Happy Saturday, dear friends. If you have been reading the news with me over the past few months, you know we are experiencing a tremendously bitter winter. Sometimes, in the midst of it, we forget that others are going through stuff as well.
My mother called me today to tell me that her dining room ceiling caved in. Ice from the gutters backed up into the roof and leaked inside, saturating the sheet rock and causing the cave in.
She and my dad were able to move and cover all the furniture, but they will have to wait until the spring thaw to repair the damage.
This kind of amazes me, as we have been experiencing these types of leaks in our home for about 10 years. We figured out a way to allow the water to enter and exit of its own accord, as we are not in the position right now to effect major repairs.
My parents though, have recently replaced their whole roof, installing a moisture proof guard around the entire perimeter and added larger gutters in an effort to avoid this type of situation in the first place.
What it teaches me, is that no matter what we do to prepare for, or guard against some future outcome, if we are meant to experience it, we most certainly will. Having the ability to flow with situations, figuring out ways to allow them their natural course, if we do encounter them, allows us to stay centered in the moment.
Having faith in our ability to handle changes and challenges is key. As we move forward in the new energies, our focus on preparing for the worst will begin to shift as we come on board with the personal truth that what occurs in our lives is divinely inspired for our evolution. All experiences are then embraced and honored. This doesn’t mean we have to like them, we just trust that they are perfect.
Tiny balls of baking soda may help soak up extra carbon from the atmosphere.
In a recent article, we shared a study that showed Afforestation, or planting more trees in the world, to be the most efficient and cheapest method of clearing excess carbon from our atmosphere.
Afforestation, coupled with reduced industrial emissions will have a significant impact in keeping our atmosphere clean and in proper working order. The reducing emissions part is, of course, the clunker in the above sentence. How do we get old style industry to address this factor, if doing so will increase their costs significantly?
This article describes an amazing new technology for doing just that. Tiny beads of baking soda, a compound very familiar in baking and natural house hold cleaning, appear to suck carbon right out of the air when placed in large groups.
Once the baking soda balls are filled with carbon, they can then be heated and the carbon is released for storage or use in other processes. The balls are then ready to go back to work again. This aspect makes the product highly sustainable, and decreases the cost of implementation because the beads can be used over and over again.
Researchers are working towards creating a platform for industrial use which will place grated baskets of baking soda beads in the path of exhaust flow. This would significantly decrease the emission of carbon into the atmosphere. While the process could not be used for moving vehicles, because carbon is surprisingly heavy and requires significant storage space, retrofitting factories with this technology will have a significant environmental impact.
What is also interesting in this article is the tacit admission that current carbon harvesting techniques cost a lot of money and also create other environmental issues. This option appears to be cost effective, sustainable and only have positive environmental impact.
While we all look to the day when manufacturing can be accomplished with no impact on our blessed mother earth, I applaud researchers who are investigating healthier ways to bridge the transition between now and then.
A small voice in the wilderness calls to children to dump homework and simply play.
I cannot tell you how much I learned as a child, roaming through the woods with my friends. We built forts, learned to forage for food, created magical kingdoms and learned to tell time by the shadows on trees. I fell in love with biology at this age, and went on to excel in it high school before taking it as my course of study at university. A photograph of a salamander pales in compassion sifting through the leaf litter and discovering a live one to investigate.
When my kids were born, and they began school, it appeared that they would have limited time for these types of pursuits, because they were loaded down with take home work sheets and homework. We made sure to focus a lot of free time in nature and with family on the weekends because this was very important to us.
My husband and I discussed this overwhelming homework fact, as he had not had any homework as a child until high school level. For me, homework began in the 6th grade, at about the age of 11. Time after school was spent, playing with friends, doing chores, taking ballet and piano lessons, reading and imagining.
Recent studies have shown that excessive homework for young children has no bearing on future academic success. Studies also indicate that time spent in idle imagination and personal inquiry is necessary to develop a fully balanced intellect. When we place imagination and self discovery in second position, behind rote book learning, we inhibit the full blossoming of the individual significantly.
A public school in New York City, after reviewing reams of research and holding discussions on the subject, has sent a letter home to parents. They are banning after school homework from the curriculum of the Pre-K through 5th grade school. They ask instead that the children limit television and video usage and get outside and play with friends, read books or spend time with their families.
I truly believe this is a step in the right direction. Many parents, though, have been indoctrinated into the view that the more work a child has, the smarter they will become. The reality of this sad experience is a child who experiences stress during a time when they should be led by their innocence and curiosity.
It may take some time for other schools to catch up with this idea, which is being viewed as almost educational heresy, but I hope they do. The more we can support the innocence and creativity of children, limiting their indoctrination into habitual beliefs about education and living in the world, the more we move forward into our bright new future.
Elementary School Dumps Homework and Tells Kids to Play Instead by Heather Holland for DNAinfo
And finally…
Your daily dose of humor.
The cats visit us again today for more laughs. Even if you do not own a cat, I am sure you can admit that they certainly do a lot of silly things. Silly things make us laugh, and laughter is indeed the best medicine!
Cats doing what cats do on YouTube
That’s the news for today. Have a hopeful day. I hope to see you back here tomorrow for some Feel Good News.
Be Well. Be Joy. Be Love!
Alex