Sunday, January 27, 2008

Groundhog Day

"It is an ironic juxtaposition: One involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to a creature of little intelligence for prognostication, and the other involves a groundhog.”
-Air America Radio commenting on the overlap of the 2006 Groundhog Day
and the State of the Union Address.

Every February 2, while hoards of folks stand calf-deep in the sparkly white stuff, (I sense a salt-stain coming on!) Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his hideaway on Gobbler's Knob to predict the weather for the remainder of winter. You know the drill…the groundhog pokes out his furry head and if he sees his shadow, it's six more weeks of winter. If not, it's spring. In over 120 years, Phil has never gotten it wrong.

In the celebrated movie “Groundhog Day” Bill Murray portrays Phil Connors, a TV meteorologist who travels to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to report on the Groundhog Day festivities but is then trapped by a blizzard leaving him snowbound. Forced to stay the night because of icy, trashed roads, he’s awakened by the sounds of “I Got You Babe” at 6:00 a.m. in what he assumes is the following morning. But instead of being the next day, Phil Connors endlessly repeats Groundhog Day over and over and over.

Much like Punxsutawney Phil…a chubby, probably super-bored groundhog who lives in a cage, weighs 15 pounds, and flourishes on Kibbles-n-Bits and Hagen Das in his sweating-to-the-oldies “suite” at the Punxsutawney Library, (Someone should check his cholesterol…Lipitor Phil?), Mr. Connors is equally passive and perplexed.

Realizing that his shallow, day-to-day, often self-destructive behaviors have no long-term consequences (scoring with hot chicks, robbing banks, murdering Phil the Groundhog, driving drunk and smashing up cars, dozens of successful attempts at suicide), he’s always brought back to where he began…waking in the same bed, at exactly the same time, under the same sheets, in the same room, in the same small Pennsylvania town, to the same tune by Sonny and Cher.

In an attempt to find meaning in his now predictable, dull, daily life and, realizing that he can’t get what he needs from others, he sets his sites on a course of self-improvement. Busting free from the echoes of his self-serving behaviors (profound…right?), accepting that the prison of a perpetually never-ending day need not be a death sentence but rather an opportunity for change, and finally grasping that until he gets it right, he’s just gonna keep coming back.

On this Groundhog Day, how about changing any of your slovenly ways into a gift for the greater good? (No judgment here… I’m doing it too!) Why not transform your sofa-spud-self into a spic-and-span success; your financial failures into a formula for philanthropy; your inner-dead-beat-sponging-loafer into a treasure-trove of eco-consciousness? If you don’t do something (anything!) you might just keep coming back again, and again, and again, too!

Oh, and by the way, if you happen to be one of those folks in Punxsutawney who are waiting thigh-high in snow for the “critter” to see his shadow (or, for that matter, if you are anywhere where there’s snow, ice, and salted roads) you can easily remove those salt stains from your boots and shoes by wiping them down with equal parts white vinegar and water. Rather than just waiting for the next rain or snow to remove those salt stains, see how simple it can be to transform yourself into a proactive eco-cleaner. I promise, if you do just that, when you wake up on what you think is February 3rd, it’ll actually be February 3rd!

Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (
www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three (now four) goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly Blog on www.thedailygreen.com. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. Take the “zen-cleansing” quiz at Latitude U. www.latitudeu.com

Friday, January 18, 2008

Martin Luther King Jr.
Cleansing the fabric of our nation


"From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual,
"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
-Martin Luther King, Jr.


At the west end of the National Mall in Washington, DC stands a monument to our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. In the memorial to the Father of the Emancipation Proclamation, a solitary figure of Lincoln sits, nobly surrounded by inscriptions of his most famous addresses, seemingly still thinking about how much further our nation needs to go to realize our full potential. It was no accident that the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. chose to stand in front of the Lincoln Memorial to give the most important speech of his life.

With the reassuring sculpture of Abraham Lincoln in his shadow, Dr. King woke our national collective consciousness when he delivered the extraordinary and persuasive words of his “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28th, 1963. His unparalleled ability to communicate paired with his undying commitment to non-violent activism, pinpointed the racism and intolerance that plague our nation. His personal sacrifices, as well as his inspirational leadership are what ultimately brought us the Civil Rights Act; and to him, a well-deserved Nobel Peace Prize.

Forever remembered for his revolution of passive resistance, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day memorializes the man himself, and his inexhaustible struggle to purify and cleanse the fabric of our nation so long soiled by prejudice and hatred. Through King’s “zen-ness,” he never lost sight of making a better world by imagining freedom and justice for all…no matter where and no matter whom. His annual holiday also honors all those who came before him and all those still involved in the ongoing struggle for human and civil rights here and worldwide.

