Listening to Our Bodies

Autumn. I can't help but thrill at this time of year.

Sometimes I think my Instagram feed in Autumn is nothing but my feet in leaves!

Southern summers are long and hot. Wonderful in their own way, yes, but there is something so rewarding about being outdoors in Autumn in the Carolinas. We natives often say that Autumn is our reward for enduring the sweltering heat of summer!

And enduring is the theme of today's post. There has been so much going on around here lately that I've fallen behind once again (there goes that reasonable goal of one post a week!) but it is a good kind of busy. I had two college classes come to a close last week, another article published, and a myriad of other things to do and responsibilities to fulfill. All in addition to caring for our home, being a solo parent and working a full-time job and freelancing! So life has been joyous, though a wee bit hectic - the classes I was taking, while necessary and meaningful, meant my free time was not my own, a circumstance I despise to find myself in.

And as soon as they were over...my body reacted. Constochondritis was the diagnosis. I eschewed the steroid route for treatment that would have, in the kind doctor's words, had me 'up and running again' in just a few hours, and opted instead for a mild over-the-counter medication to relieve the inflammation and a couple of days of much-needed rest. Though the costochondritis was painful, I knew that it's sudden appearance was my body's way telling me rest was what it wanted, what it needed after such a busy couple of months. The last thing I should have strove for was to be 'up and running again'  in a few hours.

I needed to just simply sit.

Rest.

Be.

Our work ethic here in America often goes completely against what we know in our hearts is best for our bodies and minds. I, too, used to pride myself on not missing a beat, or a day of work, when ill (cringe). That was the old me. Now I know better.  On the way home from the doctor, I picked up a DVD series I'd been itching to watch from our local library...

Thank you Audrey Eclectic for turning me on to this amazing series!

...and then headed straight home, where I stayed, for two days. Resting. Sitting. Being.

Healing. Slowly, naturally, not an accelerated pace so that I could be up and running again as soon as possible, but at the pace my body required for balance and well-being.

Because I was not contagious, I allowed my son to remain at home with me, where he learned valuable life lessons in what it means to take care of another person when they are ill. He also learned to whipstitch...

...and to make stacked-felt Christmas ornaments for holiday gifting! (Aren't those little trees just too adorable? I have to resist the urge to keep them all! More on our homemade holiday plans in future post!)

And I learned that I'm always learning, and that I need to balance my life a bit more. No more taking two college courses at once...it is simply too much at this time in my life, and that's okay. This is all part of what my series on Setting Reasonable Goals is about!  In the afternoons, when I was feeling a bit better (and a wee bit restless from so much sitting), there was time outside...

Healing time in nature, enjoying the waning Autumn sunshine. Slow walking with much stopping and discovering surprises along the way...

A real hollow log! What lives here, we wondered!

I tend to over-estimate what I can endure, but my body reminds me when it is time to slow down. Sometimes the reminder is harsh, as it was with this illness. I'm grateful now for two months' break before my next college course; the coming holiday season; and that I have a job which allows me to  take a couple days sick leave to rest and heal when I need it. Listening to my body and responding to it's needs, rather than masking pain with medication, truly works for me and promotes better health for me both physically and mentally!

I look forward to bringing you the next installment of Reasonable Goal Setting soon, featuring an interview by ZenHabits own Leo Babauta! A long-time lover of ZenHabits, I'm thrilled to be featuring Leo in this blog series and to talk with him about the pending release of the ZenHabits book, which you can learn more about here! I'm also thrilled that it Saturday, so I'll close with a happy weekend wish to you and a bit of advice...listen to your body, rest if you should, take it easy if you can. Don't push the levels of your endurance. Get out in nature.
Listen.
Sit.
Just take time to be, not do...

With love,
Amy

Natural Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe!

Well, it was that time again yesterday! Between working, meeting a friend for coffee, and having a work-related evening function, I whipped up a batch of homemade laundry detergent...then took a long walk with a friend and my son while a load of whites were going.

Last weekend, I bought supplies for the detergent. Less than ten dollars (US) for all! The first time I ever experimented with making this was the end of March. Yesterday was July 2. That's how long my first batch lasted! Now granted it is just my son and I here, but on average I do about 3-4 loads of laundry a week - towels and whites, bed linens, dark and mid-ranged colors. A batch of this homemade detergent could easily last a larger family a month or so, and again, it's all natural, and less than $10 to make! Here's the recipe I follow, which was given to me by a friend.

First you need Borax, Baking Soda, and a bar of Fels Naptha or Zote. I found Zote laundry flakes so that's what I used!

I also throw in some essential oils, for scent and antibacterial properties. My favorite to use is lemon but lavender is also nice option!

 

The recipe is as follows:

1 1/2 cups of Borax powder

1 1/2 cups of Baking Soda

1 bar Fels Naptha or Zote  (I use about a cup and a half of the Zote flakes)

A few drops of the essential oil of your choice

I don't want to accept anything less than the words on this on the label! It makes me feel so much better about what I'm using to clean our clothes, bed linens, and towels - things that are close to our skin - with!

After combining all ingredients, simply mix together in a lidded container. I usually make several batches in one container, which means I use the recipe five times to have a large amount pre-mixed. So simple and easy! It will take all of the box of Zote Flakes (or bar of Fels Naptha) and the entire box of Baking Soda, but you'll have bit of Borax left over to use for other cleaning purposes.

After it's all mixed up, it will smell so nice and fresh! I use a few teaspoons per load and it works wonderfully!

An example - a few weeks ago, my son and I were at a festival watching a leather-smith make belts. My son wanted a belt so we were waiting around when he accidentally bumped against a place on the cash register podium where there was some leather oil/polish residue. Icky black stuff. The craftsman apologized but explained it would not come out and might even transfer to other clothes in the wash. My son was really bummed because it was a favorite outfit. I'm delighted to say, washed in this homemade detergent blend, the icky black stuff all came out! I was amazed myself! 

So give it a whirl and make your home a little more phosphate and chemical free! It takes maybe 10 minutes to mix it up! So simple and yet such a wonderful step towards being more eco-friendly, not to mention saving money on overpriced commercial detergents!