Connecting to the Earth and Spirit of the Old West

by Mary Claybon | Nov 1, 2011 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

My Compost Heap

I have had a bit of Writer’s paralysis lately and kept hearing this inner voice to Write! Write! but not sure what to write about. That voice came up again and said “Use your horoscope as a prompt.” I read my horoscope by Holiday Mathis everyday. Most days I can find some way it relates to me. Often I will clip the horoscope and put it in my journal and then later write thoughts about the day, or just thoughts.

So I followed the prompt and here is what I composed. I shared it with my writing group yesterday. Enjoy!

Daily Horoscope Musings by Mary Claybon, a Taurus

Monday, October 31, 2011 My Horoscope Today by Holiday Mathis says,

“You have a connection to the land and the spirit of the Old West.”

Let’s see. I connect to the land in my garden, in my compost heap, and on my walks in Sharon Woods.  I love to feel the grass under my feet in the summer and the dirt trails of a forest preserve. When I think of the “the land” I think of soil, dirt, and the lives of plants that come out of it.

We have been composting for years now. We take any of our vegetarian scraps from fruits, vegetables, coffee grinds, etc. and put them in a rich pile of dirt, leaves, and peat moss. It’s like a recipe for dirt. You mix all of these earthly ingredients together and every day or every other day, depending on whether I am cooking or not, I add the scraps. Then with a pitchfork or narrow shovel, we turn and mix the compost.

Yesterday I made sautéed vegetables and a slaw salad to go with pizza. I also trimmed and cut up vegetables for tonight’s meal of stir-fry. I had a bucket of scraps. It felt so good to take it out to our backyard compost heap and mix it all up. There were hundreds of earthworms doing their job to help break it all down.

This process continues until you no longer recognize what used to be a piece of cabbage or an orange peel. You know it’s ready when it all falls through the tines of a pitchfork like fine soil. When it’s ready we put it on our garden beds like mulch or mix it into our other soil to nourish the plants that are bedded there.

As far as the spirit of the Old West-well, for me that brings to mind, Arizona. We have been there several times and have experienced the beauty of Sedona, a place known for its essence of spirituality and peace. But is that the Old West?

I noticed I have a lot to learn about the Old West. Where did that term come from and what does it mean? I decided to do what I always do when I am curious-Google it.

The first thing that came up was the Old West Festival that takes place right here near Cincinnati, Ohio. We just missed it.  It is a yearly event that takes place in October.

Well, guess what?  In the 18^th century the Old West as defined by scholars was considered the areas of the Ohio and Tennessee Valley. Thus we were at one time living in the West, looking back now called the Old West. By the 19^th century anything west of the Mississippi River was considered the West. With that definition we were no longer considered part of the west.

So what is my connection? I was born in the Midwest, now live in Ohio. We recently traveled to Louisiana, the southern state that ends the Western boundary.

Do I feel connected to the spirit and soil of the Old West? I feel connected to the spirit of everywhere, whether I have lived there or not. I experience the soil right here under my feet and the land I walk most frequently is my own back yard.

Yes I feel connected, and I learned something today. Everything changes definition as it ages. Vegetable scraps become soil and the West becomes old.

Looking Up When You’re Feeling Down

by Mary Claybon | Oct 15, 2011 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

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Hope you are all enjoying life wherever you are, and whatever you are doing. I hope that if life is unsettled or there are problems and you are feeling down, that you are at least picking out those moments where all is good. Regardless of how life is going for you, we all have many moments that can be appreciated as good.

Here are some you may not have noticed. They all require looking up:

Look up in the sky in the morning and the sun come up. Or at dusk look up and see a sunset. Or at night look for the moon. I have two 3-year-old granddaughters and they love looking to see if the moon is visible at night. We look up and enjoy it’s shape and the fact that we may see a face on it or not. Sometimes it’s a crescent or a half moon. Sometimes its full. Sometimes you don’t see it at all.

When you are busy with your day, take a moment to look up in the sky. Look at the clouds. See what shapes and forms you can make out. Look at the colors. Take some deep slow breaths as you watch the clouds move and reform. Notice the spaces between the clouds and notice when there are no clouds, just a clear blue sky.

When it rains, stop for a moment and feel a rain drop. Look up as the drops fall from the sky. Sometimes we are so quick to put up our umbrellas, yet there is something mystical about being in the rain and feeling raindrops fall on our skin. Accidentally on purpose step in a puddle and splash. We all did it when we were kids but shy away from puddles as we get older.

