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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Start a Movement of Nice

Inspiration! The process of being mentally stimulated to do something, especially to do something creative. Finding something every day can be challenging, so let’s make it simple—look for opportunities to be kind.

As the saying goes, “just do it.” Reach down into your heart, take a risk, break the norm of watching and just do it. Take some action, no matter how small, to make someone’s day a little bit brighter and make someone smile.

What a nice habit that would be. What a great hobby—collecting acts of kindness, straight from the heart and expecting nothing in return.

How much do you think acts of kindness add to the value of you and nurture your own soul? What’s wrong with being nice, kind, caring? What’s wrong with compassion? Absolutely nothing, as the song goes. I bet it will move you as much as it will others.

Allow yourself the privilege of putting a creative thought into action and watch for the opportunity to be kind. I promise you it is there every day. Just look for it. The opportunity to warm someone’s heart is just a small comment of appreciation away.

Today I will count just how many opportunities were offered to me to make a slight difference. It’s not only strangers I will count. I’ll also look within my own circle, my own home, my own family.

Acknowledge another human being. Help someone struggling in life. As the saying goes, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” So, clear your head and find that opportunity to creatively pick up someone’s spirits. Open a door, help with a task, find a stranger to help. Let’s start a movement of nice.

In peace, love and laughter,

Joe Dunne

publisher's letter
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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