Make a Difference ~ Be the Difference

A neighbor, Rick, who sold me my red kayak, has been pressuring me to try surf kayaking.  My venue of choice is a nearby lagoon.  It’s quiet there with interesting and beautiful birds, particularly blue herons.  Sometimes the water is rough but usually it’s fairly calm and, with the exception of my feet I don’t get wet.

Ocean kayaking has seemed intriguing; I always look at kayakers paddling up and down the coast in deep water and wish I could try it.  But you gotta get past the surf…

So I agreed to go this week.  I was worried about the cold and put on a wetsuit and two pairs of booties.  The water was probably 62 degrees and the air was maybe 75, a recipe for chill.  But by the time we lugged the kayaks down to the water I was roasting and the ocean felt great.  Paddling over the surf turned out to be the easy part.  You just lean back which lifts the bow and you go right over.  Rick had instructed me how to catch a wave, no problem there.  Paddle, paddle, paddle, lean forward, when the wave starts to lift the back of the boat, lean back and ride it.  Woohoooo!  It was great!  Until I fell off and the kayak hit me on the back of the head (I didn’t have a helmet!)  That was okay.  I stood up and tried again, and again.  After the third wave and third whack on the head, I had a throbbing headache and decided to head into shore for reevaluation.

On the beach I sat on the kayak and watched Rick for quite awhile.  I saw what he was doing and tried to internalize it.  I didn’t want to go back in but I had agreed to try.  I didn’t want to walk away from this defeated without giving it another chance.  When the pain in my head was gone, I hauled the kayak back out and experimented in the small surf.  The techniques he taught me worked and I caught almost every wave; it was pretty fun.  It was a little like learning a dance, though.  I was coaching myself the whole time rather than just riding waves, lean this way, put the paddle out, you’re not gonna tip, oh! you made it, you’re not hurt, go back in again!  I suppose that would change with time and more practice.

When the session was over (after my fourth and final whack), we both lay on our kayaks enjoying the warmth of the day, listening to the surf, and visiting.  It was strange to be “playing” at the beach with someone I don’t know very well, but it was very fun.  I will go again and get out past the surf and go along the coast.  With a helmet on.  Now that I know how to ride a wave relatively safely I am not afraid.

The thing about our lives is, we have so many opportunities to take risks and try new things.  I’m not talking about reckless or foolish ideas but simple little risks like talking to someone we don’t know, raising our hand to speak, learning a new hobby or tasting new foods.  Life goes by so fast and we have so little to lose by trying.  So here’s your assignment, try something new this week or take the steps necessary to get there.  Just do it!  Thanks, Rick!

In my quest to find healthier beauty products, I decided to start searching for hair color.  I never planned to color my hair.  I think long gray hair is beautiful and it seems to be a trend in the advertising world.  There are some gorgeous gray models out there.  I think  the process involved in getting one’s hair dyed is a colossal waste of time and money.  But, as I am only 44, I have started to see that there is a lot of gray in my strands, maybe 40%; I feel I’m not ready to be all gray just yet.  At this rate I will be there by the time I’m 50 which isn’t as far off as it used to be.  The other problem with hair color is that it is traditionally bad for you.  It’s loaded with bad chemicals a thinking person would never really choose to handle, so why would I deliberately put it on my scalp every three weeks?

After much searching, I think I have found a product that will fit the bill.  It is called Palette By Nature and I love it.  The ingredients are on the website and it contains no PPD which irritates so many women’s scalps.  It is pretty much all natural; the most natural I have found with the exception of henna.  I did try henna in a light color four times.  It just didn’t work.

I chose a light blond color because I just want to color the gray, not change the red.  You cannot go lighter with this product.  You can only match your own or go darker and I have read several comments that the colors are darker than women anticipate.  After my first box, I would have to agree.

So, I set aside my hair dryer and the gloves (included) and a big comb.  I changed into old clothes and put an old towel around my neck and began applying first the base and then the color as the instructions suggested.  “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I thought as I worked the solutions through my hair.  Then I sat down with my laptop and moved a hair dryer around my shower-capped hair for 45 minutes.  I could see why someone would pay to have someone else do this for the tiring hair dryer part alone.  When the time was up, I rinsed it out and I could not believe how soft my hair felt.  It smelled a little like cough syrup, but not unpleasant.  A few days later I retouched the area around my face and you can see from the before and after pictures that it worked nicely.  There are still a few gray strands, but I don’t mind.  I’m not trying to look 21 and I’m not willing to use harsh chemicals to cover every strand perfectly.  I might achieve better results as I get better at applying it, too.

