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Childhood Vaccinations vs. Autism – A Parent’s Dilemma

As a parent of four children, I still remember vividly the apprehension I had regarding having my children vaccinated – not because of the link between vaccinations and autism – No – this was well before the rumors started about the possible link between the two. My apprehension was in that my child would have to suffer even the smallest amount of pain from the needle that would inject this unknown substance into my child, that would, by all known accounts, protect them from the harm of devastating diseases. I remember weeks before the appointment, that I would prepare myself and my husband for that “fateful day” when I would have to hear them scream out in pain, and look up at me with those big brown eyes and silently ask, “why did you let them do this to me?” But I also recall, after a small dose of baby Tylenol and a lot of hugs and kisses, my child, after each doctor’s visit, would drift off into blissful sleep, almost as if the dreaded shot had never happened. While those were very distressful days, with the onset of growing evidence that there may indeed be a link between vaccinations and autism, I find myself longing for those simple days where my only concern was a small pinprick into my child’s precious skin, and a few minutes of pain. Because, as all parents were told, the responsible thing is to have your children vaccinated, and there was no doubt about it. But that was then – this is now.

My husband and I married in 1980, with the future hope of having children. Before 1980, autism was diagnosed in just 1 out of every 10,000 children. Twenty-eight years later, the National Institute of Health reported that autism disorders affect one in every 250 children, and that number is estimated to increase 10% each year. My son, born in 1984, was diagnosed with autism at the age of 5. My daughter and youngest child was born in 1990, and was also diagnosed with autism when she was four years old. At the time, the questions that they kept asking me about “did you have any unusual things happened during the birth of your child” and “did you have your children vaccinated” were strange questions, but due to my lack of knowledge regarding autism, the shock of finding out that my children “had it”, I answered the questions blindly, and honestly in hopes that they would tell me that there was a reasonable explanation as to why two of my four children had it, but two of them did not.

Although no scientific evidence has yet to prove a link between autism and vaccinations, both scientific and medical communities agree that further research needs to be conducted before the possible link can be completely dismissed. With the rumors of autism and vaccinations growing, and with more and more families coming out about their children having autism, including celebrity parents, many families are opting for alternative vaccination schedules or no vaccinations at all. The dangers of those decisions are frightening, however, as a parent of two autistic children, I do understand the dilemma. What exactly is the link between autism and vaccinations?

Autism and Thimerosal
The first connection with autism and vaccinations come through a preservative called Thimerosal. Thimerosal is a preservative found in many vaccinations. Thimerosal contains 46.9% ethyl mercury. Mercury is the second most harmful natural substance to humans, next to uranium. Mercury has been proven to cause neurological damage, among other ailments, and pregnant women are warned against the ingestion of mercury, such as eating fish. Autism and autistic spectrum disorders are neurological disorders. Although the CDC claims that vaccinations no longer contain Thimerosal, it must be noted that pharmaceutical companies were not prohibited, but strongly encouraged, to reduce the amount found in certain vaccinations. Seventeen vaccinations contain Thimerosal, including the flu shot. Although new vaccinations are being created without thimerosal, vaccinations containing the preservative are still being administered throughout the country.

Another suspicion linking vaccinations to autism comes from the amount of vaccinations children now receive. In 1985, when my son who has now been diagnosed with autism was one year old, infants received four vaccinations that contained thimerosal. In 1991, when my daughter now diagnosed with autism was one year old and when the rate of autism began to increase, infants were receiving eleven vaccinations containing Thimerosal. One physician, requesting to remain anonymous, states, “In the 80s, children received eight vaccinations in early childhood. They now receive thirty. Why thirty? With each public health scare, like Smallpox or Anthrax, that number is going to inevitably increase. Twenty years from now, children could easily be receiving forty vaccinations and because some people in the medical community endorse this, parents will vaccinate without knowing the risks. I tell my patients not to take my word for it. Not to take the word of the CDC or the APA, but to research themselves. It falls in the same myth that unvaccinated children cannot attend public school. Few people read the fine print and even fewer will inform them of it.” I was a parent, like many, who never read the fine print regarding the affects of the needle prick through my children’s precious skin. I assumed like the large majority of parents, that it was vital for my children to have the shots, to protect not only them, but other children from deadly disease.

