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Network with Nature Working professionals - all working professionals - deal with a certain amount of stress every day. Parents and caregivers have added stressors, and eight hours can click by seemingly in minutes, leaving you wondering how you'll get it all done. Taking time to recuperate and regenerate our bodies and spirits can recharge our batteries. We must re-boot our hard drives to be in tip-top shape for our never-ending bouts with stress in the personal and professional arenas. As an independent professional virtual assistant, I have access to certain outlets that I use to alleviate stress and get in touch with what really makes me happy: gardening and my animals. Networking with nature helps sweep my anxieties and tension under the proverbial rug. There's nothing like tilling a plot and pulling weeds while earthworms squiggle back to quieter corners. Planting a seed or bulb and watching it grow. That sort of thing can give a person such feelings of accomplishment. While your "babies" grow, you begin to wonder what they will look like all grown up. Will their flowers be beautiful? Will they have all their stems and roots? Will their leaves be the color of the other sprouts? Will they be productive and fulfill their destinies? While some people can recite the Latin names for every plant in their yard and home, others don't have a clue what to plant - let alone where or how! Here is a helpful idea for creating a garden of plants and flowers that will bring color and beauty throughout the growing season. If you don't have a yard, you could plant these in clay pots and set them near or in a source of sunlight. Three-season Garden Dimensions: 8 feet x 12 feet (start with #1 below and plant from back to front of garden) 1.) 2 Delphiniums, 2 Cloth of Gold, 2 Coneflowers, 1 Shasta Daisy (back row) 2.) 3 Clustered Bellflowers, 1 Cloth of Gold, 1 Tall Phlox, 1 Coneflower, 2 Lemon Fluff, 1 Shasta Daisy (center row) 3.) 3 Achillea, 1 Lemon Fluff, 1 Astilbe, I Shasta Daisy (front row) Another fabulous stress relieving remedy lies in animals. I have two English Bulldogs and two cats. Add that to a family of five humans, and you've got a zoo. But there is something to be said about the soothing affects of animal companionship. They give unconditional love and will offer a kiss or the opportunity to stroke their fur any time you need reassurance or affection. Animals don't expect you to return favors. They don't boss you around or make you feel bad about not earning enough money or keeping a tidier home. They won't laugh at you when you get a pimple or gain a few pounds. Animals aren't prejudice and won't judge you based on color, nationality, religion, sexual preference or disability. One way to make a difference and earn a tax deduction is to make a donation to your local humane society, animal shelter, ASPCA or other nonprofit organization whose mission is the welfare of animals. If you have room in your heart, mind and pocketbook, consider adopting or fostering an animal in need. The reward you'll receive far outweighs any inconveniences that might come from accepting the added responsibility. Network with nature, my friends. In exchange, you'll gain insight into what is really important and lose sight of the stressors of working to earn a living. ___________________________________________________________________________ Melanie O’Kane is President of MAD Typing and Consulting, a virtual assistant company based in Madison, Wisconsin, that provides administrative, creative and business writing services to clients throughout the United States. O’Kane is a 20-year administrative veteran and successful e-book author and columnist. Learn more about Melanie O'Kane and MAD Typing and Consulting by visiting http://www.mad-typing-and-consulting.com. ### |