In the late 1780’s, French courtier, Élisabeth Louise Vigée-Le Brun debuted a self portrait that scandalized the Paris elite.

Her lips slightly parted with her teeth visible created gasps galore.

Can you believe it? To that point, people smiling broadly in art or life were thought to be either wily, demented or schnockered. A toothy smile was sardonic to downright creepy.

Marie Antoinette, who discovered Elisabeth’s talents, wanted to buck the system. With despair pervasive, she felt her personal portraitist had given society a new, light and uplifting look at life.
Oh Marie. You rabble-rouser you.

Coincidentally, around the same time, the art of French dentistry and the advent of the toothbrush came about. Suddenly people were taking pride in their teeth and liking the prospect of showing them off.

Finally, thanks to a revolution afoot, people touted that a free society meant freedom of expression and emotions, including a genuine smile of unabashed joy or kindness and acceptance; all of which had been missing for far too long.

The sincere grin thus grew in acceptance from the Paris salons to the streets of unrest and took off. The notion of sweet victory planted itself across the faces of those who simply couldn’t help themselves as they imagined a brighter future.

Hourra (French for hooray)! Viva la smile revolution!

The smile went out of favor for a short period during the buttoned up Victorian era as the queen had little teeth and was advised not to show them. Silly people. Even she got over it…

Queue the early 1900’s to the rescue when along came the personal camera, the brownie. It only cost $1 making it a quick, affordable and fully portable piece of fun. Capturing the natural expression of joy in daily life became a solid norm.

Why do we love a good smile so much? Because it just feels so darn sweet.

Do it now! See?

Your brain reacts to all smiles and laughter the same way, whether pretend or genuine. You get improved heart rhythms, robust mood regulation, decreased tension and increased circulation from smiles that lead to laughter. A smile or two through strife can help you recover faster by reducing your fight-or-flight reactions.

There’s even evidence that people who smile more often and more sincerely (without having to fake it), live longer and report higher quality of life.

There’s a little muscle in our face called the orbicularis oculi, which encircles the eye socket and squeezes the outside corners into those famous crow’s feet. It’s an involuntary muscle, like the ones in your heart. Like it or not, you use it when you can’t help but feel happiness. You can also call it to order.

In tough times, it seems it’s up to us to find the places and moments that delight us so we can be caught smiling.

Your job this week is to find all your smile muscles and literally exercise them to your heart’s content.

We know you’re stressed and scared and riddled with anxiety. The coming weeks will be an incredible exercise in resilience indeed.

Abraham Lincoln knew the power of humor in grim times. Legend has it, right before he debuted the Emancipation Proclamation, he read a silly story to his war cabinet who felt too guilty to laugh but couldn’t help crack a smile. He said, “Gentlemen, why don’t you laugh? With the fearful strain that is upon me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die, and you need this medicine as much as I do.” In getting them to relax and smile, he believed they could face the next big moment of our nation with a stronger countenance. It worked.

Cheers to Marie and Abe, an unlikely pair of inspiration, sifting out the best of the human condition from distress.

Oh, and Lincoln also suspected this truth… A smile is contagious. Thanks to mirror neurons in our brain that make us unconsciously mimic the expression of others, our trusty orbiculous oculi goes wild in the face of a good grin.

Spread that contagion as wide and far as you can my friends. Make it your protective bubble for the days to come. It’s powerful, free medicine.

See you on the PATH Ahead,

Gillian, Shevonne, Amy, Ashley and the VEHI PATH team.

The sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night.” ― Haruki Murakami, Dance Dance Dance

Mid-August has arrived in all its glory. The tomatoes are ready for harvesting, the temperatures of the rivers, lakes and oceans are toasty warm, and the crickets are singing. Nature is inviting you to revel in its riches by spending a night or more in the outdoors, listening to the howl of the coyotes, a barn owl hooting or a lone bull frog making his predictable guttural sounds. Nature is inviting you to study the night sky away from the brilliance of artificial light.  How can you pass up this invitation? 

I presume when you hear the word “camping” multiple memories (some pleasant, some not so pleasant) come to mind depending on past experiences. Maybe for you, camping means stuffing your backpack with gear and freeze dried meals and hiking over a mountain to find a camping location; or maybe it means packing your vehicle with camping equipment, driving to a state or national park and setting everything up under a lean-to; or maybe it means pitching a tent in your backyard and telling tall tales while roasting marshmallows to a charred crisp; or perhaps it means scattering several sleeping bags around a room and strumming on your guitar. Regardless of what camping is for you, the time is nigh.  

