingly out of nowhere, it hits– the devastating diagnosis, or the catastrophic accident, or the debilitating chronic pain– shattering the life of a loved one, or self. Life changes– sometimes forever. We feel blindsided, helpless, resentful, afraid. But somehow, we keep going. …
With little effort
“Whatever the season, and with little effort, your kitchen can be as headily fragrant as groves, orchards, gardens…bakeries, brasseries, coffeehouses, and tearooms. If you view food and beverages as simply substances to be eaten and drunk quickly, you’re missing more pleasure than you could imagine.” — Sara Ban Breathnach Let’s just say I’m no gourmet …
Walking around
“I absolutely love cities that reward walking. In London, you can’t go three blocks without coming upon something grand and historic, a charming little square, or an interesting piece of street life. To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, when you’re tired of walking around London, you’re tired of life.” — Alex Soojung-Kim Pang For those who haven’t yet …
Flowerbeds with edibles
“Creating your own urban farm is as simple as planting your flowerbeds with edibles.” — Greg Peterson Given my failures at trying to keep the squirrels out of our tomatoes, I tend to doubt that it’s as simple as Peterson makes it sound. Still, I find the idea intriguing. I don’t want to give up my …
Wake up fresh
“The best cure for a disastrous day is to go to bed early and wake up fresh in the morning and start over.” — Garrison Keillor I totally agree with Keillor about this. The problem is, a disastrous day usually leaves me frustrated, agitated, angry or in some other state not conducive to a good …
Courage, cheerfulness and…
“Courage, cheerfulness, and a desire to work depend mostly on good nutrition.” — Jacob Moleschott The author of this quote lived more than 100 years ago, but he probably would get as much or more agreement with this statement today than he did when he first said it. Though the average diet has undergone substantial …
Outdoors in
“Bring the outdoors in. Plants make for a happy home.” – Mr Jason Grant There were a lot of ways my mother created a happy home for us, and one of them was the way she loved plants, indoors and out. She was often joked about spoken of in regard to her composting and organic …
A kind of artist
“We have neglected the truth that a good farmer is a craftsman of the highest order, a kind of artist.” — Wendell Berry History tells us much about the wide-ranging though conflicted brilliance of Thomas Jefferson. Aside from his celebrated love of books, farming may have been his greatest passion. He and his trusted gardener …
A form of fatigue
“Sadness is almost never anything but a form of fatigue.”― André Gide This is the sort of quote that provokes a bit of skepticism in me, until I think about it closely. To verify that it’s true, or at least mostly true, I need look no farther than members of my own family – and …
Your great-grandmother wouldn’t
“Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” — Michael Pollan As a carb-craving sweet-toothed treat junkie, I must admit that learning to eat my vegetables has been an ongoing effort for me. There are a few I really enjoy: tomatoes, spinach, corn on the cob, field peas or most other legumes, preferably fresh …
The strength of the sole
“When you have worn out your shoes, the strength of the sole leather has passed into the fibre of your body.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Lately I’ve not been able to walk as much as usual, and when I do walk, I notice there’s a difference to my typical rhythms and behaviors. I’ve been walking …
Following the paths
“If you are ill or facing adversity, you can begin to heal yourself by following the paths others have followed. Forgive yourself and others, live with hope, faith and love and watch the results in your life and in the lives you touch. Remember that success and healing refer to what you do with your …
Thy medicine
“Let food be thy medicine…” — Hippocrates You really don’t want to get me started on this topic, so I’ll try to keep it relatively brief. I think one of the best ways to keep our minds and bodies fit and healthy is to take care what we feed them. This applies to thoughts and images, of …
Our gardens — our wills
“Our bodies are our gardens – our wills are our gardeners.” – William Shakespeare The more I think about this analogy, the more it holds up on several different levels. Gardening is not easy; it involves no small amount of dirt, sweat and failure. But the rewards, which go beyond the final results each year, …
Designed by nature
“The marvelous pharmacy that was designed by nature and placed into our being by the universal architect produces most of the medicines we need.” — Norman Cousins One of the first things I did after Jeff got his stage IV cancer diagnosis was request that he read a book first published in 1979: Anatomy of an …
Resolved in the morning
“It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.” — John Steinbeck If you’re an insomniac, a night owl, or both (as I am) you have probably done a good bit of work and/or worry in the late hours …
A Little Nonsense
“A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.” — Joseph Addison Happy April Fool’s Day! Laughter is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves or others. I hope you will indulge in some light-hearted fun today — look up a joke or two to share, sing silly songs, watch a …
On these walks
“It is on these walks that my best ideas come to me. It is while walking that difficult clarity emerges. It is while walking that I experience a sense of well-being and connection, and it is in walking that I live most prayerfully.” — Julia Cameron For several years now, I’ve been walking anywhere from …
Observing the effects
“The observer, when he seems to himself to be observing a stone, is really, if physics is to be believed, observing the effects of the stone upon himself.” — Bertrand Russell What we see and experience changes us forever. This is one reason it’s so important to feed our minds and senses with a healthy …
Precious document
“The most precious document in the world is a clean bill of health.” — Ashleigh Brilliant I just got out of the hospital, where I spent most of last week. It’s ironic that last week’s post was about not feeling sorry for oneself, because that pre-scheduled post published on a day when I was feeling …
For the whole day
“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” — Henry David Thoreau OK, I can just hear some of you thinking “Great quote – but how would YOU know about early-morning anything?” Good point. However, I’m quoting Thoreau, who supposedly knew it quite well. Still, I think there have been a few times …
More often
“Certainly there are good and bad times, but our mood changes more often than our fortune.” — Jules Renard Not only that, but we can have bad moods during good times, and good moods during bad times. Have you ever wondered how this could be? I know I do. There are similar mysteries in life. …
Defeat Despair 