Convenience - ing!

A new verb has just been created! "But it's not convenient."This is the most common Western objection to living a green lifestyle. It is all about convenience. We have been programmed to think about convenience first.

And when we have convenienced our way through the day - are we happy? We have more conveniences now than ever in the history of mankind, and yet we are less happy, more stressed, more depressed.

Go to a "convenience store" and ask yourself if this experience is uplifting, enlivening.

At some stage we will tire of convenience, and its inability to speak to our hearts, and we will embrace a way of life that uses different words to define meaning in a day, and meaning in a lifetime.

Make that stage and time in your life today! Become aware of convenience for Mother Nature, and make that your convenience focus.


Shanthi

After "Math"

After an interesting evening listening to Bill McKibben and the 350.org group speak in NYC, there are several reflections that I have. McKibben wrote an article for Rolling Stone Magazine and it summarizes the issues and plans for action.

350.org is an organization that is addressing the numbers, the "math" around global warming. The storm that hit the East Coast recently, Sandy, is sadly a demonstration of exactly what the experts predict to be an outcome of global warming. McKibben is telling us that we are to target the oil companies that are making lots of money, and creating environmental degradation for which they do have to pay. They are recommending divestment and rallies. Read the article for a further understanding of their position.

We all have an opportunity, many times each day, to look at our own contribution to the global situation. We all have contributed to greenhouse gases through our activities and our purchases. At mothering Mother we are focused around what you and I can do today to help reduce our carbon footprint. Our actions, our purchases, our eating, are all political decisions that we engage in everyday. Choosing to walk or take public transit rather than drive, choosing to have less "stuff" or to buy something used, choosing to eat lower on the food chain, all are choices that we make each day.

We are all part of the problem, and we can all be part of the solution. While the work of 350.org bubbles and moves along, embrace little steps of simplicity in your own life. We are all going to need to learn to live with a little less. There can be so much joy and satisfaction within us when we engage our own "Pioneer Spirit".

Shanthi

With my good friend and fellow yoga teacher Melissa.

"Do the Math" Talk

Tonight I am going to a talk in NYC given by Bill McKibben of 350.org. I know very little about Bill and his work. The bit that I do know is that it will be a numbers presentation focusing around the environment and the changes happening with global warming.

I have not attended many of these types of talks in recent years. I have heard them before, over 20 years ago, information about the atrocities that were happening then to the earth, to Mother Nature. I did not know what to do with all of the information. And the sadness. And the anger. Fast forward 20 years and I am asking myself what large scale changes have taken place.

We need the environmental solutions to come from all generations, from persons of all shapes and sizes, of all income levels and of all genders. No waiting for the government, or your family or your neighbor. Start to make the changes in your own life. Your eating, your spending, your habits, your language, your awareness - all of these can make massive changes in the world today!

Be an agent of change. Mother Nature needs you; you need Mother Nature! Take this reciprocal relationship into your heart and move with Love throughout your day.

