I'M GROWING NEW BRAIN CELLS

Every time I meet a new person, the inevitable question comes out....'Now, where do you work?'

The answer in my head is, 'I'm growing new brain cells in the lab of my brain and I'm making great progress.'

I do believe that every time I learn something new, react positively to something negative or step out of my comfort zone, I'm growing neurons. Two big words for today are neurogenesis - the creation of new neurons and  neuroplasticity - the ability of the brain and nervous system to remodel in response to new information based on experiences, behaviour, emotions or injury.

Just the other day, we visited the Hill of Uisneach. It was our second time there, the first time having missed the tour. So with knowledge readily shared by our most wonderful guide, Justin, who is an archaeologist, I felt so privileged to walk on the grounds that the great and the mighty have trodden. I came away with two books and also several links to research more into the wonders of Ireland's sacred past. I can never say enough about reading. My kindle, books and writings are always on my bedside table.

My love for learning propels me forward. It becomes a challenge for me to find a way when there seems to be no way. That's where ideas lead to creativity and voila! something beautiful comes out of it.

Take for instance the time I was running to several florists in search of a dry oasis ring to make a wreath, using the garden flowers that I have dried. Sure, they have it over at Amazon and all but to actually order one and get it delivered doesn't justify the monetary outlay. So when I saw a 12 inch aluminium pie plate that cost a fraction of the price of the aforesaid Amazon ring, my brain went into overdrive. I started to grow neurons and was mighty pleased with the result. The secret is of course to be pleased with everything you have tried and not to beat yourself black and blue over something that you have spent hours on.

A friend once shared with me the story of the measuring tape. If we always think whatever we do is never good enough, perhaps we have been using the wrong measuring tape. The solution is to ditch that measuring tape and get a new one!

I know it is scary to try new things. But if you don't try, you will never know. The thing is if it works, you are happy. If it doesn't, there is always the bin, and no one has to know.

At times, I yearn for food that I love but is not readily available over here in Ireland. Recently, I was imagining dorayaki (japanese round pancakes with red bean filling) flying around me like spaceships. So I know I had to make some and so I did. A GOOGLE search on methods of freezing them came to nought so I thought of a practical way to do so, based on my experience with freezing food, and hey presto, the last time I re-heated a frozen dorayaki on a cool autumnal evening, it tasted like heaven.

I think the worst thing you can do to yourself is to build walls around your brain.

In the lyrics of 'I am a rock' we hear the lines ................

I've built walls

A fortress deep and mighty
That none may penetrate
I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain
I am a rock
I am an island

When we start to build walls around our brains, we self destruct. Walls need to come down. For every bad relationship, there are plenty of good ones. For every wrong decision made, there are better ones ahead. 

The brain is as old as you want it to be. Feed it and it grows. Build walls around it and you are stuck. 

So, I'm quite happy growing neurons in the lab of my brain.

The Vet and the Terrarium

Pat the Vet comes over annually to give Hachi his booster jab. So he came over last month and after a general inspection gave Hachi the thumbs up and general instructions what to do and what not to do. It was when he was about to leave the house that he saw the terrarium by the door and was gobsmacked.

'Now this is a most amazing creation,' he said.

I went into lecture mode and gave him an oral detailed description of the procedure but being a very serious learner, he said, 'could we go back to the table and I'll write down the instructions?'

Hmm, a reversal of roles, I smiled.

I've always enjoyed looking at terrariums. A terrarium is a collection of small plants growing in a transparent, sealed container. A terrarium is a closed environment, and can actually be used to illustrate how an ecosystem works.

The terrarium water cycle works in miniature the same way the water cycle works on a large scale for our planet. The plants take up the water through their roots and release it through their leaves. (transpiration) The water molecules will condense on the glass (condensation) and run down the sides of the terrarium.

But so far I've seen only those with 'windows' which means that the glass container is not completely sealed. So I took to Youtube to learn how to grow plants in a bottle that is completely sealed. Sounds impossible, but it is actually possible.

What strikes me is the concept of balance and care.

1) We are what we eat. 

I always believe that having good health is not impossible. Staying off medication is not impossible. But everything requires discipline and work. It is so much easier to to scoff down bars of chocolates then to stop at one.

I had my annual medical and the best news is a clean bill of health. No high blood pressure, no high sugar level, no problems with kidneys, liver, lungs, heart, cholesterol, weight etc. The conclusion: no medication. The doctor was pleased and so was I. Whatever I have been doing for years must be working. And I hope to stay healthy for a long long time.

2) We are what we think we are.

