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Issue #12: Summer 2006, Mosaic of Movement

Covering It:
Mosaic of Movement, by Kylie Loynd
A possibility for positive change, no matter how promising, may conjure visions of upheaval instead of images of opportunity. Whether our current path is comfortable to stride or mined with sharp stones, it is familiar - we feel a basic desire to preserve it. Yet I've also felt my resistance to altering my life dissolve when change beckoned in the form of a single compelling moment. What opens our beings to a deeper level of listening - attracts our awareness to the need for change? What then moves us to act upon what we've realized? And when we do, what sustains our actions until they become a permanent part of our life? (read the complete article)

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Whole Foods:
Cool in the Kitchen, by Terry Johnson
One of my biggest challenges in the summer is cooking. Most homes in Seattle don't have air conditioning, so firing up the stove or the oven only heats up the house more. I tend to blend smoothies and grill more in the summer in an effort to keep the house cool. Yet I still enjoy cooking and having a healthy, well-balanced meal.

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Terrific Tips:
Heaven on a Stick! by Patti Pitcher
Here we are again, sitting on the front stoop, slurping up drippy, yummy homemade Popsicles. When the summer heat slows us down, we find more time to do things with the ones we love, even something as simple as eating a frozen dessert in the middle of a hot afternoon. Because my family loves these treats so much, over the years I have learned how to make a wide variety of healthful ones. If we were going to eat them every day, I wanted to make sure I was offering my children a nutritional snack rather than a mouthful of processed sugar. I love being able to say, "Sure, have another," when they ask. My kids think they are eating an unheard of second dessert, and I know they are actually eating food.

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A Balance of Health:
The balancing act: Acid and Alkaline, by Dr. David Ramaley
The words alkaline and acid may not make the front page of TIME magazine or the Journal of the American Medical Association, but acid to alkaline ratio is one of the most important health concepts for longevity with vitality. In this article, the acid and alkaline ratio refers to the pH of the body's fluids in and around the cells; pH is a unit of measurement that describes the acidity or alkalinity of any substance. The lower the pH, the higher the acid. Ideally, we should have a pH between 7.0 and 7.4, with the goal being 7.4. There are many ways that pH affects health and numerous strategies to improve this ratio. (read the complete article)

Everything Herbal:
Create Health & Cultivate Life by Kylie Loynd
Sally King, CCH, is the Director of RavenCroft Garden, an educational center near Monroe, Washington, that connects people, plants and the earth. For this issue, Sally and I reflected on her philosophy of health and healing. This is an edited version of our conversation, with my questions in italics. Contact Sally at 360-794-2938 or www.ravencroftgarden.com.

What is your core philosophy of health? For the last 15 years, I have dedicated my life to creating health through acts of nourishment and the cultivation of life. It's a way of living that is accessible to anyone; it's empowering. My philosophy rises from a tradition that sees both our world and our health as whole. Every moment we can choose a greater wholeness, a greater understanding of who we are and the world that we live in. Health and healing are about transformation - not fixing or curing or making it better. (read the complete article)

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From the Ground Up:
Edible Landscapes, by Joyce White
I never tire of exploring gardens of all kinds. The showcase gardens I visit are beautifully landscaped - a stone here in just the right position, a fountain adding just the right touch, an archway opening onto a new vista of colors. The columbine and Canterbury bells are exquisite. The lilies and lupine are lovely. The dianthus and lilacs delight the nose as well as the eye. I love walking in these gardens. But there's something missing. Feasts for the senses and nourishment for the soul though they are, there's nothing in these gardens to eat. All that good loam, humus and composted cow manure and not a single row of cabbages or string beans!

Treading Lightly:
Let my people go surfing, reviewed by John Groff
Editor's Note: In 1996, Patagonia took the bold step of converting the cotton content in their entire sportswear line to 100 percent organically grown cotton.

As a climber and equipment manufacturer, Yvon Chouinard has been legendary among mountaineers for 40 years. His clothing company, Patagonia, Inc., has had devotees among more urban sorts as well, though the price tags might put a lot of people off. In fact, I've tended to lump the brand with all the other high-end sportswear worn by people who have more money than I do and don't do much in the way of sport. But Chouinard's book, Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, tells the story behind the company, and it's very compelling for anyone interested in environmentalism and simply in respectful, responsible living.

