That's the name of a book on the shelf in my bathroom.​ It's a bunch of good advice to humans from cats. 

I'm going to make this post quick because I'd like to get to sleep, oh, right about NOW. But I'll sleep better if I write this post and publish it first. I've missed my regular weekly posts because I've been profoundly exhausted from a sinus infection and have used every ounce of energy to do only what was necessary. Although that also happened to include outlining and partially designing three new courses (one of which I created while teaching the first iteration).

Have you ever been so tired that you cannot sleep? That's the way I've been feeling. Laying down a lot but not getting proper sleep. That, however, is changing. Right now. Tonight, in fact. Because, hey...

Today is the first day of the new astrological year. Last night was the new moon in Aries (the first sign of the Zodiac) and while every new moon is a good time to set intentions, this particular new moon is a perfect time to set intentions for the next twelve months. What kind of year do you want to have? 

Write down your intentions of what you want to consciously create in your life. Long hand. On paper. Just make a list. Tonight or tomorrow would be good because after that the moon moves into another sign. (Don't ask me which. Not an astrologer.)

I need more quality sleep. So that's big on my intention agenda. As I consider how to bring about more quality sleep, I know exactly what I need to change. 

1. Less to no coffee.
2. Less to no computer screen time before bed.
3. Less to no eating before bed.
4. No electronics in my bedroom (at least, none turned on in any way.)
5. Definitely no alcohol. 

on the plus side

6. More clean, pretty, good quality bed linens (well, I think I have plenty).
7. More reading at night.
8. More lavender and eucalyptus and calming, sacred essential oils diffusing and on the soles of my feet.
9. More intentional release of daytime worries and
10. more trust in the universe.

Yep. That's my list. Because...

Did you know that, with a good night's sleep, your brain is actually washed? I forget where I first heard that but don't take my word for it, read this NPR article.

I'll bet you've had that common experience of going to bed with a problem and waking up with the solution. Well, that's a perfect example of it all coming out in the wash. The brain wash! Just writing about it makes me want to conk out right now. But I am already doing one major thing that will keep me from quality sleep. Staring at a computer screen late at night. But on the other hand, I'm going to publish this post tonight and that will alleviate some anxiety, so... you know, six of one, half a dozen of another. (I wonder how many more pithy phrases I can include before wrapping this thing up.)

Well, 'nuff said. Time for you know what.

I'll say good night with an old song that I've just discovered is the traditional Brownie Closing Song. But I know that it's older than the Brownies because my mother would sing it to me at night and her older, German housekeeper sang it to her and her siblings around 1920. (The Brownies weren't formed till 1914 in the UK and were originally called "Rosebuds".)

Click here for the tune and the lyrics, as I learned them, are:

Now run along home and jump into bed.
Say your prayers and cover up your head.
The very same thing I say unto you,
You dream of me and I'll dream of you.
Good night! Good night! Good night! Good night! Good night! 

One week ago, I came down with a serious head cold. Wow. While it may take me another week to fully regain my strength, the head cold is more or less gone.

I don't get colds often but when I do, they mess with my head by which I mean I think that I've always been ill and always will be ill. I have to remind myself of the best healing protocol and then insist that I follow it. Usually take me a day or two to get myself in line but the sooner I do, the better I feel and the faster I heal.

The thing about colds is that they seem pretty harmless. Mild illnesses. Until you're in the midst of one. Then you remember how miserable they make you feel. The "common" cold is any one of a range of viruses that can linger and prolong your misery and develop into far serious situations like sinus infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, and more.

I'm not a doctor but I'll tell you this much. Most people I know—including yours truly—will power through the first stages of a cold when it's probably the most important time to power down. I powered through last week. I taught a full day then went to a meeting the next morning then had a couple of friends over the following night. I can only hope that I did not infect anyone. 

Still, around all those absolute minimal activities, I followed some basic rules.

