Archive for April 2022 | Monthly archive page
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
Explore the beautiful pastel colors and fragrances of rose milk and shea butter soaps, sugar scrubs, lotions, cremes, body butters, and solid perfume cubes that celebrate spring fruits and flowers. Refresh your skincare wardrobe with new favorites! → Read more
Earth Day is today. How do YOU celebrate Earth Day?
I’m interested, because there seem to be infinite ways to celebrate a day all about the planet on which we live, and conversely, without which, we couldn’t live, at least not yet, and certainly not in the same manner.
Years ago, I saw part of the film “The Martian” while my young daughter was watching it on Netflix, and I have to say, Mars is not for me.
The verdant landscapes, trees with abundant leaves, and flowers in bloom this spring hold the potential to transform our spirits.
In Minnesota, we deal daily with temperature and climate pendulum swings. Is it spring, is it winter, is it spring, is it winter…?
Mushy snow that melts nearly on contact with the pavement mid-April leaves us waiting to unveil our charming (let’s hope so) personalities to our neighbors at our mailboxes, walking our dogs,…
By the way, isn’t it fabulous that several animal shelters currently report that they no longer have dogs awaiting forever homes? Since we’re in extended COVID 19 isolation, it’s the absolute best time to train a new family dog! The secret’s out. And from what I’ve seen on daily walks, our neighborhood dogs are getting oodles and oodles of walks!
Back to Earth Day…Based on our empirical knowledge and faith, we know and believe that spring will eventually come, as it always does. We’re adept at leaping from freezing winter temps, wind chills that threaten to push down my heavy Volvo trunk on top of my head while reaching for my purse inside (yeah, that’s right it did just that, and it was as frightening and painful as you might imagine when it happened at Costco), and a slippery mess of a rain-snow mix to 70 degrees the next day.
It can also feel a little like “En attendant Godot”, waiting for Godot or Mother Nature to brighten our yards and our spirits. Come on Mother Nature, please hurry on over to Minnesota with your powerful feminine charms, we want to see daffodils, tulips, irises popping up! I’d even be immensely grateful for a hosta or two pop up along the boulder wall and alongside my mailbox, even if soon to be munched on by our resident family of 10 or so deers already trekking through from our backyard to the front and roaming on over across the street to the woods behind.
I’ve been staring at colorful silk flowers (now fading) in pots outside my front door all winter, because I can’t bear life without color. Still, I don’t for a sec believe they’re real, and I’m sooooo….ready for flowers that grow in the earth! → Read more
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
Have you ever thought of trying a “detox”? It’s a pretty loaded word – there are lots of different kinds of detoxes or cleansing programs. Natural, holistic, or integrative healthcare practitioners may custom design a detox program for you based on the state of your current health. There are endless books on the topic. Detox packages may be purchased OTC at health food co-ops, spas offer “detox” on their menus, and you’ll find DIY detox tips on Pinterest boards.
Some are gentle though deliver effective long lasting results while others fall into the overhaul category, and may not be as safe, particularly if changes are abrupt and extreme. It comes down to the question of how you look at your well being and lifestyle long term.
I fall into the kinder, gentler camp when it comes to integrating dietary and lifestyle modifications. I think incorporating elements of a gentle detox regime into your daily life is an excellent opportunity to shift into healthier living without disrupting your body chemistry or bringing about short term results only, and at risk that I regard as undesirable. For example, results such as immediate weight loss related to detox may be initially thrilling, but cannot be maintained long term, and in fact, may be in part responsible for the weight gain subsequent to coming off a detox regime. Then you’re back somewhere behind square one! No one wants that.
So, let’s assume we don’t suffer from any major chronic illnesses that require supervision by a medical professional, and we’re going for a gentle detox, one that we can begin now, and continue on a regular basis if we choose to. Nature’s seasonal transitions (spring and fall) are ideal times for detoxification to cleanse mind, body and spirit from
dietary toxins: refined foods and carbohydrates, hydrogenated fats, alcohol, caffeine, processed sugar, high fat meat and dairy, etc. environmental toxins: in our air, soil, water, cleaning and personal care products, clothes, etc. emotional and psychological toxins: chronic stress, anxiety, worry, juggling too many balls in the air, lack of relaxed “down time” and regenerative sleepDetoxification is best supported synergistically from the inside out and the outside in. Gentle modifications to our diet and lifestyle have the potential to create the canvas for a healthier you. When we cleanse our liver, kidneys and skin, we cleanse the body’s primary organs responsible for the elimination of toxins.
What is one very simple dietary treat we can add to facilitate our body’s own capacity to detoxify?
Apr 05
L’Amour Fou de Printemps
written by Raulla S. Mitchell
May is the perfect time to play with new spring fragrances. Everything around us seems more playful, delightful and full of intoxicating natural fragrances and joie de vivre, so welcome l’amour fou (crazy wild love) of springtime into your heart! Fragrance is all about happy little sensual pleasures, feeling fab in your skin and making beautiful memories that remain forever. Franz Kafka said “Anyone who retains the ability to see beauty never grows old.” I couldn’t agree more. Fist bumps Franz and Andre (Breton), l’amour fou man. And the best part? Crazy wild love and this genuine fountain of youth are available to you, everyday of your life. Just choose to invite them into your life today. → Read more
