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A decade ago I wrote an article about “beach whistles” that struck a chord with many of our readers. I thought of it while preparing for a webinar I led last week called “5 Ways to Heal the World” (you can watch it here for free).
Here’s an excerpt from that article:
I’ll never forget my eighth grade science teacher, Bill Andrake. He was a hippie with so much passion for science and the environment that it was sometimes scary. More than once, he dumped a garbage can on the floor and sifted through the trash while admonishing us for throwing away all kinds of things that were recyclable. Mind you, this was the 1980s. None of us had any idea how or where to recycle something.
One day, he took us on a walk down to the beach, and the moment we got to the sand, he bent over, picked something up, and held it high for us to see. It looked very familiar, but I didn’t know what it was. Well, I kind of knew what it was – it was one of those things that were always scattered all over the beach, which I used to decorate my sand castles. It vaguely resembled a plastic hotdog. I just didn’t know what other people used them for.
“Behold,” he shouted, “the common beach whistle!” Hmm. I had certainly never used one as a whistle. “Also known as a plastic tampon applicator!” That didn’t clarify anything. I was thirteen years old. The only word that made sense to me in “plastic tampon applicator” was “plastic.”
He went on to express his outrage over the fact that the coast was littered with these things. Immediately after school I did some research. Since there was no internet and my friends were as clueless as I was, I had to ask my sisters. Needless to say, my mind was blown, I looked at girls differently after that, and I stopped putting those things on my sand castles. The “plastics don’t biodegrade” message was lost on me because I was too busy trying to wrap my head around menstruation.
Thirty-something years later, it’s only gotten worse. I’m sharing this because I think it’s time for humans to get real about what it’s going to take to stop the piles of plastics that are accumulating in our oceans, landfills, and even in the bellies of birds and sea creatures (including micro particles in fish that we eat). Besides the fact that it’s just disgusting, there are three reasons I believe we should be concerned.
- Many plastics contain chemical constituents that have negative impacts on human health, including infertility, cancer, and thyroid disorders. For instance, the plastic additive BPA is known to impair human reproductive function. The alternative in “BPA-free” products is usually BPS which is likely just as bad.
- It’s not sustainable. We’re not just not fixing the situation, it’s actually getting worse. We’re still producing more plastics every year than the year before. Currently humans buy one million plastic bottles a minute. The great majority of it won’t get recycled.
- It’s a crime against the world that birthed us. You may or may not agree with me on this one, but I see the world as a gift, as our mother and provider, as the source of great beauty and opportunity. Human civilization owes everything to Earth, and we’re covering it with garbage. I think it should concern us that we have become so disconnected from nature and our origins that we don’t see and/or don’t care.
The biggest impediment to changing course is that we don’t want to make sacrifices. We don’t want to pay more. We don’t want anything to be less convenient. We don’t want to rinse out our containers. We don’t want to save recyclables and drive them to a recycling facility. We don’t want to buy less stuff. And we don’t want to make sacrifices if other people aren’t!
But what if we could see these sacrifices not as some kind of punishment or burden, but as a way to give back to our beloved planet – regardless of what others are doing. Have you ever looked at photographs of other planets? They’re ugly and lifeless. Ours is uniquely awesome. It’s exceptional in all ways.
The current pro-environment narrative is often something like, “If we don’t change we’re doomed” or simply, “We’re doomed.” How do those phrases make you feel?
In contrast, see how you feel about this alternative version: “This is the best planet in the universe! It’s gorgeous! It’s perfectly suited to our needs! The air, the water, the soil, the sun, the plants, the animals, and the minerals provide for us completely! Let’s take impeccable care of it! Let’s show it how much we adore it!”
Who we are is inextricable from what we’ve been provided.
I urge you to try this approach: Let yourself be fascinated by your planet. Go outside. Look more closely. Turn off your phone and your mind for a while. Be grateful for everything you have and recognize the path it took to get to you. Read National Geographic. And demonstrate your reverence for the majesty you get to bask in and be part of. Say to the world: This I am pleased to do for you as a tiny expression of my recognition and appreciation for everything you’ve done for me. Don't compare yourself to the oblivious masses; this is about your personal relationship with the world.
