Getting going with growing Part 2

Last time I wrote about our garden we had just started getting established.

A month later and the garden is growing in many ways, as are the gardeners! We have had our ups and downs of course but there is enough success to keep me going ;) I am learning to be more in tune with nature, more observant and responsive. I am learning through doing, trial and error, which is really quite motivating, although the thought of eating our own lettuce sandwiches real soon is quite motivating in itself of course!

I am also finding the time in the garden really quite rejuvenating. It is like a quiet break for my brain and even weeding is not a real chore. My little man was quite unwell for a week or two so time in the garden was limited and I did find that I actually missed it... we haven't had the garden for that long but it is already becoming a habit.


Here's the round up:

The highs:

• the lettuces are growing beautifully and hearting up, I am just about to put another lot of lettuce seedlings so we can keep it going
• the tomato plants are also doing really well, I have staked them up and they now have flowers on them too 
• the strawberry plants in the glasshouse are much bigger than those outside but both have flowers and are doing fine
• we have planted some pepper, cabbage, cauliflower and spinach plants, all of which are doing well 
• the garlic in the glasshouse is going well and the onions outside are now looking stable 
• the wire over the outside beds is working well at keeping the cat from sunbathing in the garden beds 
• we have collected enough eggshells to create the slug equivalent of barbed wire fencing to help protect our leafy greens 
• I have also shifted a little lemon tree and so far it looks as though it is thriving in it's new spot 
  
• the compost bin is working well and we have a great seaweed soup working away... hopefully we will have some lovely homemade fertilizer to use soon (I stir this regularly and have just added some more water to the mix too) 

The lessons: 

• the corn I planted has died (well it is yellowed and mostly lying flat)... combination of not planting as soon as I got it, stormy weather hitting after it was planted, our unscheduled week away in hospital where watering was sporadic... and I am wondering if the soil was unsuitable, perhaps needed more compost and less sheep poo? Will protect it better next time too 
• my bean seedlings wilted and died... I left them in the seedling tray too long and they dried out then I overwatered them... note to self, prepare the beds before you need them to reduce delays when plants are ready for planting 
• my pumpkin seedlings that I planted did not do well either, they were planted at the same time and in the same bed as the corn so I need to investigate that a little with the next lot 
• my marigolds that I am planting with the vegies don't seem to be thriving but the plants are so I will wear that 

So I still have to learn about nursing those small seedlings that I have grown from seeds, the striking of seeds has never been a problem and my father used to take the seedlings for the next step so now I have to find out how to do it right... we will get there, this is all part of the adventure of the beginner gardener. 

Food fighting

So when did food become so complicated?

Lately I have had a few interesting things coming up on my newsfeeds that have got me asking this question. As a former health educator I have an interest in food and it's contribution to our wellbeing. I am also interested in research around health and wellbeing.

Here's the thing though, there are proponents of particular diets (being more about food choices people make rather than options to lose weight) and ways of eating battling it out on social media using research and it almost seems like a battle of 'my research is bigger than your research'.

What concerns me is that some people are using research to share their opinions as absolutes. Research rarely offers that much certainty. When using research to support a position I think it is wise to consider some of the following: (I am sure there are other questions to consider as well but this is a starter)

• Who has sponsored or requested the research? 
• What questions were asked?
• What questions are not asked? 
• Is the sample size large enough to make generalisations? 
• What is the range for the sample?
• Is it a diverse population or a specific population? 
• How has the research been conducted? Are you comfortable that the process is fair? 
• What are the findings?
• Who stands to gain from the results of the research? 
• What questions do you have after reading the research? 
• If you are really committed you may want to explore the references to see how widely the researchers have explored the topic. 

Then you can state your position referencing the research in a manner that acknowledges the limitations i.e. some research states ... "there is evidence that for people in xxx situation this works".  I just don't think we can be so sure especially when we are talking about food. 

Our knowledge is changing all the time. It wasn't so long ago that eggs were the bad guys but now they are OK, then it was potatoes at some stage too if I recall correctly. See the image here, eating tapeworms (sanitised of course because that is healthier?!?) as a method to manage weight? Not sure how well researched that method was at the time, or is now, but let's say I am thinking with my limited biological knowledge that whilst losing weight is likely I would have a whole lot of questions about other potential side effects.

