H.M.C.'s Blog, page 2

Parenthood and Writing: How do you do it?

This is a great question. People ask me a lot.

I have two under two and still manage to write. How do I it? Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes there is absolutely no possible way I can write a single word, because I’m having a day spawned from the fiery pits of hell. Or sometimes, I write five lines. OR sometimes I write for an hour. It ALL depends on several things, but the most important one is this: I have to decide to do it. I have to go through extreme decision making processes that involve being selfish for a nanosecond. And, I have to be creative with my timing.

My little man. Yes he is as cheeky as he looks.

I’m only writing this because I have a spare ten minutes … literally. Maybe not even that. My toddler will come in any second demanding my attention, or my baby will wake up screaming because he has his first tooth coming early. So, rather than CLEAN or do the washing right now, I’m choosing to do this.

 

My little girl is almost two and loves to play dress ups. She’s at the age where she’s always on the go.

Aghhhh see, gotta go. Screaming baby.

I’m back, but who knows how long I’ll have this time? Let’s get back to the question … how do you do it? Well, NIKE put it better than anyone else, you just do it.

You do it because you love it.

Dream about it.

Can’t live without it.

Need an outlet.

Need a bullet.

Need a vodka on the rocks.

Need a moment where you think of nothing but yourself and that’s okay because it makes you a better mummy or daddy. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I can’t stand a sticky kitchen floor, but I can’t stand to go long without writing either. So put down your mop and go to the beach, or play with your dogs, or watch Dowton Abbey. And if writing is what you love, DO that. Write at 4am or while your toddler sits on the potty. Write when The Wiggles is on. Write with your baby in a one arm, typing one-handed (it may need an edit later). Write a poem on toilet paper, or a song with food on the kitchen bench, it doesn’t matter. Just make the choice to do it and the Universe will somehow orchestrate your world around the seemingly impossible, most days.

Do what you love. It’ll make you a happier parent. I promise.

PEACE

HMC

 

Why am I so Misunderstood?

Teacher AND Learner for life.

 

Why am I so Misunderstood?

I’ve been asking this question for a long time. I think we all ask it every now and then, but there are some of us who face it a lot. I think I’ve figured out why it happens to me. And recently, I haven’t asked it anymore, I just get it. I get that people don’t get me, and that’s okay.

I’m not black and white. Yeah, yeah, I know none of us are, but I’m a ridiculous type of grey that makes absolutely no sense. Well, it does now (to me) after 31 years of figuring it all out.

Firstly, I come from a family with a single mum and one brother. I grew up playing Nintendo and Sega, and watched a lot of television. I had Barbies (whose hair was shaved and coloured with texta) and ate red frogs. I walked the streets with my mates, swearing and sticking my finger up at passing cars then hiding behind buildings, playing knock and run, climbing onto rooves of high schools with wheelie bins, and more that I won’t mention here.

Then, on the other hand, I was afraid to climb trees (go figure with the buildings), wore lots of frilly dresses, played tea parties, loved school, and did ballet.

Sounds like two different kids, huh? Well I’m the same now that I’m an adult. I love the best of both worlds. I’m a misfit to the tea party kids, and a misfit to the crazy kids. I don’t fit anywhere, and I’m finally coming to terms with that.

I love punk music and heavy metal, and Mariah Carey. I play violent video games (recently played The Last of Us – brilliantly creative!) yet, I wouldn’t hurt a fly … I don’t believe violence solves anything. I adore tattoos, adore them, but I believe a lady must leave much to the imagination. There are so many polar opposites in my personality, sometimes I think it comes across as if I don’t know myself. I suppose I didn’t, not really. But I’m getting there.

I realised I don’t have to fit a cookie cutter mould in order for people to understand me.

In fact, being this way, I’ve now got to the point where I find it hard to judge people at all. Yes, I get pissed off in traffic, but I mean REALLY judge people. I don’t care if you go door knocking because you think your soul will be saved if you convert others to your faith. I don’t care if you pierce your cheek, or hate tattoos, or don’t want kids, or have nine hundred for that matter, or aren’t a dog person, or tend to be negative, or surf, or paint kittens.

