Happy is Healthy

A messy house shows that I am doing a great job homeschooling. A clean house shows that school is out and I'm about to make dinner. Another mess in the kitchen shows that dinner is on it's way and it took a lot of pans to get there. A clean house after dinner shows that I didn't go out by the campfire when I wanted to. A dirty house after dinner shows that I let it go, had a great time on a "date" by the fire with Daddy, and I will be getting up early with the smell of dinner dishes in my nose. But, sometimes it's the better choice for my sanity, depending on the type of day it's been.

In the bible it says that the eyes of man, and fire, are two things that are never satisfied. ( I'm paraphrasing here.) I would add to that dirty dishes, floors, bathrooms, and clothes. Messes are endless. Sometimes I do a counting game. How many loads of dishes have I done in my life? I'm 34 so thats....hmm....let's see. It's not a very comforting game. So then I play a new game called, "Take It ONE Day at a Time". That makes me feel much better about the whole thing.


It's all about balance...once again. Aaaah, the mantra of my life, that just won't leave. I am an extreme person so the moderation thing doesn't always come naturally for me. But there in lies the peace. If you are a clean nazi, then your little soldiers don't see much of your nice side. And if you are never picking up a mess, then chances are, neither will anyone else. The gray area is my friend. I clean when no one is awake. I clean on school lunch break. I clean before, during and after dinner and guess what.....I found out that 6 and 8 year olds are great on dish duty, floors, laundry folding, and cupboard organization.

Health is the same way. For as long as I have been into herbs and good food, I have prayed for a balance. Food can be like a religion. I have been on all sides of this fence and I can tell you that just because you eat "perfectly" doesn't mean you are the healthiest, most well rounded person you can be. There is more to health than food. But it DOES matter. When I make a celebration out of my meals and when we sit down as a family and enjoy garden fresh food we all feel GREAT. It does make a difference in my health when I quit making my mouth a garbage disposal!

I was on a cleansing-fasting-veggie spree, a couple years back, and was busily scribbling a list for the store. Out loud I said, "bananas, oranges, lettuce, tomatoes, almonds, sprouts, avocados...." Hannah, who was 5 at the time, said, "Mom....put bacon and sausage on that list. I want some pig in this house!" And you know what, after I got up off of the floor in my fit of hysterical laughter, I put pig on the list. Yes, I've read all of the BAD things about pigs and yes I know how gross slaughter houses are, but when it's all said and done.....nothing beats the smell of bacon on Sunday morning!

Happy thoughts are just as cleansing as a juice fast. Thinking is the one thing we do ALL of the time. We never DON'T think. So it must be one of the most important things to keep on the positive. What we think and say becomes who we are. But, I can find humour in many situations, and sometimes it IS at the expense of my fellow man. So is that positive or negative thinking? Where is the balance? I suppose it comes back to what Mama always says, "If what you say will hurt someone....say it really quietly." WAIT! That's not what Mama said! But the human race is just plain FUNNY sometimes. And things are A LOT funny when I exaggerate them and stretch them into a sarcastic web of silly. It makes life more like a movie and then it becomes distant enough for me to laugh about. That must be positive thinking because the spirit of that thought is well meant. To laugh and feel good among all the stresses of life, is good medicine.

The opposite of this good natured fun is the Jr. High locker room. It is the most vicious place on the planet. You are either making fun of someone or being made fun of. I have been on both ends. It never really felt good. It's pretty simple: we are all the same and what hurts us usually hurts other people. We want to be understood, liked and laughed WITH...not AT. It is all so precarious. One minute you think yours doesn't stink and the next...you stepped in it. We all do dumb things. She's not better than me, and I'm no better than her. I'm simply jealous because her shoes are cuter than mine!

There are a handful of positives that make up a healthy human being. Good food (that my great Grammy would recognize), good sleep (including naps), fresh water (this means more than morning coffee and evening beer), walking and running and playing in the fresh air and sunshine, and not letting the stress of every single day weigh you down with it's unreality. Because, it always works out in the end. No matter what! I really tend to think about this more at the beginning of the year. We are a completely new person every 11 months or so. Science "says" that our cells are all new and regenerated in that time. So what we eat, think, and do make up our "new" body.

If we listen our bodies tell us just what they need. My body needs veggie sandwiches on sprouted bread, fresh fruit and spring water. My mouth needs cheese, wine, chocolate, (and sometimes pig). My legs need a walk in the mountains. My soul needs a campfire and laughter and talks with my Travis. My arms need babies to hold. My nose needs to smell cookies in the oven...once in awhile. My eyes need a beautiful sunset and lots of color. My ears need music and the sound of my people on the phone. My mind needs books and art and thoughts on God and the mysteries of the world. My heart needs to feel love and give love and give some more. My soul needs the silent times to be filled again so I have some more to give....just when I think it's all used up.

My New Years resolution: To listen closely to my spirit and my body and not let the one overpower the other and to enjoy, love and live this year like it's my first....not my last!