The Price of Anything is the Amount of Life You Exchange For It
It’s been the wackiest first week of spring break. We thought the nice weather was finally with us, but then out of the blue, it started snowing. Everyone was shocked. Normally by the time that my sister J, blows out her birthday candles on the 19th, Spring is well on its way. By the way, did you know that the first day of spring changes year by year? Huh? That is something I just found out this week. But anyway, whether it’s the 20th or the 21st, someone should tell Mother Nature that the white, cold stuff is persona non grata around here.
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As if the kids hadn’t seen snow all winter, they were excited to see one last snow fall this spring….or will it be?Even our Siamese cat, Ryuuki was rather shocked.
On March 17, we celebrated Saint Patrick’s day with some Irish Stew and Irish Soda Bread.
And the next day, I dug through my “seeds of hope,” box and quickly potted up a few dozen of my favourite seeds; four different kinds of tomatoes, three kinds of squash, plus pumpkin, and several varieties of flowers. I am planning to work once again at my gardening gig later this spring, where I can buy beautiful plants, but I find it fulfilling to start some of my plants from seeds. Plus, I find that the plants are stronger and more resilient when they have already grown a season in my garden.
Well, that’s a peek into our first week of spring break and now I will get on with my second, “Minimalist Monday, ” topic; “Pruning Fruit Trees and Hair. “
WHAT?
Yes, if you are like my husband David, you are probably wondering what pruning fruit trees and hair have to do with minimalism. When I told him what I was planning to write, he looked at my oddly. But hang in there with me and I will try to tie the two together.
First, if you are visiting my blog for the first time, and the word “homestead, ” drew you here, you may be interested in the subject of pruning fruit trees. I’m all about making or growing what we use and like to eat, so several years ago we started a mini orchard in our back forty. Nine years ago this fall to be exact, as our son Mitchell was still home, (he’s just finishing up his four year degree at University this spring) he helped us dig the holes we needed for our trees. I’ll never forget the sky growing ominously darker as we were digging the holes for the trees. By the time we were finished planting, we were all drenched from the pounding rain. Mitchell was smiling. He has always loved the rain. I was smiling too, as fall is a good time to plant fruit trees, and I knew they were getting a good watering that first night in their new home.
The other way I remember the age of our fruit trees, is that I’d saved the placenta after our son William had been born in June 2009. The placenta was in our big freezer all summer waiting to be settled somewhere in our yard. Will, if you are wondering where the placenta was planted, check out the picture of you below behind the Spartan Apple tree. Strangely enough, it’s the tree that always produces the BEST fruit.
I knew that all over the world and in different cultures, the placenta was saved and planted or used in a ritual. For instance, for the Navajo Indians in North America, it is customary for them to bury a child’s placenta within the sacred four corners of the tribe’s reservation as a binder to ancestral land and people. The Navajos also bury objects with it to signify the profession they hope the child will pursue
I didn’t follow any particular belief or ritual, but I had waited a long to for William to come to earth and it had been a struggle to conceive him. I wanted the tangible thing that connected us to each other, and also helped him grow inside me, to be placed next to the roots of something that would bear delicious fruit.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand; pruning fruit trees. When we prune a fruit tree, it helps the tree’s production, growth, appearance and health. And that is where I link minimalism into this subject; Thinning branches that are diseased or growing inward, preventing light and sunshine into the centre of the tree, is a bit like how I’m trying to create my life. I’m looking at each aspect of my life; the things surrounding me, the people I associate with, the ideas that flow through my mind, and even my hair, are all things that can hinder or help me in creating a rich, inspired life. So this last week, as I stepped back from my fruit tree and decided which branch needed to go, I was also thinking inward about what I wanted to prune in my life to bring more light and sunshine into the centre of my being.
Isn’t it amazing how nature is ALWAYS teaching us?
When I finished pruning the last tree, I exhaled. It’s a big job, but time well spent as I know we will all appreciate eating the organically grown fruit later this year. It’s really satisfying growing your own food and knowing you don’t have to rely on anyone else.
Now we just need some sunshine.
And that brings me to the hair aspect of my post. “Hair, hair, beautiful hair,” that song from the Broadway play, “Hair,” is playing over and over in my head, like a CD on repeat mode, this Minimalism Monday. Just like pruning our fruit trees this week, taking care of our family’s hair took a lot of my time. Well, to be accurate, it takes up a lot of my time every day, since I still have young children, who need help maintaining it. And as I was analyzing the branches to prune in my orchard, I was also thinking about the changes I have made caring for my hair, and also my family’s hair. The first big step towards change occurred when William was just a baby and we were planting his placenta under that apple tree. We were starting to really think about living more sustain-ably. Suddenly, caring for six heads, seemed overwhelming to me, both in time and financially, and it occurred to me that cutting hair was not rocket science. It was something that clearly I could do myself. I looked around and realized, I had a houseful of of hair. Curly hair, straight hair, thin hair, thick hair, blonde hair, brown hair, baby hair, well you get the idea. All sorts of hair to learn to cut.
