Home Is...Ideas for a Better Quality of Life
Believe it or Not|Quality of Life|Home Is Not a Place, It Is a Feeling|Home On The Go|Our Body Is a Home of Changing Frequencies|Doctors Wanted to Improve The Quality of Life for The Villagers|Empathy
Volume 1 Number 7
Editorial
Believe it or not! (No, this is not a Ripley’s repeat.) The first man lived in caves. So did my Great-grandfather, EJ Rawson. My Great-grandmother passed away in that cave in the middle of winter, giving birth to my grandfather, HH Rawson. That was in 1902, a year that marked a significant shift in our family history.
EJ’s company dug coal in the Colorado mountains and then delivered it to Denver's waiting customers with three wagon teams he and his two boys operated. On that day in January 1902, while EJ was making deliveries, my great-grandmother delivered my grandfather, HH, by herself. She passed the next day.
Today, the human race lives in a myriad of dwellings-grovels, huts, caves, shacks, under bridges, alleyways, tents, cars, trailers, tiny homes, tract homes, custom homes, and mansions. But are they all a home?
It’s said, “A house or dwelling is not a home.” Personally, I’ve always believed that. I’ve lived on a farm, in a tract home, in an abandoned garage, in apartments, tents, and houses of all sizes. You can buy or rent a dwelling but must make it a home.
Stay with us and please don’t forget to support our work and subscribe as we explore those bits that make “a home and determine the quality of life.”
DR Rawson - The Possibilist
Quality of Life
By Dr. Gabriella Kőrösi
In the morning breeze, I take a deep breath and embark on the adventure of my day filled with wonder and joy every step on my way. A good quality of life can mean many different things. To me waking up in my home, in my own body, rested, full of life, and being grateful for what I have is a great quality of life.
Every moment I am alive, I can function and enjoy the things I like to do I am grateful for. My home is in a safe place, surrounded by trees and beautiful views. I feel comfortable walking amongst the trees. I enjoy my home, the house where I live. I enjoy my home in my body and mind as well. Home can also be where I am at any particular moment in my life. When I was out on the sacred scablands for weeks for a life-altering transformation and close connection with Mother Earth, the land was also my home.
I am not “living” on the land anymore, yet the land is still a part of me today. Every home I ever had including my mother’s womb is a part of me and a part of who I am. The quality comes in how I treat myself and the surroundings where I am. I respect and I am grateful for my home, my surroundings, and my body and mind. I am my home.
Home Is Not a Place, It Is a Feeling
By Libby Shively McAvoy
Home Is Where The Heart Is
I knew I was in love for the first time when I hugged him, and it felt like I had arrived home. Maybe home has nothing to do with the walls around us or the roof over our heads, but instead, everything to do with the people we are surrounded by. I know I could be happy living anywhere as long as the love of my life is by my side. When the day comes when one of us passes (and I hope I go first), I know we will be okay on our own, cherishing the memories we made.
A Solid Foundation
Falling in love is one thing, but it won’t make a relationship last. We must build a foundation on which we can thrive through even the hardest of times. Sharing common values, interests, and goals for the future is a start.
To have a happy home, we must eliminate screaming, yelling, demeaning behavior, and passive-aggressiveness. Conflict will always exist, but it must be resolved respectfully. Couples need to make time for each other for quality conversations as well as for having fun. When things are serious all the time tension builds. Our inner child needs adventure and play at every stage in life.
A happy spouse makes a happy house.
It is crucial to practice appreciation for one another. We all need to feel appreciated. You can do this by thanking each other for everyday tasks that are easy to overlook, by physical touch, by small notes or cards, or by taking each other on a surprise date. My dad always said it is important to continue dating your spouse no matter how long you have been married, and I thought that was sage advice. He and my mom were married sixty-two years when he passed away. Passion will fade unless it is rekindled. Also, speak highly about one another to others whether your partner is present or not — this goes a long way in the health of the relationship and stability of the home.
Final Thoughts
Home is a safe retreat. It is a place where we can be ourselves, kick back, and relax. Whether you are single, newlywed, starting a family, or empty nesters, be sure you are constantly creating a space that is fostering your relationship. The less clutter there is, the more peaceful the mind can be.
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Home, On The Go.
By DR Rawson
Over the course of my career, I’ve traveled more than I should have. While I enjoyed it, it was stressful and kept me away from home. I always traveled with pictures of my children and my wife in frames that could be set up wherever I found myself.
