Coop Scoop
Kids, Geese, and Migration
Creating Calm and Finding One’s Path: The Case of the Great Cicada Adventure
Co-op 101: Values and Decision Making
Creating Calm ∙
Rebecca Angel By Rebecca Angel
Natalie Criscione remembers shopping at the Quail St. Honest Weight location. She wears many hats: educator, writer, artist, musician, property manager, advocate, volunteer. She loves being part of the Coop Scoop team!
Pat Ellis has been a shopper at HWFC for years and became a member a year ago. She enjoys participating in the creative energy of the Scoop’s editorial team and is excited about contributing more in the future.
Lucia Hulsether is a teacher and writer currently based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her first book, Capitalist Humanitarianism, is available from Duke University Press. www.dukeupress.edu/capitalist-humanitarianism
Leona Palmer, LMSW is a therapist living in Nassau with her partner, daughter, and beagle-mix pup She joined her first co-op at sixteen (The Outpost, Milwaukee). When not tending the HW Blog, she can be found weeding her garden.
Letter from an Editor
By Ruth Ann Smalley
A
s I write this, goldfinches pipe their sweet notes and tussle with the echinacea flower seeds in my yard. I love harvest time, although it also means the die-back of the garden and the approach of colder, shorter days.
Even while enjoying summer’s final fruits, we anticipate both joys and challenges ahead. How do we stay warm and keep spirits up, while navigating a contentious presidential election and the varied emotions the holiday season induces?
editors noted— “it doesn’t just fall on you!” We’re happy to share an abundance of offerings. For strategies for understanding and working with our own nervous systems, check out Leona Palmer’s description of TIPPS. In What’s Fresh, we take into account that while our pets may impart calm, they, too, need help with stress. For a smorgasbord of free classes and personal-care offerings, check out our slate of related in-store events!
Speaking of smorgasbords, we also consider the role of comfort foods. Along with informa tion about why we gravitate toward sweetness, we feature simple recipes for a rice pudding and a chocolate drink that let us control the amount and form of those sweeteners. (As a chocolate fan who can’t abide sugary hot cocoa, I’m over the moon after making my own version of Melanie Pore’s El Submarino–why have I never thought of this?) Our nutritional nugget picks up where comfort food leaves off, taking food into the realm of healing, as Pat Ellis relates her story of the benefits of hibiscus tea.
Moving further into healing realms, our writers look at journeys of self-awareness. These lead to meaningful connections to the world around us, whether through creative forms like art, writing, and reflective tarot practices; explo rations of nature; or self-care measures that slow us down and open us to life’s daily miracles.
Anastasia Rodgers is the new Education and Engagement Specialist at HWFC. They love learning, creating and having as much fun as possible along the way! They can be reached at: education@honestweight.coop
Given the pace of climate and political events (and seemingly shorter intervals in between, to recover) more “surprises” are probably coming our way. Finding ways to build our personal resilience will help. Furthermore, with co-operative efforts, the steps we take away from stress can also be toward creating a more supportive society.
With this in mind, our theme is “Creating Calm.” “You DO have to create it,” one of our
And, as always, we share inspiring stories of care and community that your contributions make possible through donations to Be the Change. From much-needed childbirth support, to empowering storytelling, to youth peacemak ing, there’s an amazing—even miraculous—rip ple effect we can create when we have access to the tools to create calm in our personal lives, take ourselves out of non creative hypervigi lance, and join together to enhance our commu nity’s resilience. We hope you find something calm-creating, to enhance your health and happi ness, and amp up your ability to pass it on!
Ruth Ann Smalley PhD, is our Content Editor. An educator and writer, with a 4-digit Co-op member number from the early 90s, Ruth Ann offers wellness, writing, and creativity coaching through her practice at www.vibrant-energies.com or www.ruthannsmalley.com.
Mathew Bradley is our Layout Editor. He has been the Lead Designer at Honest Weight since the new store. Outside the co-op, he enjoys writing music with his band, tending to his garden, and training his English Cocker Spaniel, Cricket, for field work.
After an article in our previous edition examined issues around Apeel spray, our Produce Manager, Brendan Kelly, wishes to offer these assurances:
“We have been fielding a great many questions regarding the use of Apeel and I've been following up with relevant vendors and growers. I can confidently state no produce at Honest Weight is currently treated with Apeel's Edipeel or Organipeel coatings.”
Kelly has received written statements from our two largest vendors—Four Seasons Produce and UNFI—to the effect that both require all produce to be Apeel-free. Additionally, Kelly says, “I can further assure you no local growers are applying Apeel to their produce.”
We hope this puts you at ease about buying produce at Honest Weight—our apologies to any readers who may have felt concerned.
lOl
By Deanna Beyer
Values and Decision-Making lOl
TBy Lucia Hulsether
of doing business, while supporting the well-being of our diverse Capital Region community.
Have you ever wondered how these commitments translate to decisions about store inventory? How do we decide what products to stock? What, if anything, is banned from the shelves?
There are some bright lines. We will always strive to feature organic, local, and seasonal products. Our “Banned List” notes ( https://www.honestweight.coop/page/the-banned-list-335.html) the products that we will never knowingly stock-–including but not limited to those that contain artificial colors and preservatives, bioengineered and GMO components, and toxic chemicals.
If you’ve spent any time around the Co-op, you know that Honest Weight strives to lead with its values: to promote more equitable and ecologically sustainable models
Classes to Calm
By Pat Ellis
Honest Weight Food Coop, with the expertise and generosity of its member owners, offers many classes that can help you reduce stress and anxiety in daily life. Listed here are samples of classes offered to help enhance self care and reduce stress. There are many more and the schedules do change, so please check the website for descriptions and details for the monthly offerings.
uct-manual-203.html), which offers 31 pages of guidance for store leadership—and anyone else interested in a deep dive-–on how our inventory can best reflect our values.
The manual, like our community, continues to evolve from its founding in the 1970s. In an ongoing process of member discussion, we have embraced a wider inventory, guided by our core principles of sustainability and access. A product that one person avoids could be the same one that another relies on for their holistic well-being: as part of their culture or traditions, as nutrition, as part of healing their relationship to their body, or simply as pleasure.
Salad, Hot Bar, and Cafe are Back, with
But there are gray areas. What about refined sugars? High-sodium foods? Processed snacks? Soda? Meat? Ingredients that are so common that it’s nearly impossible to avoid them?
The most current policy can be found in the publicly-available Honest Weight Food and Product Manual (https://www.honestweight.coop/page/food--prod-
Acupuncture with Paul Marks LAc. MSTOM
Such differences help us grow in our understanding of health, wellness, and justice. They are part of what makes the Co-op strong.
The tensions of being a “socially responsible business” in capitalism are many-–and it is easy to stray away from our values or not survive at all. Through cooperation and the active involvement of our member-ownership body, Honest Weight continues to thrive.
This 30 minute offering (one session per person, per month) can be used to help with a variety of conditions such as pain, anxiety, stress, digestive issues or just maintaining a healthy balance. You need not be a member to take advantage of this service.
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) with Evelyn Wright
This therapy consists of a gentle, hands-on healing methodology that helps to settle the client’s nervous system. Clients often report the treatments to be deeply relaxing and supportive of other healing approaches they are pursuing.
Reiki with Dee McLaughlin
Reiki, developed in Japan in the 1920s, is an energy system which helps to balance the body and allow its natural self-healing capabilities to work effectively. The system promotes relaxation and well-being.
Hand Reflexology and Massage with Teresa Reflexology and massage therapy work in union as stress-reducers in the nervous system. Each 30 minute session combines hand and head work to reduce stress and calm muscular tension.
Yoga with Scrap Wrenn
This is a challenging mat class for practitioners looking for a moderately rigorous practice and also good for beginners who have a familiarity with yoga. These vinyasa movements encourage students to gain a deeper understanding of their bodies and energies.
Yoga and Sound Bath with Teresa Harlow
There are restorative benefits to a journey that combines Yoga & Sound. This pairing allows active release and relaxation to encourage uplifted energy and balance in your body’s heaven, earth, and heart energy.
