June 14 2010

Release a balloon day.

Pick your favorite color of balloon; write the name of the person you have lost due to cancer on the balloon and at exactly 6 PM EST- release that balloon at the end of your driveway! Let's fill the sky with color for all those who fought, and are fighting Cancer. Let's show them that we will NEVER forget their courage. PLEASE pass this along!

Ancient Mystic

Greek Goddess Athena: The Goddess of Wisdom and War

Goddess Athena is a part of Greek Mythology. Athena was the Greek Goddess of War and the Greek Goddess of Wisdom. She was also known as the Goddess of Weaving and Metal Working. However, as the Goddess of War, her field of expertise was not violence and so on. That was the domain of Ares, God of War. Athena was the Goddess of the more disciplined aspect of War, such as Strategy.

The birth of Athena is a very interesting story. She is the daughter of Zeus (the ruler of the Gods in the Greek Pantheon) and Metis (the Goddess of Crafty Thought and Wisdom). It had been prophesized that if Metis had a son, he would be more powerful than the father. This meant that if Metis had a son from Zeus, then that son could overthrow Zeus. Frightened of this prospect, Zeus tricked Metis into transforming into a fly after he lay with her. As soon as she became a fly, he swallowed her. However, Metis was already pregnant and was making a helmet and an amour for the child within the fetus. The hammering caused such a headache for Zeus that he had to order Hermes to cut his head open and remove the source of the pain. As soon as his head was cut open, Athena jumped out, fully grown and clothed in the helmet and armour.

Athena’s appearance is always described as having grey eyes which were shining. She would always be accompanied by an owl. An owl is a symbol of wisdom and is a bird that has the capability of seeing in the dark. Often, Athena is also accompanied by the Goddess of Victory, Nike. Athena is always depicted wearing armour and a helmet.

Athena was always described as a virgin. There are no instances of her having any lovers. Hence, she was described as Athena Parthenos. Parthenos means virgin. The Greek temple called the Partheneon is dedicated to Athena.

There are many stories in Greek mythology, which describe the various good qualities of Athena. Some of them are given below.

How the city of Athens got its name is also a curious story. Apparently, both Poseidon (the sea god) and Athena competed to win the favour of the Greeks. So each of them gave a gift to the city people, who would then decide which was the best one. Poseidon thrust his trident into the ground and a spring gushed forth. Although the spring created a port in the city which would enable trade, the water of the spring was salty and not fit to drink. Athena, on the other hand, gave the city an Olive tree. The tree could be used for wood, the fruit for food and oil. The Greeks preferred the gift of the Olive tree, and hence the city was named ‘Athens’ after Athena the goddess of wisdom.

Athena is often referred to as Pallas Athena. There is a story behind that as well. Apparently, Pallas was her childhood friend and they would play with each other all the time. One day, accidentally, Athena injured Pallas and the injury caused her death. Since then, Athena took on the name of her friend, so that she would be remembered by her forever.

Another story tells us about Athena’s wisdom and hot-headedness and her talent with weaving. Apparently a lady called Arachne used to boast that she was the best weaver ever. Athena went and challenged her. A contest began. Athena wove a scene showing the contest between her and Poseidon over Athens. Arachne, in her vanity, wove a scene of Zeus in trouble with his many wives. Athena became furious and burned the tapestry down along with Arachne. Later on, she regretted it, and turned Arachne into a spider so that she would weave her beautiful designs forever.

There are also instances of Athena helping other people, in several stories from Greek Mythology. She helped Perseus in killing Medusa. She taught Heracles how to remove the skin of the Neaman Lion. She guided Odysseyus via his dreams on his long journey back home from Troy.

After Greece was conquered by Rome, Athena was incorporated with a similar goddess from Roman Mythology called Minerva.

~Madhavi Ghare~

As seen in the April Issue of Main Street Magazine.

Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises

If you would like to find out how to receive your FREE copy of MSM go to http://www.mainstreetmagazine.net/

Main Street Music Scene

Music’s Fresh New Voice:

Introducing Ms. Nadia Dennie

She hails from the West end of the GTA, yet her voice has already travelled around the world! Music’s fresh new voice of 2010 is the one and only Ms. Nadia Dennie.

The newest member to Toronto’s, Flux Media Group Records, Nadia Dennie has already released a #1 Hit Single titled *LIFE* feat. Flux Media Group CEO and International Dancehall Artist, Mr. Flowas.