This year, why not honor Dr. King’s lifelong work of peaceful change by allowing yourself to mindfully reflect on tolerance and acceptance? Let’s all make time to remember our nation’s continuous struggle for liberty, equality and dignity for all races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, classes, ages, and any other artificial barriers we build to separate ourselves from those we fear or assume are different from ourselves. On this holiday, let’s imagine King’s vision that we are all, indeed, free at last.

Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (
www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three (now four) goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly Blog on www.thedailygreen.com. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. Take the “zen-cleansing” quiz at Latitude U. www.latitudeu.com

Sunday, January 13, 2008

International Thank-You Day

“Thanks to the morning light, thanks to the foaming sea,to the uplands of New Hampshire, to the green-haired forest free.”
--Ralph Waldo Emerson


When receiving a gift, my bother John sometimes reacts with, “Well…Thanks a lot!” And when he says it in “just that way” you can bet that he’s already mentally digging a hole way back behind his house for it to be buried. (He’s got a heart of gold, but he can really be that transparent.)

Said with fussy embossed and engraved cards, a two-second email, a bouquet from the corner deli, or even a bottle of re-gifted Chablis – the thank-you gesture and the words “merci,” “gracias,” “xie xie,” or just plain old “thank you” can go a long way when you really mean it.

When I was about eight years old my mom’s sister bought me a box of greeting cards, each with an image of Charlie Brown and Snoopy hugging on top of a doghouse. With mom’s encouragement, I then scribbled a few thoughtful words to my aunt on my new stationary, stuck it into the envelope mom had addressed and stamped, sealed it shut with a swipe of my tongue and then ran and tossed into the corner mailbox. Easy lesson learned—someone gives you a gift, you’re happy; acknowledge that gift, they’re happy. (Our dear friend, Clarence, calls this “Good home-training.”) Our nieces and nephew, Lindsay, Hayley and Matt, are so good at it that often (so it seems) we get a thank-you card even before the arrival of presents…now that’s good home-training.

I grew up in a home where the importance of “an attitude of gratitude” was stressed. We were taught to bring little gifts when we visited others (as a thank you for their hospitality), to write thank-you notes for everything we received, and, if the giver was in earshot, to say it out loud.

Understanding how to form those two golden words and knowing when to speak them greatly influenced the kind of person that I am today. Sure, just like the next person, I can be irritable, grouchy, unpleasant (and,
even
at times, a downright “B!+@#”), but I’m never ungrateful.

Therefore, when I’m expecting a “thank-you” and don’t receive one in any of its many potential incarnations, I’m usually thrown off course. (I just don’t get it?) I rationalize it as other people being too busy, or just forgetful, but deep down inside, it feels like my social order is out of balance.

Appreciations are those deep-seated, primal reactions, yet some people are either reluctant, too rude, or were just never “home-trained” to openly show theirs. But even the teeny-est of gestures can let others know just how appreciative we are. International Thank You Day (Yes, there is such a holiday!) is a wonderful opportunity to identify and reveal things for which you’re grateful, and express them with simple acts of thanks.

Are you overdue in expressing thanks to your family (hmmm, when did I last thank my partner Richard, sister Mags and hubby Jim, brother John and wife Lori?…you get the idea), pets (in my case, our deaf dog ‘Jack,’ and four goldfish: Phil, Jill, Bill and Gill), friends, co-workers, neighbors, the mail carrier, or the Universe (God or whatever you like to call him or her)? If so, now’s the perfect time to put that “thank you” out there.

Say it and show it again and again and again because
practice makes perfect.

And in the event that someone, like my brother, should actually bury a gift? Remember the old adage “God made dirt and dirt don’t hurt.”

Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (
www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three (now four) goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly Blog on http://www.thedailygreen.com/. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com.

Take the “zen-cleansing” quiz at Latitude U.
www.latitudeu.com







Sunday, January 6, 2008

The Epiphany & Elvis’s B-day
“Before Elvis, there was nothing.”
--John Lennon


In western Christian practice, January 6th is celebrated as “The Epiphany,” symbolized by the Three Wise Men’s gifts to the Christ child 12 days after his birth. It’s an opportunity, regardless of your faith, for a greater realization of our Universe and its current need for enlightened insights, increased awareness, kinder consideration and “inconvenient” truths for our world.

