Brummet's Conscious Blog

-- Positive Living --  As society becomes more conscious, more responsible and proactive - we are seeing a lot more volunteerism, donations, non-profit organizations, community groups, nature preserves, and much more. People care about the planet and realize they have the power, as an individual, to create positive change every single day. And, no, it doesn't take a lot of time necessarily. I mean, you don't have to dedicate every breath of energy to one cause or another. But to live more consciously does mean that we realize every moment brings us opportunities to help create the world we want.  Random acts of kindness is far from a new concept; there's nothing "new age" about it. It goes back much farther in history to our earliest recordings, and certain cultures embrace it as part of a mental health and spiritual cause. For instance, when a Jewish widow/widower is in mourning they go through a phase where they are supposed to do a large number of r...

-- Positive News --  Did you know...?  - That illiteracy went from 50% of the world population down to 25% of the people on this earth. 25% of us cannot read - however we have greatly increased the number of people who can in just a few decades! - That the entirety of all of human knowledge ,from the beginning of our time to this moment, is now doubled every 18 months ?  - That the world's "extreme poverty" (those that live on a dollar a day or less) was around 36% in 1990. As of 2005, that number was reduced to just 13% - a reduction of 23% . That is a lot of lives that have been improved! http://www.facebook.com/lillian.brummet   http://www.linkedin.com/in/ldbrummet http://www.consciousdiscussions.blogspot.com

-- Quote of the Day --  "It is with words as with sunbeams.  The more they are condensed, the deeper they burn."  ~ Robert Southey  -- My Stressful Story --  Some 20 years ago I made some big changes in my life. Up to that time my life was fairly unstable, unpredictable, heavy schedule, lots of responsibility, etc. - my childhood was painful alongside a dysfunctional family. I speak of that briefly only to say that the stress was pretty high before the straw landed on the pile - a car accident. At that time I hit a real new low - suicidal low - and was diagnosed with chronic depression. The first thing the experts told me about PTSD and depression was that I was not alone, my symptoms were common, that I wasn't "tainted" and there was a lot of help out there.  The next thing they commented on was that they always recommended getting outdoors, and they were thrilled to hear I did a lot of outdoor stuff prior ...

-- Quote of the Day --    " Nature is man’s teacher. She unfolds her treasures to his search, unseals his eye, illumes his mind, and purifies his heart; an influence breathes from all the sights and sounds of her existence."  ~ Alfred Billings Street -- Positive Living --  Nature is such a powerful entity, one that rejuvenates us and makes us whole. We can give back to nature and help protect sensitive living beings with some very simple steps. Fall is here and it is time to plant trees... That is always a good place to start. Planting a few trees on your property, donating some to the city park or local schools is always helpful to the community - or join some of the non-profits out there that plant trees for your with your donation. Starting a garden and landscaping your property, encouraging your apartment or condo building to start balcony and roof top gardens, creating more diversity in the gardens and land...

-- Quote of the Day --  "As we may miss the joy of life by dwelling on the past, so we miss the possibilities of the present if we expect life’s best days to be in the future. The good days are now." ~ Lionel Whiston  -- Living Life Today --  Today's quote has some importance in my life... After the suicide of my mom and step-dad, the loss of other family members and friends, witnessing illness and age-related emotional and physical woes... I realized that today is my golden moment, and to stop working and staking my hopes on some day in the future that may never come.  Taking time to live : to enjoy nature, to spend time with our fur-kids and playing in the garden, to leave a positive legacy every single day, to embrace the moment. One has to find a balance here of course because our lives, or our capacity to really live our lives, may not end tomorrow... we might reach retirement in good health, we might live a long time...

Writers Influencing Positive Change As writers we have the perfect craft for creating positive change and I’d like to share a few of these options here today. As writers we can help others heal and express their emotions through our own poetry or song lyrics, we can express love and passion, share memories and educate others. By writing about causes and providing readers the tools to enact upon them, we enable our readers to also be a catalyst for positive change. We can help someone else share their stories, their experiences or family history. But there are other ways we can make a difference too. Before querying a publisher or publication: -        Investigate their in-house green and socially responsible activities to see if their actions align with yours. (recycling efforts, carbon offset programs, alternative energy use, charitable donations, tree planting efforts etc.) -        S...

