Biophobia

Have you ever driven around your neigborhood on the weekends and noticed that something was missing? Where are the children? I know I rarely see kids playing outside where I live. When I have gotten outdoors with children I have noticed that sometimes they are afraid or bored. Some children are even afraid to step on grass or get dirty. That is sad!

“Many children today find it easier to stay indoors and watch television. I worry that children do not know what they are missing. Children cannot love what they do not know. They cannot miss what they have not experienced.”  Mary Pipher, The Shelter of Each Other

What is especially scary is that the children of today, who are spending all their time indoors, are not learning to respect nature. If they are afraid of nature and are not familiar with nature how do we expect them to care for the outdoors when we are gone?

“It is quite possible for today’s child to grow up without ever having taken a solitary walk beside a stream, or spent the hours we used to foraging for pine cones, leaves, feathers and rocks – treasures more precious than store-bought ones. Today it is difficult to tear children away from the virtual world of the mall to introduce them to the real one.” Gary Paul Nabhan and Stephen Trimble, The Geography of Childhood

A new term I learned recently is Biophobia, a fear of the natural world. Do we want our children to fear the outdoors?

Help Your Kids Enjoy the Outdoors

George Anderson: We Don't Die

I just finished reading a really fascinating book, We Don't Die: George Anderson's Conversations With the Other Side by Joel Martin & Patricia Romanowski. Through series of scientific tests and observations, Martin, a former radio dj and self-proclaimed former skeptic, provides solid evidence that George Anderson , a Psychic Medium, can communicate with spirits who have passed on. According to Anderson, our loved ones do not die, they just transition to the other side and go through different levels of spiritual conciousness. As a Psychic Medium, he is able to communicate with Spirits to deliver messages to loved ones who are still here on the earthly plane.

Here are few ideas that I took away from, We Don't Die:

• A person's passing is often a time of "soul growth" for people who are still here.
• The other side is not above us, but all around us. The other side runs parallel to where we are.
• Everyone crosses over to the other side. We work our way through different levels of spiritual conciousness. Those who are negative here may start at the bottom levels, but eventually may work up to other levels.
• Our loved ones and friends will meet us when we cross over and help us transition.
• God doesn't judge our actions. We judge ourselves.
• We continue to learn about ourselves and to grow on the other side. We have a mission on the other side, which may take the form of a job of sorts.
• Our loved ones still exist, and still love and care about us.
• It doesn't matter what religion you are here. God is not found in a building. He is found within ourselves.

I really felt like I knew more about Spirits, the other side, and how George Anderson communicates with our loved ones who are passed over by the time I finished this book. I found it a really easy read, and was disappointed when the book ended. I absolutely loved that there were numerous word-for-word transcripts of readings George conducted with bereaved loved ones. I learned a lot about the afterlife and Mediumship while reading this book!

The following Unsolved Mysteries episode discusses the life of George Anderson. Enjoy!


Unsolved Mysteries Part 2 : George Anderson

Spotlight on John Holland

On my iPod I have the Hay House Radio application which is a 24/7 talk radio channel devoted to mind, body and health topics. One of my favorite speakers is John Holland, a Psychic Medium from Boston. He is quirky and talks pretty fast once he gets reading, but he is very thorough. I love that he always goes out of his way to provide just one more piece of information for a caller. I decided to learn a little bit more about the man and found several videos which I have posted here.

In this Unsolved Mysteries video we learn how John was in a car accident that heightened his gift.


In this Interview with John Holland we learn about John's gifts and his thoughts on various aspects of being a Medium.


This is part 1 of an A&E Biography where John is taken blindfolded to the historic building where the Shirt Waist Factory Fire took place in the early 1900s.


In part 2 of the A& E Biography John is taken to the scene of a mobster's murder in the 1970s.

Psychics vs Mediums

Do you know the difference between a Psychic and a Medium? In this video, Heidi Sawyer explains that a Pyschic reads pockets of energy that relay information about our future; and Mediums relay information from our deceased loved ones. Have you ever seen a Psychic and/or a Medium?


The difference between mediums and psychics
Uploaded by HeidiSawyer. - College experience videos.

Lucy Schwartz

Darling I Do

What a cute video! I really loved the pairing of their two voices together.

When We Were Young


This song is on the 'Parenthood' soundtrack. I love that show!

Have you really looked inside of yourself lately?  What do you see?

Fresh Air Improves Eyesight

In this somewhat humorous video, Denise, who is nearsighted, spends a lot of time using the computer, watching tv, reading and writing indoors. After spending hours playing on the computer Denise makes sure to look at something in the distance through the window to refocus her eyes.

While watching this video I was struck by how much time Denise's mother spends making sure that Denise does not sit too close to the TV or computer screen; that she holds her book at arms length, etc. She expends a lot of energy correcting but what if she had encouraged her daughter to go outside? New research suggests that these indoor focused activities can actually cause our children to have poor vision:

Kids Who Spend More Time Outdoors Have Better Vision

Many children in America spend their days much like Denise, engaged in indoor focused activities. After watching this video I wondered how much time Denise or other children actually spend outdoors. I discovered this research:

National Kid's Survey: How Much Time do Kids Spend Outdoors?

Here are some more reasons to get children outdoors:
10 Reasons Kids Need Fresh Air

Nickelback

I was shopping at a local salvage store looking for boots when I heard Never Gonna Be Alone playing on the store's speaker system. I discovered that to listen to the entire song I needed to stay in one spot in the shoe aisle or I couldn't hear the song. So I stood for a couple minutes pretending to look at shoes while I listened to Nickelback's song. I've been listening to a lot of classic rock lately and forgot how much I liked Nickelback's music. So I went online and found a few more Nickelback songs that I like:

Far Away



"I love you, I loved you all along.."

Never Gonna Be Alone



"Your never gonna be alone from this moment on."

I'd Come for You


"I'd always come for you."

What strange places has music called to you?