The ones who believe their way is the right way, or that they must be happier as they have it going on, are the most ignorant. Faithless people aren’t less happy, Christians aren’t less happy. Everyone is right, and can find a way to prove it. Once we let all of that righteousness go, then we might find a little more happiness within ourselves.

This post ended up being more of a rant … but there you have it.

We’re all a little misunderstood. But just because someone is different from you, doesn’t mean you’re better, or worse, just different.

PEACE HMC

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The Teenage Brain by HMC

Kevin BBC

Poor teenagers. They get such a bad rap. Us oldies forget we used to be one. We forget what it used to be like to be the only person that ever felt anything, or had a remarkable thought. I remember sitting in my room for hours on end writing poetry and painting. While I wallowed in my own self misery, I may have forgotten to do the dishes, but I certainly wasn’t hurting anyone. I believed that no adult would ever understand me. And in some ways, I was right. Our teens have a pretty bad name with the oldies, and in most cases, it’s just not fair.

I had some readers send me some questions a while back and thought I’d try my hand at pulling them apart. I don’t have a teenager, but I do work with them. Message me in ten years when I do have one and we’ll laugh together at some of my attempted answers.

Why is my teenager easily influenced by their friends?

Once upon a time, you were your little ones’ number one. Then, all of a sudden, you became ‘redundant.’ That’s your job! A good parent is supposed to become redundant, in the long-run. The friends of an adolescent are an important stepping stone towards independence.

Then, there’s the Dopamine increase in the teenage brain: ‘the feel good chemical.’ It means friends constantly seek to stimulate each other. That’s why hanging out with them is more fun.

Don’t be disheartened, though, you’re still a really huge influence! Who you are and what you do is still rubbing off on your baby.

If your teen is driving you insane with tech, remember that phones and the internet are the lifeline to friends. Back in the day, we roamed the streets instead. Our teenagers aren’t really allowed to do that anymore, for safety reasons, and that’s not their fault. If you want their full attention at an event, make a pact that you ALL leave your phones at home.

Why can’t my teenager make smart choices?

Be easy about this. It’s the first time they’re allowed to make serious decisions. We can’t expect them to make the right ones all the time. Not only that, but remember our friend Dopamine? He wins. Every time. That little chemical wins out over common sense.

The next hurdle is the Prefrontal Cortex. While the rest of the brain develops, this guy has to take the back seat. The Prefrontal Cortex is the master of logical decision making and planning. When they forget to wash up or take out the trash, they often have forgotten. Or they ‘plan’ to, but those plans failed.

See what difference it makes when you write a list of chores for your teenager.

Why is my teenager so argumentative?

Children go through life thinking that everything is going to turn out okay. Then, all of a sudden they realise adults don’t actually know everything. In fact, they’ve made a mess of things. The entire world comes crashing down. What to do?

Question it!

Why would they let this happen? Why is there war? Why is the Government the way it is? Why does my father contradict himself?

Once again, the rational argumentative phase is an important stepping stone. It’s the teenager’s way of understanding the world and its boundaries. If they are supported during this stepping stone, they are likely to come out the other side with a stronger sense of self. Have an argument, they love this, just try not to get angry (har de har).

This question is from one of our teens: Why are parents so worried about their children being inside all the time? Aren’t they happy to know where they are?

When we were young(er) we ran, played, built forts, swam in rivers, made billy carts and raced down ridiculous hills, and stayed in the streets til evening. We were the Kings and Queens of the neighbourhoods. It’s sad for most of us adults to see that teenagers don’t have this anymore. Even sadder that we have to know where you are for safety reasons.

Being outside, playing sport and running around gets your heart racing. Racing hearts pump oxygen through your bodies, and oxygen through your body prevents disease and sickness. We want you healthy because we love you.

There was also a time when we used to have a house to ourselves. We could listen to loud ‘dorky’ music, put our feet up, and scratch our bottoms without having to worry about anyone else. It’s nice to have a little alone time every now and then. (When you’re at school, we’re often at work).