Shanthi

October 2012 Newsletter

mothering Mother in Daily Life  Green Living Bites ~ Make your own replacement for paper towels. Reusable cleaning cloths can be made from old sheets, old towels, old tshirts, old pj's... anything that is cotton and old! Use, wash, then reuse. ~Another way to reduce the use of paper towels is to line the crisper drawer with a cotton kitchen towel instead of paper towel. The kitchen towel can be washed and reused, and it will keep your vegetables from exposure to the chemicals in the paper towels! ~Love 'Em & Leave 'Em! A new catchy phrase for your fall leaves! Mulch the leaves with your mower. Leave the mulch on your lawn, use in your flower beds or in your home compost. Mulching at the source saves on hauling and dumping, and leaf blowing! mothering Mother Blog For even more wholesome food for thought, presenting the  mothering Mother®  blog! Check it out!  Join Our List The mothering Mother® newsletter seeks to address how integral  food and its connection with the Earth is to our everyday lives. Eating healthy foods is easy if you buy healthy and natural ingredients. Get familiar with your produce and bulk bags. Eating Earth healthy foods benefits everyone. Buy fresh produce, fresh seeds and nuts, and follow the recipe below to good and natural eating. Can we eat our way out of the environmental challenges? One thoughtful meal at a time. See the continued "Eating Our Way Out" article at the bottom of this newsletter. Share your joy for the world by using cotton mothering Mother® bags and sharing your home cooked foods with others.   Namaste Sydney India & Back Jordan McConnell & Meggie Guest Students North Toronto High School Upon our arrival in Udaipur, the advice and all the words of wisdom people had given to us left our minds, and all we could focus on was what was in the moment. Suddenly, the visions we had and the predictions we made about India disappeared. What was facing us was a big dose of reality; one that was totally foreign from anything that we had experienced back home. This would be our reality for the next 3 weeks. No matter how much advice we were given, we couldn't have imagined the adventure we were about to embark on. While we were in India we participated in many eye-opening experiences, including the 'Water Walk'. Our group of twenty students got up bright and early and went over to a nearby village and assisted a mother with her daily chores. We were all shocked at how physically demanding it was! We did everything from gathering copious amounts of water, to plastering her house with cow dung. Living in Canada, we have been blessed with access to clean water at all times. In contrast, the government in India provides the village with water for only half an hour a day. From these experiences we have learned that just because you have certain resources does not mean you should abuse them. One habit that we continue at home is to stagger our showers, meaning we turn off the water while rubbing the shampoo or conditioner in our hair. Another habit we continued upon returning is taking on a more vegetarian diet. For the majority of the time in India, we ate a mainly vegetarian diet. This was partially because of the fact that the Indian population is largely Hindu, and they do not eat cow, and also because of the culture. We have found this dietary change to be extremely rewarding. When following the vegetarian diet, we have found ourselves producing less waste. This includes packaging, wrappers, and garbage in general. Similarly, no one in India wasted a thing. If it was reusable, it would be reused. If it didn't have to be used, it wouldn't be. It's crazy to compare the amount of garbage produced in Canada to India. When we left the village we worked in, we gave the children clothing to make our travel bags lighter. Their sincere appreciation touched us in a way that is indescribable. We have certainly cut back on our consumption.  Although we had given so much of ourselves emotionally and physically while we were in India, we came home with so much more than when we left Toronto 3 weeks earlier. Fun Fall Millet This is a wonderful blend of the fall offerings - squash, cranberries, herbs and the pumpkin spice! Enjoy the grounding qualities of the grain, squash and oil, and the sweet fruity flavor from the cranberries and maple syrup.  In the photo below the millet is paired with cooked kale. Share your tasty meal with a friend! Thank you Lindsay and Prasanthi Studio for introducing me to this combination!   Fun Fall Millet ¾ cup millet, rinsed ½ t pumpkin spice 1 t dried thyme or 1 T fresh thyme (or sage) 2 cups vegetable stock or water 2 cups diced butternut or other winter squash (medium sized pieces) 1 cup cranberries, picked over and rinsed 2 T maple syrup 1/2 t salt 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds Olive oil Dry roast the rinsed millet in a saucepan over a medium heat. Once the water is gone, add the pumpkin spice, the thyme, stock or water, squash, cranberries, maple syrup and salt. Bring to the boil. Stir, cover with a lid and lower the heat to the lowest possible setting. Let the millet cook for 35 minutes. Gently dry roast the pumpkin seeds in a frying pan over a medium low heat. Toss regularly and do not overcook. The idea here is to lightly crispen the seeds. Once cooked, let the millet sit with the lid on for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid and let is sit for another 5 minutes. If the food is too hot it is difficult to taste the flavors. Check the seasoning, then serve into bowls. Pour over a teaspoon of olive oil and top with pumpkin seeds. Cooking on the stovetop allows you to have a dinner without the longer and less energy efficient oven. If needed the millet can cook in the oven. Once the millet boils, cover with a lid and put into a 350°oven for 50 - 60 minutes. Then follow the instructions for letting the millet sit, and for serving. 4-6 servings Eating Our Way Out (Part 17)  Sydney MacInnis Founder mothering Mother Holistic Nutritionist and Yoga Instructor A few times this month I have said the words "The body is the mind solidified" and that repetition has prompted me to write about this. What does this crazy line mean? I learned it in yoga teacher training, when we would discuss the connection between the body and the mind. Each thought that we have sends a message to the body through the nervous system and the endocrine system (hormones). Our thoughts have the possibility of either strengthening us or weakening us. Each emotion and thought pattern is reflected in a particular part of the body. For example anger is reflected in the functioning and well being of the liver. Natural healers use different parts of the body as a diagnostic tool, or a road map, into the health and quality of thoughts as well as the health of the body itself. The body begins by gently speaking to us when it is out of balance and in need of repair. This comes in the form of a discomfort, an aching, usually something mild. At this stage we have the first opportunity to look at this as a window into our body and mind. We have the choice of discounting what is going on with the body by ignoring it or numbing the symptom with medication, or we can look at it as a message.  If we miss this first opportunity the body will turn up the volume in an effort to get our attention. The pain and discomfort may increase, the frequency of the symptom may increase, or the area of discomfort may grow larger. Once again we have another opportunity. Behind each symptom that the body gives is a source, or imbalance. The longer that we leave the situation the greater the intensity and possibly the greater the intervention that is required. Our body is speaking to us. Are we listening? Our minds are constantly creating thoughts. What is the quality of those thoughts? We cannot rid ourselves of the mind, but we can attend to the thoughts that form by training the mind! We can relax the body, and thus allow the mind to relax. Each day, take moments for quietude, for gratitude, for connecting the dots of your well-being. Namaste

What we bring into each Moment

Today I was out for a walk early in the morning, when the sun was only beginning to come up. As I walked down a street there was a car, idling, waiting for a passenger to come from the home. I went over to the window and the gentleman put the window down. I asked him if he knew that NY has a 3 minute idling law, and he smiled and said that he had just turned the car on and that the light in the front hall of the home indicated that the passenger was coming out. I thanked him for his care for the environment, and he smiled and said good day.

On the next street I encountered the same situation. I went to the car, and this driver hesitantly opened the window a quarter of the way. He did not smile, he looked at me with suspicion and apprehension. I asked if he knew of the idling law and he shook his head, indicating that he was not interested. I thanked him for caring for the environment and he hurriedly put the window up, continuing with the unhappy expression and the idling.

A moment later I broke out laughing! All of the teachings were there. It isn't what happens to us in life that will define us, but how we handle what happens to us in life. We can approach life like an open book, ready for new words and new stories, or we can approach life with fear of the unknown and defensive of our position.

Embrace each moment with the freshness of a puppy at a fire hydrant! Embrace the you waiting to be experienced! Be an open book and let others share in the joy of reading you!

Shanthi