Ticking Off the Bucket List

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Posted on January 7, 2016

“Better to see something once than hear about it a hundred times.” ~ Juurai Bayanjargal

Since it’s a New Year, we have been focused on new experiences this week on All Things Fulfilling. It has been said that there has been a movement away from amassing lots of material things, and replacing them with investing in unique life experiences. Experiential travel, which is said to bring increased happiness, has grown in recent years. Perhaps living life differently, we don’t end up in our later years having big inventories of “things” to get rid of, instead our memory bank will be overflowing. Graham Hill speaks about living life edited in his TED talk. Take five minutes to listen to it!

I may not ever have the where-with-all make it to the moon in my lifetime to experience weightlessness in space, but I can now say that I have experienced it in a more contained environment here on Earth in a float pod. It’s terrific! To learn more about this adventure, read the previous two blogs – Practice the Pause and From Lightweight to Weightlessness.

Will you remove any “thing” from your “bucket list” and replace it with a real life experience in 2016? If so, what is it? We would love to hear from you. Post your comment right here on All Things Fulfilling.

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, award-winning author of ~

Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Will we see each other right here tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling?

From Lightweight to Weightlessness

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Posted on January 6, 2016

You don’t realize that you are weighed down all the time by yourself, and your organs, and your head. ~ Mary Roach, author of Stiff

“How was your float?” Valerie McCarthy, Owner of Neptune Healing & Float Spa asked as I exited the private suite that held the pod (or tank) and shower area where I had spent an hour engaging in the closest thing I have come to nirvana.

“Wonderful! I guess it is the first time I have truly experienced total weightlessness.” Think about it, even when we are trying to float in salt water of the ocean, we are fighting against the tides and body beating waves. The high concentration of epsom salt in the float pod was beyond any other buoyancy I had yet to experience. I am a lightweight, and don’t have much body mass to move around, but still taking all weight off my structure (and brain!) was something I have never known -a complete yielding for one blissful hour. I believe I may have fallen asleep for a few minutes. However, Valerie said I may have reached the theta state (that gray area when you are not sure if you are awake or asleep).

The relaxed, “putty-like” feeling continued throughout the day and that night I slept like a baby (although admittedly, I often do). Every tension of 2015 was removed while I “practiced the pause” and drifted unsinkable in the pod.

Floating is said to be one of the top ten wellness trends to watch in 2016 and it is even being used in athletic science. Top athletes are jumping in the pod to relieve muscle aches and pains and reduce stress to improve performance. Floating is also said to increase creativity. Rehab facilities are including float pods for their athletes. According to an ESPN article Stephen Curry is among those elite athletes who is taking advantage of this wellness modality.

I am feeling rejuvenated and have a sense of well-being about the New Year. Bring it on 2016, bring it on! I am ready!

I would highly recommend this experience. I can see how floating could be even more beneficial to mind/body and spirit on a regular basis.

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. EVVY award-winning of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

Surrendering to New Experiences

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Posted on December 31, 2015

I’ve decided to begin 2016 with a gift to myself by trying a new body/mind/spirit healing arts kind of treatment because as Winston Churchill once said “You create your own universe as you go along.” I like that concept.

Stay tuned to All Things Fulfilling after the New Year because I have plans to share my reflections on what some people who have tried the venture might say is a “divine experience.” I hope by getting tanked it will help me to think outside the box and arrive at some creative ideas for 2016. According to this article balance in our lives is important, so I want to begin January lined up for my very best year yet!

What do you have in mind for the New Year that will lead to growth of self? Share your thoughts by posting a comment to this blog post. We’d like to hear from you.

Do return tomorrow because I will be sharing some very exciting news that is well-worthy of a New Year’s Day feature!

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, the award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Pairing Health, Humor and Children

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Posted on September 1, 2015

Were you paying attention? Sometimes it is the little things that count. Did you see the reference between the medical school mentioned on the August 25^th blog posting on www.allthingsfulfilling.com and a highly treasured author of children’s literature? Go to Celebrate Aging and play I SPY and see if you can figure it out.

The beginnings of the creative talent of “the doctor” who has brought millions of children joy became clear to me when I read an article in the September/October 2015 issue of Yankee Magazine. Here is an article that explains it even more.

Now, there is a new generation of books from the Cat in the Hat Learning Library that teach youth the basics of healthy living. They are part of the Healthy America program for Children.

