Dear Friends,
It struck me this morning as I was watching the morning news…truth be told, I was done watching it and hadn’t turned the TV off yet…. how very important balance is in our lives. I had already gleaned the information I needed (weather and the knowledge that no major disaster had occurred) when I realized it was really stressing me out. Mind you, I was probably semi-aware of this 15 minutes before I turned the TV off. As soon as I turned it off and heard the last crackle of the TV screen, I felt a calm wash over me. I was no longer a massive ball of irritation. Ah balance restored.
Being an herbalist, I use this term “balance” often referring to herbs known as adaptoges that help the body regain its equilibrium after we have abused it mercilessly. Yes, I am guilty. I just tore the fascia in my foot after thinking I could run up stairs carrying 75 lb. object. My body thought otherwise.
Now “balance” is one of those terms that you hear often enough and become numb to. So I looked it up in the dictionary and it stated….to bring to equilibrium; to weigh, as reasons; to settle an account; to poise.
Our bodies are a study in balance. If you drink cold water, your body warms it. If an invading body enters, your immune system attacks it, when you are cold; you shiver to create heat and so on. So what happens when our bodies can no longer keep up with the strains we put on them? We feel fatigued; have diminished sex drive; become irritable and loose the zest for life we had as children. At this point it is easy to fall into a numb state of apathy.
So I guess what I would like to say is be mindful of your body and your emotions and your mental state. If there is a little thing bothering you, take care of it now. Please don’t wait you feel so run down and depressed. And certainly don’t wait until it becomes something more serious. It’s always better to “settle the account” with your body before it settles its account with you.
Be good to yourself, love yourself and approve of yourself.
Have a wonderful summer and remember to stop and smell the roses or the lavender or lilies or bergamot, mint, lemon verbena, yarrow, sage….well you get the picture.
Love and Light, Lori
