A step away
I’ve decided to take a bit of a media break. There’s so much for me to do lately, and I really feel like the computer has become a time suck. So, I’m leaving this break somewhat open ended, but I plan to still make appearances here. I decided that I will still read my friend’s list (minus communities), and I’ll still update- but make it a little more structured. I really do love writing here, so I don’t want to cut that out. So, I’m thinking I’ll do a general, whatever-I-want kind of update on Sunday or Monday, I’ll keep up on WFP, and I’ll do a "Gratitude Friday" post, inspired by the lovely Adrie. Anyway, I’m cutting out almost all tv time, facebook, news, etc., and only checking other non-LJ blogs once a week. I felt like I wanted to do this a while ago, but didn’t feel ready, especially since it felt like Asa took so much time just rocking and nursing- now I feel like I can throw him on my back in a wrap when he needs that kind of attention, and go do other stuff. Anyway, it’s for some clarity.
The thing that actually motivated me to do it? This morning I read this. I read crap like that all. the. time. For those who don’t want to go to the article, it’s basically about how Big Pharma won by fighting to make medicinal herbs illegal in the European Union. From what I understand, it means they are going to be regulated like other drugs- which poses a big problem for those of us who like to use herbal supplements and grow our own herbs for use. This is nothing new, really. Big corporations basically make their living by hijacking the natural world and our rights to it and trapping us into having to buy what we need from them. Patented seeds, and now regulation of herbal remedies… it’s not going to stop unless we stop them. This stuff is so much more dangerous than we realize. Reading the article this morning just had me blinking at the screen, feeling helpless and overwhelmed. I then thought that I need to get up and just take action. We need to get away from these screens and just meet each other. We need to be saving seeds. We ALL need to be activists to stop this train wreck. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US. And I realized that I’ve been wasting some of my time. Obviously I don’t want to cut myself off from all of it, it can be a good tool, and a good outlet for me. BUT, it’s no replacement for true connections- with the earth, with people, with spirit. It’s just time to move. We have to do something. So, that’s kind of clicked for me this morning.
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Anyway, I doubt I’ll be able to update in the next few days, so I thought I’d just do a little one. We went to the orchard yesterday afternoon to get our first batch of apples. Lots of processing to do in the next week. Applesauce, mostly, but also a batch of apple butter and I’ll have to make a pie and some treats with them. It was really nice, I love the ritual of going there now. I’m excited for the kids to have this ritual each year.
Vera had her own little basket to gather apples with. Although, she just put a bunch of partially eaten apples in it. What is it with kids and only taking a bite or two of each fruit and then tossing it? I don’t get it. 🙂
The haircut in all its glory…
Shortly after this slightly cheesy picture of me was taken, Asa had an amazing poo-splosion that threatened to take over the world. We carried the apples and cider and a dripping poo-tastic baby to the car, changed him in an amazing team effort, and then were promptly attacked by a little swarm of bees. Ah, memories being made. The bees were after our cider, I’m sure, but they freaked me out… landing on my baby’s little naked legs and all (because of course he pooped all over everything and had to go home in just his little sweater and hat). We came away unscathed, and with a bushel of apples, a gallon of cider, and a gallon of popcorn seed. Starting this season off with a bang! 
See you all in a few days, know that I’m reading and commenting when I can, and that I’m doing my best to refocus and do what I do…
Quote of the day:
"You’re captives of a civilizational system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live. … You are captives—and you have made a captive of the world itself. That’s what’s at stake, isn’t it?—your captivity and the captivity of the world."
— Daniel Quinn (Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit)
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Media breaks are good. All the negativity and helpless feelings that I got from tv prompted us to pitch it all together, and we take Sunday off from the computer.I haven’t posted in a while but I still read, I love your updates and find you inspiring! 🙂
That’s great. I’m glad you guys took action. It’s important to know what’s going on, but not if it brings you down and pulls you away from your family! I will still update, I’m so glad you still enjoy my rambles. Your posts are missed!
I totally get depressed by the news, I very rarely watch/read it anymore. I hear the really big headlines sometimes, or catch some local stuff, but I have too much negativity around me as it is.
The seed/herb patenting/controlling thing scares me greatly, though it seems like most people are either unaware or just don’t care. Which is just as scary.
I hope you don’t disappear,(I’d miss you!) but I totally understand taking a step back. For me right now, this is the only reason I’m making it through some really rough times, but at some point in the future, I hope I’ll be in a place where this is a less integral part of my day…
I agree about the news, it’s mostly a scare tactic, and not about the right stuff. It’s all come into clearer view lately- we’re all conditioned through the media to be afraid of not being loved, being ugly, of the poor, of minorities, of not having enough, of not being perceived well, of someone breaking into your house and hurting you randomly, of someone stealing your kids… And, while that stuff does happen, it’s also less worthy of fear than the very real dangers of toxic water and air, cars and accidents pertaining to those (and yet there’s a great commercial for a car right after the news! …it’s just absurd to me now), etc.
