I think that after last year and moving into this new year, we're all ready to change up things. If the last year has taught me anything, besides the strong message that God is always in charge no matter the world's events; is that most of us need to refocus and slow down even for a bit.😌
I'm not talking about being shut in, though many of us are! I mean slow down to catch up with God, to listen and spend time allowing Him to guide and mold or remold us right down to our lil' spirits! This for me means taking an alternate route to the paths I've set for myself. Doing things a bit different, with more intention placed on the innate creative spirit that's in us all.
Focusing on the JOURNEY instead of the end game or results. I aim to be in the experiences instead of floating above my goals and ~ arranging and rearranging them. I aim to Live, to Breathe, to lay into the experiences of the coming year with my head resting on Gods shoulder. As a goal setter this is hard for me to not have a list of solid targets to hit, a sure fire roadmap of direction. But I'm being lead to fall back and listen, and learn, and experience... We're going to have some fun things coming up on the LivingThruGrace blog this year and I'm looking forward to sharing them with our LivingThruGrace Family!
Living Through Scent ~ We're all aware of how scents can effect our moods and even our well being, and I'm bringing scent in 4-D into our lives! Beginning with dipping back in time to the days of home made potpourri [stove top simmer!] scents as well as those for hanging around the house in other various forms!
[ Color, texture, smell all working together for optimal brain-mood stimulation~ ]
[ One of our favorite blends for steeping, Lemon Herb. ]
All our moods could use lifting and it's become a constant for our household to infuse our air with stress soothing and scents that uplift and even to help us concentrate better, because - distracted brains are the norm!
Does scent really affect our moods and ability to focus? Absolutely. SO, why not use scent as a way to supply a consistent measure of uplift on a daily basis?
The olfactory bulb is located along the bottom of the brain. This bulb connects to two areas in the brain, Emotion and Memory. None of our other senses pass through these two areas of our brain. This is why sense of smell is so successful with effecting emotion and memory!
Both lemon and Rosemary are scents proven to uplift mood. Lemon helps to energize and to decrease anxiety, and rosemary improves concentration and memory! It's a win-win combo. I add in a bit of vanilla extract or essential oil and it helps to relax, calm and bring about joyfulness. [ but it also makes me want cookies! ] I have this in the pot on the reg- especially lately! :()
[ This gal loves her Pomander Balls! ]
Tell me, what's better than good old fashioned pomander balls?! I've always loved these scented balls of fruits and spices and I believe that God has been re-connecting me with simple pleasures of nature; a reminder that He is all around us. If we can't get out much into the great outdoors, there are many ways to engage with nature on a daily basis with God's bounty! I believe that's why so many of us are being pulled into or back into plant care too, our basic desire to nurture, to care, for life outside ourselves and the times we live in... Ain't God clever?!
Getting back to working with my hands and nature is a double blessing. I don't know how I ever moved so far away from these simple pleasures... The smell of citrus - again - uplift in a bowl, ( added bonus; pomander balls are beautiful to look at! ), and nutmeg plus some other warming spices like Anise, cinnamon and sage oil ( sprinkled on top of the pomanders, helps to extend the scent strength ) helps to relax me and pull me away from my thoughts of c-19 and other current concerns... These scents are usually reserved for the holidays, but I love this scent combo all year around!
Vi continues to take advantage of nature's bounty to nourish her body ~ with immune boosting antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, as well as her spirit making vivid colored bright and fresh tasting smoothies and juices! Drink to your whole health! I love the 'green scents' of blending fresh produce... That's scent powered!
Stay tuned for our next post where you'll be introduced to our little (and growing) plant family! Remember, control what we can, and leave the rest to God! Get busy in the natural bounty available for us to feed our spirits!
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