Morning Song Gardens – Beeswax Products For Sensitive Skin

Morning Song Gardens – Beeswax Products For Sensitive Skin

I am blessed with fair, Celtic skin that erupts into a rash or hives with the first burst of pollen in the spring. This is particularly inconvenient since my passion is gardening and landscaping. With 3 acres of hardscrabble land to tame, the transformation of our yard to a Garden of Eden is a never-ending work in progress.

For decades the first sign of spring for me, after the delicate blooms of the grape hyacinth, is itchy skin. And I have no discipline. An itch must be scratched. Sometimes I would scratch until I had scabs covering my upper and lower extremities. Despite my resorting to SWAT gear from head to toe, pollen in the air, exposure to mulch, weeds and the leaves of my treasured tomato plants and herbs, caused me to resemble one who had launched herself into a briar patch.

The past three summers I resorted to Prednisone and prescription cortisone cream. The drugs worked; however, Prednisone leaves a metallic taste in my mouth and devastates my enjoyment of food and wine. And while I appreciate the relief from the itching, I prefer not to bathe in cortisone.

To complicate matters, I have rosacea, another blessing of my Irish / English/ Scottish heritage.  So, what is the solution?

A coworkers recommended an organic face, hand and body cream that she found at Whole Foods ~ Morning Song Gardens Bee Balm Cream for Face, Hand & Body. She said it was amazing for ameliorating eczema and other rashes and my just be the perfect alternative to scabs, drugs and steroids.  Since I have no Whole Foods in my neighborhood, I checked the website she recommended and read the description of the products and the testimonials. I decided it was well worth a try.

I tried the Calendula Pomegranate Bee Balm Cream, which consists of beeswax and extra virgin olive oil. It is purported to have anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties that help relieve arthritis, allergies, hives, and aging skin. The calendula and pomegranate seed oil is said to afford relief from the itch and pain caused by sunburn, insect bites, eczema, psoriasis, minor cuts, scrapes, poison ivy, and poison oak.

It is a rich, thick cream that I have to rub in my hands before applying to my body and face. And yes, it is appropriate for using on one’s face. I’ve been using it for two weeks, worked in the garden all last weekend, and smothered my skin with the cream after showering. It soothed the itch. My skin feels moisturized. I don’t itch.  And this cream seems to keep my rosacea at bay. I liked the cream enough to buy a second 8-ounce jar. Morning Song offers several different creams, soaps & beeswax candles. Check out the website and try the products. Also some amazing lip balms!

 http://www.morningsonggardens.com/

A Nexus - Nordstrom Rack Opening in Washington, DC & Resetting my Day

A Nexus - Nordstrom Rack Opening in Washington, DC & Resetting my Day

How fortuitous that today, of all days, Nordstrom Rack opened its doors at the corner of 18^th and L Street in the space previously occupied by Borders.  My office is in a building two blocks away at 20^th and L Street.  While I was walking from Farragut North Metro station to my office at 8:00am this morning I saw a line of people 4 deep winding around the side of the building on 18^th and snaking around K Street. They were waiting to charge through the doors at opening.

The opening was fortuitous because I was having a challenging day. I am not a brain surgeon and have no powers of life or death over others. But my work as a litigation examiner for a major casualty insurer can be stressful. Normally, I accept the ebbs and flows of the work without undue stress. But there have been some additional stressors the last two weeks that have unbalanced my equilibrium. I felt as if a 2-ton weight was pressing on my chest.  I felt resentment towards a coworker that I perceived was exploiting the system to escape work and dump on others.  I let it get to me.

But all of a sudden, I had a flash of brilliance! Retail therapy! If nothing else, I could check out the new store for some treasures. After all, I was still on the hunt for a coral handbag, and even if I found no treasures, I knew that leaving my office for a period of time was critical for my mental and physical wellbeing.

When I emerged from the 7^th floor of my L Street building the sun was shining and the temperature was hovering in the high 70’s. Just the sight of the sunlight improved my attitude. The walk the two blocks to 18^th Street helped me shed my frustration. By the time I entered the store, I’d forgotten my work related angst. And after a mere 30 minutes, I was clutching the holy grail of the day – a beautiful coral quilted leather Kate Spade handbag at 60% off. 

I nearly skipped back to the office.  The rest of my afternoon was essentially stress free. Things started to gel. I let go of my resentment. I was able to reset my day and move forward with a sense of peace and serenity regained. It is all about attitude.  And the lovely coral handbag didn’t hurt!

Overwrought Media Coverage of Tragedy

Overwrought Media Coverage of Tragedy

Nobody with any sense of humanity can help but feel horror and outrage toward those whose cowardly actions perpetrated the bombings that occurred at the finish line of the marathon in Boston yesterday, Patriot’s Day, which commemorates the infancy of the American Revolution and the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord and the shots heard round the world. But unfortunately, as a result of overwrought, oversaturation, speculative coverage by the 24/7/365 media, those who are not at the epicenter of such tragedies start to tune out.

When the news first broke of the bombings, I scoured the media for news updates. I love Boston. I have friends that live in Boston. I have coworkers with children attending university in Boston. It is a dynamic city with a storied history. Its people are resilient. This morning, I still had a knot in my chest, an indefinable fear that the terror will spread. I began to dread, actually fear, using public transportation in Washington, DC this week. On the days I commute to the city, I have to use Metro. My office is only a few blocks from the White House. I know my city is a target for disgruntled people the world over.

