ON NATURE

#          Good Vibrations... Beach Boys

This is Patsy Wynne inviting you to share the next hour with me... enjoying my choice of music... which sometimes surprises me... and always delights... WELCOME to whoever’s listening in hospital... and to those who may be listening online... HELLO to you too!

And today I’m reflecting on NATURE... I’ll be contributing my thoughts on that... in between the records... which I hope will make you smile... as you recall your own happy memories... or simply lift your spirits... because for me... our ability to make MUSIC... and the effect is has on our emotions... is something wonderful...

#1        Nature boy... Nat King Cole... 

The other day  I was sitting in the sun on the patio... and noticed little weeds beginning to creep through the cracks in the paving.  I thought about weeding them out or even giving it a spray... then began to notice beautiful little flower heads opening to the sun.  How could I think of destroying such lovely signs of new life? After all... a weed is only a flower growing in the wrong place... but if we allow them to flourish unchecked... the paving would soon be overgrown... and the structure undermined.  However, I do think the little creeping plants and mosses that fill the cracks are lovely and can surely do no harm. But just think that if our civilisation were to pass away...  all our concrete certainties would very soon be covered over by natural vegetation. Now there’s a thought! Only it’s unlikely we’d be here to appreciate it! 

#2        You take my breath away... Eva Cassidy...

Isn’t it wonderful to fall in love?... and it feels so natural to want to be together... nature intends us to join in creating new life.  But our civilisation has created structures... like a patio... that we more or less conform to... and try to keep clear of any weeds.

So we’ve had THE WEDDING... and I hope you enjoyed watching that great outpouring of affection and hope... as much as I did. And even though we may be cynical about the current state of marriage... I’m sure we wish Kate and Wills... sorry... Catherine and William... every blessing for their future life together...  

#3        I get a kick out of you... Sinatra...

Of course... we all know that a wedding isn’t the end of the story... but  the start of a new life... because any marriage... and any relationship... is a process of adjustment and compromise... a considerable learning curve... and all relationships have downs as well as ups... the weeds have a habit of coming up through the cracks!

#4        Everybody’s got to learn sometime... The Korgis...

So what can we do when emotional weeds threaten to destroy our relationships? The disappointments... and misunderstandings that do happen... as we go through the process of getting to know one another. Those little plants and mosses I see as the little idiosyncrasies that make up our personality... and although they can occasionally get out of hand... they’re usually quite innocuous and even attractive.  But it’s natural for us to react defensively if we feel under attack... when one or the other says or does things that have the opposite effect intended... which just makes things worse... you know? The really silly things you say... without meaning to hurt... or maybe trying to say something about how you feel... and it comes out wrong... or it’s taken in a way you didn’t mean... and the misunderstanding escalates... until the whole thing gets out of hand... and you feel like hitting out... or walking out... and that’s so sad...

#5        Don’t it make my brown eyes blue... Crystal Gayle...

When I’m feeling disturbed about something... I use an emotional weed killer... that can reach right down to the roots of any defensive reactions... and clear them out like magic!

I  practise a technique known as EFT... that’s based on acupuncture points... but without needles... which helps reduce any conflicts in the mind... and any negative emotion... because just doing the tapping helps balance the emotional energy systems of the body.  If you’d like to follow along with me...

• First identify where you’re feeling disturbed... in your mind... when your mind just goes round in ever decreasing circles... thinking about what you said... what they said... and maybe in your heart... where you feel a heaviness... and disquiet... or physically in your body... like a sick feeling or butterflies in the stomach... or a feeling of restlessness... can’t relax... tapping feet or fidgeting hands...
• Start tapping the outer edge of one hand below the little finger... with the fingertips of the other hand... taking a few deep breaths... while focussing on what you’re feeling...
• Take a deep breath ... then say out loud...
•  Even though I’m feeling... (disturbance)................ (or whatever)
• I love and accept myself... and I realise I reacted without thinking.

