Building Joy

Global pandemic, impending recession, protests in the street, violence, hate, and anger everywhere - in a world gone mad, is happiness even possible?   When increasing levels of stress, anxiety, and depression are the natural consequence of uncertainty, unrest, and disquiet, is happiness possible?  When so many people are suffering on so many levels, it almost feels wrong to feel happy, if happiness is even possible.

Joy may be a better option.  It has been suggested that happiness occurs at the macro level - "I am happy in my work, relationships, home, with the state of the world " - and therefore is harder to achieve and sustain.  Joy, however, is found in the little moments.   Joy is more sensory in nature.  Smelling flowers, petting kittens, listening to birdsong or hearing a child's laughter - the little delights that occur everyday.  This "bottom up" approach to building joy - noticing, appreciating, reveling in, and recalling these little moments - can, in fact, lead to happiness.  A happiness rooted in the here and now, choosing to be satisfied with what you have rather than yearning for more, becoming more accepting of life's trials, and approaching conflict from a calm and more reasoned perspective.

Joy, it has been argued, is better than happiness.  And, in a world gone mad, our well-being depends on the belief that little moments of joy are still possible.

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Listen to Ingrid Fetell Lee's TED talk on "How To Notice and Build Joy Into Your Life."

Harmony Moon Manifesto: We Believe in Love. Always.

My heart is hurting, as I know yours is too, for the unrest we see in the streets, and for the systemic injustices and hatefulness that has led up to this time of civil protest.  Harmony Moon was founded, 24 years ago, on the principles of inclusivity, fair wages, respect for our differences, and speaking up for those who have no voice. We stand against racism, bigotry, discrimination, and social injustice in all its many forms.  Enough is enough.  We must work together to create the kind of world that we want our children to inherit.  

#WeStandForEquality
#WeStandForJustice
#WeStandTogether 

Hygge & Happiness

In the darkest of times, with cold winds and raging storms all around, the Danish have devised a weapon of first resort.  A weapon that can eliminate, or at least diminish, the feelings of stress, sadness, and hopelessness that often arise in their long, dark, cold winters. That weapon is “hygge.”

Pronounced “hue-guh,” the concept is not easily translated into English but is most often equated with “cosiness.”  Hygge is further associated with a comfortable conviviality and contentment.

Hygge encompasses not only the ambiance of the room (think cushy chairs and wood-burning fireplaces) but also includes dress (flannels and woolen socks), food (porridge and hot cocoa), and company (close friends and meaningful conversations).  Their propensity for creating hygge is one reason why the Danish, in spite of their long winters, have been called “the happiest people on earth.” 

The United Nations has recognized happiness as a “fundamental human goal” and declared March 20th as the International Day of Happiness.  To do our small part in boosting the art and science of happiness, Harmony Moon will be posting suggestions and happy thoughts on our facebook and twitter pages throughout the month of March.  Please join us in helping to increase happiness, health, and hyyge for all the world’s people. 

To get you started, on the right is the GREAT DREAM poster from the Action for Happiness.  It is a science-based “10 Keys to Happier Living."  

To read more about the Danish concept of "hygge," try these resources:

• The Art of Danish Hygge
  
• The Year of Hygge, the Danish Obsession with Getting Cozy

And, if that's not inspiration enough, here's Pharrell Williams and "Happy":

 

We live in tumultuous times.  When fear, anxiety, stress, and uncertainty are on the rise, anger and hate often follow.  And where there is anger and hate, there is also fear and anxiety, creating a vicious circle.  It’s hard to know how to break the cycle.  

But break the cycle we must.  And there is only one place to start – with yourself.  Examine your own beliefs and assumptions, your own behaviors and actions.  Weed out that which is toxic and feed that which springs from love.  Anger, hate, fear, and anxiety are defeated with kindness, common courtesy, and respect for others.  It may seem simplistic but the truth often is.  

Choose LOVE.  

Always.

18 Birthdays

A big THANK YOU to our new hometown of Staunton, VA for welcoming us with open arms and making us feel like a vital part of a vibrant community! As most of you know, we moved from Old Town Alexandria to Staunton's historic downtown last year. It's been a wild ride but we've loved every minute of it and are so proud and grateful to call Staunton home!

