YOU- Body, Mind, Spirit #14 Mother Nature’s Gifts

Being in nature is one of my joys but it has its dangers! I was out raking leaves on a lovely Spring afternoon last week and didn’t realize that I invaded a poison ivy patch. Only my face was exposed, and that’s where it got me!

So Mother Nature does have some things that we may not consider gifts. But maybe there is some benefit to poison ivy which I’m not aware of. (If you know, please let me know! I’d love to hear it.)

But of course, Nature certainly does have so many gifts to give us. We are part of nature, are we not? Unfortunately, our modern-day society really doesn’t focus on that aspect of our beingness — that we are connected to each other, to the earth beneath our feet, to everything around us. That all of life is a synergistic experience that we should be having. Yet, many of us are not having that experience, because again, it’s not taught to us as babes, or given any energy or time. And that’s a tragedy.

So I wanted to share my feelings about this idea because a couple of things occurred to me recently. So I have poison ivy, but on the other hand, I have spring bulbs: sunny daffodils and heaven-scented hyacinths in my front yard. They just fill me up with the assurance of renewing life; life returning from what seemed withered and gone.

There’s hope. We can imagine that difficulties are going to work out and all will be wonderful. So I love the spring bulbs.

There were some other things that I discovered when I went out this morning. I don’t put any herbicides or chemicals on my lawn. So I can find nutritious food in it just as I’ve seen my neighborhood deer do!

Yes, I eat my lawn! How many of us know that there are beneficial greens, what we generally call ‘weeds’, that are growing naturally because Mother Nature placed them there. And, they’re not only edible, but incredibly nutritious!

So let me mention the two plants that I pulled out of the ground this morning: 1. Dandelion. From root to flower, they are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber. I put the leaves in my salad and add the root to my morning tea.

2. Hairy Bittercress. What a terrible name for this adorable little plant. This hardy herb knows how to reproduce like nobody’s business, just like the dandelions. You know how the yellow dandelion flower turns into a delicate, white puffball. The slightest breeze sends the seeds within all over the place. Well, the hairy bittercress does a similar trick. It sends up a shoot holding all the little seeds and all you have to do is touch it slightly and the seeds shoot out in all directions, spreading their little joy everywhere. The floret of leaves has a mild licorice flavor which I also add to my salad bowl.

As you may know by now, I’m all about stress reduction.

Along with the ‘weeds’, I also have chickens. (Here are 3 of my girls and Clawdia sneaking up on them!) So they’re producing eggs. By having a food supply in my backyard, I’ll never starve! And that’s a very comforting thing to know. It not only diminishes my stress, it also fills me with peace. I’m so grateful to know that nature can support me right on my small patch of land.

By the way, I’m definitely not the only ‘farmer’ here in the suburbs of Long Island, Many of my neighbors keep chickens, and one even has a goat! I love it!

The last thing I want to mention is the program I heard on National Public Radio. (NPR) I get a Connecticut station because I’m on the Northeast shore of Long Island and Connecticut’s right across the water.

I mention this because, we, as entrepreneurs and business owners, have a responsibility I believe, to be stewards of our home planet. We need to model ways to rduce plastic consumption to save our environment.

This morning, on one of the shows, “On Point,” the host and her guests were talking about the environmental emergency we’re experiencing because of the plastic pollution endemic in every nook and cranny of our planet.

Plastic doesn’t ever disappear, it just breaks down.. Plastic has been found deep in the ocean, in every corner of the globe AND, (this should blow your mind,) researchers have found that we have plastic micro and nano particles in our blood streams. Nice, right?

Get the Connecticut public app and listen to the “On Point” 4-15-22 show to learn all about the dire situation we are confronting. Plastic is so invasive. It’s in our bodies. It’s everywhere. They’re just beginning to understand what the consequences are of all this plastic around us. And I’m sure it can’t be good. All the chemicals, the Pfos etc. I don’t know all those different alphabet soup names, but it’s not good.

Get informed! You will be amazed at what you hear about how plastic is affecting our bodies and our planet. One of the comments I found most disturbing, was, “We’re becoming plastic!”

Let me end on a brighter note! Get outside, enjoy the Spring weather wherever you may be. And please, find time to nurture yourself. I will be talking about that more next week.

I hope you enjoyed my delight with plucking those beautiful living greens from the Earth and knowing that I’m going to have a wonderful meal with them. Try it yourself and see how it feels to regain a sense of connection with your surroundings.

Love and Peace Always,

MarciaGrace

And remember,

Everything Begins with a Thought,

So monitor your thoughts and eliminate the ones that hurt.

I’m here for you and I want you to know that you have all the answers you need within you, even if the answer you get is, “Go get help from so and so.” That answer will send you in the right direction so you can be the calm, creative, joyful, and successful entrepreneur you are meant to be!

By now I hope you know that I teach busy entrepreneurs how to start the day with intention and an Abundance Mentality. If you would like to have a 30-minute chat with me about the stress that is keeping you from the success that an abundant and calm mentality will offer you, you will find my calendar here to set up a time: www.calendly.com/MarciaGrace

ALSO…

Come join my Facebook group for instant support in chaotic times: It’s a place where we can talk to each other; we can express our feelings and our thoughts about any issue.

You’ll find a weekly affirmation, a guided meditation, and my Friday FB Live on topics to nurture your business and personal life. I hope you will take advantage!

Calm, Creative, Joyful for The Busy Entrepreneur

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