Tag Archives: nature

So This is Your Love

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When you climb into the eyes of another, when you share your soul with the ears of another, when you let yourself be consumed by another… or even unto yourself. This means love. I’m no definitive answer to – no do I know – all that is love, but I do know this means love. Love with self, love with nature, love with others, love with desire, love with connection.

There is a point in sharing when it becomes necessary to let go of inhibition and allow to flow forth from the depths of your soul what it is that needs to flow forth. You are the guide in this journey, you are the canoe floating down the river silently. You are the flag sitting atop the mountain triumphantly. You are the spark sitting in the fire, grasping for oxygen.

How do you recognize this moment?

I think the scary part for most is when we confuse – or feel the desire to separate – this feeling with lust.

To hug is not to sex. To stare deeply into the eyes of another is not to sex. To rest on the shoulder of another is not to sex. To explain feelings is not to sex. To share is not to sex.

To love is to never give up and to always give up at the same time.

In the history books, or religious books [most, probably not all], or classroom study guides, or mathematics books we don’t discuss this constant ebb and flow. Love has seemingly been hidden behind closed doors, under thick sheets with socks on, uncomfortably. This is love as a singular, as a taught concept and un-explored; even afraid to be explored.

Perhaps if you explore what love means to you, you might just find it’s a bit lovely too!

Further reading (and inspiration for this post) found on Elephant Journal.

 

Garbage

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Every morning I wake and head for a walk through the forest. I find it a great way to wake up and get my body moving for the day ahead.

I walk my way up the hill towards ruins that remain, a little sanctuary at the top most people walk to. There isn’t much left, but it’s a flat cement pad, with large steps one can sit on and look into the valley.

I walk here every day, sometimes twice. Sometimes I’ll find a wrapper discarded, a coffee mug forgotten…  On Friday morning when I arrived I noticed there were two Tim Hortons disposable coffee cups there, along with a chip bag, and a few discarded and empty cigarette packs. This reminded me of a few weeks earlier when I found a discarded sleeping bag, camping chair, and tent poles thrown into a copse of 7 year old trees nearby.

When I come across garbage, I usually pick it it up and carry it down. It happens sometimes, sometimes you sit down and put whatever it is you were holding down, and then forget it when you move on. I understand this. It’s ok.

The next day I returned, there was another Tim Hortons disposable coffee cup, smashed bottles, more empty cigarette packs, and a discarded pair of gym shoes. Being mid-run, and slightly annoyed, I left without picking it up.

Now today, for the third day in a row I’ve come across even more garbage. There are more bottles smashed, beer cans crushed, clothing strewn around, coffee cups tossed aside, and empty bags of chips floating with the wind…

Needless to say I’m not impressed.

We can do better than this world.

The positive note comes to me from a neighbour. Apparently there was a party up there on Friday, and one of the neighbors went up there after with a few bags to pick up all the bottles. Two garbage bags full!

When we litter, when we discard, it doesn’t just disappear, it lands in somebodies front lawn where they must take care of it, like it or not.

Pesticides

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pesticides

Taken directly from wikipedia.com:  A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest. A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as a virus or bacterium), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest. Pests include insects, plant pathogens, weeds, molluscs, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes (roundworms), and microbes that destroy property, spread disease or are a vector for disease or cause a nuisance. Although there are benefits to the use of pesticides, there are also drawbacks, such as potential toxicity to humans and other animals. According to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, 10 of the 12 most dangerous and persistent organic chemicals are pesticides.

So, I think this pretty accurately describes what they are, now how do they effect us produce eaters?

For the answer to this question, I’ve consulted my friend over at Bodies4Life Training, Beki. She tells us in her article on Going Organic, that the only way to avoid all these pesticide treatments is to go organic with all our produce purchases.

Personally I feel that some of this organic hype might just be a brilliant sales scheme, since the prices in the organic section is ALWAYS higher than the regular section, but Beki states there are added benefits to going organic.

You not only stop feeding your body chemicals made for killing things, but you also support farmers who make an effort to make animal lives more compatible with nature. Also, pesticides that are used on the produce fields eventually need to be washed away, drained away into either the earth below the fields, but also the drainage system which eventually feeds back into our drinking water.

The question is, is it already to late? Have our fields already been contaminated for so many years with bad pesticides that have seeped so deep into the earth below these fields of produce that no matter what is done, were still getting the after effects of them?

Hazardous-pesticide

To make sure that you’re informed of at least the top 12 most pesticide rich produce in the store, so you can selectively buy organic, Beki has produced the following list:

  1. Peaches
  2. Apples
  3. Sweet Bell Peppers
  4. Celery
  5. Nectarines
  6. Strawberries
  7. Cherries
  8. Pears
  9. Grapes (imported)
  10. Spinach
  11. Lettuce
  12. Potatoes

Beki also suggests to go check out Environmental Working Groups Health/Toxins: Our Food page for some more very informative and official research papers on the harmful effects of pesticides.

local_organicsAre you an organic shopper?