I am smitten with camping and have been since I was first sent to a Girl Scouts of America overnight camp at the young age of seven. Though I was clueless upon arrival, that one week sold me on camping. It was so special to learn about the outdoors, discover how to build and maintain a cooking fire and experience the magic which takes place when singing songs around the nightly campfire circle. Of course, there were the unpleasant memories; too many mosquitoes, the Bisquick on a stick that kept melting into the fire and the (hold your nose) outhouses.   

From then on, camping became an annual foray for me – something unique and extremely rewarding. And though I hadn’t intended to, I now have a collection of tents including: a one person tent, a two person tent, a four person tent,  an eight-person tent (which I have had since the early 1980s) and most recently, thanks to my eldest son’s thoughtfulness, a five-person canvas tent.

Yet in good weather I forgo all of those coverings and pull out my small Thermarest air mattress, sheets and a blanket and sleep under the stars. For me, there is nothing more precious and fulfilling than gazing up into the night sky, observing all the summer constellations and planets and a few hours later waking up to the sunrise and the steamy morning dew.

Yes, camping this summer is a bit different and perhaps a bit less convenient. There are new rules about social distancing, wearing face coverings and making reservations. If hiking in the backcountry, there are limits on how many individuals can camp in certain locations and some trails are totally shuttered. Locating camping equipment is more challenging as demand is greater than the supply.  

At the same time, much about a camping experience remains unchanged. Multiple state and national park campgrounds are open and anxiously awaiting your visit. The nighttime scavengers still come looking for food scraps and the unforeseen rain showers will occasionally create havoc. 

Yes, it is indeed the time to go camping. There are new memories to be made, new sights and sounds to uncover and a million new tiny meaningful occurrences to reflect upon. Go and get out in the wild. I am off to appreciate another night on my deck.  

“The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us. Thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing. The trees wave and the flowers bloom in our bodies as well as our souls, and every bird song, wind song, and tremendous storm song of the rocks in the heart of the mountains is our song, our very own, and sings our love.”
― John Muir

See you on the PATH Ahead,

Shevonne, Gillian, Amy and Ashley, the VEHI PATH team  

American Dancer and award-winning choreographer Agnes DeMille said “to dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful.”

It makes perfect sense. In the stress of today, we spend a lot of time all balled up. Shoulders to ears, fists clenched, jaw set, holding our breath, ready for the next blow. A little lightness is what we need, a little freedom to stretch and a spin or two to unwind.

I came out of my garage this week and almost bumped into a young man on my street who was equally startled by me. You see, I’d caught him jamming to his own tune. He was in his own world, having a party in his head; snapping his fingers and humming.

After his brief start, he smiled a huge sheepish grin and said, “Caught me,” as he shook his head.

I said, “No sir. You caught me. I need to find a jam as good as yours.”

He giggled, “well, when things are hard like now-a-days, it’s what you’ve got; the beat, the melody and the sunshine. You’ve gotta slowly ramp it up just like the day herself.”

Then he twirled, in that soulful way only a cool young dude can do first thing in the morning.

“You have an excellent day.” And off he went, drumming his hand on his thigh.

“I will now, neighbor.” My hand went involuntarily into its own snappy beat and out came a little skip-step toward my front door.

Give it a chance.

Take notice of your body in this very moment. Are you slumped over a screen reading this? I am even as I type. No judgement. Instead, just notice. Notice what happens if you lift your head and chest up. Up high! Exhale and throw your arms out or up or around you. Freely express yourself through your whole body and watch how your energy changes. Ms. De Mille also said, “Bodies never lie.” They are the truest expression of you.

Take time to express your jam, outside your stressed confines. And for heaven’s sake don’t judge, just enjoy…

“Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.”

— Martha Graham (1894 — 1991, American Dancer, Choreographer)

If you need scientific evidence, Google will oblige you with ample support but note that a 2017 University of Maryland review of literature states: “Dance can provide positive emotion, engagement, meaning, accomplishment, and positive relationships. Dance is a form of exercise plus the communication of thoughts and feelings, yielding more dividends than other forms of exercise. Because dance is physical, cognitive, and emotional, it is a vehicle for a person to cope with stress and become motivated and invigorated to achieve goals for wellbeing.”

Plainly put, “There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.”

— Vicki Baum (1888 — 1960, Austrian Author)

Dance helps you jam, connect, pump your blood and get your yaya’s out all in a relatively small space and with limited resources.

