Forrest Bathing in WestU (On the Book Forrest Bathing by Quing Li)

-
Huffington Park: Courtesy of Google Street View

This post is oddly inspired by a real estate ad. I stumbled upon the bio of real estate agent Mary Frances Dumay. If you peruse Mary's list of philanthropic ventures, you will end up feeling substantially inadequate as a person. You may even question the meaning of life.

It's easy to think of philanthropy as something you cynically slap on a resume to get a job, but Dumay apparently sees volunteering as a way of life. All of this is embodied in Mary's smile. So genuine it could be made of solid gold, I wanted to know where this happiness came from. This made me dig into one of her pet passions: Parks.

The next time your life feels like it's in a free fall, I beg of you, do not go for the Jack Daniels. I have a better option which is healthy, convenient, and unless you live a post-apocalyptic hellhole, free. The option I speak of is Forrest Bathing.

Please don't take this option literally or you may end up behind bars for indecent exposure and The University of She will NOT pay your bail. The phrase was derived from the Japanese Term shinrin-yoku. (That's "shin" as in the place little kids like to kick the bad guys. "Rin" as in rintintin -- I suppose he's a dog of some sort, because I never watched the show. And Yoku as in kinda that part of the egg that ends up being unhealthy every two years). Basically shinrin-yoku is feeding off the energy of nature like our ancestors and channeling that for peace of mind so that you don't end up on tiktok for going crazy on a batista.

Now, lest you think this is some new age mumbo jumbo (not that there's anything wrong with that) there is scientific research to back this up. You see, trees release these oils called phytocides that when inhaled boost your immune system. Called Phytocides, of course, because they FIGHT on your SIDE 😉. In addition to this, forest air contains mycobacterium vaccae. As a study at Bristol University in the United Kingdom revealed, inhaling this substance is like taking drugs -- specifically anti-depressants. But kind of like a transient superpower, these effects can wear off. The bacterium makes your mind go on a micro vaca, if you will. (Get it! Bacterium. Micro. Vaca. Mycobacterium vaccae! Its a mnemonic device people!)

Even more research at Briston and Sussex Medical School in the UK found natural silence (the sounds of nature like birds chirping and rustling leaves) stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. And even if you're a little hazy on what the parasympathetic nervous system is, you know this is a damned good thing. Basically, it helps us relax.

So, this week, I'm going to a WestU park and I am picking up 20 pieces of trash in honor of Mary Frances Dumay and in thanks to parks everywhere.


Assignment: I will pick up 20 pieces of trash at a WestU park.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Artist Spotlight: Carol Simon and Stories of Gratitiude

-
Image
  “Stay Happy and Be Positive” that is the the mantra of Houston Artist Carol Simon. Though my exploration of women artists, I've encountered a wide variety of styles. From the sublime to the dark art that looks deliberately like roadkill. But all the art, it seems, presents its own message. If there is a message that Carol Simon that resonates with me it's gratitude. This is most perfectly embodied in her Gratitude Collection which I won't display here for copyright issues, but to describe the art, I would say it is a kaleidoscope of nebulae -- spurts of joy -- calling us to have gratitude in the simple joys of life. Take me, for instance. Right now I am sitting in a bar, sipping wine, with access to the internet. Normally, I would just sit here and stare into the abyss. Maybe mourn the meaningless of life, but gratitude commands me to take advantage of it. There was a time when I had no laptop, no internet, no place to write. And I still wrote. But now, the paralyzing f
Read more

The Art Spotlight

-
Image
  In today's Art Spotlight, we look at Art By Megan. Megan describes her art as such:  "Reflections of light on water, shadows created by trees, and fallen leaves, as well as petals on contrasting surfaces inform my subject matter. I paint these fleeting moments, so they are noticed." Her paintings remind me of the goddess Athena: the goddess of wisdom and art. They seem like two starkly different components but philosophers have long talked about the connection between the two. How you can tell a lot about the morals of a community by the type of art they consume.     One looks like a collection of leaves of varying colors flowing in a twist of wind. They evoke happiness. Joy. A beauty that women have had to learn to see in the face of obstacles. A beauty men have had to learn to slow down and see. A baby's laugh. A beautiful sunset. On the other end are her sea paintings which evoke something completive and wise. The deep blue reminds me of long deep talks about fee
Read more

The Luxe - A Brief Examination of the Communicative Element of Fashion

-
Image
Your jacket, yours shoes, your dress -- they all TALK.   No, this is not me having a schizophrenic episode. This is me introducing the concept of the communicative element of fashion.  As a writer, I find I'm good when it comes to dialogue. Not so good when it comes to the descriptive elements. Therefore, that's why I'm so impressed with a book like The Luxe.  First, let me review it's weaknesses: yes, it's a Gossip Girl ripoff except set in the late 1800s. Yes, the anachronisms will make perfectionists want to shiv out their retina with a knife. And yes, most of the characters will have normal people wanting to construct a real-life facsimile of their character just so you can strangle them in effigy.   But what Anna Godberson does better than any writer I've encountered is use a person's dress to communicate something about their character. In almost every scene in The Luxe,  a character is wearing something to express something whether it's dominance,
Read more