“Beyond the Reef”
6″ x 6″ oil painting on freestanding gallery-wrapped canvas
artwork & content Copyright Jean Burman 2008
Most people take advantage of the opportunity that a brand new year presents to reflect on the past year and to come up with ways to do things better in the new year. Whatever it is they want to do… be it “to get more out of life”… or maybe even to “get a life” in the first place… to lose weight… or maybe to put some on… read more… paint more… write less… sell more… or to become an overnight success (however long that may take ~grin~)… whatever… resolutions require promises be made! To this end… the theory goes… we should use the information gleaned from the experiences of the past year to formulate a complicated and ambitious “resolve” to do better and get more done in the coming year.
FUZZY LOGIC – In case you were wondering… I don’t DO resolutions. I reckon resolutions set us up for failure… relying so heavily (as they do) on hindsight… which of course as we all know… we can’t have until it’s too late to do anything with it!
Everyone knows that no-one follows through with resolutions made at New Year and that most have fallen by the wayside by the third week in January. So why do we do it?
Wouldn’t it be far wiser to make a series of rolling action plans spread out evenly throughout the year? That way we can more easily mould and shape our ambitions around the inevitable and always unpredictable life events that crop up for each and every one of us throughout the year. Besides… plans don’t inflict nearly as much guilt and regret that we have (once again) failed to accomplish what we so ambitiously set out to do on that heady happy champagne-soaked occasion way back on January 1 (in whatever given year it was!)
And that way… when things happen… like when the family car becomes submerged beneath several feet of rising sea water in a flash flood on one of the last days of the year… we can just say… “Hah!… c’est la vie!” There’s always next year… and another rolling action plan! (((LOL)))
{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
Gorgeous oil painting Jean!! Can almost see the curve of the planet!
I have to concur..I am not a resolutioner either!!! More of a plan maker, and with that comes the added association of “wide edges” for a plan – as “nothing runs to plan” anyway Lol! I guess…I have what could be called a “guideline” for 2008 and am thinking upon that so as to ‘focus’ and watch for openings and opportunities that could get me closer to the ‘plan’!!!!
I am a bit superstitious too when it comes to revealing plans…normally if I say nothing until the “big day” (or least until the wheels are in motion)…it does come to fruition. However, should I spill the beans too early, I often find that the plan either gets forgotten or is compromised in some way!! I guess that could be due to external influences ; opinions, different ideas and the like. OR…it could just be that I was never focused enough in the beginning! Ha, ha, ha!! My hopes and dreams for 2008 are to NO 1..GET BETTER!! and then travel (big time!!) to visit some friends and create some happy times!
I don’t do resolutions either. Nor do I make any plans. I was a responsble adult for too many years.lol
Alaways loved my time in the high tops walking that ridge and not looking down.
Well we are here again and will take whatever on the chin (or butt )
God just loves a planner/schemer ( grin ) It either takes off in flight or a belly flop smack. Mind you He just loves to hear in advance and issue advice .
Ok Elinor..I’ll take that on the chin (grin!). I guess if you share your ideas and plans…positive advice can be given just as much as the “oh dear….you CAN”T do THAT!!!…what if????” I may have the opportunity to have my work in 2 local galleries – 2 brand spanking new ones! Was talking to another person yesterday (a visitor) who will be opening another gallery in town as well as another visitor (from 2 days ago) who wants to turn his family business of a fruit and vegie “market” into a gallery/cafe on a main road through town. Both want my work hanging up in their places. Both are friends who have sought me out! I am however, not going to go lofting off into the stratosphere about it just yet…learned my lesson there!!!! I have also contacted a national garden celebrity regarding a proposal for a “massive” idea which would wrap all of my loves together and help children in outback schools as well. Even though he was on holidays at the time, his team manager replied to me the same day!!! If nothing else ..this year will be all about painting and working hard to open peoples minds about our “world!” Through everything that has happened to me over the past 12 mths, I have learned what my “REAL’” passions are and that is what is driving me.
Thanks for the comments all!
