I am currently reading a book titled Attitudes of Gratitude: How to Give and Receive Joy Everyday of Your Life.  It provides excellent guidance to re-awaken to the joy and exuberance a child experiences on a daily basis, emotions that most adults lose sight of when the stresses and strains of life become too much.  I am using the book as a reminder of how to stay physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy.

One of the readings reminds us how the emotions of love and appreciation can bring about physical healing.  We’ve all heard about people who are diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses and are given a short time to live who make a major turnaround and live for years beyond what the medical profession predicted.  Generally, these people have positive outlooks, and are deeply spiritual people whose meditations and prayers are full of gratitude.

Negative thoughts weaken the immune system, which is the foundation of health.  The immune system works by attacking germs that enter our body.  Those of us who spend a lot of our time obsessing on negativity, who are angry at the world, and are unable to forgive, are more prone to heart disease, cancer, and other serious illnesses.

When we focus on experiencing joy, love, gratitude, and optimism, the sense of well-being can strengthen the immune system, which can fight off the pathogens that create illness.  As the author of the book states, “…the more we experience a sense of gratitude, the more endorphins and the less adrenaline we pump into our systems, thus contributing to longer, healthier lives.  As we count our blessings, we literally bathe ourselves inwardly in good hormones.” (p.20)

Do what you can to stay as healthy as possible, starting with a healthy mind. When you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, or stressing over something that is going on in your life, stop a moment and find something to be grateful for in that moment.  Are you feeling stress from your job?  Be thankful that you have one.  Are the actions of your child causing you to feel angry?  Remember that her coming into your life was a true blessing.    Finding the positive in any situation can help you feel better, both emotionally and physically.

When my husband and I moved to the Raleigh area in North Carolina nearly 3 years ago, we bought a home with about an acre of land. I was thrilled to have a space where I could put in gardens. Being a vegetarian, my diet obviously contains a lot of vegetables, so it was only natural that I would put energy into creating space to grow our own food. I have lived with gardens most of my life, and find that working in them helps to calm my mind. It is also an excellent form of exercise, what with all the bending, digging, stretching, and lifting. (Who needs a gym?)

Having your own garden is an excellent way to conserve resources, given the state of the economy today. Higher gas prices mean higher food prices. By growing our own vegetables, I am able to drastically reduce the amount of money spent on groceries each week. Of course, our water bill does go up, especially during the hotter, drier months, but we offset this as much as possible by capturing rainwater from our roof and using it to water the garden. I did find that rain barrels are extremely expensive ($50 to $85 apiece). We combatted this by buying a whole bunch of trashcans for $10 each, several of which we placed in strategic locations around the outside our home. When they fill up, we use 5-gallon buckets to transfer the water to the trashcans near the garden. (A great substitute for weight-lifting). Using a watering can from there is a nice, inexpensive, and peaceful watering experience.

Our land is very interesting. There area areas that are a mixture of sand and rock, some areas that are pure red clay, and other areas that have good topsoil. Fortunately, the sunny, open area where we wanted to place the vegetable gardens had pretty good topsoil, so it made it a little easier. We chose to build raised beds, as that way the soil would be easier to work in years to come, and added compost to it to build the soil up.

I have learned that it is actually possible to grow vegetables year round in the area I live. Of course, I do find myself covering up plants when frost is predicted, and I have built little hoop houses to make that process easier. (These also help keep the neighborhood cats from using the freshly planted areas as a litter box.) There is an excellent book that I find myself constantly referring to, called Month-by-month Gardening In The Carolinas

Last year was our first year here with a garden. I was able to can spaghetti sauce, pickles, and pizza sauce, and freeze lots of pesto, squash, broccoli, beans, and okra. I continue to learn a lot more, and hope this year I am able to have a garden that produces year round. I am even experimenting with growing navy beans for a source of protein.

There is nothing better than home-grown vegetables on your plate for dinner. If you have the space, and some time, I higly recommend that you try growing your own food.