Our thoughts influence the way we behave, the decisions we make and the feelings we experience. Why are most people so negative?  Why are there so many moaners and whiners and complainants? You just have to turn on the radio and people are always giving out about something or other. It is a society that is never satisfied and thinks that the fault lies in someone else, never themselves.

There are people who are always 'offering information' about how well others are doing or how badly they have fallen. This constant comparison with others: Is it insecurity?  If that is what you call small talk, I'm totally not into it.

Why?

Because I believe in making a life, living out the 18 waking hours daily and blessing myself and others. I don't like tittle tattle, I like friendship. I don't like passing on information for the sake of 'what's the story?', I like caring and being personal. I don't like people trying to 'fish information' from me. If you want to know, ask the person directly. Why ask me?  That's what I told one lady when she asked me about someone else. She was so shocked at my retort that she said, 'Oh...I don't want to land in hot water.' And so, she expects me to land in hot water? Even if I know, it is not in my place to tell her. That is not concern, that is gossip.

Most of all, what irks me is sarcasm. That has practically no added value whatsoever. Some may think it funny or cultural but to me it is a waste of time and I think it is rude when someone rolls up his eyes and says 'Thank You very much.' I have seen a teenager say that to the mother, and the mother did nothing. If she were my child.......

I think it is ridiculous when someone says, 'Your FRIEND Oscar has made his millions.....' when obviously Oscar is just an acquaintance, never a friend. Worse still, if I had fallen out with Oscar sometime in the past. I am plainly not interested in what Oscar has done. If I am, I will ask.

Then on the other extreme we have those who won't stop talking about what they have achieved.

I was watching a child who was cycling without the trainer wheels and she shouted to her father, 'Look at me, look at me...' . It sounded so sweet because it was a child who had achieved something and wanted to be recognised. But when it is an adult who is always concerned about me, my and I - it is no longer sweet.

3. We become the person that we mix with.

Friends are important as they mould our character. But I can surely say that if we continually mix with eagles, we will soar. Conversely, if we mix with turkeys, we'll just be content to peck off the ground. Iron sharpens iron. It is inevitable to be surrounded by all sorts of people. But it is our personal responsibility to be the person that others can emulate and to learn from those who have remarkable traits.

4. We need to share what we have

The foundation for the terrarium is also very important. There is a layer of stones for drainage because too much water will be a disaster. We too need to share what we have instead of grabbing all the time. It could be grabbing another person's things, time or attention.

There is no tributary that flows out of the Dead Sea. No creature can survive in it as massive levels of salt prevent the existence of all life forms.

If we want to be surrounded by good friends, we need to be a good friend first. And what does it take to be a good friend? Investment: a continual concern,  regular texts enquiring about the well being of another, time spent just for the person, prayers and thoughts for the person, words of encouragement, being fun to be with, sharing of knowledge, sharing of personal matters.....and the list goes on. Do not ask a person out for tea if your eyes are constantly looking at who is entering the cafe and wondering if you know them or hoping that you'll be seen.

5. We need a filtration system

There is a layer of charcoal in the terrarium which acts as a filter to absorb smells and impurities. There is also a layer of mesh to prevent the houseplant compost from falling onto the stones. How I wish more people would filter their minds, their hearts and their speech.

There is so much garbage over the media and if we are just passively sucking everything in, I feel sorry for the mind, soul and body. I am surrounded daily by people uttering four letter words, blasphemies and using Jesus's name in vain - from adults, teens and even children!. It is so common to use  expletives or crude utterances  that it doesn't shock anymore.

People send me all sorts of videos and expect me to watch them the moment they sent the videos. Like I said I have only 18 daily waking hours and I am selective of what I watch and when I watch. Most times, I delete the video after 2 seconds of viewing if it doesn't spark joy.

So the vet took down all the notes and he asked me: How much do you charge for sharing this vital information with me?

I laughed and wished him well in his new quest. When I see him next year, I'd be ready with all the questions about his terrarium.

THE THINGS THAT BLIND US

As Felix the deer is crossing the road, he stops to stare at the headlights of an approaching car.

Peter Rabbit: Felix blink! Blink!

Felix: Headlights

The above is an excerpt from the movie Peter Rabbit based on Beatrice Potter’s much loved creation. Deer are crepuscular. Crepuscular, a word drawn from the Latin word for “twilight,” is a term for animals that are active primarily at dawn and dusk. This means that their vision is optimized for very low light. Therefore, confronted with headlight beams, the deer’s eyes are fully dilated to capture as much light as possible. It cannot see at all until the eyes are adjusted. So basically they are blinded by the light and they just freeze.