Finally, the New England Journal of Medicine reported that dancing is, by far, the number one activity to help prevent dementia. There you have it.

For those of us who feel silly about it and too often uptight, let’s get over ourselves and channel my neighbor. In his beautiful words, “Soulful is as soulful does.”

“On with the dance! Let joy be unconfined.”

— Lord Byron (1788 — 1824, English Poet)

See you on The PATH Ahead,

Gillian, Shevonne, Amy, Ashley and the VEHI PATH Team.

PS. Cool side note about author Vicki Baum: She was a Jewish, Austrian-born journalist, author and harpist who also became a boxer in Berlin in the 1920’s. That’s right, a boxer. She even trained with Marlene Dietrich. She spent hours at the punching bag “developing a pretty mean straight left, a quick one-two; a woman never knew when she might have to defend herself, right?” (her words from her memoir). What a ground breaker she was. Seems like a movie needs to be made here.

A funny thing happened on my way to the rock – the Kindness Rock that is. Last week, while digging deeper into the story of The Kindness Rock Project,  I received a random gift of kindness. Was that a fluke or did it come to me because of my focused attention?

 Here’s the scoop: I had spent time in the morning learning more about how The Kindness Rock Project began. I read information online and watched a Today Show interview with the founder, Megan Murphy. I was amazed to find that kindness rocks have multiplied around the world and that the messages individuals find have had such a positive impact on them.    

According to Murphy,  she was searching for a new purpose in life after closing her business in Cape Cod. One day, before heading out on her walk on the shoreline near her Massachusetts home, she stashed a Magic Marker in her pocket. And when she found a few rocks that spoke to her, she jotted down some  positive messages on the rocks and placed them along her mile-long path. Later, one of her friends called her and asked whether she had written the message on a rock the friend had found. Murphy, feeling somewhat sheepish, responded with a sound “no.” But then she asked her friend to tell her about more about the message on the rock and what it had meant to her.   

Murphy decided to continue gathering rocks and writing messages on them during her daily walks. And shortly thereafter, at her daughter’s suggestion that she take some photos and put a hashtag on it, The Kindness Rock Project was birthed on social media. Today people all over the world are involved in painting and gifting positive messages on rocks.      

Now back to my story – I decided to take a break from collecting information and  mow the front lawn using the push mower in the heat of the afternoon. While I was mowing, I couldn’t stop thinking about how The Kindness Rock Project, a very simple idea, has resulted in an incredible movement. And I determined I would gather up some art supplies, paint a few rocks with positive messages and put them near walking trails in the Mad River Valley.   

Right then I looked up and found a young man dressed in a white T-shirt and shorts standing in my driveway waving at me. I stopped the mower and walked over to find out what he wanted. He said, “Would you like me to finish mowing your yard?” I was completely taken aback.  Was he job-shopping? I said I was all set but then I decided to get his contact information for possible future help. So, I showed him the property and asked what he would charge for mowing.  He said, “Oh, I don’t want any money. I’d just like to help.”  While I didn’t take him up on his offer, I couldn’t stop thinking about this random act of kindness. What made him stop? Was it really random or in some mysterious way was it related to all I had been discovering?   

We look forward to seeing the kindness rocks you create and share this week. I purchased some acrylic paints, acrylic markers and decoupage paste and collected a few rocks down by the river. Here is a photo of a kindness rock  Gillian received a few weeks ago from the Addison Northwest VEHI PATH Champion, Lynne Rapoport, as a thank you.  Rock on!

“You have no idea what your legacy will be. Your legacy is what you do every day. Your legacy is every life you’ve touched, every person whose life was either moved or not. It’s every person you’ve harmed or helped. That’s your legacy.”   Maya Angelou-poet and writer  

See you on the PATH Ahead,

Shevonne, Gillian, Amy and Ashley from the VEHI PATH team

“Picnics are the very epitome of innocent pastoral delight.” — Alexander Lee

Who picnicked first? Historian Alexander Lee, in HistoryToday.com, uncovers the wild origins of today’s traditional al fresco meal.

The French word picnic possibly stems from the idea of pecking away at small portions like we do with finger food today, only this was back in the 18th century with the likes of Marie Antoinette (cue wigs and tiny tea cakes). More fancifully stated, it was a movable feast: a great ball spilling over with fantastic stories or debates, accompanied by dancing and sampling lavish culinary delights.

Quite simply a picnic was a soiree “to which each guest contributed a share.” This included unique but transportable food (or payment) and witty intellect: ‘tête à tête en pique-nique’ so it went.