Since future generations of children will benefit from the knowledge aspiring physicians acquire through this famed health institution and its research facility, it seems only logical that the medical school carries the name of an alumni. He has brought smiles to faces of children in many countries through his 47 books. Check it out!

Do return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling. This blog is brought to you by the author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Edibles

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Posted on August 31, 2015

A weed is a plant whose virtue is not yet known.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have you ever wandered the woods wondering which plants have been used for hundreds of years for their medicinal qualities? And which plants are edible?

Herbalists Karen Vail and Mary O’Brien have taken years to research and write their new resource guide Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Southern Rockies. Photos were taken by the authors from the fields, forests and mountains. Much effort has gone into the project. I know because I’ve consulted with them.

Now it’s time to bring their book to fruition by publishing it. These two ladies know their stuff and have conducted hiking tours for many years all for the sake of educating others about the healing qualities of herbs and flowers, some of our greatest natural resources found in nature.

Learn more about this very useful guide and the professional and educational qualifications of the herbalists. They offer their combined knowledge of 50 years in this publication. Take a few minutes to listen to the authors talk about what’s between the covers!

Please join me in supporting their efforts.

P.S. I can guarantee you will also see some beautiful landscapes in the video.

Meet Me at The Movies

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Posted on April 17, 2015

“Healing Art is being born as we speak. The concept is catching fire, is awakening in people’s spirits…Artists, musicians and dancers are realizing their imagery has meaning….that their imagery heals them, others, their neighborhood, or the earth.” ~ Michael Samuels

The Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Washington is partnering with several organizations to bring back classic movies because of their power to connect seniors with memories. The Alzheimer’s Association’s Western and Central Washington Chapter and the University of Washington School of Nursing along with Artists for Alzheimer’s/I’m Still Here Foundation have sponsored Meet Me at the Movies to celebrate film and it’s ability to stir the human emotions. An interesting partnering isn’t it? It speaks to the power of art to heal.

During the great Depression, people flocked to the movies because the entertainment cinema provided gave them relief from every day stresses. The eldest of the eldest of our country’s population, those in their late “renaissance years” remember the Golden Age of Movies and dancing every Saturday night. Alternatively, family and friends sat huddled together in front of the radio engaged in shows that united people and provided diversions to forget the financially difficult times and as ways to uplift their spirits.

Stories through the decades whether by film, book or through audio listening inspire, influence, entertain and change lives.

Do return on Monday. Next week I’ll have a few announcements! Have a great weekend.

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. Her publications are available in audio, paperback and e-book format.

Advent Day #20 Remembering to Give

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Posted on December 20, 2014

As a thank you to our readers, today I am going to share an audio chapter of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

One of the most valuable lessons in my lifetime was learning as a child that the spirit of Christmas should be extended to others. In fact, being grateful and thinking of others rather than ourselves is one of the best cures for whatever ails us.

A week ago, I volunteered a few hours helping with a United Way project here in Steamboat. I was awestruck by the charitable hearts of the people in our community. Corporations, retail establishments, individuals and churches all came together to make sure no one who needs assistance will go hungry and without a gift for Christmas.

A holiday shopping market of toys and clothing and other necessities that makes Christmas feel special was set up for families in the auditorium at Colorado Mountain College. Hundreds of volunteers helped with the effort.

Kate Nowak, Executive Director of Routt County United Way is to be commended for her efforts in leading the way in pulling it all together.

Being neighborly and remembering to give of ourselves through volunteering and other thoughtful gestures means much to those who need to be lifted up. For the giver, it can also lead to a few symptoms of the advent virus – “contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature and frequent attacks of smiling.”

In chapter 29 titled “The Gift of Life” in the award-winning memoir by yours truly there’s a poignant holiday story that families can share together about being grateful every day of your life. Listen in here.

Life is Comedy and Mystery

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Posted on November 17, 2014

“Life is really simple but we insist on making it complicated.” ~ Confucius

Death is no laughing matter, until it comes to Fannie Flagg’s humor. Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven is a funny story about Elner Shimfissle living in the town of Elmwood, Missouri. This story is about small town America at it’s best. Elmwood is a place where everyone knows everyone. People stick together and help each other out.

When high spirited Elner, one of Elmwood’s most beloved community members, passes away after being stung by wasps, she inspires a whole town to consider some of the absurdities and truths about life.