JOOLS QUOTE I am a bit superstitious too when it comes to revealing plans…normally if I say nothing until the “big day” (or least until the wheels are in motion)…it does come to fruition. However, should I spill the beans too early, I often find that the plan either gets forgotten or is compromised in some way!! UNQUOTE
I remember reading about this phenomenon in an article once… I think it was entitled “Do you Tell?” and I can’t seem to lay my hands on it now… but the thrust of it was along these lines… how when creative people spill their ideas ahead of time the impetus goes right out of those ideas and they are very often never realised. I’ve noticed it myself… but most often it has been other people pouring ice water over it rather than me just running out of puff. It seems the creative spirit needs lots of nurturing and positive encouragement or in the absence of that… plenty of true grit and artistic gumption to keep the pot boiling. It really shouldn’t be so difficult.
Dynamite painting, Jean!
I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. Period. I’m not responsible like Roger (I only wish I were), but I consider the whole new year thing arbitrary and capricious. It all depends on whose calendar you consider primary, and right now I’m putting my money on the Aztecs. [grin]
Aha John….I have to say that the Aztecs do indeed send shivers up the back of my neck!!!! As do the native American indians…these so called primtive people noticed way so many things things that we of “modern” times choose to be blind to!
Jean…its just a matter of gathering my courage and self knowledge and “jumping in”!!! I’m keen, very keen…am chomping at the bit!!!!
I could stare at this painting forever Jean. It is so calming…yet inspiring too, (what’s beyond that gorgeous horizon? Shall I jump in a skipper and explore?…) The colors are particularily soothing and inviting…and, well…safe. Yes, I feel it evokes a sense of security and comfort too!
And I love your “Fuzzy Logic”…makes absolute sense to me! I don’t feel bad about not commiting to last year’s resolutions because I never wrote any down. Ain’t life grand?!
Jean, Your painting is beautiful and so typical of the tropical waters. The clouds are great.
I don’t know anyone who has kept a New Year Resolution. But I have seem them make them at odd calendar dates and keep them. It is their private calendar when their muse moves them with inspiration and determination with a goal that they have been thinking about for a while, sometimes for many years.
Thanks John
And of course the Inca’s as well… who celebrated their new year on the first full moon after the June Solstice… and the Chinese who still celebrate on the first new moon in January and go right through until the moon is full! Any which way you look at it… we’re a pretty confused bunch aren’t we? It’s amazing tho to contemplate how ancient civilisations knew enough about the earth the moon and the stars to be able to calibrate some semblance of a system. We’d have been (totally) lost without them… (but then maybe we are anyway! LOL)
Mary… when you come over to visit we’ll take a trip on the Ocean Spirit out to Michaelmas Cay! (I think Roger and Eileen did this trip a few years back when they were visiting here) It really is just like the painting out there… so surreal… the colours so intensely beautiful. I’m pleased you were transported there (in some small measure) by my humble little painting!
Thanks Katherine
So pleased you liked the painting. I’m a novice at oils… but thought it was about time I gave them a whirl. I was given a set of Genesis heat set oils for my birthday last year and have scarcely opened them. A dyed-in-the-wool watercolour advocate… I have an inkling that I am at last warming to the concept of “dry” painting! By dry painting I mean painting without the constant compulsion to swish your brush around in the water container! (Anyone who paints watercolour will know EXACTLY what I mean!) Old habits die hard I’m afraid! LOL
I have just come alive again instead of coming and just basking in that gorgeous warmth Oh that it were the outlook from here instead of dreich .
Our (old) new year is on the 11th January and that is still celebrated hereaboots/
I am interested in the paints you are using as I have to try and find an alternative to
the “norm” At the moment I am using an orange odour solvent BUT that is just a disguise.
Elinor, If the solvent you are using has an orange odour it may be actually made from the oil in orange peel which is excellent for cleaning brushes. I live in what used to be the citrus growing area of Central Florida and it was the primary production area for oranges and grapefruit until Disney moved in and made the area grow so fast that property became more valuable for housing developments, especially after we had two bad freezes that killed most of the groves.
