wacky wednesday... something to ponder

I noticed it as soon as I walked out the front door to get the newspaper. I did a double take and squinted at it (like that would make it go away!) before I reached down for the paper. By the time I got back into the house I had forgotten about it.

Until I walked outside to take out some trash. And there it was again. I remember thinking it was very odd and wondering why that would happen. But by the time I was done wrestling with the trash, I had forgotten about it ... again.

Until the next morning when I got my in car to leave. Not only was it still there, it was BIGGER than the day before. I thought about what would cause that the whole time I was driving. However, when I got out of the car, my attention turned to the errands I was doing and I forgot all about it ... yet again.

Until later that day when I returned home and drove in the driveway. Yep, it was still bigger than life. I pondered it some more trying to figure out what would cause such a thing. As I unloaded the bags from my car, I went back to check it out again thinking maybe it was an optical illusion. Nope, it was real.

I decided to google it. Maybe "they" would have the answer. Nada. No matter how I worded my search, nothing came up.

So I am back to pondering why, on a sage bush pruned to have a flat top, one twig would grow substantially faster than ALL the rest. Yep, it's a stumper.

wacky wednesday - what's that smell?

As you may have guessed from previous posts, my husband and I like Disneyland... a lot. A few years back, on a tour at Disneyland, we learned that the bakery on Main Street uses a "Smellitizer device" (I did not make that up!) to pump out chocolate chip cookie (Walt's favorite) scent. At Thanksgiving, they use gingerbread scent. And, of course, at Christmas it's peppermint. Disneyland also uses scents in some of their rides - a leather and sea-spray scent in Pirates of the Caribbean and an orange scent in Soarin' Over California, for example.

I was walking through the mall past Abercrombie & Fitch and noticed their scent spilling out past the door.

Hmmm. Do other companies do this?  You betcha.

Cadillac's signature scent, Nuance, debuted in 2003 and is processed into the leather seats. A Seattle bank puts mint-scented money in their cash machines. 7-11 pumps fresh-baked bread scents into their remodeled stores. Cinnabon places their ovens near the front of the store and bakes cinnamon rolls every 30 minutes. Store owners are advised to buy ovens with the least amount of venting allowed by their state so that more of that heavenly cinnamon-scent escapes. And that barely scratches the surface of businesses taking advantage of "scent branding." The idea is that customers will associate these pleasant scents with a particular company or product.

Marketing strategies appeal to our senses - sight (paint color, lighting, wall art, displays), touch or feeling (A/C in the summer, heat in the winter), hearing (the proverbial "elevator music" or the piano player at Nordstrom's), taste (food samples in grocery stores, candy or treats at the bank & liquor store). Sense of smell is the last player to the marketing game which is surprising since marketing research indicates that we remember 1% of what we touch, 2% of what we hear, 5% of what we see, 15% of what we taste and a whopping 35% of what we smell.

Better research techniques in human behavior and advances in neurobiology have contributed to greater understanding of the power of scent. Recent studies conclude that varying scents can alter human behavior by producing feelings of relaxation, comfort, seduction, provocation and even fear, for example. How can that be? Our smell receptors transmit the information to the olfactory bulb which is part of the brain's limbic system, the part of the brain that controls memory and emotions. Our other senses (hearing, vision, taste and touch) transmit information to our right brain, the cognitive center. We can certainly form a memorable or emotional reaction to these senses, but smell is the only one that goes directly to the limbic portion of our brain creating an immediate sub-conscious emotional reaction.

Companies use scenting to create a pleasant environment for customers causing them to spend more time there and to later remember it was pleasurable and want to return. Research studies showed an 84% increase in the willingness of customers to buy a pair of Nike shoes in a scented room over an odor-free room. And that they were willing to pay $12.33 MORE for the same shoes. Not only that, researchers also found that customers spend 40% more time in scented areas of a store versus odor-free departments. Wow!

So.... maybe you really couldn't help buying that cute little something at the mall? ;-)

wacky wednesday - summer public service announcement #3... the perfect beverage

Everyone knows water is essential to our survival. But how much water is enough? And is there such a thing as too much water?

Experts recommend drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day to stay well hydrated. When it's hot or very dry outside, or both like it is every day during summer in Arizona, we need even more water to help regulate body temperature and promote cellular function. If you wait until you are thirsty to begin drinking water, you are already slightly dehydrated. Activities like playing a sport, hiking or even doing yard work in outside temperatures over 100 degrees F. will quickly dehydrate a person, often seriously, if adequate water is not consumed before, during and after the activity.

