The Longest Days

Dogs can sleep anywhere right? Even with their faces smashed up against the wall.

Wouldn’t it be great if it was that easy for humans?

As we approach the longest day of the year, the skies stay lighter later, the night ends earlier and earlier each morning, how do you spend this extra time? Enjoying the light outside, barbecues, late walks, sitting around a campfire with friends all ring true in my mind as I think about summer. We also have some extra hours for taking care of ourselves, including paying attention to our sleeping patterns. I wanted to share some tried and true sleeping habits that I have honed over the past few years, specifically once I started to pay attention to my sleep!

First, let’s say that I wasn’t a very good sleeper as a child. I had a hard time falling asleep at night. I remember having a pretty regular bedtime as a kid, I remember lying in my bed for hours, awake, not knowing how to help myself fall asleep. I hated nighttime for that reason. I used to get anxious about not falling asleep, so much so that I would get anxious about having to wake up- I would stare at the clock and do the math in my head to determine how many hours of sleep I would get. It was a vicious cycle of pressuring myself to try to fall asleep, my eyes popping open to see what time it was, then doing the math in my head to see how many hours of sleep I would get, then anxiety setting in about potentially not having a good day or feeling well because of lack of sleep. Then the cycle would continue. And continue.

My mom used to tell me that one bad night of sleep was not going to kill me. And she was right, I didn’t die after one of those terrible night sleeps. But I didn’t feel my best either.

Luckily, I passed through that phase, and was able to get some really good sleeps as a young adult. Then life changes again. Ella came along. I went sleepless again, worrying about her, worrying about how I would go to work if I was up all night with Ella (are you seeing a trend here?).

She passed through being an infant and toddler in what feels like two days, now looking back on it, though I know I had many sleepless nights, and nights where I slept in her room so that she could feel comfortable. I was not always thrilled about that, and it often left me anxious and worried about how my following day would turn out, but, I was her momma. That is what mommas do.

Finally, Ella was sleeping through the night and seemed to not have any trouble going to bed at the same time every night. Phases of her childhood brought some sleeping concerns, but always at the center was her momma, trying really hard to make sure that she felt safe, not anxious or worried, and calmed by deep breathing and meditation in order to fall asleep and stay asleep.

I had learned, you see, how to help myself when it came to my own sleeping patterns.

The Habits

1. Go to Sleep when you are tired and get up when you feel rested.

   Follow the general rule of go to sleep when you are tired and get up when you feel rested in order to understand the true time your body wants to be resting. I am an early to bed early to rise type of person, however, I know that this is not for everyone. Do what feels best for you and then attempt # 2.

2. Go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time every morning.

   Ella and I go to bed at roughly the same time every night. We both say goodnight to Dad and Jake the Australian Shepard (he is usually sleeping already with his face smashed up against the wall near the stairwell, or crammed underneath our entryway bench capturing the cool A/C air) and wander up, take care of our bathroom business, set our alarms, chat for a few minutes and then say goodnight, she in her bed, me in mine. She rarely has trouble falling right to sleep, our days are quite full and we are usually both yawning when we are saying goodnight and I am closing her door. I hop right into bed, thrilled to be flat and fall right to sleep. Ensuring that you go to bed and awake at the same time every night clinches a good night sleep. Especially awakening time. I plan for 5tam every morning, and 4am on Saturday for baking. There have been times in my career that I have actually needed a few extra hours of work in the morning before actually going to work, so I have at times used 4am as my wake up time every morning. I have found that my sleep is more consistent when I go to bed and get up at the same time everyday.

3. Try to block some of the bad light.

   When I take my contact lenses out for the day, I put on blue light blocker glasses for the evening so that I am blocking some of the harmful “keep you awake” lights from iPad screens, TV screens, etc. My blockers are not as good as Dave Asprey’s True Dark glasses, but I do need my glasses for an actual prescription, and my eyeballs really can’t take wearing my contacts into the evenings, especially with the spring allergens and the drifting smoke from the fires of Canada. By 6pm my eyes are tired and need a break. Dave discloses his affiliation with True Dark and promotes these glasses for continual use- you may have seen a picture of him with glasses that are tinted yellow or red- that’s True Dark. The idea behind it is that it protects your eyes and all of their parts from the confusing light from screens and devices. We can fool our eyes into thinking it is perpetual daylight, and your rods and cones will not send the messages to our brains that it is time to prepare for bed…thereby increasing the chances that you will not sleep well, and even if you do fall asleep it will not be restorative, because your body still thinks it is daytime.