Palettes by Nature is a great hair color.  Although I have never used another brand, I am so satisfied with the results, and so comfortable with the ingredients that I will continue to use it.  My hair feels and looks great.  I have splurged on a small bonnet-type hair dryer so I don’t have to hold one.  This way my monthly hair-coloring session will still be inexpensive and relaxing.  I highly recommend this to you.  As far as I know you must order from them or buy it at Whole Foods and then you can do it yourself (everything you need is included except for a big comb), or you can take it your stylist.  if you try it, let me know what you think!

I’ve just found a new product to share with you.  My old drugstore lipstick was finally down to the end so I decided to try a new direction.  At Whole Foods Market I bought ZuZu lipstick and it is wonderful.  The color I chose is Patina, a gorgeous, rich gold color that stays on for hours.  The ingredients are natural and if you go to the ZuZu Cosmetics page you will see the ingredients are all listed at the bottom.  If you highlight an unusual ingredient, a definition will appear.

The thing is, if we eat organic and try to live healthier lifestyles, it makes sense to switch our beauty products toward this goal, too.   And if you think about it, what goes on your lips, goes in your mouth.  You are consuming it; lipstick should be safe enough to eat.  A lipstick that can stay on your lips for 24 hours and needs another product to remove it is not safe for you.  What kind of chemical concoction that bonds to your skin is good for you?  I will continue to look at other natural and organic cosmetics and share what I find with you.  I want us all to be healthy!

This morning’s kayaking at the lagoon was chilly and very quiet this morning except for these dramatic birds, black skimmers.  They are quite adorable and fun to watch as they fly just above the surface with their lower beak dragging through the water.  I don’t know a lot about them but don’t think they are at the lagoon year round.  This is a migratory stop for a lot of species.

You can see a much larger bird in their midst, a whimbrel; they appear to all get along.

One of my pet peeves is trash, especially at the lagoon where I kayak.  I always pick it up and carry it in my red sit-on-top until I’m done for the day.  Usually, I just find bottles and cans and chip wrappers.  But occasionally there are some really interesting things like a complete pair of sandals (I usually encounter only one shoe), or a container of medical marijuana – seriously. But last weekend this giant “thing” suddenly came floating out into the lagoon.  It was a windy day and this “thing” was moving really quickly.  I had to investigate and found a huge block of foam wrapped in very aged fiberglass.  It weighed a ton but I was finally able to get it to shore and roll it onto the beach with my daughter’s help.  You can see how big this “thing” was compared to me and my vessel:

It managed to stay on the beach for a few days.  I wondered how it was that somebody’s “thing” had suddenly gone missing and they hadn’t come to look for it but eventually it disappeared.

When you see trash on the ground in your neighborhood, school or environment, take a second to pick it up.  It sets a wonderful example for children and it will make your world look nicer!

Did you know the Earth is expected to run out of helium in the next 20 to 30 years??? Who would have thought such a thing was possible?  And why isn’t the media making a bigger fuss about this?

In the February issue of National Geographic magazine I learned that helium is underpriced; an inflated balloon should cost $100 to accurately reflect the value of the helium inside it.  You can check out this link and others to get more details but let me share with you what I’ve found.

Helium was first discovered as an element in space in 1868.  It was discovered under the Great American Plains while drilling for oil in 1903.  Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe and the United States has had the biggest reserve in the world.  Algeria is second by far.  Canada, Poland and Russia also have smaller reserves.  Most of the helium in the universe was formed in the first 1-3 minutes following the Big Bang.  It is therefore a non-renewable resource.

In 1996, a US law was passed to sell off the helium in the reserve cheaply which has caused it to be undervalued.  This makes recycling it, which is possible, too expensive.  In addition to your child’s birthday party balloons, helium is used in MRI machines, rocket science and other scientific and industrial applications.   It is frustrating but, unfortunately common, knowledge that humans’ greed is depleting and/or destroying so many natural resources of the Earth.  Something can be done if lawmakers work on it.  I hope someone will champion this cause for the principle of it if nothing else.

I went to the local trophy shop to pick up the favorite child award plaque for Gigi because she had found a sentimental bracelet for me.  When I walked into the store, the owner asked me what I was picking up and I said it was a favorite child award plaque.  He cut me off and said, “Oh, I remember that one!”  He brought it out and read it over and asked, “I take it, Mr. Pat is a family friend?”  I briefly explained that the bracelet had belonged to Pat who had passed away recently.  I took out a $20 bill to pay.  “I think half of that should do,” and he gave me back $10.  I told him that wasn’t necessary but he insisted, obviously touched by the story.  I was very touched by his gesture.  If you live in northern San Diego and need a trophy, AA Trophies in Carlsbad is a good place to go and a worthy business to support.