Interestingly, sharing this week’s special event of The Epiphany is the anniversary of the birth of Elvis Presley (January 8th). Remembered for his crooning, gospel and rock-and roll music; his eroticized hip-shaking; his songs about hound dogs, jail houses and weirdly colored shoes; his slew of hormone-infused B-flicks; and numerous Las Vegas wedding chapels staffed by impersonating preachers. Unfortunately, he is also remembered for his profusion of perspiration. (Especially at the over-indulged, bloated end of his well-known career.)

It’s the King’s shamefully audacious, extraterrestrial, spangle-infused, semi-precious cubic-zirconium encrusted, garish polyester, universe-of-razzle-dazzle jumpsuits (often pushed to maximum density as the pounds kept adding on) that have come to symbolize the extremes of the 70s. Swollen and stuffed, winded and drugged-out, hauling his sorry carcass across the stage, Elvis Aron Presley showed us just how toxic the excesses of the modern world could be.

When thinking about all of this, I had a personal “Elvis-Epiphany,” when I realized that everything within reach has become as glittery and tempting as one of Presley’s costumes, and that all of the world’s accessible bling-bling blinds us to our ailing planet in the same way that adoring fans sadly disregarded the failing, sickly man packed into the be-dazzled uni-tards.

Anyone who saw him in the last years of his life would remember indulgent fans begging for more and more from him, in spite of how overheated, stoned, stressed out and perspiring he was while getting through his performances.
Now while I, like most people, say the occasional “Thank-you-verah-musshhh,” a la Elvis, and have made my own feeble attempts (though never publicly) to mimic his “shimmy and shake” moves, alas, the only thing I really can truly mimic about him is his heavy sweating. Even most Presley impersonators don’t really capture The King correctly, other than for the fact that they glow, wilt, and ooze from time to time.

So, on the remote chance that you’re an Elvis impersonator or just one of the millions of plain ol’ folks that suffer from the occasional flop-sweat, exercise sweat, nervous sweat, or heat sweat, just like Presley, you’re prone to perspiration stains. When you do, here’s how to remove those smelly stains from your clothing:

Dab the stained garment with a warm saltwater solution (4 tablespoons of salt to one quart of water) until the discoloration disappears. If that’s not doing it, try rubbing a baking soda and water paste (adding just enough water to the baking soda so that the glop is the consistency of spackling compound) into the stains. Allow the paste to sit for ½ hour. (Really unfortunate stains may need to sit for an hour or two.) Then launder as usual.

On a cosmic level, the King’s kitschy, tacky jumpsuits can stand as a metaphor for the glitz and bling of today’s hyper-consumerism, and Elvis, the ever-indulgent, hedonistic, self-polluted man, can symbolize our ever-ailing planet. Elvis brought tremendous joy and talent to our world, in equal measure to his self-abuse and ultimate destruction. So on The Epiphany, may we acknowledge with a new awareness, our own “epiphany” so to speak, of the fragility of the planet we call home—the joy it brings to us, and how our actions can lead to, or help avoid its destruction.

(Sorry…Lisa Marie.)


Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of whom benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly blog on www.dailygreen.com. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Kwanzaa
The past is a ghost, the future a dream, and all we ever have is now. --Bill Cosby

Red, black and green decorations create a festive setting for Kwanzaa, the 7-day celebration of the prized principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. First commemorated in 1966, Kwanzaa is the observance of African-American heritage envisioned by Maulana Karenga, featuring candle lighting, pouring of libations,
and the sharing of wonderful food and gifts. Kwanzaa is patterned on harvest celebrations of the past that traditionally focused on family and community.

During the Kwanzaa season (and hopefully year-round) we are challenged to ask ourselves what it means to be human and to be fully present. By doing so, we may, in the words of Malcolm X, collectively “wake up, clean up and then stand up” –not just for ourselves and others, but also for our planet.

From November through January, there is a steady string of related holidays—from Ramadan, to Thanksgiving, to Hanukkah, to Christmas, to Kwanzaa. Each of them offers us a Universal message of sacrifice, and proposes that we take responsibility for our individual impact on our community and environment. But this responsibility can often feel overwhelming (What can I, as one person, do to change anything?). However, in today’s growing consciousness about our fragile environment and the effects of a multi-cultural global economy, we can each fulfill this collective responsibility with small, personal, but highly significant actions: by recycling; by being more energy efficient; by walking, biking or using public transportation to arrive at our destinations; and by not polluting our air and water with our household cleaning products. (In case you didn’t know, most commercial cleaning products include toxic chemicals that are dangerous and harmful to just about anything that walks, crawls, swims or flies.)
By being grounded in our past, while acting appropriately in the present, we show the world and the next generation who we are…because small, thoughtful decisions make a powerful impact on our future.

Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (
www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of whom benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly blog on www.dailygreen.com. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com.