What's Your Mind/Body/Spirit Score?

                                              Happiness: what is it, and how do I find it?


 I've posted often on the science of happiness. I know what you're thinking, scoffers, but believe me, the science of happiness is real -- and it's spectacular. ;-)


 We've all heard that life as we know it is made up of the mind, the body and the spirit. As I understand it,  our aim should be to nurture each one of these aspects -- and then, if we're lucky, we experience moments when they flow together in perfect balance --  one elegant organism of life.

                                     OK, we know about the mind, body and spirit. Now what?



       I love to analyze things and to come up with guidelines to help me attain any goals I might have. In thinking about the mind/body/spirit thing, one day it dawned on me: what if I figured out a scientific way to analyze and calculate where I am on the mind/body/spirit continuum?

     The next step I took was to see that every action I take on any given day affects either the mind, the body or the spirit positively or negatively. Many actions affect more than one of the three. But every action we takes affects our mind/body/spirit in some way.

   So I started looking at very general and obvious actions.


                                         Let's take something obviously good, like running.

    As every runner knows, running clears the mind, strengthens the body and makes your soul soar.

   So, if we applied a score for running as an activity, it would be +1 for the mind, +1 for the body and +1 for the spirit. That's 3 points total.

   Now, let's look at something negative, like smoking. Smoking is -1 for the body, and I suppose neutral for the mind and spirit. So that's a total of -1.

   There are lots of things that are good for either the mind, body and spirit. Any physical or mental activity gives you a +1 in that area.

 
       So OK, OK, I guess I have to admit that even a video game like Candy Crush Saga is good for the mind (well, it's good for the brain, anyway), as experts agree that video games can and do prevent Alzheimer's disease.  So you can give yourself a +1 there. But I might argue that excessive video game playing would give you a -1 for the soul...(there's a healthy debate to be had there, I'm sure). It's also neutral for the body. So adding up the total of the three, it adds up to a "neutral."

   And if you eat a dozen donuts in one sitting, I think we can all agree that would be bad for the mind, body and spirit. That's a -3.

Donuts = BAD. (This is not a comment on Chris Christie, by the way. I put in "eating donuts" on the Google search engine and he popped up, I swear.)

Even something passive like watching TV gets a score. If I watch an astronomy documentary on the Science Channel, that definitely gives me a +1 in the "mind" department (but I suppose it's neutral in the body and spirit categories -- unless, that is, I'm eating a dozen donuts while I'm watching).

On the rare occasion that I indulge in a Real Housewives or Kardashians program, I'd give that a "neutral" in the mind department (watching these shows may not be GOOD for your brain, but science has yet to prove that they literally fry your neurons). However, it might be a -1 in the spirit department, as increasingly I'm finding watching the behavior of these women upsetting and even a bit depressing.

Kardashians = BAD for the spirit

If you're a parent, obviously just spending time reading a book to your child gives you a big +2 points (one for mind, one for spirit).

Reading to your kids: it's a no-brainer!

And of course, for Chris and I, playing music is another big +2 point activity (1+ mind, 1+ spirit).

Music: it's a 1-2 punch!

The point of this whole exercise for me was to make me aware of the affect my daily activities have on my body, mind and spirit. Obviously if you add up all of the activities of the day, you would hope to be in the mostly positive column. If you're way in the negative, then some soul searching might be indicated.

Mostly, it's about thinking about what we're doing. Being present. Accountable. Life is short...

Dancin' In The Light

                                     Wanna go to a music jam, potluck and square
                                           dance under the stars? Come on along!


        A group of us musicians from Green Valley Lake and Running Springs carpooled over to Mt. Baldy Village last night for the most enjoyable evening I've had in a very long time.

                           I loved these boot birdhouses for sale at a boutique in Baldy Village

                                         Meet our hostess Belinda.  Her apron says it all:
                                              "I've got your low carb diet right HERE..."          
                                       Oh yeah, and one more thing: she's a hell of a fiddler.

             We wasted no time breaking out our instruments.  Banjos are a very good sign...

              And when there's a stand-up bass...well...that's it. I'm pretty much in heaven.

