time for Besinnlichkeit

             In German culture, Christmas, and the Advent weeks prior, is a time of Besinnlichkeit, which, like Gemütlichkeit (see earlier blog post on that), is a term that can't quite be translated directly, only approached through approximate synonyms and a description.

            American Christmas is "bright" and "merry," a time for joyful Christmas parties and conviviality.  The Christmas music reflects that - think of Here Comes Santa Claus, or A Holly Jolly Christmas.  German Christmas is reflective in flavor and indicative of the cold, dark time of year when we hibernate and go inward.   The German Christmas spirit also expresses the holiness of the celebration.  Germans get together for Advent coffee with homemade Christmas cookies and Stollen while listening to Christmas music and lighting the candles on their Advent wreaths; they go to Christmas concerts and Christmas markets; and the kids sit together over Christmas crafts (well, maybe no longer, but we did anyway, when we were young).  Many German Christmas songs are hundreds of years old and sound a lot more "churchy," solemn, mystical, and reflective.

            It's good to intersperse our hectic technology-infused lives with times of slowing down.   Besinnlichkeit is a combination of introspection and reflection, of pensiveness and going inward, of centering and grounding, of connecting with the spiritual.    To me, Christmas has always been somewhat mystical, and Besinnlichkeit let's me tap back into that enchanted world of childhood magic. 

the new values

         A few years ago we hired a bright young man who left our company after only three short months.   He decided that he didn't want to work as much, and proposed to work less hours for less pay (which didn't work for us at the time). 

            There is a new set of values around, and it's quality-of-life based.  The younger generation, of which many did not vote in this past election because they did not feel heard, has a different set of values from the profit-based, fast-paced, career-track oriented hustle for the next promotion and bigger salary of the twentieth century.   The new values are not about chasing the next buck, but about a better quality of life, sustainability, trust and transparency, as well as sharing, cooperation and creating community.

            We get a glimpse of these new values in the many grassroots movements that are popping up everywhere:  deeper awareness about food issues (such as veganism, reduction of food waste by way of redistribution, organics, the local food movement); increasing awareness of social values (fair trade movement, raising the minimum wage, shorter work hours); the many environmental organizations, whether awareness raising or preserving land for future generations;  transparency (such as promoted by Wiki Leaks) and pricing information available on the internet; free sharing of music, education, and information on the internet.  Skills and things are shared and swapped, without the exchange of money, in hour exchanges, seed exchanges, repair cafés, tool libraries, cooperatives of all kinds, clothing and book swaps, and via Freecycle.  Some communities are experimenting with local currencies, some employers with job sharing, flex time, paternity leave, summer hours, and more time off.

            In an earlier blog post I introduced the Cultural Creatives, the name Ray and Anderson gave to these people, including myself and many of us, who share these values.  Know that these impulses are glimpses of a new cultural-economic model breaking through from underneath.  It's incredibly exciting to know we are part of something bigger, and that we are experiencing this shift to new values in real time. 

keep enjoying

              We have created a throw-away society to feed The Economy.   We are used to so much abundance, and, granted, it's often cheaper to replace something than to have it fixed.  But this habit encourages needless consumption and expenses, more trash, and the making of more (cheap) stuff.

            In the fall people go on mum buying sprees, and by Thanksgiving the wilted plants end up on the compost pile.   But mums are perennials.  They may not come back entirely as vibrantly as the first year, but they don't deserve the trash treatment, you can plant them in your garden.  Same thing with poinsettias.  They have become such a Christmas industry because people buy them new each year.  Lo and behold, the three poinsettias I received as a gift last year are blooming for the second time around, and just in time for Christmas.  Spend less and keep enjoying.   Here a previous related post, small is beautiful.

special traditions

          Today we celebrate St. Nicholas in my country.  The children set out their shoes, plates, or stockings, depending on which part of Germany they come from, before they go to bed on December 5.  St. Nicholas comes overnight and brings goodies and small presents, which they find in front of their door when they wake up in the morning.  There is even a special St. Nicholas song for the days before he comes.  St. Nicholas is also celebrated in Holland, where the children receive their presents on this day, not on Christmas, as well as in Belgium. 