Meditation for All with Dave
This is a class for all levels. It breaks meditation down into functional components—even first-time meditators will leave with tools to continue independently. Includes coaching on breath work and acknowledging your senses, leading to a deep sense of rest and interpersonal reflection.
Just follow these simple steps:
Auriculotherapy with Revive Ear Seeds and Acupuncture with Colleen Conroy
• Locate the collection bins near our bike lockers
• Only place clear, clean glass in the bins
Acupuncture with Sally Rappeport LAc.
• Make sure to remove both the lids and little plastic rings (labels are ok)
Saam acupuncture is a Korean style that uses only 4 needles per treatment. Sally has found it to be quite effective for many types of issues ranging from pain, asthma and allergies to anxiety and depression as well as insomnia.
Gentle Yoga with Carrie
This class is perfect for beginners as well as seasoned practitioners. The session requires little or no weight bearing on hands and knees, so it is perfect for those sensitive joints.
Light therapy (LED/Infrared) and ear seeds are non-invasive ways of stimulating the nerve endings on the ear to alleviate pain, reduce stress and promote overall well-being.
Energy Boosting Thyroid Balancing Workshop with Grace
This workshop provides an opportunity to address the constant fatigue, stubborn weight, and stress and anxiety associated with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s. You will find the strategies to achieve sustained energy, confidence and weight loss.
Seasonal Local Produce
Folk Guitar and Ukulele
Community Yoga with Mary Rosch
This is an hour-long vinyasa class with focus on conscious breath. You will be guided through a series of poses that create space in your body as well as your heart. It helps connect your mind, body and spirit in a relaxing alignment.
A learning/sharing session open to all who are interested, this low-stress instructional workshop is tailored to equip, inspire and encourage participants to competently make and speak the language of music.
What could be fresher than all of your favorite produce arriving daily from local farms? (could we include a couple of relevant farm names here?It’s growing season and we’ve got farm-fresh fruits and veggies from all over the area. So, whether you’re looking for nNon-GMO sweet corn, crisp cucumbers, or super juicy, tiny strawberries, we’ve got you covered! Be sure to check out all the beautiful new arrivals next time you’re here.
Profile Producer
By Pat Sahr
Roosevelt Grooming Company
Albany, NY
en, is your hair unmanageable, your beard out of control, your skin aging prematurely? If so, Roosevelt Grooming Company has some solutions for you. This business provides the finest grooming products, from firm-hold mustache wax to beard oil and hair pomade to face lotion: everything you need to tame unruly hair and keep your skin feeling smooth and healthy.
Roosevelt Grooming Company was founded in 2013 by Adam McCarthy with the goal of combining old-time shaving practices—and quality—with materials and ingredients that are safe and environmentally responsible, products that are vegan and animal-friendly and as "natural" and locally-sourced as possible.
“I began the business as a straight razor restorer,” McCarthy says. “Years before the launch of Roosevelt Grooming Company in its current form, I was buying old rusty razors, cleaning them up, and building scales (handles), that I believe honored the artisanship of the vintage blades better than the cheap plastic scales that they were usually paired with.”
His current business grew from receiving customer input at craft shows where he was selling his razors: “people began to ask me where to find complementary products. My customers wanted grooming materials that were of the same artisan quality as the razor they'd bought from me. From that point on it took months of research and trial and error before I had products that I was comfortable selling alongside my razors. Now I sell more of my grooming items than I do my razors.”
McCarthy emphasizes the place-based nature of his enterprise: “One thread of inspiration throughout the business's existence is the State of New York. I am inspired for each scent I make from a location in the state.”
“The name itself, Roosevelt Grooming Company,” he explains, “pays homage to two famous New
Yorkers who—I believe—embody two seemingly diametrical aspects of masculinity: the rugged—almost stereotypical—outdoorsy, hunter side; and the laidback, dapper, intellectual side.”
The line has grown over the years from straight razors and brushes to a full selection of handcrafted, naturally-formulated grooming, shaving, and body-care products. What hasn't changed is its dedication to transparency in materials and practices: “the lines are made fresh in small batches in a workshop in the Helderberg Mountains."
In the Wellness Department at Honest Weight, shoppers will find three beard oils—Albany Pine Bush, Syracuse Citrus, and Cohoes Falls—as well as two types of shaving cream and two kinds of beard and face wash. Individuals may also purchase additional products directly from the website www.rooseveltgroomingcompany.com, the “virtual barbershop.”
Adam McCarthy invites you to join the Roosevelt Grooming family today, and learn to “groom like a boss.”
Pat Sahr has been a member of the Co-op since 2005. She contributes to the Coop Scoop as the writer of the Producer Profiles. Sahr says, "Its a pleasure being part of the Honest Weight family, and I've especially enjoyed communicatin with the various producers whose products are sold at the Co-op!"
By Pat Ellis
By Pat Ellis
Pet Supplements
COur focus in this issue is to highlight opportunities that help create calm during periods of stress we all experience from time to time. Those of us who have been cat and dog parents know that stress is not limited to us humans. Our pets experience a variety of stressors on a daily basis, including separation anxiety, loud noises, a trip to the vet or groomer, or even the car trip to get there. Enter several companies and products specifically designed to help combat that stress and bring some calming relief. All of these products can be found in the Wellness Department at HWFC.
Head and Heal
One of a few farmer-owned, USDA certified organic CBD companies in the country. Its founders, the Gandelmans, manufacture CBD oils and chew treats designed to help both dogs and cats with stress. These products contain oil extracted from hemp they grow. They offer two flavors of treats, each of which contain 5mg of CBD. The oil formulations deliver from 10 to 40 mg/per dose of CBD depending on the weight of your dog, and there is an oil formulation specific for cats.
Bach Rescue Remedy Pet
Formulated by Dr. Edward Bach from 5 varieties of flowers from his garden, chosen for their ability to relieve mental tension. This blend is combined in a pet friendly, alcohol-free formula. It also helps rabbits, horses, birds and lizards. The dosage and frequency are adjustable to the level of stress the animal is experiencing (it is not a sedative).
Ark Naturals
Happy Traveler
A chew made for cats and dogs. It consists of four natural active ingredients working together to help with the motion sickness and the accompanying stress experienced by some pets when traveling. Now part of the Antelope family of products, Ark Naturals,was founded by Jay and Susan Weiss in 1996.
Upstate Elevator Supply Company
A Vermont-based organization that has been formulating CBD products since 2022. They concentrate Vermont grown organic hemp into a salmon-based oil and a chew treat, both of which are appropriate for dogs and cats. The salmon oil formulation helps with the immune system and has anti-inflammatory properties as a bonus.
HomeoPet
was established in the US by Daniel Farrington with the intention of bringing the natural medicines formulated by his brother Thomas, a practicing veterinarian in Ireland, to help the animal population. HomeoPet has a specific product formulated to promote relief from fear and anxiety in dogs and cats from air, car, rail or boat travel. The product claims to be effective with rabbits, birds and guinea pigs as well.
By Natalie Criscione
Who ever thought I could have done this?!” said a student from the Children at the Well program after performing her story for a full audience. It was something she had neither done before, nor ever imagined herself doing. She was the quiet one in her family, the reserved student at school. Yet, here she was speaking in English in front of a large audience, sharing her story, drawing from months of instruction with this note-free improvisational style. The cadence of her voice had filled the room as she placed herself within the language of the story. She felt at one with the audience, as if they too were on this storytelling journey with her, stepping foot as she did, onto American soil for the first time.
Ever since Children at the Well, a program supported by the non-profit organization WithOurVoice, inc. was established in 2006, “we have been training diverse groups of young teenagers in the art of storytelling,” says Paula Weiss, one of the founders and current program director. With a mission “to increase capacity for intercultural understanding, build diverse community connections and grow compassionate leaders, through the art of storytelling,” Children at the Well transforms lives. It involves not only the children but their entire families through community-building events such as performances and potlucks.