Oh and it was mostly in big halls. Yup. The first picnics were indoors — the original pot luck, if you will.

So how did things change?

Enter the French Revolution. Aristocrats fled Paris to other parts of Europe, especially England. Picnic salons were taken up in English gardens and a “Pic Nic Society” was born. You were to bring a dish and no less than six bottles of wine! Whew. And you stayed for the brassy, amateur theater to follow. Imagine those shenanigans.

Middle class folk aspiring to hobnob like the elite started to make their own small fetes in the parks and countryside. Since they were from simpler means, the act became much more innocent and bucolic. Queen Victoria’s buttoned up society also helped dispense with the debauchery. Frankly, people had always eaten in the park but now they got creative with food and gave it a cheeky name.

By the late 1800’s the picnic made its way to America’s middle class. Here it became an antidote to a bustling and claustrophobic city life. That’s the picnic we know and love today (cue Central Park row boats): breaking bread surrounded by the beauty of nature, in the company of those whose conversation we cherish. Nourish the belly while nourishing the soul.

In the early 20th century, the picnic basket burst on the scene, making the affair quite practical. The first notation of it in literature is found in the classic 1908 English children’s book The Wind in The Willows by Kenneth Grahams in which hungry Mole asks Ratty what’s in the basket:

‘There’s cold chicken inside it’, replied the Rat briefly: ‘coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeef- pickledgherkinssaladfrench- rollscresssandwichespotted- meatgingerbeerlemonadesoda- water –‘

Thanks, Alexander Lee for that great backdrop (check out his whole blog here).

Fast forward to 2020 and what should we find in our basket today?

Great and healthy foods ideas to take with you:

• Cold meats: Organic, grass-fed, antibiotic-free meats are the safe and healthy way to go — good for the animal, good for the environment and good for you.
• Cheese! Add in some crackers and jam or home-made bread.
• Crudité: chop up fruit and veggies. Add ranch dip and stir a little brown sugar into some sour cream for a sweet fruit dip. Tip: make single serve antipasto skewers with salami, olives, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, tomatoes, cheese chunks, pickles, hot peppers, etc..
• Lettuce Wraps: julienne some carrots, cucumber, peppers and other veggies, drizzle on some dressing and wrap it all up tightly in a big leafy green (e.g. romaine or collards)
• Grilled Veggie Chopped Salad: Grill zucchinis, onion, corn (the best!), and peppers. Chop them up finely. Mix them with mango, cilantro, garlic, lime juice and sea salt to make an amazing salsa.
• Chunky Avo Salad: Chop up cherry tomatoes and avocado, sweet corn, and thinly sliced cucumber, salt, pepper, lemon, jalapeno and a little olive oil. Tip: layer this, 7-layer dip or any chunky salad into recycled applesauce or pudding cups for single serve portions.
• Watermelon and Feta Salad: Whip together ¼ cup olive oil with two tablespoons of red wine vinegar and a ½ a teaspoon kosher salt. Toss it with 3 cups of cubed, seedless watermelon, 1 cup of chopped cucumber, 1 cup of crumbled feta, ½ a cup of red onion, thinly sliced (tip: soak in ice water for 15 mins to take the bite out of it), and ½ cup of coarsely chopped mint. (thanks Delish.com for the recipe).

Lastly, some great modern hacks for a fun setup:

• Put an old shower curtain under your blanket to avoid moisture seeping through.
• Pack salad in mason jars, putting the dressing and dense food such as beans or chicken at the bottom, greens on the top — no soggy salads here.
• Instead of lugging a pitcher of lemonade, make single serve beverages to go in mason jars.
• Put spices in recycled tic-tac containers.
• Use a muffin tin for condiments, or as a cup holder.
• Decorate a repurposed cardboard six pack holder to use for condiments, napkins and utensils.
• Freeze a couple of water bottles for ice packs (and drinking water as time goes by).
• Puff up the bottom of a chip bag and fold over the tops to make them stand up like a bowl.
• Use clothes pins as bag clips.
• Don’t forget the hand sanitizer, wipes and napkins, citronella candles, umbrella and sunscreen as helpful tools.
• And, of course, bring your favorite lawn game(s).

Most importantly, enjoy and be together (at a safe distance) and relish in the idea of a lovely afternoon of good chats, lazy thoughts and happy flavors.

Oh and what of Mole? Alexander Lee says:

“Enchanted by the feast which lay ahead, and ‘intoxicated with the sparkle’ of light on the river, ‘he trailed a paw in the water’ and lost himself in daydreams.”

