by Heather Ford-Helgeson
August 12th, 2011
My husband and I moved into our second home in South Minneapolis last spring. Our first we owned for eight years and though we loved out home, we did not love our street; busy, loud, and we hardly new anyone around us. The home across the street was a rental and the renters were the worst! These guys couldn't have been less than 30-years old and yet still had a juvenile infatuation with fireworks. Though the worst of their pop-crack-popping was over July 4th, they did not feel inclined to regulate their hobby to one month; bringing out the annoying nose-makers at various times throughout the year, mainly late in the night. We would find firework shells on our roof and in our lawn all the time. It saddens me to say this, but I really hate the fourth of July now. Ugh! I hope that changes over time.
I have a pretty good chance of getting over my 4th of July hangup now as I am in neighbor heaven. When Matt and I closed on our current house, we took the first week to clean and paint before we officially moved in. Within that first week, all of our neighbors directly around us came and introduced themselves. We were shocked and pleasantly so. I was pregnant at the time and we even received baby gifts from some of the neighbors! I still get choked up just thinking about it.
One of the highlights for me has been our neighbors to the north. We don't chat all that often, as we're all busy, but when we do, it's comfortable and easy and I get the best feeling from them and, the kicker, their landscaping it an absolutely wonder! Eric, the garden master, has been working on his yards for over 18 years and every single bit is perfectly sculpted. I try so hard not to stare too long but I have to admit, when I wake up and pull back my curtains in my bedroom most mornings, I spend at least a few minutes dreamily looking into his back-yard; fountains and ponds, container gardens, perennial grasses everywhere, white tall-phlox so tall and gorgeous they make my heart skip a beat, and so much more! His work inspires me and makes me love my block all the more, as I am proud to have a neighbor of such grand creativity and imagination. It will take me a long time, I have no doubt, but I will make my yards into something that makes me feel how I do when I look into Eric's yard; peaceful and hopeful.
Eric has a blog entitled Garden Drama and please click the title and check it out. You will learn something, I guarantee it, and you will be inspired to if not garden, to at least enjoy gardens all the more.
Is there a garden and/or gardener that inspires you? If so, tell us all about them in the comment section below. We'd love to read about it.
Thanks for your time and I'll write again soon.
Take care.
Some Physical Pains May Be in Our Heads
by Heather Ford-Helgeson
August 5th, 2011
We have all heard someone say something along the lines of, “Oh, I love to garden (or insert whatever hobby or sport here) but I can’t do it anymore because of my back (or knee, or ankle, etc).” I’ve said it in the past myself. I had back troubles starting at 16. In my mid-twenties it was especially bad as every couple of weeks my back would “go out” and I would spend most of my time laying in agony and if I had to leave my bed, I'd have to crawl. Chiropractors didn't help, a back specialist didn't help, what finally helped was exercise. I lost 25 pounds, got down to 23% body-fat and my back episodes came fewer and farther between and I accredited it to strengthening my stomach and other muscles. However, a spot in my back remained sensitive to the touch, started to get bad again and then I started having pains in my neck and shoulders. Any specialist or doctor I’d see, they would tell me I had a slipped disc. This year I’d had it and had an MRI and there was nothing. Nothing! So finally, after two years of my husband pushing me to, I read a book.
The book is, Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by John Sarno. Using numerous examples, Sarno illustrates how our bodies, and backs in particular, are designed to handle an immense amount of physical toll but we are not so great at handling stress and worry. He believes those things are causing our back problems, and a lot of other physical pains, more than anything else. Take, for instance, stomach ulcers, something that use to plague a lot of people but as medications and surgical procedures fixed them, they became rare. Suddenly, back pain, digestive issues, and conditions like fibromyalgia took the forefront. Sarno believes that the body will find a physical out for mental issues and if one physical malady is medically cured but the underlying mental issue that started the pain is not resolved, the mind will find another part of the body for the pain. It's an interesting perspective and I’ve decided to take it as my own.
I think exercise helped me a lot in the beginning in part because of the strength I gained, especially in my stomach muscles, but it also helped me mentally as a release. However, the mind is tricky and since I wasn't dealing with the things in my life that were troubling me, eventually the exercise ceased to do the trick and my brain found it's outage again by causing more pain. In reading this book, I am learning to tell when I'm suppressing something and having a physical reaction to it. When my shoulders start to tighten or that spot in my lower back starts to hurt, I tell myself over and over again, there's no reason for the pain, it's mental and my stresses don't belong in my body and with enough concentration, this usually works.
Pain is important, it helps us know when something is wrong and when we have it on a regular basis, it is prudent to get help to find out where the pain is coming from. However, if there is no physical malady, our mind is the next best place to look. Perhaps we cannot completely fix how we handle the emotional parts of life, but in being aware of where we store our stress and sadness, that in its self can be the beginning of then end to chronic pain.
August 5th, 2011
The book is, Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by John Sarno. Using numerous examples, Sarno illustrates how our bodies, and backs in particular, are designed to handle an immense amount of physical toll but we are not so great at handling stress and worry. He believes those things are causing our back problems, and a lot of other physical pains, more than anything else. Take, for instance, stomach ulcers, something that use to plague a lot of people but as medications and surgical procedures fixed them, they became rare. Suddenly, back pain, digestive issues, and conditions like fibromyalgia took the forefront. Sarno believes that the body will find a physical out for mental issues and if one physical malady is medically cured but the underlying mental issue that started the pain is not resolved, the mind will find another part of the body for the pain. It's an interesting perspective and I’ve decided to take it as my own.
I think exercise helped me a lot in the beginning in part because of the strength I gained, especially in my stomach muscles, but it also helped me mentally as a release. However, the mind is tricky and since I wasn't dealing with the things in my life that were troubling me, eventually the exercise ceased to do the trick and my brain found it's outage again by causing more pain. In reading this book, I am learning to tell when I'm suppressing something and having a physical reaction to it. When my shoulders start to tighten or that spot in my lower back starts to hurt, I tell myself over and over again, there's no reason for the pain, it's mental and my stresses don't belong in my body and with enough concentration, this usually works.
Pain is important, it helps us know when something is wrong and when we have it on a regular basis, it is prudent to get help to find out where the pain is coming from. However, if there is no physical malady, our mind is the next best place to look. Perhaps we cannot completely fix how we handle the emotional parts of life, but in being aware of where we store our stress and sadness, that in its self can be the beginning of then end to chronic pain.
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Hello again.
Just a quick note to tell you that you can join the Digging Deeper blog by clicking to the right of this post where it says Join Digging Deeper. You can also invite friends, if you would like!
We welcome your company, your questions, your suggestions, and your comments.
Thanks so much and enjoy the weekend!
Take care,
Heather Ford-Helgeson
social media manager, writer, planter diva for HSG
Just a quick note to tell you that you can join the Digging Deeper blog by clicking to the right of this post where it says Join Digging Deeper. You can also invite friends, if you would like!
We welcome your company, your questions, your suggestions, and your comments.
Thanks so much and enjoy the weekend!
Take care,
Heather Ford-Helgeson
social media manager, writer, planter diva for HSG
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