Many of us run around with a list of to-do’s and not enough time to do them. Pick up the kids and stop at the store, get the report done and make a dental appointment, do laundry while making dinner, and send out party invitations as your paying the bills. Whew.
Then, in a moment of clarity, we realize that it’s just not working. An inner voice tell us to slow down.
The embodiment of that voice might well be Joyanne McDaniel.
Joyanne McDaniel a Bothell woman who calls herself the Green Diva, offers workshops to the hurried and harried that help recharge and rejuvenate.
She makes simple suggestions on reorganizing your life and adding a touch of "green," or environmental awareness.
Living green doesn’t mean moving into a yurt and not shaving your armpits, however, McDaniel said. Rather, she describes the green life as an antidote to scarcity.
Scarcity, as in "not enough time, not enough energy, not enough money," the 35-year-old McDaniel said.
Instead, she prescribes abundance — through ample time, plentiful resources and bountiful health, the keys to three-dimensional wealth and the green life.
Like many others, McDaniel handles being a mother, a wife and a teacher. She has worked in adult language education and technology. She has completed an apprenticeship with herbalists following the Wise Woman tradition, which believes in sustenance and nourishment rather than fixing or curing.
Her Green Diva workshops are limited to 12 participants. Her goal is to provide tools to help build a lifestyle that sustains from the one that drains.
Many of her classes are taught in the garden and include such topics as "Herb Gardening 101," "Home Spa Treatments" and " Gifting Naturally." All have an emphasis on the organic.
For "Extreme Life Makeover: Transformation From the Inside Out," participants gather in comfort in McDaniel’s home to break down and examine the components of happiness for them.
"It’s not a one-size-fits-all," McDaniel said.
During the makeover class, participants take a personal look at what can happen if they choose to bring different elements, some subtle, into their lives. Issues include vitality, money and time. Discussions cover composting, elemental energies and how to say no. They talk about mantras like "I’m so busy," "I’m so tired," "I’m so broke."
McDaniel helps pose questions.
"How could I reorganize my life so that I can replenish?" McDaniel said.
There are handouts about houseplants and monthly calendars on when fruits and vegetables are in season.
"Get things at their healthiest," McDaniel said.
Buying produce in season can be a frugal thing to do. This ties into another chapter in the workshop that covers money and tips on how to save.
"I didn’t realize that it had things about finances," said Kim Reed-Olszewski, a student of the makeover class.
The Monroe resident attended the workshop because she wanted to learn how to be more connected on the inside so that she connected on the outside.
With so many outside forces it seems to Reed-Olszewski that people are asked to do too many things in too short a period of time.
She said she liked talking about being in the moment. She also enjoyed the workshop section on multi-tasking. Women in particular are conditioned to multi-task, she said. They go from one thing to another saying, "Hang on I’ll get to you."
"I never thought about not multi-tasking," Reed-Olszewski said.
Even being in McDaniel’s home provided a clarification for Reed-Olszewski. She saw that not all of the walls were painted. That stayed with her. Lots of people come to her home and likes it to be just so.
"I was cleaning the house. I stopped and thought I shouldn’t care about it so much," Reed-Olszewski said. "People are coming to see me, not how clean my house is."
With workshops, a family and a love of gardening, people have accused McDaniel of being like Martha Stewart.
McDaniel counters that
Stewart has — or had — many staff members to help her accomplish what she does.
"Martha Stewart is a stunt double," McDaniel said.
There is an abundance of information in the Green Diva workshops and the discussions that come from them can last longer than the workshop.
"When I walked out I felt a little bit more connected to the things I could do," Reed-Olszewski said. "Little things to make my life easier."
There’s talk about mindful practice, meditation and getting enough sleep. There’s composting versus worm bins.
"You’ll get the best fertilizer you’ve ever had in your life" with worm bins, McDaniel said.
Participants discuss simple tips like putting drops of lavender in a humidifier for antibacterial and calming purposes.
"Cedar is also a good antifungal too," McDaniel said.
McDaniel says that it’s OK not to know what you want in life, citing Julia Child. The famous chef was 35 years old when she discovered what she wanted to do.
It’s about how you want your life to function.
"People are often searching for balance," McDaniel said. "I think alignment is a much better approach."
Reporter Christina Harper: 425-339-3491 or harper@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
