Anne's Note discusses Dealing With Weather Emergencies.The Main article, Creative Solutions, shows us ways to turn potential problems into joyful experiences by using our intuition. The Healthy Living article, Lemon Aid, lists multiple health benefits of the common lemon. The Anne Talk, Like Everyone, shows us how to actively show compassion to others. The Featured Product this month is Anne's latest book, Standing in the Dark.

The EZ Mantra: "Everything can be EZ or at least EZier." – Anne Sermons Gillis

Living EZosophy, April 26, 2016
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

Phone: 281-419-1775
Email: anne@annegillis.com

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  A Note From Anne

Dear ,

It's been a wild few days in the Houston area. Some of you know that we had floods in this area. Jim, Lucy, and I were high and dry, but people were boating behind our neighbors' homes and in the nearby park.

One neighbor put out a gauge to calculate how fast the water was rising and how long it would take it to rise into his back yard. He has a swimming pool and I’m sure he didn't want to deal with the cleanup. He figured the water was not going to come into his yard, but, when we had another downpour, everyone was on edge.

Fern in Anne's front yard
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Emergencies or close emergencies are strange. There's almost a celebratory atmosphere in the air. Most people in the Houston area stayed home from work for several days because roads were impassible. It's like spring break: we break from our normal habits, go outside, and socialize with our neighbors more than normal.

Jasmine in Anne's back yard
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Our home is still on the market. We have had more showings than before and eagerly anticipate your thoughts and prayers. We didn't have any lookers for a few days. People were not out looking during the flood, but they are back out now. There's someone who would love to move into our light-filled home. I'm sending good vibes to them, wherever they are.

Anne

  Creative Solutions

I used to have an office in a strip shopping center. The outside was barren, so I placed a flower-filled whiskey barrel by the front door. It welcomed clients and softened the look of the otherwise stark entrance.

Unfortunately, the plants vanished. I would replant, but after a few days, they would be gone. The plant thief took them one by one, as if by disappearing slowly, I wouldn't notice. The plants were perfect for the front door, but I was unwilling to keep replacing the plants. How could I discourage the plant bandit?

My intuition buzzed with the perfect answer. I printed out a small note and placed it prominently in the glass window behind the planter. The note read, "These are planted in honor of my beloved Aunt Lima, who passed away recently." It worked. There were never any more plants taken. I started having fun and honored my friends’ and clients’ deceased relatives. "These plants are planted to honor the beloved mother of Jane Stiles." I changed the dedication sign every few weeks and my friends and clients felt comforted as they passed by the planter. I used real names for the deceased and loved ones. It felt right to be straight and to make this more than a ploy to fool the plant snatcher. The process eventually moved from being a solution to a problem, to a sacred act of honoring others.

My office was in an isolated area, so I tried to leave my office at night with my last client. One evening, when I had stayed late to do paperwork, there were several teenagers hanging around the front exit. None of them looked like the girl next door. They numbered six, so I waited for them to leave, but the night wore on, they remained near the door, and I was ready to go home. My intuition hummed. When I exited, I greeted them, "I am so glad you are here. It is scary to come outside alone at night. Will you watch and make sure I get to my car safely." The Hell's Angel's lookalikes smiled and collectively responded, "Yes ma'am. We will take care of you." I felt safe and protected as I slid into my car. I waved goodbye to my newfound heroes.

Once again my intuition served me. I'm not sure if I was in danger or not--maybe the kids were safe, but I didn’t feel safe, and the creative solution released me from my bondage. In another similar incident, my daughter and I delivered a carload of Christmas presents to the projects. We drove into the impoverished area in my late model El Dorado Cadillac, which was fashionable at the time, and parked in front of Miss Betty's apartment building. I felt like a target; we didn't fit in. What had I been thinking, going alone with my young daughter? There was what looked to be a gang at the end of the street, and again my intuition provided a quick reaction. I got out of my car and asked if the boys knew Miss Betty Smith. One of the boys responded affirmatively and I asked if he knew where she lived. He did. I told the boys I had a car full of presents for Miss Smith and said, "This a too much stuff for us to take alone. Will you please help us deliver these presents to Miss Betty?" So the Crips*, my daughter, and I headed to Miss Betty's place and made her day. Again a wonderful solution.