4. Get heavy curtains for your windows.

   That is why heavy curtains that block out all types of light, including natural light from the setting sun or the moon is so important. We really need our bodies and minds to know that it is time for sleep. I finally invested in a pair of heavy curtains for my bedroom- and it has been a game changer for me. I am no longer wakened in the middle of the night with a beam of moon light. My mind is prepared for bed way before I even go upstairs as well. We turn off lights, make sure it is properly dark while we relax before going to bed. We do watch a little TV, but I don’t find that it makes too much of a difference, however staring at your iPhone does- so I try to limit that as best I can.

5. Wake up to something nice in the morning, not a jarring alarm clock.

   Ella and I both have Hatch alarm clocks. These are pretty cool devices that add soft light and sound as you fall asleep (cue the meditation) and an increasingly brighter light in the morning to wake you up. It works like a charm, and is so much nicer to wake up to light then to a jarring sound. In the evening, when we go to bed, we press the top button and our scheduled soft light and sounds begin, then the light turns off automatically and the sounds- mine of a forest- continue to lull you to sleep. In the morning, a gradual light that intensifies over 15 minutes turns on, slightly before you have set the Hatch to wake you up. I usually sense it within a few minuets, and am up prior to the sound part of the alarm. It is really lovely waking up to a sun rise rather than a loud beeping iPhone alarm. Mind you, my curtains are still closed, so I can’t tell that it is already light outside- of course it is- this time of year, it is already light!

   That brings me to another point about sleep patterns.

6. Napping

   There is also the blessing of a nap. Sleeping at night is better when you have at least one quick nap somewhere in your day. I cannot say I am good at this one, but on the weekends, when I can rest, not meditation- that is resting for your brain- I mean a real nap- your sleep is better- more deep sleep, and a better feeling when you wake up. My husband Jason is the kin of naps. I made fun of him for a long time, teasing that he was like a newborn, needing to nap throughout the day. Then i read a study somewhere that described the percent increase in life expectancy and longevity related to regular nappers (is that a word?), and I let up with the teasing. I encourage naps, I am not so good at falling asleep during the day, but for those of you who are, you are probably going to live a lot longer than me! Go for it, I say!

7. Track your sleep to see what works best for you.

   I use an Oura ring, I have been collecting my sleep data for many years, and many of these habits above are related to what I have seen work to increase deep sleep, elongate the length of my sleep, etc. I would highly recommend a sleep tracking device for those of you who are analytical and want to see outcomes! For those of you who it may increase anxiety knowing these types of data points, don’t do it. Trust your body. Do what feels right and you will find better sleep.

8. Meditate.

   We have blogged about this before. When I meditate twice a day, my life is better. In all regards. Including sleep. I have recently stopped meditating-simply by accident, running out of time, fell of the wagon, whatever. I will start again, and then I know, for sure, everything gets better in my life, including my sleep.

Don’t take my word or blog for it, read some of the books I have read below (there are others of course!) about sleep, see what works best for you. These are my tried and true habits that I have been cultivating for a long time. I wanted to share them with you as a way of maybe helping you thing differently about your own sleep habits.

Be Well,

Teresa

Additional Readings and Resources:

Sleep Smarter, Shawn Stevenson

Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker

Smarter Not Harder, Dave Asprey

Lights Out, TS Wiley

The Ripple Effect, Sleep better, Eat better, Move Better,Think Better, Greg Wells

Hatch: www.hatch.co

True Dark Glasses: www.true dark.com

Oura Ring: www.oura ring.com

My User Manual

In gearing up for creating our Nursing Strategic Plan, I created and led a retreat for my Nursing Directors last week. To open up the retreat we did an exercise called “My User Manual”- from the Team Tactics PipDeck. My User Manual asks you to pair up and ask each other questions, then report back to the larger group. The questions asked spark conversation about how you do your best work. This particular exercise was amazing because it helped the team to get to know our two newest members, and we learned a little something about everyone too! We discussed what conditions need to be in place for us to do our best work, what makes us stressed and how we deal with it and how best to receive feedback.

My User Manual is a great exercise for all of us to do to think about what you yourself need in order to do your best work and live your best life.

Have you ever thought about what you need in order to be your best or perform your best?

Have you ever thought about what makes you feel your best?