It seems to me that there's a huge amount of advice and research out there about food and diets, much of it conflicting. I am all for embracing new knowledge but I do wonder if we become too hung up on what we are eating, do we lose the satisfaction we can feel from enjoying our food? The other day I had some slices of fresh orange and the taste was amazing, sweet, juicy, cool, tasty... YUM! It was a moment of mindful eating and absolute delicious joy.

From my perspective if what you choose to eat helps your body work better and feel better then that's great but let's not assume that it is the answer for everyone's body. We live in different places with different climates and food sources, we have different levels and types of activity, we may react to different foods differently... our circumstances are kind of unique despite the similarities in our anatomy. When we run around labeling food as good or bad, then we risk judging ourselves as being good or bad depending on what, when, where and/or how much we eat, and that can lead to negative emotional responses including guilt... who needs more guilt!?

Perhaps what we need to do is get back to basics by learning to listen to our own bodies again rather than being told by the media, marketers and manufacturers what we should or shouldn't eat this week? We are born knowing what our bodies need and perhaps we have allowed ourselves to become ignorant and easily influenced. I know I am not an expert but would like to think that if we could find some way to reconnect with our own needs, and remove the guilt from food and eating, then perhaps we would all be happier and healthier. 

The big bad red bug

I have been absent from the blog for a little while as we have been in hospital with our little man, we are home now and hopeful that things will continue to improve.

To help explain what was going on we talked to our little boy about the bug and that the doctors were trying to find it so they could help his body stop it hurting him. I talked with him about this bug and what it might look like and where it might be... I thought it was probably a green a spiky but my very unwell little boy was adamant that this particular bug was red, just red.

I wrote this poem for our little man and we have read it often. It has prompted a lot of discussion including where the big bad red bug might be hiding out, what the robot machine is doing, how the little army inside is working hard etc. Even though we are home my little guy asked me to read him the poem again and then exclaimed that the big bad red bug is gone with his cough and the robot machine has it... here's hoping!

Big bad red bug- A poem for Will J

By Megan Gallagher

The big bad red bug is lurking inside

It comes out and makes trouble and then it hides

My army of helpers that live inside me

Are searching throughout to find it you see

But that big bad red bug is sneaky it’s true

It hurts me and makes me feel hot and cold too

My army needs help so we call in the team

Doctors and nurses take some blood to screen

They’re looking for clues to help them to find

That big bad red bug and where it hides

The blood tests come back, a clue they all shout

Let’s give you some medicine to scare that bug out

The put a handy tube into my vein

So we can put an end to that red bugs’ mean game

It means that I have a special bandage to wear

And a robot machine that gets the medicine there

It takes a while for that bad red bug to be found

It knows it’s in trouble so it goes underground

But eventually big bad red bug is through

Thanks to my own army and the medicine too

I need lots of rest, fresh water and hugs

To recover from that mean nasty big bad red bug

Soon I’ll feel better and my own army will too

I wonder what colour your bug would be if this happened to you? 

Are you being a human being right now?

Are you a human being? Of course you are in scientific terms but let's think a little wider.

What else might you be if you are not being a human being? 

Well you could be a human doing or a human been. 

A human doing is busy. They are always thinking about 'stuff''. They may be worrying about things. Committed human doings are likely to be perfectionists and/or procrastinators. They are likely to say yes even when they aren't sure they have the time or energy to add another thing to the list. They avoid silence, there is always something happening. 

Some of this may come from people pleasing, some of it could be a way of avoiding facing ourselves, some of it might just be habit. 

A human been spends time living in the past. They worry over old regrets. They may relive past events in their minds and hold on to old hurts. They are afraid to step out of their comfort zone because they may have failed in the past. 

Some of this may come from being hurt, some of it could be to avoid taking risks, some of it might be because they want to resolve something from their past. 

A human being is focused on what is happening here and now. They notice the taste of their food, what they see and feel. They appreciate that what is happening right now will pass. This does not mean that they are living in a perpetual bliss with every moment wonderful but that they are aware of themselves in the moments as they move through life. 

This for me is where mindfulness resides and there is a whole lot of good news about practicing mindfulness for mental, social, emotional and physical health.  