• Even though I have this feeling... and I just open my mouth and put my foot in it...
• I completely love and accept myself...
• Even though this feeling... (whatever it is)... makes me feel so desperate and unhappy
• I forgive myself for whatever I’ve done that’s resulted in hurting my relationship... 
• WRISTS... this feeling... (whatever)
• TOP OF HEAD... this disturbing feeling... I love myself... and I’d like to choose to feel relaxed again... why would I choose to feel disturbed? Who needs it? Maybe I could just let it go... feel free again. Maybe I could just choose to relax... and let it go...

Repeat this as often as you like... when you wake up and go to the bathroom... while taking a shower... waiting for the kettle to boil... or when you find yourself staring into space... start a dialogue with yourself... ask yourself... “Why would I choose this?”... “Could I just let it go?” and wait for your unconscious mind to answer... while you’re tapping. It’s  a good habit... you begin to feel easier...  and the more you do this, the better you feel about yourself and the easier it is to accept, love and forgive everyone else... just try it and see... 

#6        My foolish heart... Billy Eckstine... 

We always welcome your requests for a particular record, or a mention of someone or something special. Maybe you have an interesting or funny story to tell, connected to a special song. We’d love to hear from you.   You can contact Radio Glan Clwyd on Extension 4360 or 01745-584229, or ask someone to do that for you. Here’s a request for Julie...

#7        This is a man’s world... James Brown...

One of the most pernicious weeds that can spoil a good relationship... is stubborn pride that hardens the heart and prevents one from admitting we might have been wrong... while simply saying... ‘I’m sorry... I love you... please forgive me’... with genuine feeling... can heal any hurts...

#8        Sorry seems to be the hardest word... Elton John...

To those who protest... “that’s just the way I am... it’s my nature”... I’d like to point out that whatever happens to us in life... are opportunities to learn about who we really are... and to adjust the way we respond to life. Because the way we react is determined by the way our mind works... the programs installed... like software on a computer... throughout our experiences of life.  You know how it is to drive a car... we have to learn... not only how to get started, change gear and stop... but how to interact with other road users... until it becomes second nature... and we react instinctively to any hazards and road conditions. However... driving rules and conditions can change... as they do from one country to another... and we have to keep adjusting and updating the program. This applies to anything we do... we re-act according to the way we learned. So if we keep re-acting in the same way... without updating according to new experiences... we’re likely to get into trouble... one way or another.  The trouble in relationships is that we so often fail to update... we get into the rut of fixed habits and out of date expectations... then fall into the fault-finding and blame game... and those are really pernicious weeds!  Nature never stands still... ask any gardener!

#9        Lullaby for Helene... Bill Evans...   (FADE>>> talk over... )

Whenever you’re feeling disturbed... or restless... give yourself a break.  Now and then... take a walk in nature... somewhere quiet... by yourself... if you can... or go somewhere beautiful... in your mind... maybe some special memory... of a place where you feel safe... at peace with yourself... breathe deeply... slowing down each breath... relaxing into yourself... noticing whatever you see... or hear... anything you sense... without any judgement... slowing down the mind... all those thoughts whirling around in your mind... just let them float way... like little puffs of smoke... slowing down... relaxing the body... breathing slow and easy... just BEING... with yourself... and notice how that feels... with a peaceful mind... and joy in your heart... 

#10      Swinging on a star... Bing Crosby...

So... if you think of your inner self as a garden... maybe you can identify any emotional weeds that keep on coming back... resentment or anger... guilt or fear... jealousy or hate... pride or prejudice... not forgetting moral superiority and self-righteous indignation... those weeds that spring up when you’re not looking... to crowd out the beautiful flowers of compassion, love and peace that you really want to cultivate.  Just tap your hand to remind yourself... that when you accept and love yourself... you can truly accept and love others from your heart.

#11      Brown eyed girl... Van Morrison...

So remember to tap away those weeds in the garden of your soul... and then you’ll be able to say...

#12      I can see clearly now... Johnny Nash... 

 (20 secs.) I’d like to thank you all for accompanying me on this journey today and I trust you’ve enjoyed my take on Life, the Universe and Everything... I’ll be back for another journey in music and song next week, when maybe you’ll join me again.... and this is Patsy Wynne signing off for today... from Radio Glan Clwyd... and don't forget... 

#   Always look on the Bright side of Life... Monty Python...