The Power of Small Things, guest post by Elizabeth Jennings, author of THE BUTTON COLLECTOR

Elizabeth Jennings, author of THE BUTTON COLLECTOR

Years ago, I began writing a novel based on a family’s collection of discarded buttons because I liked the idea of small, tangible items telling stories that weave together to form a larger truth.

At the time, I had no idea how many button aficionados exist in this world.  Or how devoted they are.  Or talented.  Or insightful.  Since then, I’ve come across countless button jewelers, button crafters, and button florists who create objects of beauty ranging from whimsical earrings to festive bridal bouquets.  I’ve discovered artists who transform buttons into complex, sophisticated mosaics, mandalas, and even sculptures.  I’ve become aware of clubs and organizations just for button collectors, including The National Button Society, which is made up of 3000 serious collectors who research buttons as historical artifacts.

Button fans, it would seem, are legion.  But beyond the hard-core button contingent is an even greater number of regular folk who have vivid memories of playing with their own family’s collection of buttons.  Here are some typical reactions I get when I tell people the basic premise for my book, THE BUTTON COLLECTOR:

“I did that! My grandmother had a box of buttons I used to play with.”

“I can see my mother’s button jar right now.”

“I loved the sound they made when I poured them out of the tin.”

The memories are obviously visceral, the kind of memories that serve as a time portal.   As I talk with these people, in their eyes I can almost see the switch flip and the past come to life.

In my casual, on-and-off study of people and their buttons, I recently came across one of the most poignant examples of all—The Holocaust Memorial Button Project in Peoria, Illinois, which I discovered through a wonderful blog called Bonkers About Buttons.   The memorial is made of glass stars and triangles encasing 11 million buttons, one for each person murdered in the Holocaust.  As Bonkers about Buttons explains:

The visual image the group selected to use was a simple button, which was chosen to represent each life because of their circular shape reminding us of the cycle of life. Buttons are also enduring – they last long after garments have faded and unraveled to remind us of the past.

The memorial contains a staggering 11 millions buttons – some big, some small, some fancy and some plain and provides a visual representation of what is too startling and too staggering for the mind or heart to comprehend.

The idea is similar to a popular middle school exercise in which students collect paper clips to represent people killed in the Holocaust.  While paper clips work well to show the scale of atrocity, I believe buttons give the memorial added depth because they are personal. They remind us of our own clothing, our own details, our own humanity.  I like the fact that people donated their buttons for the project.  In this situation, the buttons have an almost talisman-like power that appears to demand memory, respect, and justice.

From time to time over the years I’ve doubted the whole idea behind my book.  Who wants to read about buttons anyway?  People might think the idea is silly, frivolous, childish.  Fortunately, realizing that I’m not alone in my appreciation for these little objects of art and history gave me confidence to keep going until now, I’m happy to say, I have a book.

As a writer, I also feel validated when I notice buttons making appearances in other writers’ words.  About half the books I’ve read this year have included details, passages, or even recurring themes focused on buttons.  I don’t think these references are anything another reader would notice, but I do, and it underscores one of my guiding beliefs as both a writer and a person—small things matter.   They matter a lot, even more, usually, than big things.  Small things are the way you make a story true and alive, how you give it the power to reach out from the page and crawl into a reader’s soul, how you make memory dance and dreams shimmer.

The big things in a story—epic battles, age-old betrayals, mountaintop experiences—only have power if they can be made particular, if the reader can experience them up close and personal.  That’s why it’s possible for me to read accounts of Roman gladiators and feel only a whisper of unease–I can’t relate to those people.   I don’t know what they ate, how they played with their children, or any other details of their daily life.  On the other hand, just glancing at the guide for the Anne Frank Memorial is almost more than I can bear because the little details in it make it easy for me to imagine myself and my children in her place.

Small things have the power to make happiness come alive too, and that brings me back to buttons. Imagine 30 satin buttons tracing down the back of a wedding gown.  Imagine three baseball buttons on a baby boy’s playsuit.  Imagine a single metal button shining on a new leather satchel.

Imagine elegance, innocence, possibility.

Imagine the details of the stories.

Imagine life.

www.elizabethjennings.com

Related articles

• Book Diva Review: The Button Collector (bookdiva.wordpress.com)

Cycling to Beat the Blues, Guest post by Evelyn Pearce

Rob the moment, Flickr Creative Commons

Guest post by Evelyn Pearce

How do you feel after a good cycle? If you got on your bike not feeling your best, the chances are that when you get off the saddle you’ll be feeling brighter, more positive and ready to face whatever the rest of the day has to throw at you. It’s no coincidence you feel this way, as regular outdoor exercise such as cycling can do wonders for our mental well-being. Not only does this sort of activity trigger favorable changes within the brain, but it brings about other conditions that work towards boosting how we feel.