Through weekly classes, the beginners in the group are encouraged to retell stories, like folktales and fairy
tales, that they’ve heard before. They learn to become more aware of how their bodies and voices communicate meaning and how to feel at ease in different spaces and situations. They learn about story structure, oral tradition, and even how to direct—for, as Weiss says, “it is the storyteller who is the director.” As they progress, they eventually decide upon a story they want to focus on. Then, they develop, learn, rehearse, and shape it into a meaningful and authentic narrative that can be conveyed to an audience (think, Moth Radio!). They learn how to provide feedback for each other—always in a positive and nurturing manner. Together, they explore and understand a specialized craft—the nuances and meanings behind the words and silences.
” The
students learn not only about each other but about worlds far di erent than their own, highlighting and honoring our community’s diversity.
”
It is an exercise of empowerment reflected in the program’s name, which was conceived with the idea that “it is often the young people who are sent out to gather the water… to bring back these riches to their families,” says Weiss. As the participants shape and perform their stories for each other and larger audiences that include events such as Wizard’s Wardrobe’s annual Reader’s Theater, Clearwater Festival, Saratoga Peace Week, storytelling conferences, and more, they find themselves metaphorically walking in each others’ shoes. Conse-
quently, they come to realize an increased depth of meaning within the well of empathy that opens up before them. The students learn not only about each other but about worlds far different than their own, highlighting and honoring our community’s diversity. Furthermore, their contributions within the classroom setting contribute to their increased capacity for public speaking, leadership, and advocacy skills that transfer into their college and adult lives.
Like so many non-profits, Children at the Well depends upon community support and donations to continue to operate and provide the program free of cost to its participants. It relies on the Seymour Fox Memorial Foundation, Giving Tuesday (after Thanksgiving), and initiatives like Be the Change to provide needed funding.
Co-op shoppers who say yes to the question “Would you like to round up to the nearest dollar?” during the month of October are filling the well; and, as the vision statement on the website says, are conceiving of “a world where human connectedness is sought and celebrated by lifting up cultural and individual identity and voice, resulting in a deeper understanding of ourselves, others, and the world around us.”
For more information about Children at the Well, and to find out how you can further contribute to the organization, visit their website at https://childrenatthewell.org/
TIPPs for Calming and Centering
By Leona Palmer, LMSW
We all know what it feels like when our feelings become overwhelming and we begin to react—without thinking—to the situation or people around us. In my clinical practice as a therapist, one of the first things I often talk about with my clients is nervous system (or emotional) regulation: how to calm ourselves down when we are “triggered” or dysregulated. This can often show up as an elevated heart rate, heavier breathing, sweaty palms, an ache, or nausea in our stomach. We are nervous, frustrated, angry, upset, or disappointed in a way that feels physical and overwhelming, maybe even out of proportion to the situation. How do we come back home to ourselves?
Our mind and body are built to stay alive, which means sometimes protecting us from real—and perceived—threats. Our limbic system (the hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, and hypothalamus) has developed over thousands and thousands of years to keep us safe, whether from predators in nature, poisonous berries, or even (and unfortunately) each other.
In this way, the very oldest part of our brain, at the top of our spinal column (sometimes referred to as the reptilian brain) developed a heightened capacity to tell a stick on the path from a snake. Step on a stick a hundred times and you’re fine, but step on a poisonous snake just once and you could be a goner. Because threats mean the difference between safety and survival, our brain prioritizes this information in our memory—we are “sticky”, as neurologist Rick Hanson, PhD describes it, for negative experiences. We often remember the bad more than the good, and we are more reactive to it as well.
This is fight or flight, otherwise known as hyperarousal, when adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine flood our biochemistry so that we can be hypervigilant and ready for physical action. Our prefrontal cortex, the youngest and most “human” part of our brain responsible for all our complex reasoning, shuts down—we cannot access our analytic self at all. This makes sense: if we need to rely on our instincts in a fight for our lives, we don’t need to get bogged down in complex pros and cons.
Furthermore, our digestive and reproductive systems, seen as nonessential to survival, slow down or stop. Our circulatory system reduces blood flow to our limbs, so that we literally do not bleed out as quickly if bitten by a wolf or lion. The whole body gets involved.
The bad news today is that our limbic system does not know the difference between being hunted by a wolf and getting an upsetting email from our boss. So, we read threats
to our survival into everything: our social media news scroll, a comment from a challenging family member, a traffic jam, and on and on. We are too often overstimulated, on edge, and looking for enemies. Especially in today’s polarized climate and screen-saturated virtual reality, it is easy to have more reactions to perceived threats. But it’s exhausting to maintain a posture of attack or defense in our day-to-day connections with people. We’re actually more built to get along with people in physical proximity than to engage in conflict.
In short, dysregulation is unsustainable: emotionally, energetically, and definitely physically. We cannot sustain high levels of cortisol and adrenaline (anger and anxiety) for long before we slump into apathy and depression, shutting down and tuning out. This is the freeze and collapse response, otherwise known as hypoarousal, leading to a decrease in serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Like a mouse playing dead with a cat, our intelligent nervous system applies itself to going numb. In very extreme instances we dissociate, or leave our bodies altogether, compartmentalizing the experience so we don’t remember as much later. (This is trauma, a complicated topic for another day).
So. Again. How do we come home to ourselves in the moment? Regulate our heart rate and breath. Bring our reasoning back online. Calm ourselves in the moment so we can write a coherent and emotionally mature email back to our boss, spouse, customer, neighbor. In my practice, I always start with the TIPP exercises, evidence-based and proven techniques¹ to bring our nervous system back to baseline (from sympathetic to parasympathetic). In varying ways these alter our physical state and thus our emotional state.
T: Temperature
Most helpful in states of full dysregulation or panic, we use cold water, ice cubes, and cold compresses to bring us back to our senses. You can put a cold washcloth on your face, temples, or the insides of your wrists, jump in a cold shower, or hold an ice cube in your hand (not to the point of pain). This works by either lowering our body temperature overall or, when our face gets cold and wet, by stimulating the “dive” reflex which reduces heart rate and breath rate.
In less activated states a warm washcloth or compress, especially with a few drops of lavender or another calming essential oil, can be comforting.
I: Intense Exercise
Also helpful in states of full dysregulation or panic, we increase physical activity to match the state of arousal of our heart and breath. Get around your house or block as fast as you can. Do 50 quick repetitive exercises of your choice (jumping jacks, arm swings, sit ups, etc). This has the effect of telling our nervous system that if there is a wolf staring us down, we’re ready to do whatever is necessary. It’s also very difficult to think anxious or panicked thoughts when exercising as hard as we can.
P: Paced Breathing
There are two exercises I like as introductions, though you can find many more online. These are good for dysregulation as well as anti-anxiety and sleep aides. Boxed Breathing: You breathe in for an even count (try 4 to start). Hold your lungs full for the same count. Breathe out for the same count. Hold empty for the same count.
Imagine you are drawing a box in your mind (Breathe in for 4, Hold for 4, Out for 4, Empty for 4). Try to work your way up to 5, 6, 7, etc.
Odd Number Breathing: Breathe in counting to any odd number (let’s do 3) and out for the next odd number (5 in this case). Try to work your way up to the next odd number up ( 3 in and 7 out). This has the effect of mimicking our breath in sleep: our message to our body is that we are so safe, so okay, that we can close our eyes and breathe just like we do at our most vulnerable, in sleep.
P: Progressive Muscle Relaxation
This is good for mild to moderate dysregulation, is anti-anxiety, and works as a sleep aid.
Basically, you work your way from the tips of your toes up to the top of your head, squeezing each muscle group at a time while you hold your breath for as long as possible (up to 30 seconds).Then release, fully, with an exhale. So: flex your toes, release. Arch your foot, release. Flex your calves, release. Work your way up the thighs, buttocks, abs, back, upper arms, forearms, fists, shoulders, neck. Finally, scrunch your face as tightly as possible, then release.
When we are dysregulated, we often clench certain parts of our body in reflexive or protective stances. Intentionally flexing and releasing our entire body has the effect of releasing those parts we unconsciously clench.
There are loads of TIPP exercise infographics online that you can print out to hang on the fridge. as well as guided breathing and progressive relaxation exercises on free apps like Insight Timer.
