Everything Will Be Fine

Everything Will Be Fine.                                                   

Those are some pretty tough words to swallow sometimes.

It’s just, at times, harder to believe than others.

Especially lately. The last few months are something out of a Stephen King novel I think.  Or the bizarre imaginations of a few young kids all writing their zany stories together.  I jest, of course, but that’s what you have to do to stay sane.

Everything Will Be Fine.

That’s actually the name of the  herbal tea I’m drinking today.   I’ve been taking some online coursework through the CommonWealth Center For Holistic Herbalism School out of Boston.  I am so in love with herbs! I credit my friend and health coach on getting me started. The classes have been sensational and I have really added to my knowledge of the immune system and other systems of our wonderful, God-given bodies!

You can find more information on this particular tea in Katja’s blog post here.  The flavors of this tea are exquisite in my opinion even without the medicinal constituents that are so very soothing.  It’s a nice blend of  Hawthorn and Rose. I had to cut back on the rose myself.  I LOVE the smell of rose, but I do find the flavor a little overpowering.  Though I wonder if it’s the rose I have on hand.  I’ll have to see when I put in my next order.  I played around with the amounts for several days, always noting how much of each herb I added until I got it just perfect.  This will be one I use frequently.

I probably sound like I’m babbling on and on about this tea, but that’s really my focus.  Tea and Everything Will Be Fine.

I am not depending on the politics or the mainstream to take care of me or my health.  My family and I have been adapting our lifestyle and health habits for a number of years.  You know this if you have followed this blog for any length of time.  We started out by ditching a BUNCH of artificial ‘stuff’ from our diets and were astounded at the results.  But we didn’t stop there.  Over the years we have educated ourselves further on what a healthy diet is and what healthy lifestyles are. We have read countless books, talked with medical experts of all kinds (never lock yourself down to just one approach of medicine). experimented, read research articles, watched informative videos and documentaries, etc. and yes, take responsibility for our own health by following what we have studied and found to be the most important elements of health.

Are we perfect?  Ha!  No way.  But we know that we only have ourselves to blame for that.

Has our health improved?  YES!  Absolutely.

Are we unaffected by illness?  Of course not.  Like I said, we are not perfect and it’s just a fact that viruses, illnesses, disease is part of our world.  But I’m not afraid of it.  I know we have healthy immune systems.  We work on them daily.  We accept that everything we do affects our immune systems and we do what we can to strengthen them.  And , of course, I have  faith in God.  Do I think he won’t let me get sick?  No.  His will is His will.  I just have faith that he’s also given us foods and things in nature to help us through it.  And when my end comes, well, everything will be fine.

I was pleased today while perusing through my never-ending email (checking email is not something I do often) I came upon Joshua’s latest from Becomingminimalist.com.  Today’s email was titled ‘A loving Nudge Toward Healthier Habits’.  Unfortunately, he didn’t include herbal teas on his list, but he did make some good points.

There’s an unhealthy trend happening in America during this recent crisis.  Television viewing and video game usage has greatly increased.  Beer sales have also increased as has cigarette smoking – none of which, of course, will help your immune system!  These are not healthy habits.

It’s hard.  I know.

Healthy habits require, as the email states, focus and intentionality.  Joshua reminds us to count every day precious, to be firm but also patient with yourself, ask for help when you need it and he mentions a 3 item to do list I have not heard of before.  I’m going to be checking it out and thinking about how I might incorporate this.

In addition to Joshua’s list in his recent email, I’m going to give you my own list.

1.  Think about what you put into your body.  At least THINK about it.  Everything you put into your body DOES affect your health in some way.  Your body’s ability to fight off viruses and other illness starts here.  It’s not the only factor, but it’s a BIG one.
2.  Drink a cup of tea.  Herbal Tea.  Not only will taking the time to make a nice herbal tea mean you are using intentionality in caring for your health, but the herbs have lovely effects on our immune system and our minds!
3. Take a moment each day to focus on gratitude. Gratitude is a huge part of mindset.  And believe it or not, what you THINK really affects your health.

Everything will be fine.  It may not be perfect.  It may be hard.  But it will be fine.

Stand at the brink of the abyss of despair and when you see that you cannot bear it anymore, draw back a little and have a cup of tea.

– Elder Sophrony of Essex