When Harper Collins Publishers sent me ZAPPED by Ann Louise Gittleman, I was annoyed with myself for agreeing to read and review it.

I was even more annoyed that I'd put off doing it,  have a nasty cold and hardly felt like writing a book report.  It's very title threatened my lifestyle and I braced myself in opposition as I interpreted it's glowing orange cover and it's byline as a warning to clutch my digital and electronic treasures close while she tried to tell me why they are inherently bad for me.

(Image credit from Etsy's Vinyl Soul and Harper Collins Publishers)

It's simple: I WANT my MTV, TV, cell phone, Mac, digital camera, ipod touch, wireless phone, microwave oven, Wii, TiVo, remote control for TV & said TiVo, iPod docking station, air purifier, invisible-fence collar for my dog, wireless mouse, dishwasher, blender, stove, refrigerator, Keurig one cup coffee machine...... and I really don't want anyone telling me that I should not have them. (Not to mention I felt a bit like like my fathers generation wanting to "Pshaw" the hogwash fruitcake rantings of yet another evangelist proclaiming electronic pollution "NONSENSE!" he would have cried!)

By page eight, I was truly spellbound and fascinated by what i was reading: 1) Ann Louise Gittleman is no fruitcake, but in fact a highly educated, thoughtful and introspective woman who's credentials include a PhD, CNS, and is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of over 30 books on natural health, beauty, internal cleansing, and weight loss.  Most impressive right off the bat is her innate way of immediately connecting to the reader (me) by letting me know we're both on the same team.  She immediately establishes her position as an avid user of technology and electronics, while simultaneously introducing the hazards of it's usage and the inconvenient truths that if brought to light, may help many of us to feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally. The good news is that once you know what you did not, you can fix it!

The opening pages set the tone of the book by first and foremost establishing human beings as "energetic" beings whose own complex circuitry is specifically designed and "wired to respond to the world around us."  One of several example she uses is what happens when we "touch" an antennae when we can't get a picture on TV or a radio station only to have it come in clearly until we step away, our body having momentarily been the conduit for the flow of energy.

This past winter I learned my own invaluable lesson about my "energetic" body having gone through the emotional transition of closing a business, and heading down the path of divorce. I was depleted of energy, and my inner balance was completely disrupted by my emotional state. What manifested was various types of illness including autoimmune issues, deep depression, nutrient depletion and even physiological changes to my body.  My way back to health after trying almost everything was to finally seek acupuncture which brought me back to health.  Anne sites acupuncture as just one scientific example of how energy can get stuck or stagnated inside the body creating blockages and "dis-ease" which can lead to almost any health issue or ailment. Once manipulated or "cleared" this energy can then flow freely bringing the body back to a state of homeostasis and balance, thereby reestablishing wellness in the body.

As human beings we can be in or out of sync with our internal balance by what happens in either our inner or exterior worlds, and our very biochemistry shifts to accommodates those influencers.  When our energetic being is disrupted or compromised it can literally effect every aspect of our lives including decision making, emotions, and health.

So if we are energetic beings made up of our own frequencies and our own intricate and delicate wiring?  What happens when these frequencies are repeatedly interrupted by other sources of energy?  What happens when several devices in several rooms of our homes interrupt our bio chemistry repeatedly over days, months, and years?

2) The fact is that many of us have adopted technology and all it's modern conveniences without much thought about how it might be effecting our health over the long term.  We are wired for instant gratification, and the conveniences and benefits of modern technology are are countless and undeniable but nor are the many "complaints" of the masses who now suffer from headaches, fibromyalgia, anxiety, insomnia, chronic fatigue, depression, cancer, attention deficit disorder, and the list goes on, and on, and on.

What if we can feel better? healthier, more energetic, sleep well?

Louise creates a very compelling argument for the eradication of these maladies by giving excellent examples of individuals who have determined the source of their ailments, and gone on to  lesson or eliminate their exposure to certain environments or devices which were in fact making them sick, and in doing so have embraced a new bill of health.  Some solutions are as simple as changing the location of your cell phone at night.

3) Louise has a healthy and growing body of experts who are in agreement with her findings, and compliment her work.  The beauty of  ZAPPED is not that she is presenting new material that's been previously undiscovered (although there is plenty of that) but instead in how she fluidly, factually, and categorically lays out the material for her reader in such a way that they can easily connect the dots to expose the whodunit of the modern day digital thugs, killers, muggers and terrorists.

In short- Zapped is fascinating, filled with some amazing information, tips, recipes and suggestions for Zap-proofing your life.

Historical, factual, interesting, and informative, Zapped is a great read for anyone who is interested in technology, ecology, health, nutrition, wellness, the digital movement, homemaking, and parenting.

