Stop + Smell the Chamomile
“Spending time in nature helps us feel restored.
Studies show it makes us:
Healthier
More creative
More empathetic
More apt to engage with the world & with each other
Nature, it turns out, is good for civilization.”
-Florence Williams, The Nature Fix
In this season, I am reminding myself:
Stop + Smell the Chamomile
*and, as any good engineer, deconstruct. Shall we?*
Stop
News flash: the to-do list will (in fact) never end. Defeatist?
Make no mistake, for me, identifying & prioritizing tasks is a must.
But then… in creeps the tyranny of the urgent.
“Now or yesterday” becomes my mantra.
But it doesn't have to be.
I'm learning:
The remedy isn't "faster + more efficient"
Rather it's "stop + pause + rest"
It's:
Making sacred the time spent just taking a breath.
Buffering my list with fostered, finite rest.
Wrapping my hands around my teacup,
Acknowledging it’s moment with me.
Smell
Why smell?
Unlike our other senses, the sense of smell is uber powerful.
Your nose has a direct pathway to your brain.
Smell: doesn’t have to cross the blood-brain barrier.
Noticed? Smells trigger memories.
What happens when we breath deep?Try it...Now...Inhale...Exhale...
In that moment:Your heart rate decreased.
Your blood pressure dropped.
Cortisol (stress hormone) levels drop.
Extra oxygen headed to your brain.You can now think clearer.
And some smells… to inhale them is instinct.Chamomile. Lavender. Mint.Are to be breathed in.
Deeply.
Chamomile
*okay, I made that up. It’s what I grow.*
I have spent days harvesting chamomile.
To do so, is to fall in love.
The days I spend harvesting chamomile always find me in a state of bliss.
Ever heard of "Forest Bathing"?Health, mood, sense of well-being are all boosted during the practice.
But, oh, if you tried "Chamomile Bathing"
*insert wistful sigh*
Truth:
Spring is a busy time on any farm. My herbal tea farm is no different.
But as I move into my season of abundance,
I am choosing to protect my sacred moments.
Join me
Foster precious, finite moments to
Stop + Smell the Chamomile
As always:
Thank you
I'm honored to be your herbal tea farmer.
Be well,
Shannon