When people talk about “trusting the experts,” what they’re really talking about is delegating decision-making to someone else. Sometimes this makes sense, sometimes it doesn’t, but in all cases … it’s an illusion. Our decisions are always our own, including a decision to follow another person’s lead. Life is challenging. Anyone telling you it isn’t…
Island Resilience
Self-Sufficiency for You and Your Family
Self-Sufficiency is a broad topic that is sometimes misunderstood. Being self-sufficient means being able to provide for one’s needs, current and future, and for emergencies without needing to be reliant upon others for support. In some circles, the topic of self-sufficiency may elicit visions of selfishness and self-centeredness. Self-sufficiency may be perceived this way because…
Health Matters
What Is Causing My Pain?
Pain in the body can be a complex situation. However, if you are able to clear the interference and give your body a chance to heal on its own, pain can be easily reduced. Your body has an amazing innate ability to heal itself if you know the tools to help. Chiropractic care can offer…
Island Voices
Washington State Parents Get a Seat at the Table
I have good news for Washington State parents. On September 30, a text came from my friend who is a Washington school board president. He was in the middle of a virtual meeting for the Washington State School Directors Association general assembly. WSSDA is the association that oversees and governs all 295 state school boards….
Island Voices
Ode to Sheba the Brave
Sheba the Brave captured my heart the first time I met her. A brown tabby who looked more ocelot than cat, we greeted each other, she on her stool and me on my chair, knees to front paws. Suddenly, she stood and crawled into my lap. Her foster mom exclaimed, “I’ve never seen her do…
Health Matters
Staying Healthy With the Season
This time of year, many folks eat too much around the holidays. Our eating patterns are erratic, and we have a tendency to overindulge. So, I am sharing some suggestions around eating well and eating strategically to maintain health and wellness. This is a fun time of year to treat ourselves right. Hopefully, we can…
Island Businesses
From the Roasterie
The fire is glowing in the bookstore – the café is bustling with people coming in from the cold to warm up for a bit on their way to other places. All our coffee has finally arrived from its long trip along the roads, on boats and trains. The coffee is quite delicious and bright…
Health Matters
Minglement Tea for the Month of December
Tulsi is one of our staff’s favorites, and is becoming better known. Make up some of this tasty ancient tea remedy to start your day – add honey or syrup to taste. A little goes a long way. Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum, syn. O. sanctum, Lamiaceae), also called holy basil, and East Indian basil (O. gratissimum) are aromatic…
Children, Literary
Rose Hip and Snowberry – Part 1
Once upon a time, the world changes. On an Island like this one, forest and mist reclaim the land, technology falls away, and certain names disappear. Calling out to her two children to come home, a mother puzzles in mid-holler as she forgets their names. Noticing the two bushes on either side of the front…
Island Voices
The Treasure That Is the Vashon Senior Center
By Rich Osborne If you have been following my letters, you know that I lead the Music Mends Minds sing-along at 1:30 p.m. every Tuesday at the Vashon Senior Center. You should also know about other programs the Vashon Senior Center offers. Just last month, the Senior Center hosted Monday/Wednesday/Friday lunch service and delivery and…