The effects of activity on our brain

Even though all our modern needs are met within easy reach, go back in time and we were reliant on getting about under our own steam to find essentials such as food, water and shelter. For the survival of the human species, it was vital that exercise was enjoyable.  For this reason, systems developed within our brain so activity produced pleasurable feelings, reinforcing the desire to stay active. While the necessity of exercise for our basic needs might now be redundant, the same systems are still at work, producing that feel good sense when you cycle.

There are a number of changes that occur in the brain on activity. Firstly, endorphins are released. These chemical messengers bind to the same areas of the brain that are activated when someone takes morphine or heroin, which triggers feelings of euphoria, giving us a natural high; how great this feels depends on the intensity and duration of the activity. Two other messengers are also released in the brain when we exercise, namely dopamine and serotonin, which are responsible for feelings of calm and well-being. Another group of substances that occur naturally in the body called brain derived neurotrophic factors are also activated by exercise and these play a role in helping new brain cells to develop and nerves to make connections with each other. However, besides the chemical changes that occur in the brain, the increase in blood flow that occurs when muscles are used also appears to play a role in boosting mood. When more blood flows through the brain, a chain of events occurs and certain areas of the brain that are linked to mood and motivation are stimulated.

Aside from the changes that occur within the body, how else can cycling help to lift mood?

Other mood enhancing effects of cycling

Cycling is a great way to get you out and about, so not only do you get to explore your surroundings, but you have the opportunity to meet people. Humans are social beings and social interaction is good for mental health; having regular contact with others doesn’t just help to keep us in good spirits, but can help to bring up mood when feeling low. If you are perhaps nervous to cycle by yourself, go out with a friend or family member; some areas even have cycling groups, which are aimed at encouraging physical activity, so are perfect if you’re new to cycling. Meeting new people through a cycling group is a good way to increase your confidence, which can sometimes take a battering if you feel anxious or depressed.

Outdoor activity is well documented as a mood enhancer. Being in green spaces does wonders for how you feel. Whether cycling through a nature park, woodland trail or just along a country lane, nature’s tranquility can help you to relax, which can certainly help you to feel brighter; additionally, the color green is well-known for its calming effect. Interestingly, research shows that the benefits on mood are even greater if there is water in the environment where you are, so if there’s a trail around a lake or by a river near you, why not cycle it more often?

When we’re out on our bike, we’re concentrating on the road or taking in the view on a traffic-free route. This means cycling is a good way to take our mind off other thoughts. Life is hectic and with the stresses and strains it brings, this can sometimes get us all down. However, having an activity we can escape to when things get too much is very positive and cycling is ideal for this, as we can simply get our bike out the garage and take off for an hour. Whether we’re feeling upset, angry or frustrated, we can peddle these feelings away; it’s certainly more positive than turning to alcohol, drugs or comfort eating.

Equally, sometimes we have all felt like everything is getting too much. Taking part in exercise such as cycling can be the first step to helping you get back in control of aspects of your life. Deciding to make a positive choices towards healthier lifestyle, setting yourself realistic goals – whether it’s building up to cycle a certain distance, tackling up-hill cycling or working towards a weekend cycling break – and achieving these can provide you with a sense of achievement and boost your self-esteem. Looking back at the progress you have made will inspire and motivate you to tackle other things that you might consider as a challenge or problem in your life. Not only this, but feeling more positive and sleeping better, which cycling helps you to achieve, will make it easier to tackle the challenges you face.

Exercise and facing addiction

On that note, many people don’t realize that taking part in exercise can help when they’re overcoming addictions. Anyone who is giving up cigarettes, alcohol, drugs or an activity that they have become dependent on is bound to experience cravings for their old habits. However, when these strike, taking to the saddle and the good feelings that this brings with it can help to overcome the desire to take part in unhealthy behaviors. While in an ideal world people wouldn’t turn to the likes of drugs in the first place, now’s not the time to judge, as addiction and dependence can have destructive impacts on people’s lives. For instance, the growing trend of abusing one of the drugs used to treat ADHD not only leads to amphetamine and dextroamphetamine dependence symptoms, which include anxiety, insomnia, digestive upset and weight loss, but interferes with family and social life, as well as performance in school, college and the workplace. A close friend went through this with one of her children and it was devastating to watch. Helping people to escape the hold of drugs like these isn’t easy, but with treatment that takes a holistic approach, in which exercise can play a role, they can regain control of their lives. Whatever the addiction, I’m a firm believer that natural treatments play just as important a role as anything that can be prescribed and would encourage anyone in that situation to try an outdoor pursuit such as cycling as an adjunct to their other therapy.