My daughter once wrote a paper on incidents that formed her values. She included that day as a turning point. Her recollection was not about feeling afraid; she was touched first-hand by the kind of poverty she witnessed. That day she decided she would always help when she could, and she did. I watched her grow into a compassionate woman who spent years in a profession helping underprivileged populations.

There are times when we are faced with real and imagined danger. Rather than freak out or being frightened, looking for creative solutions can rectify an otherwise unpleasant situation or even help us avoid a potentially dangerous one. We won't always be able to come out of every situation unscathed, but when we live with an expectancy that there is always a better, easier, and safer way to confront any situation, we are less apt to trip ourselves up when faced with a potentially bad one. It only takes a few seconds to check in with our intuition, and I've found that when I do, it always makes my life EZier and EZier. I hope you are never faced with these kinds of choices, but I'm sure if you are, you will find that holding back the fear and making friends of your supposed enemies will make your life EZier and EZier too.

*Name of a notorious street gang. These weren’t really the Crips; I made that up.

Anne

  Quotes

"When an impulse begins to die, allegiance to it increases."
— Quest Magazine

"Give fair play to the researcher, not blind acceptance."
— Annie Besant

"To Be Free is Not Merely to Cast Off One’s Chains, but to live in a way that enhances and respects the freedom of others."
— Nelson Mandela
(This is on the wall at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. Think you are washed up? President Mandela was 78 when he took office.)

"Don’t go on a Mind Trip. Go on an ET – Easy Trip."
— Anne Sermons Gillis

  Featured Product This Month

  What is EZosophy?

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  Healthy Living

Lemon Aid

When your server asks for your drink order, do you order water with lemon? Do you love lemons? If so, you may be onto something.

Lemons are a miracle food. They are tart; even the thought of one can make your mouth pucker, but these small, yellow balls carry potent healing potential. A lemon is a nutraceutical. A nutraceutical is a food that contains health and medicinal benefits.

Below are some of the benefits of lemon.

• It is antibacterial.
• It is antiviral.
• It aids digestion.
• It can be used to treat acne.
• It helps to regulate blood pressure.
• It fights against parasites and worms.
• It possesses antidepressant qualities.
• It helps to reduce stress and anxiety.

Other health benefits include treatment of throat infections, indigestion, constipation, dental problems, fever, internal bleeding, rheumatism, burns, obesity, respiratory disorders, cholera, and high blood pressure, while it also benefits hair and skin care.

Some claim that a mixture of one cup of water, 2 teaspoons of pink Himalayan sea salt, and the juice of one lemon will cure a migraine. I haven’t tried this because I’ve never had a migraine, but I would try this if I had a debilitating headache. It couldn’t hurt, unless it upsets your stomach, but it’s a risk I’d take at least once.

Lemon drinks are refreshing and calming. Try a lemon cooler. Mix ¼ to ½ of cup of fresh squeezed orange juice, ½ lemon (If you cut the lemon in half and puncture the inside in several places with a small knife, it is easier to juice.), and stevia, with water, over crushed ice, to make a yummy drink. This will suppress your appetite.

The peel has more vitamins and health benefits than the juice. You can take advantage of the whole lemon by freezing it and grating the rind and all over your salad or appropriate food. This article cites 31 uses for lemon peel, including removing age spots, a recipe for lemon peel cleaner, and its use as a metal polish.

Lemons last much longer if stored in the refrigerator, but if you are going to use them within a week, they are fine stored at room temperature. Storing lemons in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator keeps the lemons from hardening as fast. Take your lemons out of the fridge in time for them to get to room temperature before you use them. They will yield more juice.

What a treat, a food that is not only tasty, and healthy, it’s also trendy. Never discount those lemons, and when your server brings you water, ask for lemon. You deserve it.

  Anne Talks

Today's Anne Talk is Like Everyone. How to actively show compassion to others. Time: 0:36.

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  Anne Art

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You may reach Anne by phone at 281-419-1775 or click the button below to contact Anne by email. Anne is also available to officiate at weddings and funerals.