So remember

We all get on each other’s nerves. We all drive each other insane. Sometimes, in order to break through to your teenager, it’s better to try to understand them rather than wish they’d do things your way.

And vice versa, teens. If your parents grind you to insanity, ask them what they were like when they were a teenager. You’ll learn a lot about who they are. Even better, ask them how their day was.

Let’s reconnect with our teens. They’re just our babies in big people’s bodies, trying to make their way in the world.

PEACE

HMC

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Toddlers and Healthy Eating.

Toddlers and healthy eating.

ARGH!

Dear God, give me strength.

I had the idea stuck in my head that it would be easy … if I just gave Charlie the good stuff early and got her used to it from the start … HAHAHAHA. Don’t we change our tunes when we become parents? Many ideas (IDEALS) we have about parenting truly do change, and we pull our heads out of our butts and realise we’re more human than we realised. In fact, we’re damned-well flawed.

So, I’ve tried everything to get her to eat fresh vegetables, as every ‘good’ parent should. Here’s a compilation of pictures of one of our more recent escapades.

Here is a wonderfully exciting and delicious fruit man face. It has a couple of fresh vegetables thrown into the mix. We had lots of fun talking about eating each of his features.

Charlie loved it!

… Except for the vegetables.

I was starting to worry. Would my baby hate vegetables forever? How could I change/fix/manipulate this?

However, when I had a good look at her diet, I realised she was not doing too badly. I haven’t got her eating fresh, raw stuff yet (trust me I won’t give up) but at least I know she’s getting what she needs for now.

Here are the essentials a toddler needs and how Charlie often gets them.

 

Essential Oils: Flax seeds, fortified peanut butter, walnuts, egg

Calcium: Oat milk, cheese, yogurt

Iron: Fortified cereals, whole-wheat bread, raisins, kidney or navy beans

Fibre: Almond meal, wholemeal flour and breads

Magnesium: banana, milk, avacado

Potassium: baked potato, prunes, prune juice, watermelon

Vitamin A: sweet potato, carrots, spinach, mango, cheese, oat milk

Vitamin B: Many cereals (check for all eight, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, panthothenic acid, biotin, pyridoxine, folate and vitamin b12), milk, cheeses, mushroom, eggs, peanuts, green leafy vegetables, Vegemite!

Vitamin C: kiwi, strawberries, mandarin

Vitamin D: sunshine, fortified cheeses

Vitamin E: kiwi fruit, fortified peanut butter, chia seeds

Zinc: Bakes beans, wheat germ, chicken

 

As you’ve probably guessed, my little monkey is not the kind of kid who’ll grab a piece of spinach and nosh it down, so I’ve had to be clever in how the food is presented and sometimes it doesn’t work. We’re still trying to get her to eat the pizza. Can you believe this?

 

Here are some of the ways in which I have added the above foods into her diet.

 

1. Vegetable packs

Rafferty’s Garden

I can’t speak highly enough of Rafferty and his little gorilla friend. What a legend. With no added ‘stuff’ this baby food is quick, and yummy. I’ve tried them all.

 

These friendly little packs come with fruit, vegetables, or both, and can be used in a variety of ways. For small children they are a puree and can be eaten from 6 months. As children get older you can add wholemeal pasta, brown rice, or lentils. They can even be used as ‘sauce’ on other things, especially if you have a little omnivore!

 

2. Vegetable Muffins

LOVE this one. Using a basic recipe of:

2 cups wholemeal flour (I substitute some of this for almond meal and chia seeds, a staple in my cupboard)

1 cup of milk (I use A2 light. You can try any other substitutes. Oat milk is good)

1 cup of any vegetables you like, grated (you can include raisins, too)

1 cup of fortified cheese, grated (or just two cups of the veges instead of one)

Bake for 20 minutes on 180. YUM!

What I love about this is that I can add products with nutrients that I know Charlie lacks, like Omega 3s. Chia seeds are a super food for a good reason! Also, wholemeal flour doesn’t clog her up like white flour does.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Vegetable Pancakes

Using my beloved wholemeal flour and milk (oat milk or almond can be used) I can make any pancake I like. Yesterday we had prune pancakes and next I’ll attempt sweet potato.

