It is my pleasure to share Steve Tallamy’s Monthly Article “Foraging in America.” We had a wonderful visit with Steve and are very grateful for his presence in our lives.
Happy Holidays Everyone from Living in Courage!
Foraging In America
Many of you will know that I have just come back from the colonies having spent a wonderful week with Debra and her wonderful husband Cody (even if he did drink my beer!) at their home in Laguna Beach, California and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them both for the wonderful time they gave me – Thank You Debra and Cody.
Although we did many lovely things together and I met a whole host of amazing people out there one particular morning will stick in my memory for a long time. Debra and I walked into town to get some breakfast using the back streets and side roads away from the main coastal highway and along the way we stopped now and again to graze from people’s garden produce. (Debra assured me that we had permission to do this but I’m not quite so sure!)
Debra and Cody are part of the Transition Laguna Beach scheme encouraging and helping people to grow their own vegetables and herbs, so there was plenty of foraging to be had and the peppery tang of the Arugula (that’s Rocket to us Brits) was definitely a hit with me and my taste buds. This walk into town enhanced my belief that everyone should be a part of a scheme such as Transition Laguna Beach. Not only do you get to produce great tasting healthy food but it brings the community together in a wonderful spirit of kinship, and the exercise and fresh air does you good as well.
Foraging is fun and free and as you can see you don’t have to set off on a major expedition to do it, it can be done right in your own backyard, or someone else’s come to that! Waste ground (I’m sure most of us have some of that close at hand) can be a great place to forage as Nature soon fights back against neglect and usually the first plants to take a foothold are herbs of some variety or another. Most plants that we call weeds because of their rampageous habits are either culinary or medicinal herbs, but always make sure that you know what you are gathering is not poisonous or that the ground has not been contaminated in any way.
It really gladdened my heart to see a town being returned to Nature. Connecting or re-connecting with Nature is the purest form of spiritualism I have found, it has to be, it is all around you, it keeps you alive and it brings so much joy to all of your senses that you just have to embrace it. Small steps such as this trigger off an avalanche of positivity right around the world. It’s the everyday folk like Debra and Cody, you and me (Yes YOU!) making small contributions that is creating an ever growing light at the end of the tunnel for the preservation our planet, and seeing this growing light Mother Nature will respond in kind. And that’s a promise, trust me I know.
Jamie Oliver’s TED prize talk, makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food. Jamie spoke at TED2010 this February in Long Beach, CA for 22 minutes, about the state of world health, or rather the lack of it. Jamie is reaching out globally, with courage and passion.
Remember the shaggy-haired “Naked Chef” of late-’90s? One of my favorite cooking shows back then. Jamie was courageous, raw, and was passionate about food. I became a fan. He has built a worldwide media conglomerate of TV shows, books, cookware and magazines. His idea of sharing unpretentious food with friends and family, was refreshing to me. Everyone gets to play in the kitchen.
Jamie now has Fifteen Foundation’s. He has trained young chefs from challenged backgrounds to run four of his restaurants. He visits schools to teach children to grow organic gardens of their own, and for their school time meals. Jamie’s School Dinner, Ministry of Food and Food Revolution USA combine Oliver’s culinary tools, cookbooks and television, with serious activism and community organizing — to create change on both the individual and governmental level.
If you love to live your truth, tell your story, feel your pain, express your joy, take what you need, and give what you will – You will love Owning Pink. This is an amazing online community, that supports, offers guidance, inspiration and ideas. This is done through posts, workshops, and the Pink Posse forum. This is a safe place, free of facades. Owning Pink allows you to reclaim your mojo, and tap into your most authentic you. Owning Pink roars courage to me.
Lissa Rankin created this space for you. Here is some information about Lissa from her blog – Lissa Rankin is an OB/GYN physician, author of the forthcoming What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend (St. Martin’s Press, 2010) and Encaustic: A Guide To Creating Fine Art With Wax (Random House, 2010), a nationally-represented professional artist, a mother, and founder of Owning Pink, a website and series of workshops committed to building authentic community and empowering women to get their mojo back. She is also a dog walker, a spiritual seeker, a wife, a yogini, a chauffeur, a cook, and a music fanatic. First and foremost, she is a woman, and like many women, she once thought she had to put herself into a box and choose who to be. She now accepts that, while she is all these things, no single identity defines her. She is more than what she does. She strives to be authentic, in all aspects of her life, and she encourages others to do the same.
Lissa practices holistic women’s health at Clear Center of Health in Mill Valley, California. Her nationally-recognized abstract encaustic paintings and sculptures are represented by galleries in San Francisco, Santa Fe, Boston, Atlanta, Laguna Beach, Houston,and Bethesda. She currently resides in Northern California with her husband and fellow artist, Matt Klein, and their daughter, Siena.