As a final note, TIPP exercises and similar interventions in the heat of the moment offer us a lifeline back to ourselves and how we want to feel and act in any given situation. In the bigger picture, we know that nutrition, sleep, exercise, and community all work together to maintain our physical and emotional wellbeing. So, if you find yourself commonly dysregulated, triggered, or over-reactive in the course of a day or week, it is worth looking at your larger lifestyle routine and how it supports your overall health. This includes, of course, the lure of screen scrolling time in an election year.
As always, in the case of a real crisis, if you or anyone you know is having an especially difficult time, it’s always best to reach out to a crisis hotline, including 988 which operates 24/7.
1: https://positivepsychology.com/distress-tolerance-skills/
Creating Calm and Finding One’s Path: The Case of the Great Cicada Adventure
By Natalie Criscione & Ruth Ann Smalley
The cicada’s periodic emergence from the ground, its song and life cycle, though seemingly miraculous, is relatively predictable. Ruth Ann Smalley’s route to her Great Cicada Adventure was not. Hers is a story of personal growth, imagination, and creative drive that looks more like a meandering, self-charted path through the forest. It's a story that suggests openness and acceptance of circumstances that were not part of one’s original script.
Her journey certainly did not begin this past spring in a wooded, suburban cul-de-sac in southern Illinois, where—the soil having reached the magical temperature (65.5 degrees Fahrenheit) needed for the cicada’s emergence—she and her husband witnessed the insects crawling out of the ground. (Remember, 2024 was the remarkable arrival of two different periodic cicadas, something that has not happened since 1803).
Nor did it begin when she made plans with the curator of the Triplehorn Insect Collection at Ohio State University to view hundreds of preserved cicadas first hand. It did not begin the day she began sketching insects for fun. Nor did it begin when she discovered writing techniques and tools that spurred a period of personal growth. The idea that cicadas could become, as she says, “vehicles for learning and talking about things of great importance” was not on Ruth Ann’s mind when her journey began.
(Take my hand, Coop Scoop reader. We are traveling back in time to a place that is not about cicadas at all, but about an imaginative, creative, and curious openness to life’s circumstances. We will meet up with the cicadas later.)
Instead, the journey began long ago when Ruth Ann, like many women, veered from her professional trajecto ry. In ever-morphing roles of homes chooling mom and later, caregiver to elderly parents, daily logistics took priority. Amidst the constant swirl of family tasks, stress threatened to overshadow creativity. She began searching for more grounding, direc tion, and focus. A former English Professor, Ruth Ann had always been interested in the writing process. When she came across two forms of writing exercises, Proprioceptive Writing and Bullet Journaling, they became tools for wayfinding. Opening new views of the contours and patterns of her life landscape, these practices helped her thread a path forward.
Proprioceptive Writing
In Proprioceptive writing https://www.pwriting.org/), one achieves a level of mindfulness and discovery through 25 minute cycles of handwritten material, generated in a stream of consciousness manner. One sets the mood with candlelight and calm, rhythmic music and then writes. When the 25 minutes is up, four questions are asked:
1-What thoughts were heard but not written? 2-How or what do I feel now?
3-What larger story is this write part of?
4-What ideas came up for future writes?
The exercise provides a way to chart mental processes, forge connections and most importantly to consider that third question, ‘What larger story is this part of ?
“That is the the amazing question for me,” Ruth Ann says, “When you get to that one, you say, ‘ah, yes, I see’!’” The practice provides a safe space to “dump a lot of stuff,” she says, and to discover interrelationships. “It connects the dots,” says Ruth Ann. “It also allowed me to step back and see my mind at work in a way that helped me respect it.”
Bullet Journal
The second writing practice involves keeping a bullet journal (https://bulletjournal.com/blogs/faq/what-is-the-bullet-journal-method ) which, she says, “is an amalgam of lots of different journaling techniques.” Developed by Ryder Carroll, who struggled with the challenges of ADHD, the bullet journal allows users to focus, plan, and reflect.
His description of it as “a mindfulness exercise disguised as a productivity tool” summed up its appeal for Ruth Ann. Like proprioceptive writing, bullet journaling is handwritten to provide, as Carroll explains, the “friction” needed to slow you down as you write. It has key components, but no rigid form; it can include drawings, words, bulleted lists, tracker sheets, etc.
For Ruth Ann, (who delights in teaching the method to others) the bullet journal is both a planner and a place to muse and record inspirations: quotations, tarot-based insights, lists of videos or podcasts, book titles, and other resources. Almost like a “bibliography” for one’s autobiography, “it becomes your compendium of what’s been going on for you on a daily or weekly basis over time,” says Ruth Ann. “It’s a way to track the through-line of what you’ve been doing or thinking.”
Like artist Elsworth Kelly, who described his gestural drawings of plants as “records of my attention,” Ruth Ann discovered ways of directing her attention, to uncover ideas and explore the details that surfaced in her writing and thinking. The two writing techniques allowed her to put aside barriers of self doubt and discover new paths forward. It was like her imagina-
tion had “happily recognized itself in the mirror” and with that, her self-confidence grew.
The journal practices helped reignite her commitment to her environmental writing, and refocused her attention to published narratives she had written years earlier: Sheila Says We’re Weird (2012), a picture book about sustainable practices; and a chapter book called Defender of Dirt (2010), which grapples with a neighborhood conflict surrounding a permaculture garden. Before and during the early pandemic, she composed a sequel called Running with the Sun, exploring renewable energy and neighborhood pesticide issues, which she shared in read-aloud form on her YouTube channel.
Currently, she is at work on the 3rd book of what she now conceives of as a trilogy. Continuing with the “garden activism” and community organizing themes of the prior books, From Mean to Meaningful looks at questions about how to analyze and share information amidst controversy. It also takes on toxins in our environment and clothing, and the importance of insects in the ecosystem.
As the stories grew and the journal entries piled up, Ruth Ann knew that within the stacks were things she wanted to highlight. Issues of climate change, for example, were in the forefront as she grappled with personal and lifestyle choices. Consistently, she says, she found her “creative response forged in the crucible of climate chaos,” and in that juncture sought ways to “bring greater awareness, promote activism, and bring joy and beauty to the conversation.”
As the isolating global pandemic dragged on, Ruth Ann sought ways to connect her creative world of writing and crafting with the larger community. She enrolled in a Regenerative Education Certificate Program in 2022, assuming that her program project would involve making her school-age eco-literacy resources more available online. While searching for a fun logo to represent her body of work, she was drawn to the notion of a “Cycling Cicada.” She sketched some whimsical drawings: first, a bug on a bike and then, a cicada on a unicycle. But as she veered toward the cicada sketches, she encountered more questions. She needed to know more about this creature she had chosen as her symbol. “And that,” says Ruth Ann, “is when I went full tilt into this other branch—I dipped a toe and was hit by a wave.”
“Everywhere I looked,” says Ruth Ann, “there was something about cicadas, and the more I looked, the more I found.” She was astonished by the vastness of the cicada information and intrigued by the variety of their species. By the spring of 2023, Ruth Ann began experimenting with watercolor, gouache, and other mediums. One cicada after another, page after page, she found it building toward a larger project: a deck of cards and an accompanying book. Acting as an “oracle deck,” the cards would not only impart knowledge but also ask audiences how they might apply that knowledge to their own lives. Capturing their stories in the form of illustrated cards represented her own Elsworth Kelly-style record of attention.
To promote more ways to living. is and
committed to providing our with A and for foods and products for healthy living.
who choose to participate in a community that embraces cooperative principles in an atmosphere of
The Great Cicada Adventure, although still in an “underground” form, was beginning to develop. As if it were a vocation, Ruth Ann felt called to see real cicadas, learn more about them, and meet like-minded people in the cicada world. Accordingly, the imagined oracle deck began to take shape as well. Though all the drafted cards have something to do with cicadas, they also provide stories—larger stories (remember that 3rd question in the proprioceptive writing technique?) that weave in cultural and scientific information. Like Ruth Ann herself, they are not easy to define. “They are meant for reflection and learning,” she says. “They are educational cards, but also literature and poetry.”