It reads like a wonderful expose on a culprit who may have been an obvious suspect all along , but got away with the crime until someone came along with the right mix of skills to lay it all out. What better way to spend my morning with my box of kleenex than on a couch curled up with a good mystery?  Elementary My Dear Watson!

For more on Monica, visit EarthSavers.typepad.com

Some of it gets taken up by friends and family, children, co-workers, and every so often just by people that simply pass through life on a day to day basis.

If you have a bad experience at the market, you can choose whether or not to let the experience drain you emotionally. It's a choice.

If life is a house then some people add value and some...not so much.
 

If life is a house then whomever you choose to let inside can help you or hurt you. They can help you make it a beautiful place to be, or they can help you make it ugly. You might wish some people could stay forever, while others start to smell like fish in record time.

Some people might leave you excessive messes to clean up, and when you go to listen to the stereo you let them borrow you realize they blew the speakers out. If this happens it might be time to escort them to the door, and you might think twice before inviting them back.

If life is a house then some people who knock on the door might be wolves in sheep clothing.

Some come in who'll be the life of the party, and everything seems so fun and great, but as times goes by they don't seem to get the message that there is a time to party and a time for real life and real responsibilities. They do stupid things, and make lots of drama where there is none. They talk a big game and when you try to talk to them about things you need from them to help clean up the place they get belligerent, and you feel like a buzz kill. Those guests sometimes store the bad feelings that got created till the next time, and it grows. One day, because you never put your foot down and said the party was over, they swing on the chandeliers and spill red wine on the new eco friendly modular white carpeting and bring other guests you would never even introduce to your own mother.

If life is a house and you spend your energy giving it to the guests who don't respect it's charm and warmth and hospitality, then you might eventually start to see things deteriorate. Before long you have an overgrown yard with old tires and a cast iron tub on your lawn, and the people you'd really love to get to know more stop coming by to visit.

You have to be responsible for how you build and maintain your own house... and a good lesson for everyone is that parties are only fun because they are over within a few hours and therefore special for a reason. In the meantime, if you are not at the party you'll have more time to spend doing other things that will add value in a different way to your life, i mean think about the beer gut and the hangover you can avoid. Now you can focus on inviting in people that make your house more beautiful and help you maintain it. They won't swing from your chandeliers, and overstep your boundaries all the time, nor will they leave you excessive messes that take days, sometimes even weeks to clean up. They won't bring in a wolf and call it a sheep, and they don't cause your brain to endlessly circle as it tries to create sense and order out of something that has none.

If life is a house and you find as you look through the bedrooms that some guests are lounging around making the place stink then you may want to consider the following: You invited them in, and you can invite them out.
 

If you've tried over and over to work with what you have to make it structurally sound and realize you might have built the whole thing on quicksand, then you might be better off to just bulldoze the whole thing down.
 

If life is a house, then renovation is always an option.

For more on Monica, visit EarthSavers.typepad.com

Earth Day is upon us and as we contemplate how what we can individually and collectively do to make the world a greener place, a natural suggestion is to think about these things more often than once per year. The other part of the equation is simple education. What is the difference between someone that recycles and one that doesn't, or someone that minimizes their carbon footprint and the person that doesn't? For the most part, it is simply being taught about the importance of these things.

Yesterday the New York Times published an article about the importance of not only teaching children to care for the earth, but of children's role in teaching their parents.

Global Green Pals are not just dolls or ways to teach children about recycling, clean air & water, etc., rather they embody the idea that children can be powerful influences for change. Whether it is the four teenagers referred to in the NY Times, that have become leaders in the environmental movement, or 7 year-old Charlie Simpson who raised $240,000 for Haiti, children are capable of so much more than we think because, in the words of 12 year-old prolific writer Adora Svitak,"They don't think about limitations, just good ideas."

I hope Global Green Pals will inspire children across the country to think in terms of positive solutions, and even small things that they can do to make a difference to their world. You can read more about the different "Pals" and hear what they have to say on the Global Green Pals blog.

(This article Inspired by Robert Wilson)

For more on Monica, visit EarthSavers.typepad.com

Sometimes inspiration visits you when you least expect it.

These past eighteen months had represented one of the biggest breakdowns of my life.
I’d mastered the art of burrowing deep in my blankets; head strategically shoved under pillows. I felt alone, and sad, and deeply humbled. 

My entrepreneurial failure was compounded my separation from my husband.
The house of cards had collapsed into a flat hot mess.

On top of the riot of uncomfortable emotions: grief, fear, shame and panic; the phone calls of creditors, vendors, investors, family and friends was simply overwhelming.

I researched an identity change diligently.  I was an epic failure.

