The End of Month One

Today is the last day of January and the completion of one month of blog writing. It has been both a commitment and a spiritual practice to write something everyday, I hope to continue finding interesting topics and observations to inform you and entertain you. Please email me with comments and suggestions and please consider following me on Google+  or sign up for email delivery or subscribe. So join me with your first cup of morning coffee or before you go to sleep at night. I'm looking forward to hearing from many friends from around the world!

Be Well!

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream...Shakespeare

Tossing and turning...light on...light off...open the shade...close the window....ARGH!!!

It doesn't matter what is keeping you awake; not getting enough sleep can lead to some serious health issues. Did you know your brain actually shrinks when you are chronically sleep deprived? Your blood pressure goes up, your immune system is compromised and you're more likely to be involved in accidents.  You are also more liable to be overweight and one study showed that frequent insomnia can even shorten your life! So with all this at stake, what can you do to get a good night's sleep on a regular basis.

A third of the population occasionally suffers from insomnia, but for one in ten, not getting enough sleep is a chronic problem. Americans spend more than $4 billion dollars a year on sleep medications!

 Full Wolf Moon Rising over the Potomac River - Leesburg, VA

Before you surrender to medication, try some of the simple suggestions recommended by US News and World Report has for getting some shut-eye!

Start with good sleep time habits such as keeping regular sleeping and waking times,  and make the environment of the room favorable for sleep - dark, cool and quiet.

Develop  a "getting ready for  bed ritual" just like you may have done as a child. Anything non stimulating and comforting...a warm bath, some herbal tea, reading some poetry, listening to relaxing music.

Avoid alcohol as it disrupts sleep and can have lasting effects of fatigue into the next day. Small amounts of alcohol can actually have a stimulating effect on the body.

Create a break between waking time and sleeping time. At least 30 minutes before you want to go to sleep, stop working, turn off the computer, pack the paperwork back in the briefcase. Signal to your brain that the workday is over and don't think about it until morning.

If you are having trouble drifting off, try to not worry about the consequences of your inability to sleep. Staring at the clock and prophesying about how terrible your day will be if you don't get to sleep will only make the situation worse. Try some deep cleansing breathes and relaxation techniques to calm your noisy mind. Or try a bit of white noise...there's an app for that! My favorite is Sleep Pillow, available for both the IPhone and Android.

If you are chronically not falling asleep, perhaps you need to add more active exercise to your life. Exercising before bedtime is not a good idea as you will be too stimulated to sleep. But a brisk morning walk or a late afternoon workout at the gym can help you burn off some of the energy that's keeping you up at night.

For many people implementing some of these ideas will help them get to sleep more quickly and experience a refreshing night's sleep. If you find your insomnia isn't improving and is affecting you waking life, consider talking with a sleep specialist who can help find the underlying causes of your sleeplessness and help correct behaviors which may be interfering with your rest.  Sweet Dreams!

Be well!

Whatever Happened to Polite Social Discussion?

I had an email exchange today with someone I've never personally met. As a matter of fact we'd exchanged only a few brief emails over the last few days. He expressed his opinion about an issue of the day and asked me mine. I knew we were on different sides of the political fence, so I didn't expect us to agree, but I expressed my point of view with the caveat that we were not likely to find a common ground on the particular matter. 

Statue of Harmony aside the Vltava River - Prague

What I didn't expect was his mean spirited and downright nasty response. He called me "an uninformed simpleton who obviously knew nothing about the issue and was merely rehashing the liberal trash I'd been fed by the media". Not only that,  but I was "too far below his intellectual level to possibly continue this or any conversation". 

To say I was shocked would be grossly understated! I reread his words thinking that perhaps I had misinterpreted a bad attempt at sarcasm...nope! I reread my original email thinking I must have inadvertently said something which set him off...no, pretty pleasant, even accommodating!

My immediate reaction was to dash off a response chiding him for his rudeness and totally inappropriate behavior, but instead I realized this would only fan the flame, so I blocked his email address and deleted the message. 

The "gentlemen" was a classic cyber-bully, someone who uses the anonymity  provided by the internet to trash others opinions with name calling and vitriol, rather than persuade using logic, rationality and solid information. This cowardly individual uses foul language and aggressive online behavior  to bolster his own fragile ego the same way a school yard bully uses  violence on the playground.