It turns out that the human story is bound up with the cicada story. The inter-relationships traverse art, literature, politics, and science. Van Gogh included sketches of cicadas in letters to his brother Theo. Thoreau mused about cicada song in his autumn journals. They make an appearance in haiku poems by Basho and others. Asian and Greek cultures are full of
cicada references. Benjamin Banneker, a free African American wrote about cicada cycles and the intellectual equality among all people. The Onondaga nation, devastated by the scorched-earth policy of George Washington’s Sullivan Campaign, regarded the cicadas as gifts from the creator for their starving population. Scientists are analyzing the anti-bacterial and reflective qualities of their wings. There is an artist who studies insect health near nuclear reactors. Researchers are finding that climate change and pollution have affected cicada populations, their body size, and their singing capacity. Basically, unless you live in Antarctica, cicadas have been singing around almost every corner for millions of years, and humans have definitely taken note. “We’re singing back, in various forms!” Ruth Ann remarks.
While journeying to and from the Ohio insect museum and the Illinois cicada emergence this spring, Ruth Ann shared her work in progress with many audiences, including a homeschool group, a permaculture group, people she had met through the Regen-
erative Education program, artists and painters, and others. Again, it was as if the cicadas had opened up worlds for her.
Standing in that cul-de-sac, watching cicadas leave the ground and climb skyward, is not where Ruth Ann had expected to find herself in the spring of 2024. Yet, there she was, having met many people along the way and grown in ways she had never imagined. With increased confidence in her own abilities, and the conviction that there are more things in this world to bring us together than not, Ruth Ann continues to discover, connect, create, imagine, pay attention, and explore. Thanks to her curiosity, a deck of cicada oracle cards has begun to emerge. It’s time has come.
Life is transformative, says the cicada to Ruth Ann. It's time to fly and sing—I’ll lead the way.
For more about Ruth Ann, visit her at: www.ruthannsmalley.com, and tune in to her readings: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLymWW5ifb7it6GK4qRwKbErlHuKJSxFMI
Specials. We also accept SNAP benefits.
How is Honest Weight part of the local food system? If buying local is important to you, we’re one of the best places around to shop. Co-ops form strong relationships with local, small-scale producers, which means you can find products that aren’t typically available at traditional supermarkets. At Honest Weight, we work with over 285 local farms and 319 local producers; that list is always growing. And because we get daily deliveries, it means fresher, lower-impact food that hasn’t travelled across the country for days.
Shopping for special dietary needs? We get it. It’s easy to find tasty food alternatives in every department at the co-op. Our friendly staff can also make suggestions if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the choices, as many of them are on special diets, too!
Kids, Geese, and Migration Toward Community
By Richard Daley
Recently I led a group of young children on a walk through the woods. We stumbled upon a clearing that allowed us to observe a flock of Canada geese flying overhead in their esteemed V-shape formation. The geese honked vehemently as they soared south on their bi-yearly exodus, leaving the children fascinated. These kids were from the inner-city, where the calls of soaring geese may be lost to them within the cacophony of the urban environment.
What is a community-owned co-op? It’s a grocery store owned by its members, usually the people who shop here. These are the people who cooperatively manage and control the business. The membership makes all kinds of decisions, including what foods and products are on the shelf, and what standards those products and their producers have to meet (think growing practices, clean ingredients, etc.). At Honest Weight, we’ve got about 14,000 members.
Who can shop here? Everyone is welcome: anyone can shop at the co-op. If you decide to become a member, you’ll purchase a “share” of the co-op, become eligible for lots of additional discounts on products, and have voting rights on decisions that affect the store. Honest Weight member-owners can choose to invest their time at the store, serve on one of our committees, or work with a program, in order to receive a bigger discount (up to 24%) on their groceries.
Cutting through the noise and digital dust storm is not an easy task nowadays. So many are engulfed in the glare of devices and the hypnosis of “influencers,” sadly missing opportunities to connect with the natural world. Inner-city and suburban kids are especially at a disadvantage, where cities and newer developments have generally reduced green space over the past century.
How does Honest Weight support the local community? Most co-ops devote significant time and resources to educational programming, community development, and outreach initiatives. We donate 5% of our net profits to local not-for-profit organizations, run free and low-cost educational programs that are open to all, and are always looking for ways to collaborate with partners in the community. We offer many opportunities for member-owners to help with this community engagement.
To some, this was a wondrous opportunity to open up their senses to perceptual experiences outside of the day-to-day, and just be. Others asked questions, and had to know more. The vastness of the wooded area alone was enough to get them thinking about the richness and depth of Mother Earth’s genius and beauty. But the charm of this moment was in the joy found in simplicity, and how easily it can be missed.
What is on o er? We believe everyone in our community should have access to affordable, high-quality, natural foods and products for healthy living. So we offer things like Co+op Basics (a line of over 450 high-quality foods and household items) at Everyday Low Prices. We have biweekly Great Deals discounts, weekly Fresh Flyer sales, and Manager’s
Thankfully, many community organizations and cities are coming together to achieve more green space. However, as an article in the science news magazine Eos puts it, “Done right, adding new green space in and around our cities can improve human health, revitalize ecosystems, and boost a region’s economy. Done wrong, it can worsen existing socioeconomic and ecological problems or even create new ones.”
What other co-ops are in the area? You can find co-ops everywhere! In addition to Honest Weight, there are several others you can check out: Niskayuna Consumers Co-op, Chatham Real Food Market Co-op, Mohawk Harvest Cooperative Market, and Cambridge Food Co-op.
While every co-op has its own distinctive vibe, we are all founded on the same basic principles:
· voluntary and open membership democratic member control
· member economic participation
· autonomy and independence
· education, training, and information
· cooperation among cooperatives
· concern for community
How, then, do we do it right? I think the most important thing to consider is human well-being. That moment the Canada geese flew overhead offered a pure and direct connection for those youth, and for a few minutes, a complete immersion of varying depths and scopes into Nature and her grace. This brief period offered a respite from the hectic city life, and a glimpse of what parks and Nature connection can offer. No quantified data needed: the truth was clear and present, with value beyond measure.
The goose encounter brought up the topic of migration. Many of the kids associated the word migration with birds, as do many adults. I used the opportunity to explain how migration represents the general movement of organisms from one place to another. We talked about how even people migrate in various ways; sometimes to temporarily escape the cold of winter—in the case of snowbirds (no pun intended)— and other times to liberate themselves from unfortunate social situations like war, famine, or loss of their homes or communities. Some had questions about Native Americans—whose tribes have lived in the very area we walked upon.
” The vastness of the wooded area alone was enough to get them thinking about the richness and depth of Mother Earth’s genius and beauty.
”
This conversation conjured up introspection and compassion. What blossomed from a readily available opportunity outdoors was a learning experience, both for me and for the children looking to me for guidance in an unfamiliar place. It clarified my commitment to the important work of connecting kids with Nature. It confirmed how communities must value these interactions, and must make certain they occur more frequently. The author Richard Louv put it best, saying, “Time in nature is not leisure time; it's an essential investment in our children's health (and also, by the way, in our own).”
To make known how important this time is, we only have to look at a recent study. Out of 2,000 parents, 43% say their children would rather watch television than go outside to play with
within these kids to go outside more, and spend less time staring at glowing screens. Those numbers are not only scary, but are another factor in the formula of societal deterioration that we all should be worried about. This isn’t just about what children’s preferences might be, but adult behavior as well.
I have sometimes observed a lack of enthusiasm for outdoor activities from adults—who should be the ones encouraging kids in their care to go outside—to step out of their comfort zone, and to put down the video game controller or tablet themselves. As a father, I have watched in parks and playgrounds, as parents of young children ignore their kids playing. Succumbing to the feedback loop of technological dopamine hits as they loom over their devices, they are missing their children grow up, and missing the wonder of outdoor play. We have largely disconnected ourselves from the natural world, and from true community. But life is made possible by the wisdom and brilliance of Mother Earth, everything starts with her, and
I was left humbled by these kids. But I was also left pondering this term migration—what it truly means, or can mean to different individuals. I realized that the idea of “place” in the modern, jet-setting world, may be preconditioned in our collective consciousness as a geographical location. Connecting with that study, I wondered: how do we migrate, not from place to place, but rather toward a community and cultural dedication where parents and role models encourage kids to get outdoors?
