Vitamin D

"There was a 25% jump in blood levels of vitamin D in people who popped the probiotic lactobacillus reuteri." Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism

Those of us who live in the northern hemisphere tend to have low vitamin D levels because it is difficult to get enough sunlight to produce the vitamin D in our bodies.  This is good news that there is another way to boost those levels.  However, I checked the probiotic I have in the refrigerator and it does not say lactobacillus reuteri; it says just lactobacillus acidophilus -- so apparently not all probiotics contain the same bacteria.  This might be worth checking out if you have been tested and told you have low levels of vitamin D in your blood. 

Telling the truth is an important thing to do in life, and I some times wonder how telling the truth compares to what Abraham recommends -- that we never resist anything.  Can we tell the truth without resisting something or someone?  That is a balance.  Perhaps the best way is to tell "the truth" without having to show someone else they are wrong.  Dysfunctional systems flourish in secrecy and in denying the truth, with truth being defined as the basic facts.  It is important in those cases to speak the facts when not doing so is affecting us personally.  Whenever anyone is being affected adversely, it is our ethical obligation to speak the facts about that.

Fall Colors

"The archangel Rafael's name means "Healer of God", and this archangel is gateway to fall."  Joan Borysenko

The colors have already started to change here, and the days seem so much shorter.  The dark evenings seem to come especially early.  According to Borysenko, fall is the perfect time to be introspective.  The energies of fall help to bring unconscious matter to consciousness.  It is also a time of healing between opposites.  Where I live always has a gorgeous fall.  It is a wonderful time to get out in and nature and spend some time in meditation.

Brain Food

"Noshing on the best brainy foods can lower your risk of dementia by a whopping 70 to 80%" Neal Barnard, MD

These brain foods are:

nuts and seeds
berries
colorful vegetables
legumes
vitamin B12

An easy way to protect our brains is to eat these foods and take this supplement.

Homemade Sanitizer

"Avoid harsh chemicals and make your own hand sanitizer." Sarah Snow, green-living expert and author

1/2 cup pure aloe vera gel
1 1/2 teaspoon witch hazel
15 drops tea tree oil
5 drops lavender essential oil

I like to keep hand sanitizer in my purse, and this sounds like a lovely recipe. 

Open Minds

"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Terry Prachett

An amusing truism.  I like to maintain an open mind, and I have often been puzzled when people then try to convince me of their way of thinking.  Sometimes I have wondered if having an open mind can be misperceived by some as being weak.  It is not weak.  Having an open mind is the only way we can live life and learn by our experiences.  It does not mean that we do not have our own ideas and values; it does mean that we are willing to listen to your ideas --but,  listening to other's ideas does not mean we will adopt them.  It is just that people with open minds want to make sure they have considered all sides.  Having an open mind is a healthy way to live.

Spirituality

"Religion is belief in someone else's experience. Spirituality is having your own experience." Deepak Chopra

Someone quoted Deepak Chopra as saying, "Religion is for people who want to avoid hell.  Spirituality is for people who have already been there."  I'm not he actually said this, but it is an amusing truism.  People who are spiritual do seem to have integrated the unsavory aspects of themselves -- which is a journey all evolving souls must make.  A truly spiritual person is not going to say something incongruent from his/her behavior, because the soul journey enables one to be congruent in words and actions.  Is your experience internal and intimate with God as you understand God?