“Life is what you make it. Don’t be afraid to try. Anything is possible, you can touch the sky!” This powerful message from her new hit single “LIFE” is exactly the kind of message the world needs to hear right now.

A powerful, young role model, Nadia Dennie and *LIFE* are being widely received around the world. *LIFE* encourages all age groups that’s its never impossible or too late to turn your life around and reach for the sky!

To hear *LIFE* and find out more about Ms. Nadia Dennie, please visit:

www.reverbnation.com/fluxmobb

D'Anise Marie

As seen in the April Issue of Main Street Magazine.

Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises

If you would like to find out how to receive your FREE copy of MSM go to www.mainstreetmagazine.net

Sweet Nothings

The Hardest Thing I Had to Say

It all started when I was 6 years old. While I was playing outside on my farm in California, I met a boy. He was an average kind of boy who teased you and then you chased them and beat them up. After that first meeting in which I beat him up we kept on meeting and beating each other up at the fence. That only lasted for a little while though. We would meet at the fence all the time and we were always together.

I would tell him all my secrets. He was very quiet he would just listen to what I had to say. I found him easy to talk to and I could talk to him about everything. In school we had separate friends but when we got home we would always talk about what happened in school. One day I said to him that a guy I liked hurt me and broke my heart. He just comforted me and said everything would be okay. He gave me words of encouragement and helped me get over him. I was happy and thought of him as a real friend. But I knew that there was something else about him that I liked. I thought of it that night and figured it was just a friend kinda thing that I was feeling.

All through high school and even through graduation we're always together and of course I thought of it as being friends. But I knew deep inside that I really felt differently. On graduation night even though we had different dates to the prom I wanted to be with him. That night after everybody went home I went to his house and wanted to tell him that I wanted to see him. Well, that night was my big chance and all I did was just sit there with him watching the stars and talking about what I was going to do and what he was going to do. I looked into his eyes and listened to him talk about what his dream was. How he wanted to get married and settle down. He said how he wanted to be rich and successful. All I could do was to tell him my dream and cuddle next to him.

I went home hurting because I didn't tell him how I was feeling. I wanted to tell him so bad that I loved him but I was too scared and frightened. I let my feelings go and told myself that someday I would tell him just how I felt. All through college I wanted to tell him but he always had someone with him. After graduation he got a job in New York, I was happy for him but at the same time I was sad to see him go. I was sad also because I didn't tell him how I felt. But I couldn't let him know now that he was leaving for his big job. So I just kept it to myself and watched him go on the plane. I cried as I hugged him for what I felt was going to be the last time. I went home that night and cried my eyes out. I felt hurt that I didn't tell him what I had inside my heart.

Well, I got a job as a secretary and then worked my way to a computer analyst. I was proud of what I had accomplished. One day I got a letter with an invitation to a marriage. It was from him, I was happy and sad at the same time. Now I know that I could never be with him and that we could only be friends. I went to the wedding the next month. It was a big occasion. The big church wedding and the reception at the hotel. I met the bride and of course him. I fell in love one more time. But I held back so it wouldn't spoil what should be the happiest day in his life. I tried to have fun that night but it was killing me inside watching him being so happy and me trying to be happy covering up my sadness tears inside of me.

I left New York feeling that I did the right thing. Before I left on the flight, he came running out of nowhere and said his good-byes and how he was very happy to see me. I came home and just tried to forget about what went on in New York. I had to go on with my life. As the years went on, we wrote to each other on what was going on and how he had missed talking to me. On one occasion he never wrote back to me at all. I was getting worried as to why he hadn't written anything for a long time after I had already written 6 letters to him. Well, just when everything seemed hopeless and sad in my life, I got a note that said: "meet me at the fence where we used to talk about things". I went and saw him there. I was happy to see him, but he was broken-hearted and sad inside. We hugged until we couldn't breathe anymore.

Then he told me about the divorce and why he hadn't written for a long time. He cried until he couldn't cry anymore. Finally, we went back to the house and talked and laughed about what I had been going and to catch up on old times. But in all of this, I couldn't tell him how I felt about him. In the days that followed, he had fun and forgot about all his problem and his divorce. I fell in love again with him. When it came time for him to leave back to New York, I went to see him off and cried. I hated to see him leave. He promised to see me every time he could get a vacation. I couldn't wait for him to come so I could be with him. We would always have fun when we were together.

