Thank your body for doing thousands of things without you even having to think about it. 

You take a bite of a sandwich, and after chewing and swallowing, your job is done. The digestive system largely takes over from there. You bang your head on the edge of the pool, and after a couple of stitches and a bandage, your circulatory system comes to the rescue to heal the wound. Your brain and nervous system receive information via your eyes, ears, nose, and touch, alerting you to environmental dangers, as well as pleasurable opportunities. You fall asleep each night and your body grows, heals, rests, recuperates, and stores energy for you to get up and do life again the next day. All without much conscious intervention on your part.

The lymphatic system also functions with or without your help. But if you want to increase its immunity-building capabilities, you can actually do something about it. Like a bodybuilder works to define her muscles, your behavior actually facilitates a health...

You just dropped an iron on your big toe.

After crumpling to your knees and spewing a curse word or two, you know what’s going to happen. Your toe will turn bright red, it’ll get very hot to the touch, it will be sore and puffy. You may not be able to move it for a while. These are all signs of inflammation, your body’s natural defenses coming to the rescue.

What you can’t see is the dilation of the blood vessels, which allow more blood to reach the tissue. This blood contains a gang of white blood cells rushing into the wounded tissue, ready to fight a battle against infection. Inflammatory mediators trigger immune system cells to pass out of the small blood vessels to prevent further tissue damage. Hormonal signals irritate nerves and cause pain. Inflammation, from the Latin “inflammare”( to burn), sounds an alarm to your entire body. If something hurts, you’re more likely to notice and protect that body part. 

Inflammation also involves interstitial fluid, which pools into the...

In the process of downsizing, you’re going to come face to face with half-finished projects and reminders of hopes that never came to pass.

This is especially difficult for creative people with hobbies like sewing, gardening, woodworking, electronic tinkering, and even reading, etc.

I don’t care how much appreciation you have in your enlightened heart, or how many times you thank objects that don’t spark joy. The downsizing process challenges you to peel the memory from the object.

When you hold in your hands a half-finished quilt top or a video game you haven’t beaten yet; or a component of robotic hardware that hasn’t been programmed; it’s hard to uncurl those fingers and let go.

Last year I found a simple syrup recipe of hatch green chilis and spices. After testing it, friends and family certified it “Awesome” and I saved it to my files.

Thinking I’d make up some gifts, I bought 12 bottles and seals from an eBay shop for the project. The seals didn’t fit so I stashed the bottl...