In the world of cyber bullying this encounter was nearly insignificant. The bully did not know me personally or any other information about me other than a blind email address  which was easily blocked. But what are some good tips for handling cyber bullying of a more serious nature?

• Resist the urge to strike back or defend yourself. It's the online version of walking away.

• Don't be a bully. If you post a comment on someone's blog or website, be civil and have facts to back up your statements.

• Be a proponent for lively discussion, not name calling and partisan politicking.

• Stay safe! Protect your identity and remember the internet is forever! Think before you post!

• Lastly, but most importantly, don't let the actions of a cyber bully make you question your own opinions and self- worth! To paraphrase Taylor Swift, "...all they're ever gonna be is mean..."

Be Well!

Na Zdravi! Cheers for Czech Beer!

Na Zdravi

One of the greatest joys of travel is sampling the local cuisine. However, while traveling in the Czech Republic, I had a little bit different outlook on what constituted cuisine. After all, being of Bohemian descent I'd been eating traditional Czech food my whole life prepared in my grandmother's, my mother's and my own kitchen. But, sampling the beers of the Czech Republic and learning about the history of Czech brewing was a whole new adventure!

I'd never been much of a beer drinker before coming to Prague, but as the Czech Republic is the number one beer drinking nation on the planet, consuming over 156 liters per capita annually and it is cheaper than any other beverage including water, it seemed I was destined to explore this new world of pilsner and lagers.

Vysehrad Church

The Czechs have been drinking beer since the Czech lands were established. The secret for Czech beer brewing perfection is the agricultural conditions, which are ideal for growing hops. Hops cultivation in Bohemia dates at least 859 A.D., and this sought after ingredient essential to beer making was exported as early as 903 A.D.. The first mention of brewing in the Czech territories is in the foundation charter for the Vysehrad church, dating from 1088. In this document, the first Czech king, Vratislav II, decreed that his estates should pay a hop tax to the church.

Bohemian hops were so prized that King Wenceslas - yes, the one you are familiar with from the Christmas carol - ordered the death penalty for anyone caught exporting the cuttings, from which new plants could be grown. In the early days, only had the right to brew beer so most citizens had a micro brewery in their home. It wasn't long before some of these citizens banded together to form a co-operative central brewery, from which they would take beer extract home and finish the brewing process there. King Wenceslas again played his part, convincing the Pope to revoke an order banning the brewing of beer - which may explain why he's called Good King Wenceslas!

The expansion of the beer industry was halted in the 16th-century, when feudal lords forced their laborers to drink the manor brew instead of buying it from another brewery. The Thirty Years' War then devastated the Czech beer industry further. After this, what fame the Czech beer industry managed to attain was under the auspices of the Emperor in Vienna. The Czech nation - and its beer - did not begin to recover until the "national awakening" movement of the 19th century, when the Czech language, Czech culture, and Czech beer were reinvented years of Austro-Hungarian rule.

Kozel Cerny

Under communism, beer was very cheap. Unfortunately, as with other industries, the Communists failed to invest anything into the breweries. They simply produced the beer and squeezed as much money as possible out of the industry. Since the fall of communism, many breweries have been bought by foreign brewing giants and much currency has been invested in Czech brewing.

When you order pivo - the Czech word for beer, you will be brought a half liter mug. Ask for malé, meaning small, pivo to get a third of a liter. In most restaurants and pubs there will be coasters on the table. If you do not wish to order another beer put the coaster on top of your mug. Otherwise, you will be brought a fresh pivo just before you finish the last swig of your previous one. Never, ever, ever pour the remnants of your last beer into your fresh one, it's considered very strange behavior.

The number and variety of Czech beers can be somewhat overwhelming. The best way to figure out what you like is by sampling. Most Czech beers are lagers. The best known Czech beer is the original Pils beer, Pilsner Urquell, brewed in the town of Plzen and exported worldwide. Many Czechs also drink another Plzen brew, Gambrinus. The most widely exported Czech Beer is Budvar unrelated to the familiar American brew. My personal favorite is Kozel Cerny, a dark foam brew - heaven in a glass! Other beers brewed in Prague are Staropramen and Branik.

The last but perhaps the most important thing to know about drinking Czech beer is the proper way to toast! Pick up your mug, look your drinking partner in the eye, tap the top of you glass, the bottom of the glass, tap the bar and say a hearty Na Zdravi before you drink!