For me, I know I feel my best when I am outside enjoying nature. Mountains and bodies of water- lakes, rivers, ocean, really help me to relax and rejuvenate. I am not necessarily one of those types that religiously exercises in order to relieve stress, but I am not going to lie that I do feel WAY less stressed after doing some strenuous activity outside. Take last weekend for example- I didn’t plan an organized hike, or go for a run, but I did some yard work that was definitely strenuous, and left me feeling fulfilled, not only did I expend some energy, but I was also outside and was able to see the fruits of my labor take shape! I like that kind of gratification- mowing the lawn (with our little push mower) can be very fulfilling, you get some exercise and the gratification upon seeing a nicely trimmed lawn when you are done- Amazing!

I have done a lot of reading on exercise and diet. I will put a lot of those references in the resource list at the end of the blog. I am not writing this to give any sort of advice, other than to find what feels good to you and do it if you feel like it! I am still searching for that exercise routine/regiment that will work for me, so I am on the same journey!

What I have read that interests me is the release of certain chemicals during exercise that actually help to promote wellness, well being and relaxation. Many people think it is related to the endorphins that are released with intense exercise. The endorphins do help your muscles get through the workout by blocking pain. It’s actually the endocannabinoids, naturally produced in your body when you are exercising that give you the good feeling. These chemicals move easily through the blood brain barrier and are mood improving, feel good chemicals that reduce anxiety and produce feelings of calm.

Regular exercise can increase blood flow to the brain and create new growth of blood vessels into the hippocampus (the part of your brain associated with memory and learning). The hippocampus increases in size in the brains of regular exercisers. This helps to improve memory and focus and a better task switching ability which also aids in elevated mood.

The key to regular exercise if first finding something that you LOVE to do.

Stick with it by:

• Creating SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound).

• Change up your routine frequently enough so you don’t get bored.

• Exercise in short intense bursts.

• Make it fun!

• Don’t beat yourself up too badly if you miss a day or don’t meet a goal, just try again!

  Stack it with:

• Find a friend to exercise with.

• Go out in nature for an added relaxation effect.

• Try two things at once, like walking with light weights in your hands.

• Take the dog with you! Pets also help to relieve stress, plus they could use a good walk too!

Next, and the most important step. Recovery. We talked a bit about this in last’s weeks blog. I think that resting and recovering is as important as the exercise itself. Taking the time to let your body recover is very important in allowing your body to heal from a particularly difficult workout and to let the body rest if you are trying to do too much.

Thank you for being on this journey of wellness with me.

Be well,

Teresa

Additional Readings and Resources:

www.hopkinsmedicine.org “The Truth Behind Runners High”

Why we get fat and what to do about it, by Gary Taubes

Good Calories, Bad Calories, by Gary Taubes

Team Tactics, by PipDecks

Nature Therapy Walks, by Courtney Cameron

Radical Longevity, by An Louise Guttleman

By Dave Asprey:

Smarter Not Harder

Bulletproof diet

Super Human

head Strong

Fast This Way

Getting back on track

I had a plan for blogging this year.

It all started with my idea for a book. Then it expanded to needing a regiment to write consistently on a topic that interests me and intersects with much of what I do during my day. Then as a New Year’s Resolution, sitting in Maine watching the sun rise, I made a commitment to myself, and to you to publish weekly, get my writing legs and share my thoughts on wellness and well being with the “world”. This is certainly in an attempt to see if I have what it takes to write a book. Do I have the grit and the resiliency? Do I have the time? How the heck am I going to do that? (There goes my inner critic again).

When I think about it, it is a little scary to put myself out here like this. (Inner critic be damned, I am doing it anyway!!!).

When I think about not writing on a weekend because I am tired, feel overwhelmed or feel as if I don’t have a single thing to write about, I remind myself of my commitment and I review my old notes for inspiration!

This week, I got to the weekend and I was exhausted. Work has been long and difficult, filled with emotions and extra presentations and stress. I knew I had the Farm Store and Bakery work ahead of me on Saturday and I wasn’t sure I had it in me. I tried to go to bed early on Friday night, just to give myself a little bit of an edge in the morning. I donned tight, knee high compression athletic socks in the morning, put on my baking shoes and got to work. Jason and I finished the baking in record time this week, we had time to spare to put together our new set up at the Farm Store, and we eased into the morning with grace. Despite the rain, the customers came, some new ones in fact! We were thrilled that our new products were drawing in such a response. And of course, all the food sold!