I hate voice-activated menus!  I’m talking about the kind that kick in when you call, for example, your credit card company.  “Please speak your 16-digit card number now,” it says calmly.  And as I begin to speak the numbers someone in my home will invariably make a noise or the dog will bark and the “voice” will say, “I’m sorry but I can’t understand you.”  It now takes me no time at all to become irritated and I will say, “Representative!” until the “voice” asks me to enter my account number directly onto the keypad.  Then when the “voice” asks me to state my reason for calling, assuring me it can understand me, I give it a try but the “voice” usually cuts me off and asks me to try it again.  I know by the time I get to a human operator my patience is gone and my voice is terse.  And I’m sorry to the poor person who answers the phone.  If I would have been able to talk to you in the first place I would have been so happy, I assure you.  Who was the genius behind this system?  Who seriously thought that anyone who doesn’t live in a library would be able to make themselves understood without getting cut off by the “voice?”  These systems stink; I don’t know anyone who likes them.  Cut your costs somewhere else; this is just plain rude customer service.  I’m going kayaking now to cool off.

A long time ago my first-born child, Gigi, did something great.  She probably found something I had lost, and so I probably said thankfully, “You deserve a favorite child award,” whereupon she promptly gathered a piece of paper and a pen for me to note the award.  For some reason the “Favorite Child Award” is a big deal with all four of my children.  Whenever I misplace something and ask for help to find it, at least one child will ask, “Can I have a favorite child award if I find it?”  I hand these post-it notes out for exceptional acts of behavior, too.  When my 13 year-old son, Finn, came into my room at 2 a.m. to offer to get me some water because I was having a coughing fit, I thanked him for his thoughtfulness the next morning and gave him a hot pink post-it favorite child award.  He immediately put it up in the kitchen for the family to see.

Recently I was looking in my daughter’s closet for something and I was surprised to see every favorite child award of hers tacked to the wall in there.  Gigi is highly organized and has purged her room of all but the essentials and her favorite things.  She is also 16 years old and often expresses her lack of respect for my intelligence as children her age are likely to do.  Therefore, it is deeply touching to know that she still treasures my praise; that what I say and think really means something to her.  Sometimes, anyway.

Last week, a bracelet that means the world to me fell off my arm.  I had no idea when it happened and concluded that it disappeared while running errands.  I checked all over the house, and called the stores I had visited.  My children knew how important this was and they looked under and in everything, too.  I concluded it was gone, completely devastated.  Then, suddenly, this morning, my daughter hollered, “Guess what I found!  This deserves a major favorite child award!”  Gigi proudly held the bracelet in her hand.  I was overjoyed and the other kids were excited, too.  So, I’m going to get her the tiniest little trophy plaque I can find, just something special for her to remember not only this particular event, but that she even cared about these “awards” in the first place.

With all the flak that Amy Chua is getting with her article about why Chinese mothers are superior, and I don’t agree with her tactics or her goals, I think it’s important to note that there is more than one way to raise children correctly.  The ultimate goal should be to raise children who contribute to the world around them and care about others.  They will be happy; the world will be happy you let them loose; and you will be a proud parent.  What more could you want?

So, I mentioned a few posts ago that I had had some serious health problems in 2006 with shakiness, profound anxiety, uncontrollable high blood pressure and hypoglycemia.  I was researching obsessively online and explaining my symptoms to everyone to see if anyone had heard of this.  There are a lot of unhappy people in the world with bizarre and inexplicable medical problems I sadly discovered.

After about 18 months, I returned to my Physician Assistant, Jennifer Cates, with several printouts scattered throughout the exam room.  “Look,” I said, “all of my symptoms point to a pheochromocytoma or primary hyperaldosteronism (tumors on the adrenal gland basically).  This is a classic case!”  She agreed but couldn’t order the tests I needed and the doctors in the office had already told me I just needed to accept my symptoms as my new health status.  One endocrinologist insisted the diagnosis I was talking about was so rare, and therefore unlikely, that he refused to order the cat scan I requested and instead prescribed another drug.  Finally a friend, Jeanine, who has never steered me wrong except for a certain vodka recommendation, referred me to another endocrinologist, Dr. George Dailey of Scripps Green Hospital.  Angles were singing as he quickly looked over my lab results and said, “We need to order a cat scan.”  Hallelujah!  You cannot believe the joy my friends and family and I felt that the journey might actually be coming to a close.  A few tests soon revealed that there was indeed a tumor on my adrenal gland that only a cat scan could pick up, and one of my adrenal glands was producing the hormone, aldosterone, at something like 50 times the normal amount.  There was no question that I had primary hyperaldosteronism.

Almost two years to the day that this all began, the adrenal gland and its offending benign tumor were removed.  Within six weeks I was off all my medications and my symptoms all went away, every single one.  I was high as a kite and I know how lucky I was to hear my doctors say, “You’re cured.”  Lucky, lucky, blessed girl.