                                                              Happy to be there

                              Robbie and Belinda are preparing for winter at their idyllic
         Mt. Baldy hideaway...but guys, I think you might need a bit more wood than that!  ;-)

                                       Next up, a hearty potluck! These apples came from
                                                     Frank and Sandy's GVL apple trees!

                                          Robbie and Belinda's mountain cabin is the cutest
                                         place I've seen in ages.  And inside it's even cozier!

                                Our dear friend Sandi is going through chemo right now, so you
                                know this infusion of music, laughter and dancing has got to be
                                     good for the immune system as well as the soul...

                  That a girl, Sandi...take your treatment! Your oncologist would be proud!
                                                             Time for the square dancing!

                                             "Come a little bit closer
                                             Hear what I have to say
                                             Just like children sleepin'
                                         We could dream this night away...

                                                      ...But there's a full moon risin'
                                               Let's go dancin' in the light

                                                  ...We know where the music's playin'
                                            Let's go out and feel the night....

                                                   ...But now it's gettin' late
                                                 And the moon is climbin' high...

                                              ...I want to celebrate, see it shining in your eye...

                                            ...because I'm still in love with you...

                                              ...I want to see you dance again...

...because I'm still in love with you...

                               ....on this harvest moon..."    ("Harvest Moon" by Neil Young)

                         And the party continued well into the night. We drove away
                                        exhausted, happy and very very grateful.

Fall Surprise in Green Valley Lake

                                             The maples are in bloom here in Green Valley Lake



   

 As it always does, fall started slowly, with scattered hints of reds and yellows...

Each sunrise brought colors slightly changed...

Beauty and more beauty with each passing day

Our neighbors to the east in Big Bear share in the glory of fall

And to the southwest, poplars glisten in Arrowbear, while a snowboard 

sign reminds us of what is to come in mere weeks

An explosion of color

This is the scene just steps from our cabin

This tree seems to be lit from within

The maples seem to be on fire

And speaking of fire, this is, of course, peak fire season. We literally put a big "X" on the calendar as each fireless day passes. Adding to our concern, the government shutdown has closed our nearest and most well equipped National Forest Service fire station. 

So, we're a bit anxious. But we're finding ways to distract ourselves.

   Sandy prepares to ceremoniously split a gigantic fall squash 

   grown right here in our Green Valley Lake community garden

Oh, my!  

   

Another diversion: I've been sitting in with a local bluegrass/old-timey

 band called "Grits 'n' Grady." 

       "Grits 'n' Grady" had an actual paying gig this past week    

     down in charming Oak Glen. What a treat! 

But then...something crazy happened. Something miraculous...

Five inches of snow fell on October 9th!

This was a record: the earliest snowstorm in recorded history here on the mountain!

                    What a rare treat to see the greens, reds and yellows of fall 

                     intermingled with the pristine white of the early winter snow

Definitely not something you see every day

       The snow melted within a day or two, but that didn't stop 

the kids from taking advantage of the situation:

Meet the newest Green Valley Lake mascot. 

I like his spirit!

Happy Fall, everyone!

Is Fake the New Real?

                                         
                                Evidently the plastic Barbie Doll look is popular in some circles


                                        Life in 2013 America is increasingly strange, I think.
                                            "Fake" is becoming more popular than ever.

                                These fake tree cell towers are popping up all over the place



       Then there are the fake married couples. Extreme examples like 90 year old billionaire J. Howard Marshall and 25 year old stripper Anna Nicole Smith personify the fake marriage. I'm not saying that they didn't have affection for one another. But in my opinion, unions like this are not a marriage in the traditional sense as much as business arrangements.

       
    In exchange for travel, jewelry and a lavish lifestyle, Anna Nicole must take off her shirt and let J. Howard come in and poke around in the playpen a little once a month or so.

   Everybody's in denial, but when it's done properly, I suppose, everybody's happy (except J. Howard's 65 year old sons, who weren't too thrilled to turn over their billion dollar inheritance to Miss Anna, who perhaps justifiably felt that she had "earned" the money).

