Issue #3: September 2004, We the People

Covering It:
We the People, by Kylie Loynd
I believe in America. Does that sound naïve? Taking a close look at the condition of our nation and the world drives many to cynicism. For me it has the opposite effect: I feel optimistic. It is a feeling that's stronger than either hopefulness or a sense of faith against the odds. This optimism is born of realism. We are a great nation and we have problems. Every week I read or hear about solutions to current challenges in economy, ecology, education and government. So what's the holdup?

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Whole Foods:
The Kindness of Neighbors, by Alexa Robbins
A few years ago, I moved from Seattle to a quaint fishing village in the Pacific Northwest. I didn't believe I could completely disconnect from my city identity. Something made me nervous about embracing rural life - neighbors, to be exact…

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From the Ground Up:
Buy it Bulk, by Kylie Loynd
Does anyone remember Y2K? Come on, it wasn't that long ago… The entire world order was about to come crashing down and the pressure to stockpile was intense. Add that to a first-time parent's drive to protect and you have a mother on a mission.

I called a friend at our local co-op and made a list of essential supplies. My husband, Kurt, shrugged his shoulders and built me a set of shelves in the garage, and there I stored my immense bags of grains and beans. We still have the 50-pound bag of salt - our Y2K souvenir, as hard as a rock, awaiting a patch of driveway ice of extreme magnitude.

Apocalypse aside, buying in bulk began to grow on me…

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Everything Herbal:
Opening to Oatstraw, by Kylie Loynd. Based on a conversation with RavenCroft Garden's Director Sally King, CCH and apprentices Kristin Colby, Samantha Desmond, Kristi Dranginis, Sierra Keylin and Michaela O'Bryan.
Cradling a creamy bowl of oatmeal on a crisp northwest morning settles me slowly into fall. That same sense of soothing, backed by oats' powerhouse of nutritional strength, can be found in herbal form in a glass of brewed oatstraw. Drinking my oats is a new experience, and a great way to absorb its incredible range of health benefits. Sally reminds me that, whether cultivated like oats or wild like nettle (see April 2004), these herbs are essentially super-foods. "We live in a world devoid of earth - of mineral - in a lot of ways. We bring that back into our life by incorporating these herbs to create a foundation of health." (read the entire article)

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A Balance of Health:
Jump-start your Immune System, by Dr. David Ramaley
With kids heading back to school and the days getting shorter and cooler, we start to think about "flu season." While getting sick is a very normal and somewhat healthy experience, there are things we can do to prevent us from getting sick, or to at least mitigate the effects.

One of the best ways to help build your immune system is to take a homeopathic called Dolivaxil. It is comprised of the viral strains identified by the World Health Organization for 2004 - 2005. These various strains are combined into a homeopathic formula that is taken over the course of several weeks. It's a wonderful, natural and safe "vaccine." By contrast, the flu vaccine can undermine the body's own natural immune system and cause it to become more susceptible to further viruses. (read the complete article)

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Treading Lightly:
Lighten the Load, by Kylie Loynd
We all know landfills are filling up fast. Here are a few great products designed with less landfill in mind…

Have you looked at your mop head lately? Was it pristine the first time you plunged it into a bucket of sudsy water, but never quite clean since? How many of those sponge heads does one family go through in a year and are they really effective? Our friend Linda owns a cleaning business and she calls the usual style of mopping "pushing dirt around." It's not surprising that she wields the same mop that our family does.

I love our mop! The Terry Floor Mop is a versatile little workhorse…

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With Our Hands:
Knit it 'Till You Fit it, by Khris Fruits
Until recently, whenever I heard the phrase "fake it until you make it," it sounded like one thing: lying. My attempts to figure out why people would lie about themselves didn't produce any pleasing answers. And when I noticed that faking it is something I do with regularity, the image of myself as a bold, remorseless liar saddened me. Maybe the phrase could mean something else.

Many times I've told the story about how I got my last job - a good example of faking it to make it. I had been spending time at the local yarn shop, taking classes and renting loom space…

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Life Out Loud:
Teacher's Who Unschool, by Kylie Loynd. Based on a conversation with educators Dana and Jim Strickland. The Stricklands began their teaching careers in 1990, both with master's degrees in special education and bachelor's degrees in psychology. Jim is the 2004 recipient of the Outstanding Educator Award at Marysville Junior High, where he is currently teaching eighth- and ninth-grade-level special education classes. Dana is an instructor for teacher preparation courses at Western Washington University's Everett campus. Recently we spoke about their experience as professional teachers who practice unschooling with their own three children.

Whether you loved school or simply endured it, the concept of no school is intriguing. Unschooling is a self-directed method of education which uses no compulsory curriculum and supports the rights and abilities of young people to set their own learning goals. Adults act as facilitators, available to answer questions and arrange resources for learning: books, classes, trips, mentors and volunteer work. The main difference between unschooling and other methods of homeschooling is the high degree of children's choice, autonomy and control.

For unschoolers, Growing without Schooling said it all. The late John Holt…

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Looking Within:
Holy Matrimony, Batman!, by Marie J. Nelson
At 26, my transition from girlfriend to fiancé was not without strife. We picked out the ring, and then months went by while I tried to be patient. My mother used to tell me, "Patience is a virtue," and I now understand why: it's because I don't have any. In her own, gentle way, she was telling me to chill out. Craig was less tactful, but we got through it and became happily affianced. However, it didn't take long for us to realize that being engaged came with its own set of challenges.

An hour after Craig put the ring on my finger he suddenly went still. "Oh shit," he said, "we've gotta have a wedding." I thought about it. "Crap," I added…

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Compassionate Life, by Alexa Robbins
When the need for compassion in the world is so great, sometimes we forget to be compassionate with ourselves. Many of my clients are doing admirable works of kindness for others, but when it comes to their own lives, they are less considerate. I often see this occur when clients blame themselves for becoming sick. They may feel empathy for a friend in the hospital or a stranger halfway across the globe, but when it comes to their own illness, they become critical.

When my client, Mary*, came to me for a session, she wanted to talk about her cancer diagnosis. The first words out of her mouth were, "I want to know why I caused this disease."

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This Spinning Earth:
Earth Justice: an interview with Todd True, by Lee Revere
Not long ago, ancient forests blanketed the Pacific Northwest. These days, hikers often need a good guidebook to find one. Old growth at low elevations - prime spots for logging - is even more rare. But two hours north of Seattle, on the western edge of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, the Boulder River Trail is part of the protected Boulder River Wilderness. The trail winds through groves of trees that are upward of seven centuries old. (read the complete article)

I met Todd True recently at the trail to talk about the environment and the overturning of many regulations that are critical to its protection. Todd is an environmental lawyer for the Seattle branch of Earthjustice…

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Backing Out:
Fear and Respect, by Kylie Loynd
"I see that you've taught them to fear and respect you," our guest says from across the dining table. Meanwhile, my daughter, Keenan, stands on her chair trying out gymnastic poses, barely focusing on my request for her to stop. I will myself to ignore the words and not rush to make her sit down, but I can't stop my face from flushing. He repeats himself moments later for emphasis, and my husband, Kurt, makes a joking response. Somehow other people's judgments wound Kurt less, especially if they've never treaded the parenting path…

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