The afternoon was filled with a play date for Ella, Jason falling asleep mid stretch on the yoga mat and myself, well I rested with my feet up, while crocheting of course (one must try to do something you love everyday!).

So, back to reviewing my notes and journaling for inspiration! I went back to my original meanderings back in the New Year in Maine. I had written an entire years worth of ideas, bundled by month so that I had a main topic for the month with four potential posts about the topic. I realized that I had followed the template pretty well until we went on our April vacation. Then, things apparently got away from me. I went rouge if you will. But, I noticed it was working.

So, what to write about this week. After the long week at work, and the long morning baking and selling at the Farm Store I normally need to relax and put my feet up in the afternoon, eat a solid healthy lunch and drink a lot of water. Usually my mind wanders to the blog of the week, thinking about the reading I have done this week, thinking about the great chats with customers at the Farm Store. I let my mind wander. Usually there are some great ideas hopping around. My mind is free from my day job, I’ve decompressed from that, which allows my mind to focus on other things- like trying new receipes or thinking about new products for the Farm Store. Jason, Ella and I had a great conversation about what to do next for the farm store- one of many I am sure- we usually bat around ideas for a while. It’s fun!

So this week, my gut and heart are drawing me to the theme of “How does she do it?”. Many people ask this very question of me at the Farm Store. I know I have touched upon it quite often in my blog, it is one of the central themes of why I work so hard on my wellness. If I didn’t pay attention to myself and take care of myself, then I wouldn’t be able to do everything that I/we do.

I will say one of the most important things, that I have mostly learned from Jason is rejuvenation. In order to do all that I/we do, I really need to take the time to recover. That is not easy for me. I don’t like sitting still and not doing anything, but let me tell you, recovery in the form of rejuvenation and relaxation is essential to being able to show up everyday and give the level of performance that my demanding day job requires and that owning your own business requires.

Recovery also requires activity. It includes stretching, maybe using red light or a sauna. It means meditation and letting your mind get a break. It may even mean some active organizing so that you can clear a space in order to be creative. I did that yesterday too. I had been meaning to organize my yarn, purchased new bins and everything, but just hadn’t gotten to it. Getting down to it yesterday afternoon, since it was raining anyway, was a great way to not only clear a space, but also clear my mind and get excited about new crochet projects. It was fun to sort through the yarn, organize it by color and weight and really see what I have. Many new projects floated through my mind, and it got my creative juices flowing!

You can see from my day yesterday that I stacked quite a few wellbeing tactics. I rested, I rejuvenated by utilizing active recovery, I did something that I love (crocheting), I got my creative juices flowing (flow) and I took care of my body by ensuring adequate hydration, a good lunch, compression socks for my tired legs and a little bit of a rest with my feet up.

Is that all it takes to do all that we do? How do I exactly do it all? I haven’t quite figured that out yet, but this blogs intention is to do just that. Am I going to stick to my schedule of blog themes? Shall I get back on track rather than meander through?

I think so! But would love to hear your feedback too.

May was the month to discuss movement and exercise. I think that I naturally shy away from this topic because I am not so good at it. Well, at least that is what my mind tells me. Here is what I do everyday, currently, I always take the stairs. I park as far away as possible so that my walk into work is long. I try to go on a walk everyday. I have a planned walk with my friend once a week. I have started to incorporate running back into my life, with a simple every other day program, starting off slow with 10 minutes, gradually building up to being able to run a 5K.

Here is what I want to do: I want to put myself on an exercise regiment that works for my work life balance, allows for the time to put into getting back into shape and makes me feel good. I want to feel good about it. I want my body to feel good.

So, now that I am back on track with the blog themes, the rest of this month will be about movement. A how to, from a very busy lady. I’ll share what works moving forward and what doesn’t. I have read a lot about exercise and how to get the most out of it, now here is my chance to really make it happen while I am telling you about it.

First things first. Finish my morning routine. Publish the blog. Enjoy some family time. Make an outside plan today since the sun is finally coming up after all that rain. Maybe I’ll formally exercise today, or maybe we will plan a hike. Either way, I will let you know. Thank you for staying on this journey with me.

Be Well,

Teresa

Mother’s Day Meanderings

Originally Published on Sunday, May 14th.

First, let me say, Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers who have graced and still grace our little blue green planet. What a remarkable job you all have done raising the next generation of successful little people. Motherhood is the hardest job. Wow to all of you! I am so impressed by my Mom’s and moms all over the world!

