The “Wizard of OZ”
(It’s American Fairytale Author, L. Frank Baum’s Birthday)

“I have little compassion for people in trailer parks who refuse tomove after getting tornado warnings.

How hard is it for them to relocate?
Their house’s have wheels.”
~ Carlos Mencia

The Wicked Witch of the East; Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, The Wizard and - yes – those be-dazzling Ruby Slippers (originally Silver Slippers—oh that Adrian!)

Despite her dreary, repressed, pig-slop smelling, pre-pubescent years on a poor family farm in Kansas, beloved orphan, Dorothy Gale wondered what life might be like beyond her own picket fence. As with many adolescents, feeling no alternative but to run away in order to save her dog Toto from everyone’s favorite mean neighbor, Elmira Gulch, she meets up with a crackpot magician, and - as happens more often now because of Climate Change - she finds herself caught in the winds of a giant tornado. Barely making it home, she gets clobbered by a windswept window and falls through the sub-conscious inward spiral of the twister.

Once awakened - through the magic of Technicolor - she meets a village of Munchkins and Glinda the Good Witch who grants her the Ruby Slippers, and through one of the most memorable Hollywood musical numbers ever produced, learns to follow that conscious outward spiral to womanhood - the ever-famous yellow brick road.

In hindsight it’s easy to recognize the irony of Dorothy fulfilling a Wizard’s challenge to get home and then discovering that she had the ability to be there all the time, the Scarecrow hoping for intelligence only to discover he’s already a genius, the Tin Man longing to love only to discover his heart, a cowardly Lion who’s actually fearless and the citizens of the Emerald City discovering that their Wizard was actually an eccentric old man. That’s the Hollywood version in a nutshell. (OK! OK! Aficionados needn’t act on your urge to correct or comment on my interpretation, or misinterpretation…ya’ know you’re dying to and ya’ know who you are!)

Much like Dorothy and her cohorts feeling the need to visit the WASH & BRUSH-UP CO. (“Rub, rub here, rub, rub there”) to look their very best in preparation for meeting the great and powerful Wizard of Oz, the next time you’ve been away from home and need to tidy up a bit - green skin or not – you don’t need to visit the Merry Old Land of Oz to feel fresh.

So if you’ve been out riding a twister, romping through fields of heroin-laden poppies, “liquidating” evil witches with water, or, more to the point, walking miles in someone else’s shoes (Ruby-encrusted or not, who knows what the Wicked Witch of the East had going on between her witchy toes??), your feet can become riddled with fungus instead of remaining lady-like-soft-n-sumptuous. In the event that yours do, put your best foot forward and treat your athlete’s foot (Come on – chicks get it too!) by steeping your frazzled feet in warm, salted water (one teaspoon of salt per cup of water) for five to ten minutes every day. The salt kills the fungus and reduces perspiration. When finished, dry each little piggy thoroughly before slipping your dogs back into your Manolo Blahniks, Chucky T’s, or even your ruby slippers.

Along her trip, Dorothy's search for home inspires us, while her ruby slippers represent the “amazing feats” of which we’re all capable. So whether you’re on a space-ship to Mars, a cross-town bus, or riding a twister to OZ, mindfully enjoy the sights and sensations along the way as much as those when you arrive at your final destination. Don’t forget - it’s all about the journey! While searching for your heart’s desire somewhere over the rainbow, emulate Baum’s Dorothy, and remember to have the “be here now” ability to use your brain, your heart and your courage simultaneously.

Michael De Jong, is the author of “Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” and “Clean Body: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing Yourself” (www.zencleansing.com) published by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, as well as posting weekly blogs on Hearst’s “The Daily Green” (http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/blogs/nontoxic/) and the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-dejong). His books can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com.
Please consider the environment.

Mother’s Day
“It's not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it.”
~The Golden Girls

We all get one – a mother that is - and it’s no surprise that Mother’s Day is one of the most commercially successful of U.S. holidays.

What drives it? Is it guilt? When we recognize our female parents for their often under-appreciated responsibilities of raising offspring by toiling away to our benefit with steady and selfless love and support, can’t we do it without being commercial? But in recognition of all that she did/does/will do/might do, etc., on this special day, we can pay her tribute with a bit of eco-this and eco-that - potted flowers, herbs or decorative vegetation that can be planted in the garden, organic chocolate, socially responsible bling made from blood-free diamonds, shells or recycled materials, truly organic beauty products, or even soy or beeswax candles scented with essential oils with non-lead wicks.

But unfortunately, the flowers will soon fade and become compost. And in today’s economy, the rock might just end up in hock. And her backside (along with yours too, buddy) will only get a size larger from all that chocolate, eco or not!

But Mother Nature is everyone’s automatic second mom, personified as female for thousands of years and representing sustenance and nurturing – so it's quite fitting that on Mother’s Day we consider both our mother and Mother Nature as well.

Among those acknowledging the good deeds by women on behalf of Mother Earth, are the WINGS World Quest Women of Discovery Awards. WINGS was organized a decade ago to demonstrate how women explorers and field scientists are underserved, and sought to remedy the sad fact that young people often lack the curiosity to explore the natural world.

