The Body's Own Ability!

I came across a liberating perspective about toxins in Well Being: Rejuvenating Recipes for Body and Soul, a self-care manual by Barbara Close. She says that traditional natural healers advise taking time in the spring to create detoxification rituals. Here's the liberating part:

The idea that the body needs to detoxify can be over-exaggerated, as the body naturally is very effective in cleansing itself. Many people become fixated on the concept of purging the body of parasites, yeasts, and toxins, with the idea that the body can reach a state of purity. This is a very punishing concept and one that has consumed human consciousness from early times, prompting ancient practices such as bloodletting. A far healthier notion is to support the body's own ability to detoxify via the circulatory and lymphatic system.

(Then she gives some recipes for teas and tonics that look divine and support the body's natural ability.)

Punishing concepts be damned! I'm not planning to go chug a gallon of high fructose corn syrup, but I am planning to honor my body and be grateful for its amazing ability to detoxify. I am sick and tired of thinking about all the toxins that make us sick and tired. I'm turning my attention to my strong and capable cells. And in my gratitude I will give my body supportive gifts, like lavender and lemon balm.

Speaking of lavender and lemon balm and taking time in the spring, I have been tending my yard and loving every bit of it. I did the bulk of the hard work the past few years, so now it's about maintenance and beautification. (Hmm, that speaks for more than my yard, doesn't it?) I just love this old yard, even though we rent the home and don't have lush green grass and can't walk without stepping on a pine cone or Sweet Gum ball. Already this season, kind neighbors and parents have given me parsley, persimmon, hydrangeas and a butterfly bush. (My favorite kind of gift is the kind I promptly bury in the dirt!) I've got such dreams, such beautiful visions for this spot of earth. And now I'm adding herbs to the dream, so I can create an herbal remedy chest for some of those divine teas and tonics.