While I find myself in a peculiar position regarding the controversy regarding vaccination vs. autism, I do not take either position – I do not fall on either side of the controversy. I fall on the side of parents who love their children and want the best for them. Now, autism is not a fear I have, it is a reality that I face each day. While I no longer have to feel the anxiety of having to see my children suffer physical pain due to a vaccination shot, I see the painful hurdles they must face in this fast paced world, that seemingly has no time to slow down to accommodate those children who cannot keep up the pace and who have to take alternative paths in life.

I have been told that my child would never be able to sit in a classroom, at the tender age of five. I was told that my children wit autism would never be able to hold down a job, earn a living, live on their own or have families. So my function as a parent of special needs children was to break down those barriers and those stereotypes and to help my children succeed – NOT to the level of the mainstream – but to the level of their individual ability and desire. The son that was told he would never sit in a classroom graduated from high school with honors and attended community college until he decided he wanted a job. He found a job that suits him, he has his driver’s license and has the support of many friends, teachers, counselors and especially family, who have seen his struggles, but have seem him grow to be a fine young man. While my daughter has more intense developmental issues, she is a kind, thoughtful, and extremely talented writer, who has vowed to become a better writer than the author of Harry Potter books.

Leaving the Final Decision To The Experts
Yes, as parents, my husband and I have our struggles with the disease, and I feel much empathy for the parents of young children who have to decide whether to take the risk of not having their children vaccinated, or take the risk of having them vaccinated. At the time our children were vaccinated, we were unaware of the link between autism and vaccinations.

Vaccinations have been proven to be of benefit in decreasing the likelihood of many childhood diseases, that fact is not in question. The best advice that I can give to parents is to do your research. Ask questions, read the fine print on the medication that your child is being given, if you decide to go that route.

Leaving the decision to the medical experts is not the best idea. Their job is to do what they were medically taught to do – provide the best medical care for your children that they know how. The ultimate decision should be made by the child’s experts and best advocates – their loving parents.

Why I wrote the Article “Childhood Vaccinations vs. Autism – A Parent’s Dilemma”

Due to the growing concern regarding a link between childhood vaccinations and autism, it is forcing parents to make Solomon like decisions regarding their children’s developmental and physical health. With the increasing number of celebrities “coming out” about their child’s struggle with autism, it is no wonder that more and more parents are deciding not to vaccinate their children. But the question looms, “at what cost?” I have two children who were diagnosed with autism. It is an understatement to say that it has changed my family’s life. However, though there have been challenges, I would not change a thing about my son or my daughter who have autism. They have an inner strength that amazes me daily; they are unique and loving people who I am proud to know. There is still alot of controversy as to whether the reported link between vaccinations and autism is truly real. What is real is that 10 years ago, there were 1 in 10,000 children diagnosed, but now it is about 1 in 150 children. There is something going on. But like anything else, we as parents need to research, research, research, until we find the answers we need to make the best informed decision about our children as we can.

Peace )

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Peace )

Why I wrote “America’s Addiction”

Well just like everyone else – I am an addict – I admit it – I have an SUV and each time I drive up to the “dealer” I feel guilty – but what do I do? I fill up anyway. But the question I ask in the article below is for each of is to decide individually. Can we cut back on our use of fossil fuel? Can we walk to the store instead of drive? Of course we can – but the question is NOT the important part – it is the answer. So tomorrow after I run my long distance errands. I think I will park my gas guzzler and walk to Trader Joe’s. How about you?

Peace )

America’s Addiction: The Real Story Behind the Food vs. Fuel crisis

The next time you pull up to the pump and fill up your SUV – Take a moment to reflect on what you are actually putting into your tank? And aside from the rising cost of filling that tank, what is the true, hidden cost, and more importantly, can we really afford it?

As the U.S. ethanol industry continues to grow, the amount of corn used for ethanol production is increasing dramatically. Some question whether corn growers can satisfy demand for both renewable fuels and traditional uses like livestock and poultry feed, food processing and exports, and thus the food vs. fuel debate is back to stare us in the face, pocketbook and possibly grocery bag.

Coinciding with growing ethanol demand, prices Americans are paying for food has also risen. Now in truth, the blame cannot be completely placed on the use of food products to make ethanol – at least not yet. Numerous statistical facts have demonstrated that the price of oil – not corn prices or ethanol production – has the greatest impact on consumer food prices because its use is integral to virtually every phase of food production, from processing to packaging to transportation. Therein lies the addiction. Like any addict, we want to place the blame somewhere, of course, it is not our fault. However, the facts cannot be denied. According to a June 2007 analysis of food, energy and corn prices conducted by John Urbanchuk of LECG, LLC, “rising energy prices had a more significant impact on food prices than did corn.” In fact, the report notes rising energy prices have twice the impact on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food than does the price of corn.

