Awesome Stories 188

/ September 13, 2014

This week Awesome Stories brings you healthy soil, sacred singing, Scotland surprises, happiness and sci-fi healing guns.

Surprising Scotland

Leith Scotland, Awesome Stories

Leith, Scotland- mcdonaldkar/ Thinkstock

Here’s a photographic journey around Scotland that looks more like a journey around the world. I had no idea there is such geographic diversity in Scotland. How about you? Maybe I can satisfy my itch for world travel by going to Scotland! 🙂

Soil to the Rescue

This is a great article about the ability of soil to sequester huge amounts of carbon. Most of our current soil, crop and animal management actually damage the soil and release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, accelerating climate change. The key is leaving the soil and related microbes undisturbed. Soil left intact (no tilling) during planting, harvesting and animal raising can sequester huge amounts of carbon through photosynthesis. Soil managed this way is more fertile, productive, water absorbent, erosion resistant and rich with healthy micro organisms that support plant, soil and animal health. “No other natural process removes such vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as photosynthesis, and no human scheme to remove it can do so on such a vast scale with any guarantee of safety or without great expense.”

Gorgeous Photography

Sci-Fi Skin Gun

At first I thought this was a joke, but it’s not. Scientists have created what is called the skin gun. It is part of a new technique that harvests healthy stem cells and uses them in a water based solution to spray over a burn area. Then the wound is wrapped with a special dressing that includes antibiotics, glucose, electrolytes and amino acids to aid the in the cellular regeneration. The concoction allows healing in mere days at far less risk and trauma than traditional skin grafts. The process done on a child with 2nd degree burns can barely be detected. The other great aspect is the cells grow and adapt with the body, unlike traditional grafting. This is an interesting application of stem cell research. What do you think?

Graceful Singing

I’ve always enjoyed Bobby McFerrin’s singing, but didn’t realize he had such a reverence for life, singing and helping others to find their joyful voice. This is a great article about Bobby, and his approach for allowing grace to enter singing. Bobby shared his goal for performing, “I want everyone to experience…a sense of rejoicing… I want them to have this sense of real joy from the depths of their being… when you take them to that place, then you open up a place where grace can come in.”

Eat Outside the Box

We all know that coloring outside of the box is fun, but so is eating outside of the box. You get to play with your food, reduce packaging waste and save money! 🙂 Seriously, packaging waste is a huge problem as more and more products are offered in smaller and single serve packaging. And far too often for my tastes, the packaging isn’t recyclable. This article offers some useful tips for reducing your packaging waste.

5 Skills for More Happiness

I like their cute acronym for practicing happiness: STAGE, as in set the stage for happiness by Savoring, Thanking, Aspiring, Giving and Empathizing. The folks at Happify have created a phone app to help you practice the skills for more happiness. Gratitude is one of my core practices and according to their research can boost happiness by 25% on average. Thanks!

What makes you happy? Please share in the comments below.

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36 thoughts on “Awesome Stories 188”

  1. Enjoyed the packaging story. I think everyone should have a coffee cup and glass on their desks. I worked in one office where no disposable cups at all were kept in the kitchens, so visitors couldn’t drink anything 🙂 It’s also possible to reuse a lot of plastic bags. I have to buy trash bags only very rarely–I typically tie a knot in a dry-cleaning bag or department store garment bag and use that instead. If you recycle just about everything, your trash just isn’t that heavy or bulky 🙂 I also like to buy recycled paper products. It took me awhile on the kleenex, etc., but I finally decided that paper products do not need to feel like cashmere against my skin. I’ve tried others, but seem to always go back to Seventh Generation. Don’t get me started, I could talk about this stuff all day 🙂

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    • Hi Heather. Welcome to my community. 🙂 I appreciate your passion for sustainability. I would love to work with a company as dedicated to reducing waste. Reducing waste and energy conservation are two huge pieces in the climate change puzzle. Some studies even suggest that they would be sufficient to reverse the climate course if pursued aggressively. Thanks for living your values. blessings, Brad

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  2. what a cool way to spend a Saturday morning… every thing from the virtual tour of Scotland (where they say I have ancestors) to the awesome photography to Bobby being scat-happy! and yes amazing that GUN filled with happy little stem cells ~ I am all about the packaging conversation which I feel goes hand in hand with the soil piece.. in a way.. LOVE the way you S T A G E your blog sir!