Receiving the benefits

Exercising regularly is known to be as effective for treating mild depression as medical or psychological treatments. Should this apply to you or you simply want to prevent such problems, how much cycling would you need to do? If you’re able to take the 150 minutes of recommended activity each week, you will be able to set yourself up for good mental health; even better if you can manage more than this. As you can start to receive benefits for your mood after just 5 minutes of outdoor activity, even short bursts of cycling will help. That means if you begin by taking the 10 minute cycle ride to the shops or a friend’s house, you’re off to a good start. Remember it’s best to start off small and build up; this way it’s easier to regularly take exercise even when you don’t feel like it, which are actually the times when you benefit from it the most.

“Evelyn Pearce is a freelance writer and mother of two. Born in Bloomington, Indiana, she first went to Paris to study French, failed, then went to England to do art history and photography. While love and kids got in the way of that, she retained an interest and has slowly begun to write on many subjects, but her favourite ones are always about art. Someday she hopes to take up photography again, well, beyond baby photos that is.”

Go back to Cycling

Related articles

• Stay active and you’ll stay happy, study suggests (todayhealth.today.com)
• Top Tips for Mountain Biking from the Cycle Insurance Team (prweb.com)
• Why We Need More Research Into Cycling and Brain Science (theatlanticcities.com)
• Short-Term Exercise Might Boost Young People’s Self-Control (news.health.com)

Cycling Your Way to Better Health

kneschg, Flickr Creative Commons

Guest post by Evelyn Pearce

Cycling means many different things to different people. It’s an environmentally-friendly mode of transport, a relaxing pastime, a great way to explore a new town, an element of a fitness regime and a competitive sport. Whatever the reason for taking to the saddle, cycling can offer a range of health benefits and largely being an outdoor activity provides advantages above and beyond attending the gym, fitness class or playing a sport inside. Here we take a look at some of the positive impacts that cycling can have for your health, making it an ideal activity to incorporate into your week.

Supports weight loss

As being overweight places you at higher risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and joint disease, losing the excess weight confers big benefits to health. Someone weighing in at around 200lb can expect to burn about 370 calories if they cycle gently for an hour; doing this three times a week would allow them to lose a pound in weight each month even if they made no other changes. Arthritis or generalized joint pain are common problems amongst people who are overweight, but as cycling is not weight bearing, this takes the pressure off the joints allowing them to exercise in comfort, so is an ideal form of activity for this group.

Cardio-protective effects

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in many industrialized countries, so taking steps to reduce our risk should be a key priority for everyone. While what we eat plays a role in maintaining the health of our heart, regular cardiovascular exercise such as cycling can help to strengthen the heart muscle and reduce other risk factors for heart disease. When taking part in cycling a number of times each week you can expect to see a fall in your resting pulse and blood pressure; not only does the heart not have to work so hard, but transporting blood at a lower pressure helps to maintain the health of the blood vessels making them less susceptible to narrowing. Your cholesterol level will also improve, seeing a fall in the LDL cholesterol that is associated with narrowing of the arteries, as well as an increase in the protective HDL version; with less narrowing, the blood is more able to flow easily. An increase in blood circulation around the body will provide a range of benefits, helping to supply all the tissues with blood, so the chances of a stroke, kidney disease and in men, impotence, are less likely. Although certain medications improve blood circulation, it is best to give them a helping hand by taking part in regular exercise.

Better blood sugar control

It isn’t just important for those who have diabetes to worry about their blood sugar control, but as type 2 diabetes is increasing at such an alarming rate and brings with it potential complications including blindness, kidney failure and stroke, we all should take an interest. However, the good news is that regular exercise like cycling can reduce your risk of developing diabetes by half. When you work your muscles as you do when you ride a bike, they need more energy, which your body supplies in the form of the sugar glucose; as a result when your muscles remove this from the blood, blood glucose levels naturally fall.

Boosts mental health

Many people are familiar with the idea that taking part in exercise stimulates the body to release endorphins, a group of hormones that make us feel contented. This could be one of the reasons why people who take part in regular exercise such as cycling have better mental health and when they do experience problems such as anxiety or depression they are better able to manage their feelings. However, outdoor activities appear to provide an even greater benefit to mental health than those undertaken indoors; it appears that being outside in the fresh air surrounded by greenery potentiates the effect of exercise by itself. Cycling may also help to ward off dementia, as studies show that taking part in moderate activity regularly can reduce your chances of developing this by 30%.