4. Avocado Mash

Guacalmole … I love the stuff. We sit down and eat it together with crackers and I can even sneak some fresh chopped tomatoes, and a little red onion in there. Next I’ll try making some hummus.

5. Vegetable Chips

This works a treat for Charlie as a side dish. We use potato, pumpkin, zucchini, or all three. I chop the veges up into chips, use olive oil or olive oil spray, and bake them. She loves it.

6. Adding Wheatgerm.

I sprinkle a little of this onto her cereal of a morning and usually add a drizzle of Active Manuka Honey.

The protein and dietary fibre in this stuff is awesome, and I use it myself!

Even better: teach them about veges! I plan to take on advice from The Veggie Mama, as soon as possible. CLICK HERE to see her blog on Getting Kids to eat Vegetables. It’s a lot less deceptive.

 

PEACE

 

HMC

Hayley Merelle

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Boys Who Love Reading

Image from http://www.roomtogrow.co.uk

We all know how important reading is. It’s been drummed into us since we were little. The three ‘R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic) are still just as important as ever.

But what happens when you have a child who isn’t interested in reading? Let’s face it, our boys (and many girls) would much prefer to race around the yard in their tidy whities, screaming, ‘charge!’

I’ve been teaching for nine years now, and I can tell you this, reading isn’t a natural process. It takes plenty of practise for the mind to understand the concept, and it’s important to give our boisterous boys the best start.

So, how do we do that?

Reading doesn’t have to be taught sitting down! Here are some effective tips that can work wonders.

Read from birth

Reading should be viewed as a normal, everyday practise. Read to your boys from birth! The newspaper, or back of a cereal box are fine to start with. Babies hear the different intonations in your voice.

A male role model with a passion for books

Get a male role-model, or someone the boy has respect for (Dad, Grandpa, a family friend) to read to him. When he sees a male reading, it shows him that it’s not only okay to read, but it can be a wonderful thing.

Active learning

Young boys are active and love to move. When teaching reading I use physical activities in the classroom. You can do the same at home.

Alphabet: use sticks, sand, water and paint brushes on the concrete, to write the letters and say the sounds.

Dramatic retell: Retell the stories through dramatization. Kids love this, especially when you’re the audience and they get the chance to make you laugh.

Art or Clay Modelling: Use clay to create the characters and scenes, backdrops to retell stories.

‘When a child is immersed in a story, their imaginations are free to run wild.’

Clear Instructions

Tell your boys why you are reading something, or why you’d like them to. Boys reading a recipe to you in the kitchen is a good one. They feel valued and helpful.

For older children, reading questions at school is an important part of their education. Practise this with them whenever you can. Homework is a great opportunity to look at reading and comprehension skills.

Add value to books

Find out what your son enjoys and offer them as special gifts.

Action ahead of emotion in plot

If a story is emotionally charged, boys may zone out. Identifiable characters who are action-driven, are more likely to keep him engaged.

Humour

Who doesn’t love a good laugh? Many children love humorous books. I get why, too. Paul Jennings, Andy Griffiths, these guys are great for the Primary School child.

Magazines and the internet

For older, reluctant boys, look for magazines of topics they are interested in. There are a host of online magazines, just like this one. Magazines are picture books for adults, full of colour and interesting, shorter stories. Rather than push them on your older child, just mention them, and make them readily available. Planting a seed is more effective with teenagers.

Good luck!

Peace

HMC

Original article found at BORN ORGANIZED MAGAZINE. CLICK HERE to subscribe.

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How Gestational Diabetes Changed My Life

My family so far

I was recently (in the last couple of months) diagnosed with gestational diabetes, or, diabetes when pregnant. I knew there was a potential risk for me, as I am over 3o and have diabetes in my family history.