They did not sell the orange peel oil so the citrus plants used to just give it away by the gallon to anyone that wanted it. The pulp was made into fertilizer. People used to use it for arthritis or muscle damage.. They said it really is a miracle oil, expecially for horses and animal feed stores and Vets sold it. I cleaned my brushes with it. Later they started to market it but I suspect most of it is now imported from Brazil. Check the contents on the bottle. It does have an orange smell, but I do not know if the fumes are harmful. Now I see it packaged to sell for furniture polish and cleaning too so it seems to have many uses.
Elinor… the Genesis heat set oils don’t need a solvent at all… the brushes are simply wiped clean at the end of the painting day and will never dry out. Optionally you can use isopropyl alcohol for cleanup which is pretty innocuous. There is a thinning medium and a thickening medium too… both are NON TOXIC and ODOURLESS. As someone who has in the past been pretty much allergic to everything… it is essential to me that my paints don’t make me sick. I guess that’s one of the reasons why I have focussed my efforts around the watercolour medium… (in addition to the fact that watercolour is THE most magical medium on the planet!) But the heat set oils are “climbing the charts” for me now too!
That’s interesting info about orange oil Katherine! Can’t say I’ve known much about it before… except that I have noticed it’s popularity of late in quite a number of products. It certainly sounds like the “good oil” to me! LOL
Such a shame that development (the world over) ultimately consumes good agricultural land. There are very few citrus growers now left in Australia and since markets have opened up and gone global… we now see oranges imported from California and limes from Venezuela. It’s crazy. We should grow our own. But if Govt’s don’t support and protect farmers (as they do in the US by imposing tariffs) we cannot expect to continue to have the fresh produce grown locally that we’ve become used to. But I guess as with everything… we won’t know what we’ve got until it’s gone… but by then it may be too late.
I have to concur about the orange oil thing Jean…had no idea!! I also concur about the limitations set upon the “gardeners” of our own country. Having been a seasonal fruit picker (and hired “farm hand” in three states of Australia) for most of my life and knowing the system inside and out…its ludicrous!! If we could just grow what our residents need and not go for the “export quality”…there would be a much better trade system within our own backyards (that goes for everyone!!!), which in turn would surely provide enough food for all!!!!!!
I don’t mind farmers shooting for export quality… but when that export quality (surprise surprise) gets “exported” and we get left with… well… “what’s left”… in my view there lies a problem! LOL It’s been said that aussies won’t pay for quality fruit and veges and that’s why our products are exported to countries that will… but eventually the imported product we bring in from elsewhere will be way more expensive anyway… and we will have no choice then but to pay through the nose (for inferior imported products) as farmers give up the land and walk away. As in all things.. it’s the middle man making the mark up… and not the primary producer. We need to nurture our farmers and pay them well… as (in my view) food is going to be in short supply worldwide in the not too distant future.
YES!!!! What you are saying…is exactly what I was trying to say!!!! I have a huge sticker across my fridge door that says “Thank a farmer for your next meal!”
I guess while people continue to think that meat comes from the butcher shop, milk comes from the dairy case and veges grow in plastic covered polystyrene trays on the grocery store shelf… there will be no change. When the food runs out… and only then… will we realise how lucky we “used to be” to have people willing to go out and bend their backs in the hot midday sun to bring food to our tables. Hey maybe we should form a picket line outside our local supermarket Jools? (okay just kidding… the case against fluoridation of Qlds water supply is next cab off the rank… followed by… well… you know what they say… “an activist’s work is never done!” (((LOL)))
BIG BIG SMILE!!!! Aaah Jean..you just took me back to the Franklin River in Tasmania!
I was all geared up to go and strap myself to the front of a bulldozer and stop the building of the dam, even had my airline ticket booked..but an illness in the family took me flying back home instead! I was also one of the first to go through the Daintree Rainforest when the road had just been completed. I was working as a Governess to the children of the leader, on our way to Cape York (in Acko Army trucks!!!) . We came across the human barricade of very scruffy looking “activists”..they let us through, but only just!!!!