My recent journal entry on May 1st:

Spring, May 1st- after a cold and rainy weekend and my daily trips to Bridgeport where spring has already sprung I am longing for some warm, spring sun up here in NW Connecticut. Gearing rid of leaves and weeding a bit in the front flower beds was rejuvenating, but cold and damp. Planting some of our planters with pretty spring flowers made me smile, but I was so dang cold I had to go inside and make myself a cup of hot coffee just to warm up!

The grass is greening up, we’ve let the sheep out in the fields for those first few nibbles of grass, but even they were ready for an early bed by 5:30pm last night- cold and wet, we could see them staring at us by the fate begging with their eyeballs to let them into the barn.

Writing is interesting. Each time I go to write a blog, my weekly endeavor (planned with a specific goal this year), I start out with a theme I have been reading and researching, and a picture that captures the theme. It starts a little slow and then the connections come to me and I realize I am simply talking/writing and it flows.

Maybe that is how life is too. Maybe if we actually give ourselves the time and opportunity to be ourselves then we gain the feeling of happiness, calm- despite the hustle and bustle of the days. The days are long with everything we do, but what about those moments when we are “not doing”, just being. That is where our true selves can shine.

It was short entry, but when I went back to it, when I was thinking about what to write today, I was struck by the fact that I may be on to something here! My thoughts are filled with how to squeeze in more time for myself, how to make time for exercise and being healthy… perhaps instead of trying to squeeze more in (I am not sure I can squeeze anything else in unless I quit my day job, and I am can’t quit my day job!) If I allow myself to be more myself in ALL moments of the day- then myself can come shining through and it will be when I am my happiest. It goes along with last week’s post on practicing the art of saying no- I may need to say no to something’s in order for my real self to be observed and felt (not only by myself, but also be recognized by others). By stifling the self, I am only making myself miserable, delaying happiness and possibly also causing additional angst and stress.

A very wise friend recently commented about my writing and gave me some real fodder for thought. It turns out that my mind was coming to the same conclusions! It is the reason I shared this journal entry with you and the thought that I really just have to BE ME. Embrace the mess of ME and don’t care what anyone else thinks about it. Then, and only then will your true self be free to be itself and happiness and enjoyment of life will follow naturally. Embracing yourself and not caring what anyone else thinks takes a bit of practice, but I am used to practicing!

My High School year book quote:

“Nobody can be just like me. Even I have trouble doing it.” -Tallulah Bankhead

Remarkable, even when I was in high school, my brain meanderings bring me back to the same thought process! The brain is a brilliant organ, but sometimes it can really cause such trouble by constantly telling you you are not good enough, smart enough, etc. That voice inside us, the one that holds you back from being you- can stifle us from becoming our true selves and therefore cheat us of the happiness that we deserve in life. Teenagers are often caught between this inner critic and all of the teenage critics that roam the earth and share their opinions so openly. It is hard to escape all that negativity- but truly, if we learn to not care what others think, to be our most genuine and true selves, I am certain that happiness will follow.

So, now I have written this, and it will be so.

Ha! I also have to teach my preteen girl this. What a hard lesson. I hope it doesn’t take her as long as it took me.

Thank you Charlene. You are a true and wise friend, and I am glad to call you my friend.

Be well,

Teresa

Practicing the Art of Saying No

I had to say no a couple of times this week. To friends. To my bestest of friends. It was really hard for me.

Guilt. Not wanting to disappoint or hurt people’s feelings. Wanting to be there for everyone, always, despite my own needs. Wanting others to be happy. All feelings and emotions I have around saying no.

With this new job and our work on the farm and bakery becoming more intense, I have more occasions where I need to take care of myself, my family and things I need to do and I realized that means saying no to others sometimes.

I am working on practicing the 4 A’s (adapted and made personal from Helpguide.org)

1. Avoid Unnecessary Stress. This is an interesting one. My current stress is work. And the commute. And stressing about not having enough time with Ella. And stressing about the commute. Did I mention the commute? Learning to say no can help with avoiding extra stress. Avoiding people who stress can also help. We have enough stress already built into our busy lives, why put more burden on yourself?