• Accept that you have a virus.
• Look at the cold as your body's way of saying, hey, let's have a rest, a little clean out and reset. 
• Rest. As much as possible.
• That being said, get some fresh air. Take an easy walk every day.
• Keep a stack of clean handkerchiefs. Don't bother ironing. Why irritate your skin with paper?
• If you must go out, put a hat on your head and bundle up your neck and chest.
• If you must be around people, don't breathe on or touch them.
• Wash your hands often.
• No alcohol, caffeine or cigarettes. Do I have to say that? (And I don't care about the age old whiskey recommendations.)
• Vitamin C. Try small doses (250 mg) throughout the day. I know the jury's out on this but I think it helps and that it matters what type and what brand. I'm loving Garden of Life Raw C these days.
• Drink lots of purified water. It's true--keep those liquids coming.
• Don't eat anything white. That includes sugar and dairy.
• Do have lots of warm tea and broth with garlic, onions, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
• Sure, chicken soup is good. Add a bit of that red pepper and it's golden.
• Fresh lemons with ginger, peppermint and honey in hot water. Yum. If you don't have fresh lemons or ginger (or peppermint for that matter), use drops of those essential oils.
• Add essential oils of thyme, oregano, and peppermint to your water. They all have antiviral properties and I swear that the oregano oil helped me knock out last week's cold tout de suite. Peppermint helps with sinus congestion and headaches, too.
  
• Lavender essential oil will keep you calm and help you rest. 
• Don't take that over the counter crap. Really. Have you read those labels? They may subdue the symptoms and allow you to power through to work and travel but they're not addressing the underlying virus and the resulting lack of rest alone may actually prolong the cold. IMHO.

Along with everyone else, I don't like coming down with a cold but I do have to say that if I take good care of myself through the experience, I usually feel better coming out the other end than I did when I picked up the virus. Which makes sense, come to think of it, if we're more susceptible to viruses when our immune systems are down. How great can we really feel if our immune system is down?

I hope you don't need this but when and if you do, I think these are a pretty good set basic rules. 

​

On Sunday, I made a list of Things To Do.

It was the New Moon in Pisces. An eclipse, too, with lots of strong and rare configurations in our solar system. While the new moon is traditionally a good time for new intentions, this particular set up begged us to slow down and pay attention. 

Winter has all but disappeared in my part of the world. It was a cool morning but sunny so I decided to spend a little time repotting a few plants. Then I carried out all of the plants I overwinter inside. One thing led to another and I cleaned and clipped and rooted and repotted geraniums, begonias, my sprouting fig twig and the first avocado tree I've ever managed to grow from a pit. 

When the work was complete and the plants were all watered, enjoying their outing, I looked at the time and it was late afternoon. How did that happen? Where did the day go?

Gardening was not on the morning list I made, and yet, that's what I did. So, that's what I was meant to do and when I brought all of the plants in and set them on clean windowsills, I was pleased. Still, the time I'd set aside to work was gone. Oh, well. Can't get it back.

That being said, playing in the dirt with plants was probably the best way to weather the Mars (War)/Uranus (Chaos) conjunction, just one of the heavenly configurations of the day. I surrendered to my intuition and threw myself wholeheartedly into the the earth and green life so that I did not notice time passing.

Mars and Uranus. War and Chaos. Sound familiar? If you're awake or just waking up now, I recommend that you do everything you can think of to ground yourself. If you're well-grounded, you're more likely to be able to respond to rather than resist whatever comes your way and that will do you and the rest of the planet a world of good.

• Get plenty of rest. That includes sleep.
• Go out in nature and walk.
• Garden. Indoors or out. If you don't have plants, visit a nature or garden center and wander around.
• Turn off all of your electronics and devices.
• Sit still and focus on your breath. In. Out. Slow it down.
• Stretch your body in any way you can. It will help you remember that you're a living, breathing being in a body on Earth, not an incessant, cascading array of thoughts. Also, it feels pretty good.
• Apply a good essential oil of a tree to the soles of your feet then massage what's left at the back of your neck. Inhale what's left on the palms of your hands. 

