Time is Platinum

The old idiom time is gold has been upgraded to time is platinum to reflect how valuable it has become! It has always been valuable, but that value seems to have increased due to how fast it is currently moving. I will not get in-depth with scientific theory here however, I will touch on some theories which help to explain what the heck is going on with time. One can concur with the longstanding belief that as one ages, time seems to move more quickly. There appears to be more to this than meets the eye as although this feeling is a universal one across cultures worldwide, it can no longer be the lone reason why we as humans are feeling so pinched and stressed by the rapid passage of time in 2011. Scientists give validity to the expedience of time as one gets older via research regarding our life experiences, for instance, a person's first, or virgin memories, such as the first kiss, first bite of chocolate, first anything, is a new, or novel experience, thus this new experience is so dense, our brains actually record them differently and this takes more brain power than it does to follow the mundane, routine, path of least resistance which many of us fall into later in life! Sadly, since many middle age people do not challenge themselves, this could be why time in fact seems to slip threw their proverbial hands at lightening speed. This data does not explain why all age groups appear to be experiencing rapidly flowing time, or the general feeling of-"there is not enough time to do all I want to do!" I feel this way daily and ask myself where the hell is time going quite frequently. I am currently unemployed and wonder how I got anything done when I worked full time and although I want to work again and make some money, I am genuinly concerned about how I will get all the things done that I both love and hate to do! One other school of thought regarding time, is a more complex one, however, it is one that I tend to entertain, it is centered around a spiritual/energetic perspective of Earth, at the core of this belief, which is closely tied to the Mayan Calendar, humanity is moving to another level of consciousness, one where our current knowledge of time/space/distance does not apply. Regardless of what resonates with you individually as to why time appears to be moving at lightening speed, one thing we can all agree on, is that it really is doing so! The only way to deal with it is to be in a place of gratitude, or living in the moment. This is not always easy to do, but, it is one of the only ways in which I can find peace in my own life, for the old Rolling Stone's song-"Time Is On My Side" surely does not apply to our current place in space and time!

Adapting to the Fall to Winter Seasonal Change

Most of us are pretty overjoyed that we get to sleep an extra hour now due to "Daylight Savings Time," however, the extra hour of sleep may not always make up for the energetic requirements of the fall to winter seasonal shift. Chinese medicine is a great venue to read and research in regards to what needs to be done to adapt to the season changes. Fall is traditionally the season of the harvest...this is not only pertaining to the obvious, crops, but to all of our work and projects over the past six months. The proverbial seeds have been sown, fall is when we reap the end result of the work/growth. For even if we are not growing all of our own food, which would be ideal, autumn is the time for preparation for the season traditionally called the season of rest and introspection, winter. I know, you are thinking, "rest~!"...winter seems to be anything but with two holidays, snow to shovel, cars to warm up, that is a pack of hooey! Nature even assists us by shortening the hours of sunlight from September 23rd to December 21st (the longest night), after which, the days start becoming longer again. While humans as a race do not seem to live by the seasons anymore, when we become cognizant of them and accept them, we can live more harmoniously with them rather than dreading and fighting them. Change cannot be avoided, yet, humans fight change "tooth and nail," unfortunately, this is to no avail, as it is an inherent process and the one truth of the universe amongst all people. Maintaining a balance this time of year is a combination of outward and inward-based activities. As I touched upon last year in this blog, one must find physical activity they enjoy and do this throughout fall/winter as well, this will not only help one to sleep better, it will keep one's moods up as well. According to Chinese Medicine, fall is a good time to cleanse, which I have yet to do, to prepare the body for the ingestion of more heavy and sustaining foods, such as soups, stews, etc. The Metal Element is associated with fall and is associated with the lungs and large intestines. It is important to keep these organs healthy to offset colds and flu. The balance of intake, through breathing air and eating food, and output, breathing out, activity and elimination is crucial to stay healthy. The lungs are vulnerable to cold/damp climates and thus set one up for colds and lung infections. Since the nose is the opening to the lungs, I suggest buying a good Neti Pot and Himalyan Pink Sea Salt, which is very high in all trace minerals, and rinsing the nostrils daily to help prevent the onset of colds/flu. Another very important nutritional aspect is to get one's vitamin D levels checked, as virtually everyone in the upper midwestern states is deficient in this nutrient, which is considered a pro-hormone. Research continues to unveil the multitude of benefits that this nutrient provides to the body. One key factor which has been disclosed is that it is needed to maintain healthy immunity. I recently had my levels tested through my practitioner and they were borderline low. This is not good as I bike outside all summer and the fall season is considered the "trough" for D levels. What this means, is that levels of this nutrient need to be at a peak now in order to sustain one through the winter months. I would recommend a vitamin D test for all who are interested in staying healthy this winter season! For more detailed information regarding the implications of season change on the human body, I suggest picking up a copy of Elson M. Haas, M.D., book-"Staying Healthy with the Seasons."

The Resurgence of Barter....

Good ole Wikipedia defines Barter Trade as "a method of exchange by which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and services without using our current prevalent medium of exchange, money." Traditionally, Barter was utilized to replace currency in times of money instability.
While I do not profess to be an economist, one would have to be blind to not take notice, if only on a rudimentary level, how frail the world economic system is. It is currently ebbing and flowing with jumps in the Dow both up and down and national unemployment numbers hovering at stubborn levels above 9 percent! In summary, I would say that we are definitely in very "shaky" times in general.
I started thinking about Barter after a brief conversation with one of my neighbors the other day when walking my dog. I feel blessed to live in more of a community, rather than a neighborhood. My neighbor brought up the idea of Barter trading, specifically in relation to her direct neighbor. Her close neighbor, who is also a friend of mine, is currently unemployed, as am I, and Mary, whom I was talking with, said she would love to have Ann (her neighbor and my friend) over a few nights a week, simply for company, in return, Mary would cook homecooked meals for her as she is a great cook. When I returned home after our conversation, I started thinking a lot about this concept. I really think we could make a "mini" model of sorts within our neighborhood, after all, we all get along really well, almost all of us, and I think many would be receptive to this idea. Our annual block party this year has morphed into a monthly potluck at different houses in the neighborhood. The host provides the main meal and everyone choosing to partake brings something as well. We have had two thus far and they seem to be a hit. Based upon the success of these community dinners per se, I really believe that the Barter Trade concept can take root. After all, we have a lawyer, a teacher, a hairstylist, photographer, spiritual healer, several great cooks, etc. all in one neighborhood. Another common thread is on the scale of finances...many of us are underemployed, unemployed, or stay at home moms, all needing to watch the flow of money within our households. I also envision Barter Trade as not only a great money saving tool, but, a phenomenol tool with which to build face-to-face relationships in a world dominated by electronics. While we all love our electronic gadgets, I believe that on a primal level, humans are very deficient in human touch, communication, everything involving actual person to person interactions and are looking for ways to develop this in their daily lives. I feel it is along the same vein as the grow local food movement...the impetus being that of knowing who grows and processes the food we eat. In parting, take a look around you, how can you contribute or expand upon this concept in your "own" world?