Peace and Cheers. See you on the PATH Ahead…

Gillian and the PATH Team: Shevonne, Amy and Ashley.

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.“- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Welcome to Week Three of the Sizzlin’ Summer Challenge. This is the week to visit someplace new, which may seem a bit daunting, given present travel restrictions. However, once you begin pondering about what might be new for you, I guarantee there will be plenty to uncover. This summer it’s all about the “staycation.” I’ve heard the word used repeatedly from our governor and among several friends and every week the Seven Days publication promotes several staycation ideas around the state.

So where exactly did the word “staycation” originate and is it an acceptable Scrabble play? I did some digging and found that according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary’s sleuths, the first time “staycation” popped up in print dates to a full-page promotional ad for Felsenbrau Supreme Beer in the Cincinnati Enquirer on July 18, 1944. Entitled the Red-White-And-Blue Reminders, it highlighted a list of staycation suggestions that included planting Victory gardens and writing to soldiers on the front (by the way, in case you are wondering, that beer company is no longer in business).

Next I sought out more information about Vermont’s 251 Club, which I believe is the only such club in the USA. Why not enjoy a full-on Vermont staycation and at the same time investigate the entire state? Dr. Arthur Peach, a Vermont poet, professor, writer and historian, proposed the creation of an informal 251 Club in 1954. Peach, who wrote a regular column called “At the Sign of the Quill” for Vermont Life Magazine, received countless inquiries from readers who asked, “How they could come to know the real Vermont?”

Peach invited “the native born and those born elsewhere but with Vermont in them” to veer from the beaten path “to discover the secret and lovely places that main roads do not reveal,” believing that every corner of Vermont had attractions, beauty, history, traditions and people of interest. And back in Vermont Life Magazine’s heyday, the idea snowballed resulting in the printing of new Vermont maps for those interested in taking on the challenge. Today, according to the 251 Club’s director, Stephanie Young, there are more than 6000 household 251 Club members and the numbers are increasing.

Because reporting is based on the honor system there is no one right or wrong way to visit all of the towns and gores as long as one doesn’t just drive through them. Some 251 adventurers add their own unique flavor to the challenge. They might cycle from town to town, run through each town, engage in conversation with residents from each town, visit the local library or dine on something tasty from a local food establishment. One’s timeline to complete the challenge is open ended; it can be a summer project or take several years.  And now, there’s a documentary specific to the 251 Club that Michael Leonard, who completed the challenge with two friends and a handheld camera in tow in 2006 between college semesters, has produced called One Town at a Time.

So, where has our VEHI PATH team been this summer to explore new places? Amy Gilbert says she has been on some pretty cool class IV roads wheeling with her son, Dustin, and her daughter-in-law, Jen. “We went into a bunch of different towns, but I have no idea where we were. We went on top of this mountain that had the most amazing views and watched a thunderstorm roll in. Felt like lightening was striking all around us. It was amazing to watch (and a bit scary),” she added. Gillian Pieper hiked up Belvidere Mountain and recommends it because it’s a great wide trail with a solid fire tower and excellent views.

Ashley Johnson and her family packed up their daughter, Florilla, and their bicycle trailer and ventured out to the Franconia, New Hampshire bicycle path. “I found it to be a beautiful paved bike path crisscrossing along a nice cool stream and Florilla loved playing in the river and enjoyed all the ups and downs of the path (even if my legs didn’t),” said Johnson.

And I tried a new way of hiking up Mount Hunger from Middlesex that required some unexpected Class IV roads and tremendous nail biting as I maneuvered through the rocks to the top. As Dr. Peach once said, “A swift turn from one of our main roads, and you are on your way to the rewarding experience of a lifetime and memories good until the years are frosty.”

We are intrigued by all that you might share with us.  Please do your best to practice social distancing as you visit someplace new. I know every one of you is doing your part to keep yourself and your fellow Vermonters healthy while enjoying warmer weather.  

See you on the PATH Ahead,

Shevonne, Gillian, Ashley and Amy

“The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.”

– Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America, 1977

Confessions of a late blooming composter…

I admit it. I’ve been bad about it for years.

You too? Have you been saying that you’ll figure it out when the law makes you do it?

Me too.

Well, here we are. Vermont is amazing that way, though. We all want the best for our planet, our villages, and our loved ones. Sometimes that requires a legislative kick in the pants — sound principals and a set of actions we can all get behind.

Still, changing habits can be tricky, even when it’s important (sometimes especially when it’s such, for we who frustratingly bury our heads in the sand as a favorite way to cope). What makes this even harder is that no compost police exist.

