Let’s be honest. How many of us wished for a week off, or a month off, or a whole new way out of our jobs and lives in the past month? Have you ever heard the expression, “be careful what you wish for?”
 
I know I’ve spent many hours on my knees or lying awake at night wishing we could cut back on air transportation, traffic, and the manic consumption driving our current ecological crisis. And here we are, in the midst of it. In retrospect, I’d put more energy into keeping surgical masks & nitrile gloves out of the landfills, but then many of us might have wished a bit differently in hindsight.
 
Here we are in the midst of a massive national “snow day”. We can’t go to work. We can’t party with friends or jostle among strangers shopping our way to mindlessness. [All you TP shoppers – Really? What were you thinking?] We can’t go to the movies, a concert, or a Broadway show.
 
We have to spend time with family. Call our friends. Read a book. SLEEP! - the best preventative! Cook a meal at home. Clean out that closet. Paint the bathroom. Spend an hour outside playing with our kids and dogs. Wow! If we're not sick – or don’t have a loved one who is…Let's shout hallelujah! And enjoy this gift.
 
Maybe taking time off as a nation will help us get our priorities in order. Watch this video of canals in Venice after a week without tourists and traffic. Even Greta Thunberg must marvel at the speed with which Gaia manages to heal herself. I hope we can take away hopeful messages from the crisis. Can we learn to live with less and enjoy our time more – for our health and that of this blue Eden we call home?
 
I plan to make a few YouTube videos of ways I’m finding to enjoy this moment. What are you doing?

April 11, 2019 – Waxing Crescent Moon in Cancer – Sun in Aries
Read more for tips and a recipe

Have you noticed Spring rapidly accelerating into Summer? The pivot point from Spring to Summer occurred at the beginning of February midway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.  Now we see all the early flowers nodding their heads, as they flirt, giggle, and laugh, calling out to bees, butterflies, and the wind for pollination.

Spring heralds change. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Spring means Wood and Wind energy. In Sustainable Health: Simple Habits to Transform Your Life I talk about the benefits of forest bathing. Right now we have the opportunity to enjoy a special kind of Wood energy, the transitory, joyful, bloom of flowers, especially flowering trees.

Flower Bathing Tips
Get Moving – Moving is Wind energy. Go for a walk in the park with a friend – have coffee in an outdoor cafe or park bench. Admire the flowers. Sing to them. Talk to them. Listen for their wisdom.

Breathe – Breathing is Wind energy. If we have allergies we might choose to view flowers from indoors through a window for this season. In TCM allergies come from Wind energy which means they can change. Like wind they lack permanence. What we do can change our allergies – reduce them or even make them go away. Make peace with pollen’s joy as you get to know the flowers better. What feelings or experiences may be blocking your own joy. When did our allergies start? We often shame young people, especially girls, for enjoying their youth and displaying their beauty. Can we learn from the flowers how to enjoy our splendid moments without shame or fear or guilt?

Basic Recipe for Just About Any Spring Green
Cook your greens and serve them warm to avoid drawing in more winter cold. Save your salads for summer’s warmth.
1 bunch of greens – washed well to get rid of any grit or dirt
a handful of salt (1-2 tablespoons)
Water to cover the greens
Flavorful oil – butter, extra virgin olive oil, leftover bacon, beef, or chicken fat from cooking

• Separate fibrous stems from leaves. Chop the stems into half inch bits. Cut the leaves into half inch ribbons – crosswise.
• Bring water to a rolling boil and add the salt. Cook the stems first for a few minutes until they are soft, then throw in the leaves. As soon as the leaves turn a brighter shade take the pot off the stove and drain the water out. Rinse the greens with cold water to stop them from cooking any more. This reduces the bitterness of fresh greens.
• Put enough oil in a pan to cover it up to a quarter inch and heat it (doesn’t take long!). Toss in the greens and stir them around in the hot oil until they are coated.
• Serve as is or add some toasted nuts, sesame seeds, or other garnish.
  
  Add lots of fresh herbs to cooked dishes just before serving them. Fresh herbs are loaded with beneficial micro-nutrients that herbalists use to treat a variety of illnesses and discomforts. Here’s a few examples from Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide:
  
• Basil – eases gas, stomach cramps, and nausea; relieves depression, fatigue, anxiety, and insomnia
  
• Mint – eases gas, stomach cramps, and nausea; reduces pain (headaches); calming and energizing
  
• Rosemary – stimulating brain tonic that boosts memory; stimulates cardiovascular system; helps with inflammation
  
• Sage - aids digestion of rich, fatty meats; supports the liver and hormones; fights colds and flu; especially good for tonsillitis and laryngitis
  
• Thyme - fights infections, coughs, and colds; supports the body as a glandular tonic