This special honor recognizes outstanding contributions to our general knowledge in critical environmental areas, while providing important funding for continued research and expeditions. What a remarkable way to acknowledge environmental advances, to exemplify the work of some genius women, girls, sisters, aunts, grandmothers and mothers, and to showcase the possibilities for women to work as scientists.
On Mother’s Day, whether your mom is a scientist, a geologist a paleontologist, or just a plain ol’ scrubologist, laundry-ologist or dustologist, take a moment and thoughtfully acknowledge her. Remember, she’s the one who took you on your first 9-month environmental exploration.

Michael De Jong, is the author of “Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” and “Clean Body: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing Yourself” (www.zencleansing.com) published by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, as well as posting weekly blogs on Hearst’s “The Daily Green” (http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/blogs/nontoxic/) and the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-dejong). His books can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com.

Please consider the environment.

Hairstyle Appreciation Day
“If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive.”
~ Dale Carnegie

We all have hair—some more, some less. (Some of us even have it where we don’t want it!) Fine, medium, coarse - light blonde, copper-brown, honey-red, ginger-twist, sun-kissed, winter wheat, or ash—no matter, it’s all hair. And maybe that color is even naturally yours (yeah, right!), or maybe you’ve just paid a small fortune for it. The possibilities are as limitless as the hairs on your head—all 120,000 of them (for those of you who still have a full head of it or have had a head-full woven in—giving you 240,000 perhaps!!??)

I actually have a lot of nerve writing anything about hair. Perhaps someone less “follicly-challenged” than me—with hair resembling the “10”-rated tresses of Bo Derek, the strong as nails strands of Rapunzel, the carrot-top mane of, eh, Carrot Top, or the magnificent salt’n’pepper crown of Toni Morrison—should best write about Hair Appreciation Day. Don’t get me wrong, I have hair, and I do appreciate it. . . but, unfortunately, mine is mostly just clogging my drain.

What I can write about with authority, though, is that daily care with wholesome products can help keep your hair—if you’ve got it—strong and strikingly beautiful. When you’re shopping for your products of choice, keep this in mind: if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, they’re probably not all that great for you. I mean, what did folks use before Madison Avenue invented that 50s icon, the Breck Girl?

Now once you’ve made your selection and finally commence the act of shampooing, remember to always massage your scalp slowly but thoroughly with your fingertips, to vigorously stimulate the circulation of blood on the skin wrapping around your skull. You’ll be amazed at how much tension is stored there. Feel that tension float away as your digits activate your locks right down to the roots. (Even we baldies can benefit from this kind of stimulation!) Then, rinse thoroughly.

I know, I know, you’re automatically saying to yourself, “rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat” because every commercially produced shampoo bottle has brainwashed us to do this. “Wash, rinse, and repeat.” “Wash, rinse, and repeat” Says who? The “repeat” is less intended to properly clean your hair than it is to sell more shampoo. Only “repeat” if you’re in the mood to do so or if your hair is so filthy that you think you absolutely must!

Let’s not split hairs over this: remember, it’s good health and mindful grooming that make for beautiful tresses, not standing in the shower, endlessly “washing, rinsing, and repeating.” In fact, you can very easily “repeat” yourself into a head full of dried out frizz if you’re not careful.

Here are a few hair grooming suggestions for the continued health, beauty, manageability, and all-around wellbeing of your “crowning glory.” All of my ingredients are entirely natural, pure, familiar and safe, and require nothing more than “re-purposing” staples you most probably already have on hand. And rest assured that any of these ingredients washing down your drain are eco-benign, don’t pollute, don’t encourage algae growth, don’t smother fish and other aquatic life, and in no way upset the delicate balance of natural flora and fauna in our eco-system.

· Knead a few tablespoons of olive oil into your dry scalp and hair. Swathe your oiled-up curls with a shower cap and take a thirty minute breather...snooze, toss back a latté - whatever. Then just shampoo as usual to reveal a refurbished mane that even Fabio would envy.

· Every night, rub your scalp and massage your mane with a solution of 50/50 distilled white vinegar and water. This homemade “hair-product-residue remover” leaves behind the glistening, polished locks you’ve always dreamed of.

· And for the simplest of shampoo replacements, combine one tablespoon of baking soda with two tablespoons of water—remembering that this isn’t going to look or feel like any shampoo you’re accustomed to. Think of it more like a shamp-paste. There won’t be mountains of foamy bubbles (you get those in commercial products because of the chemicals added to get all that lather). Work the paste through your hair and rinse thoroughly, for unexpectedly clean and remarkably shiny hair.

Hairstyle Appreciation Day celebrates the distinctiveness of all styles of hair - comb-over, cornrows, crew cut, flat-top, pigtails, or Elvis-like pompadour - and allows each of us (bald or hirsute) to convey our unique brand of mindful beauty.

Michael De Jong, is the author of “Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” and “Clean Body: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing Yourself” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, as well as posting weekly blogs on Hearst’s “The Daily Green” (http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/blogs/nontoxic/) and the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-dejong). His books can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com.

Please consider the environment.