The first step is getting kids outside, and letting them submerge themselves in the marvels of Nature. If a better path is to be followed, one of meaningful collective existence within a caring and environmentally aware community, we must forge its presence. We must bring about the positive change we want to see. This starts with the one we see in the mirror.
Richard Daley is the founder of Sunray Sustainability and a professional consultant and educator, working in the field of environmental sustainability and ecological design.
Coloring Page
Illustrated by Cara Hanley
By Natalie Criscione
Besides being an absence of war, concepts of peace, as distant as they might be at times, are mostly indisputable. They include words like those found on the Young Peacemakers Week (camp) website such as “a commitment to non-violence and reconciliation in all spheres of life…simplicity, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship of the environment.”
The Albany camp remains a long-running testament to how seeds of peace are planted, nurtured, and grown. With its one-week run every August for children entering grades 2-8, the Young Peacemakers Week, housed at the Quaker Friends Meeting House on Madison Avenue, continues to offer a model oasis of peace. It began over a quarter of a century ago by *Sue Clark, a fierce advocate for creating good in the world. The camp, originally known as Peace Week, has grown into an integral part of the city’s summer youth offerings and provides opportunities within a multicultural setting to think, breathe, and live peacefully.
A typical day might include yoga, arts and crafts, collaborative board games, playground time, snacks, meals, and music. Zorkie Nelson, one of the week’s regulars, is a local musician who shares his West African drumming customs with the campers. He supplies drums and historical perspective and nurtures a space for the children to create music together. “He teaches them about drumming through his tradition, and that is about peace,” says Janet Nally, one of the Young Peacemakers Week’s board members. Throughout the week, other musicians introduce the children to the music of Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and other folk legends. For many of the children, it might be their first encounter with the music and language of peace and social justice.
As the week progresses changes happen, says Nally, who volunteers her time during the camp week— “at the end of the week, you see transformation among the children in the form of patience and empathy.” Like a stone dropped into water, there is a ripple effect, and suddenly the children become more aware of their impact on others within the camp, their families, and their communities. They discover language, behaviors, and strategies that can be applied to life outside of their camp experience.
each other. Nally witnesses such acts of compassion over and over again.
How does one create a world of loving adults? As the Mahatma Gandhi quote on the website says: “If we are to create peace in the world, we must begin with the children.”
One day of the week includes bus transportation for a day trip to a local nature venue such as Five Rivers, the Radix Center, or this past summer’s Pine Bush location. Such opportunities would not be possible without enormous community support, dedicated teachers, interns, and a host of volunteers. “We operate on an amazingly tight shoestring budget,” says Nally, and, despite the suggested tuition fees, “no one is turned away.” The message is clear: peace is neither costly nor exclusionary; it is available to all.
To illustrate the ripple effect and peace narratives, one of the week’s projects involves a puppet show created and performed by the campers for the parents and staff through the use of homemade props, colorful staging, stories, poetry, and music. “They start with nothing and come up with a whole show,” says Nally, “It’s incredible!”
Throughout their time together, the children learn from each other. They learn to recognize when one among them needs extra support, a hand to hold, or a kind word. They check in on each other, helping with backpacks, name tags, and handwashing; they experience an environment of inclusion and care and being present to
During the month of November—-think PEACE. Every time you make a purchase from Honest Weight, choose to round up to the nearest dollar. Think of your donation as a seed that will one day grow into a world where peace can flourish.
To learn more about the Young Peacemakers Week, and how you can further contribute or volunteer, visit their website at : https://youngpeacemakersweek.weebly.com/
*Sue Clark passed away in 2021, and her memory lives on in the mission of Young Peacemakers Week.
Book Review:
The Tarot Spreads Yearbook
by Chelsey Pippen Mizzi
By Rebecca Angel Maxwell
Iremember my delight at seeing tarot cards for sale at the co-op. I came to tarot with the same misgivings prevalent with anything popularized by women—stereotypes that the practice would be either childish” or “from the devil”. After doing a little research, I came to appreciate the rich and varied history. There are as many books devoted to tarot as there are tarot decks, thousands. I recently picked up The Tarot Spreads Yearbook, and have found it to be a helpful tool in my personal “know yourself better” kit.
“Tarot is a meaning-making system, and a meaning-making system is a tool for understanding your life—for observing the connections and patterns in your past, present, and future,” Mizzi states in her introduction. I have found the 78 cards in a traditional tarot deck (not to be confused with oracle cards, which can be as varied as the creator wants them to be) to be like notes on the piano. There are no “bad” or “good” notes, but togeth-
er they form melodies and chords that delight, alarm, inspire, and soothe us. A tarot “spread” is laying a certain number of cards out in a pattern. Just like music, tarot tells a story, but the interpretation is up to the listener or reader.
In The Tarot Spreads Yearbook, there are 52 spreads, one for every week of the year, and Mizzi divides the year into four seasons: growth, shadow, change, and care. I started with Growth as I began in the summer, and feel that is where my life is at the moment. I want to grow my career, my spiritual life, my community connections, my health and wealth. How can this book help enhance well-being in these areas?
Mizzi presents everything for a novice to understand, yet is varied enough for a regular practitioner to enjoy. The colorful illustrations throughout by Cara Hudson are nature and feminine-based. Each season has 13 kinds of spreads, from intention-setting to discovering resources, to “play.” Journaling is encouraged. It can take as little as 10 minutes to acknowledge what I see, or an hour of reflection if I have time and feel called to examine the cards more closely.
For example, today my four-card “Career” spread looked like a growing tree. Each card was about a different aspect to examine, like “A skill I need to nurture so I can move ahead.” I pulled a
fascinating mix that called me to examine the functionality of each card in its place for deeper clarity. In the end, I realized I needed to let go of old hurts associated with past collaborative partners to welcome healthy new relationships. No small task, but an important one to realize if I want to grow my career.
My therapist could have told me that, but I wouldn’t have known to bring it up!
“These spreads…help you reflect on your past, be more attentive to your present, and clarify your thoughts about the actions you want to take in your life going forward...a resource for getting to know and love yourself better.” I’m excited to establish a weekly habit. It’s a regular check-in for myself that is fun and beautiful.
I’ve still got a few weeks left in the Growth season before moving on to Shadow. One of the areas I’m trying to grow is my intuition. Of the many ways I can tap into my intuition for better communication with my body, mind, and spirit, tarot is a favorite. The Tarot Spreads Yearbook has made my upcoming journey of self-knowledge and care that much more organized and fun!
A Call for the Miraculous
By Dr. Madeline
Have you ever witnessed a miracle? A happening that cannot be explained by the Newtonian laws
of physics?
As I read widely on science, human health, and spirit, I’m drawn to focus more on ancient and holistic modes of healing. I’m continually pulled toward the divine and the non-tangible accounts of health and healing.
Yes, modern medicine, like surgeries, can remove and/or fix physical manifestations that cause illness. Emergency medicine saves lives everyday! But when we look at “unexplainable” or miraculous healings, they rarely are connected to today’s medical practices.
The idea that modern medicine is the be-all-end-all to achieve optimum health is common in our society. But accounts of healing that occur outside of the standard medical model, suggest that deep healing comes from certain kinds of attention: inner searching; soul acknowledgement; recognition of patterning developed throughout one’s lifetime; and self-analysis of one’s psyche. These involve stepping outside the box of one’s life, and making changes to redefine and align the spirit. Often it is faith in a higher power that propels this transformative healing.
So what stagnates a person and yanks them from vibrant health? We can point to a number of classically-attributable factors, such as environment (physical and spiritual), genetics, and trauma. Each one is a forest to weed through, yet an important stepping stone in healing processes.