First words, crawls, steps, tantrums, completion of almost anything, recitals, birthdays, games, graduations, anniversaries, and holidays (except Christmas) are all on my list of times I was away from the one thing I said I wanted: HOME. I didn’t miss the house no matter how small, big, luxurious, etc., I missed the HOME, a.k.a. FAMILY.
I’ll admit, before joining the ministry, I fully enjoyed its prestige. Amazingly, this former homeless kid could be looked up to and experience things others could only dream about. Then, I realized my purpose and what being a father meant. I’ll let you guess where my real example came from.
For years, I was away and wishing I was home. When I was home, I had a problem not seeing the good or solutions I could bring by being away. Then, I learned the principle of being in the “Moment.” That was when my moments started creating memories at home and work. Life became so much sweeter; home became so much more meaningful.
It’s not the amount, size, location, or design of any house; what goes on inside makes a home. It’s the family, the two of you, the ten of you. It makes no difference. That’s where your heart is; that’s HOME.
Our Body Is a Home of Changing Frequencies
By Linda Sharp
I’m getting older. It’s happening in the subtlest ways. I can feel the difference in my body from just a few years ago, as opposed to now.
In 2022, a few months after I quit smoking, I started getting very ill after I ate. I started having acid reflux and asthmatic symptoms. These sensations were terrifying because they were sudden, intense, and unfamiliar. The situation became dire. I started seeing allergists, and doctors, and even had to go to the hospital. The doctors couldn’t figure out what was happening in my body. Once my lung scans came back negative the results were in I was extremely healthy and asthma was no longer an option. With no clear diagnosis, I was lost and scared because of how intimate these sensations in my body felt since they were happening inside of me.
At one point, I just wanted to run out of my own body. And that’s when I recognized that, my body is a house for my soul. The two are separate but work as one. I realized that as sick as I felt, my soul somehow felt trapped by that feeling; almost as if it was perfectly fine and being confined to something that wasn’t. The body communicates any repairs it needs through sensations, and the soul replies through feelings. The purpose is to return to homeostasis. My soul knew it was not sick and that it was not the one reacting, the body was.
Realizing that the human body is a house (despite it usually being compared to a vehicle) is how I was able to begin the process of saving my life and realizing that many answers to healing my body were right in front of me.
I was diagnosed with gastric reflux disease in 2012. I hadn’t had a flare-up in years but after a near-death experience at the start of 2022, my symptoms started. This time, they were more severe. My body could no longer handle processing things that were already processed. I had to heal it so, I changed my entire diet. I went from processed foods to fruit smoothies, steamed vegetables, and fish. I adopted the blood-type diet and saw miracles take place in my body. Although it cost many dietary comforts, I would rather live in a happy home.
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Doctors Wanted to Improve The Quality of Life for The Villagers
Something unexpected occurred
by Phyllis Haynes
Have you ever heard one of those stories that opens your eyes and changes your perspective immediately?
Before I heard this story, I was a big believer in the absolute value of do-gooders, good samaritans, and bleeding-heart liberals. This story changed my views and added a new dimension to understanding more about when to help and when to consider the consequences of helping.
I believe that we need to help the oppressed, the poor, and the sick and this story changed my understanding of how we go forward helping others. I was at a meeting of the International Society for Panetics. The meetings were held in Washington DC. It was run by a thoughtful Chinese-American Dr. Ralph HG Siu who created this organization of scholars and scientists devoted to improving the world.
Dr. Glen Geelhoed a world-renowned infectious disease expert and a medical team leader to areas of need in the world told a story about a village in Africa where almost all the women had goiter resulting in large unsightly bulging lumps on their necks. The visiting doctors thought they could help these women and solve the overall condition that created goiter by surgically removing the goiters and treating the village’s iodine deficiency( a very simple problem to solve.)
While this goiter condition existed, the life expectancy was roughly 45 years. The population growth was stagnant. Then the women felt better and had the big ugly bulges removed. The doctors were proud of their work and the villagers were happy.
The small population began to grow as the women became more attractive. Soon there were a lot more mouths to feed and life expectancy increased without the condition creating an entirely different problem: Food insecurity and much subsequent suffering. The stability of the small community was gone.
The story exemplified the reason Dr. Siu and his colleagues created the organization. To alleviate the suffering caused by human decision-making.
I sat there listening to Dr. Geelhoed. I saw the world differently. I understood more about the challenges facing the delivery of “good.” I understood there was much more to consider before solving the world's biggest problems.