It’s Fall and in many areas the leaves are changing. Look up at the trees and notice all the colors of the leaves. Notice the spaces between the leaves and notice the wind as it blows the upper limbs from side to side. Take a slow deep breath as you watch a leaf fall from the tops of the tree to the ground. Where does it land? Simply notice.

When we were little we had to look up all the time. We looked up at our parents and adults. We looked up at the walls where the pictures were too high to see. We looked up.

Remember the movie UP where the grouchy old man, who had lost his wife, had to look up and actually go up with the balloons.

When you are feeling down, it may make you feel better, even if just for a moment if you look up.

Cincinnati Restaurant Review

by Mary Claybon | Oct 4, 2011 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Last night we tried a new Cincinnati restaurant-actually a new restaurant for us, a new location for them. We also went out with new friends, who suggested we all try something new. "How about Local 127?" I read some reviews and then went to my favorite source, Trip Advisor, and this restaurant was rated as a Cincinnati favorite.

The restaurant is known for its eclectic menu of small and large plates. They are also known for creating the menu based on local foods. That sounded interesting. I was a little leery when I checked out some sample menus and they seemed to serve a lot of pork in their menu options.

My husband, Steve and I don’t eat pork, nor do we red meat. We do eat poultry occasionally and fish at least once a week. We call ourselves flexitarians, having been strict vegetarians for years and now being occasionally inclusive of meat.

This widening of our diet has also widened our choice of restaurants and our ability to socialize with non-vegetarian foodies.

So we had an open mind. We had reservations for 7:30 and were seated within 10 minutes of our arrival. I wondered if we were in the right place when I saw the large red pig sitting above the rafters. There were also posters from the Dr. Seuss book, Green Eggs and Ham. Hmmmm-they do like pork.

We had a perfect table, not too close to the front door or the kitchen. Our friends said the restaurant reminded them of a Paris Bistro, and the location used to be the home of a bistro. It was an open restaurant with decorating as eclectic as the menu.

We started with a round of water and each ordered a glass of wine. I ordered the house red. A glass of the house red was $5.00 and it was actually quite good- a red zinfandel. Steve ordered a pinot noir, which was also nice. I always like bread with the wine while ordering. Their specialty is corn bread and it was sweet and delicious.

The menu had several choices of appetizers. Our friends ordered the smoked trout aperitif. The next course was soup and salad. They ordered the beet salad. Steve and I ordered French Onion Soup and a simple mixed greens salad.

We all tasted the trout, which tasted like lox that was cut up in very small pieces. I am not a fan of lox so was glad I did not order it. Our friends also said they would probably not order that again because even though it said pickled, they did not anticipate what pickled really would taste like. Their beet salad looked delicious, but it was made with prosciutto so we passed on tasting it. They loved it. The French Onion Soup was decadent and I would guess, not light weight. The salad was nothing extraordinary. The greens were fresh and the presentation was nice with the large croutons and blue cheese sprinkles. There was also goat cheese spread on the side of the salad bowl.

Our friends ordered scallops and duck. We ordered scallops and the char. The scallops were very good. The plate came as three scallops on top of a small serving of mashed potatoes and garnish. The duck was a breast, cooked medium rare and sliced with vegetables and garnish. I took a bite of the duck and it was good but we all agreed it could have been cooked a little more. Having eaten chicken several times this week with the High Holidays, we decided to order fish. The char was excellent. It was served over the mashed potatoes with a garnish of green beans and topped with a gourmet version of potato chips and onion rings.

To finish off our meal, although we were all quite full, we chose two desserts to share. We ordered the chocolate cream, which tasted like a rich chocolate mouse. Our other choice was the cheesecake made in a mason jar. The cheesecake mixed with fruit and graham cracker crust was very good. The coffee was served with whipped cream, natural sugar and chocolate chips.

Needless to say, this was not a light dinner, but it was what Saturday night dinner with friends should be. Great food, in a great atmosphere, and great conversation.

We all share the love of exercise and a healthy lifestyle, which affords us the pleasure of enjoying a great meal knowing we would go back to eating in moderation during the week.

I would recommend this restaurant. The food was delicious, and I should also mention the service. Our waiter, Taylor was delightful and was able to explain every aspect of the menu and answer all of our questions.

I would be interested in your own review or recommendations of new places to dine in our area.

Stressed? Sometimes You Have to STOP, Look, and Listen

by Mary Claybon | Mar 13, 2011 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Hello Readers,

You have probably noticed that I have not been updating my blog. After returning home from our vacation in Louisiana I went back to work in Steve’s office where we have updated his office systems and I have been very busy.