Here are some links for you to connect with Lissa, Owning Pink and The Pink Posse:
I had the pleasure of watching Emeril Green, on Planet Green recently. Emeril visited a courageous little town in Hardwick, Vermont. I am courageously dis-attaching from the global food system, and moving to organic small sustainable farms for our food. As Dan Rather asks in this video, where do we get our food and what are we eating? A down on it’s luck, old mining town in Hardwick Vermont started answering those questions by designing a 21st Century food system. The town has been transformed into a community wide farming circle. The global food system is killing our planet, communities and people. Processed products that are shipped on airplanes, contaminated, injected, full of chemicals, grown in bad soil with poor seeds, stored for long periods of time and who knows what, are just bad for our health, and well being Let’s participate together in making this planet a better place for all. We need more communities like Hardwick around the globe.
I recently met an amazing woman named Sheila Ulrich through a mutual Facebook friend. Sheila inspires people by living her authentic life, and has an important message to share. I call that Living In Courage. Sheila helps create a bridge between fear and life. If you are in fear, take her hand and let her walk you to the other side. As I have talked about often at Living in Courage Online, fear is a pesky illusion that the altered ego loves to trip you up with. Do not give it any power. By using the power of love, anything is possible. Sheila’s story “Facing Death, I Found Life” follows.
It wasn’t the familiar voice deep within, the physical exhaustion, or the collapsing career and relationships that got my attention. No, for me it was an ultimatum, live or die. But somewhere at the back of my mind, I had felt it coming; a lingering doubt, a faint premonition, whispers of a tragedy. Facing my own mortality, I woke up, I found myself again, and I found life.
Eleven years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. Stage IV melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, invaded my body. In an instant, my life changed forever. My three young children stared in horror as their mother collapsed in fear. That pain in their eyes almost paralyzed me. Through inconsolable sobs, my heart ached with their pain. They needed me, their mother, to help guide and teach them and share their lives. Even in the shock of the moment of crisis, a piece of me knew the opportunity ahead. My responsibilities as wife, mother, career woman, socialite, and friend had consumed me and I was spinning out of control. The conflict within had surfaced now in disease. I knew this was my opportunity to transform my life. I made a decision, a choice, I chose to live! The urgency to teach my children about life and death sent me searching in multiple directions. I was searching for the answer to save my life and to save my children from living a life of fear.
Doctors, tests, and surgeries became my way of life. The medical community had little to offer for treatment or preventative care. My bodily pain was unbearable, but more than that my spirit was disguised beyond recognition. I felt confused, walking through an unending nightmare. With so many questions and very few answers, I was determined to find another way. Then in a glimpse of a moment the whole world stopped, no sounds, no movement, and complete stillness. The message filled my entire being, “Heal the Whole, Body, Mind and Spirit!” A sense of peace and knowingness so profound no words can describe followed. It was then that my journey into self began. I realized that my inner voice, that hadn’t been listened to for a long time, was screaming to be heard. Little did I know, my journey began at that moment, to find my spirit once again.
Alternative healing methods were introduced to me and a whole new world of hope and possibilities opened up. I tried everything available; homeopathy, naturopathy, spiritual healing, kinesiology, yoga, etc. Through each modality experienced, another piece of me was unveiled. All my painful emotions and experiences, not expressed and discarded, were carried with me as an expression of who I was. Each step along this journey led me to uncover more and more of my life experiences I was defining as me. Who am I anyway? One by one, I began to release all the good and ugly experiences of my life I had carried so long. I began seeing the light once again of who I really was beyond this physical body.
I was transforming me, my life, while my family and friends clung to the old. Many messengers along the way guided and encouraged me to continue. With faith and barely the strength to get through most days, I put one foot in front of the other and continued the journey. As another year went by with no evidence of cancer, I was certain I was traveling the right road. Uncovering layer by layer of this old self was excruciating. It was a journey through the deepest pain and the darkest hell. When would this misery end? When would I be whole again? So many times, tired, angry, and alone, I wanted to quit. With little courage to battle alone, something inside nudged me forward. That still, small voice that had been forgotten was still screaming to be heard. The world had distracted me long enough and I began opening to the infinite knowingness within. The pain became joy, the loneliness peace. I saw clearly how I had created the pain and disease in my physical body to wake up and remember who I really was and my infinite potential. This growing awareness was an outward expansion of me. I saw how I had created the roadblocks and limitations in my life that imprisoned me and how these roadblocks held me back from experiencing the joy, peace and happiness I had been searching for. I began watching myself create the suffering in relationships and experiences, and then knew that it was only in my mind, not me. My mind was creating my suffering. To let go is freedom. I clung so tightly to past experiences and emotional pain because I thought it was me, but the me inside was really free.
The journey that I began to save my body from death became an integration of body, mind and spirit and a gift of awakening. Every moment, I continue my healing journey; a journey back to self, a journey that never ends. Every moment I create my life and continue to remember who I am and why I chose to come. My life has changed forever and I will never be the same again. I experienced death; death of my old self and a rebirth into the infinite creation of life. The experience of truly living each step of this journey was a gift so I could walk others across this bridge of life. I share this gift with you, so you too can find LIFE! Many walk through time feeling a void or lack of purpose and meaning in their life. Don’t wait for a tragedy to hit to wake up and live your dreams. Even in the darkest moment, there is a glimmer of light; a light shining bright enough to lead you to your next step. What is holding you back from expressing who you really are and living your life in joy?