Good essential oils for grounding yourself:

White Fir
Frankincense
Melaleuca (Tea Tree)

Each of these oils has a unique grounding expression but my go-to grounding blend is dōTERRA's
Balance (with Frankincense, Spruce, Ho Wood, Blue Tansy Flower and Blue Chamomile). I use this on the bottom of my feet every morning before donning my socks and shoes to leave the house. 

Essential oils are literally the quintessence, the energetic vibration of plants. They're the aromatic compounds each plant uses to protect and heal itself. They're also nature's gift to us, to help us protect and heal ourselves.

If you're interested in learning more about how these essential oils can help you with self-care, please email me. We can set up a one-on-one call plus, I'll be hosting an online class in the next month or so if you'd like to be notified of online classes for self-care with essential oils, sign up here.

One day later... My baby avocado tree is in shock. I have to admit that I struggled to set it upright and in my zest was not thinking about the tender roots. Lesson learned. Poor thing. Well, I have a jar of sugar water to nurse it and, with luck, that will help it readjust and keep growing. The baby fig tree seems happy so that's something. 

Feel like you're living in Crazytown? Just a little bit?

Here's what I'm going to do for you. I'm reactivating my writing practice and dedicating my blogging to Self-Care. Nothing is more important right now.

If you don't take good care of yourself, how can you possibly take care of your space, your people, your work, your civic duties?

You know the air flight rule of placing your oxygen mask on yourself before placing it on anyone else, even your child. This holds true for your activities of daily living. From the simplest act of flossing (I don't care what that recent study purports, flossing is important!) and brushing your teeth, to a daily spiritual practice—whatever connects you to the Divine.

There are so many ways into self-care. Eating well, exercising, experiencing beauty, spending time with Nature, finding ways to exit the ever-cascading stream of thought... if only for split seconds. Practice, as with most things, is key. Practice loving yourself enough to take care of your body, mind and soul.

Actually, what's key is self-acceptance. When we launch into any regime of "self-improvement", it's too easy to fail and fail again and to fall into self-flagellation for not being good enough. So, along with improving our self care, it's as important to be compassionate towards ourselves and to accept ourselves for being human. That's what we are. Flesh and bone and experience and reaction and the whole can of worms. The latter of which is, generally speaking, how we end up. Why not feel as good as we can while we're here?

Why self-care? 

If we accept ourselves the way we are at any given moment (even if we have to work through a bit of recovery from some momentary situation) and take good care of ourselves, we'll feel good. And what on earth is more important than feeling good?

When I am feeling not so good, I am a whole lot less fun to be around than when I am feeling well. Other people and the world at large seems aggravating, less filled with light and beauty and humor. When I feel well, life is good and other people are, too.

I started by asking if you feel like you're living in Crazytown. Don't know where that is? (Lucky you.) Let's just say it's the place where the monsters of stress reside. Good self-care helps us skirt that neighborhood. And, boy, if there were ever a time to center ourselves and stay out that bedlam, it's now.

From here on in, I'm focusing on an eclectic array of products, practices, inspirations, gifts of nature and well, we'll see what surprises arise.

Right now? I recommend the essential oil of Bergamot also known as the Oil of Self Acceptance. It's a bright and tangy soft citrus fragrance from a citrus fruit the size of an orange but with way deeper dimples and the color of lime and lemon. I keep Bergamot oil in my purse these days along with my go-to kit of first-responder oils. Bergamot beckons my heart into an easy smile, dispelling the darkness and encouraging me to awaken the shininess of my true self. 

Today is Valentine's Day. Whether you are with a loved one or alone, whether you think this is a fako holiday (it actually dates back to pre-Christian times), Valentine's Day symbolizes the expression of love. 

Love yourself for being a unique expression of life on earth. If that's a stretch, whatever you might think are your shortcomings, maybe just consider them as challenging puzzles to work out while you're here. The better you are able to accept yourself, the better you'll accept others.