One day he didn't show up like he said he would. I figured that he might have been busy. The days turned into months and I just forgot about it. Then I got a call one day from a lawyer in New York. The lawyer said that he had died in a car accident going to the airport. And that it took this long till everything was settled. It broke my heart. I was shocked about what took place. Now I knew why he didn't come that day. Again, I was broken-hearted. I cried that night, cried tears of sadness and heartache. Asking questions why did this happen to a kind guy like him?

I gathered my things and went to New York for the reading of his will. Of course, things were given to his family and his ex-wife. I finally got to meet her since the last time we met at the wedding. She explained to me how he was and how he always provided. But he was always unhappy. She would always try everything but she couldn't get him happy, as he was that night at their wedding. When the will was read, the one thing that was given to me was a diary. It was a diary that of his life. I cried as it was given to me. I didn't know what to think. Why was this given to me? I took it and flew back to California. As I flew on the plane I remembered the good times that we had together. I started reading the diary and what was written.

The diary was started with the day we first met. I read on till I started to cry. The diary told of him saying that he had fallen in love with me that day I was broken-hearted. But he was too afraid to tell me what he had felt. That is why he was so quiet and liked to listen to me. It told of how he wanted to tell me so many times, but was too afraid to say anything. It told of when he went to New York and fell in love with another. How the happiest time he had was seeing me and dancing with me at the wedding. He said he imagined it was our wedding. How he was always unhappy till he had no choice but to divorce his wife. How the best time in his life was to read the letters written to him by me. Finally, the diary ended when it said, "today I will tell her I love her". It was the day he was killed. The day I was going to finally find out what was really in his heart.

If you love someone, don't wait till tomorrow to tell him/her. Maybe that next day will never come at all.

~Author Unknown~

As seen in the April Issue of Main Street Magazine.

Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises

If you would like to find out how to receive your FREE copy of MSM go to www.mainstreetmagazine.net

Save Some Green by Going Green with Your Grocery Shopping

“We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once.”
~Calvin Coolidge, former United States President

Perhaps you haven't yet started recycling the many containers that package food purchases. And, maybe you have limited access to some of the "greener" food products on the market. Yet there are things you can do if you're interested in a "greener," more environmentally friendly household. Read on for some easy steps you can take right now. They also will save you money, adding a little extra green to your wallet!

1. Size matters. When choosing between a large container and several small containers that add up to the same volume: Consider whether buying the large container would serve the same purpose and save you money? For example, do you really need to buy individual boxes (and more packaging) of juice if they all are drunk in the same week and at your kitchen table?

2. It's in the bag. While we could all carry our own reusable shopping bags when we go shopping, if we don’t we can reuse any plastic grocery bags we might accumulate to line small wastebaskets. Put a few bags in the bottom of the waste basket BEFORE you line it, so there’s another one ready to use after one is filled.

3. Gotta have a plan! Plan ahead and shop less often for groceries or shop in conjunction with other errands taking you near a grocery store. The result is a reduction in the use and cost of fuel needed to transport food.

4. Practice the 3 Rs. Produce less waste AND save money by practicing the 3 Rs of reduce, reuse and recycle.

Here are three examples in relation to throwing away leftover food. Not only does tossing leftovers waste money, it also wastes the energy resources and packaging materials associated with the tossed food.

§ Reduce the amount of leftover food tossed by serving smaller portions of foods that frequently produce leftovers OR …

§ Reuse leftovers by serving them again in a day or two or freezing them for future use, OR …

§ Recycle leftovers into a different type of meal; for example – add that extra rice to a soup the next night.

5. Don’t be a "spoil"-sport. Throwing away spoiled food is related to tossing leftovers. Reduce the amount of spoiled food that gets tossed through such practices as:

§ Read labels for "use by," "expiration," or "best if used by" dates.

§ Refrigerate and freeze foods at recommended temperatures -- 0 degrees F or lower for freezers and 40 degrees F or lower for the refrigerator section. An appliance thermometer assures your refrigerator/freezer is maintaining these temperatures.

§ Follow recommended storage times for foods. For example, some containers may specify a recommended time frame in which to eat a food after it is opened.

§ Avoid buying so much food in bulk that it spoils before you can use it.