Also, right around the time that our sixth little person was born, I suddenly had no time to book hair appointments, or even take time to drive to them, wait for the stylist, sit in the chair, listening to canned music that unnerved me, and then I felt annoyed having to pay for a cut that I often didn’t even like. David too, was tired of going to his high end stylish and paying a small fortune every 6 weeks and he often came home saying it was too short, or the stylist had kept the top too long. Then there was the expense!
So, I bought a good pair of scissors, an electric trimmer with graduated attachments, a few combs, some clips, a spray water bottle, and started reading up on various style cuts for women, men and children. (Now there are tons of YouTube videos on cutting hair)
But where does minimalism come in you may ask. Well, just like in pruning fruit trees to produce the best fruit, when you have a good hair plan, perhaps a minimalist style and maintenance, it allows you the luxury of more time and money to live the life you desire. Now, I’m not suggesting that you say “au revoir,” to a beloved stylist, but if you are like me, and feel unsettled being in a busy salon where people are chatting away all around you, scissors are going snip, snip, snip and blow dryers are screaming a whirling noise, not to mention that canned music, then you may want to reconsider how you are managing your hair. If you haven’t gone there yet, just think about cutting your own hair, cutting your partners hair and certainly your children’s hair.
From a minimalist point of view, hair that is either really short or really long is the best way to go in my opinion. While short hair may need more maintenance to keep it short, it frees up your time daily in styling. And long hair doesn’t require as many cuts, and although it may take longer to shampoo and condition, it’s easy to do every day. Wear it down, pull it back into a low pony tail and your done. (And who’s to say that you need to shampoo it at all. Our son, Mitchell, does the “no poo.” He wets his hair when he showers but that’s it. He never shampoos it with chemical rich hair products and he has thick, glossy, healthy hair)
The other plus about cutting your own hair, is that you don’t have to listen to what a professional feels is the right cut for you or get lured into buying hair product that just sits in your bathroom. Usually a stylist wants you to cut your hair short so they can keep you coming back regularly to maintain it. (Okay, I may be cynical here but that’s been my experience) For instance, I have had hair dressers say that since my hair is fine and straight, I should wear it no longer than my shoulders. Well, I’m done with that. Right now my hair is moving way past my shoulders and it’s actually starting to get wavy. While many may think it’s not as flattering as my usual bob, I’m loving it. It’s now loose and relaxed, like how I want to live.
And as for men, I really dig beards that are so popular now. If I were a man, I would be relieved not to have to shave. Saves time, saves money on razors, shaving cream, and is warm in the winter. Also, I love men with no hair. I think bald is very attractive in my opinion and environmentally friendly, as it saves on hair product! Now a bald man with a beard….ahhhh! A great combi.
I realize most people have strong opinions about hair and I’m not saying that you need to minimize your hair routine etc to be a minimalist but hey, just think about where you are spending your time and your money. Is that where you want it to go?
Check out my kitchen salon, “Hair by Hope.” Our younger kids have NEVER been to a stylist and personally I think they have great cuts. William’s hair is blonde, curly and beautiful. Most of the boys in his grade three class have short, I mean buzzed hair, which is fine and probably easy for their parents to do every day, but for William, he looks best with locks and he loves his hair longer too.
So that’s what has been going on around here this last week. Cutting hair and pruning trees. Oh and meditating. Are you meditating with me? I hope someone is. I tried to get my family ommming with me but they just looked at me like, “I have better things to do with my time!” That’s okay. I get that. I’ve really enjoyed the daily meditation sessions with Deepak and Oprah. I love when Deepak says as the end of the guided meditation section, ” I’ll mind the time and when it’s time to end, you will hear me ring a soft bell.” Today’s mantra was, “Siddho Hum,” meaning, “I am perfect.” And isn’t that what it’s all about really? When we come from a place of self love, feeling perfect, then we can begin to really live. It’s not really about pruning fruit trees or cutting hair, it’s about living in the here and now. Mindfulness is the key. Stripping what doesn’t work for us, creates a bit more room for us to find our true nature. The meditation theme has been about shedding weight in all aspects of our life and for me, staying in the present moment, and letting go of my story, is my biggest challenge. Am I alone?
Are you moving in the direction of living an inspired life? If you get frustrated that things aren’t exactly how you would like, just remember we are all in the process. That’s what makes this earthly experience so delightful. We have choice, and can choose to grow fruit trees in our backyard, grow our hair long, or cut it all off, we can choose to meditate or not. In the big scheme nothing matters. “So hum,” is what I tell my children when they get going in all directions. It means, “I am.” And when you come back to that place, there is peace. There is love. That is where the most inspired life lives.
But on a more earthly subject, I’d love to hear what you think is a minimalist hair cut. What works for you and makes you happy with regards to your hair? And I hope you come back for a visit as we made Sauerkraut recently and I want to share our results with you so, STAY TUNED.
All through writing this post, I was humming this tune…check out this video ’cause if you haven’t lived in the 60’s you may not know it, “Hair” by the Cowsills
Until we connect again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
Blessings from Hope