If you're not lucky enough to live here, I highly recommend a visit. Check out VisitStaunton.com to see all that Staunton has to offer, including the American Shakespeare Center, Heifetz International Music Festival, Staunton Music Festival, Staunton Augusta Art Center, and many other arts and culture organizations, events, and activities. Staunton may have a small town feel but is definitely big on culture!

Harmony Moon celebrated our first year in Staunton (and 18 years all together) last week with a birthday party and mini-green fest. Check out these green businesses who participated:

Black Bear Composting
hOUR Economy
Linda Tabor, recycled crafts
Staunton City Backyard Hen Advocates
The Balanced Dog
Brittney Johnson, Top of the Mountain Healing
Joy Boardman, massages

We could not have survived 18 years without our loyal customers, old and new. Thank you for your patronage and support!

Harmony Moon in the News

I was recently asked by Independent We Stand to write a guest blog about fair trade and buying local. Check it out here:

4 Reasons Buying Local Makes a Global Impact

And, in case you missed these recent news stories:

• Harmony Moon - Mini-Green Festival by Allison Profeta, a local Staunton blogger and founder of Staunton City Backyard Hens Advocates

• World Fair Trade Day, my interview about fair trade with Bob Corso of WHSV-Channel 13

Are You Stressed?

April is Stress Awareness Month, with National Stress Awareness Day designated as April 16th (the day after income taxes are due).

According to the American Psychological Association, more than 72% of all adults have experienced emotional or physical symptoms of stress in the last month with more than 62% of adults saying they have tried to reduce their stress levels over the last five years with little to no result. See the full study here.

Here at Harmony Moon, we are devoted to helping you live a gentler life including providing you with many resources to help manage stress. We offer meditation every week as well as many other stress-reducing classes and resources.  See a sample here.

Finally, we leave you with a little helpful reminder whenever you're experiencing a stressful situation:

"When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure." (Peter Marshall)

The Names Behind Our Fair Trade Goods

You won’t find brand name goods at Harmony Moon. But what you will find is real people, real artisans, and stories so real they’ll make your heart break.

Many of our producers are in Nepal and India where women traditionally have limited opportunities for supporting themselves and their children as well as minimal access to education and quality healthcare. As we celebrate International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 8th, we thought we would share with you some of the stories of the real women who make the fine handmade goods you see in our shop. 

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Indira makes our woven placemats, napkins, and other tableware with the Association of Craft Producers (ACP). ACP, one of the largest artisan organizations in Nepal, has helped many low income women escape from a life of poverty, harsh working conditions, and exploitation. Indira has an all too common story: denied an education because she was a girl, she was married at 18 and had a daughter. Her husband was unable to support the family and left to find better work in Malaysia. Indira was now the sole support of her daughter as well as two other family members. She heard of ACP through a friend and soon joined their textile team. Through her earnings with ACP, she now supports her family, and, most happily, her daughter is able to go to school. (acp.org)

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Hasroon makes our crocheted coin purses, hats, and scarves with Padhma Creation. Like Indira, Hasroon, too, was married at eighteen. Her husband’s family demanded additional dowry money but Hasroon’s parents were unable to pay it. Hasroon was beaten, had gasoline poured on her, and then set on fire. She survived and was rescued by a women’s shelter program, Padhma Creation. Hasroon is now happy and healthy and is able to support herself and her son from her work with Padhma Creation. (padhmacreation.com)

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 Sundari makes our notecards and other handmade paper goods. Sundari came from a very poor family and received only a basic education. Married and with two sons, she joined Bhaktapur Craft Paper (BCP) which was then a project of UNICEF Nepal. Her children received on-site daycare and from her earnings with BCP, she was able to send them to school through Higher Secondary Level (the equivalent of an Associate’s Degree). Both sons went on to become successful national soccer players. In 2004, UNICEF handed over ownership of BCP to its workers and Sundari, from her most humble beginnings, became a co-owner of the organization. (ganeshhimaltrading.com)

Thanks for a Great RAK Week!

Thanks to everyone who came to our Kindness Festival on Saturday, February 8, and to everyone who participated in Random Acts of Kindness Week. Our festival featured "Pickles," the one-eyed pirate kitty from Cat's Cradle. Kids also had fun making Kindness Clocks with Miss Marcia.