Your light will shine that much more easily. ​

Original lyrics (sans verse)

Button up your overcoat
When the wind is free
Take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Eat an apple every day
Get to bed by three
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Be careful crossing streets, ooh, ooh
Cut out sweets, ooh, ooh
Lay off meat, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum

Wear your flannel underwear
When you climb a tree
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Button up your overcoat
When the wind is free
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me

When you sass a traffic cop
Use diplomacy
Take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Beware of frozen funds, ooh, ooh
Stocks and bonds, ooh, ooh
Dockside thugs, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your bankroll

Keep the spoon out of your cup
When you're drinking tea
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Don't sit on hornet's tails, ooh, ooh
Or on nails, ooh, ooh
Or third rails, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum
​
Keep away from bootleg hooch
When you're on a spree
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Henderson, DeSylva & Brown, 1928

"This morning, I anointed my heart with two of my favorite essential oils. First  Ylang Ylang, then Geranium. 

Ylang Ylang, the Oil of the Inner Child "is a powerful remedy for the heart", reminding us that "joy can be felt and experienced more fully by allowing the heart its full range of emotions".

Geranium is the Oil of Love & Trust, restoring our confidence in the innate goodness of others and in the world".

For guidance on the use of essential oils, get in touch.

Sock Season
It's time to keep your tootsies warm.

I have to tell you about my new socks! One thing I love is finding a new article of clothing that doesn't shrink, pill, pull apart at the seams, or otherwise disappoint after one wearing or washing.

Although I've probably spent one-third of my life in flip-flops, I now like to wear good socks year round. They're easy protection from cooties and help to keep my skin and personal thermodynamics in good order.

I found awesome socks in the 6 for $12 bin outside of Twig in Chapel Hill recently. After my wear and wash test, I liked them so much that I went back for another half a dozen. There was no brand on the socks or tag (how refreshing) but I learned that they're made at a small mill in Graham, NC called Best Knit Hosiery Mill, Inc. I brought home pairs in two greys, white, and my favorite color green. (To prove that last point, see 2010 post on my first pair of Keen Newport H2Os.)

​Although this blog has been primarily devoted to drawing and watercolor for a decade, my most visited post (by quantum leaps and bounds) is How to heal your fractured foot and ankle. And so, I revisit the subject.

5 Tips for Healthy Feet
Follow these steps...

Massage your own feet!
Find a reflexology chart or let your thumbs and fingers, intuition and pleasure be your guide. Don't know where to start? Rub the soles of your feet together vigorously on waking, after napping, (or any time you need a quick pick me up). Feel the heat and tingly energy. It's good for your whole being!

Soak 'em.
Fill a dish bin with warm water and epsom salts (or sea salt and baking soda) and sit still for 15 minutes or so with a good book or magazine.

Exfoliate your skin.
The best time to exfoliate the skin on your feet is after a good soak. Pumice stones are too harsh for me. If you're the same, try a wash cloth, loofah, or nail brush.

Moisturize.
Most folks have a favorite moisturizer. Mine alternates from season to season. I love Mountain Ocean Skin Trip but am also an Udderly Smooth fan. This season, I'm trying out their Extra Care 20on both my feet and my hands. Also, moisturize your feet before bed then don some clean, lightweight socks.
Point, flex, and rotate (in both directions).
In the morning before you get out of bed and at night before you sleep. This will help keep your joints and muscles flexible, and your blood and vital energies circulating.

Come to think of it, all of the above will help to circulate your blood and vital energies.

Add your favorite essential oils to any of these steps for even greater benefit.

​Speaking of which...

Good for your feet
Mmm, mmm, mmmmm!

After standing on my feet for all day teaching stints
or local art markets, there is nothing like settling down at home
to massage my feet with Deep Blue oil.

This blend of the essential oils of Wintergreen, Camphor, Peppermint,
Blue Tansy, Blue Chamomile, Helichrysum, and Osmanthus,
penetrates deep and continues its healing magic long after the massaging
has stopped.