Somehow the image of the deer transfixed by the lights strikes a chord in me because we too can be blinded at times and I can think of four occasions.

1. Shakespeare wrote in Merchant of Venice, Act 2, scene 6, "Love is blind, and lovers cannot see the pretty follies that themselves commit."

Partly to blame are those ‘feel-good’ chemicals in our brains when we fall in love that we tend to overlook or gloss over huge character flaws especially during the courting stage. We can be so blinded that we fail to realise that only one party gives in or apologizes most of the time in the hope of making the relationship work. Surmounting lies and constant disagreements or shouting matches wear the relationship thin. To be expected to fix a partner’s problems most of the time and to listen all the time are shifty grounds to build a relationship on. On hindsight, most of us would agree that we’ve been there and done that and now feel a little foolish.

2. Helen Keller said that the only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.

Vision is about having a dream and pursuing it. It is about seeing with the mind’s eye and planning. The corporate world has vision statements and we should have our own personal vision that drives us. Vision is built on what we do and with whom we interact. It is what we want to do, become or accomplish. It goes beyond surviving daily.

An individual with vision soars above the mundane. Gossiping or idle talk is of no interest to her. It is interesting to note that those who gossip also hear a lot of gossip themselves because like minds congregate. There is this all too familiar: Have you heard? This is usually accompanied by the right palm half covering the mouth so that whoever in the vicinity who is not supposed to hear it will not hear it. In smaller towns especially it becomes a national past time.

When people ask me why I do not gravitate towards tittle tattle, my reply is always the same: I have only 18 waking hours and I intend to use them productively pursuing my passion.

3. Someone said the eyes are useless when the mind is blind.

I think one of the greatest tragedies of mankind is when we refuse to embrace the new - whether it is new food, new language, new people or new ideas. There were several occasions when people asked my opinion about what Asians do. Take child raising for example. In all sincerity I shared some of the methods that worked for me and I was very surprised that they were not open to them at all. I understood later that they were asking for the sake of asking but not to learn. I remember as a young mother, I valued the advice of mothers who had raised wonderful children.

4. Mark Twain said kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see

If we look at the headlines of any newspaper, it is obvious that there is very little kindness left. Kindness is when we make time to visit someone, to sit and have coffee with her or show concern over her welfare. Kindness is when we speak a word of encouragement and lift someone up in prayer. I cannot help but feel touched when a friend told me how she would leave some chicken for the hungry foxes who come a-calling at night. Another makes sure the hedgehog families are safe when she cuts the hedgerows.

Towards the end of the Peter Rabbit movie, Felix the deer managed to use his ‘blindness’ for a good cause.

Many are blinded by their own ego, their own upbringing, their own culture or their own perceived superiority complex. If only we can be blinded by good stuff like generosity, selflessness, and everything that is positive instead.

THE MORE YOU GIVE THE MORE YOU HAVE

It was one Saturday when everyone else was asleep that I woke up at 5am bright eyed and bushy tailed. So I headed for the garden and tidied it. Then I continued with household chores like washing the laundry and general cleaning. I proceeded to do some cooking and then did some painting and writing. After that, I walked to the gym.

The above certainly sounds like a journal entry or an example of a paragraph used by the teacher to illustrate chronological organisation in writing.

When the beloved woke up, he saw what I had accomplished and asked,

‘Where did you get all the energy?’

I was trying to think of a good answer when I remembered the story of the ant and the grasshopper. The bottom line is some people are industrious while others are lackadaisical. We have those who accomplish much and others who are inclined to park off on the couch, play online games and do very little else. Even in the animal kingdom, we have some that do most of the work and others, very little.

UK psychiatrist and book author Dr Neel Burton has much to say about laziness, which according to Wikipedia is “a disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to do so”. In other words, a person is lazy when he is able to carry out some activity but is reluctant to do so because of the work involved. Underlying psychological reasons pertaining to this attitude could be the lack of self esteem or a fear of failure. So laziness is a way to sabotage themselves. By not doing the work, they tell themselves they have not failed but rather they never tried.

Another interesting view is that there is a relationship between dopamine levels and a willingness to work hard. There are some super foods that increase dopamine levels and it is said that one of them is dark chocolate.

A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience (2012) by researchers from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee found that dopamine levels in 3 areas of the brain influence a person’s personality - whether he is a go-getter or a procrastinator. Apparently hardworking people have the most dopamine in two areas of the brain known to play an important role in reward and motivation.