I meant to say that I was working for the leader of a bird watching safari!! We went to a place where there is a radius of 10km that is the only habitat for particular birds and flora, in the world..it was a wonderful time! I won’t say exactly where that place is, but we were only 20kms from the very tip of Australia…it was when I had the opportunity to return to New Guinea, but declined due to political unrest! I think I was about 23. We had 3 army trucks, one for supplies and two for paying passengers…best camping trip ever! We were away for 6 weeks. Aaaahhh…doesn’t time fly???
Wow Jools! What an adventure! You’ve led such an interesting life!
I’m becoming more and more food conscientious these days. I buy all my meat from a local farmer, (he’s the best…no antibiotics, no growth hormones, cows eat GRASS as they were meant to, (not corn), chickens run around in the sunshine, etc..everything about his business is sustainable and humane…not to mention delicious!). The veggies I get local when I can as well. There are some great books out there about the eating/buying habits of people, (primarily Americans). My favorite is “Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan, (he just wrote a new one I have yet to read…same topic…should be great!). Another is Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food Nation” , (disturbing account of politics, immigrant exploitation and government inadequacies that are involved in the massive fast food industry). I miss our beautiful garden plot we had in Iowa…the yummies we could grow!!! So fresh!
Cool bananas Mary..now thats what I like to hear!!!!! The more interest we can invoke in the food we eat and how we grow it, the more we shall realise just what is making us, as well as our planet sick! I have tried to explain to my girls that organic is good – which in their terms means…organic is not perfect!!! But…here lies the lesson: when an apple is damaged by a codlin moth or a dimple bug it leaves a mark that is not attractive….however, the fruit will always be sweeter as the fruit produces more natural sugars to heal itself and then we enjoy the produce far more! It is we as the consumers that dictate the trade…what we demand is what we get! I know of several orchardists in my home area (have worked for them all!!) who have lost entire crops through one hailstorm…after months and months of fertilising and pest control, they have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to raise their crop. Then that all gets wiped out in one foul swoop…then the insurance comes into play, yes the farmers get reimbursed, but their premiums go through the roof, creating yet another cycle of stress! And…then the smaller growers have to pack up and leave as only the large companies can afford the ongoing costs and fill the demands. I have seen so many trees bulldozed and replaced with developement sites due to the rising costs of farming (with little return!!). As our population grows so does our need for fresh food and water…life is not all about tourism, oil or even religion…it is about food and shelter. If we all had to grow our own food (and forget about “progress”)..imagine the difference it would make!
Sorry Jean!! It would appear that I have gorn off on my own little tangent here once again…but IT IS actually part of my “Action Plan” for 2008!
Mary…I also plan to have more “adventures” lol!
That does sound like an amazing adventure Jools… New Guinea ahhh yes… I was at the airport the other day seeing off (yet one more) family member and there on the monitor was Mt. Hagen… the direct flight. The memories flooded back. Ahhh… so near and yet so far… so close in distance yet (now) so far behind in civilisation and way too dangerous for me to consider going there again. Maybe one day they’ll get their act together up there and we may get to go back. The Daintree is a lovely place… I remember when the road was going through and there were people swinging from the trees trying to stop it. How fun! LOL
Mary… I very rarely watch Oprah… but the other day (with my whole family away) I gave the tellie an exhausted flick (over a bite to eat for lunch) and was amazed to see her promoting Bob Greene and his best life diet. As an aside… I am always suspiscious of anyone who looks as though they’ve had “a lot of work done” and upon first assessment Bob fitted the bill! LOL But some of his recommendations seemed sound.
A woman was introduced who had tried “EVERYTHING” to lose weight over a number of years but just couldn’t budge it. Then she met Bob and followed his advice. She lost 100 lb in a matter of weeks by following his No. 1 tip… don’t drink soda! (duh?) I would have thought that would be an obvious one… but no… it seems that most of us just don’t get it!!!
The fast food and food manufacturing industries generally have a lot to answer for IMHO. I was amazed when the on-air shop was unveiled with all his promoted products on display supermarket style… boxes and boxes and boxes of packaged dried frozen and generally manufactured and processed foods! No doubt with ALL NATURAL on the label… (we should all know there is nothing natural about food in a box!)