For Random Acts of Kindness Week, we teamed with Mary Baldwin College to perform Random Acts of Kindness throughout downtown Staunton. Anonymous acts of kindness were springing up all over! It was a lot of fun and a huge success.

You can check out all the fun activities and acts of kindness on our RAK Week Pinterest board.

Blessings

After a rather tumultuous 2012, our move to Staunton – with all its trepidations, hopes, and fears - turned out to be a wonderful blessing. We have met some amazing and talented people here, and made many new friends. With the help of both friends and strangers alike we were able to grow and expand the shop and community center in ways we had never imagined before. And there are even more good things on the horizon for the coming year.

We’re grateful, too, for the continuing support of our Northern Virginia/Maryland/DC and Beyond clientele. It is so heartwarming to know that you have not forgotten us. So many of you made the trip to Staunton to check out our new space and were surprised and delighted with the old-fashioned charm and hospitality of our new hometown. Staunton has a vibrant arts and culture scene and also is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. Check out all the wonderful events, happenings, and things to do at: VisitStaunton.com

Our biggest blessing is you, our wonderful and loyal customers. We are honored and humbled that you have continued to support us through seventeen years of transformations. And you've brought your friends, family, and visitors to see us and share in our little "oasis of serenity," expanding our community of fellow travelers to the 4 corners of the world.

Thank you.

Peace & Many Blessings to You in the New Year,
Sally & Scooter

Small Business: The Heart of Your Community

 

In a scene from the hit film, You've Got Mail, the character played by Tom Hanks attempts to justify his corporate bookstore chain's expansion which resulted in the closing of a smaller neighborhood shop. According to Tom: "It's not personal, it's just business..."

Meg Ryan's comeback is classic:

"It's personal to me. It's personal to a lot of people. And what's so wrong with being personal anyway? Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal..."

Locally-owned businesses start with being personal. The shop owners and employees are your friends and neighbors. They know your name. They know your dog's name. They know the names of your children AND their birthdays.

They know the products you like, in the colors and sizes you want, and they stock them just for you. If they don't have it, they special order it. If they do have it but you can't get it just yet, they hold it for you.

Not only do locally-owned businesses give a community its unique personality but research shows that the presence of mom-and-pop shops helps to raise property values. And they support the community in a myriad of other ways. Did you know:

•    A locally-owned shop returns 68% of its revenues to the local economy, whereas a national chain returns only 43%?

•    Locally-owned shops employ more local residents and pay them substantially higher wages, in addition to having a broader range of jobs available?

•    Local businesses buy more than twice as much from other local businesses, and also are more likely to use local banks and other service providers?

•    Local businesses contribute more to the community through charitable giving, school funding, and other non-profit organizations?

Support locally owned businesses by shopping on Small Business Saturday - the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year, Small Business Saturday falls on November 30. To learn more about the "Shop SMALL" movement, follow these links:

Small Business Saturday
The 3/50 Project
Independent We Stand

Not only are you much more likely to discover some unexpected wonder or unique handmade treasure at an independent small business, but every dollar spent in a locally-owned shop is a vote for the health and welfare of your community.

Everyone wins when you "Shop SMALL" on Small Business Saturday!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Dear Loyal Patrons & Friends,

I am sorry to have remained incommunicado for so long. As most of you know, we have been in a great state of transition for several months now. It's been said that nothing is permanent but change and we are certainly proving the truth in the maxim.

As you recall, last year we first lost our Great and Glorious Landlord, Mr. Robert Dreifus, who passed away in January. He was a great supporter of small businesses in general and of Mindful Hands and myself in particular.

Then in November, with the advent of a new landlord, we lost our lease at the lower King St. location in Alexandria, VA where we have been since 1996.

After an exhaustive but fruitless search for affordable space anywhere in Old Town, we expanded our search to include the entire Northern Virginia area. Then we tried select DC neighborhoods. Then Maryland. It became more than apparent to us that, lacking the financial resources that we had even 10 years ago before the great recession, that we simply could not afford to be in the greater DC/Northern Virginia area any longer.

So we started looking for more affordable places to re-locate the shop. And we kept hearing the name of one small town from many different people - friends, acquaintances, workshop leaders, and loyal patrons of the shop - all of whom did not want to see Mindful Hands close its doors forever, the only other option available to us.