I’d love to hear how this feels to you. Share in the comments below. And, if you didn’t listen to my webinar, please do! I address this topic more thoroughly in the webinar, and I broaden the scope – it’s not just about how to heal the environment, but how to heal ourselves, our fellow humans, and the larger institutions that aren’t serving us. If you act now we’ll pay you $100 and send you a free blender! Ok, not really. But I know you’ll be glad you did.
Be well,
Peter
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There is so much research about the benefits of journaling: stress relief, sparks creativity, improves confidence, helps with conflict resolution, improves writing, boosts memory, increases emotional intelligence, helps achieve goals, evokes mindfulness, improves health and healing, and makes you smarter.
But sitting down with a blank sheet of paper and expecting to pour oneself through the pen can be a bit daunting for even the most inspired writer.
To help you get through that first step of putting pen to paper I’ve made a list of 5 things you can journal about and why.
Write about goals and progress on goals
Pro tip: You’re way more likely to achieve your goals if you simply write them down. The process of writing your goals signals to your brain that they are important and then your brain organizes and prioritizes based on that information.
By journaling about your goals you not only are able to clarify what you’re really going for, you’re also able to expand upon them and push yourself to dream even bigger. Write about all of the details of how it will feel to achieve the goal, what it will look like, and the affect it will have on your and your loved ones.
Then, write about your progress as you move forward so you can notice that you are evolving and expanding. This helps propel you toward your goal even more because you see the momentum that’s building and ride that wave to completion.
Explore and resolve challenging experiences and emotions
We all face difficult times in our lives and relationships, but it’s what we do during these times that make the biggest difference in our overall happiness. Journaling is a great way to relieve the stress of these situations and put things into context so we can process and release.
Just putting the experience and accompanying emotions into words makes the experience knowable, and therefore manageable.
Start by just getting it all out – even if it’s illegible and nonsensical. Don’t censor or edit yourself, just be in the ick and let it out.
Once you’ve moved through the surface feelings and emotions, dive into the deeper layers of what’s really going on for you. Try seeing things objectively and write down your observations about your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Forgive yourself, and anyone else involved, for the confusion, hurt, and struggle.
Then see if you can find a lesson or an opportunity for growth for yourself in this situation and journal about what that would look for you.
Lastly, answer this question: How would I move forward in this situation from my deepest values and highest Self?
Self reflection
Use your journal to tap into what’s going on with yourself. Where are you at? How are you feeling? What’s going on for you?
Getting your musings, ideas, and feelings onto paper help you to understand and assimilate them so you can move forward with more grace and joy.
Imagine you’re talking with a really good friend that won’t judge you at all for any of your thoughts or feelings and just write. If you get stuck it might be helpful to go through some of the major categories of your life and reflect upon how you’re feeling about them: friendships, livelihood and impact, health, romantic relationship, creativity, community, play, and spiritual health.
Don’t be afraid to go deep. Ask yourself the questions you’re afraid to ask. Get to know yourself.
Develop your intuition
Journaling is like speaking to yourself and listening at the same time.
If you have any concerns, issues, or questions write them down and request your unconscious to come on board while you’re meditating or sleeping to bring you answers beyond your normal awareness.
Then when you’re done meditating or when you awaken immediate write for ten minutes about any breakthroughs or revelations.
You might be surprised what creativity and inspiration come to you!
Reflect on the positive things in your life
Journaling about a positive experience let’s your mind relive it, which boosts confidence in your ability to create happiness.
Start by just making a list of five things that you’re grateful for today. As you do this, you’ll become aware of awesomeness that is already present in your life. Practice being as present as possible with these pieces of joy in life.
Writing about the good things changes your orientation from scarcity and stress to abundance and peace, simply by shifting your focus.
Journaling is a super valuable practice in any amount, but making it a habit that you do every day creates profound change. If you’re feeling stuck around what to write about – try one of these five things and if none of them are calling you, just set a timer for five minutes, put your pen to paper, and write without stopping. Yes, some of what comes out will be craziness, and that’s okay! The point isn’t to write for the entertainment of others, it’s to provide an outlet for you to express, release, and reflect.