Only the planet is keeping watch and crying happy tears each time one of us drops off our watermelon rind and chicken bones at the transfer station to be digested into properly collected, usable methane and earthy garden fuel.

What made composting possible for me as a bonafide denier? Well first let’s note why I was avoiding it. Frankly, it seemed gross, smelly and messy, and where the heck do you put it and would animals get it or, worse, bugs, and so on. All good reasons.

Then I went to a talk given by the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District (CVSWMD) and Earth Girl Composting. Here’s what tipped the scale for me:

• “Food is the largest single source of waste in the U.S.. More food ends up in landfills than plastic or paper.” (npr.org, 2014)
• “Almost 20 percent of all Vermonters’ landfilled waste is food scraps that could have been composted.” (CVSWMD.org 2020) About half of that is from our own family households (the other half is commercial waste). The average American household wastes 40% of their food, which equates to $1500 a year!
• When tossed in the trash, food waste randomly releases methane, a greenhouse gas 34 times more powerful than carbon dioxide because it decomposes in an “anaerobic” way; meaning it’s not aerated with oxygen but rather is stuffed under other waste and left to fester for years.
• If we eliminate this 35 million tons of waste and turn it to nutrient dense soil, it would be the same as taking 2.5 million cars off the road, in terms of greenhouse gases. Plus, healthy soil absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and uses it to help grow new plant matter. That’s a double whammy of good! (epa.gov, 2012)

The case is so strong I suddenly stopped caring about any downside to composting (most of which are myths or totally manageable it turns out). Having control and being able to make a significant difference at a time when so much else feels uncertain sealed the deal.

To make it easy, Earth Girl Composting taught me that a simple 5-gallon bucket with a biodegradable, BPI certified compostable bag and a good lid can keep all your food scraps for a week or two without issues. Dump it all in there, then take it to a drop-off center (any transfer station) and it’s done. Wash your bucket and start over (or have Earth Girl or another company pick it up). Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!

Tips from Earth Girl: After you clean your bucket, spray it with peppermint oil to keep the fruit flies away. Use a rubber band to hold the bag on the bucket. Be careful, because the bags begin to break down quickly and can tear easily. Throw in saw dust or coffee grounds to quench and smells. Finally, here’s a list of what can go to transfer stations:

• Fruits and vegetables (No PLU stickers!)
• Eggs and eggshells
• Milk, cheese and other dairy
• Meat and bones
• Shells and fish
• Dressing and condiments
• Sauces and soups
• Bread, pasta and pastries
• Nuts (including shells)
• Spices, oils and butter
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Tea bags

There are so many great resources on this topic, including how to do backyard composting if you’re able, supplies, and much more. We’ve listed a few but a swift web search will provide a bounty of ideas.

Go forth and do your part! It feels good in so many ways.

“Now I know a refuge never grows from a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose, gotta tend the earth if you want a rose.”

– Emily Saliers, Indigo Girls, 1990

We’ll see you on The PATH Ahead,

Gillian Pieper, and the PATH Team: Shevonne Travers, Amy Gilbert and Ashley Johnson.

Sources:

• CVSWMD.org – Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District
• CVSWMD.org Drop Off Sites
• CSWD.org – Chittenden Solid Waste District: beyond composting, this link provides great info on reducing food waste overall.
• Earth Girl Composting
• Food Too Good To Waste program developed by the EPA.gov

Ninety days of summer weather. And in those ninety days we got to: Grow tomatoes, beans, potatoes. corn, squash, cucumbers and thyme. Have barbecues, and a day out on a mountain we can climb. So, you can see how we just got to, we just got to get outside and get together. (From David Budbill’s poem, Summer Blues). 
 
INSTRUCTIONS: For this challenge, post your pictures in the comments on the PATH Facebook page for each corresponding week. Be sure to name the week and your title. That way we can all see each other’s posts and keep track of your “proof” that you did each week’s goal. 

It’s the first week of this year’s Sizzlin’ Summer Challenge!! Drum roll please. Welcome to you all! This week’s focus is all about finishing a project. Perhaps over the past few months while following stay-at-home orders you found plenty of time and energy to finish a project. Or perhaps you had great intentions, got started on something and then turned your attention elsewhere. Regardless, this is the time to pick up where you left off or take on and finish a new project.    