Increases Vitamin D production

Traditionally the action of the sun on our skin has been our main source of Vitamin D, but with more of us spending less time outdoors and when we do, being careful with our skin’s exposure to the sun in view of the risk of cancer, Vitamin D deficiency is on the rise. Although people who are housebound or who have more skin pigmentation are at greatest risk of deficiency, from the results of various scientific studies the Vitamin D Council estimates that as many as 50% of the world’s population are at risk. This is an issue not just for bone health, but for a range of other medical conditions; Vitamin D deficiency is now linked to an increased likelihood of developing depression, type 1 diabetes, certain cancers and multiple sclerosis. Getting out on your bike more often, particularly between April and September when we are able to make most Vitamin D, could help you to reduce the chances of you going short on this important vitamin.

With five very good reasons to get on your bike, what are you waiting for?

Go back to Cycling

“Evelyn Pearce is a freelance writer and mother of two. Born in Bloomington, Indiana, she first went to Paris to study French, failed, then went to England to do art history and photography. While love and kids got in the way of that, she retained an interest and has slowly begun to write on many subjects, but her favourite ones are always about art. Someday she hopes to take up photography again, well, beyond baby photos that is.”

Achieving Optimum Nutrition for Cycling

By Keoni Cabral, flickr Creative Commons

Guest post by Evelyn Pearce

Whether you cycle for fun, use it as a way of keeping active or for transport, eating well for cycling in these instances is just as important as if you were participating competitively. While you don’t need to consume extra food if you are not cycling a distance or for extended periods of time, the right balance of nutrients in your diet is still crucial. Here we take a look at the vital components of a balanced diet for cycling, the potential benefits of dietary supplements and ensuring you meet your fluid needs for the Spanish climate.

A balanced diet

Eating a balanced diet, which includes foods from all five groups – carbohydrates, protein-rich foods, dairy produce, fruit and vegetables, and fats – ensures that your needs for energy and nutrients are met.

• If you have taken up cycling to aid your attempts to lose weight, be cautious of overly restricting your dietary intake. It is often the case that carbohydrates will be significantly cut when someone has their sights set on weight loss, but these are your body’s preferred source of energy; if you don’t consume sufficient, you will soon know about it when you get on your bike, as you will quickly experience fatigue. Equally inadequate carbohydrate doesn’t just lead to the loss of body fat, but loss of muscle mass often accompanies this; bad news for anyone who wants to take part in exercise. Therefore, include a portion of cereal, bread, potato, pasta, rice or an equivalent with each meal.
• Adequate protein isn’t just needed to maintain the amount and strength of your muscles, but a number of protein-rich foods – notably red meat, oily fish, eggs, nuts and pulses – also supply iron, which is vital to supply your muscles with the oxygen they need to facilitate the extra release of energy required while you cycle. Additionally, protein helps to support the immune system, which can be hampered when the supply is inadequate, particularly if this is combined with intense exercise; keen cyclists who ride a number of times each week and push themselves could be at risk of this. Having two or three protein containing foods each day will provide enough to meet your needs.
• Dairy foods don’t just provide additional protein, but are rich in calcium to maintain bone strength; to obtain sufficient of this mineral, have three portions daily of a combination of a third of a pint of milk, a small pot of yogurt or an ounce of cheese.
• Fruit and vegetables are rich in antioxidants which help to neutralize the effect of free radicals, which are a product of metabolism and generated in greater quantities after exercise; if allowed to accumulate they can damage body cells. Consume in generous quantities every day.
• While fats are often frowned upon, they are needed for the supply of essential fatty acids; these have a range of roles within the body, but omega-3 fatty acids – derived from oily fish, but also walnuts, linseeds and their oils – can help to reduce inflammation, which is often a feature of injuries.

Medium chain triglycerides

There has been much interest around the use of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) as a dietary supplement amongst sport enthusiasts and those who take part in endurance activities such as long distance cycling. This particular type of fat is a smaller size than the regular fats that we obtain from our diet and provides a number of advantages above this.