Thanks for mentioning those books Mary… I’ll see if I can find them over here.
Jools… my problem with organic (esp in a relatively non-populous place like far NQ) is that it is so very often not as fresh as it could be. In the past organic has been much more expensive and therefore produce was left to sit on the shelves. In high population areas where there is good demand and people are willing to pay the extra price of organic fruit and veges… the system works well. I’ve noticed lately that with the cost of the regular produt going up the organic product is looking more competitive… so it may yet come into it’s own here.
You and Mary have the right idea… to grow your own is best… but there again our climate in the tropical North is a disadvantage… with all the bugs and pests it’s very difficult to grow a completely organic crop without the need for sprays. I had a basil bush once that was (literally) laid bare overnight! I was hopping mad… and felt like throwing a bucket of tomatoes and a few knobs of bocconncini out after it so the bugs could really enjoy their salad! (((LOL)))
Basil is a particular favourite Jean..many pests love it! I have the same problem here. Make a spray of garlic juice, biodegradable soap and water and spray it, then mulch the soil around the basil with straw, which will deter the slimey pests..or grow it with garlic and marigolds. There are many good companion planting alternatives (one plant helping others) – that is how basil was discovered. The Italians placed the leaves of basil over their tomatoes to keep the flies at bay…the flavour was discovered!! I grow many vegies and herbs and flowers altogether, my neighbours think it is all “a bit much”, but I rarely have infestations or problematic plantings…only a lack of water!!!
Jean, I didn’t mean to hijack your blog with my rambling…It’s just that Jools hit on a topic that really struck home. We are so brainwashed into eating the things we do. I go into a mini fit when I see a kid out in public mindlessly nursing soda…the liquid lifeline of America. I don’t blame the fast food industry in this regard as much as I blame the government for subsidizing the corn farming industry. We have soooo much of the stuff and the surplus is quickly and easily processed into corn syrup, which, of course is then incorporated into super-sized sodas, breads, meats and anything really! This, IMHO is why we are all so fat! We are being force-fed extra calories that are surreptiously hidden in our packaged foods! The Michael Pollon book that just came out is called, “In Defense of Food- An Eater’s Manisfesto”. I haven’t read it yet but expect it will be great. He really writes beautifully and has a wonderful sense of humor. You’d enjoy his work I think.
Now…about that boat trip…ahhhh…I’m closing my eyes now and floating out into your blissful painting…such peace….
If only I had time for more gardening Jools… maybe next time round I’ll manage to develop my green thumb! ;-\ LOL
Mary… you know how I LOVE to ramble on… and I love nothing better than having friends here to ramble on with! This conversation has been AMAZING… I’ll bet Katherine never dreamt in her wildest dreams that orange oil would lead us here… but it did and I’m glad it did! It’s all important stuff to know if we are to live a long and healthy life… remaining creative right up until the very last day! LOL
Ah yes… the boat! With the sun just over the yard arm here we’re ready to set sail… who else is up for it?
PS Oh but just before we push off… I meant to say that I saw where recently the corn and canola producers across America are going big time into biofuels… so maybe… just maybe the population will be saved (by default) from having to consume their excess! Fingers crossed.
I am sooo pleased Mary, that I have made a “connection” with you!!! Good stuff! Jean – there are so many things in this glorious place we call home, that are still yet undiscovered…animals, insects and foods. I have been fervently watching Animal Planet of late and am just so gob smacked with what they are presenting…and it is all new!!! All new creatures and some old favourites that are actually evolving as we speak..it is not all doom and gloom. It is time to open our eyes and really see!!!! And Jean…any information you can “tuck away” until you get the chance to get into your garden is a good thing. Most of the stuff I have learned has come from so many gardening souls over the years and they just “pop up” into my mind when I need them!
When I was growing up we had nothing but local produce and dairy that was fresh. During WWII every one was encouraged to grow a “Victory Garden” as most of the produce from the large farms was sold to the military. Then someone came up with some kind of spray for veggies that was supposed to help keep them fresh. I am sure it is still used. I don’t know what it is. Does anyone know?