That town was Staunton, located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, just 2.5 hours from DC. Staunton had just been named by the Smithsonian Magazine as one of the 20 best small towns in America. The town has also won accolades from Travel + Leisure magazine, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, and many other publications and organizations.

With a strong commitment to the arts and historic preservation, Staunton boasts of such cultural icons as the only reproduction in the world of Shakespeare's Blackfriars Playhouse, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum, and the Heifetz International Music Institute. Its revitalized historic downtown boasts more than a hundred little shops, art galleries, and antique stores, including three independent bookstores and two independent movie theaters.

Staunton also has a strong commitment to local farmers and the local food movement, as well as many green initiatives. After visiting here several times, I decided that the time was right to start anew and that Staunton was where I wanted to do that.

We ended up in a commercial building that, although lacking somewhat in the historic charm that imbued our lower King Street home, is still large enough so we can continue to offer the classes, workshops, special events, and meditation groups that we were known for in Alexandria.

We opened in our new space in mid-May. With new beginnings and a new location, we thought a new name, more reflective of our mission, was in order.  So we changed the name of the shop from Mindful Hands to Harmony Moon.  We hope you like it.

Gary Goodwin, of The Inner Arts Center, will be joining us the second Saturdays of every month for his Mind-Body Wellness and Stuck Creative workgroups. We will be adding other groups and classes in the very near future. Look for both some old favorites as well as new groups. We also have started working with Cat's Cradle, a local cat rescue group, for monthly adoption events again.

Our new location and contact information is:
* Harmony Moon
* 13 S. New Street
* Staunton, VA 24401
* (540) 885-1368

Please come visit us, we would love to see you!

2012 - Making it Happen!

Rainbow over the Himalayas

Thank you to everyone who made our last year the best year we've ever had! And thank you, too, for your continued support of independent retail. We appreciate each and every one of our customers - we couldn't keep going without you!

The Mayans may or may not have predicted the end of the world for December 2012 (we hope not) but we predict a great new year full of happiness and prosperity for all!

As our friends from Positively Positive said, no matter what your hopes or dreams or resolutions for the new year: "Say it... shout it... believe it... "I AM GOING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!"

Everyone's a Winner When You Support Small Businesses

Take a minute now and try to imagine what your neighborhood would be like without your locally-owned mom-and-pop shops. Do the terms "bland," "generic," "boring" come to mind?

Independently owned shops not only give your neighborhood its unique character, they also support the local economy in a myriad of ways. That's the premise behind small business advocacy campaigns like The 3/50 Project and American Express' Small Business Saturday.

Did you know that:

• A locally-owned shop returns 68% of its revenues to the local economy, whereas a national chain returns only 43%?
• Locally-owned shops employ more local residents and pay them substantially higher wages, in addition to having a broader range of jobs available?
• Local businesses buy more than twice as much from other local businesses, and also are more likely to use local banks and other service providers?
• Local businesses contribute more to the community through charitable giving, school funding, and other non-profit organizations?

And now, according to a recent study conducted by Civics Economics, there's one more reason to support small businesses: they help raise your property values.

The Small Business Saturday Shop Local event is November 26. When you register your American Express card in advance and shop at an independently owned small business on Small Business Saturday, American Express will reimburse you with a $25 statement credit! You can register your American Express card here.

Not only are you much more likely to discover some unexpected wonder or unique handmade treasure at an independent small business, but every dollar spent in a locally-owned shop is a vote for the health and welfare of your community.

Everyone wins when you "Shop SMALL" on Small Business Saturday!

Care for Kids! A Benefit for Children's National Medical Center

It's that time of year again when we proudly support the Children's National Medical Center by sponsoring the "Care for Kids" Card campaign. The program is simple:

• Buy a "Care for Kids" card for $50 here
• get 20% off ALL purchases at more than 300 local shops and restaurants during the campaign period, from Oct. 21 through Oct. 30.

That's it! It's a great way to start your holiday gifts shopping while supporting a worthy non-profit. All proceeds from sales of the cards go directly to Children's National Medical Center, while the savings go directly to you!


In past years, the Care for Kids Campaign has contributed more than $1.5 million towards:

• a clinical simulation training laboratory
• a portable ultrasound machine
• summer camp for sickle cell patients
• a bright and cheerful playroom for patients in the respiratory care unit

Your purchase of the Care for Kids Card includes a catalog detailing the more than 300 shops and restaurants throughout the DC-area that are participating in the program. Purchase yours today!

