Breath

February is not just any February

It is not just another year, it is still the beginning of a year. The first quarter of a year. We have an opportunity to make some positive goals and plans. Is there anything you have been wanting to do to improve your life?

I am thinking of not just immediate things that must be taken care of, or long term goals and things we must do to achieve them or even short term goals. How about little not so important things you have always wanted to do but never get around to doing… .

This February I am trying to focus more on my immediate responsibilities, however … stop, let’s catch our breath a little.

What point am I taking my sweet time to get to?

For example let me see if you can guess:

I was doing a zoom ministry with a friend this morning. Her husband came home from work. He took the kids to the zoo, What?! During these Covid times???!!!. Yes, Hurray! The young mother was able to stay home for a little R&R. The husband got a break from work and was able to enjoy a happy time with his kids. The Zoo’s are still open and need support. This world is breaking an falling apart and here this little family made time for a sensible happy time. I am impressed!

This evening, I walked with a teenager to her home because I did not want her walking home at dusk alone. (I forgot to wear my ankle supporters! How painful. However visiting with a young person on a walk was healthful and enjoyable). As I neared my home a couple neighbors I had not previously met came out an visited with me on the street. They mentioned how they see me going for Occasional walks and how delighted they are that usually have a friend on the phone on the speaker and I am gabbing an laughing. She said that it makes them so happy to see. She told me she would like to walk with me gabbing and laughing. I said, “let’s do! It’s a sanity keeper.”

As I see I have some piles here and there…where do they come from? I have no one to blame. Having a busy mind and life with many interests you can only imagine. Mindfulness, something that has eluded me for half a century.
My husband has deteriorating health and I am trying to maintain some mental health during these trying times.
I find doing little activities like a game, Pick a Pile. That is the name of my game. It is helpful and the situation domestically is slowly improving. Put away, throw away. You cannot believe how much needs to be put away or thrown away.
One such little pile had a antique fold up chair with no seat or back. I have owned it most of my adult life and it has needed repair most of that. I decided that I need to do what I have been needing to do for a long time, if I have appreciation for the chair I need to just finish it. Now, while sitting with my husband I am doing some stapling an hot glueing in hope to have a sturdy sit worthy chair. As I am a good sum heAvier than my husband I had him sit on the chair to make sure the seat I put together would hold. It held him just fine. My seat may be too much for this little chair to bear so I am putting that on hold as I try to lighten up a good sum.
In conclusion I would just like to say, we have our lists of things we never get around to. Making just a little time for something refreshing is good for our state of mind and well being. This little list has rediculous unnessessary things that I have always on the back of my mind. There are scriptures that say Make sure of the more important things and I believe we should do that 95% of the time. However, the Bible also says we need to sing, dance and laugh that these things are important too.

If you would like a few suggestions:

  1. Go to a zoo on an day that it may not be busy. Be cautious. Your discretion.
  2. Take a walk
  3. Practice the piano or an old instrument that is gathering dust.
  4. A hobby you may have let go of, give yourself a couple afternoons a month to enjoy.
  5. Bible reading and prayer, Mathew 5:3 says Happy is the person conscious of their spiritual needs. This deserves a more important role in our routine.
  6. Getting some light exercize more regularly
  7. Making time for fresh air and sunshine improves our outlook.
  8. Take a break from the computer, phone and tv one night a week, what would a person really do without those? How did mankind live these thousands of years?!😂
  9. Making time to interact with our loved ones talking and listening with eye contact. Of course no phones. Light conversation with words of appreciation. Relationships with our mate, parents, children and siblings need and deserve the investment. ( A side note: people in loneliness go out looking for new relationships instead of taking care of those right there already needing and wanting them. Isn’t that interesting.).

It is my hope you are encouraged. Be blessed.
written by Gina Rydin


Internal Hygiene, how clean can we be?

Internal cleanliness or lack of, can affect how we look, it can affect how we feel, and it affects how we smell.

External hygiene, showers, brushing teeth, flossing, are all important for our overall appearance.  Yet, there is so much more to think about then how we look.

What is Internal hygiene?  Internal hygiene involves the hydration of our bodily systems.   If it is good, our breath is not offensive, our urine runs clear, bowel movements come regular, and our skin is fresh.

Skin eruptions can happen for a variety of reasons, hormones, stress, and other skin conditions.  Yet, if the blood is sluggish and our diet has too much sugar our skin might have breakouts.  Soda or any high sugared drinks is the worst thing for the kidneys, bladder, intestinal tract and skin.  In fact, it is hard on the digestive tract to have the carbonation running thru it.  I drink soda occasionally, rarely, it seems to take a couple days to get the bloating to go away.  It is so uncomfortable.

Bad breath is not always about keeping the teeth clean, it is much deeper than that.  Remember, breath comes from the lungs, down in your chest.  There may be mucous at the back of your throat which can also affect the smell of your breath as you exhale.  By drinking a glass of water on an empty tummy, then a cup of warm tea the mucous can be thinned.  The breath will be more refreshed, and yes, go ahead an brush your teeth.

The intestines may not be moving so freely and we can feel all bound up and uncomfortable.  It can affect our breath if we are constipated.  Have you ever been near someone with bowel breath.  Whoo, I like there to be some personal space.  When we are constipated, then our food is essentially stalled out in our system, so the food we eat can sit in our stomach and esophagus.

A couple years ago, I went to the emergency room because of severe stomach pain.  It shocked me to find out that my intestines were impacted.  Because I have always eaten a fresh diet high in fruit, vegetables, beans, and good quality grains, I never expected to hear that I was constipated.  It turned out that I was in a state of dehydration and without proper hydration you can easily get constipated.

UTI, some people get urinary tract infections often.  The kidneys, and bladder are affected.  It is uncomfortable, you can get a fever, and the urine can smell strong.  A person’s breath can be affected.

Water, and when to drink water has greatly improved my situation.  For a fresher constitution, and internal hygiene, I have found a few things to be beneficial.

1.  Drink water as soon as I get up in the morning.  The best time to refresh and cleanse the body is right after you get up.  I put the water on for a cup of hot tea, while I am consuming a glass or two of water.  The water can get through the digestive system straight to the intestines, kidneys, bladder, and the blood.  My body is refreshed because there is no food, or digestive fluids in the body to interrupt this pure fluid from doing it’s job.  Then I have my cup of hot tea, and all this hydration helps my intestines to release yesterdays consumption, and it refreshes my urinary tract.  Without enough hydration the contents of the bowels cannot move along.  This leads to not just constipation but being compacted.  Our body may release very little compared to what we consume if we are not well hydrated.  Think of a dried up sponge, then compare that to a dampened sponge.  Our intestinal contents absorb the water much like a sponge.

Our blood needs the water to have proper volume and for our organs to function.  Our bodily cells all need water.  Drinking water on an empty stomach can improve the overall health of these bodily systems.

2.  An hour and a half after a meal I like to drink a glass of water or two to keep everything moving.  Yes, dehydration can make you think you are hungry when you are in reality thirsty.  Drinking even twenty minutes before you eat can be beneficial.  Be refreshed.

3.  Cucumbers, apples and celery help my digestive & urinary tracts to stay fresh.

Drinking water as soon as you wake will have you feeling fresh and your internal hygiene will be much improved.

There may be other more serious issues a person is dealing with and seeing a physician may be needed.

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