This means that while I’m pregnant, the hormones are wrecking a little havoc. They have decided that my body will have more difficulty controlling blood sugar levels because I’m having trouble producing insulin, or my tissues are having trouble absorbing it. Pregnant women need extra insulin to help produce a baby, and so guess who gets first dibs?

Not me.

Since finding out the diagnoses, I’ve been on a pretty serious adventure, and this adventure will continue for me. Here’s the order of events I’ve been through so far.

THE PURGE

It was far too important to me that my baby was healthy. If I had too much sugar it was going to travel through the placenta to my boy … and no, I wasn’t having that. Also, I had a family member with diabetes and saw what they had to go through, as well as the sister of a childhood friend. It’s a hard yakka disease. I knew if I didn’t change, the chances of me getting it later in life would increase dramatically.

SO

Firstly, I threw out everything in my cupboard that had more than 10 grams of sugar per serve. WOW! This was a huge eye-opener for me. The thing that shocked me most was MILK.

Yes, my beloved milk, even the ‘light’ stuff contains 12.5 grams of sugar per serving. Truly, check your fridge.

Now, if I calculate this correctly, it meant that I was consuming A LOT of hidden sugar. I’d have cereal, a glass of milk, milk in my coffee, maybe a milo … all this sugar I didn’t know I was having on top of the other stuff has been killing me! No wonder I’ve struggled on and off with my weight. I’ve only ever looked at fat consumption. Not only that, but I honestly thought I was choosing healthy food for my family. ARGGH!!!!

Even the honey got thrown out. Now don’t get me wrong, I know honey is good for me, especially my gorgeous Manuka, but I can’t have it my house … at least for a while.

Charlotte and I

But oh dear, then I kept looking, and I was so shocked to find sugar in the strangest of places. I had to throw out half my cereal (supposedly good cereals from the health food section) fruit and nut bars, all sorts of things. There’s so much sugar in the pasta sauce I was using, I almost went into a sugar coma reading the nutritional panel.

Never before had I realised that Australians consume so much sugar on a daily basis (and more than likely don’t realise). No wonder we suffer from obesity in this country.

THE ADDICTION

The first thing I noticed after the purge was that I had been an addict and didn’t even know it. I started craving sugar.

I looked at the big signs at the service station ‘pushing’ their sugary treats. Chocolates, fizzy drinks, and donuts, all of a sudden looked so good. THESE were things I didn’t even notice before because I had been getting my sugar in other places. Now they were screaming at me!

How could I live my life without sugar?

It was futile.

I might as well give up now.

No, it really wasn’t that hard. Luckily for me, I have a little baby to think about. The choice between his health and a candy bar hasn’t been a choice at all.

Now, it’s really easy. I don’t even have sugar in my coffee anymore. And truth be told, I don’t miss it too much. Give me another few months and I don’t think I’ll miss it at all. In fact, I had a taste of hubby’s White Chocolate Fusion from Zarrafas the other day (something I used to spoil myself with once a fortnight or so) and it tasted like sugary puke.

THE UNDERSTANDING

At 5 months

After the purge and the realisation that I was an addict, came the understanding that knowledge is power in this situation.

A friend offered me the book “Sugar Dreams” by Gold Coast author, Monica Colmsjo. SEE IT HERE.

It confirmed many things for me. Mainly that SUGAR IS A DRUG.

It comes from a plant and is made into the form of little white crystals, like many other drugs. It behaves the same way as a drug, and kills you slowly. Some people are easily addicted, others not so much.

Oh and take a look at who is running the show: http://www.daff.gov.au/agriculture-food/crops/sugar

Ha! Why doesn’t this surprise me?

No wonder they changed the name from Sugar Diabetes to Type one and two.

Now I’m on a bit of a mission to educate myself about health. If you can recommend any good books, or clean eating recipes, please do so below!

THE OTHER SYMPTOMS

At my last obstetrician appointment I had a huge realisation. He asked me about all of my ‘other’ symptoms and we noticed that many problems I had been having (some all my life) had disappeared, after a few short months of ‘sugar watching.’