“Energy costs have a much greater impact on consumer food costs as they impact every single food product on the shelf,” said Urbanchuk. “Energy is required to produce, process, package and ship each food item. Conversely, corn prices impact just a small segment of the food market as not all products rely on corn for production. While it may be more sensational to lay the blame for rising food costs on corn prices, the facts don’t support that conclusion. By a factor of two-to-one, energy prices are the chief factor determining what American families pay at the grocery store.”

The problem with addiction is not how we get the drug to feed it – but the problem is that we are addicted in the first place.

Just like any addiction, the true need of an addict is overshadowed by the perceived need – in this case – fuel to fill our gas tanks. Do we really need an SUV that guzzles 50% more gas than an economy vehicle? Do we really need to “drive” to the market or could we walk or ride a bicycle? The junkie will say “of course I can – I can stop driving whenever I want to”. Sure we can.

And just like any junkie or crackhead, how is this addiction satisfied? By a big savings account to use to purchase the drugs? Of course not – This is when the effect called “robbing Peter to pay Paul” takes place – but in this case, it is robbing tomorrow’s dinner table to buy a tank of fuel. Sound drastic? Wax poetic with me for a moment – When a first time drug user takes that first sniff, snort, or puff, their mentality is “I am under control, I am just trying it to see how it feels.” Right? Then what happens? They keep trying to get that same high that they did the FIRST time when they were supposedly “in control”. There was never any control from the first time that drug hit the blood stream – they were hooked. We are hooked on a different type of drug, but just as expensive and just as addicting – fossil fuel. Drilling for more equals environmental impact; purchasing from overseas equals being controlled by foreign oil prices; considering drilling in new areas in USA – equals environmental fears – and the beat goes on. So what do we do? Do we “cut back” on our use? Of course not – from the very first full tank in our SUV – we were hooked – it takes more fuel to go the same number of miles – why? We are also hooked on something else – the bigger and better and faster vehicles we use. Oh yeah, but we were TOTALLY under control of the situation, right? That control leads to the bright idea of using food (corn) to produce “clean” fuel – ethanol – hmmm – so where is the control? Corn, is a commodity that will need to be produced more to meet the current demand for – dare I say – food; but now must increase to produce ethanol. So where again is the control? Since our vehicles are not getting smaller and slower – but faster and bigger – and our need to have our goods processed and transported to our local grocery store where we drive our SUV’s to purchase those groceries is not going to diminish – the need to produce more fuel will only grow and grow and grow – until when? Until there is not only a fossil fuel crisis – but an ethanol fuel crisis. Then what? “Peter” can only take being robbed so many times before even HE gets tapped out. But there is more. The Bush Administration has a new target of 35 billion gallons a year by 2017, which represents a five-fold increase in ethanol production. Where will all that corn come from? And how can we use the food off of someone’s table to fill our gas tank? Quite easily I suspect. With frightful statistics that every day, almost 15,000 children die from hunger-related causes–one child every five seconds. So, in essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food – however more frightful is that these facts do not seem to be a big concern for us, are they? Just like the crackhead mother who rationalizes why she had to leave her children at home – with no food – to go and buy some more crack cocaine to “feed” her habit – we sit in our SUVs quite snug and smug in our fuel guzzling mini home with DVD and XM radio blaring and don’t even blink an eye. Why? Because it doesn’t affect “me” or “us” or “my family.” Do we stop and consider the impact of our consumption? May be on Earth Day – but not really. Because truly considering it would mean doing something about it. The moment we stepped over the line from using food to create fuel – we were hooked again. Just like the crackhead who is told that going on a methadone program will help them kick cocaine – ok sure, so they won’t be a crackhead anymore – but methadone is a drug as well – and many professionals say it is harder to kick than cocaine – but its ok – because at least we are off of cocaine or hmmm – fossil fuel and on to methadone – hmmm – ethanol. What is a little increased corn production among friends? The problem is not what we are hooked on – the problem is that we are hooked at all – when if we really wanted to – we could take control of – IF we really wanted to.

So the next time you hear on the 6 o’clock news about another mother selling her food stamps to score some drugs – and you cringe with disgust and ask your self – what is this world coming to? Ratchet down that smug judgment for just a moment. And the next time you find yourself needing a “hit”, look in the reflection of your rear view mirror as you fill up your gas tank and ask yourself – how am I any different?