Want some for yourself?

Click here for my online store. Deep Blue Oil is also included as one of the top ten oils in the
​ Family Physician Kit at a super value.

​Need help? Click here to email or call to schedule a chat.

My Left Foot
Watercolor pencil, 4 x 6 inches

I am not a doctor. However, I've enjoyed a lifetime of learning how to heal myself and keep myself relatively healthy. It's fun for me. Herein, I'm sharing the healing measures I've taken for my own foot and ankle fractures with hopes that some or all of this information may be of help to you.

I am somewhat of an expert on ankle sprains but, after a recent fall, not only did I suffer a massive ankle and foot sprain but also fractured my 5th metatarsal (a Jones Fracture) cracked my medial tibia from mid-calf straight through the ankle bone and cracked something on the outside ankle bone. I did not have any displaced bones and did not require any surgery. You can read about the details of my injury on my left foot posts.  In fact, I recommend that you read these related earlier posts on healing!

Upon Injury

R.I.C.E.

Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. Stick to this tried and true formula for the first 48 - 72 hours to which I'll add...

Immediately apply Arnica Gel or Traumeel.  Begin taking Arnica Tablets internally. Take the recommended dosage of any pain medication. Apparently, Ibuprofen is "off the list for mending bones" (it interferes with process) but helps to reduce swelling in sprains.

Ask for help. Have x-rays taken so that you know what's injured. Ask for a ride to the E.R. Bring a good book. Ask for print copies of your x-rays. Why? A succession of doctors did not notice that my medial tibia and ankle were fractured for one month. I had to tell them that I thought I had additional breaks.

Do not try to walk on your foot. I mean it!

Your healing regimen

Attitude is crucial. So, first off, Count Your Blessings! Fractures and sprains are temporary. Become aware of any whining or complaining. Whining and complaining do you no good whatsoever. In fact, engaging in this crankiness will probably make you feel worse. People will expect you to complain. Surprise them. Be of good cheer. You won't always be able to feel chipper but make a go of it anyway. It'll make you feel better. All things considered, you're experiencing a rather minor issue. But if you do not properly care for yourself, you'll make matters worse and add to your recovery time.

Do NOT walk on your foot. I still mean it! I am off my foot for 12 - 14 weeks. When I first sprained my ankle at age 11, it was placed in a plaster cast. Within a week, I'd removed it with my father's hammer and chisel. I know you want to walk as soon as possible. Do not do so until your bones can support you. Deal with it.

Do NOT smoke. Trying to walk on your foot before the bones, ligaments and tendons are healed and smoking are the absolute worst things you could possible do. Frankly, I was a closet smoker. Just two or three cigarettes in the evening. When I broke these bones, and I smoked... I could feel my inner self compromised at the cellular level. I don't know how else to express it. I have not had a cigarette since, nor have I desired one.

Rest. And I'm not talking about for one or two days. You must plan on resting more than usual throughout your recovery.

Do your research. Educate yourself. Ask your doctor as many questions as you can think of and then learn about your particular injury or set of injuries. It's interesting, fun to learn about and empowering. Make it a creative project! Go crazy on google. You're not going to be able to do much else for the first little while.

Expect a few pitfalls. Immobility, crutches, and slow going can be a pain. Like the learning curve, the healing curve is not straight up. You can pretty much plan on having a couple sets of downer days. If you're prepared, you can work your way through them more easily. Just relax and let it all wash over you. You're not always going to be laying around.

Accept your situation. What's done is done. Surrender. You are healing. It's going to take some time. Be Brave. You can do it! You are not actually healing your foot and ankle, you are creating the optimal conditions under which your bones and tendons and ligaments can heal at the cellular level. 

Exercise. What? Yes. It's really important for your body but also for your mental state and general well being. You'll be much happier during and after recovery because of it. Swimming is your best bet and non-weight bearing yoga poses are wonderful.