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    • Thanks Annette for sharing some time this cool Saturday morning. I’m glad you enjoy my staging and stories. Great connection on packaging, waste and soil health. I appreciate your passionate support and sharing. Have an awesome weekend! XD

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  8. Lovin this post all the way through. I was moments away from emergency last week for a 2nd degree burn on my bicep (baking injury, Ahhh). I even had the red line going up my arm leading to my heart. Long story short I love to hear about the advancements in burn healing therapies. My arm is such an important part of my life and I feel grateful it wasn’t any more serious or on my face. I find myself sending love to those who aren’t so lucky. Keep spreading the love and gratitude Brad!!

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  9. OK Lisa, I’ll keep sharing the love and gratitude with the support of friends like you. XD Sorry to hear about your burn. Sending healing thoughts. I’d suggest using aloe vera (pure or live plant gel).
    blessings, Brad

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  10. Super Brad! I just love how your research all comes together in a very diversified post. I love the acronym STAGE because you know I’m all about bringing more happiness into life!! And the stem cell for burn victims…brilliant! I have a slight scar from hot coffee that burned my arm when I was two. I was so young…yet I remember it.

    Much love to you Brad! Keep smiling and get that happy quotient up!! ❤

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    • Thanks Dear Lorrie. 🙂 I certainly have fun reading and exploring all these great stories from my social media and email subscriptions. I used to think of scars as imperfections. Now, I’ve grown to find character and life in my scars, marks and challenges. Happiness is easier with a fun, upbeat community of friends and fellow bloggers. 🙂

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  11. it is very odd that the poorest among us are by in large aware of the need to save the planet and achieve sustainabili , whereas the wealthy, the one percenters, corps. etc., don’t seem to be aware of what’s happening to our planet. maybe they are aware, but at their level of consciousness, they only life for short term gains. does not make sense to me.. btw, nice photo at the top of the post. best eve

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    • Hi Eve, Thanks for caring. I’d like to think more and more people of all countries and resource levels are waking up to the need for sustainable lifestyles. It will take many of us working together to effect the changes needed. Scotland sure does look appealing from that photo collection. 🙂

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  13. I hear that the more simple we keep things, the happier we can be. 🙂
    Love these posts! I’ve been an “observer” these last few weeks as I finish my last semester of grad school. 2.5 months and I’ll be finished and can return to my beloved writing. 🙂
    I hope you’ve been well! Cheers!

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    • I’ve seen those articles too and found that to be mostly true in my life and yet I don’t’ want to make money or wealth a bad thing. Material wealth can also be used for good to make more impact. Thanks for taking the time to visit. Good luck with school. 🙂

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  14. Love the Scotland photos! LOL @ #14! I dream of traveling to Scotland one day. And also to England and Ireland. Interesting how my heart longs for and even “misses” places I’ve never been to…
    Omygosh TSO’s The Mountain is one of my favorite videos of all time. ALL time! ❤ And their video The Arctic Light made me cry the first time I watched it. Filmed in Norway another place I'd love to see some day. 🙂 Thanks for sharing all of these wonderful Awesome Stories Brad! Hope you're having a great weekend!

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  15. Thanks Julie, I was awed by that video as well with gorgeous photography, music, editing, everything! I’m up for all those European countries. It’s going to be hard to decide there are so many places around the world I’d like to see. XD

    Thanks for sharing in my stories and community. Have an awesome weekend; biking, relaxing or dreaming of travel. 🙂

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  17. Thanks Cynthia. You win the prize for thoroughness with reading, clicking through to the gratitude article and answering my questions. Your prize is more time to relax and be on your wonderful porch looking over your beautiful, surprising and imperfect garden. XD

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    • The traveling is affordable only because-and-when it’s linked to work (usually, conducting or workshop-leading gigs for my husband) or done with air miles we’ve scraped up over the years by using our mileage credit card for everything imaginable and paying it off fully every month. Not complicated stuff, but believe me, we know how expensive travel is in terms of both money and time!!! And yes, I’d *always* rather see the landscapes, visit the cities/towns, meet the people…. 🙂
      K

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  23. I so enjoyed your awesomeness today.. I have to say I have been to some of those places in Scotland.. Ive been to Ben Nevis and Glencoe, Edinburgh, And the Isle of Skye. Although I never did see those falls.. 🙂 And more wonderful places in Scotland.. the scenery is beautiful.. 🙂
    Thank you for your other Awesome stories too..
    You manage to wow us each time.. 🙂 thank you! 🙂 Sue

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