Weight

I’ve lost weight, despite being pregnant. I had some to lose, so this is a positive. Could this mean I’ve finally found the key to a healthy, normal weight? That would be good. Thanks, Universe.

Migraines

Dramatically reduced. I’ve had migraines since I was 8. I have always known they had a connection to sugar because if I ate too much obvious sugar, I’d get one. Now, about that not so obvious stuff, well, I just didn’t know.

Kidneys

My poor kidneys have suffered since I was little. No one has ever figured out why I had to urinate like crazy some days TMI, I know, but this is a health blog. I’ve been peeing in a cup since age 7 with doctors shaking their heads with no idea what was wrong with me. I even had an infection and ended up in hospital when I was 15. Now? I pee like a normal person. Well, a normal PREGNANT person.

There are more things I could add to this list, but I don’t want to embarrass myself any further with a medical history. Let’s just say, sugar had such a negative effect on my body. I’m sorry, body, please forgive me.

My Charlotte

THE LOVE and THE POWER

For me, Gestational Diabetes has been a blessing in disguise. It’s changed my life, and I’ll never look back. For the love I have for myself and my family, these changes will be forever. There’s a certain power you get back from kicking a habit, any habit at all; a feeling of gaining back control. There’s something healthy and rewarding about saying no.

I’m sober 2 months now.

For those of you struggling with weight, or other illnesses, I suggest looking to see if you’ve formed a habit of your own. It’s easy to do, especially when the whole world tells you that ‘sugar is natural.’ My response now is, ‘so is heroin, darling.’

I’d love to hear your stories, so please feel free to comment!

PEACE

Hayley M Clearihan

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Stealth Infections and Mental Illness

Stealth bacterial or viral infections can lie dormant, and then become active, but remain hidden. Specific bacteria passed on through ticks, known as ‘Borrellia’, don’t have a rigid cell wall, and can change cells, and produce toxins within them. Another example is ‘Bartonella’ or cat scratch disease. And it’s now found everywhere:

‘in domestic dogs, cats, cows, and rodents which can act as bacterial reservoirs. Fleas, lice – and possibly ticks – also act as repositories for different strains of the bacteria.’ ~ Bartonella, the Stealth Pathogen.

The most worrisome thing is, stealth infections may lead to all sorts of chronic illnesses:

‘Lyme Disease, Autism, MS, Parkinson’s, Motor Neuron Disease, Fibromyaglia, Alzheimers, and more (list from BEYOND THE BANDAID). Sometimes these illnesses are misdiagnosed, for example many Lyme patients are diagnosed as having MS, or Chronic fatigue. These chronic illnesses attack the central nervous system, are linked to depression and anxiety, as well as other mental illness.

‘It has now been scientifically proven that stealth viruses do, indeed, exist and can be at the root of many multi-system neuro-degenrative illnesses, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, attention deficit disorder, autism and other diseases causing behavioural changes.’

~ CCID

The Focal Infection Theory, which dates all the way back to the 1920’s, suggests a localised infection can ‘initiate, sustain, or worsen’ systematic diseases, including cancers. So just how far does this stealth infection theory go? We are surrounded by microbes, and other important questions remain:

Could there be a correlation between those susceptible to chronic and mental illnesses and how well they are able to fight off these hidden pathogens? Could it be genes that are unable to fight off these stealth infections that are causing histories of mental health conditions/cancers/autism/the list goes on … within a family?

How about the tiny bacteria Mycoplasma which has been linked to cancers?

‘This single stealth pathogen has been discovered in the urogenital tract of patients suffering from inflammatory pelvic disease, urethritis, and other urinary tract diseases (8) It has been discovered in the heart tissues and fluid of patients suffering from cardititis, pericarditis, tachycardia, hemolytic anemia, and other coronary heart diseases.(9, 10, 14) It has been found in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with meningitis and encephalitis, seizures, ALS, Alzheimer’s and other central nervous system infections, diseases and disorders.(11-13) It has even been found regularly in the bone marrow of children with leukemia.’ ~ MYCO

Health professionals from the Documentary, BEYOND THE BANDAID, suggest that psychiatrists and immunologists need to start talking.