Somehow it did not matter that the economy was in the same state, and that every entrepreneur i had ever spoken to had cataloged a series of failures before finally succeeding in the business world.  Surely their failures were not as GRAND... (do i always have to be the best?)

Feeling sorry for myself had become my Magnum Opus, and I can still feel a sense of entitlement to “go there” if the wind should blow, after all don't my friends, family, and business associates have every right to be disappointed by me? I have to allow them this freedom and offer them my agreement. I suck.

A couple of nights ago I listened to a man speak about his own failings, and the torrent of emotions and inconceivable repercussions of having built an empire that made what i had accomplished pale in comparison, only to see it crumble cruelly based on circumstances beyond his control. Hell, even if they had been under his leadership does this mean he should not lead again? try again?  take a chance, invite others to invest in him again both emotionally and financially?  Shouldn’t that in fact make him an even MORE likely candidate for success? Hmmm.

At the end of the day these retched moments in life are teaching moments are they not?

They are the gift. They are what enable us to gain perspective on where we erred so that we might establish a better system or framework the NEXT time.  Oh, how many of us have decided that we are unworthy of a next time? Whether in relationships, or in business.  How many of us have “shut it down” and thrown up the CLOSED sign in the window?  Nice house...but nobody’s home.  We become disconnected from our selves and our lives and the people around us for fear of failing AGAIN, and yet...when that man shared his own story and i could feel the embers of possibility glow inside what i had condemned as a hopeless heart I wanted to dance and sing and wrap my arms around him in gratitude. I chose in that moment to allow myself to be inspired again.... and is it really

THAT simple?

Choice.... and then there was light.

Choice:

    1.    The act of choosing; selection.
    2.    The power, right, or liberty to choose; option.
    3.    One that is chosen.
    4.    A number or variety from which to choose: a wide choice of styles and colors.
    5.    The best or most preferable part.
    6.    Care in choosing.
    7.    An alternative.

For more on Monica, visit EarthSavers.typepad.com

Holidays are coming quickly and although purse strings are tight for everyone it seems that the season of giving feels stronger and perhaps more important than ever.
 

Here is a quick, easy, affordable and delightful twist on holiday gift giving that EVERYONE loves so don't limit this idea to children. It can also incredibly eco friendlyas you can regift, reuse, and recycle things in your own home incorporating them into this great gift. How to make a SURPRISE BALL: What you need: Scissors ribbon crepe paper string or yarn fabric your items

1) Gather up any smaller sized items that you might want to wrap including pins, misfit game pieces, clips, buttons, coins, keys, poems, lockets, gems, ornaments, jewelry, candy, snow globes etc. If you are like me ( ok- i can be considered a hoarder) you randomly have most of these things sitting in the house anyways! or you can go to the dollar store, or even make many of the items. Try to gather about ten- fourteen per ball ( you can really have as many as you like, but it's fun to have at least ten)




2) Make a quick list of your friends and kids in your life and make a mental note of their hobbies, likes, or something personal about them and try to group little items. For example- my friend Terri loves vintage anything- so i put together some pins, buttons, images, a brooch, an antique key and made the very center of the gift a vintage belt buckle i found for her in an old antique store that cost me about $3.00. Then there is my seven year old daughter who loves fairies and kittens so her surprise ball had lots of little fun shells, fairies, rocks, a hello kitty eraser, a tiny bottle of nail polish, a tiny butterfly, and a fairy necklace. Boys love pirate coins, matchbox cars, tattoos, marbles, maps, silly putty or anything really.



3) Start by taking your largest item (My mother loves to cook so I made a beautiful french toile dish towel into a ball and used it as the center!) and then start to "wrap" the item in string, yarn or crepe paper winding it snugly so that it covers the entire item. As you go - keep adding a new item to another layer continuing to try to keep the shape (many of mine come out pear shaped but don't fret...they are just as much fun to open!) Once you have made your ball large enough you can add the finishing touches. I like to print out an image- cut it into a circle and add a strip of ribbon or cut the crepe into a smaller strip to make it look more festive. Use the glue to fasten your image or a sticker sealing the last loose end or ribbon. It's also nice to put a tag or sticker letting them know to unwrap their surprise being mindful that things will fall out as they go. They also "travel" very well so keep this in mind when you need to send a gift through the mail.


4) You can really be as creative as you want with these - giving them as hostess gifts, party favors, or creating a great tradition for other holidays. 

 

If you would rather skip the fun yourself and order one, you can always order your extra special surprise ball through me with an eco- twist- shaped like planet earth- the inside is filled with lots of great eco gifts and sentiments and my special price for the Green Girls is only $12.00 per ball but hurry and order before December 18th to get yours in time for x-mas by emailing me at rodgers107@cox.net.