Its Black – Its White: Part II: How Barack Obama is Affecting America

The article I wrote entitled: “It’s Black Its White – How Barack Obama is Affecting America” was more on point that I originally thought. With the controversy surrounding the statements and “profiling” of the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. as it relates to the Barack Obama campaign is intriguing to some, but should be horrifying to all.

As my first article indicates, my interest in Barack Obama is not political. As I mentioned, Senator Obama is at this point more of a media phenomenon than I first anticipated he would ever become, even though he is the first African American in United States history to get this far in the bid for the presidency. This increase in negative notoriety is not due to his political views, or some shameful past deed that has reared its ugly head during this campaign; nor any change in his ethics or changes on his stated position on certain grave and serious issues facing Americans today and yes, the issues are extremely serious and extremely grave. No…nothing that simplistic. But the fervor is being caused by one of Senator Obama’s known associates who is garnering more media attention than what most Americans would consider the most important issue on the table right now: Who will be the next President of the United States? While some may feel that due to Senator Obama not having been “vetted” in other words, not having enough political history behind him for the people to have confidence in him, this seems somewhat hypocritical. If Senator Obama is being dinged for his lack of political background, how significant is it that his now “former” Pastor has decided to get his 15 minutes of fame – not once but twice – and the media is eating it up like ice cream on a hot day? The news is full of different images of Rev. Wright making gestures and spastic motions on national television for the purpose of focussing the attention on himself alone. I may be able to understand all of the posturing about Rev. Wright’s comments if it were Senator Obama’s father or close relative who was making these remarks. But the reality is Rev. Wright is a pastor of a church. And as we all are aware, speeches from the pulpit often fall far from the real lives of so-called Christians. But that is nothing new, so I am in awe that this man is receiving so much media attention, when the obvious is right in front of us – he is an old lion afraid of losing his roar, so he growls and roars as loud as he can – for as long as he can – and as long as anyone will listen.

But the big picture is a little more frightening. While America is focusing on recycled images of a very obviously disturbed (or at least overly animated) person – why is Senator Obama having to go on national television to divorce himself of Rev. Wright’s words and actions? Does every African American who ever attended the church need to have a press conference to divorce themselves from Rev. Wright’s actions before they can face the people at their place of business or where their children attend school? How many instances have we seen Pharisaical behavior exhibited by trusted members of a particular religion? Do we next see the parishioners having to “prove” that they do not share the views of such a person? No! Because why? As Jesus said so plainly – those attending and listening to God’s Word through the mouths of those appointing themselves as God’s spokesperson are the sheep that are being led – hopefully in the right way – to the ways and teachings of God. But if they are instead being misled, then who is responsible for the path that the shepherd takes?

If a trusted shepherd leads his sheep astray – it is not the responsibility of the “Flock” that followed him to explain his actions – it is the responsibility of the individual. Though the Bible is extremely clear about matters of this nature, unfortunately, as I mentioned in my last article, most of us do not have or take the time to determine the facts before we rush to a particular judgement or decision. This situation is no exception. While it was not Senator Obama’s responsibility to explain the actions of a supposedly mentally stable individual with a mind of his own and free will to do and say what he wishes, Senator Obama lives in a world and most importantly in a nation that does not truly understand what it means to “carry their own torture stake” and truly take responsibility, full responsibility for their own actions and deeds -whether good or bad. Since this debate has seemingly found its way to the pulpit, maybe, just maybe the powerful words of the cornerstone of true Christianity, Jesus Christ should be remembered just for a moment: “By their fruits you will recognize them.” We all have the opportunity to grow and become whatever kind and type of “fruit ” we desire to be – it is God given freedom – however with that freedom comes responsibility. Once we decide to become poster children for one cause or another, and make public statements that clearly show to anyone with a “nose and “eyes” to see what kind and type of “fruit” we are – we cannot then choose to become an entirely different “fruit” altogether. when a situation becomes heated otherwise uncomfortable.

So, in summary, just like the rest of us, Rev. Wright is the one who has to answer for what he calls himself – whether it be an apple or a pear. However, if he or anyone else turns out to be a lemon, no one else should have to answer for that. After all, lemons are good for something aren’t they? Even if it is just to make lemonade.