And I agree.

The lack of communication between medical fields is causing missing links, holding us back from medical advancements – much like maths being taught as a separate subject from science, in high school. The full picture can’t be seen. And until we start working together across fields, what else can be done, but putting on bandaids?

And for those who suffer from Lyme Disease in Australia … sorry, you don’t even get one of those.

This blog was inspired by BEYOND THE BANDAID

HMC

Hayley M Clearihan

When?

When … by Hayley M Clearihan, Author HMC

When the poorest family can still feed their children.

When gay marriage is normal.

When people smile at each other.

When we stop trying to get to the next thing.

When we give the land back.

When we shake hands with strangers.

When we offer the elderly a seat.

When Governments are loved.

When nature abounds.

When war is ancient history.

When all Gods are equal.

When humans love their bodies.

When there are no borders.

When we stop fighting against.

When we realise the world already is a better place.

When water is abundant.

When we self-sustain.

When we value each other.

When …

We’re all Mad Here

We’ve gone mad.

No really, the world has lost touch with reality.

How far will we have to go before we’re all pushed over the edge, and start laughing at how absolutely ridiculous all of this is? How long before our kids turn around and say, ‘What are you people thinking? You’re the role models? HA! What chance have we got if we listen to you?’

Now, don’t take that personally, I’m just being a smart arse, but here’s the thing:

I’m starting to realise why we get so overwhelmed with life. It’s not because we never stop doing, it’s because we NEVER STOP THINKING. See the crazy woman walking down the street so stuck in her own thoughts that she’s actually saying them out loud because she no longer understands the difference? That could be me one day if I’m not careful.

We’re all so lost in our thoughts that we miss a huge percentage of what it is really going on around us. We’re all running around like headless chooks, trying to get ‘through things, to the next thing, waiting for what is coming.’

I know, I know – people talk about being in the ‘now’ and yeah yeah, we’ve heard that, but let’s pull it apart for a second … humour me.

Why do we enjoy going to different countries and holidaying so much? Because we are in awe of the new setting and it GETS US OUT OF OUR HEAD FOR FIVE MINUTES and we can actually spend time breathing and taking it all in.

Why do we love television and movies? No thought.

Why do we love walking through the bush? (well, I do) No thought.

Why do we take drugs and drink alcohol? No thought.

Why do we write books, paint, go fishing, develop obsessions with building model cars, or coin collecting?

It takes us away, for a moment, even just a moment, from that voice in our head that just won’t be quiet for five damn minutes all on its own. In those moments, we don’t have a little voice driving us crazy with the yadda yadda yadda, yap, yap, yap, assessing, pigeonholing, synthesising, analysing, boxercising, judging … Some things help that voice to SHUT UP.

You think you think your thoughts? Try not thinking … then you’ll see why we are all mad down here, because our thoughts are thinking us, my friend.

So, it seems, ‘no thought’ could be our greatest friend. Not all the time, we need to think, but too much thinking is making us tired. I’m realising that being in the now, just a little, is vitally important for sanity.

So how do we stop?

My favourite comes from Eckhart Tolle:

All we need to do is realise that we NEED SPACE, before we can start to find some space in our thinking. Just take one breath, a few times a day, and focus only on that breath (I mean breathe the whole day and everything, just notice a few of them). That’s a space. Now practise that for one year, and see what difference that makes. I’m going to try this one. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Abraham Hicks

The Abrahams suggest we make time to do the things we love – no exception. Walk on the beach, surf a wave in Hawaii, read a book about falling in love, anything that makes you feel good and stops ‘the voice.’

Buddha

Meditate.

This is the one that we could be teaching our children. Imagine a world where every human meditates once a day. (Go team Silkwood).

I’d love to hear from you about your journey. Is this something you’ve studied, or thought about? Please share with us in the comments.

‘There is a place. Like no place on Earth.

A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger!

Some say to survive it: You need to be as mad as a hatter.

Which luckily I am.’

~ The Mad Hatter

PEACE

HMC

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Hayley m clearihan

Writer