Katherine Hi!!! I do not know what the product is that you are speaking of..but it sounds encouraging!!! When I think of the chemicals some orchardists still use (and used to use that still lay in the soil…heavy metals!!!) it chills me to the core! To help promote the “safe food”..I’ll let you in on a few things that I know. Heavy metal sprays were used to defoliate fruit trees (to encourage leaf drop and speed up the growing process for the following season. Also used in Vietnam) insecticides attack the nervous system of pests..they have a similar effect on humans – the food chain thing! With meat there is another rather ghastly practice…hormones. I could not say if this is still a routine practice, it was common 20 yrs ago while I was working on cattle stations, but hormones USED to be injected into cattle and chickens (I do not know of other meats) to promote growth (larger meat harvests). Now… considering the amount of food the western world wastes, I would not say that this is all for “supply and demand”..it is for more of the “market” dollar! I would suggest that these “product enhancements” eventually squeezed out the smaller farmers as they could not compete with the price wars of the whole cycle. I have not been in the food growing industry for a long time, so cannot say if these things all still occur. I do know that certain products have now been banned from use (with fruit and vegies)..but the whole scenario was making us sick…thank heavens the pendulum is swinging back to more natural ways of farming. If smaller farming was given half a chance, the farmers could control pests more effectively with natural processes. It is only farming on a large scale that requires massive amounts of pest control with chemicals….biting off more than they can chew!!! (pardon the pun!!) I also think that the poor old farmers are suffering from another “disease”…stress! The suicide rate of farmers in our country is apallingly high. Its all very sobering and serious stuff!
Katherine… that spray you mentioned is more than likely Sodium Metabisulphite (or sulphur dioxide) a common preservative in wine… dried fruit… and many other foods… and sprayed liberally on salad bars in some restaurants to keep the produce “looking fresh”. It’s a particularly dangerous practice as those sensitive to the effects of sulphur can suffer serious reactions including asthma and shortness of breath, urticaria (hives), racing heart and any number of other health related problems.
Until the focus is shifted from food that simply “looks and tastes good” and lasts a heck of a long time on the shelf… to food that actually IS good for us and provides real nourishment… we will continue to have rather poor health outcomes I’m afraid.
So true Jean….but while we are aware of it and “talking” about it, the focus will surely shift!
Jools, Bovine Growth Hormones are used in abundance in the US. Not only that, but the poor cattle are forced to eat “renderings” from previously butchered stock. And they are, (because we have such a surplus and it’s cheap) also forced to eat corn. Corn is a terrible thing to feed to a cow. They are not capable of digesting it properly and get horrible ulcers as a result. Sometimes they produce so much saliva as a result of fatiguing rumination they die of asphixiation. Absurd! I know! And yet…this insane and inhumane practice is widespread and common. The meat from these animals is often of poor quality and the techiniques for “dressing” up the beef at the supermarket are deceptive and DANGEROUS! Yet…the government is bought off by owners of these massive meat producers and turns a blind eye. It gets worse…and far more ugly…but at least, like you say…people are just beginning to wake up and understand what goes on behind the grocery shelves…
It’s the grain fed export quality beef here in Australia that we need to watch out for… (unless of course it’s bound for the Japanese market who won’t tolerate anything less than organic!) It seems that for our own population though it’s okay to sell us the less-expensive-to-raise grass fed beef… but that’s absolutely fine by me… at least we can be relatively sure it hasn’t been chemically “enhanced” ~grin~
There is too much politics and big business in the production of food. But then… there’s too much politics and big business in the production of just about everything… where large corporations (sanctioned by Government) make obscene amounts of money exploiting and betraying the trust of the unsuspecting (and dare I say long suffering) public.