Then there is learned industriousness.

It may be difficult to explain human tendencies but I do believe that to a great extent, what we are is the result of modelling and the environment. Our backgrounds and the way we have been brought up influence how we approach day to day living.

For us who did not have much materially when we were growing up would have added reason to work hard and achieve. We tend to value what we have and also avoid wastage of any kind. In addition if we were constantly surrounded by parents or caregivers who worked very hard so that our basic needs were met and we could have that little extra, we would then try to emulate their work ethics. This of course is a general observation and there are exceptions to the rule.

A child living in an environment where hard work equals success will certainly view his future differently from another child who has been given everything. An adult living in a society where there are no social welfare privileges knows he has to work to survive. He cannot expect to receive freebies or allowances or discounted housing.

I’ve taught students and worked with colleagues and bosses who were very conscientious and it was such a delight.

Conscientious people want to do a task well and they take obligations to others seriously. They are efficient and organised, self disciplined and dependable. It is not only doing big jobs that matter but small jobs are equally important.

Sometimes when I’m asked to give a talk or to host an event, I try my best to make sure that it is done well. So I spend many days and nights planning and bringing the project to completion successfully. In the course of it, I’ve been asked, ‘why do you put in so much effort? They won’t appreciate it’ to which I’ll thank them for their concern but to me even if one person is blessed by the talk or the event, then it has made all the effort worthwhile.

So back to the question on how I had all the energy to do what I did. I think the secret lies in the mystery that the more you give, the more you have. 

Or it could be the ginseng.

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PRINTED IN THE NEW STRAITS TIMES MALAYSIA 26 AUGUST 2018 https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2018/08/404962/more-you-give-more-you-have

DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM NOT THE SYMPTOM

My strawberries were blooming well and I read that straw would do the job of keeping them off the ground away from muddy rain splashes. Straw also prevents slugs from getting to them first as slugs avoid anything that scratches their slimy bodies. There is no end to learning and being a gardening enthusiast amongst many other things, I welcome new knowledge every day.

So I asked my friend is she had some straw to spare and to my delight, she gave me a big bag that fitted nicely into the boot of my car. After putting the straw down on the bed there was excess so I scanned through straw crafts to see what I could do with it. Making a scarecrow sounded very appealing. I needed something to frighten away the pesky birds from feasting on the greens but most of all I was excited over a worthy challenge.

I had never made a scarecrow before so I went into enthusiasm overload. Seamus the Scarecrow had a big job to do and like every Superhero he needed his own unique costume. I gave him a fine shirt, a pair of jeans and a straw hat with a hand-sewn pumpkin on it. I even made him a vest out of a 15 year old vintage fabric with gardening images. He looked really dapper but alas I could not give him a brain.

Almost instantaneously, I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz with the scarecrow by my side. The scarecrow had decided to follow Dorothy to Emerald City to ask the wizard for a brain. 

In reality, he had common sense and was finally recognized as "the wisest man in all of Oz” at the end of the novel despite not having an actual brain. So it wasn't a brain that he lacked but self confidence. It is said that the Scarecrow reflects the Kansas farmer as viewed by outsiders, needing a brain to replace the straw in his head.

I can see that there are two issues here.

The first issue is thinking that we think we need something very badly but actually we may not need it at all. Or we may be looking for the wrong thing altogether.

Case in point would be when we tend to search for relief rather than for a solution. We treat the symptoms rather than the root of the problem. The problem could be an actual physical disease or otherwise.

Take for example a headache. The first reaction would be to reach for a pill and hope that the pain will go away. Nothing wrong with that except we do not normally think of what caused the headache in the first place and try to prevent it from reoccurring. So we say we need a pain killer instead of an antidote for the source of the pain.

On the other hand, looking for a solution to a problem is like a car mechanic dealing with a rattling noise in the car. The mechanic will do a thorough check in order to find out what is causing the noise. Then once it is fixed, the happy customer drives the car with no worries.

If we can do that with an inanimate object why can’t we apply the same procedures when dealing with a personal problem?

Fear could be one reason why we avoid dealing with the real issue. We don’t want to unlock a door because we do not know what’s on the other side. Even though we are running around trying to fix the symptoms, the issue will not go away until we confront it

.

Finding the root cause requires persistence. Sometimes a problem can be the result of many smaller problems that have not been resolved, just like the formation of a Tel. In archaeology, a Tel, (derived from the Arabic word meaning 'hill' or 'mound'), is an artificial mound formed from the accumulated refuse of people living on the same site for hundreds or thousands of years. A classic Tel looks like a low, truncated cone with a flat top and sloping sides and can be up to 30 metres high.