Then in February, my son and daughter-in-law blessed us with a new grandson. This makes number three for us. Being Grandma is one of the greatest joys in my life. While the parents were bonding with the new baby in the hospital, I stayed with “Big Sister” until they came home from the hospital. It was a very busy and exciting week for all of us. But the excitement got the best of me.

I wasn’t able to hold our new grandson much at first because shortly after his birth I came down with the flu and was literally on my couch for a week. That time was actually great for refueling and revisiting my priorities. It is times  like this when my everyday routine has to STOP and I ask what parts of my life are most important for me to go back to when my energy returns. Where do I want to focus my energy? How much can I do in a day? I take a look at how things are going and listen to that inner voice that redirects you back to your center.

I would invite all of you to ask those questions before you burn out or exhaust your energy. Take some time to ask “What matters most in your life?”

Really take a look at how things are going and then listen to your inner voice for how to proceed.

For me the answer was continuing to work with my husband ( I actually enjoy it!), being there for my children and grandchildren. Spending time with family and friends and keeping an organized and joyful home. It is so important for me to  stay in touch with my spiritual Self by practicing the lessons of A Course in Miracles, and taking care of my physical and emotional health with daily exercise and yoga practice.

Writing will always be part of my life and I hope to publish more in the future. For now I still enjoy writing an occasional Tweet and you will see some updates on Facebook. So do follow me on Twitter and Facebook.  I also continue to journal almost everyday and plan to share some of that writing with you in the future.

I will write when I can, but am letting go of any sense of urgency with having to keep a blogging schedule.

In the meantime, I am the contributing author of two books that you can purchase through me or at my website:

The Pocket Book of Limericks ( Great for a St. Patrick’s Day gift) &

Discover Your Inner Strengths.

And I continue to share my articles.

Here is a timely article I wrote and would now like to share with you:

YOU HAVE TO STOP SOONER OR LATER

For years people who have talked about wellness referred to weight loss, fitness or smoking cessation programs. Later we identified the role stress plays in our overall health and wellness so we developed stress management programs.

Interesting that although the wellness industry has spent the last 20 years designing programs and providing health promotion information to the point that most consumers are very well educated, health is not improving much – Not the kind of health that is defined by an overall sense of balance of body, mind and spirit or physical, emotional or spiritual togetherness. In fact many people are exercising and watching their weight. Unfortunately many people have given up and continue to spiral upwards. There is no loss of material on what constitutes a healthy diet or adequate fitness program. There are also more self help books published than ever before to help us deal with our stress management.

Keeping all of this in mind, it is interesting that when I work with people as a wellness coach, their vision often includes a regular exercise program and healthy diet, but it always seems to include the word balance and gaining more energy and enjoying life more. Yet that is the one place it is hard to concentrate. To stop all of our activity, whether it is for our work or just to keep the house managed is very difficult. We just keep going until our body can’t go anymore and then we get sick. It is when we get sick that we question how we have been going about getting all these things done.

More and more people have said to me that they need to take time to meditate, yet less and less do. Why is that? I know for myself I often feel that once this or that item on my to do list is complete, I will be able to sit back and relax. Sitting seems such a waste of time when there is so much to do. That is why we recommend that you schedule a regular time for meditation regardless of what is going on in life or with work. It has to be as built in as brushing your teeth. It has to be an everyday occurrence.

But what if we are just not of the makeup to sit in a formal meditation? That is not necessary, but what is necessary is to have some sort of practice built into your life for reflection on more than your everyday tasks. The fact is that one’s body and mind can’t keep on going without a break. Eventually you will have to stop.

As you reflect on your own renewal as spring approaches, build into your day a time for silence, prayer, yoga, reflective reading, listening to peaceful music, journaling, or if you can, sitting in a position of meditation, following your breath long enough to feel a difference in your body- a feeling of peace and quiet rather than rushing and a sense of urgency. If you practice enough, it will become a memory in your body that you will be able to tap into when life is speeding by. Like all of my clients, it has to be a priority and goal for change. Let that be now and not later.

Mary Claybon is a nurse, health educator and licensed wellness coach with over 30 years of experience in the field of health and wellness. Through her business Promoting Health: The Middle Way LLC, Mary has facilitated wellness programs for businesses and individuals and now offers telephone and web based coaching nationally to facilitate lasting behavior change. Mary also facilitates A Course in Miracles group in Cincinnati, Ohio. Visit www.wellcoaches.com/Mary.Claybon or call Mary at 513-309-8377. Mary’s e-mail is mary@themiddlewayhealth.com.