Not sure what it will take to turn it around… (besides public awareness)… but maybe when health budgets blow out to “gastronomical” proportions and Governments (and also surprise surprise… the medical fraternity) finally make the connection between ill health and the food we eat… Govts may eventually see more fiscal sense in keeping people healthy rather than having to pay for their care when they get sick. Don’t mean to sound negative… but it probably won’t turn around until someone’s back pocket begins to hurt. I’m surprised that the health insurance industry hasn’t woken up… but then maybe they have vested interests in the food industry? Sheesh… how’s that for a conspiracy theory? (((LOL)))
You could chase your tail around and around with that one Jean! There have been changes…….ever so slight I agree, but we do not ingest the potent chemicals that we used to twenty years ago. The use of many chemicals have been banned and the swing towards “watching what you eat” is gaining momentum. Yes, Poison is still being used to combat the imperfections of food (what do we think of genetically modified food????) But, I have noticed many more stalls of many more varieties of “organic food”. The greater the demand for it, the greater the supply shall have to be. And as we become more aware, the more we shall seek! I believe that many more people are becoming educated, instead of “hibernated”. I myself still buy fruit and vegies and meat from the supermarket…I guess we are all complacent until we are personally affected by it. I know of a couple of people who are allergic to the 21st century and must have organic products, not just food…but soap, shampoo etc. Imagine that kind of life….being alienated from what we take for granted.
I’ve found the best source of really “fresh” fruit and veges here is the supermarket. We have our big farmer’s market (Rusty’s) but more and more the produce sold there is supermarket surplus and not home grown. You have to know what you’re looking for and search around until you get what you want… but I make the effort to get to the markets for fresh eggs with a nice yellow yolk… lemons (usually the bush variety) and locally grown limes… and of course the fruit that grows so well here… pineapples, red papaya, passionfruit etc.
Genetically modified? Hmmm… I’ve heard the debate from both sides… and both make sense to me. The idea that we might be able to grow produce without the need for pesticides appeals to me… but this technology left in the hands of the unscrupulous (and history has shown there are plenty of those) is of great concern. The jury’s out for me right now.
As for being allergic to the 21st century… the poor old liver can only take so much and store so many toxins before it fails to do it’s job. When it reaches capacity the body breaks down wherever there is a weakness. Allergies are the first indicator that something isn’t right. There are successful ways to detoxify the liver but all of them require a healthy ingestion of fats… (the very thing we are warned against ingesting by the so-called experts) But without fat in our diet… the poor old liver hasn’t got an icecubes hope in hell of getting rid of the toxins that have been stored there because the body has no-where else to store them. It’s a big topic… too big for a forum like this… but if I could just say one thing to my fellow human beings I would humbly beseech them to:
“Get involved with your own health… don’t rely on your doctor to save you! Ask questions and insist on answers… or better yet… find your own answers… keep your eyes and ears open and trust your own intuition”
Okay… the liver talk was a bit over the top… but hey… who’s gonna defend it when it’s gone? (((LOL)))
It’s been a fascinating discussion everyone… thanks to all who weighed in!
Glancing back we covered some interesting ground… kicking off with wishes for good health and plans for the new year God willing… sailing to the farthest horizons… and on to the aztecs… and then to New Guinea… flashing back to Oprah… fast food and obesity… orange oil was in there somewhere… along with food manufacturing and organic farming… basil… corn… government corruption… toxic harvests… and all the way back again to health! Wow… how’s that for diversity? But then… we’re a wildly diverse and vastly “interesting” bunch of people… who could expect anything less! LOL
It has been good Jean…its all “food for thought” and we are what we eat!!! Lol! Health has certainly been a huge issue in my life of late. It had been something that I took for granted (as I was a pretty damn fine specimen…even if I say so myself!!) and I thought that I was indestructible…well, just thought that I would always be strong and fit. And then to be struck down with such a complicated injury has made me so much more aware, not just of health in general, but also of my own limitations. This BGO (Brilliant Glimpse of the Obvious!!) has in turn taught me more about myself as a person overall. We are such a complete and complex package as humans….heart, soul, mind muscle and bone! Each portion of who and what we are dictates what we do and how we do it. What amazes me is how we have the ability to transform and utilise our skills and spirit to keep functioning as a miniscule part of “the big picture”.