Truly Alive with Sheila Ulrich Radio Show is all about HEALING.
Healing is restoring and becoming whole to live life fully. Together we can heal no matter where we are in our life cycle or what our life circumstances. Listen to our experts as we lead you on a journey of healing ALL of you. Sharing amazing stories of healing and living life fully will inspire you to be Truly Alive. Most importantly connect with friends who remind you, you are never really alone. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Sheila-Ulrich
I want to talk to you about my courageous friend Jack Hennings. He has a miracle story, which speaks of Living In Courage to me. In 1993 Jack found out he had Leukemia – Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia throughout his whole body. At one point his bone marrow was 98% impacted, with only 2% viable and functioning. Jack also had a 6 lb. mass of lymph nodes in his abdomen. Emergency chemo helped shrink the mass. In one more week, his kidneys would have exploded. He had to sign a waver that the emergency chemo that night could kill him. This was a significant night in Jack’s life, he did not know if he would live or die. He lived.
The mass was decreased in size and Jack took chemotherapy on and off for 10 years after that. During that 10 year period there were two other times Jack almost died. After 10 years he had exhausted all chemo resources. Radiation was not an option because the cancer was in his bone marrow and lymph nodes. A Stem Cell transplant was the only option to save Jack. The Stem Cell transplant was done in 2003. Jack’s brother Sam Hennings was a perfect match as a donor. One in 35 Million!
After the transplant there were complications. The new immune system Jack developed was his brother Sam’s, which was too strong for Jack’s ailing body. He had to be on immuno suppressants for about a year to allow his body to develop the strength to handle his brothers immune system. Jack became stronger and stronger. The cancer has been gone 6 years. Jack believes that the Stem Cell transplant was a miracle that saved his life. Jack’s doctor was Dr. Lenard Sender at UCI Medical Center in Orange, CA.
Jack and his beautiful wife Debra are happily living a dream life. Their new website coast2coastinteriors is in development and will be up in July 2009. Jack has a great vision for his life and will share it soon with the world. It is a joy to be around Jack because he is joyful gratitude in motion – alive and vital. Courageous Hero’s come in many forms. Jack is my Hero, as is his brother Sam.
Below is a video of Dr. Lenard Sender who is a leading advocate for a neglected demographic: young adults with cancer. He joined some of his patients at a recent Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week at UC Irvine.
My friend Sean Swarner (A Courage Expert) and the Cancer Climbing Expedition are offering a Climbing Expedition/ Safari to Africa. I told Sean I would share this opportunity with you. How awesome would it be to spend some time with hero’s who are truly Living In Courage? Here is a complete itinerary of the expedition, links to Sean’s websites and a video of his courageous journey. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone looking for adventure.
Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 6:00am
End Time: Sunday, August 9, 2009 at 6:00pm
Location: Tanzania, Africa
Description: Africa… The very name calls to mind images of breath-taking landscapes, endless savannahs, magnificent animals, proud ancestral tribes and above all… safaris!!
Begin your odyssey into the heart of creation as you venture across hundreds of miles of wilderness, let your mind wander millions of years into the past…see untouched earth and wildlife as you can nowhere else… No other experience measures up to an African safari, unless it begins with an expedition up Mt. Kilimanjaro.
The snowy summit, hovering above the plains of this wondrous continent, radiates majesty and awe. The quiet solitude of viewing the world from above the clouds, seeing Africa from its highest point…there’s nothing that stirs your soul like this. Experience the magic of Kilimanjaro and wonder of an African safari in one life-changing expedition!!
Join Sean and the CancerClimber Association as we experience the magic of a Kilimanjaro expedition before celebrating with a beautiful Serengeti Safari. $500 of your expedition goes to support CancerClimber and their programs as we encourage you to raise more for the charity.
Participation is very limited so please reserve your spot now! Those interested please email sean@cancerclimber.org with any questions or to request a detailed itinerary (July 25 – Aug 9 in and out of the country). $5500 (US) includes EVERYTHING but airfare…your 6-day expedition and 5-day safari!!
The first 10 who sign up receive free safari hat and trekking poles. EVERY skill-level is invited to participate!! This is NOT a technical climb, but an endurance hike to over 19,000 feet….
CANCERCLIMBER EXPEDITION
ARRIVAL INTO TANZANIA
July 26 – Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Private transport from airport to Moshi,
Tanzania to hotel.
KILIMANJARO EXPEDITION
July 27 – Recovery day from flight.
July 28 – Machame Gates to Machame Huts.
The drive from Moshi to the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate takes about 50 minutes. The journey
passes through the village of Machame (located on the lower slopes of the mountain). Once we
reach the park gate, climbers are requested to make their final preparations for the climb. Porters
will be seen arranging their packs containing the food, water, firewood, and other equipment.
Make sure that you have all your daypack items with you as the porters travel very quickly. The
guides will be pleased to assist with any additional information. We now leave the park gate and
walk through the rain forest on a winding trail. Lower down, it can be very muddy and very
slippery. Gaiters and trekking poles are a good idea. We continue until we reach the Machame
Hut. Here we make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and sleep. We have now reached an altitude of
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