Sad News – Sonific Songspot closing down their website

If you don’t hear the familiar tunes that I carefully chose from Sonific Songspot, it is because they are being forced to close down. After reading their explanation, I felt that my article about the Music Industry “Pimping” the music was very timely. It appears that the sites that offer free music to their listeners are being driven out by the whoremongers who “pimp” the music that fans so much want to hear and share. Sonific Songspot, like so many other community music sharing sites, is unable to compete with the sites like Rhapsody, I-Tunes, and others who pay large fees to legally offer licensed songs on their sites. Since the music is offered to the community for free, these sites are ill prepared to pay such outrageous fees. So they have two choices: 1) go out of business or 2) provide illegal music on their sites. Sonific does not like either option, but the path of least (and taking the moral high ground) is to close down the site. I am frantically searching for sites that offer music to the community – but they are hard to find. I have located VodPod – the music is not as crystal clear as on the audio sites, but you get an extra plus – you get to see a visual of the artists – They won’t start automatically, you will have to click on a button to hear a video. I will try to change up the artists that I present on my site – but I am a creature of habit – I listen to a song forever – and practically never tire of it – but I will be mindful of the fact that I want to attract listeners, not drive them away screaming – I hope you enjoy my selections – if not – voice your opinion – let me know!

Peace )

Why I REALLY wrote the Article about Anxiety :o)

Well I have to confess – confession is not only good for the soul – but hopefully it makes for an interesting read.

My reasons for writing the article are really more self-serving than I care to admit. I have been feeling very anxiety ridden lately, and I wanted to share the thoughts that I wrote in the article. But I did not include the REAL reason why this topic has stuck in my brain. About a week ago, I was driving in my usual anxiety ridden manner, being guilty of what my article describes as RACING to get somewhere before the other 10 things on my list grew to 15 – but on my journey, I saw a sight that made me ponder my position. I realized I was driving behind a cyclist who was acting very erratically on the road. I used my best “cyclists have rights too” mode and tried to give him plenty of room, but he kept moving into the “where the wild things are” area – in other words – my side of the road – not a good move – I have bumpers. Well as my anxiety grew, and drove a little faster and I came closer to this hmmm… gentleman… just so that I could let him see the look of disapproval on my face…I noticed that he was preoccupied himself… you see…now picture this…. he was yelling at someone he was talking to…yes…on his cell phone! He was so preoccupied with his conversation, that he was putting himself in harm’s way – too close to my vehicle. I sheepishly slowed down, realizing that I needed to take the proverbial rafter from my eye (translated as loosening the grip I had on the the steering wheel, and unclenching my jaw) before I tried to take the splinter from his. Hopefully, before he meets with a less morally dedicated driver than I, this hmmm… gentleman will see his folly in the eyes of another driver.

Peace )

Anxiety & Prescription Drugs: How to Start and End your day without either

The reason I am writing this article is because every day, I woke up with at least five things I was worried about getting done that day. Then to compound those five worries, each time the phone rang, or I received an email, the list seemed to grow exponentially – so by the time I had brushed my teeth, I had at least 10 things I was anxious about, before I even got dressed!

Sound familiar? So with that scenario, no wonder we race out of the house like it is on fire – we have to get 10 things done BEFORE we learn about the other 10 things we will undoubtedly come across that need to be done TODAY. So the race begins!

The RACE to where? Just think for a moment – we all have the same number of hours in a day to complete any given number of tasks. So why do we feel that if we RACE faster than the next guy or gal – that our Anxiety Angel will select us as the fortunate one to complete their tasks and win the RACE. Again, RACE to where and to what?

We have become so misguided about how we spend our time, that we don’t even remember spending a “normal” (what is that?) 24 hours actually taking TIME to accomplish each task WELL – not before anyone else does.

Every day, I see at least 5 potential car accidents – Why? 100 percent of those accidents would be caused by someone rushing to get ahead of someone else; someone trying to get to the “Yield” sign before the next car does so that the “next car” will be doing all the Yielding and we will be making our mad dash to the next TASK – hmm. Let’s review this situation.

Think about the most frustrating situation you could possibly face when you are in a hurry. The Numero Uno enemy to our RACE to the accomplishment finish line is – Traffic Jams, right? Ok –now let’s analyze What causes those traffic jams?
According to Craig Davis, Physicist at the University of Michigan, “If everyone would be good citizens and move over when the signs tell you to, traffic would move more quickly,” said Davis. “It’s the science of complexity. In large group dynamics special things happen because each individual is trying to maximize their own benefit.”

