Carla gives Tammy a quick history lesson on South Africa’s apartheid era vernacular in response to criticism of the word “junkie” to describe a person who died from an overdose only to be revived. Is vagrant better? You cannot fix problems if you cannot call things by their proper names. Corrupting language is a tool of tyrants.
Wonderful to see a new mover settle in! This beautiful A-frame country living life in the Free State could be YOURS for the low, low price of LIBEEEEERTY! Babies optional. 
Seriously though, when I look back and realize the life I wanted to build when I moved to NH in 2008 is manifesting, it fills me with joy.
Things like: Being able to bring cut flowers from my own yard to a party! After a lifetime of moving, HAVING MY OWN BACKYARD!! That half those flowers were herbs (chives & sage) and that the salad I took also contained my own spearmint (and I just remembered I forgot the dill! lol).
I only became a homeowner in my mid-40s. I believe finally having a home-base allowed me the “safe space” I needed to unpack my shit, deal with bad habits I’d developed to cope with my shit, and to heal, grow, and now thrive.
If you’re struggling with something, may I offer the following wisdom: NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO, THERE YOU ARE.
Here’s your permission slip: It’s okay to stand still and gaze at your navel. BUT, if you want to get better and become the best version of yourself that you can be, it starts with restoring YOUR HEALTH.
HEAL THY SELF = heal(thy) self
I cannot overstate the importance of instilling good habits in your life. Good habits are ROUTINES that make you healthier. Yes, literally doing the same things over and over until it’s… ROUTINE–like brushing your teeth!
Things like:
Sleep
The food you choose to fuel your body with (I choose whole foods that are low-carb, medium protein, high good fats, no alcohol or seed oils, and I avoid sugar but love dark chocolate)
How you fill your time (your time is your life… how are you spending your LIFE?)
Sunlight on your beautiful face
These are a few of our favorite things! How lucky are we to be alive? Choose to thrive!
Tune in to hear about the free rides you can get to go hike. The “Dpt of Housing Stability” gets put on hold, yay. And more local NH news.
Have y’all heard about Earthing?
Watched a documentary last night that claims you can heal inflammation by putting your bare feet on the ground for 15 minutes daily (or use grounding techniques in your home).
The idea is that as electro-conducting beings, wearing rubber-soled shoes all the time makes our bodies sick.
This morning I thought, I reckon, why not give it a whirl? Besides dirty feet, I can’t think of one good reason.
My morning routine will now incorporate barefoot gardening and animal care and… cartwheels!
I’m either getting healthier by the day or reverting to my childhood, or, best option: why not both!?! Either way, I feel GREAT and want to share what works!
For me, that includes:
Selfishly guarding my time
Eating whole foods: low carb, medium protein, high good fats
Avoiding sugar & seed oils
Alcohol-free living
Watching sunrise & set
Daily exercise (45 min dog walks in forest/yoga/stretches & weekly weights)
Quality sleep to allow my brain to detox
Fasting (daily IF & monthly 5 days)
Interacting with people who make me happy!
May you find what YOU need to feel optimally grounded in YOUR life!
Experiment, identify, incorporate and make routines! Good habits are developed, one CHOICE at a time! The more you CHOOSE wisely, the easier it becomes! 
The Earthing Movie: The Remarkable Science of Grounding (full documentary)
A new tool that tells you exactly the zoning requirements at any address in NH? Wut??? Cool beans.
Check it out: NH ZONING ATLAS.
Ag, Ma sent this photo of us in Stockholm, Sweden, where they were stationed at the South African Embassy (1983-1986), and my sister, Lizette posted the group photo below from Pretoria Girl’s High’s boarding school, where she and I had residence during the school term.
That smile!
When I was 9/10-ish, there was a “beauty contest” at our primary school, and the Grand Prize was a travel-sized hairdryer.
I really, really wanted that hairdryer, a modern marvel back in 1981 in Africa.
So I decided I would perfect my smile like a “real beauty queen”. I don’t recall how many hours I practiced, but it was enough that even to this day, more than 40 years later, if I catch my own eyes in a mirror, I automatically smile.
Why does this matter? Because YOU can perfect your own smile, and should!
Smiling is proven to improve your health. It helps you stay positive, elevates your mood, may lower blood pressure, reduces stress, improves your immune system, and helps you live longer!
But the best bennie? IT’S CONTAGIOUS: Smile and the world smiles with you!
Wishing you the smile-y-est of weeks. Take the time somewhere in your busy life to catch your own eyes and smile at yourself. Make it a habit. You deserve it!
[PS: Fwiw, I won that hairdryer but my sister didn’t speak to me for weeks. lol]
“Public health” is an oxymoron. What is “the public” if not made up of individuals? What is “health” if not the state of one’s own body? How can the most personal of things be collectivized in a way that makes YOU deny YOUR OWN INDIVIDUAL PHYSICAL NEEDS for a GROUP?
If ever, you thought, “Ugh, why am I wearing this mask?” but continued to obey, you have some soul searching to do.
If ever you thought, “Wait, these rules in restaurants make no sense,” but continued to obey, you have some soul searching to do.
If you ever thought, “I can’t believe the kids’ schools are still closed,” but continued to obey, you have some soul searching to do.
While searching your soul, perhaps consider the following:
1. Who controls the fear factor in your brain?
2. How were you manipulated into acting against your own physical interests in the name of “care for others”?
3. If you were suckered into such behavior, what can you do to not repeat your failures in the future?
4. What steps are you taking to optimize your health?
5. If your body is a temple but “the public’s” body is a dumpster fire, is it your obligation to risk your health for theirs? (No.)
6. What does it mean if we live in a system where the healthy, responsible, contributing people are being sacrificed on the altar of bad policies protecting those making the poorest choices?
7. Why are only the poorest choices encouraged? Keep in mind, your “public health” officials closed public parks, gyms & green space, told ppl to stay inside, told you not to get sunlight, outlawed safe & cheap medicines that worked, told you to cover your life force with a dirty rag for hours on end, and tried to scare you to death.
I hope YOU will pledge to always mindfully put yourself first. If anyone tells you to do something that “doesn’t feel right,” TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS and DISOBEY. Welcome to the resistance! Live free and thrive!
This week, we delve into Manchester’s homelessness numbers provided to the Aldermen yesterday and condemn Joyce Craig’s reign of error and bad policies that exacerbate the problem, because, as we like to say… incentives matter: what’s the carrot and what is the stick?