Many of us are lucky enough to love our work or to love going to school. Teachers in a perfect world pass on such an amazing love of learning that their students want to learn for the love of it. Learning is loved because learners discover the intrinsic value of the experience. Human brains love to learn. Given that our schools are often quite traditional, learning can be a disheartening challenge. So if we are anxious to finish work or to get out of school then how do we manage the dilemma? Work is needed to provide money and school may be a required activity. So this is obviously a huge conundrum….to find the work and the school / teacher that justifies and inspires. It is difficult to balance our “work” with our other needs and we may need to shift paths many times. We must adjust how we work and play. Is it simply time spent on work or is it much more complicated? How do we improve our situation?

We each need our own balance when it comes to exercise.  The giving up of time spent out of a day or a week seems to be the most common challenge to getting good exercise. Most people simply say they don’t have time to exercise. In truth, like many things, priority and efficiency are the keys to success. Most will agree that the more you do, the better you will feel. What is remarkable to me is the degree to which this can relieve both mental struggles and medical ones. The more you exercise the more your body builds its defenses. Emotional tensions don’t go away but your coping strength is magnified with every real minute of exercise. Here we discuss developing habits of exercise. To clarify, exercise to one may be a standing desk. That is a great start. To others it is a team event or something like “forest bathing.” It means getting into moving in a way that gets your heartbeat up far more than just a scary movie.

Nature is where one can find peace, challenge, perspective, and wonder. We have many different interpretations of what nature is and what it means to be part of or connected to Nature. Seeking nature usually connects us with one of the other attributes on the circle. 

Nature can be intimidating. For some it is an athletic event. By necessity, we all need to be aware of our impact on Nature and Nature’s impact on us. Understanding the science behind nature comes through learning and developing an accurate perspective of the complicated and yet in some ways simple aspects of Nature. 

Nature can quickly be connected to art and creativity. It quickly appeals to our senses.  A simple, brief walk along the beach can be incredibly beneficial.

Healing                                                                      Exhilarating

 Grounding                                                                  Awakening

 Centering                                                                   Chaotic

Family can mean taking care of a parent or a child or a sibling and wrestling through the relationships that are both stressful and wonderful. We develop our partners because they feel right and they fit a need in a time and place. Hopefully it is a need to both give and receive. Challenges come up and we scour our feelings and our thoughts while rethinking and then looking for advice from the corners of our world …. trying to sort out the best choice. While sometimes with the benefit of hindsight we can imagine different scenarios but usually we are tasked with moving forward as best we can. We feel the obligations and the expectations of our various communities.  We hear their perceptions held up in contrast to  our own internal map and our own internal gut feelings.

Taking care of your body is hugely affected by exercise, food choices, and mental health. Additionally, for all of us, unique challenges exist because they were inherited or because of our environment. An injury perhaps. A disease perhaps. Somehow something is not working right. Ideally we are making a lot of good choices. We brush our teeth. We see the right doctors as scheduled. When our bodies feel well it quickly affects our happiness. It is worth considering less conventional and yet often remarkable success of homeopathic, alternative strategies of health care. There is potential for a wide range of solutions to health related problems and there is the challenge of being open minded and educated enough to find the best path forward for each of us individually. Finding the best solution can be an elusive goal and we need the help of science, history, and experts across the spectrum to massage the best solutions 

In studies of longevity, there are some key conclusions with implications for all of us. Feeling part of a community is enormously important to our sense of purpose and worth. Having people who we connect with in our communities with whom we have “good” relationships has a direct correlation to how long we live. It is one of the biggest markers. As a veteran teacher of eleven year olds I remind my students that talents in fields such as sports, academics, or entertainment are really great and fun to watch but they are not as important as the skills of getting along with others…. Of making friends.  When you go out to play a match against an opponent the goal should be to compete in a manner that entices the other players to want to come back and play again.

The five main food themes are Setting, Senses, Calories/Nutrition, World Impact, and Community. Great food is a wonderful thing. It comes from the people we are with and the care and love put into a meaningful event. We bond with our family, our partner, our community, and our culture.  Our taste buds, our noses, and our eyes are lucky to be in celebration. But our choices have real impacts on the world and its overall ecosystem. Where does our food come and what kind of journey it has made to get to our table? What preservatives are in it and how has it been grown? A big conversation centers around what makes food taste good. What are the impacts of sugar, fat, and artificial additives in our fast food world? Many in our world need calories and nutrition far above other concerns. We must learn as much as we can from each as we find our own food balance.

The act of growing plants speaks to the very essence of what we are as living beings on this planet. We can not survive without plants. It Is critical that we understand as much as we can about our interaction with plants to both sustain our bodies and to sustain our planet. Growing plants leads us to understanding a perspective that needs our attention. By growing a plant we have the opportunity to learn empathy. We witness the miracle of photosynthesis. We are reminded of the incredible diversity of life all around us. We are invited to celebrate the beauty in the colors, the smells, the textures and the tastes. Grow a cactus on your windowsill. Plants can grow and thrive even in the darkest spaces. That is an important metaphor. When growing a plant the process of nurturing is inviting and rewarding. Growing plants connects us. Growing plants reminds us of infinite possibilities and of the fragility of life.

Laughter belongs on this list for all the right reasons. It is the art of seeing the glass as half full. It is the art of seeing the bright side of a moment, of seeing the irony in a situation. It is the smile of seeing a hatchling takes its first funny steps or flap its wings for the first time. Humor helps de-escalate tense situations. It helps build trust when used at the right time. Humor and laughter make the unbearable manageable and pull us through some really tough situations. That is not to belittle being serious, but it is to say that humor helps us see the gifts that others bring to the table and we can see the spirit in nature if we are able to chuckle at the levity of the moment. Children especially, are able to find a little humor and adventure and solace in a funny moment even when all the world around seems to be stacked against them. Humor is one of the most positive bonds we can muster. Humor lets us connect across cultures, ages, gender, and race.