Be Well!

Thanks to www.pragueexperience.com for historical information

Grandma's Recipes For Cold Relief

Stuffy head, coughing, aches...ugh...being sick is awful. So other than watching cute kitty videos online and bad rom-coms what's a girl to do? Search the web for home grown remedies, of course!

First, from  Yahoo.com, homemade chicken soup! Chicken has an enzyme in it that promotes sleep and relaxation, the pepper and onion are excellent for promoting bronchial relief for stuffy noses and congestion, sage also helps promote bronchial health and is also commonly used to relieve sinus pressure and the broth is good for sensitive stomachs as well as relieving soreness in the throat.

Or how about this suggestion from www.ecognitive.com. One of Grandma's oldest remedies for congestion is also one of the easiest to do. Inhaling steam helps decongest you because it gets mucus moving. Here's how to do it: Fill a cooking pot one-quarter full with water. Bring it almost to a boil, then turn off the heat, and add a couple of drops of essential oil of eucalyptus. Carefully remove the pot from the stove, and place it on a protected counter or table. Drape a towel over your head, lean over the pot, and inhale. Caution: Keep your face at a very safe distance from the scalding hot water, so you don't get burned.

Why not fix yourself a nice cup of tea? This tea recipe is from from www.hubpages.com. Crush a few cloves of garlic and grate some ginger. Boil the garlic and ginger with the amount of water you want for your tea in a small saucepan. After it has boiled for a few minutes, pour into a mug. Stir a spoonful of honey into the tea. Squeeze a wedge of lemon into it. Sip slowly, inhaling the steam from the tea as you drink it.

Is anything more soothing than a hot toddy. Mix up this recipe from from www.grandmas-wisdom.com to soothe coughing and congestion and to help you sleep as well! The secret to this hot toddy and home remedy for chest congestion is that these ingredients have to be heated to slow boil, on the stove in a saucepan, not in the microwave. Bringing honey and lemon to a boil changes its chemistry and instead of being a food it turns into homeopathic medicine. Squeeze the juice from 2 lemons and put into a saucepan (fresh lemons, not lemon juice from a bottle). Add ¼ cup of honey to saucepan, bring to a boil. Set boiled honey and lemon aside and let cool for a few minutes. Add a generous shot of rum. Let everything cool until it's just warm. You can take this mixture a tablespoon at a time as needed or you can mix it with a hot cup of tea. You can also mix the honey and lemon with a shot of whiskey, either way it's a tasty home remedy for chest congestion.

I think Grandma might have had the best recipes for alleviating those nasty cold symptoms. I know I feel better already!

Be Well!

Is It Ever OK to Break a Promise?

You've made an agreement, you've promised something that's moral, legal, reasonable and ethical. But now, your situation is different....but the promise remains. Is it ok to walk away from the promise because circumstances have changed? Is it ever justified to say, "Things have changed and I don't want to honor my commitment anymore." ?

The Lennon Wall - Prague

Many of us have likely made youthful declarations of love that we didn't honor, or childhood promises to be best friends forever. Maybe we promised to call an old friend we ran into on the street and never did or promised to pick up the check at our next outing and then forgot. These hardly count as defects in our moral character...but are they right? When breaking a promise, are there degrees that makes it all right? What defines the line that stepped over, deems a broken promise unacceptable.

While it's true there are few absolutes when dealing with questions of ethics, there are some factors that everyone should consider before making a promise.

If I break this promise, will someone get hurt emotionally, physically or financially?

If I make a promise that will require a long term commitment, am I prepared to honor it, throughout my life even if my circumstances change?

What will happen if I break this promise? Will I lose a job, a relationship, a marriage or a friendship?

If I make this promise and don't keep it, how will that affect my life, my reputation, my finances?

While it's true that breaking a promise to meet for coffee will not have the same ramifications as breaking a promise to repay a debt, the underlying responsibility is the same. Does a broken promise, even a small one, diminish our trustworthiness? Does breaking little promises make it easier to break the bigger ones? Perhaps...

Consider all the outcomes before you make a promise. It is better to not make a commitment than to break one made in haste. A Hebrew proverb says, "Promise little, but deliver much!" Good advice.

Be Well!