Stress, Vacations & the Environment

-- Quote of the Day --

“…Being a busy person doesn’t necessarily mean that you are stressed… But when you are living for the next task in the future, you approach your busyness with a loose mind, …you are distracted, you are an inattentive listener, you feel guilty taking time out for yourself – Now we are talking about someone who is stressed. And there is a reason for all this busyness – it means you are escaping the deficits of your own personality. It is an unwillingness to sit quiet because then you would have to confront things like: ‘Why am I not unhappy?’ - ‘Why am I escaping with all this business?’ …I think that society now is facing a change because we are in this recession/depression and it is a terrible thing for people to loose their jobs - and so their identity. But this adversity is here to teach us something – to get back to the core personality. How much do we really need? Is that what defines us?”
~ Debbie Mandel – Feb 10, 2009

This quote was taken from an interview re: "De-stress Your Life" on the Conscious Discussions talk radio show. To access the on-demand archived show simply click on the hyper-links here or look to the right for a link to the show.

-- Conscious Travel Ideas (2) --

* as promised here is part 2 of our earlier discussion on eco-vacation alternatives:

With summer sun and greening hills the urge to explore and break away from the mundane redundancy of life settles into our hearts, and we long for that one word “vacation”. Sadly many of us are really suffering from the economic times, which forces us to look closer to home for our time away from work. Those of us who can travel are much more discriminating than we used to be. Where our money is spent is truly a vote as to the direction that we want to see our world go. Here are some easy, eco-friendly and frugal options that anyone can consider while engaging in lots of activities without guilt.

When making any plans for you or your loved ones, consider choosing activities that support responsible ecological and environmental development in that area. Places you might want to explore are orangutan rescue organizations, preserved park-lands and eco-tours.

Be conscious when tossing food out when traveling! You might be conscious of throwing non-organic garbage out the window when traveling, however few people realize the potential consequences of throwing out that apple core or banana peel out the car window. Guilty of this ourselves… up until about 8 years ago, when hiking we would leave the apple cores, watermelon skins and banana peels in the area by tossing them into the forest or placing under a rock, not realizing that we may be attracting bear and other animals to the trail where other people frequent.

According to the Go & Do visitor magazine for the West Kootenay region (2008 issue) foods tossed out of travelers windows can lure animals to the road where they could be hit by cars, potentially causing accidents or damage to vehicles. Their bodies can then attract larger predators and scavengers and the problem then just gets bigger and bigger - all because of one little apple core.

To put this into perspective, down in the southern section of BC – Canada’s western most province - the Wild animal Rehabilitation Center, 80% of the animals treat have injuries sustained from human activity. I learned that information during an interview with a representative from the Wild ARC org Sara Debois on March 27, 2008 on the Conscious Discussions talk radio show. (blogtalkradio.com/consciousdiscusssions)

Another way we can reduce this tragedy is to reduce speed in areas where wildlife caution signs are posted or near water sources. Create a game with the family and have them keep an eye on the sides of the road to increase the safety. In the evening the eyes of the animals are likely going to reflect the light from the road and will glow a red color. If you see two - or even one glowing dot, you’ll want to slow down right away and be prepared for anything. When you see one, keep in mind that animals will often travel in groups of two or more, so there may be a few more critters lurking around somewhere. Dawn and dusk are particularly dangerous due to the lack of visibility.

Finally, if you do happen upon a deceased animal along a road be sure to call the local conservation officer or drop in to the closest chamber of commerce and let them know so that they can clean it up and prevent a chain of deaths.

-- Authors Read Radio --

* A shout out to Jill Daniel who recommended today's featured guest. :)

Raphael Cushnir author of The One Thing Holding You Back is in to share a portion of his published work with us today. The One Thing Holding You Back is about the power that individuals have to accomplish goals and reach for passions when we use emotional connection within ourselves and in relationship to others. To hear today's featured author share an brief excerpt of his published work click on the hyper-linked show title, or the Authors Read radio show link on your right, and then click on the play button beside today's episode.

Find Dave & Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio shows & free resources & articles at www.brummet.ca

* support the Brummet's work by purchasing their books & remember, 30% of the royalties from book sales go to charity! (Seeds of Diversity Org., S.P.C.A. & Canadian Wildlife Federation)