Any of us

There's so much good in the worst of us
and so much bad in the best of us
that it hardly becomes any of us
to talk about the rest of us.

- Edward Wallis Hoch

Thankful, saying, thinking

One of my most helpful wellness practices is to recount what I am thankful for. These days around Thanksgiving brings this practice to the front of many Americans’ minds: often we even say it out loud to each other.

Words are powerful and affect our thoughts!

“The simple fact of saying anything has the real effect of binding that thing in our thoughts. I have found that it is no use to pray to be kept from thinking wrongly unless at the same time I am willing to have all my words censored by the Holy Spirit also…every refusal and thrusting back of the wrong speaking, means deliverance from the wrong thinking….For the interplay and connection between thought and some expression of the thought is so inseparable, that every expression by word of mouth impresses the thought more deeply on the mind, so that one simply cannot stop thinking about the things one speaks about.” – Hannah Hurnard, p 57 Winged Life

Whole life

“There are thoughts which are prayers, there are moments when, whatever the posture of the body, the soul is on its knees.”
– Victor Hugo

A heart at peace gives life to the body. – Proverbs 14:30

Prayer encompasses more than words: it refers to my whole life, my longing for God, my whole drive toward Him.

Step back

"Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on."

- Bob Newhart

Holding onto

Holding onto grievances is a decision to suffer.
-Gerald Jampolsky

Grievances seem to most often involve another, but they can also be with self. I’ve had a tendency to self-flagellate. It has not served me well. This counsel is good for me:

"On the commission of a fault it is of great importance to guard against vexation and disquietude, which springs from a secret root of pride and a love of our own excellence; we are hurt by feeling what we are; and if we discourage ourselves or despond, we are the more enfeebled; and from our reflections on the fault a chagrin arises, which is often worse than the fault itself.
The truly humble soul is not surprised at defects or failings; and the more miserable and wretched it beholds itself, the more doth it abandon itself unto God, and press for a nearer and more intimate acquaintance with him, that it may avail itself of his eternal strength." - Madame Guyon

What we are

“Let us never forget that what we are is more important than what we do.” --James Hudson Taylor

Still, what we do counts for something. I just had a birthday and I’m kinda old; in these advancing years I want to be more artful in my doing and more beautiful in my being.

“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” – Unknown

photo is of a beautiful old person, my dear grandmother, Ursula Hartfiel Hubbard Just (1911-2007)

Small changes

I just checked out Medline Plus for recent health research updates.
I read this (at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_71702.html)

"Coming on the heels of two studies discounting the usefulness of vitamin B, folic acid, vitamin D and calcium supplements for cancer prevention, U.S. researchers report that vitamins C and E supplements won't help prevent cancer, either.”

And a bit of commentary on the finding: "This is preliminary data, but it is pretty consistent with what we're seeing in other research with individual nutrients. When you take the nutrient out of its natural environment, it may not be protective," said Jennifer Crum, a nutritionist at the New York University Cancer Institute, who added that in foods, vitamins and other nutrients likely work together ot provide protection against cancer...
...People are starting to realize the importance of the overall picture," said Crum, who recommended that people begin by making small changes, such as exercising a little bit longer or adding another vegetable a day to your diet. "When people make small changes for their health -- exercising for 20-30 minutes a day, eating better -- we see lower rates of cancer recurrence," she said.

Whole foods and whole body movement: along with the rest of the country, I, too, need more of both!
Here’s to making small changes, today.

Six people

Whenever two people meet,

there are really six people present.

There is each man as he sees himself,

each man as the other person sees him,

and each man as he really is.

-William James, psychologist and philosopher (1842-1910)

Quest

I am inspired by a quote from C.S. Lewis’ sermon The Weight of Glory; the setting is 60 years ago when the entire world was at war.

“Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow of something infinitely more important than itself. If men had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure, the search would never have begun.”