   In this scenario,  J. Howard convinces himself that she loves him for his hot body (while she's off boinking the hot pool boy during J. Howard's afternoon nap), and Anna Nicole convinces herself that he loves her for her fascinating observations on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

    Anyway, say what you will, but the point is, the marriage, by all intents and purposes, is fake.

 



 

    We all loved it in the 90's when Mark McGuire hit home run after home run for the St. Louis Cardinals. We now know he (and apparently half of major league baseball) was (and still is?) totally juiced the whole time.

   But the question remains: were his home runs fake? We certainly enjoyed watching the baseballs explode out of the park. But were they real? Does it even matter?

        We learned after the fact that many of the spectacular fireworks at the Beijing Olympics were holograms. They were fake. Wow! No kidding...what to make of it? I guess we should have been mad, right? On the other hand, if we couldn't tell the difference, they what's the big deal...right?

       Despite the fact that Britney Spears notoriously lip synchs her concerts, millions of youngsters willingly pay hundreds of dollars for tickets. When I told my nieces who had attended the concert about the lip synching, they sort of shrugged their shoulders in apathy.

They're young enough, I guess, that for them, fake is the new normal.



  A few weeks ago, our friends invited us to go see a fake Oingo Boingo band play in Lake Arrowhead. Since it was free, and we loved the band back in the day, we figured: Why not?

                                The fake Oingo Boingo guys gave it the college try,
                                         but in the end it was "Just Another Day."

                            The audience at fake Oingo Boingo was pretty uninspired,
           except for this one superfan in the yellow. It was 1982 all over again for this lady.



      A couple of weeks later, our friends wanted to see the next tribute band (free again) -- this time, "Joshua Tree," a fake U2 band. Oh, boy. This is gonna be painful, I thought. But what else did I have going on? Not much, so once again we headed across the mountain.

                      I was pretty cynical. "This should be good," I said with a wink and a nod



 

                              Fake U2 took the stage. They had the look, and they had the sound.
                                                           Wow. I was pretty impressed.


    I had seen the real U2 in concert back in the day with Chris' brother Kevin. Except for the fact that there was no fancy light show, and instead of 90,000 people there were a couple of hundred people at a shopping mall, the experience was pretty damn similar.

 
                                      Everyone started getting into it, including Ron and Donna

                                  The fake U2 -- Even Better Than The Real Thing?

                             Pretty soon we all just let go and started rocking out,
                                        even the most skeptical of the audience

                             OK. The fake U2 totally won me over. They were amazing.


     I left the night feeling several conflicting emotions. First of all, the musician/snob part of me felt completely ashamed that I let myself get strung along by this fake U2. I mean, I knew it wasn't really Bono and The Edge up there, but they were so good that by the end of the concert, it was like: "Who cares if it's fake?"

   I did some research, and these "tribute" bands are a huge thing now. At first I felt bad for the actual artists being impersonated. But in a neat trick, if you're a popular enough band that someone actually forms a tribute band of you, then you are rich and famous enough that this makes ZERO impact on your bottom line.

   So, "Joshua Tree" makes a good little living touring fairs and shopping malls, and working class fans who could never afford a real U2 concert get a pretty good performance for free. Also, Bono and the boys get a tiny stipend every time theirs songs are performed live. So everybody's happy, I guess.

  Which left me more confused than ever. If fake is the new real,  what's a girl whose seeking "authenticity" to do?

   I guess as Fake gets more and more common, all we can do is keep an eye out for the Real. Seek it out. And bask in it's presence when we find it.  Because we don't want to forget completely about the Real.

         The shore of Lake Arrowhead, just a few feet from where the fake bands played


 For us humans, I think, a great way to remember what's real and true is to get out into the wilderness.

         In nature, all of the Fake gets immediately washed away by the Real. By the True.


    So in the end I guess I'm a convert to "Tribute Bands." They can be just alright, in all of their fake glory.


    But let us never forget the difference between Fake and Real. When confused, we can always turn to the classics to remind us what truth is:

       "Ode to a Grecian Urn"

When old age shall this generation waste,

Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe

Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou sayst,

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," – that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. 

                                    -- John Keats