I’ve read a lot about mediation and how good it is for us. I don’t doubt it. It doesn’t work for me. Yet, I wonder if I’m meditating when I walk on a wilderness trail, canoe on a river, sip iced tea at an outside table and watch the world walk by. It’s important to quiet the mind, we only have to find out what works for us.
I read a local online news story about a road rage incident. It seems both parties wanted to be in the intersection at the same time. This is not good. There was going to be a winner and a loser. Fortunately, there was no accident, but the parties from both vehicles stopped, got out and started screaming at each other. One of the parties drew a gun and threatened to kill the other party. The other party got back in car and hurriedly left but not before a bullet passed through the party’s rear and front window. Crazy, right? When we don’t have to win every race, or blame others for being at fault things usually work out. A simple wave and shrug of the shoulders by either party may have taken the heat out of this situation. Every event doesn’t have to be a battle.
We exercise to stay strong. We eat well to stay healthy. Is it time to exercise your imagination? Our imagination allows us to see things which we may not have thought possible. If, however, we can imagine it, we can create or discover it. I think I’ll grab a cup of coffee and imagine what tomorrow will look like for me if all things were possible.
Tart cherry juice is extracted from Montmorency cherries, also known as sour cherries. Tart cherries are a rich source of antioxidants. Recent medical research has suggested that they offer a range of health benefits from exercise recovery to better sleep. Although additional research is needed, tart cherry juice appears to improve overall health by reducing inflammation in the body. . . . Tart cherry juice contains anthocyanins, which are anti-inflammatory compounds that may help to combat some chronic diseases. In a randomized, placebo-controlled study, tart cherry juice significantly reduced inflammation biomarkers that are common in chronic diseases. These anti-inflammatory properties may provide needed relief for people with arthritis. Studies show that tart cherries can help reduce the pain and stiffness associated with arthritis and other joint pain disorders.
If you experience insomnia, tart cherry juice may help you get a better night’s rest. The research shows that tart cherry juice increases sleep time and sleep efficiency for people with insomnia. This may be because tart cherry juice increases the bioavailability of tryptophan and increases your body’s production of melatonin.
Tart cherry juice may help to improve the oxidative stress on the body from aging. Studies in older adults show that tart cherry juice improves antioxidant defenses and reduces oxidative damage. Another randomized, controlled trial showed that tart cherry juice may improve cognitive abilities in older adults due to its antioxidant properties.
This afternoon I drove by an elementary school. There was a teacher giving a lesson to a group of students outside the school. I wondered how many students were listening. If I were in the class I’d be thinking there’s only a hour left until I’m free (LOL). I also wondered how much of what teachers say stays with us. I recalled my elementary school teachers and the only words I remembered were spoken to me nearly every day by my third grade teacher, Miss Thompson. She said, “Ray, one day you’ll be governor.” Well, she wasn’t a prophet, I never became governor. Her words left a deep impact on me. I worked harder in her class than any other class I attended in grade school.
What if you took the first step to reconcile with someone you love? If the relationship with children, parents, or partner/spouse is on rocky ground, it doesn’t have to stay there. It can change if someone takes the initiative to reconcile. Maybe it won’t work, but you never know until you try. I’ve seen it work more than once in my life. Grateful for times someone took the initiative with me and grateful for the times I took the initiative.
Joe: “My supervisor asked me if I knew the difference between ignorance and apathy.”
Pete: “How did you answer?”
Joe: “I said, ‘I don’t know and I don’t care.'”
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,–act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;–
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
Apples are among the most popular and widely consumed fruits in the world. Besides being easily accessible and boasting a shelf life of up to a year, they’re also highly nutritious. They’re rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols. Polyphenols are a group of antioxidants, molecules that fight free radicals in your body. Among their many health benefits, antioxidants may help prevent cancer, inflammation, heart disease, and weight gain Apples are considered a major source of antioxidants..Polyphenols are part of the reason different apples have their characteristic colors and flavors. In fact, different apple varieties feature significantly varying amounts and types of polyphenols, which affects their health benefits.