The mission: To find a way to evaluate decision-making and measure outcomes to prevent suffering.
Dr. Ralph G. H. Siu has challenged the intellectual community with a call for a new academic discipline that he calls Panetics (from the Pali word paneti meaning 'to inflict'). Panetics is the study of humanly engendered suffering, its causes and methods of alleviation. Suffering is measured in units called dukkhas (from the Pali word dukkha meaning suffering), which are the product of the intensity of pain and the amount of time the pain is endured. The result will be in terms of units of suffering, i.e. the dukkha. Dr. Siu has argued that this new academic discipline is not a forum for the discussion of theoretical ethics nor is there any implied moral precept that prescribes moral action. It will be shown that not only are there prescriptions for moral action embedded in Panetic talk but that the entire discipline rests on moral presuppositions. In addition, a normative ethic is implied in the purpose of the Panetic Calculus, and this will be clarified.* Amerson, Russell Doyle, Doctoral Thesis: The Universal Duty to Alleviate the Infliction of Suffering May 1997
The desire to make a change to help others needs to be considered carefully. We observed the challenges of officials dealing with COVID. Shutdowns and closings were necessary to keep people alive and others suffered because they lost income and business. Children fell behind when schools closed especially those without access to computers.
The idea surrounding the “quality of life” is not a fixed notion beyond the basic rungs of the Maslow model. It is nuanced and complicated by various elements including cultural norms, geography, history, and belief systems.
People dedicated to helping people have a better quality of life must consider each action carefully by analyzing the short-term and long-term impact of each of their actions.
Poem: Humanrace-- Empathy
by Monoreena Acharjee
It may not be in us to know
everything
It may not be in us to love
everyone
It may not be in us to feel
like a poet
It may not be in us to have
imaginations loaded,
We are humans after all —
not the Omni-potent.
Neural programming excels in
clickbait,
Click the right, ignore the bait,
link the known, unknown and
hearsay,
Come, let’s open our thinking floodgate,
Jumping to conclude, vilify and hate,
the above three too, need a break, mate!
Beating on the left is our existence
defined,
Emotions, feelings, home it finds,
non-converging signals often
cross our path,
Breaking the circuit, leaving
annoying buzz,
Be the good neighbour, smile it away,
few pearls of wisdom —
don’t let your virtues sway!
Hurt, loss & pain
mazed in a bowl —
Are ways of life for a
sensitive soul,
But not many know of this,
unless we have stories of our own.
Some may have their
lady-luck shining,
But many experience
brutal life’s grinding,
Let’s be the readers of
stories untold,
Judgements be trashed,
compassion, up we hold.
Be the EMPATHETIC you
for the earth so bare,
Show the world that
You certainly care,
Let the Soul ooze of cries
that to us stare,
Make kindness the rule
even when unaware,
Make the most of a life
lived in drudgery and chase
Aren’t we charmed, being members
of www.Humanrace--
Author’s Note: The modern world is connected like never before.
Yet we are lonelier than ever. The reason being the nature of this connection is
rather shallow and self-directed.
However, real human connection can be forged through understanding and
Empathy if we are ready to take the next step.
Gabriella - stay cool in the summer heat by using a small wet cloth that you place in the freezer for 20 minutes and put it on your neck to cool down for a few minutes.
Libby, it is okay not to be okay all the time. Living together can be difficult. It is alright to take alone time; just communicate this to your partner so they do not take it personally. It is all in the delivery 😉.
DEP Nutrition Tip: It is essential to replace electrolytes after sweating, especially during the hot summer months. Potassium, magnesium, calcium, and small doses of sodium are the most important minerals to replace. While drinking water is important, it can also flush out the remaining electrolytes in your body. Consider drinking coconut water, water with oranges, lemon, and cucumber, and eating pickles, almonds, avocado, banana, and tomato.
DR - Missed opportunities are life lessons for those who watch and listen.
LIN- The body speaks to the soul through many sensations. Make it a healthy conversation.
Positive Affirmation: Remember, the trick with positive affirmations is to repeat them throughout the day and week until you believe them. They have the power to rewire self-limiting subconscious beliefs, but only when you believe.
Thanks for reading,
Dr. Gabriella Kőrösi, Founder
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 | A guest post by
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Excellent edition and contributions everyone!
Wonderful tips and articles. Evokes thinking on what is important and how to create a better quality of life. The question what is home and a good life for each of us is thought provoking. I enjoyed reading all the articles, tips and poem.