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kilkennyobserver.ie
The Kilkenny Observer Friday 28 January 2022
Opinion
Let’s have more of that inward gaze... AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON
What do I wish for this new year? Well, it’s nothing tangible and it has to do with something Carl Jung said: “Who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakes.” In a culture where we spend our time racing around in answer to external demands it’s a thought-provoking statement. It was echoed by the late Gerry Robinson in a recorded programme on RTE’s Nationwide recently. The Irish born businessman spoke about the way that the pandemic had helped us understand the importance of “being a bit more inwards”. It was a focus that the retired business executive and former chairman of Granada TV was practising himself, painting landscapes and using the carpentry he learned from his father to make garden seats for the beautiful grounds he created around his Donegal home Oakville. That inwardness, drawing on his imagination and creativity, had clearly brought Gerry fulfillment. The magic of inwardness turns up in all kinds of places. While in Todi, a glorious
hilltop town in Umbria a few years ago, I went to visit the Casa Dipinta, (the Painted House.) This is the extraordinary second home of artist Brian O’Doherty and his wife, the art historian Barbara Novak. The kitchen/ living area is painted with vibrant pastel representations of the Ogham alphabet. Upstairs vivid geometric designs represent times
of the day and trompe l’oeil views. Brian returns to Todi each summer during the annual August festival there from his New York base. When back he climbs a rickety ladder to add to his unique interior design. Brian, born in 1928 in Ballaghadreen, Co. Roscommon, and who has lived in New York for over 50 years, is a striking
Loving your liver CLAIR WHITTY
THE liver is a major organ in the right side of the body. It has many functions; it removes toxic substances and waste products from the blood. It breaks down insulin and other hormones. It produces Cholesterol which we need a certain amount of to survive. Glycogen is stored in our liver and is broken down into glucose when it’s needed by the body for energy. Bile is produced in the liver and contains bile acids which are important to aid the breakdown of fat. The liver also plays an important role in carbohydrate, protein, amino acid, and lipid metabolism. A number of vitamins are stored in the liver including: vitamin A, D, E, and K. These are only some of the functions our liver carries out. This time of the year many of you will be thinking about supporting your liver after the recent period of indulgences. Here are some things you can do; eat foods that
support the liver including beetroot, carrots, green leafy vegetables, and blueberries. Things that put stress on the liver making it work harder are medication, in particular paracetamol. As well as alcohol, binge drinking, and high fructose foods. Supplements and herbs can help your liver. Milk Thistle is one of my favourites. Many supplements contain Milk Thistle so how do you choose one? This is how I decide. If you want to do a bit of a clean-up and support the main organs of detoxification, I
would choose Flor Essence a cleansing herbal tea blend of eight herbs. This contains Milk Thistle, Red Clover, Burdock Root, Turkish Rhubarb, Slippery Elm, Kelp, Sheep Sorrel, and Watercress. All to help support the organs of elimination, the liver, skin, colon, and the lymphatic system. Take 50ml 1-2 times daily, preferably before breakfast and before bedtime. I take this one every year. If you have been on a lot of medication, or have drunk a lot of alcohol, have hormone imbalance, digestive issues, or stubborn constipation, I would take Irish Botanica Milk Thistle. This comes as a liquid and is a potent form of Milk Thistle. It has been taken as a trusted “folk” supplement for generation. Take 20 drops twice per day in water. Your liver is a wonderful organ that acts silently on your behalf. Let’s start loving it today. Natural Health Store, Market Cross Shopping Centre, Kilkenny Phone: 056 7764538 Email: info@ naturalhealthstore.ie Shop online: www. naturalhealthstore.ie
example of someone who, in later life is vital, refuses to allow age to confine him to stage, appearing much younger than his years. What keeps him evergreen is a passion rooted in creativity: one that gets him out of bed in the morning to continue contributing and, yes, to climb ladders aged 93. The great thing about that inward look to imagination
is that the resulting creations in all kinds of forms reach outward to others, offering uplifting experiences for everyone to enjoy in all kinds of settings. It’s something that Irish people have a gift for, especially in literature, theatre and music where that interior world of imagination, no matter where the individual is located, results in works which
reach all over the world and down through the centuries. Think of James Joyce, far from home in Trieste, conjuring the Dublin life of Leopold Bloom in Ulysses. But imagination can result in all kinds of other experiences. Just to mention a few: to cheer these dark nights there is the Wild Lights tour of iconic sights around the world at Dublin Zoo and a magical Lightscape with an Alice in Wonderland theme created with recycled lightening at Lough Crew estate in the Boyne Valley. Brightening the streetscapes is the New Ross walls project with vibrant paintings with Norman themes, while Waterford has wall art with Viking themes. And in the Observer’s home there was the 2021 Kilkenny Catwalk Art trail: all projects to boost civic pride and a sense of heritage. Listening in to reactions during lockdown there were clues about the way people were looking inwards and were surprised to find themselves happy, busy with things they loved doing: writing, painting, cooking, designing, or as one musician put it: “engaging with my muse.” And that can be the side of ourselves it’s all too easy to touch with in our highpressurise lifestyles. Don’t let’s lose that inward gaze, let’s have more of it.
Resolve yourself to restart your promise in february ANDREW MCDONALD HYPNOTHERAPIST
How is your resolution for 2022 coming along? Many of us make promises to ourselves for the New Year. Few of us keep them going for very long. Most resolutions don’t last much beyond the first two weeks of January. I’m not hazarding a guess by saying that, it’s fact. Research has found that around 17 days into the New Year, the majority of people have either given up or are seriously flagging. You may be full of good intentions when the bells chime midnight on 1st January. These may be enough to keep you going for the first fortnight or so but then willpower starts to deplete and determination takes a different direction. Actually it’s no wonder this happens. First, many of us are exhausted after Christmas. Secondly, it can seem
that there isn’t much to look forward to. True, there’s a little bit of a stretch in the evenings but we’re still living in darkness for most of the day. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly of all, that cheer and goodwill we felt over the festive season is gone. There’s no doubt after the January 1 celebrations, positivity takes a nosedive, particularly as the black nights of winter are no longer brightened by a thousand multi-coloured bulbs. We’re edging closer towards Spring but not that you’d notice. Perhaps it should come as no surprise then that experts recommend starting, or perhaps restarting, resolutions in February. For a start, it’s the shortest month of the year. Even a few days difference can alter how we perceive our first target, getting a page of the calendar under our belts! Once we’ve done that, it can really make a massive change to our confidence in continuing. February is also a month of rebirth. Yes, it’s still cold and the days short, but they
are starting to noticeably lengthen. Spring has started to show it’s first signs too. You may be able to find some snowdrops starting to show close to your home, hear birds chirping, find frogspawn in a nearby pond. In short, February is a time of new life in a way January is not. Use this fact to allow nature to give you a helping hand. By starting in February, you’re also avoiding competition. If you’re flagging with your resolution towards the middle of January, it’s almost certain that you know someone, perhaps fond of boasting, who tells you they’re flying with theirs. Maybe they are, maybe they’re not. You don’t need that though as it is likely to leave you feeling like a failure that you’re not finding your life change a breeze. Begin (again?) in February and you cut all that nonsense out! (Re)starting your resolution in February has great benefits. You’re much more likely to succeed. As an old proverb says; “you only fail when you stop trying”.
