Natural Living Tips

I was talking to my youngest last night as he didn’t understand a couple of things relating to human behavior. I think I manged the right answers - I won’t go into the questions as quite frankly things that people do in private, should stay private. A few done in public should also stay private, but that is their problem.

Anyway, the point is I was explaining the difference between “natural” and “normal”.

Natural comes from nature:

• in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature;

Normal comes from norm:

• something regarded as a normative example; conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm;

So something “natural” can also be something “normal”. But something “normal” is not necessarily “natural”. The norm is a social practice that has been reached and become a standard. Natural is always in accordance with nature.

Our lifestyles are moving towards the natural and although the pace is gradual, it looks as if it is speeding up.

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Everybody is talking about it; let’s hope everybody is doing it. Even pets should be doing it. (Is pet food green?)

The good news is that everybody can do it. Start on a small scale, with the small things like your energy bill. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Change the setting in your fridge. Take a shorter shower.

I remember many summers ago in the early 70’s, there was a drought in England and the Thames was nearly dry. One of the ads in the “save water” campaign, said something like: “Save water … bathe with a friend”. Well, that’s one option I suppose. But seriously, with a very small effort you can take the first steps in going green and cut costs at the same time.

“Did you know that paper recycling at home is greater than at the work place? - just a wondering thought.”

Use less, or even better, change the type of cleaning articles, soaps and detergents you use. Recycle your old t-shirt and use it to clean the windows and use vinegar or old wine on it. My grand ma did and it worked wonders.

My suggestion is to start little by little, and keep at it. But above all start. You might even enjoy it, as the nurse said to the vicar -go green, of course.

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Over the years I have dabbled in natural health and living in balance with nature. This meant being conscious of pollution and trying to avoid causing it. But it was all a half hearted affair.

I would turn off the lights when leaving a room. Separate, from way back, the different types of waste. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, with a few exceptions - like spinach…

When the children began to arrive, breast feeding was the order of the day as were linen nappies. We make our own muesli and cereals. We have five hens and six quails for our egg requirements.

All in all a reasonable state of affairs that would have probably stayed that way except that nine years ago I was on the receiving end of a bus coming the wrong way.

After months of agony and slow recovery I came up with a terrific bone infection which I took home with me from the hospital. A sort of going away present, and very persistent as well.

The colossal amount of pain killers and worse, antibiotics, started to reap its benefits and I was beginning to go down hill.

But after the storm the sun shines.

Two very important things happened.

The first is that with the help of alternative natural remedies my body managed to overcome and eliminate all the after effects. This was based on a series of juices and recipes involving all sorts of things, such as garlic, broccoli, - spinach- , lime, ginger and various others. Natural remedies came to the rescue.

(I am looking them up as it has been a while).

The other good thing is that I suddenly found myself with a lot of time on my hands while bedridden for so many months. I started thinking, which wasn’t a bad idea.

This is the short version of what I came up with.

Living in balance with nature is more than the physical side, whether it is the food we eat, the care we take not to pollute or even alternative products we use. What makes it all fit in is to search for the overall balance.

We are more than our bodies, let alone individual organs and body parts. We are more than our minds, than our psychological make up, more than our spiritual side. More than our capacity to love and relate.

We are the sum of all that and the result is larger than expected.

Living a natural life is the adventure as long as we see ourselves a whole persons and living in balance with others, including the surrounding world.

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Natural living is about a balanced life, which means that charging like a bull in a china shop to make an overnight change in your life style will probably not last very long and with the same results as the proverbial bull.

So you should begin with small steps and build up from there. These steps should be positive doing things, like eat more fruit, and not negative not doing things, like stop smoking (although that is always a good idea).

1. Reduce your energy bills and save money. The positive outlook would dictate that you have your lights turned on only when you are in the room and turn them off when you leave. Unplug electrical appliances when they are not in use.
2. Conserve water. Turn off the water taps when brushing your teeth, washing your hands or shaving. You can also turn off the tap water while washing dishes. The long term benefits, aside from the savings involved, is that water will become scarce in the future if the current wastage is anything to go by.
3. Recycle as much as you can. This includes old clothes which can be donated to charities (providing a helping hand) as well as recycling organic and inorganic waste.

Once you begin you will find many other ways of actively ensuring a natural life.

One of the lovely things about this is that aside from the many resources you can find, your own creativity will produce great results. For example you can invent games with yourself or your family such as singing a short song while showering and turning the water off when you end it.

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