6. Drink to this. Buy a reusable water bottle and fill it with tap water. Your investment soon will pay for itself.

7. Bulk it up. Some products purchased at the grocery store, such as hand soap, can be purchased in big bottles that are used to refill a smaller bottle size. Reduce the cost and the packaging by refilling the smaller bottle.

The next step: For more things you can do to live a greener lifestyle and reduce energy expenditures, visit the Environmental Protection Agency's Website and calculate your "carbon footprint" at www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.ht

~Alice Henneman, MS, RD and Lorene Bartos, MS, Extension Educators~

As seen in the April Issue of Main Street Magazine.

Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises

If you would like to find out how to receive your FREE copy of MSM go to http://www.mainstreetmagazine.net/

The Entrepreneur

Survival Tips

These tips can help you deal with the stresses of self-employment or starting a business... or just everyday life.

We all deal with a certain amount of stress every day. Just getting out of bed can sometimes be a stressful event. But starting a business and running a business is one of the most stressful things you can do, and you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed and overloaded. After a period of time running at that high level of stress, the body begins to break down and be unable to function properly. We get clumsy, forgetful, and short-tempered. We develop short-term physical problems like headaches and neck strain. And when the immune system starts to fail, we find ourselves getting colds and the flu and other physical ailments.

Stress is really a combination of symptoms. It's a pile-up, a train wreck of feelings, all colliding and compounding each other and sending our body into a tailspin. Physically, overloading with stress is literally like being trapped in a constant state of "fight or flight", and the chemicals released into the body can do a great deal of damage.

In How Stress Effects Neurotransmitters, Bev Storer explains

The brain uses feel-good transmitters called endorphins when managing daily stress. When the brain requires larger amounts of endorphins to handle increased stress, the ratio of many of the other transmitters, one to another, becomes upset creating a chemical imbalance. We begin to feel stress more acutely -- a sense of urgency and anxiety creates even more stress. As a result, harmful chemicals are released in our bodies that may do damage, causing more stress. This vicious cycle is called the "stress cycle."

So how can we beat the effects of stress before it becomes a critical chemical situation in our bodies?

If you ate something that backlogged your system, you'd suffer the results of constipation. Your entire system would feel the effects of poisons that should have been eliminated. It's the same with backlogged emotions. When you don't let them out, they build up. Body can't hold all that energy without something going wrong.

When you begin to feel sick, your body is telling you you've got something building up that needs release.

The first step is to acknowledge what you're feeling!

Some causes of stress:

Fear of failure
Fear of confrontation
Feeling inadequate or stupid
Anger at other's stupidity
Fear of other's disapproval
Frustration (which is really anger suppressed)

a goal or desire seems unreachable
things aren't going your way
people keep saying NO
other demands or responsibilities keep you from doing what you want

Too many demands on you are stretching you too thin
Fear of rejection
Fear of loss of security
Fear of loss of love

Probably the most damaging of is the fear of fear. Many people view fear as a sign of weakness. Strong people aren't afraid, right? Wrong. That's just so much BS. This judgement against feelings is long and pervasive in our culture. If you don't feel and acknowledge your anger and fear, they build up. The emotions are part of us, they shouldn't be ignored. Like undigested food, eventually they begin to poison the body and symptoms of stress begin to manifest themselves. Edginess, inability to sleep, headaches, irritability, persistent neck or back aches, stomach problems. Your body is telling you there's a problem.

Start by noticing what you feel. Watch yourself as you move through your day. Pay attention, not just to your emotions, but to your body as well. Notice when your neck begins to really hurt, or what's going on around you when you begin to feel like screaming. Later, take some quiet time to remember these moments. Remember and let yourself sink down into the feelings. Often one feeling is masking another. Irritability often masks fear of some kind, for instance. Try to find the most "core" feeling, if you can. Those are the feelings that need your attention the most. If you've been suppressing them, they've had to "go underground", and they can't speak to you directly. That's why they either masquerade as other feelings, or manifest through the body in pain and illness.

You know what you're feeling... now what?

By listening to your feelings, and giving them their due, you can give them a chance to express before they manifest in your body. By express I don't mean mentalizing or rationalizing. Believe it or not, your feelings have a life of their own, and a right to be. They need to express - in sound or movement or tears. You may not like your own fears, you may wish they would just go away, but until you give them expression, they won't... they'll just build up in your system, compounding and compacting and resulting in symptoms of stress.