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Musings:
A Whale Tale, by Blair Stocker
My four-year-old son was going through a very rough patch. I had not seen this behavior shift coming, and frankly, I was wiped out from trying to deal reasonably with so many unreasonable requests each day. He suddenly felt put out by school, friends, family. Rather than giving me a kiss good night, he would scream things like "I don't want you in the house!" or "I don't like you anymore!" It seemed so sudden that things became hard to deal with… for him and us. I'd recently resorted to pulling out parenting books I hadn't looked at in years, trying to "fix" the problem.

The Shape of Love, by Kerstin Barker
In my year of self-imposed singlehood, I listened with a critical ear to love songs on the radio. Many involved someone wailing as though they might implode with pain at any moment, "You are my reason for living!" or "You're my soul and my inspiration!" or " I can't live if living is without you!" When I thought about it, it seemed kind of sick... definitely not healthy. Why should your lover be your soul, your reason for living, your self-definition and source of worth? I had definitely felt the way those singers do, and it was desperately awful.

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Our Picks:
Natural Sunscreens, by Patti Pitcher
If you are like me, you diligently apply sunscreen to your children's skin in hopes of reducing their chance of getting skin cancer in the future (and, of course, so they don't have the pain and suffering of a sunburn today). Interestingly enough, applying traditional grocery-store sunscreens might not be the best approach. Recent medical research has confirmed that skin cancer of all types is on the rise, despite the increased use of sunscreen. Research correlates this rise to the use of traditional chemical sunscreens rather than the depletion of the ozone layer. And children are more at risk from the effects of these chemicals than adults are. The chemicals used in traditional sunscreens also have been shown to increase birth defect rates and lower sperm counts.

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This Spinning Earth:
Alternatively Fueled Vehicles, by Marian Wineman
I recycle, compost, save water, carry cloth shopping totes and buy organic - each of these small steps adds up. But lately I've been obsessing about how much energy our lifestyle and all of our stuff - cars, homes, food, toys, furniture and clothes - requires. Replacing cars and home energy with renewable, clean sources will reduce this energy footprint. Two of our recent articles explored hybrid and biodiesel-fueled vehicles (issues #10 and #8); this one provides compelling reasons and ways to choose an alternatively fueled vehicle (AFV). (read the complete article)

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Life Out Loud:
A Differently abled Child, by Karilyn T. Starks
Beautiful; fun-loving; intelligent; joyous. Wheel-chair bound; low-visioned; endocrine-imbalanced; seizure-disordered. My little girl is all of these and more. And as hard as it is for me to admit, some people have difficulty meeting her for the first time. I understand. Before I entered her wonderful yet very different world, the same was true for me. Here are some tips that have helped Mikayla and I have positive exchanges with other families:

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In Print & On the Screen:
Wonder-full DVDs for Kids, by Jennifer Allen Newton
While most of us would agree that watching television shouldn't be the primary pastime of toddlers and young children, there are some occasions - the fifth consecutive unbearably hot day, for example - when having a child-friendly DVD can be a sanity-saver for both child and adult. Trouble is, there seems to be a lack of DVD entertainment that is both engaging for little ones and pleasant for their caregivers.

The Kid, reviewed by Helen Landalf
What makes a family? This question, which I've pondered often, is at the core of The Kid, Dan Savage's poignant and hilarious look at gay adoption.

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Looking Within::
Swimming with Turtles, by Patti Pitcher
I grew up in a neighborhood dotted with pools. In the summertime, I swam nearly every day. To me, water simply meant summer. When I met my husband, I was shocked to find he hated swimming. Water had no part in his definition of summer. To him, summer meant climbing tall mountains for their breathtaking views. When I insisted that he learn to swim better, he couldn't understand my enthusiasm. Water was scary. I spent hours coaching him to relax as he swam, but it took years for him to master it. (read the complete article)

Packrats Anonymous by Marie Richmond
I was visiting my parents recently when my mom asked me to sort through my old dresser and throw out anything that I didn't want. One of the more baffling items I unearthed was a partially used pocket-pack of Kleenex. Yellowed with age, it was wedged next to a box containing a bar of dispirited soap that had faded to a barely discernable shadow of its former color. Underneath the box, I discovered a small picture of JFK, and beneath that was the first of several rock-filled baggies scattered throughout the drawer.

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Backing Out:
Independent Media, by Lee Revere, Editor
What is "independent" media and how do we know if we have it? I contemplated that question recently while viewing the documentary "Independent Media in the Time of War" at a conference luncheon for members of the independent press. As I watched rarely seen and very graphic footage of the Iraq invasion, it became increasingly difficult for me to enjoy my pesto-and-eggplant sandwich. (read the complete article)