• Firstly it is more easily absorbed by the body, making it ideal for anyone with digestive disorders such as celiac disease, crohn’s disease and certain disorders of the liver and pancreas, but can benefit the general population who can experience a degree of fat malabsorption.
• Secondly, they provide fewer calories per gram – closer to 8Kcal compared to 10Kcal – so are a good option for those conscious of preventing an increase in fat stores; while this is little consequence for recreational cyclists, for those who compete, carrying extra fat can hinder performance especially when cycling uphill or along more rough terrain.
• A related benefit for fat burning is that MCT oil promotes the metabolism, aiding fat burning; but it is important that they replace your usual dietary intake of fats rather than being an extra addition to your diet or this won’t be achieved.
• While they encourage fat loss, MCTs preserve lean muscle mass, which maintains your muscle function for cycling.
• Another advantage is that like carbohydrates they are used by the body immediately as a source of energy. This allows the conservation of muscle glycogen – a store of carbohydrate – which allows you to cycle for longer; though to see significant results in excess of 60g of MCTs daily is required.
• While they are not suitable for use in cooking, MCTs work well in salad dressings and can be added to fluids.

Fluid needs

Increased perspiration during an activity such as cycling causes losses of both water and body salts, which not only can lead to dehydration, but also disturbances within your body’s blood work. Low body sodium can be a particular problem, with reduced levels causing fatigue and muscle weakness, but if allowed to progress can lead to loss of consciousness and seizures, and at its worst can be fatal. Drinking according to thirst during and after cycling ensures that you don’t take too much fluid on board, which can itself dilute your body salts. Additionally, if cycling for an hour or more at any point in the year, water won’t be sufficient to replace your body salts; instead take a sports drink, which typically contain additions of sodium, potassium and magnesium to replenish losses. With temperatures reaching the mid to high twenties in many parts of Spain during the summer months, paying close attention to how much and what you drink is particularly important at this time of year.  Although the humidity is higher during the summer – particularly in the north-west of Spain, where it can rise as high as 80% – which reduces sweat evaporation, we still sweat according to our exertion and temperature. In the hotter months consider using a sports drink whenever you cycle, as it is surprising how quickly dehydration and electrolyte imbalances can set in.

Eating well and hydrating appropriately throughout the year helps you to remain in good health and condition, allowing you to enjoy the many opportunities for cycling that Spain has to offer.

“Evelyn Pearce is a freelance writer and mother of two. Born in Bloomington, Indiana, she first went to Paris to study French, failed, then went to England to do art history and photography. While love and kids got in the way of that, she retained an interest and has slowly begun to write on many subjects, but her favourite ones are always about art. Someday she hopes to take up photography again, well, beyond baby photos that is.”

Related articles

• Food for Fuel (meganjanicke.wordpress.com)
• Muscle Building 101 (herlifestyled.wordpress.com)
• Loose fat, define muscle. How to? (newbiefit.com)
• Top 10 resolutions for a healthier new year (feelthebest.wordpress.com)

Decorating With DIY Sunburst Mirrors

Decorating with DIY Sunburst Mirrors (Photo via)

One of the most common types of home decor wall mirrors are sunburst mirrors. There are lots of designer sunburst mirrors, but DIY sunburst mirrors shine the most on the internet. And the reason for that is because theyíre fun to create!

In this post we will go over some fabulous examples of decorating with DIY sunburst mirrors.

Pencil Sunburst Mirror

If you have 54 pencils to spare and youíre looking to help your kids design a sunburst mirror for their teachers or their bedrooms, then this tutorial is perfect for you.

Spoon Sunburst Mirror!†(Photo via)

If you happen to have 105 plastic colored spoons lying around and an 18 inch round mirror, this Country Living DIY project will give you all of the steps needed to create this searing pink masterpiece. You may have 105 spoons, but a sunburst mirror is focal point number one.

Shim Sunburst Mirror

In this DIY sunburst mirror made of shims, all you need are two bundles of shims, a glue gun, floral craft rings, an 8î round mirror, and a picture hanging kit. This tutorial comes from 26-to-life. This looks more designer than DIY, but trust us, itís a DIY project waiting to happen.

Chopstick Sunburst Mirror

If you happen to be a collector of chopsticks from your local sushi restaurant, this DIY project is for you. Which by the way is exactly what the blogger who created this DIY mirror tutorial did: ì(FREE [chopsticks] from my local sushi place, since they love me there.)î

All you need are chopsticks, bamboo skewers, round mirror, glue gun; hereís the full list of supplies.

No matter the style of sunburst mirror you like the best, the possibilities are endless. All it takes is a mirror and a bit of creativity and your sunburst mirror will be opening up your room with a one of a kind design that will make everyone beg for YOUR tutorial!

About the Author

Shahab Shokouhi is a Writer at†Dulles Glass and Mirror†ñ a manufacturer of commercial and residential glass products including custom mirrors, glass top, and glass top desks.