2. Alter- be willing to change your schedule to support yourself. I did that a few times this week, to support myself, and the world did not collapse, my friends understood and I felt better after a brief time of feeling bad about it…

3. Adapt. Reframe, look at the big picture, adjust expectations. Missing a phone call and catching up with the person on another day works just as well. Taking some time to unplug and not be reachable is ok, more than ok, it is necessary for health and wellbeing.

4. Accept. How does that prayer go? May you be granted the serenity to accept the things you cannot change, the courage to change those things you can and the wisdom to know the difference. One of the hardest skills in life- knowing what you can and cannot change. Then knowing what is best for you, accepting or acting and then moving on.

Battling all the emotions around this saying no to others and taking time for myself this week was exhausting. By the time I got to Saturday I was really tired, had a headache and just felt plain awful. Baking went ok, four hours of intense work in the morning left me thinking we have to get our groove back (this is only our third weekend being open!) and we may have to shift some of the early morning work to Friday- just to give us some breathing room on Saturday morning. The three of us pushed really hard to get all set up in time for 9am. We had customers waiting while we finished the last few touches. We knew it was going to be a busy day, the sun was finally out after a week of rain. Despite the May Flies, it was a beautiful morning for a scone and a cup of coffee. The customers came in fits and spurts, the line was never too long, and we all had a chance to catch up with friends in between helping customers.

Then my friend Connie came back into my life- showed up at the Farm Store. I was so surprised and so happy, so talkative that a few May flies snuck in while I was smiling and I accidentally swallowed them! She came in part to convince me to rejoin our book club. Some how she knew I needed it, knew I needed the camaraderie of friends again. It has been a long time since I have been with my book club crowd. Covid got in the way, life got in the way. But, I am so happy she came to the store, It was so wonderful to see her. Thank you my friend!!!

Saying no was hard for me this week. My walking buddy was disappointed as work got in the way. My bestie had to take her kids on an anniversary dinner because we had other plans that night. And a friend who needed me, needed to chat, had to wait a day as I explained to her that I had already carved out time with Ella and really needed to give Ella my afternoon.

All three friends understood and were VERY supportive of my needs. Emphatically understood. They were glad I said no to them. So why does it feel so difficult? Why does it make me feel like a failure, a bad friend? Because I can’t do it all?? Perhaps self imposed by the voice inside my head (I call her the bitch by the way, and she rears her ugly head a lot)- the voice that tells me I am not good enough unless I do everything for everyone.

I had some choice words with her this week.

I am good enough.

I can take care of myself.

And, my friends will understand.

Be well,

Teresa

Additional Readings and Resources:

www.help guide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.html

The Art of Asking, Amanda Palmer

The Art of Saying No, Damon Zahariodes

Horse Love

Over the last few years, we have become friends with a couple that live just up the road from us. Nicole and Scott own horses, two now, though it all started with one and a couple of ducks. Nicole has loved and taken care of horses her entire life and wanted to share this awesome experience with Ella. Nicole and Scott often help us take care of our little farm when we go on vacation. Nicole is an expert with animals, training her goats to take her for rides in a little wagon and her ducks, well, ok, only one of the ducks is smart enough to learn anything…

The other night, Ella and I were able to help with the grooming and little did I know, I really needed that time with Ruffin.

We first met Ruffin as he strolled past the Farm Store one Saturday morning giving Nicole a nice ride. We were instantly in love. We gave him a blueberry muffin with his mom’s permission and ever since then, whenever he walks past our Farm Store, whether or not we are open, Nicole feels the pull on the reins as he tries to lead her towards the blueberry muffins.

Over the last few years, Ella dabbled in getting to know Ruffin, grooming, riding and of course chore completing!

The other night, Ella and I went over to help with the Spring defluffing- well, at least that is what we call it in our house with Jake. Ever other day we can brush an entire puppy’s worth of hair off him during the spring season. Same thing happens to horses. They start to shed and shed and shed…

I had a relaxing time using my favorite tool, the “Furminator”. This brush/comb pulls the dead undercoat right out. It is very satisfying to see the hair come out, and apparently, relaxing for the horse as well, he kept reaching over with his head to give me a quick snuggle. The first time it sort of spooked me and I thought I hurt him, so I looked him right in the eye and asked him if I had done something wrong. He just continued to stare at me, so I figured we were all good. The next time he reached over, I caught sight of him coming out of the corner of my eye, so I didn’t get as nervous as he was “oh so gently” just reminding me not to stop. I may love horse snuggles more than dog snuggles!