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So much of what we do through The Dragontree – both at our spas and with our products, courses, and articles – is meant to assist people to prioritize self-care. In an age when many people barely take a minute in a day for pure self-care, I’m happy to hear of any way in which someone is making space in their life for wellness. And also . . . if I could be a little nit-picky about it, I’d wish for even more Self in people’s self-care.
From talking about it with my patients, I’ve gathered that most people’s idea of self-care includes things like grooming, bathing, exercise, eating well, and perhaps reading a book in a cozy chair. These are all good and important, but it’s possible to do them without really getting to what the Self needs, and we can perform these activities without any conscious care. I’ve even known people whose die-hard approach to yoga was ultimately more stress-inducing than it was nourishing.
Care implies listening – quieting the mind and being open to understand what is needed. If someone handed you a crying child and said, “Care for this child,” you’d probably drop what you were doing – both physically and mentally – and ask something like, “What’s wrong?” Then you’d just listen. And perhaps you’d next ask, “What do you need?”
I don’t mean to imply that grooming can’t be self-care. But let’s think of self-care as comprising multiple layers. On the surface there are the things you do to maintain your appearance, your general health, your ability to function in society, and your composure – bathing, eating, sleeping, haircuts, etc. The next layer contains the deeper (or higher, if you prefer) measures of maintenance that enable you to manage your challenges and thrive. Perhaps this means taking time to forgive, to process your relationship challenges, work on your communication skills, clean up interpersonal conflicts, deactivate your buttons, define and pursue your (worldly) dreams, discipline your mind, etc. Most of this falls within the realm of “self-help.”
And then there’s an even deeper (or higher) layer of self-care that’s could be described as making space for your Essence. That is, letting your Self (AKA the Consciousness that you are, your Divine nature, Spirit, God, your Highest Self) be recognized and listening to it. (By the way, I make no promise that there are only three layers. There might be seventeen layers. My point is that self-care can address the form or the essence or both.)
Take a break from giving your attention to your mind, your emotions, your pain, your grievances, or any of the other content of your life. Instead, notice the container that holds it all. Or, as Adyashanti says, “Turn your attention upon itself.” Your attention – whose attention is that? Turn the focus of your attention around to notice the source of that attention.
The container that holds all the contents of life – all the thoughts, feelings, events, all the objects of your attention – that container itself, the Space, is You. Many spiritual teachers assert that it’s actually much more your true Essence than any of its contents. The contents are fleeting. The container – Consciousness itself – is eternal. The deepest self-care is the practice of trusting in it. Surrendering to it. Relinquishing everything to it. Even if only for the duration of a single breath.
A daily practice is likely to yield the greatest transformation, and you don’t really need to make time for it. You just need to make Space for it. Several times a day, give the whole of your awareness to a single breath (or a couple breaths). Once in a while you might ask yourself, how much of my awareness did I give to that breath? I just took a breath between that sentence and this one, and I’d say I gave 83% of my awareness to it. Notice that. Does it change over time?
Sometimes, try doing it without stopping whatever else you’re doing. Watch your breath while you are in conversation, while eating, while showering, while driving, and especially while doing the other forms of self-care. Although getting a pedicure might be a relatively superficial form of self-care, if you are completely present to it, it becomes true Self-care.
Little by little, your Essence will be a growing presence in your everyday life. You won’t get wrapped up as easily in drama. Jiddu Krishnamurti said, “My secret is . . . I don’t mind what happens.” This is the case when Essence, rather than ego, is in the driver’s seat.
Be well,
Peter
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A decade ago I wrote an article about “beach whistles” that struck a chord with many of our readers. I thought of it while preparing for a webinar I led last week called “5 Ways to Heal the World” (you can watch it here for free).
Here’s an excerpt from that article:
I’ll never forget my eighth grade science teacher, Bill Andrake. He was a hippie with so much passion for science and the environment that it was sometimes scary. More than once, he dumped a garbage can on the floor and sifted through the trash while admonishing us for throwing away all kinds of things that were recyclable. Mind you, this was the 1980s. None of us had any idea how or where to recycle something.
One day, he took us on a walk down to the beach, and the moment we got to the sand, he bent over, picked something up, and held it high for us to see. It looked very familiar, but I didn’t know what it was. Well, I kind of knew what it was – it was one of those things that were always scattered all over the beach, which I used to decorate my sand castles. It vaguely resembled a plastic hotdog. I just didn’t know what other people used them for.