Many spiritual masters and mindfulness experts talk about human being/doing dynamics. I have a feeling for most of us we are a little of the three types mentioned above at different times. It is useful to raise our awareness though and know what type of human we are in different circumstances so we can balance ourselves better, improve our sense of empowerment and even improve our relationships with others.

At the moment I am in a human doing zone... there is a lot happening and at times it has been threatening to overwhelm me. In the midst of this chaos (and trust me it has felt a little chaotic) I have created moments of clarity and simplicity which have helped me cope. This morning for example I put my little boy who has been unwell this week in the pushchair and took the dogs for a walk. It was a gorgeous spring morning here and we stopped to talk to a couple of older ladies who patted the dogs, looked closely at a train (the way that some of the machinery is visible is quite neat so we were able to look at springs and pistons etc), noticed the stunning blossom on a weeping cherry tree and enjoyed going down hills fast and over the bumpy gravel. This hour out of a busy and tiring time was the best medicine ever and that is because I left the house as a human being not a human been or human doing... it could just have easily been doing another thing to cross off my to do list or a time where I allowed my mind to wander to worrying over problems from the past or what else I needed to get done. The frame of mind I chose did not change what I did but it made a significant difference in how I felt and what I gained from the time spent. 

It has taken me a long time to understand that it is OK to switch off from our mind chatter, the world will not stop if we do. I am so grateful for this awareness, it is empowering. We cannot always choose the circumstances we are presented with but we can sometimes choose the type of human that we are in those circumstances.  

To help get started just every so often check in with yourself and ask what sort of human am I right now? And then check that the choice you have made is working for you. 

Could you be happier at work if you worked like a volunteer?

Be happier at work by working like a volunteer. 

You might have heard the statement that to get more out of your job you should work like you own the company and perhaps that is true. I have been reflecting a little lately and think that working with a volunteer mindset is a good way to get more enjoyment from your work. 

Here are three simple reasons: 

• Volunteers choose to work there 

This is a big shift in thinking... rather than having to go to work (insert groan here) if we approach this as a choice that we make then we are more empowered. Volunteers choose to give what they can because they want to and they care. 

If we give what we can rather than just what we are 'paid to do' or 'what is in our job description' or even because 'the outcome is part of my professional development plan' then we get to stretch ourselves, show the best of ourselves and, if this is what you want, create a positive name for our selves.  

• Volunteers work because they believe in their organisation 

Volunteers usually believe in the organisations they choose to give their time and energy to. If your organisation has a organisational culture statement, stated values or philosophy then get to know them and understand what this looks like and feels like in action. Embrace and exude those parts of the philosophy that knit with your values. 

The volunteers I have seen often share their volunteer work with as much if not more passion and enthusiasm than their day jobs so imagine the positivity you can create adopting this attitude about your work. 

• Volunteers feel good in their work because they are contributing to something worthwhile

This is how volunteers stick with it even when the work they are doing is hard, time consuming or unpleasant. When I am cleaning the toilets at our local playcentre (a family/whanau led early childhood setting) I don't really mind as I know that it helps create the healthy, safe environment that we want for our children. 

Again if we find a way to feel like we are contributing to something outside of ourselves that has worth then even the mundane, difficult or unpleasant tasks will be easier to bear. 

Now this might all sound like a fairy tale version of the cut throat work environments some of us may work in. I know that there are challenges including employers that take advantage, difficult colleagues, unreasonable bosses, annoying clients to name a few (and this isn't even touching on the mechanical/technical frustrations we may be faced with) but this approach is working with a mindset that is about you and not necessarily the other people around you. If this approach doesn't work in your workplace then I urge you to volunteer in your community so you can experience the benefits of this perspective if nothing else. 

I guess perhaps this is also a call to change the culture of our workplaces too... imagine if we all worked like this, if we all gave what we were able to because it felt good to contribute, because we wanted to? Imagine as employers and managers if you embraced this mindset with your staff, offering them greater freedom in exchange for increased productivity perhaps. The other day I read a little article about Richard Branson with interest about offering employees unlimited vacation time, this kind of knits with the volunteer approach that I have been speaking about.  

There is a caveat here about working like a volunteer and that is managing your time so you maintain a balanced lifestyle. This is more about thinking how we spend our time and valuing all those things that are important to us. All ideas to think about I guess. 

Image from: http://blog.trophies2go.com/recognizing-volunteers/