The Therapeutic Effects of Kaleidoscopes

I've always loved kaleidoscopes and found, even as an adult, that gazing at the wonderfully colorful and ever-changing world inside the scope had a soothing and calming influence on me.  Well, apparently, I'm not the only one who feels that way.  Dr. Clifford Kuhn, of the University of Kentucky, has this to say about kaleidoscopes:

Kaleidoscope viewing.... is restorative to the body in that it requires physical stillness and stimulates pleasant visual sensations. At the same time it has a beneficial effect on the mind by presenting an endless variety of form and color combinations that stir the imagination and stimulate the intellect.

Read the full scoop on kaleidoscope therapy on the Handcrafted Alexandria* blog, then enjoy a full month of kaleidoscope celebrations at our sister Handcrafted shop, Arts Afire.

*Mindful Hands is a proud member of Handcrafted Alexandria

Chocolate, Tea, & Kitties: Celebrate World Fair Trade Day!

Join us on Saturday, May 14, as we host a World Fair Trade Day celebration. We'll have refreshments of fairly-traded iced tea and chocolate, craft activities for kids, and chances to win prizes of fair-trade handmade gifts. The event will also feature the fairly-traded cats and kittens of Tails High, an Alexandria-based cat rescue group.

Fair Trade is a global movement that ensures that workers and artisans in developing countries receive a living wage for their work and healthy and safe working conditions. World Fair Trade Day is sponsored annually by the Fair Trade Resource Network and encompasses more than 100,000 participants in over 80 countries.

This year, we are proud to be a sponsoring partner of the Fair Trade Resource Network in celebration of this year's World Fair Trade Day. Mindful Hands offers fairly-traded home and garden decor, clothing, jewelry, and gifts from the Tibetan-exile community and women's co-ops in India and Nepal. Ten percent of all sales on May 14 will be donated to the Fair Trade Resource Network in support of their efforts to make all trade fair.

Please join us on May 14, 1:00 - 4:00pm, to celebrate Fair Trade!

From our friends at Positively Positive:

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles. " - Anne Frank

Happy Earth Day!

April is National Stress Awareness Month

Americans are stressed. We stress about our jobs, the economy, our health, global warming, and pretty much everything. According to the American Psychological Association, "more than 75% of adult Americans report experiencing stress at levels that exceed what they define as healthy."

What's more, our stress is worrying our kids, too. More than 80% of children of stressed parents know that their parents are stressed and are bothered by it. And though we know we need to be doing a better job at managing our stress, most of us say that we don't have the time or don't know how. (APA's "Stress in America Study")

Welcome to April, National Stress Awareness Month! Here at Mindful Hands, we are devoted to helping you live a gentler life, including providing resources to help you manage your stress. Gary Goodwin, of The Inner Arts Center, is our in-house stress management expert. In addition to running the monthly "Stress Reduction for Busy People," Gary offers these techniques for "on the fly" relaxation:

On-the-fly relaxation techniques are numerous, and in most ways, more effective than one or two meditation sessions per day. These regular world techniques are totally portable, invisible to others, and simple to work in.

• Deep Breathing - Four or five cycles of breathing in, down to the belly and out really takes the edge off.


• Sensory Mindfulness - Tune gently away from your thoughts and feelings and listenn to the sounds around you for a few seconds. Repeat for 30 seconds or up to a few minutes.


• Calming Imagery - Bring to your mind’s eye any image that strikes you as calming (your last vacation, a favorite pet, etc.). Hold onto the image or make it more vivid for a minute or two. Feel the greater calm.

No cross-legged position required for any of these. No seclusion necessary. Invisible to everyone else but you know what really is going on. You are de-stressing, when you need it, within your regular life, all on the fly.

To learn more relaxation techniques, attend Gary's free monthly workgroup: Stress Reduction for Busy People and read more about relaxation techniques at his blog: Stress Reduction for Busy People.

Strange Vegetables + Ranch Dressing = Delicious!

Support your local farmer by becoming a member of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). And if you haven't joined a CSA yet because of some qualms about what to do with all those "strange" vegetables, here's a nice little article from our friends at Local Harvest: Strange Vegetables