 -- Referral Corner --  Well, it is time for another batch of recommended resources that we hope you'll take the time to check out.  Feel Good : A youth movement committed to ending world hunger in our lifetime.The organization offers a sense of community, hunger education, a diverse network of youth and young professionals, fundraising events and more. Info : http://www.feelgood.org BC Sustainable Energy Association : A network of citizens, businesses and governments working to put innovative sustainable energy solutions into practice - from safe distribution to solar power systems, home and condo retrofit programs, education programs for youth and more. Info : http://www.bcsea.org The Wilderness Land Trust : A small, highly specialized non-profit organization established to buy and protect wilderness land. Since it was founded in 1992, the non-profit organization has preserved more than 344 parcels comprising of more than 31,000 acres...

-- Quote of the Day --  --> “We are all wonderful, beautiful wrecks.  That’s what connects us – that we’re all broken,  all beautifully imperfect.” ~ Emilio Estevez  -- Path to Green Living --  As many of our loyal blog readers may recall when Dave and I first took over this property some 19 months ago, we had the home evaluated for energy efficiency and upon receiving their recommendations made some strategic choices on eco-improvements based on ROI and rebates that were available. As such we were able to replace all the doors and windows, insulate and finish the basement, upgraded all the appliances, furnace and hot water systems, installed an insulated garage door, upgraded some electronic office and entertainment equipment, and a more water savvy purification system for drinking water.  We also did a lot of physical work to the home including insulation and proper venting in the att...

-- Conscious Discussions Talk Radio -- Author Elizabeth Lombardo is a clinical psychologist and physical therapist who helps people have less stress and more happiness, regardless what is going on in life. Working with individuals around the globe, she is a highly sought-after consultant, media personnel and professional speaker. ...Today, we are going to learn how to have less stress in our lives, increase happiness and feel empowered in life. Join us live at 10-11 AM Pacific - and drop in the live chat room if you can - or access the archived interview later on at your convenience:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/consciousdiscussions/2011/06/07/recipe-for-happiness -- Conscious Living Event -- June 8-10 Recycling Council of BC Zero Waste Conference Location : Whistler, BC (Canada) Info : Rcbc.bc.ca Find Dave and Lillian Brummet , excerpts from their ...

-- Quote of the Day -- " What you get by reaching your destination  Is not nearly as important as what you will become  By reaching your destination. " ~ Zig Ziglar  -- Brummet's in the Media -- October is Positive Attitude Month and as such I thought today's quote would be an appropriate fit. Incidentally I also participated in a wonderful interview with Bev Walton-Porter on the Elemental Muse radio show last night.  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/elementalmusings/2010/10/09/elemental-musings-with-dave-lillian-brummet   During this discussion we covered topics from finding your purpose and passion in life to overcoming the fears associated with the "unknown", and also touched on the experiences we have in in the field of writing. Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio program, newsletter, blogs, and more at: www.brummet.ca * Support the Brummets by telling your friends, or purchasing a boo...

-- Quote of the Day --  “ The changes that I have seen since the early 60’s have really been mind-blowing – It is a great privilege to me to have lived to see these changes. They are way beyond what those of us who started expected. At that time we were basically improving the conditions for women… and getting equal pay for equal work. But we did not contemplate that equality would enter every sphere of our lives the way it has happened, and the way it continues to. …There is still a tremendous amount to be done. We haven’t done anything really in regards to childcare… we still have tremendous problems with poverty… violence against women and children… and women over seas – much has to be done to improve their status. Work remains – but a tremendous amount has been accomplished. …Men are increasingly becoming more involved in the home and the raising of their children. …Sweden is {leading the way and} has paternity leave for men, and men take it and use it and play muc...

-- Quote of the Day --  " My future starts When I wake up every morning... Every day I find something  Creative to do with my life ." ~ Miles Davis  Poetry For Significant Other... July is Buy Poetry for Your Lover Month (or significant other)... This is the time to purchase a book or chapbook of poetry for someone you love - it can be anyone, your secretary, your parent or child, your lover, your friend.  This day is set aside in an effort to support writers in the poetry genre. Feel free to drop by my site to check out Towards Understanding , my book of poetry, and some excerpted poems on the site. Here's an opportunity for poets to get some exposure for this significant writers holiday, but it must be taken advantage of before July 1st: Jack Huber has offered to provide links via his social media networks for sites selling poetry and art in celebration of Buy Poetry for Your Lover Month. His efforts will be focusing on using FaceBook.com and GotP...