A few blogs ago I wrote about how important animals are in our lives. They know when we are upset, they apply gentle pressure both physical and mentally to help us relax. Well, you dog lovers out there may not like what I have to say, but horses may do that better than dogs. I am quite certain that the stress of my day melted away as I brushed Ruffin. I am not exactly sure how he does it, but that is totally what happened.

It is not that my day at work was that bad. In fact, I got to leave on time so that Ella and I could go visit Ruffin. I don’t recall too much stress during the day, no hard decisions, just normal work stuff. But as I pondered the experience, I realized that the work day is anxiety producing all on its own. Just going to work produces experiences that mess with our equilibrium. Even subconsciously. For me especially, the commute can set me off to have a good day or a bad day. That day the traffic wasn’t horrible, but just yesterday I sat in traffic both directions- an accident going south in the morning, and accident going north in the afternoon. Total driving time for the day- three (3) hours. By the time I got home, I had had it. Ella and I went for a run to get rid of the stress. Running gave me something else to think about and it finally melted away.

The stress of a normal day at work can produce some seriously naughty chemicals in our body that overtime can turn on the stress cycle and wreck havoc on our bodies. A number of blogs ago, we talked about that stress cycle and ways to break the cycle. Spending time with animals, spending time in nature, exercise, all things that help combat the stress and set your mind and body right again.

The fact that I didn’t really think I was stressed before we went to see Ruffin, and then the feeling I had after we spent time with him made me realize how insidious stress can be. We don’t even realize that we are stressed until we feel ourselves without it. That is why I wanted to blog about this afternoon with Ruffin. I really thought I was doing really well, especially since our vacation, in keeping my stress levels down and getting through the things I needed to get through. It wasn’t until I spent time with Ruffin that I realized, perhaps I wasn’t doing as good of a job as I thought I was…

We are all on a journey. A journey through life, a wellbeing journey. My journey continues to be spotted with experiences that demonstrate for me what I need to do to take care of myself. I asked Nicole, Ruffin’s mom, if it was ok for me to blog about our experience because I wanted to share this part of my wellness journey with you. And of course, I wanted to include a few very special photos from through the years. The new, little horse Juno is adorable, and Ella is quite smitten with her. You can see both Ella and Ruffin getting older, see the transformation in both girl and horse! Especially with the first and last pictures in the gallery at the beginning of the blog. Ruffin once felt huge to Ella, now they see eye to eye.

Of course, both horses got treats when it was all over. Ella ever so gently lets them eat out of the palm of her hand. The whole experience made me smile. Made me happy. Thank you Ruffin, Juno and Nicole. You made our day!

Be Well,

Teresa

I’m a Baker?

“If you bake your scones, people will come.” Jason’s famous words as we built a commercial kitchen in our basement over 10 years ago and started baking for farmers markets and then for our soon to be Farm Store.

I had dabbled in home baking, then suddenly, we were baking scones by the hundreds each weekend to cart to Farmers Markets. Now, after thousands of scones, tens of thousands of cookies baked, sold and consumed by farmers market goers and our friends and family at the Farm Store, I think we can officially say that Jason and I are bakers.

I never really thought I was going to be a baker. Just like last week when I mentioned I didn’t think that I was going to be a blogger either. This happened upon us as we were creating our farm as a means to be able to create capital to continue expanding and growing the farm business.

Now, we are in the business of feeding people delectable treats and part of me wants to make those treats healthier. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against treats, and I do think that they should be a part of everyone’s diets. But, sometimes flour and gluten doesn’t treat everyone well, and I wanted to be responsive to that need.

It is hard to bake gluten free, nut free and vegan in a kitchen that primarily bakes gluten full, nut full and butter full. It is also hard for the palate to make the switch to know what recipes work and which ones don’t. I have a special time when I make these treats, away from other ingredients so that they are not contaminated. I carefully store special flours and other ingredients so that it is obvious they are special. I am researching recipes, reading others blogs about vegan, gluten free treats. I use my baking know how, and stick with trying recipes that have a short ingredient list full of whole foods.

Last weekend I nailed it. A customer wrote to me: “OMG! Just shared a vegan GF coconut chocolate chip cookie with my sweetie pie… don’t lost that recipe!!! (So glad we have more for later!)”. Isn’t that the world’s best compliment ever?? The cookies were so good looking that they sold out before I got the chance to taste test one.

I’ll be making a double batch of those this coming weekend. I really want the chance to taste test one! :)

Be Well,

Teresa