Turbulence

 

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The old year didn’t end strong for me, nor has the new year been the best so far. In the midst of all this turbulence, my meditation group has provided stability through our practice and topics we are exploring.

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The worst thing to distress me was self-evaluation and feeling I'm a failure. Does anyone stack up to what they expect of themselves? Our meditation leader had me look into the concept of the joy of insignificance. This doesn't mean we should give up, but to find value in the ordinary. 

A podcast exploring this topic is from Ten Percent Happier with the guest Dr. Ron Siegel, a part-time assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and a board member at the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy.  

In his talk, Dr. Siegel discusses being kind to yourself and your expectations, being useful rather than successful, and how being special is a burden. Concepts I need to take to heart to get out of my personal rut of feeling I'm a failure.

Another article on the joy of insignificance assured me that we don’t need to do something extraordinary in order to live a good life and that we should avoid comparing ourselves to others.

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 The idea of not surrendering your spiritual authority was also suggested as a way of being true to yourself. This isn't a religious concept, rather it is about the truth, beauty, purity, and goodness that is and always has been you, and allowing it to flow effortlessly through you to radiate out into the world. Embracing this approach gives me comfort in being my genuine self.

Finally, a poem by Martha Postlethwaite, Clearing, gave me additional peace and comfort and helped me find my way again.

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Do not try to save
the whole world
or do anything grandiose.
Instead, create
a clearing
in the dense forest  
of your life
and wait there
patiently,
until the song
that is your life
falls into your own cupped hands
and you recognize and greet it.
Only then will you know
how to give yourself to this world
so worthy of rescue.

 

 

 

 

 

One Thing Led to Another

 

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I vowed not to take any more online classes until I retired, but the temptation was so great that I took a writing class again last fall. Just two days into a week-long, lunch time class I realized I wouldn’t be able to finish due to work demands. Still, I love learning and had to find a way!
 

I turned to online self-paced courses and these, I’m delighted to say, are working perfectly. There are even Facebook groups associated with the classes, and unlike in-person classes, I virtually meet people from all over the world and learn from their questions and different situations.

My first venture with an online class grew from my interest in cooking with herbs and wanting to know how to use herbs in healing teas. I’m especially interested in contraindications—when NOT to use particular herbs. 

This interest led to an online class in herbalism
with the Herbal Academy. The class turned out to be much more intense than I was prepared for, but I could take my own sweet time, any time, and it was a success! For anyone else interested, the additional cost for the book set is worth it.

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 This class led to the purchase of an herbal calendar that I love. Every other day it has useful and interesting facts on herbs ranging from history, medicinal uses, growing tips, and recipes.


 

 

Course

 

Through the Herbal Academy Facebook group I then learned of Grow, Forage, Cook, Ferment, a self-paced online class covering foraged plants and how to use them. Yes, that led to me enrolling just a day after learning of this course.

All of this has led to even more herbs planned for my garden, such as purslane, purple dead nettle, self-heal, miner’s lettuce, calendula, and more. One herb I had to remove was lemon balm as it is contraindicated with thyroid conditions. My spiral herb garden is now where the lemon balm patch was.

I’ve also learned of some edible wild plants that already grow in my yard such as chickweed, wild violet, plantain, and the ubiquitous dandelion. Since I grow organically and have no outside pets, I can be assured my plants are safe to consume (though I of course still wash them!).

As my garden grows I look forward to seeing where my herbalism and gardening paths leads next!

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NaNoWriMo

 

What is NaNoWriMo?

NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, is when authors strive to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. That’s 1,667 words each day. NaNo was started by a man who thought there was nothing else to do in November.

Nothing else to do in November? I guess he wasn’t planning a
Thanksgiving dinner, cooking it, cleaning house, entertaining friends and relatives, and then cleaning up. Bam! Then it’s Black Friday and holiday shopping is in full swing with Christmas sweeping in.

COVID slowed much of this busy time of year for families, possibly giving writers more time to focus on stories. Still, one thousand six hundred and sixty seven words are a lot to do each day for thirty days.

 Syntax, grammar, and major revisions happen for the next few months.