            Unless you are of Native American heritage, everyone comes from somewhere else here.  We all have shared American holidays and traditions, like Thanksgiving; and then we have our own cultural or ethnic traditions.   That is what makes this country so unique, and all our friends so interesting.  Our children are older now, but they hang on to that sweet tradition.  Our teenage daughter still sets her boots out - because - while our son gets his St. Nicholas package sent to college. 

            What are your special ethnic traditions you don't share with your neighbors?  Be sure to hang on to them.  It gets boring if we all do the same thing.

on the creative impulse

             This is one of the many precious observations I found in Deepak Chopra's recent book The Future of God: 

"Nature exists to show us the full range of life

in its most creative and most destructive forms."

            It is horrible, heart-wrenching, terrible when we witness or experience destruction and suffering.  It hurts emotionally when a friend simply gets lambasted for her opinion.  Chopra's phrase provides a lot of food for thought on offering an explanation for all the hatred, violence, disasters, and simply unpleasant experiences we encounter as we navigate life.  

            However, as I explored in a recent post on adversarial experiences, the bad stuff could be a point of inspiration for what we don't want, and in turn can become an incredible source of creative energy and renewal and impulse.  Imagine all the good stuff you want in your life, that the bad stuff helps you to define.  As in the yin-yang symbol, good and bad, disastrous and joyful, destructive and creative, are two aspects of the same whole, and exist through definition of their opposite. 

            If you don't like being out of a job, if you didn't like the result of the recent election, if you don't like your local politics, if you don't like the idea of killing animals for human consumption, if you don't like drab colors - turn that energy around and create what it is you actually want:  imagine the job you are looking for, vote in every and all elections (not only the presidential one), become active in your local community to improve its quality of life, eat more plant-based foods, and surround yourself with lots of joyful colors. 

            Dwelling on the negative makes you depressed, complaining and whining is not effective.  But turning a negative experience into a jumping point for something new and better is creative and wise.  Just imagine!

what a great day

             It's pouring, it's blustery, the wind is driving the rain against the windows, and I'm loving it.  Great day to sit at my computer with a cup of hot tea and get some work done.  I don't have to feel guilty about not going out in the sunshine - none in the forecast.  I can simply plug away in the coziness of my office, and thoroughly enjoy this lousy weather from inside the warm house.  You can complain about the weather, but in the end it's all about attitude and outlook.  Same weather, different perspective.

on experiencing adversity

              Have you noticed that a lesson sticks better when you experience something?  We need to do, we need to feel, we need to experience in order to get it.  With a skill it's more obvious - you can't learn to cook by reading a cookbook, it remains theoretical.  Ultimately you have to get into the kitchen and do it.  You have to get into the water to learn how to swim, watching a movie about swimming is not enough.

            The concept is a bit more abstract when it comes to projections and possible implications.    If you have twenty people over for Thanksgiving some planning ahead is a must so everything is ready when your guests sit down for dinner.  This requires projections you can make based on your own experience.

            When it comes to far reaching ideas, however, when we need to rely on others, experts, scientists, it seems to me that we are not so good at accepting projections, that oftentimes we have to experience first in order to get it, to act, to make a change.  I am thinking about two examples.   One is proactive wellness and the other is climate change.

            In a documentary about his career Chef Dan Barber mused about the early hardships on his path to fame and concluded that adversity teaches us where we don't want to go back to.   Is it wisdom that might prevent us from having to go through an actual experience to avoid hardship?  Is it trust in someone else's scientific truth?  Is it distinguishing fact from fiction?  Not sure.  Sometimes we need to experience illness before concluding we'd rather be healthy and decide to eat a better diet in the future.

            What is it with climate change?  There are still many skeptics out there who don't believe in the scientific compilations and observations by so many reputable organizations.  Maybe we'll need to experience the dire consequences of our inaction, the more frequent droughts, the more pronounced weather instabilities and implications for our agriculture, the global warming and projected migration of millions of people from the global South, the torrential rains and storms, the more massive snowfalls, the melting of the icecaps, the submersion of coastal areas and low lying islands.   All already going on in real time right now.....does it need to get worse?  What are your thoughts?

making new out of old

            Recycling is a good thing, even when it comes to information.  We all lead such busy lives that I bet you haven't had a chance to go back in the blog archive and browse through some of the older posts.  Today, therefore, I have put together a glimpse into the treasure trove of fun old blog posts, to discover for the first time or discover anew, and across all categories so it's more fun. 

