The Boss of Me

So at 2am this morning, daylight savings time is officially over for the year and time, as we agree on it, is moved back one hour. We moved it ahead in March and I wrote about the whole notion then too http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/03/time-adjustments.html

Usually I'm pretty happy about this "fall back" concept of time.  I really like my sleep and for years I have bought in to this notion that miraculously I got an extra hour of sleep last night.  What was I thinking!! I guess something in me has changed, because this year I just can't buy into that at all and I can't believe I ever did!

First of all, the idea of this "changing time" was always explained, at least in the grade school I went to, as a way to help farmers.  Supposedly this would give them more daylight to work in. Seriously??  In the early 1900's, before the days of automated feeding and milking, I think you would have been pretty hard pressed to find a successful farmer that relied on an alarm clock to tell him when to get to work in the morning! I don't want to get into the notion of a conspiracy theory, but I just can't any longer believe that was the real reason.  I wonder if anyone gave the rooster an alarm clock, and if so, did someone sneak out at 2am and switch it back an hour?

In the days leading up to this time switch this year, I've read media accounts of how great this weekend is for many people.  Apparently the majority of North Americans are sleep deprived and to have this extra hour is quite a boost. Seriously??? You relied on the notion of time of day to "allow" you to sleep longer?

I wrote a Children's Story called "The Boss of Me".  The concept is that sometimes you have a lot more choice and control than you might think. Today I'm thinking adults can maybe apply that concept as well.

Here's the thing.  Someone else might tell you what time you need to be at work.  But you can choose what time you get up in the morning.  You are the boss of you!  Someone else might tell you to switch your clock back an hour but you can choose what you  want to do with that "extra" hour and whether or not you believe you've gained anything in the first place. You are the boss of you!

In my opinion, if you're sleep deprived, it has much less to do with what the clock says, as it has to do with what you are doing with your "time".  You might have to have an email account, but you can choose when you check your messages and respond back.  You only have so many hours in the day (according to our concept of time which is suspicious in the first place), but you do get to choose what all you want to fit in, and cut out of, that time. You are the boss of you!

If you're having difficulty believing in your ability to choose, the Bach Flower essence Cerato might help.  It is for people that don't trust their own judgement and decision making. It could be for farmers that are waiting for someone else to tell them when to get up in the morning and when to shut down at night. If you find yourself seeking advice from others rather than trusting your own gut feelings- this Bach is for you.

If you believe deep down you know what is, and isn't, right for you but you're putting on a mask and pretending it's okay, Agrimony might be the Bach Flower essence for you. It's for farmers that know they would be better off going to bed  and getting up earlier but they "go with the flow" of what everyone else is doing rather than set off an argument.

If you think you should be, and could be, the boss of you, but don't risk taking on that challenge for fear of failure, Larch might be the Bach Flower for you. It's for farmers that know deep down they are tuned in to and in sync with the cycles of nature but are afraid to follow their intuition in case they sleep in!

If you've refused to change your clocks and have started a blog about destroying Daylight Savings and asked people to sign a petition, Vervain might be the Bach Flower for you. Being the boss of you doesn't mean you become the boss of everyone- just you.  Vervain types can get a little over-enthusiastic in their efforts to boss everyone and a few drops of the essence can help them be more tolerant of how others act. If your irritation over the whole "time change thing" has kept you awake through that extra hour- try some Vervain.

In my opinion, we often give up our control because of fear. Sometimes it isn't easy being the boss of me. This fear of losing, or letting go of, control may be an indication for the Bach Flower essence Cherry Plum.  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/10/cherry-plum-when-control-is-world-view.html Cherry Plum can help you think and act rationally in your position as Boss of Me.

"The Boss of Me" hasn't yet seen the light of publishing yet. Maybe I'll spent that extra hour today working on that.  Maybe it's all about timing...

Nail Polish Musings: Courage to Reveal Self

You never know when a seemingly casual conversation with someone will really end up having an impact.  Often, I think the other person involved in the conversation has no idea their thoughts and words will later make a difference. Such was the case for me and a conversation I had with someone over two years ago. Yup! took me two years to figure out the message...