“Behold,” he shouted, “the common beach whistle!” Hmm. I had certainly never used one as a whistle. “Also known as a plastic tampon applicator!” That didn’t clarify anything. I was thirteen years old. The only word that made sense to me in “plastic tampon applicator” was “plastic.”
He went on to express his outrage over the fact that the coast was littered with these things. Immediately after school I did some research. Since there was no internet and my friends were as clueless as I was, I had to ask my sisters. Needless to say, my mind was blown, I looked at girls differently after that, and I stopped putting those things on my sand castles. The “plastics don’t biodegrade” message was lost on me because I was too busy trying to wrap my head around menstruation.
Thirty-something years later, it’s only gotten worse. I’m sharing this because I think it’s time for humans to get real about what it’s going to take to stop the piles of plastics that are accumulating in our oceans, landfills, and even in the bellies of birds and sea creatures (including micro particles in fish that we eat). Besides the fact that it’s just disgusting, there are three reasons I believe we should be concerned.
- Many plastics contain chemical constituents that have negative impacts on human health, including infertility, cancer, and thyroid disorders. For instance, the plastic additive BPA is known to impair human reproductive function. The alternative in “BPA-free” products is usually BPS which is likely just as bad.
- It’s not sustainable. We’re not just not fixing the situation, it’s actually getting worse. We’re still producing more plastics every year than the year before. Currently humans buy one million plastic bottles a minute. The great majority of it won’t get recycled.
- It’s a crime against the world that birthed us. You may or may not agree with me on this one, but I see the world as a gift, as our mother and provider, as the source of great beauty and opportunity. Human civilization owes everything to Earth, and we’re covering it with garbage. I think it should concern us that we have become so disconnected from nature and our origins that we don’t see and/or don’t care.
The biggest impediment to changing course is that we don’t want to make sacrifices. We don’t want to pay more. We don’t want anything to be less convenient. We don’t want to rinse out our containers. We don’t want to save recyclables and drive them to a recycling facility. We don’t want to buy less stuff. And we don’t want to make sacrifices if other people aren’t!
But what if we could see these sacrifices not as some kind of punishment or burden, but as a way to give back to our beloved planet – regardless of what others are doing. Have you ever looked at photographs of other planets? They’re ugly and lifeless. Ours is uniquely awesome. It’s exceptional in all ways.
The current pro-environment narrative is often something like, “If we don’t change we’re doomed” or simply, “We’re doomed.” How do those phrases make you feel?
In contrast, see how you feel about this alternative version: “This is the best planet in the universe! It’s gorgeous! It’s perfectly suited to our needs! The air, the water, the soil, the sun, the plants, the animals, and the minerals provide for us completely! Let’s take impeccable care of it! Let’s show it how much we adore it!”
Who we are is inextricable from what we’ve been provided.
I urge you to try this approach: Let yourself be fascinated by your planet. Go outside. Look more closely. Turn off your phone and your mind for a while. Be grateful for everything you have and recognize the path it took to get to you. Read National Geographic. And demonstrate your reverence for the majesty you get to bask in and be part of. Say to the world: This I am pleased to do for you as a tiny expression of my recognition and appreciation for everything you’ve done for me. Don't compare yourself to the oblivious masses; this is about your personal relationship with the world.
I’d love to hear how this feels to you. Share in the comments below. And, if you didn’t listen to my webinar, please do! I address this topic more thoroughly in the webinar, and I broaden the scope – it’s not just about how to heal the environment, but how to heal ourselves, our fellow humans, and the larger institutions that aren’t serving us. If you act now we’ll pay you $100 and send you a free blender! Ok, not really. But I know you’ll be glad you did.
Be well,
Peter
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Cart
Hi Peter,
One thought about drafting. The best example of that process is when it’s done by a team. When the lead gets tired, s/he drops to the back and the next team member becomes the head of the formation, forging the path. In this way, the team works together and no one person carries the individual burden.
Be well,
Stuart
Duck, Duck, Goose in the great outdoors
My theme for this year is Serenity