Category: Imagination
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If you are anything like me being near the ocean probably makes you feel calm and serene. I know that it’s the first place I go to when I feel stressed or melancholy. Being near the water always makes me feel at peace. Both the sight and the sound of it makes me feel happier.
I recently finished “Blue Mind,” a book written by Wallace J. Nichols. He is a marine biologist and conservationist. His book tries to answer questions about the connection between our brain and bodies of water. It looks into the reasons of why so many of us are drawn to the ocean, and how this scientifically connects to our health and happiness.
Nichols explores the scientific reasons for why we have such a deep connection with water. He says that there are cognitive and emotional benefits that we get every time we spend time by water. He began hosting “blue mind” seminars that are attracting neurologists and psychologists from around the world. He uses the term “Blue Mind” to describe a state of water-associated peace. It’s in contrast to what one neuroscientist calls a “Red Mind,” an edgy high, characterized by stress, anxiety, fear, and despair.
Here are some amazing facts, brain imagining shows that being near water floods the brain with feel-good hormones like dopamine and oxytocin. Levels of the stress hormone cortisol actually drop. Scientists also discovered that the brain prefers the color blue above all others and water increases our ability to focus.
Our bodies consist of about 60 percent water and our brains, an incredible 75 percent! Nichols says when we see or hear water it triggers a response in our brains that we are in the right place. He says the ocean literally sucks the stress out of our bodies and out of our minds. I have to say, that is true for me. What about you?
The next time you want to relax why not try taking a soothing bath? Maybe you can go fishing, or swimming. How about a walk on the beach? You can also learn to surf, visit an aquarium or maybe place a water fountain in your backyard and just relax there.
Learning how beneficial it is for us to be around water makes a powerful argument for keeping our world’s waters clean, healthy, and free. Now go enjoy a delicious tall glass of water and relax. And while you are doing that be thankful that we have clean water to drink! Nearly two billion people around the world do not.
Think on that, and while you are thinking, here are some great ways to help.
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When we first moved to our home we found some furniture in the attic that was old and we tossed most of it, but some I just liked too much to throw away. This table is one of the pieces that I really liked. The beautiful little girl is my talented apprentice.
The table is too dated and doesn’t fit into my décor but I just love its shape and design. So instead of tossing it, I decided to change it up and turn it into an outdoor table.I thought it would make a great family project and I was right! My little girl and I had a great time painting the table with a white outdoor paint. The paint brightened it up and protected the table from the outdoor elements. We had a lot of fun painting it, although we did get a lot of paint on each other as well, all apart of the fun! We let the paint dry for a couple of hours and then applied another coat. We then let the table dry overnight.
Once the table was dry we used this blue/green tile blend that we found at Home Depot. My husband used pre-mixed adhesive and grout to secure the Mosaic tile onto the table.
Once the tile was secured on the table, we used a wet sponge to take off the excess grout from the tile surface. We then allowed the grout to dry. Because the table is round the edges were a bit off so we got creative by using some small stones we found in our garden to decorate the edges.
Here is the final result. I think it turned out pretty great and it was a wonderful little project to do as a family!
Hope you are inspired to do your own project!
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My little girl asked me to create a beautiful tea party for her 9th birthday. She said, “mommy, I just want a few of my friends and I want it in the backyard.” How can I refuse?
Leading up to the party required lots of planning, creating and togetherness for my daughter and I. She chose seven of her closest friends. She is very aware of mean girls and girls who talk negatively about one another. She wanted to make sure the girls at her party were ones that really cared for her and were kind to her. She is by nature the most sensitive and kindest human being I have ever encountered. I know it’s got a lot to do with her dad. He is also a gentle soul. I would like to say that I am kind as well but I admittedly have a very tough side to me. I kind of wish that my daughter was a little less sensitive and sweet. I would like to teach her to stand up for herself a bit more. It’s something I will continue to work at. Still, I never want her to lose her sweetness.
She decided that all the girls should come in wearing party dresses, jewelry and their imaginations! I thought it was a brilliant idea.
Sophia got right on her laptop and started looking for great decoration ideas and recipes. We decided on oreo lollipops, cones filled with pudding made to look like little tea cups, marshmallow ballerinas along with ice cream cake for dessert. We planned on sandwiches, chips and dips and lots of other delicious extras.
We filled mason jars with some lovely, colorful bubble gum to give as party favors.
We are lucky enough to know two older girls who we love and spend lots of time with. They made the party even more amazing by providing all the fun activities for the younger girls. Thank you Samantha and Christina! You two are amazing and will make great party entertainers for lots of children.
Needless to say the party was a successl! The weather was perfect. The girls were dressed like lovely little ladies, enjoying the atmosphere and of course all that sugar. My apologies to the parents!
Despite all the work, I got a chance to spend time with some of my dearest friends and family. Most importantly, I got the chance to put a smile on the faces of some precious little girls! They grow so fast so I’ll enjoy all the tea parties I can get for now.
I love you Sophia.
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I love taking pictures of beauty and innocence. I’ve captured some lovely moments with the children in my life. With a blink of an eye they grow and move on to make a path of their own in the world. This poem expresses what it means to have these little gems in our lives for a beautiful yet brief time.
And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, “Speak to us of Children.”
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable. -Khalil Gibran