Swimming: Find the schedule for your nearest pool and plan at least two lap swimming sessions per week. Ease into it. Don't force your injured foot to do anything it doesn't want to. Start with a kick board if you have to. Make it a game to increase your number of laps and time in pool per session. Be very careful with your crutches on the wet floors! Ask for whatever help you need getting in and out of the pool.

Yoga: I have created a sequence for you of non-weight bearing yoga positions. Obviously, you will have to modify some of these positions to accommodate your injured foot and ankle and you don't want to try anything you are not already secure with. This sequence will give you a basic routine to add or subtract from. 
Click here for my PDF of non-weight bearing yoga sequence. 
(Click here for further information on poses).

Remedy List

Arnica Gel 
Arnica Tablets
Comfrey Tincture
(or Comfrey Leaf to make a poultice)
Juniper Oil
Olbas Oil 
Garlic and Ginger Capsules 
Vitamin and mineral supplements
(a good multi-vitamin, Calcium Supplement , Vitamin C and B Complex )

Does this seem like a lot to buy?  All of these items should live in your medicine cabinet or kitchen at all times. They are part of fundamental first aid and you should be taking the supplements anyway (imho). Think about doctor bills.

Speaking of which, if you want to add essential oils to your medicine cabinet, kitchen, and cleaning supplies, visit my essential oil store for the highest quality and my hands down favorite essential oils of all time.

Regarding the matter at hand (or foot!):
Arnica acts as pain reliever and anti-inflammatory. Application prevents or hastens healing of bruises and reduces swelling and works especially well if applied immediately after trauma (though is helpful to prevent pain and inflammation throughout healing period). Homeopathic Arnica pills and tablets taken internally have same effect.

The main active ingredient in Comfrey is Allantoin which generates cells and promotes cell replacement. Bones knit themselves back together on the cellular level. An old folk name for Comfrey is "knitbone".

Juniper (especially), Rosemary, Wintergreen and Peppermint help to promote circulation. Circulation helps to promote healing on a cellular level. So does massage. Healing on a cellular level helps to knit bones. Foot bones (especially the 5th metatarsal) have limited circulation (they're far from the heart), therefore, trouble healing.

By the way, I only recommend what I consider superior products at good prices that I, myself, use and love.

My triple threat treatment!
3x per day:
Slather a thin layer of Arnica Gel over your fracture and sprain areas
Drop Comfrey tincture on fracture and sprain areas and massage into skin
Gently massage adulterated* Grampa's Therapeutic Massage Oil into foot and ankle for 15 - 20 minutes (or as long as you can -- some time is better than no time!).

*Add additional Juniper Oil and Olbas (contains juniper, rosemary, peppermint oils) to Grampa's Garden Therapeutic Oil to help further promote circulation.

I slept with a comfrey poultice on my foot and ankle during the first ten days. I could actually feel it working but the whole thing was a bit time consuming and messy so I switched to the tincture which I think is less effective but still very helpful.

Nutrition
Steer clear of sugar and caffeine (especially coffee), (if you can).
Do I have to say to not drink alcohol?
Eat well. Fresh vegetables and fruit. Real food. Drink pure water. You'll feel better.

Healing Stones
(couldn't hurt!)
Infinite
Faden Quartz
Rainbow Obsidian
Labradorite
Blue Kyanite
Green Kyanite
Apatite

You can find these in new age shops or ask a massage therapist where you might buy some or check ebay. You can sleep with these stones under your pillow and carry them around in a little stone pouch as you go through your daily life.

And one more thing! Buy yourself a good pair of knee pads. Sometimes you might have to climb, foot and knee (careful!), and sometimes you might just want to crawl. I recommend Fiskars Contoured-Fit Knee Pads.I've been using them all along and they've really helped.

As I stated at the outset, I am not a doctor nor am I in any way liable for any harm or injuries sustained if you choose to follow any of my leads in this post. However, I do have a load of personal experience and this has been my share on it!

Happy healing!
​