But what if factors we aren’t aware of are negatively affecting our health? The “ill-health determining factors” named above may be shrouded and compounded by a constant barrage of general societal negativity. Scary words used to describe a person with a “bad gene” or “bad cholesterol” are enough to trigger a sense of foreboding. What is the effect of worry on health? Clearly it creates an unhealthy environment by fueling fear. How does fear compound with the expression of genes and the emergence of memories of a trauma?
Does this negativity prevent us from seeing miracles? Probably. Can we overcome this and begin to see miracles? Yes! One of the many ways to start is through self-care.
Self-care is different for everyone, but I believe it begins with a full stop. Sit down, take a breath and think. No phone, no electronics, no people around to distract. Just you and your thoughts. Ask yourself, “Am I ready to make one small change? Am I ready to see the world differently? Am I ready to recognize something within myself that needs to change? Am I ready to witness something miraculous?”
One of the first things I do for self-care is nourish my body with whole foods. This requires many trips to the Honest Weight Food Co-op! The nutritional bounty motivates my commitment to self-care and makes it easier to turn my back on processed foods, sugary drinks, toxic seed oils. Instead, I can choose to be good to myself by feeding my gut with fermented pickles or kimchi!
To begin a journey toward the miraculous through self-care, pick one small thing you know would be good for you. Commit to it. Work to turn it into a life-style habit. Then, it becomes your way of life.
Here are some measures I have slowly, over many years, incorporated into my life to better see the miracles that are before me. I work on an exercise routine, leaving ample time to stretch. I pray. I keep to my practice of daily oil pulling and epsom salt foot soaks. I reach out to family and friends. I stop and focus on my breathing. I hug my family just a little bit
longer. I cook. I clean. I garden. I donate. I organize and simplify. I practice the piano. I spend time with my calming, silly chickens. When we truly care for ourselves, we can better care for others, our community, and our world.
Yet, even with the best of intentions, my self-care gets lost through my humanness, the daily juggle of life, and the worry-mongering, fear-promoting and negation of spirit fueled by the world. Compassion with the self and the courage to begin anew is paramount. So, I write this to you and to myself as a beacon to call us back to the true nature of who we are: Humans who can see beyond Newtonian physics, open our minds to truth, and accept the miracles of past, present, and future.
Last fall I honestly assessed how I could change through the trinity of mind-body-spirit and began a spiritual journey toward my best self. I mapped out a year-long adventure through readings, reflections, prayer, meditations, music, exercise, yoga, and writing. My goal: to become closer to the truth and both recognize and accept miracles, the so-called unattainable, as attainable and expected.
I would love to be inspired by you and to hear your experiences with the miraculous in your life. They are the beacons of hope for us all.
The Mad Health Doc has a Ph.D. in molecular cellular and developmental biology. She works at a local college where she teaches in the biology department specializing in Human Anatomy, Physiology, and Nutrition. When not at work, she can be found with her awesome family (which includes a flock of chickens). Have a question or a suggestion for a future topic? Email: MadHealthDoc@gmail.com
H Nutritional Nuggets: Hibiscus Tea
By Patricia Ellis
ibiscus Tea has become a staple in my kitchen and tool box for a healthier life-style
Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants that has hundreds of species. Perhaps you enjoy the beautiful flowers in your garden. The two varieties commonly used for extracts and teas are Hibiscus sabdariffa and Hibiscus rosasinesis. The flavor imparted when brewed is similar to cranberries, a bit sweet and tart. Hibiscus produces a deep red beverage, so we know from the start it is rich in antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin C and anthocyanin. These compounds are ready to supply our bodies with health-enhancing nutrients that can impact our blood pressure and help fight inflammation and blood fat levels.
I was introduced to hibiscus when a naturopathic doctor suggested that it might be a tool in controlling hypertension. I was and am on medication, but stabilizing the levels within a normal range needed improvement. I did some research and came across several studies that indicated a regular consumption of Hibiscus may help lower your blood pressure. These studies suggested a decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood readings. I also found that Hibiscus can interact with some blood pressure medications, so medical advice was recommended. I consulted with my traditional physician before I incorporated the tea into my normal routine. I have had excellent results and seen a decrease in both my systolic and diastolic readings which now remain steady in a normal range.
In researching hibiscus, for my own use, I came across other promising data. Several studies suggest that H.sabdariffa may be relevant for people with metabolic syndrome and diabetes. One study indicated an increase in the good HDL cholesterol levels in 53 out of 60 participants.
A 2021 review of 39 previous studies found evidence that using the H.rosasinesis variety in tea may help control high cholesterol levels.
My focus here has been on the tea, but there are several studies that show benefits to liver health from hibiscus extract. Its high antioxidant effect seems to protect the liver from toxins.
The information presented here is not a replacement for your doctor’s advice. As always we recommend that you consult with your medical team before implementing any changes to your daily routine. A special caution for pregnant women: hibiscus is not for you and should be avoided. Here’s to your health, Enjoy!
Bento Boxes for the Win!
By Laura McCarthy
When making lunch for my four-year-old (who just wrapped up preschool and is off to kindergarten this season) the key is variety. Bento boxes sent to school in an insulated lunch bag keep things separate, eliminate (or at least greatly reduce) packaging, and make it really easy to pack a new kind of “rainbow” every day.
She often eats more than I expect while dining with her friends, without any pressure from her parents about what to try. She always notices when I include things she’s helped me pick out, or something she knows came from Grandma’s garden.
At the end of the day I often ask her how she liked her lunch, and whether there’s anything she’s hoping I’ll include again tomorrow. It’s a nice way to connect—and more specific than “how was your day?” Lately, it’s been mango and “a sunbutter and jelly sandwich just like you did”.
Laura McCarthy is a coop member, as-time-allows artist, ADK 46er, and nature enthusiast. She lives on the Helderberg Escarpment with her husband and their little one, Lulu, where they enjoy taking long walks admiring frogs and bugs, and gathering mushrooms and other fun things to eat.
Why Comfort Food is Comforting
By Leona Palmer, LMSW
There’s a reason we often feel compelled to “eat our feelings” and why consuming high-calorie foods soothe us.
Sweet and savory comfort foods stimulate the release of positive biochemicals that are both neurotransmitters and hormones. These include dopamine in our brain, linked to feelings of stimulation and pleasure; serotonin, a soothing and regulating biochemical; and a range of endorphins, which block pain receptors and improve mood and sense of wellbeing. Emotionally, we each know the nostalgia and memory that the taste and smell of certain foods can provoke from childhood, family, and holidays or celebrations. Washing us over in warmth, safety, love, belonging, and happiness. In the short term, all of these factors can reduce stress and anxiety.
Through a historical lens, we actively sought out foods that were high in sugar and fat for our survival. Some, like maple syrup, were available at times of year when we most needed those calories. Berries, cocoa, and ginger are all naturally high in antioxidants which are anti-inflammatory.
Some theories specifically point out the evolutionary advantage children had in being hardwired to seek out sugar and high-caloric foods. Their rapid growth necessitates a high-calorie intake correlating with the rate of bone growth—the taste for high sugar tapers off with bone development in the mid-teens. Sugar has also been found to be a natural painkiller in young children. In earliest infancy, breastmilk and formula contain about 7% lactose, making them “very sweet” to the tastebuds. All of these factors speak to the comfort and security implicit in our experiences of sugar.
With current first-hand knowledge, I can say that parenting a young child with an eye toward daily and long-term nutrition can feel like a tightrope walk, partly because of this seemingly universal preference for sweets and treats and partly because of the abundance of processed food packaged and marketed toward children.
Too much indulgence, out of balance with proteins, fibers, and vegetables, can certainly lead to long-term health risks. But too much rigidity can also impact long-term self-regulation when kids who have felt “deprived” of what their friends and peers got to eat at school or parties have a chance to decide for themselves. How do we navigate down the middle?
From the very beginning to the very end of life—food is emotional. And like so much in life, balance and moderation—while having a real conversation about what ultimately makes us healthy and happy—is key.
