Your common sense of smell is the part of you that honors seasonal traditions. Late summer harvest chores are as traditional as it gets. The need to gather food for winter is instinct, how it’s done year to year is tradition. I can tomatoes exactly the way my mother did. My jams and jellies are very similar to the way my grandmother did them. Drying herbs and flowers this time of year goes back even farther than that.
Readying the harvest for winter is part of every community around the world. Where you live determines the tradition. Putting up the same foods that my mother did is nurturing in many ways. I remember my childhood every time I smell them. Doing the same harvest chores I did as a child makes me aware of how long a tradition has been upheld. Teaching them to my granddaughter is legacy in action.
Following and passing down tradition creates stamina. The satisfaction of seeing traditions finished, especially if you are teaching them to the younger generation, keeps your mind and spirit happy. That happiness gives your body stamina.
Your Common Sense of Smell is also very useful this time of year for setting boundaries and priorities. There a lot going on. This is the part of you that decides whether you are going to do a task or not. The decision is based on past experience. If a task is traditionally done this time of year, it will be done. If you are very busy already, a new task will not be a happy surprise…and your mind will set a protective boundary by saying no.
This part of you protects you from doing too much at once. This part of you likes to do things one at a time, do it very well, then do the next thing on the list. Organized, methodical, efficiency and calm all come from this part of you.
All of the traits found in your Common Sense of Smell add stamina to your life. Used wisely, they work as a brake pedal in life. If life is handing you a lot of twists and turns, slow down. Assess the road ahead before driving at full speed.
Symptoms of being overheated can come from your body, mind or spirit. If you ignore them, they will get worse. Time to cool off if any of the following are happening: Over critical, trouble letting go of an issue, rashes, eczema, dry cough with a tight chest, sinus headache, dry hair, dry skin, not enough sweat, stiff spine, constipation, dry/cracked nails, scanty urine, dry nose/throat and tight muscles.
Cooling foods include: Apples, applesauce, fresh apricots, asparagus, avocados, bananas, fresh basil, beans, beet greens, sweet berries, cooked broccoli, brussel sprouts, cooked carrots, cooked cauliflower, chard, mango chutney, cilantro, coconut oil, fresh corn, cucumber, dandelion greens, dill, dulse, egg white, mild flavored fish, ghee, grapes, grape leaf, leafy greens, green beans, kale, lemon, lemonade with honey or maple syrup, lentils, lettuce, maple syrup, mushrooms
Oats, cooked onions, fresh parsley, parsnip, pear, ripe sweet peppers, fresh plum, pomegranate, saffron, spearmint, sprouts, spaghetti squash summer squash, black or green tea, cold tea (no ice, it stops digestion), fresh tomatoes, watercress, watermelon, wintergreen, zucchini
Foods to avoid, or use in balanced moderation: Dried beans, beef, yeasted bread, carbonated beverages, raw carrots, dairy of any kind, duck, oily fish, grapefruit, ham, ice cream, icy drinks, sour cherry juice, cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, orange juice, papaya juice, tomato juice, V-8 juice, kiwi, lamb, lemonade unless sweetened with honey or maple syrup, mayonnaise, melon, most milk varieties (only goat milk is okay), miso, molasses
Nuts in moderation (no more than a fistful a day, total), black olives, green olives, oranges, papaya, pickles, pineapple, sweet plums, pork, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, psyllium seed, pumpkin, rhubarb, rice, safflower oil, salt, sesame oil, white sugar, sour cream, soy sauce, soy products, winter squash, tahini, tamari, dark meat turkey, vinegar, walnut oil