According to writer Scott H. Young, anyone can learn to be a project finisher. He suggests that the way to become proficient in doing so is to place your planned projects in one of two categories: experiment or commitment. If you place your project in the experimental category – guess what – it’s okay to quit on it- as you may have discovered along the way that it’s not feasible or requires a different skill set. However, if you put your project in the commitment category, there’s no turning back. You will want to see it through.  

Young also suggests that if finishing a project is continually challenging, begin by making only short-term commitments first. When we only focus on finishing a long-term project, it can lose its pizzazz or the information available can change more significantly making it difficult to get to the finish line. I would imagine most of us can relate to this statement given how rapidly our lives changed in March. Projects we were in the midst of completing whether in school or at home had to be revamped or put on hold as new information landed at our feet.  

So, this summer, to build upon your habit of finishing a project, tackle a small one first. Or if you have a larger project in mind, break it up into small goals that are achievable over a planned period and stick to your schedule. Do your best to eliminate distractions that might lead you astray. Ask for help from others as needed. Let go of beating yourself up if the project is not a 100 percent perfect. Take breaks when you feel like you are spinning your wheels, continue to remain flexible, keep track of your progress and celebrate small steps forward.  

My weekend project over the next month is to reorganize our storage room in the garage.  Last December when I moved here, my husband and I unloaded multiple boxes in a flash and given the cold temperatures threw them in the storage room and shut the door. And there they still are – disorganized and scattered. Rather than further support my procrastination because the project looks overwhelming, my plan now is to break up the reorganization in smaller sections, take breaks, drink plenty of water and celebrate each time I have organized a corner of the room.     

We anxiously await seeing the projects you have finished on your Facebook posts this week and we are cheering you on.    

See you on The PATH Ahead. 

Shevonne, Gillian, Ashley and Amy 

Let’s Weather This Storm Together

In these uncertain times, don’t forget that you have some amazing people and services at your fingertips.

As an employee of a VEHI member school district (or supervisory union), you have free access to a whole host of benefits to help you stay well if you are quarantined, lonely OR just feeling the need. Log in to your PATH Account for the following:

[NOTE: We are updating this post regularly as information changes and grows]

Progress Coaching — Wellness coaches who can help you with decision making, goal setting, habit building, and just plain processing — all over the phone. Jump start your energy and get on the PATH to your dreams with our fabulous coaches. Go to your PATH account and click on the words Progress Coaching next to the little coach.

Invest EAP — Licensed, clinical mental health counselors who can help you deal with crisis, change, stress, you name it. They are working on web-based and telephonic counseling to keep you safe and still get the help you need. Contact them any time and they’ll match you to the services that are best for you. No issue is too difficult for them to handle. Call 1-800-287-2173. Website: www.investeap.org Specifc help for COVID-19: www.investeapcovid19.org

Telemedicine — American Well (AmWell), our provider through BCBS of Vermont, “has established a Telehealth Response Program to support the use of telehealth as an initial COVID-19 screening tool, which includes an always-on-call infection control officer. NOTE: There may be a fee depending on your BCBSVT plan and you will need to present a credit card to enroll if so. Telemedicine is a key element to controlling the spread of COVID-19. Whether you are concerned about coronavirus or a non-urgent concern, staying home reduces your exposure and the spread of COVID-19, available 24/7.” We encourage members to download the Amwell app

Exercise Video Library — Need a good exercise program you can do at home? Stream any one of 14 PATH exercise videos in the NEW library. Go to “PATH Community and Keeping Fit” and scroll down to see the library. There’s a different video for every day of a quarantine plus two more in the current PATH Adventure, Joy Ride.

• Oh, and Get Outside! It is safe to go outside, being outside in nature is really good for your immune system and your mental health. Keep a reasonable distance from others and stay safe in all the conventional ways. Worried about Parks? Here is a Joint Statement on Using Parks and Open Space While Maintaining Social Distancing from the National Recreation and Parks Association.

Peer Coaching — A course to help you and a pal reach your wellness goals. Work virtually with a friend to keep your distance but still support each other. Meet via web-based video chat tools and talk about the course units. Then work on your goals and continue to check in. It’s a great time to support a buddy through a new challenge! The course gives you some great skills to do so.