             Do you remember seeing this post on communication that face-to-face is best?  A really important food concept is not wasting any of it.  Here a post titled nose to tail on eating all parts of an animal (if you choose to eat meat), not just steaks and chops (and where does the rest go anyway?).  No one likes to lose.  Here a post on creating win-win situations. 

            Journeying into heartland is good for you, better than trying to be brainy all the time.  Here a post on a new healing /medical paradigm, so much more proactive!  I think it's important to give within your means - take a look.   New ways of thinking in a more cooperative way let us be inspired by nature, read this post on working with nature, not against it.  You already probably know that the best things in life are free.  Here a post on living in the Now, and one on how we see the world.  And a few more - one on making healthy snacks, on ditching your microwave, and on making a three-course meal in 25 minutes.  Enjoy!

on nut milk

           Now that lots of people are looking for alternatives to cow's milk for various reasons almond milk has become a very popular substitute.  Store bought almond milk isn't exactly cheap, nor does it taste like much.  Making your own is simple and - oh, the taste difference.  You will find a lot of information on the web on whether making your own is cheaper.  But that's really only half the story.  It's not necessarily cheaper, but what if for the same price you got a vastly superior and more nutritious nut milk?  Or for the same price as regular nut milk you got homemade organic nut milk?  In addition, you can play with a variety of nuts to make hazelnut milk (delicious), cashew milk, brazil nut milk, or walnut milk, none of which are available at the store.  Moreover, you may have read that store bought almond milk is made with only a few piddly nuts for a half gallon of nut milk.  Lastly, many nut milks are sweetened, and they contain thickeners, additives and chemicals - not so great. 

            To make nut milk simply soak a generous handful of nuts overnight (see previous post on soaking nuts, grains and seeds), rinse in the morning, blend with 4 cups/half gallon water, then strain.  You can sweeten if you must (try liquid stevia instead of sugar), add vanilla or cinnamon, but it's good as is.  What to do with the leftover bonus nut pulp?  Mix into veggie burgers, meat loaf, cookies, pie crusts, bean loaf - your imagination is the limit, but don't waste it (you can freeze it in baggies for later use).  Play with different nuts, play with the nut/water ratio, see what you like.  Oh, and you can make coconut milk by soaking shredded coconut in water, blending and straining.

how to move forward

             We are so used to win-lose scenarios that we have a hard time embracing that everyone can potentially win.  Regardless of which side of the fence you sat on during the election, let me list the many commonalities we all share.  We all prefer predictability to uncertainty; we all are entitled to a steady and assured source of income so we can live a life of dignity and without financial worries; we need to know that we're safe and that our justice system works for all, not just for some; we all prefer a clean and healthy environment so we can drink the water, breathe the air, and eat the foods grown in its soil without concern for our health; we are all entitled to affordable or free health care.  Beyond those basic physical needs we should have free or affordable education (it's to everybody's benefit), we should all be able to express our opinions freely and without repercussions, practice our religious or sexual preference without worry, and be treated equally regardless of the color of our skin, eyes or hair.  That's a lot we can agree on.

             With those commonalities in mind we need to move forward with win-win scenarios and agency.  "We, the people" is you and I, not some abstract entity.  The government may be a vehicle for democracy, but we, you and I, are the checks and balances for the government.  You and I must take charge, be responsible for upholding the principles of our democracy, formulate the future we wish for ourselves, our community, and our country.   As Kennedy said " Ask not....", well you know what he said.  Most importantly the solutions must work for all.  The crucial realization is that this requires compromise.  If you cannot agree with your spouse on what to do this Friday evening you're just going to sit home and do nothing.  If your spouse wants to go to the movies and you want to eat out, and you can't agree, well, you can either have a fight, or one can try to win the other over, which leaves the other partner disgruntled.  If you can compromise and agree to meet in the middle, perhaps go to the movies this Friday, and eat out next Friday, you can both have a good time and you both win.  

            Taking charge and being involved, as well as compromising for the greater good of all will be very important from here on in.  Please reread an older post on win-win scenarios.