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I learned the sad news about the death of one of my high school classmate last Thursday. She was 39 years old and the mother of 3 young daughters. She was also a girlfriend and partner in life with the father of her children (not married but it means the same thing in Quebec), a daughter, a sister, a friend, a niece, and a co-worker. For me, she was a friend from high school. Her name was Geneviève Marsot.
After high school, I moved from my hometown to the big city, Montreal, and I didn’t see Geneviève for probably a decade. I met her in a boutique while shopping. She was the same as I remember: warm, endearing, beautiful (both inside and out), sweet and full of life. Irresistible in a way. As vibrant as she used to be on a soccer or volleyball field where we had so much fun. Unfortunately, our roads didn’t cross again after that short encounter but I always had nice thoughts of Geneviève. In 2005, 20 years after our graduation, I couldn’t make the high school reunion due to a family obligation. There are few people I would have liked to meet there and Geneviève was among those people. I am sorry I didn’t have the chance to see her then. She was in my thoughts and in my heart despite the distance Rimouski- Montreal, and later Montreal- New York and despite the fact that our roads barely crossed since the end of high school. The last journey she’s just started won’t change that and she’ll always be in my thoughts and my heart.
Rest in peace beautiful Geneviève.For me, a sad event like the death of Geneviève is an opportunity to re-commit to my own life, to make sure I am fully living and appreciating every moment of my life. I understand that life is not always easy but I also understand that everything is impermanent: emotions, thoughts, and physical matter. The only thing that exists is now. The book ‘A New Earth’ by Tolle teaches that. It is an amazing book that helps me to make peace with sad event like this one. I wrote a post about the book few weeks ago. Click here if you want more information.Until next week,Lots of Fun, Joy and Peace for you!
Cathy
PS: It is not necessarily easy to wish fun and joy when our heart feels sadness but I still wish it for everyone reading this post including myself.To receive your FREE subscription to Cathy’s bi-weekly newsletter offering tips, articles and resources to help you have an energetic and productive life with more purpose, go to www.CathysHealthTips.com.
Are you aware that you might be bringing toxins into your home? Many of the products you buy to improve the look and smell of your home can actually harm you and your family. Many ingredients used in personal care products such as soaps, creams and deodorants are also toxic. Here’s part 2 of a true or false quiz to test your knowledge about toxins in your home. The answers are at the end of the post. Have fun!1. Household products manufactures are not required to list all of the ingredients on the label, only the active ingredients. The “inert” (inactive) ingredients, which happen to be the majority of the ingredients, do not have to be listed on the label. Here is a list of the commonly used inert ingredients, which are considered toxic: Acetone, Phenol, Formaldehyde, Asbestos, Xylene, Tetrachloride, Benzene, and Dioxin.2. Formaldehyde should be handled with caution. It is a human carcinogen suspected of causing birth defects and genetic damage. It also causes headaches, joint pain, chest pains, depression, ear infections, chronic fatigue, dizziness, and loss of sleep. Formaldehyde is in almost everything you use in your home, from toothpaste to laundry soap. (Source: National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health)3. The following chemicals, which are deadly poisons, are found in most laundry detergents: Phosphorus, Ammonia, Naphthalene, Phenol, and Sodium Aluminosilicate (also used as a pesticide).4. Many ingredients used in personal care products are also toxic and can be easily absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream. These include some ingredients in soaps, lotions, creams, cosmetics, shampoos, deodorants, etc. Of the chemicals found in personal care products: 884 are toxic, 146 cause tumors, 218 cause reproductive complications, 314 cause biological mutation, 376 cause skin and eye irritations. (Source: United States House of Representatives report, 1989)5. Toothpaste can contain a whole array of harmful ingredients that are classified as carcinogens or suspected carcinogens such as formaldehyde, mineral oil, PVP, and saccharin. Read the label on toothpaste, it sometimes instructs us not to swallow the paste!6. The government cannot mandate safety studies of cosmetics, and only 11% of the 10,500 ingredients FDA has documented in products have been assessed for safety by the cosmetic industry's review panel. Answers of the quiz: The answer is true for all these 6 questions!The good news is that you can do something about it!Here are the website links of two non toxic household companies that are committed to make a difference:BiokleenBiokleen manufactures natural, non-toxic cleaning products for your home and business without negative effects to you or the environment.Seventh GenerationSeventh Generation produces and distributes environmentally safe household products.Another useful website is http://www.cosmeticdatabase.org. Because the FDA doesn’t require companies to test their own cosmetic products for safety, go on this website and search for your favorite brand’s toxicity level. Are they safe or not? This organization will inform you on this question.I personally order my shampoo, toothpaste, cream and other personal care products from Wholefood Farmacy. They are totally safe and really efficient. My husband always makes sure that I order Sublime (body care) for him. He loves it!Until next week,Lots of Fun, Joy and Peace for you!To receive your FREE subscription to Cathy’s bi-weekly newsletter offering tips, articles and resources to help you have an energetic and productive life with more purpose, go to www.CathysHealthTips.com.
Are you aware that you might be bringing toxins into your home? Many of the products you buy to improve the look and smell of your home can actually harm you and your family. Here’s a true or false quiz to test your knowledge about toxins in your home. The answers are at the end of the post. Have fun!1. The average home contains approximately 26 different chemicals. (Source: National Pollution Control Center)2. Among chemicals commonly found in homes, 150 have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer, and psychological abnormalities. (Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission)3. North America's worst air pollution is found inside our homes. Many homes have chemical levels that are 70 times higher than that of the air outside. In fact, cleaning and personal care products, commonly found in every home are three times more likely to cause cancer than air-born pollutants. 6,000 cancer deaths are caused every year by indoor air pollutants. (Source: Environmental Protection Agency)4. Every year, five to ten million household poisonings are reported. Many are fatal, and most of the victims are children. Liquid Dish Soap, which contains formaldehyde and ammonia in most brands, is the leading cause of poisonings of children under the age of six (over 100, 000 poisoned kids per year). (Source: Center for Science in the Public Interest)5. Most dishwashing detergents include NAPHTA, which is a central nervous system depressant, DIETHANOLAMINE, a liver poison, and CHLOROPHENYLPHENOL, a toxic metabolic stimulant. When washing your dishes, these chemicals are being released into your breathing space.6. In one decade, a 42% increase in asthma was observed (29% for men; 82% for women). The higher rate for women is believed to be due to women's longer exposure times to household chemicals. (Source: Center for Disease Control)7. There has been a 7% increase in childhood cancer since the addition of pesticides into household products. (Source: National Cancer Institute) The good news is that you can do something about it!Here are the website links of two non toxic household companies that are committed to make a difference:BiokleenBiokleen manufactures natural, non-toxic cleaning products for your home and business without negative effects to you or the environment.
Seventh GenerationSeventh Generation produces and distributes environmentally safe household products.Answers of the quiz: 1- False, the answer is 62, not 26; 2- True; 3- True; 4- False, it is 2.1 million kids who are poisoned by liquid dish soap per year, not 100,000; 5- True; 6- True; 7- False, there has been a 28% increase, not 7%.Next week, I’ll post part 2 of the quiz. Until then,Lots of Fun, Joy and Peace for you!To receive your FREE subscription to Cathy’s bi-weekly newsletter offering tips, articles and resources to help you have an energetic and productive life with more purpose, go to www.CathysHealthTips.com.