At a party, I had remarked to this person that I liked her nail polish.  That's how casual this encounter was.  It just caught my eye. Totally coordinated with her outfit. Rather than just brush off the complement, we ended up talking about nail polish for a bit.  I told this person I admired nail polish on others but it "just wasn't my thing".  I explained that by times I had tried putting it on, but I really just didn't feel comfortable wearing it.  The thing is- this person understood that feeling.  Maybe it's more common than I would have thought!  She explained that at one time she had felt the same way,almost embarrassed to reveal that kind of "flash",  but believed you had to try it out and test the waters. She explained she was now very comfortable with it and enjoyed it.

See what I mean.. a pretty casual, seemingly superficial conversation.  And yet it wasn't. There was something else exchanged there that took me two years to figure out. Hmm..

I realize I do have some thoughts on nail polish that go way beyond the surface. Truth be told, there have been times in my life when I've been pretty disdainful of this decoration. It probably goes way back for me. I grew up with a Wise Woman that among millions of other things, was at one time, an "Avon Lady". There was an ample supply of samplings and trial packs and display items. I shrugged off  all that stuff.  I didn't want to gather with the women in the kitchen and get "practiced on". I escaped to the barn where I could get my hands dirty and work hard pitching hay, shoveling stalls out, or milking cow. I wanted to  feel rewarded for my skills, not my "being". The Wise Women let me go.

Later on in my life the nail polish re-emerged. When I started working in emergency services there weren't a lot of women in the field. And yet, of those that did, a surprising number of them were real nail polish wearers! I was kind of disgusted by that, truth be told. I thought they should "blend in" with the guys I guess and not flaunt such "girlish" attributes when working. I'm just telling it like it was, and remember, I've had some revelations about this! I once had a partner that could put on her lipstick, balance a coffee cup, and drive weaving in and out of heavy downtown city traffic with sirens wailing. All at once. Nail polish in tact.

At another point in my life when I was immersed in the English Horse Show & Jumping circuits, I discovered female trainers were of the "nail polish camp" as well.  I still really can't figure out how they do that.  They shovel out stalls, clean and adjust tack, feed and exercise huge animals and sport beautiful nails. I know for a fact most of them have broken a bone or two in their careers and yet somehow they don't seem to "break a nail"?? And in the Western world of barrel racing it's not much different. Hmm...

I guess a part of me admired those nail polish flaunts. But the surface part didn't at all.  I cut my nails short so they would be "functional".  I was pretty proud of scars on my hands and considered that evidence of how hard I worked.  I wanted to be seen as "capable" and tough I guess.  I thought nail polish signified something I didn't want revealed I guess.

So here's what I think now....

I think those Wise Women were having a lot of fun.  They were "tough as nails" and yet they gathered together and laughed and allowed their creative sides to take over. They painted their own nails, they painted each others' nails and they tried out all kinds of colors. They were so comfortable in their sense of self and their ability to perform, match up, and take on the world, that they could reveal their gentler, less serious, feminine side as well. They knew how to balance work and play, feminine and masculine energy.  No tug of wars for them http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/03/energetic-tug-of-war.html  Hmm...

There might be a match here for the Bach Flower essence Agrimony. When in an Agrimony state you wear a mask to hide your true self. The mask is often a layer of humor. Perhaps it can also be a layer of disdain for nail polish? When an Agrimony type is balanced they have a real sense of self-acceptance so they don't need the mask anymore. They communicate openly and aren't afraid to reveal their true feelings. The mask comes off in a balanced Agrimony state and perhaps that allows an opening for true creativity.

If I had those earlier times back again, I think I would sit there at the kitchen table basking in the energy of those Wise Women. I think I would be very patient and involved while they painted my nails in glittery colors.  I imagine I would then skip out the door with my painted nails and go show them to the cows while I shoveled out the stalls.  I guess I could admire the glitter while I milked.  It isn't about having to choose, it's about having it all!

As I type this, my nails are a beautiful shade of green.  High Heart green actually http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/06/venus-in-transit.html.  Maybe I'll invest in all the chakra colors of nail polish!  And if driven inside because of the rain or the bugs http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/06/alternative-therapies-for-bug-bites.html I suggest you celebrate with a bit of color. Better yet, have a color party and see what kind of casual conversations come up!