But the non-stop frenzied coverage of the tragedy by the media started wearing thin. There was too much speculation, too much melodrama, and too much exploitation of an 8-year old boy’s death for ratings.  All of the media outlets contacted similar homeland security representatives, terrorism experts, and the set forth the same guesses as to who could have planted the bombs.  The same graphic images were shown over and over again. The saturation was too much. It is numbing and formulaic. NPR had special coverage replacing “All Things Considered” this afternoon. The host introduced a reporter who had been covering the tragedy “for days” without sleep. Um, it was yesterday. So I turned it off and tuned it out.

I care about the loss of life and the catastrophic injuries suffered by innocent people. But there has always been evil among us. There have always been events that cannot be rationally explained or understood by rational people.  We just must see it and hear it more today than in the past. If you really think about it, modern journalism with the press exposing the general public to horror just began during the American Civil War.  Alexander Gardner’s graphic photographs of the aftermath of the battle of Antietam in 1862, which for the first time showed images of war dead, started it all.  Vietnam brought it into our living rooms nightly during the 1960’s.  The apex came with the coverage of 9/11. But now we are numbed and desensitized. Carnage has become commonplace and the media has given the assailants the publicity they crave. So, I now choose to tune out.

So I again accept that the only way to live is to LIVE. That means refusing to let negative influences adversely affect the way I live my life.  I will go to work, ride public transportation, and I will not let fear take over. 

Loving the Spring Colors~ And My Quest for the Perfect Spring Handbag

Loving the Spring Colors~ And My Quest for the Perfect Spring Handbag

I find it ironic that Lilly Pulitzer, the fashion designer who created the Palm Beach Look accidentally in an attempt to disguise orange juice stains while manning her juice stand, passed away in a springtime replete with her iconic colors in fashion once again – turquoise, Kelly green, Windex blue, bright orange, lemon yellow, coral and hot pink.  These are the colors that came to be associated with the Preppy Look.

But I love these colors for another reason. Well, from a purely narcissistic perspective, they coordinate nicely with my hair and coloring. These colors also represent the beauty of life, reminiscent of spring flowers, sunsets, ocean breezes, and tropical splendor. These are the colors I’m drawn to even when they are out of fashion. So, I am particularly pleased to see there are handbags and shoes available in even my local mall with colors that call to me.

This afternoon I was on a mission. After spreading my first 14 bags of mulch of this spring, eradicating some errant weeds, and removing the remnants of autumns leaves from around my rose bushes, it was time for some self-indulgence. First on the agenda – a much-needed pedicure, followed by a leisurely lunch at Panera Bread where I enjoyed the power spinach salad and onion soup while finishing my latest John Grisham novel. Then it was my quest for my spring handbag. Yes, of course, I already have a bag that would work. But, I wanted a new bag. My initial thought was orange or coral. So I scoured TJ Maxx and modeled every bag that I thought could possibly fill the bill. I found several that we okay or almost right.

But, I remembered the cardinal rule of shopping for a life of love…..only buy what I love! So, I left TJ Maxx and headed to the once place in my small town that I knew would have some potential options. ….Belk at the  soulless mall.  Now, I am not a Belk shopper.  The only items I’ve ever seen at this store that call to me  are the Brahmin handbags. Few retail establishments sell them. Nordstrom. Dillards. Belk.  They are rarely on sale.

Don’t Settle for the Wrong Relationship Out of Fear

Don’t Settle for the Wrong Relationship Out of Fear

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned if not the most valuable lesson is that I deserve to have a fulfilling life and relationship with a partner. Absent that, I am better off alone.  Life is too short to spend hours, days, weeks, months or years unhappy. 

I have many friends, both men and women, who stay in miserable, unhappy, dangerous, or boring marriages or relationship out of fear. I’ve done that myself. My first marriage lasted longer than was healthy because I feared disappointing my family, my religious background, society and myself. I didn’t want to be a failure. I was afraid of the financial implications. I feared the unknown. It wasn’t until I was at a place where staying was more painful than going that I had the courage to change.  Of course, as an aficionado at that time of dysfunctional relationships, I jumped right back into the fire rather than risk living alone. It took me several more years of additional pain, work in Al Anon on myself, and a journey of self discovery to understand that my higher power wants me to be happy and fulfilled.  Once I came to appreciate that I could be that happy, fulfilled person living a life of peace and serenity within myself, not dependent upon the opinions of others or needed a partner to validate me, I was free to accept love and a healthy relationship.

After I became emotionally healthy, and identified what was important to me, and decided that I would accept nothing less, and put that information out into the Universe, it came to me. This is the power of positive thinking. I’ve learned to focus on my gratitude for an abundant life and I live an abundant life.

The ability to live likewise is within each of us.  Whenever I start to lose faith in my path, I recite The Serenity Prayer. 

            God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

            the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know

            the difference.

If I am unhappy, I can either change my attitude or change my path. Sometimes, I had to decide to change my attitude and my path.  I spent decades fearing change only to ultimately discover it set me free.  Celebrate the gift of life and take that chance on happiness and fulfillment.