The second issue is forming an opinion of ourselves based on the opinions of others. For those affected by this, it can take years and plenty of support and determination to feel secure and proud of who we are.

So for now, Seamus the Scarecrow stands proudly guarding my vegetable beds and the apple tree. In his solitary post, I must say that the silent sentinel does his job very well indeed.

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PRINTED IN THE NEW STRAITS TIMES 29 JULY 2018
http://digital.nstp.com.my/nst/books/nstnews/2018/20180729nstnews/index.html#/23/

TREASURES ON EARTH

An early morning swim is part of a self care routine that I try religiously to adhere to. Feeling rather accomplished after the swim, I decided to head for the sauna which was usually vacant at that time of the day. Imagine my surprise when I saw not one, but two burly Irishmen sweltering in the heat of the little room. With one quick glance, I noticed that the one sitting on the left bench had a very hairy chest and the other on the right bench was heavily tattooed .

That was an awkward moment as I debated whether to enter bravely or to retreat.

I opted for the former and found a corner to perch comfortably.  I decided to do the sane thing at that time - to close my eyes and meditate. I had turned the sand dial timer for a good ten minutes so to think about sand was as good as any focal point in meditation.

My mind drifted to sand bags used to stop flood waters from entering the house to the fine sand that my chinchilla showers herself with. Then I had visions of sand dunes and sand castles and Petra. Yes, that lost city visited by Indiana Jones (as portrayed by Harrison Ford) during his hunt for the holy grail.

It was about two months ago that I went to Petra in southern Jordan. Although it was my second trip there, the archaeological discovery remained as magnificent as ever. The first time I went there in 2016, I had sprained my ankle prior to the trip so I didn’t manage to go far. This time round I went to the Al-Khazney (The Treasury) and to the Roman-like amphitheatre and beyond.

The city of Petra was carved directly into the red, pink and white sandstone cliff faces by a  civilisation called the Nabataeans. It was built in the 1^st century BCE and was inhabited by about 20000 people at its peak.

Like most tourists, I was overwhelmed by the magnitude and intricate carving of the  Al-Khazneh.  A giant urn carved above the entrance to the Treasury bears the marks of hundreds of gunshots. Bedouin tribesmen living in and among the ancient ruins say the damage was caused when local men would open fire at the urn with rifles, seeking the loot thought to be inside it. Another legend is that it functioned as a treasury of the Egyptian Pharaoh at the time of Moses.

We all have our own Al-Khazneh where we keep our prized material stash. For some this stash increases over time, for others it decreases. It all depends very much on what we deem important or unimportant over time.

The greatest treasure is what a person loves most. It restructures one’s values and priorities.

To the Nenets of the Yamal peninsula in northern Siberia, the reindeer is their prized possession.. 65 year old reindeer herder Medko Serotetto says it is their food, their transport, their soul. But should he choose to forsake this harsh lifestyle, then his herd of 5000 reindeer will no longer be his treasure.

I have been to homes where every corner is decorated with priceless artifacts. I have also been to very spartan homes owned by the rich. Deep in the recesses of our hearts we want to acquire. We want to have that which appeals to our eyes. We even equate possessions with power. Advertisers for luxurious objects milk this delusion. It is the hunt after things that drives the adrenalin and once we have secured the hunted, we are on another hunting game.

I overheard a teenage boy boasting to his friends that he receive the latest I-phone as a Christmas gift. I also knew that one grandmother painstakingly knit a pair of socks for her teenage grandson. It does not need a genius to figure out which present would be more treasured by the teenage boy.

The allure of hoarding materialistic possessions is indeed great.  For where your treasure is, there will be your heart as well. If we but pause for a moment, we will realise that we will need to leave them all behind at one point in time.

I love diamonds, precious stones, gold and wads of cash. Who wouldn’t? But I remind myself constantly that genuine treasures are not so much in material things but more in intangible things. Our hearts need to treasure these above all else.

Good health, a loving family and loyal friends are usually what we sometimes take for granted until something untoward happens.  It is only when I accidentally cut my little finger while preparing dinner that I realise how important the little finger is.

The sand in the upper half of the sand dial timer had almost completely trickled into the lower half. When I opened my eyes, I realised that the hairy man and the tattooed man had left the room so quietly I didn’t even notice in my intense meditation on sand.

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE NEW STRAITS TIMES MALAYSIA ON 22 APRIL 2018 www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2018/04/360136/treasures-earth