Starting my own home business is one of the most stressful things I've ever done. I took the advice of the experts and started working on my ideas while I still had a full-time job. Even so, I could feel the fears begin to build. What if I quit my job and then couldn't get any clients? What if I failed? Fear of loss of security was (IS!) a huge problem for me - I had always had a steady pay check and the thought of being without that security was terrifying.

I spent 6-8 months preparing for the BIG step by:

Laying the groundwork for my home business - researching and gathering materials
Dealing with the fears that surfaced

For a while I could only take baby-steps. I'd do something for my business ideas, and then I'd go have a good cry. By the time I was ready to quit my job, but the fear wasn't overwhelming.

Stress Busters:

There are some things you can do that can help prevent stresses from piling up and becoming a train wreck. In the article 10 Steps to DeStress, Pam Woods gives 10 good preventive measures like setting boundaries, learning to say no, and working at a job you love that lay the groundwork for a stress-free life. Or at least, minimal stress. But these steps are still only the groundwork. And life has a funny way of building up on us and suddenly, you're in the middle of a pileup. No matter what preparations we make, we still have to have ways of dealing with the stresses when they come up. We have to have ways of dealing with the feelings.

Laughter: Watch a funny movie - have a good laugh. Laughter, like crying, releases chemicals in your brain that will make you feel good and give you the ability to cope with whatever may come.
Tears: Have a good cry - take a pillow and a box of Kleenex, close the door and let yourself howl. This may not be easy at first, especially if you've spent your adult life suppressing your feelings. But it's worse to allow your fears to come up and then NOT allow them to express. That's like inviting a bull to stomp on your head for a while. When you start to listen to your feelings, they will WANT to express. If you sit quietly with them (and give yourself permission to express whatever they are), your feelings will take over and begin to flow out of you on their own.
Physical Activity: Take a brisk walk or do some vigorous exercise - physical activity helps release the energy that's tied up in your body, and gets those endorphins flowing. Pound on something - chop wood, beat a rug, dig a hole.
Deep Relaxation: Listen to soothing music. Practice some of the body relaxation techniques in meditation. Breathe deeply, and mentally talk to your body, one part at a time. Relax, let go. I have even made myself a relaxation tape which I can use to help me get into a deeply relaxed state.
Imagine worst case scenarios - Most fears culminate in a fear of death. This may seem radical, but really when it gets down to it, what is the fear, really? Lack of money? What happens if you have no money? You lose your house, perhaps (fear of loss of security)... your spouse leaves you (fear of loss of love)... you starve ... and die. Sometimes if you take your fear all the way to the natural conclusion you'll find that it's really not so overwhelming. So, what's the worse that could happen? You die? Usually by this point in my imaginings, I'm laughing at myself. And laughter is a GREAT stress buster.
Change Your Routine: If you usually get the kids off to school and then settle in to your business/work, change it! Instead, take a hot bath, exercise, and spend a few moments in deep relaxation. Then get to work.
Plan You’re Time: Starting a home business will consume a lot of your time. If you have a family and are still holding a full or part time job, you'll need to plan your time carefully. Figure out how much time you can give to your business each day, or each week. You may want to sit down with your family and let them know how important this new venture is to you. Get their feedback and agreement on how much time will be spent with them, and how much on your business. This way, they have participation in your process and won't feel so left out when you're working on your business stuff. If money will be tight, get their ideas on how you can all budget for a while, until your business is thriving.
Feed your heart: One of the best stress-busters is simply doing something you love. If you find the business of crafting is getting too stressful, leave the business side for a while and just do a project you enjoy for the love of it. Do something to please your own heart. When my business becomes too stressful, I often go into the garden and play in the dirt for a while. I water something that doesn't need watering, I weed and plant and smell the earth. I play with my dogs and get far away from the business stuff for a while. Then, with my heart fed, I am more able to deal with the stress of my business, and things don't bother me as much.

Give yourself time to ease into self-employment slowly. Listen to your feelings and your body, and the stresses of working for yourself won't become so very overwhelming.

~Christine Torres~

As seen in the April Issue of Main Street Magazine.

Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises

If you would like to find out how to receive your FREE copy of MSM go to www.mainstreetmagazine.net