Strenuous activity and/or hot weather cause the body to lose more water than normal through increased respiration and sweating. Early signs of dehydration include thirst and decreased urine output (darker-colored urine). Without adequate hydration, dry mouth, lack of tears, muscle weakness, nausea and vomiting, lightheadedness, heart palpitations, weakness, lack of sweating and increasingly decreased urine output occurs. In severe dehydration, confusion and severe weakness are followed by coma, organ failure and finally, death.

So, can you drink too much water? Yes, but with an asterisk :-). The cells in the human body maintain a delicate balance of water electrolytes (salt ions). When you gulp a lot (and I mean A LOT!) of water in a very short period of time, the cells in your body "swell." This is called water intoxication and fortunately, is relatively rare occurring most commonly in infants less than six months of age (usually due to over-diluting formula) and in long distance runners who don't drink electrolyte replacement drinks (usually due to stupidity). The swelling of the cells leads to electrolyte imbalances, most notably hyponatremia (low sodium) which is fatal if not corrected.

Summertime is often vacation-time. Remember to take extra water with you AND DRINK IT even if it's a short "hike" or "walk" (I sometimes fail to see the distinction between the two!). Going to Disneyland? Drink more water. Going to the Grand Canyon? Drink more water. Going to get the mail? Drink more water. Get the idea?

On a recent trip to Death Valley National Park (yes, in the summertime - and it's beautiful!), we drank more than double our normal water intake as well as munched on salty snacks (pretzels) to replace lost sodium and water-laden ones (grapes) to further replace water. 

Enjoy summer but stay safe!

wacky wednesday - teaching children to share is bad??

I recently saw a link on my Facebook newsfeed about the benefits of NOT teaching children to share. I have to admit that while I don't usually click on links about parenting young children, the title of this one had a certain shock and awe effect and I clicked on it thinking it surely must be a typo or something.

The gist of this person's blog post is that after her child's co-op preschool instituted a policy that did not require children to share, she decided she liked it. Her feeling is that children shouldn't have to give up something they are playing with if they don't want to, even if the child wants it all day long. For example, if a child is playing with a toy and has to use the restroom, an adult would "save" the toy for him even if there are other children who want to play with it, too. While sharing isn't forbidden, it also isn't encouraged.

Commenters who agreed with her felt that being "forced" to share creates a sense of entitlement in the child who is asking to have a turn with the toy. This entitlement, they assert, carries over into adulthood with people looking for a handout or believing they deserve a raise just because they show up for work. They also felt it creates bullies when a child can ask to play with something and the child playing with it is "forced" to share it with him. By allowing a child to not share, they felt he was learning to be independent, to stick up for himself. They also felt the no sharing rule applied equally to personal and communal items.

Those who disagreed felt that sharing teaches the concept of taking turns, promotes compassion and kindness to others and helps children learn to live in the real world. All of those who disagreed also said that a child should not have to share absolutely everything. For example, he shouldn't have to share his toothbrush or his teddy bear or blankie or even a special toy that belongs to him. But communal things (the swing at the park, a toy at preschool) should always be shared by taking turns.

I must admit that this blog post caused me to stop and ponder for quite some time this idea of not teaching children to share. And not because I think it might be a good idea. I don't. In fact, I think it is a huge mistake.

The Golden Rule ("Do unto others as you would like them to do onto you" or similar variation), a principle found in every major religion and quite a few not so major ones, is regarded in the secular world as the most general principle of ethics. Most people, regardless of religious affiliation or lack of, would agree this is a "good" principle by which to live.

It's inconsistent to say "We don't bite people. You wouldn't like it if Billy bit you, would you?"- applying the "Golden Rule" - but then say, in essence, "You don't have to share the swing if you don't want to (or feel like it)." I'd be willing to bet that Sally really felt like biting Billy so why is that feeling or desire inappropriate but refusing to share (because I don't feel like it) is not? One is a physical hurt, the other is an emotional hurt. Basing what is right or wrong (morality) on feelings is a very slippery slope.

Teaching children to share willingly and cheerfully with others is a gift we give them. And it doesn't stop with toys. Sharing their time, sharing a smile, sharing a talent or sharing a cookie are just as important. It teaches empathy and being kind and generous to others. The more we share with others, the less self-centered we become. And the child benefits from sharing by experiencing joy in sharing something with a friend.

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  ~ Leviticus 19:18

"Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them." ~ Matthew 7:12