By Natalie Criscione
The reported statistics were shocking. Black women were dying at nearly 3 times the rate of white women and black babies nearly 5 times the rate. “Right here. In my neighborhood!” says Betsy Mercogliano, a long time Albany resident, licensed midwife, and one of BirthNet’s founders and board members; “I left that meeting literally sick to my stomach. I had been working in the community for over 30 years doing birth work.” Yet, here were statistics provided in 2015, through a presentation sponsored by the Albany County Department of Health, “right in front of me….dear god!” For Mercogliano and the other BirthNet members, this was a moment of reckoning and a clear turning point.
As an organization, BirthNet was already accustomed to encouraging change within the status quo. The members had known since their founding in 1976, that authentic pregnancy, birthing, and breastfeeding information and support for women was in short supply and understood that giving birth was, as Mercogliano says, “not a medical event but a health event, a family event.” Through the Family Life Center, they provided childbirth classes, doula services, and support for growing families. Such support reduced the rates of c-sections, postpartum depression, and maternal and infant mortality. It resulted in higher rates of breastfeeding and overall positive outcomes. They knew from the stories their mothers told and from their own personal experiences
that, given choices, most women are empowered to have a different kind of birth experience than what has historically been presented to them as the only option. But, hearing those statistics mobilized the board to rethink their purpose, narrow their focus, and commit to the marginalized communities most in need.
In the months that followed, the BirthNet board worked tirelessly to bring people within Albany’s at-risk neighborhoods into the center of the conversation. They sought out members from black and brown communities, churches, civic organizations, SUNY, Albany Medical College, and anywhere they could find minority voices to share in the conversation.
“We decided that if the issue was to address what was happening in the black and brown community, us white women cannot be the ones in charge,” says Mercogliano. A new board was soon developed and new questions were asked: “With inequities based on racism, what do we do to improve birth outcomes for all mothers and babies?”
Of course there was no easy answer to that question, and there were hundreds of things that needed to be done.
With a new set of goals, BirthNet continued to educate, advocate, fundraise, participate in activism, and maintain community and legislative engagement, this time aimed at
making birth choices and doula services available to and from the populations most in need. “The previous local doula trainings had had no awareness, focus, or attention given to racism and the specific needs of families of color,” says Mercogliano. So, with the assistance of grants, BirthNet collaborated with other organizations like Mama Glow ( https://mamaglow.com/) and Ancient Song Doula Services (https://www.ancientsongdoulaservices.com/), both based in NYC, to set up trainings in the Capital Region that were specifically geared toward increasing the numbers of black and brown doulas, birth educators, and lactation advocates.
The new board considered how they could alleviate the barriers such as the expense of not only training and supporting doulas, but also providing compensation for their services. Funding sources such as the BirthNet Doula Equity Fund were expanded to include the Esther Patterson Teen Parent Doula Equity Fund, named after a former board member and community activist who passed away in May of 2024. Further, through BirthNet and other similar organizations’ lobbying efforts and Governor Hochul’s support, initiatives are now in place for Medicaid to reimburse doulas. “This is beginning to happen throughout the country,” says Mercogliano, making birthing choices more available to all.
Despite the progress, however, challenges remain. Throughout New York State, for example, dozens of hospitals that had offered maternity care have closed. Maternity care deserts are growing and, more often than not, the impact is most detrimentally felt within communities of color. BirthNet’s effort locally to save the Burdett Birth Center in Rensselaer County from closure represents a small victory within a world where corporate greed often silences the voices of the most vulnerable.
During the month of December when you are making a purchase at Honest Weight and choose to round up to the nearest dollar, you too are envisioning a world that cherishes all moms and babies.
For more information about BirthNet or to find out how you can further contribute, visit their website at https://birthnewyork.org/. For information about the Equity Funds contact Sarah Read at read.sarah@gmail.com or Liz Addeo at liz.leue@gmail.com. For information about providers and testimonials visit https://irthapp.com/
Corner
El Submarino An Argentinian Hot Chocolate Comfort Drink
By Melanie Pores
This year, I formally arrived “a la tercera edad”, at the third stage of life. To enjoy this stage to the fullest, I’m always looking for healthy hacks for homemade foods that both nurture a healthy lifestyle and provide a sense of comfort. One of my favorites is an adaptation of “El Submarino,” a drink that I fell in love with while traveling in Argentina a few moons back…
El Submarino is a deliciously comforting version of hot chocolate. It gets its name from the piece (or pieces) of chocolate submerged in milk. It is super easy to prepare and is one of my go-to comfort drinks. You simply submerge a rectangle of dark chocolate in a mug of hot milk, stirring to form a delicious, warming, comforting drink.
1 cup milk of choice
Sweetener of choice, to taste
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional）
1/3 of a chocolate bar
1. Pour milk into a saucepan.
2. Stir in sweetener and vanilla, if desired.
3. Heat milk slowly over low heat until it is just about to boil. Do not let it boil.
4. Remove from the heat and pour into a mug.
5. Add chocolate to the mug.
6. Alternatively, you can mix up a bigger pot of the sweetened milk, by doubling, tripling or quadrupling this recipe, and adding the chocolate pieces to the mugs, so you can make as many servings as you need.
Rice is Nice
By Ann Lapinski
This is a time of year when we need comfort. We are heading into our darkest days and coldest nights. One of the ways we can take care of ourselves and others is with comfort food—something that feels good in our bellies, tastes good, and nourishes us.
I have such fond memories as a child of my mother caring for me when I had issues with my “belly.” The first food mom would offer me was a bowl of rice with butter and salt. Nothing tasted better. As an adult, I still like a simple bowl of short grain brown rice with olive oil and sea salt.
Rice has followed me as a comfort food throughout my adulthood. My mother made awesome rice pudding when I was a kid—sometimes on top of the stove and sometimes baked in the oven. I remember eating it in winter and holding the warm bowl in my hands.
When I was nursing my son many, many years ago, he was a voracious eater. I could not get enough calories in my body during the day, so I cooked up large batches of rice pudding, put the pudding in individual bowls and took one out to eat when I was nursing in the middle of the night. I still smile when I think of grabbing one of those bowls out of the fridge. The pudding nurtured me so I could nurture my son.
My second child brought another comforting rice experience in my life. When I traveled to China to adopt my daughter, every breakfast buffet had congee on the menu. For me, congee, also called rice porridge, is Chinese comfort food. It gave me a breakfast food to eat that was much like oatmeal. It is easy to make because it is rice cooked in a large amount of water or broth until the rice breaks down into a porridge-like consistency. When my daughter came home with me from China, she only wanted to eat foods that were familiar to her, so rice and congee were on her regular menu more than once a day. These are sweet memories.
I am offering two ways to offer yourself compassion with food: fried rice and vegan rice pudding. Try one of these when you are feeling the need for nurturing.
Ann Lapinski has been a member of HWFC for a very long time. She is currently studying to be a meditation teacher after a career in the law. She is thrilled to be writing again for the coop scoop after a long hiatus.
Fried Rice: A Non-Recipe Recipe
To make fried rice, you must use cold cooked rice (white or brown). In a wok or heavy skillet, start by sautéing sliced garlic in an oil that is heat tolerant, like sunflower. When the garlic starts to brown, remove it and set it aside.
If you want egg in your rice, add a beaten egg or two, quickly cook the egg and also set it aside. Now add the rice, with more oil if necessary, and some salt and stir-fry the rice around. Add in veggies that only need light cooking like peas (frozen is fine) and grated carrot and keep mixing around. Add the egg and garlic back in, mix around, and you have a meal!
Vegan Rice Pudding
2 ½ cups oat milk
½ cup arborio rice
1 tsp. vanilla paste or vanilla extract
2-4 Tbsp. maple syrup
1. Heat oat milk and rice in a medium-sized heavy pot on top of the stove.
2. Bring this mix to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer about 30 minutes, until the rice is soft.
3. Stir the rice every 5 minutes or so to keep it from sticking.
4. When the rice is done, add the vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup, 1 Tbsp. at a time, to your taste. I find that 3 Tbsp. works for me. You can also add cinnamon and raisins to this rice pudding if that’s your preference. I like plain old vanilla.