Joy Ride — Keep working on spotting the joy in the little things. If you’re not already involved in Joy Ride, there are two and a half weeks left. We’d be happy to give anyone free access to the previous week’s material to help lighten your mood. Just contact our office using the Contact Support tab on our website (www.tomypath.com)

Further support can be found at:

BCBSVT is offering up-to-date information on your benefits and how to stay safe:
http://www.bcbsvt.com/health-and-wellness/coronavirus-update/

The CDC continues to provide updates as well as the World Health Organization:
https://www.cdc.gov/ and https://www.who.int/

Follow local information from UVM Medical Center here: https://www.uvmhealth.org

For Language Barriers: From the VT Dept of Health: “Please feel free to distribute this video link widely to any businesses, etc. that may find them helpful – it is information on Coronavirus translated into several languages, developed by folks on the Refugee Health Committee in Vermont.” https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3zjPpeFnXqvESr1y3d4DvQ/?fbclid=IwAR3T_Tgf9j34z5R-1c50mjWK55kpzM3OInKAMgyeDFbF8Yki3ZG2Py5lQ_M

Finally,

Feel free to email me even if you just want to chat: [email protected]

I know these are hard and confusing times. I’m happy to talk it out with you. We’re all in this together and all deeply affected. We’re here for you and know that this too will pass. The questions that remain are, “Who do you want to be in this time” and “Who do you want to be when a sense of normalcy returns”? VEHI PATH is here to help you answer those questions.

We believe in you and our exciting future together.

“Hard times are like a washing machine, they twist, turn and knock us around, but in the end we come out cleaner, brighter and better than before.” — Anonymous

Let us know what else we can do.

See you on the PATH Ahead.

Gillian and the PATH Team: Shevonne, Amy, Ashley and VEHI
www.tomypath.com
[email protected]

This is it!  The last week of this year’s Sizzlin’ Summer Challenge.  You are nearing the finish line. The yellow school buses are back on the roads, plenty of first day of school photographs are popping up on Facebook and Instagram and Friday night football and soccer games are back.  

Last weekend, rather than having the dirt road to myself for a long distance jog, I spotted several others running as I trudged up what I consider the killer mile.  As I began passing a few of them, I figured out they were high school youth in training for the cross-country team. Much to my surprise when their coach (who was riding his bicycle) passed me he said, “Oh, for a minute I thought you were a member of the team.”  At first I laughed it off but then I responded with a big “Thank you. That’s quite the compliment.” And that alone propelled me up to the top of that tough incline and kept me smiling for the rest of the day. I put a positive spin on it.

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is an often used phrase that might provide some relief and guidance when life throws us a series of curve balls.  Ever wonder where this phrase originated? I did. According to what I discovered, the writer, Elbert Hubbard, used it in a 1915 obituary to describe Marshall Pinckney Wilder, an actor, who put a positive spin on his life and his livelihood regardless of his disabilities. 

Years later, the phrase reappeared in a poem entitled The Optimist in a 1940 edition of The Rotarian: “Life handed him a lemon, As life sometimes will do. His friends looked on in pity, Assuming he was through. They came upon him later, Reclining in the shade, In calm contentment, Drinking a glass of lemonade. 

According to Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, a distinguished professor of psychology and author who has spent several years researching resiliency, resilient people are those who are “emotionally agile.” “That is, they don’t protect themselves from adversity or wallow in it.  Instead they meet adversity with clear eyes, superbly attuned to the nuances of their ever-changing circumstances. Negative emotions rise up like an ocean wave and then dissolve.”   

How do we become emotionally agile?  Fredrickson says it’s possible to do so provided we train ourselves to stock up on positive emotions. Loving ourselves and accepting our shortcomings is key as is working with our community and social groups to face tough times together. That’s exactly what many communities did eight years ago when Tropical Storm Irene decimated many of Vermont’s homes, roads and villages.

While some tough and painful experiences are inevitable, our most negative experiences can be lightened by:1) recognizing that whatever has happened will pass 2) practicing self compassion and honoring the pain, 3) imaging ourselves connecting with others who may be suffering the same experience to build a sense of shared humanity and 4) by allowing the good and the bad to sit side by side so they can inform and influence each other planting the seeds of hope.   

The Dalai Lama says that for every event in life there are many different angles from which to see the event.  “While from one angle, you feel bad and sad, if you look from a different angle, you can see a particular event or painful situation providing new opportunities.  When you look at the same event from a wider perspective your sense of worry and anxiety is reduced and thus you have greater joy and it leads to serenity and equanimity.”

Wow!  There’s much to contemplate within these paragraphs.   Now it’s time to put all of these recommendations into practice.   We look forward to seeing how you put a positive spin on it this week.  Frankly, I’m on my way to the kitchen to see if I can find a cold drink.  All this talk about lemonade has made me thirsty. 

Thanks for sharing a part of your summer with us.  

See you on the PATH Ahead,

Shevonne, Gillian, Amy and Ashley