Yesterday, my sister-in-law and her husband, decided to remove a liquidambar styraciflua tree from her backyard. This tree, commonly referred to as the American Sweetgum, is known for its beautiful leaves and fall colors. This particular specimen was fairly large, and I was surprised that they were removing it. I could tell that it provided good shade for the house and so I inquired about the purpose for its demise.
Ankle Breakers
While the tree is known for its beauty, it is also known for its spiked fruit. These “gumball” shaped droppings are very unpleasant to walk on, and they do not decompose. If left on the lawn, they turn it into an uneven surface full of lumpy pock marks. Here in North Carolina, they call the the fruit “ankle breakers” because both the fruit, and the holes they create in the lawn, are known to cause many ankle injuries.
As a newcomer, it was hard for me to understand why this tree was being removed. Continue reading » »
Among the natural attributes of women are collaboration and team building. (And, we hold many more.) Our ability to use these gifts has been recognized by such groups as CARE, Heifer International and The Hunger Project. (See notes below.) These groups have invested their resources and total faith in women to rebuild their communities as they know that women will use their opportunities to feed their families and strengthen their communities.
Relationship building, networking and community building are some of women’s finest gifts. Therefore, The Essential Feminine Company™ is opening its “Living Room” as a place for women to get together once a month to share ideas and suggestions about various topics. This is a free event happening at noon (Pacific Time) on March 24 and continuing on the fourth Wednesday of the months following. Continue reading » »
As a nation, we have projected a sense of righteousness and superiority attitudes that are deeply resented in world. Separateness and superiority have become our way of life, rooted deeply in fear. A question– is our way of living necessarily “right”? Many aspects of American life are unraveling before our very eyes (such as, the ability to live and lead from truth and the ability to care for the whole, our health care system, our economic foundation). I wonder who are we to put forth our superiority? Collective responsibility expressed through empathy and understanding would benefit us all. Therefore, one of the most important things we need in the world today is for each of us to have a sense of what it is like to walk in the shoes of another. Continue reading » »
It’s become very clear, based on the state the world is in that the time has come for feminine attributes to be at the forefront of the leadership of the world. Women are naturally predisposed to the feminine because of our brain biology, socialization, and history. What would the world look like if women brought feminine attributes to the forefront? Our world would hold far more collaboration; we would show concern and team build more with others, decisions would have greater community focus and we would be concerned for the emotions and feelings for others. If we apply these basic attribute to what the world currently needs they work hand in glove. The needs of the world include greater equity, more understanding, less fear of the other, and overall more inclusion. Who would be better suited than a women to integrate these into the decision of the world. Continue reading » »
There are two ways to look at how we fit into the world scheme of things. We are either at the mercy of circumstance and victims or we are co-creators. If we are at the mercy of circumstance, our lives are limited by what happens to us. We must live in fear of the next shoe dropping. If we are co-creators, we may not always see the whole picture but we can take the steps necessary to create lives that are unlimited, meaningful and happy. Continue reading » »