Writers can plot prior to NaNo, but writing any part of the story isn’t fair play. I’m a huge plotter and mapped out what I wanted to cover each day of the month. Even with that preparation, I usually spend two hours a day getting those words on the page with some semblance of the English language.

I’ve reflected on the whole experience and came to the conclusion that in January of 2024 I will do my own version of NaNo—JaNoWriMo, or January Novel Writing Month. My goal will be one thousand words a day. Given that I prefer to write stories around forty-five thousand words, this will give me a good start on a new novel.

January is truly the month where there is nothing to do. Shopping is done, the holiday decorations are down, and now the bills come in. Plus, there are New Years resolutions. Why not start out with the resolution to get that next (or first) book started? 

By the way, yes, I did write more than 50,000 words on a new story.

All photos from Unsplash.

Grief and Gratitude

 

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My mother passed away in late September—a heart-breaking loss for me and our family. My head knows no one lives forever, but my grief at the news was more than I was prepared for.

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Through sobs, I asked if someone was with her when she drew her last breath, did someone hold her hand? Yes, my brother held her hand and my sister was on a video call when she passed. (Technical incompatibilities prevented me from being on the call.)

I’ve read that when one is close to death the veil between the living and those who have gone before is thin. Was my mother joyful at seeing her husband who had preceded her sixteen years earlier? I have hope but can never know. Never. 

This thought led to more “nevers”. I’ll never make and send her cards again. I’ll never have our weekly call again. I’ll never hear about her childhood again. These losses are so hard to bear.

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Yet, as I grieved I had much to be grateful for. First and foremost, how wonderful my siblings, niece, and nephew are. From our mother’s final breath to the moment her soul soared free, they involved me every day in all aspects of her memorial. (Covid kept me from traveling.)

During my mother's visitation service my niece connected to me via

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FaceTime. I met neighbors who had been so kind to my mother for many years. I made new friends with several people who attended her memorial and reconnected with distant relatives. I’m grateful to know my mother was loved and cared for by family and her community.

 

 

Through FaceTime I didn't miss a single sentence or scene during her final service. I miss you, Mom. And most of all, I'm so grateful for the ninety-one years we were blessed with your love.

Mom on her wedding day

 

 

Down on the City Farm

 

The UW Farm is a 1.5 acre student-powered urban farm & educational facility located on the University of Washington’s Seattle Campus.

 

In the past month I finally had the opportunity to volunteer with the University of Washington Farm. I'm proud to say, even in the city of Seattle, college students can learn how food is grown and then processed for food banks, UW campus dining, and community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes.

Sorting tomatoes for CSA bags

My volunteer shift started by learning about the sanitization process for harvesting produce. We all had to wash our hands, then cutting tools and food collection bins were dipped in a weak bleach solution. The bins could not touch the ground, so while we harvested the collection bins rested inside larger bins that sat on the ground. If the cutting tools touched the ground, they were re-sanitized before they could be used again. We also could not use gloves because they can't be cleaned well enough.

A boar tomato I was able to bring home

Our first assignment was harvesting cabbages which took little time, but was dirty without gloves! Then it was on to rows and rows of various tomatoes. I learned that crows attack red things, so any red variety of tomato was harvested before fully mature. Some tomatoes had ripened in the past few days and were indeed pecked by crows.

I learned there are two types of tomato plants: determinate and indeterminate (potatoes, too!). Determinate (bush) tomato plants are bred to stop growing usually somewhere around 3′-4′ feet tall. When flowers blossom at the tips of the branches, the plant has reached its full height.

Indeterminate tomato plants are tall and require staking or caging as they keep growing taller and taller all season. They produce fruits over a long period and in tropical climates or heated greenhouses, produce continuously. When grown outside they’re usually mid-season to late types.

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All through the rows of tomato plants, purslane was growing and is often included in the CSA boxes along with recipes on how it can be used. Purslane is a vegetable rich in omega-3 fatty acids and can easily establish itself throughout a garden. 

 

 

It was a great experience, though I'd expected to be able to wear gloves for harvesting and it took days to get dirt out from under my nails. 😀

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