Of course, though, no one likes slowing down, it is not a natural instinct in this world of haste. Slowing down is perceived as losing time, losing the ability to accomplish our goals, and just being behind everyone else in the Race. But is that actually true? Of course not. Slowing down is a way to gain more control of your day. Think about it – when everyone is rushing to finish their own personal RACE, everyone of course increases their speed, and cars end up traveling like bunches of anxious grapes, driving too close together. They don’t call it a “Rat Race” for nothing. The faster one driver goes, the faster the others around him or her will go, not even knowing why they all are running in the first place, or more importantly, what is just ahead of them. Then, if a car in front does something unusual or unforeseen, drivers have to respond by hitting the brakes. That in turn makes the next driver brake. Soon, a wave of commuters are flashing red brake lights, which causes the gridlock.

Physicists think of traffic jams like water turning to ice. This is because just like when water freezes, it cannot flow smoothly, frozen water, like a traffic jam, takes time to “unfreeze” which increases the amount of time that everyone spends on the road, and decreases the ability to get where we are going quickly.

So in our effort to be “hasty”, we end up defeating the purpose and slowing ourselves down by rushing, which also causes anxiety about the loss of time. So instead of the fast track we intended to be on we are on the anxiety track, with no real source of relief. Thus, we have allowed anxiety into our lives, and have in essence lost the control we sought. Yes, a never ending cycle of anxiety. But you may ask, what harm can a little anxiety cause? Isn’t being anxious a part of living in this fast paced world? Well the choice is really up to you, but consider some facts.

Anxiety and stress are linked to heart attack, stroke, rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer and other illnesses. Even if we avoid those things, what about those anti-anxiety drugs that the commercials go on and on about as being the best hope for a calm anxiety free day? Well though they run through the list of “side effects” very hastily at the end of the commercial as they portray anxiety free people tip toeing through the tulips, the side effects can make the anxiety we would suffer without the drugs a viable alternative. With such symptoms as “brain shivers” (where the feeling that patients describe as feeling like their brain is experiencing an earthquake in their head) migraine headaches, depression, lengthy dark nightmares, just to name a few, should cause us to pause and consider an alternative. While anti-anxiety medication, once the human system has gotten used to it, can provide some relief from anxiety, side effects from withdrawals if we have to for some reason stop taking the drug for a period of time have caused many anxiety medication patients to suffer terribly. However, due to the fact that they feel they need to have something to temper their anxiety, they find themselves between an anxiety rock and a prescription drug hard place – Do I take the drug and hope for no side effects? Or do I suffer through my anxiety on a daily basis? The dilemma itself can cause many anxious moments. So instead of looking outward for an answer to our anxiety, possibly the answer can be found on the inside – inside our own chosen and particular pattern of life.

With Earth Day just behind us, and our attempt to align ourselves more with it, we can take a lesson from every living species we see – from the simplest blade of grass, to the mighty oak tree. Now, take a moment from your anxious day and watch the oak tree for a moment. What do you see? Do you see it moving fast or trying to grow faster? What about that blade of grass? How does it spend its day? Trying to grow faster than the grass on the other side? No! They act in accordance with their own unique design and individual function in life. There is no anxiety or stress related diseases that affect plants and animals are there? Why? Because due to their inability to “know any better” they stay within their area of expertise – they are what they are, they grow as fast as they individually grow and no faster or no slower. They don’t count the minutes, they don’t try to maximize the hours in the day to get as much growing done as possible – they just grow.

We are not ever going to accomplish everything our little brains say we can in one 24 hour day. We have to remember that for the most part – the tasks that we try to achieve, are far too many to start off with. We need to stop and smell the….well, smell whatever is growing at its own pace and take a lesson from it. Most of our anxiety is based on what we HAVE NOT accomplished. However, if we turn that anxiety to something positive, we can focus on what we HAVE accomplished in one day, in most cases, you will be amazed at just how much you can accomplish just by taking your time, setting reasonable goals and taking a deep breath before beginning the day.

So tomorrow, when you wake up…take a minute or two to think about what is the most important thing that you need to do…then think about it again…what would happen if you actually didn’t complete that tasklist today? Are there some things that you REALLY don’t need to accomplish today that can wait until tomorrow? What would happen if you did the best you could and saved the rest until tomorrow? Would the world fall apart? I doubt it and then…and only then….maybe you can really take a minute to sit and enjoy that oak tree..and maybe even sit on a bunch of blades of grass and…for the sake of yourself and others…slow down.