Referring to some of the tough times of present in his Breakpoint 11/14/08 commentary, Charles Colson states, "It’s precisely during times of crisis that we must persevere all the more in our quest for beauty and truth."

I concur.

Disquiet

“If only you would slay the wicked…” (in me – I always add when I mutter Psalm 139 to myself) “Search me oh God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139: 19, 23-24

As I was appreciating quiet this morning (laying under my comfortable comforter and praying) there was also much disquiet in my mind. Last night I both 1) attended a talk on fair trade and was exposed again to economic inequities and need of other peoples, and 2) read my daughter’s blog post on the peoples’ rage in Managua, Nicaragua over electoral fraud.

[Here’s a few words from her post: “in a country where so many don't have anything - don't have food to eat, don't have land to farm, don't have a house for their family - i guess i can see why there's so much rage when they take away one thing they are supposed to have, their vote.” For more go to the 11/10/08 entry at http://rebekahmenning.blogspot.com/]

She also mentioned that she was seeing nothing yet of the violent street protests and election fraud in the international news – at least not in English. I was reminded - again - of how easy it is to not want to hear about all the ways we mistreat each other, and to realize anew that along with the other I am among those that participate in cruelty.

You may ask – what does this have to do with wellness?

Seeing the whole picture, confronting the whole truth, is for me a part of wellness. Facing the cruelties, in others and myself, helps move me out of complacency to action, albeit small. So does looking for any positive, and recognizing any good in the other and myself. Both are important: looking squarely at hard realities, but also hoping that somehow, some way, some good and light might rise from the darkness.

“…even the darkness will not be dark to you oh God; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” Psalm 139:12

Being

"Being - not wanting, having, and doing - is the essence of a spiritual life."
-- Evelyn Underhill, THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

Colas and changes

My kids know that I believe regular consumption of soda pop is an unhealthy practice. So when I come across research that confirms its ill effects on the body, I pass it along (only because I care!), even though I know the hearing of it may be unwanted. I recently read this piece:

“Despite their global popularity, there's nothing remotely healthy about cola beverages: Drinking 16 ounces or more daily (whether diet or regular) doubles your risk of chronic kidney disease, according to a recent NIH study of more than 900 people (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17525693). The researchers already knew that consuming any type of soft drink--the average American adult guzzles 59 gallons' worth per year--is associated with several risk factors for kidney disease (hypertension, diabetes, and kidney stones), but the spike in the cola category was remarkable. Experts suspect that the ingredient phosphoric acid may be the culprit; it's been repeatedly linked to "urinary changes that promote kidney stones," say the study authors. Cola has an additional knock against it: Consumption is associated with significantly lower bone density in women, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures, says a separate study.

Bottom Line: If you're going to indulge in an occasional soda, go for Sprite, 7-Up, ginger ale, and the like--the NIH study found that noncola drinks didn't have the same impact on the kidneys. But you'll be better off if you skip soda altogether, even the sugar-free varieties: Recent research showed an association between drinking diet soda and weight gain.” [From http://women.webmd.com/features/wise-answers-old-wives-tales?page=2]

To dismiss dark colas is easy for me as I don’t care to drink them, but I do consume other beverages that are harmful and that aren’t so easy for me to dismiss. Last week at “The Addicted Brain” class I attended I learned that damage done to the hippocampus (part of the limbic system of the brain with major roles in memory; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocampus) by the consumption of alcohol is irreversible after age 40.

Information does help shape my choices: I have some changes to make.

Differences

Let us enrich ourselves with our mutual differences.
-Paul Valery, poet and philosopher (1871-1945)

I’m hopeful that on this election day, we can remind ourselves that the democratic process thrives on dialogue and exchange of ideas. I, for one, am grateful to be in a country, community, and family where our differing beliefs and ideologies are respected.

(A comment just for my kids, to make ‘em smile: “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free…”)

Unless

“Do not speak unless you can improve on the silence.”

– Quaker wisdom