Anyway, I’m not disappearing, I’m just making a bigger effort to spend the most time doing real things to improve my life and this little spot rather than collecting (albeit unintentionally) all those false messages everywhere. Although, I do admit to being really grateful to some of the better stuff (like LJ) when I was really tied down and nursing constantly. 🙂
I totally agree about the media fear-mongering, it’s ridiculous. (I think it might be even more extreme in US media, from what I’ve seen, though our media is quickly catching up)
I think my laptop is an essential part of nursing…I’ve spent sooo many hours stuck in one spot with E attached to me, I think I’d have gone batty without it. Not to mention the great nursing community on here, which has been very helpful. The closest LLL meeting is an hour away, and only once a month, so I never managed to get to it, but the lj breastfeeding comm kind of made up for that:)
I think it makes sense to take a media break. There is a lot of negativity out there (though personally what makes me really mad is the idiotic comments to the news stories! ;)) Thanks for sticking with us LJers though!
I used to do daily gratitude posts, then fell out of the habit. Gratitude Friday sounds like a great idea, though!
Oooh, I’d love it if you did a gratitude friday post with me! Can’t have too much gratitude!
i’ve been thinking the same thing but my problem is, i would not even know about this issue if it wasn’t for Facebook. Also the internet has become my phone, my social calendar, my library and my how-to-book. trying to figure out how to still have those things, but not spend my 2 hours of free time a day reading my friends lists, etc.
Who is this? Anyway, yeah, I think it can be a really good tool (I’m on right now! haha). I feel overwhelmed thinking about having to give it all up, so I’m just setting limits right now. I guess I think if you’re having thoughts about it, then maybe a limit would be helpful? I guess that’s my thought- I sort of know that less screen time will deliver good, I just can’t take that leap all in one jump (and there really are things that I think are good on here), so baby steps. 🙂
Yeah, I’m feeling like media affects us in all sorts of ways. Most obviously- Vera. Like, if I let her watch too much or at the wrong time, she’s demanding and grumpy and we have a tough time. I’m almost positive it’s linked to screen time. What if the same is true for us? 🙂 I hope you still update though, I’m still gonna be reading!
Good for you for trying this media break–I would love to hear about how it works for you. I’ve been experimenting a bit in the past few weeks to try to figure out the best way for me to balance and control my media intake, and I still haven’t found a solution that I’m fully happy with. Is it ironic that the only way I could hear about your solution is through the same sort of media that we’re both trying to regulate in our lives?
And thanks for the reminder that it’s time to get to the orchard for apples and pears!
Haha, yes, it is ironic! And this is the part I don’t feel comfortable giving up, ya know? For the next week, I’ve decided that I’m giving myself a total of a 1/2 hour each day, to be used how I want. I’m going to have to keep a timer, though, because I get pulled away so frequently… It’s silly, but I’m just going to see how I like it. I think ultimately I just want this to be a truly positive force in my life, not an addiction or distraction or replacement for true connection. 🙂
Hah: poo-splosion! Poor Asa. I bet he felt better after that 🙂
I think a little regulation of medicinal herbs would be a good thing. Right now, everything is unregulated so you can’t be sure that you’re getting the same amount of active component in each tea bag or pill or whatever if you buy two different brands. Or from one box to another. At least, if that were regulated, you could more easily manage your intake and get a consistent amount that would be correct for you. I really don’t know that it would have a lot of effect on people growing/harvesting their own herbs and traditional medicines, just the bigger companies that have items at Meijer or wherever.
From a pharmacology standpoint, this makes perfect sense. It’s disheartening to have people tell me that they have to buy the name-brand Tylenol (at 3x the price!) and not the store brand because ‘the store brand just doesn’t work’. But since the medications are regulated, the store brand is required to have the same amount of acetaminophen as the Tylenol and WILL work the same. It’s just a matter of perception.
I suppose my worry would be that it would affect the little guy who just wants to have their herb garden. I mean, it could mean all sorts of consequences for those without the resources to fight it. The testing/licensing required for distribution could be really prohibitively expensive for small businesses, and it could put them out of the game altogether. This is not a new story in the food world. I mean, I can’t understand why these big corporations would be so invested in it all if they didn’t have a dime to make on the deal, ya know? What are your thoughts on this?
I completely agree from a small business standpoint that it would probably run them out of business and that’s not good for anyone. I think for a lay person making for their own personal use or giving to friends/family it wouldn’t matter, but it would put restrictions on what could be sold at farmer’s markets or something like that.
At the same time, if big companies with shady business practices (anything it takes to make a buck, basically) are getting into this type of market, I want THEM to be regulated to make sure that there aren’t insect parts contaminating my RRL tea bag because I couldn’t make it to the co-op and get loose leaves this week. I also want Big Pharma to have to regulate how MUCH of an active ingredient is present in each capsule so that from batch to batch the effects I get are the same.
It’s such a hard line to tread. Maybe if the legislation were written in such a way like “If you market to more than 500 stores, then you must do X,Y,Z” versus “If you sell at a local market or 1 store/co-op, you must do X” regulations so that smaller mom-and-pop companies wouldn’t have those prohibitive costs.