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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

Palo-Santo-Candles

The Act of Balance

Sep 01, 2020 01:19PM ● By Joe Dunne

Last month I wrote about acceptance, tolerance, understanding, empathy, listening and patience. In my world—and most likely yours too—busy is every day. My day flows through work, and work dominates my thinking. I work longer hours into the night and my balance slips. Engrossed in the details of running a magazine and running a company, I allow my time to slip away, and with it the harmony of balance. This, of course, totally affects my self-care.  

My balance reflects in my behavior, my patience, my understanding. When neglected, I act differently. I am not as tolerant. When my balance is off, I am off. This shift also has an effect on others. Self-care is my solution to balance. I know this. In my collection of quotes, there is one that follows me everywhere: “I can have excuses, or I can have success, but I cannot have both.” I have no excuse for not taking care of myself. Meditation, exercise, nutrition, spending time on the lake or ocean—the list goes on. Self-care has an enormous reward attached to it. For much of my life, I never knew how to take care of myself on any level. Now that I do, there is no excuse. 

Experiencing contentment, joy and peace is only achieved when I am in balance, when I accept things as they are. When in balance, my mind, my work, my life, my thinking, my behavior have a rhythm. I can see the results in the family, smiling happens, appreciation, gratitude, creativity happens. I am a better person. When in balance I get to experience the good stuff. I see the good in everything. Why would I let this state of well-being slip away, allowing tired and stressed to rob me of contentment and calm? Again, there is no excuse. Self-care is more than important. It is required. 


In peace, love and laughter,

Joe Dunne, Publisher

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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