Can't Believe It

Cannot believe it has been over 4 months since I last posted. A lot has been going on! The summer was hot, kids went back to school in August which in and of itself is a full-time job with shopping for uniforms, school supplies, clothing, shoes, dental and ophthalmologist appointments. Whew!! Then I took a course and passed my Series 215 which means I am now licensed to sell Health and Life Insurances. I let go of my Series 7 and Series 63 over 15 years ago so it felt good to go in and get this done. I am a firm believer in continuously learning everything that I can. Hurricane Irma came in a whirlwind (no pun intended) and September was a bit chaotic with lack of electricity, no school, no work, throwing away what had spoiled in the refrigerator and cooking with no electricity. I threw away what I had in the fridge but am still thankful that I have a nice amount of dehydrated foods in my cupboard. I also had to throw away 2 Quart bottles that each had different dehydrated peppers. I used incorrect lids which allowed moisture to set in so the peppers had a soft consistency instead of being able to break off. Lesson Learned! So even though I have been dehydrating for years, I still learned something new. Luckily it was only 2 jars. I always stress self-sustainability and was feeling good that I was able to cook on my eco-zoom (purchase many years ago) on my balcony. It takes any wood, sticks, and charcoal to get a nice little fire going and with my cast iron pan on top Voila! We cooked the chicken before it went bad, rice, and veggies. We have our Big Berkey water filter which we had used to bottle our water before the hurricane so we didn't have to run to the store and all the craziness going on. It's also a teaching moment for my kids to understand that if we are prepared with the right knowledge and tools almost anything can be overcome in a stress-free environment. I'm not saying it was easy because it hit 100* in our apartment and there was no wind. That was tough! But we stayed hydrated and after a few days left to stay with family until the utilities returned.

Community is very important especially during a crisis. Having plans in place to help your neighbors is essential. We all live on this one planet and we need to take care of each other to make it better for future generations. My neighbor gave me charcoal and ice and I loaned them an extra Coleman camp stove since they had the butane. We shared our resources and that always feels good. As the saying goes, no man is an island.

Another place that has a nice community is at the Coconut Grove Farmers Market which I've been at for a few months now and have only wonderful things to say about it. The vendors are fantastic and the people I have met that have bought Kombucha, Jams, or other products from The Monkey's Banana are amazing! I love that the shoppers at this market are so savvy about Organic, Non-Gmo, yet those that don't have that full knowledge are so willing to learn and make positive changes to their lifestyle, The holistic approach is one of mind, body, and spirit. The knowledge continues to grow and the expectation of what will be accomplished is a game changer.

To make change, write down a list of what interests you and number accordingly. Start with one item, learn and practice and once you are comfortable with that one item you move on to the next. This way you don't  feel overwhelmed. and before you know it you will have learned so much and your health, skin, and manner of dealing with stress will be better than before.  

Blessings to you,
Z