As stated by the Rocky Mountain News “Elner emerges quite the character…a woman who uses the mind and heart she’s been given… ”

Fannie Flagg, one of America’s most talented humorists, takes us through a rollicking story that will warm your heart and keep you laughing. The characters are so charming, you will love this “feel good” story.

Pick up this comedy-mystery at your library or at your favorite neighborhood bookstore.Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven will remind you not to take life too seriously and to have some fun with those who make your life fulfilling while you are living on this planet called Earth.

This blog is brought to you by the award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For more information on the memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, please visit this link.http://amzn.to/141aW6S

Connections to First Chapter

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Posted on October 7, 2014

“In the first chapter of Genesis it is written that God placed mankind in the Garden of Eden. God knew from the very beginning that this perfect environment would be the key source for mankind’s healing and health.” ~ Dr. David Stewart author of Healing: God’s Forgotten Gift http://bit.ly/1rTR4LR.

An hour or two in the National Botanic Gardens in Washington, DC is enough to uplift anyone’s spirit. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing horticultural wonders from all over the world inside and outside this beautiful structure last weekend.

Many of the plants I saw have healing properties that have been known for centuries. Others are yet to be discovered. http://www.deborahkingcenter.com/blog/2014/02/25/the-healing-powers-of-plants/

For instance, digitalis is a plant that for centuries has been used for heart ailments. However, today it is synthetically produced for many reasons. One is the ease of regulation of dosage. http://science.jrank.org/pages/2088/Digitalis.html.

Why has our world relied on so many synthetically produced drugs when much of what we need to heal is already at our dispose? I must ask. Some medicinal plants are not indigenous to areas where large populations of people roam. So, I suppose harvesting them to use in the healing arts industry may be too costly.

I ponder that in other cases a choice between harvesting beautiful plants for pharmaceuticals and risking that they will become endangered, and no longer available for visual enjoyment and soulful pleasures may be a consideration.

Today I’d like to share some images from the medicinal horticultural section of the National Botanical Gardens. Additional photos will be shared over the next few weeks of flowers from a spectrum of colors, as well as some wonderful architecture and art from our National Portrait Gallery.

Stay tuned to this site – I have all kinds of more fulfilling things to share with you of things I discovered in Washington, DC over the weekend.

This blog brought to you by the award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For information on her memoir, Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, please visit this link. http://amzn.to/1xTvPwQ

What a gorgeous building and grounds at the National Botanical Gardens

Plenty inside the National Botanical Gardens to keep this avid gardener interested and uplifted!

Below: Aromatherapy – pots of spices from around the world – I indulged myself frequently at the “smelling pots”

To read an article on the manufacturing of digitalis, a drug that so many heart patients rely on visit this link.http://science.jrank.org/pages/2088/Digitalis.html.

Water is a magical substance. The health of all life is irrevocably connected with water. Find yourself around it, immerse yourself in it, and drink it with gratitude. ~ Unknown

For a great resource about healing plants, please visit this site http://m.steamboattoday.com/news/2014/sep/14/local-herbalist-releases-first-ebook-series/

All Photos were taken by Sue Batton Leonard inside the National Botanic Gardens. Please read copyright statement on this site on the right hand side of the page.

Focus on Simple Pleasures

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Posted on July 24, 2014

There are few things in common between where I grew up, in Towson, Maryland and where I am residing at this moment, Steamboat Springs, Colorado except great peaches and sweet corn.

It is an unexpected gift when you live high up in the magnificent Rocky Mountains to find corn and peaches as good as what’s grown in Maryland. The produce comes in from Palisades, Colorado every weekend on a truck.

We are getting into the fresh from the farm season! So, although, I am living many, many miles away from all of our family – today I would like post a reminder to myself.

And as gift for my readers on this sunny summer day – here is something you can make that is useful, healthy and delicious.It comes from http://www.OasisAdvancedWellness.com. Visit their website, there’s other fulfilling things they’ve posted for the visitors of their space on the internet.

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling! This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. NOW AVAILABLE IN AUDIO BOOK, TOO! http://amzn.to/1rDx80a.

All Things Fulfilling

Writing Focused on Fine Art & The Humanities

Category Archives: holistic healing

From Lightweight to Weightlessness

Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Edibles

Connections to First Chapter