It’s
the height of summer, and our friendly market has some great produce to share
with you, including lots of Pathfinder grown items directly from our Hoop
House. We hope to see you at Pathfinder
Produce at the Village Commons, this Thursday, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Also,
we extend our heartiest congratulations to all our regional athletes who
competed this past weekend in the Gus Macker Tournament in Norwich, and the
Boilermaker road race in Utica. Way to
go, everyone!
****
Blueberry
Happiness
"I found my thrill, on blueberry hill .... " kept
rolling through my head this Saturday as I put up 20 pounds of fresh
blueberries. It’s an annual tradition in
my family to freeze berries, so that we may enjoy muffins, pancakes, and other
treats in the depths of winter. Although
food preservation is work, it's satisfying work, and I always enjoy a few
delicious berries as I sort out the "smushies, softies, splitties and
stems."
According to the World’s
Healthiest Foods, blueberries contain antioxidant substances called
phytonutrients, which stop damaging chain reactions, reduce inflammation, and
protect many body systems. Blueberries
are considered a super food, as they are one of the best
sources (and best tasting sources) for antioxidants.
Of course, after putting all those berries in the freezer, I felt
accomplished, but even while I was washing, and sorting berries, I was feeling
fine, as I knew my family would enjoy the berries. Being engaged in tasks and being socially
connected is important, and researchers have been studying how cultivating
happiness may make us healthier, according to an article in the latest The
New Yorker.
Writer Will Storr discusses the work of Psychologist Brian R.
Little at Cambridge, who studies the projects that all of us pursue during our
daily lives (purposeful puttering).
Little has found that “in order to bring us happiness, a project must
have two qualities: it must be meaningful in some way, and we must have
efficacy over it.” Little’s work relates
to Aristotle’s concept of eudemonia,
through which the philosopher theorized that happiness is realized through activity, and exhibiting virtue or
excellence in accordance with reason.
Storr also shares some interesting human genome research on how
happiness affects our body chemistries. Back in 2007, John Cacioppo,
(University of Chicago), and Steve Cole, (University of California, Los
Angeles), found that people who are lonely exhibit higher indicators for
inflammatory diseases in blood samples.
Cole and Barbara Fredrickson (University of North Carolina, Chapel
Hill), went on in 2013 to show that people who are engaged socially and lead
purpose-driven lives exhibit fewer signs of inflammation and have stronger
immune systems than those who suffer from isolation.
So, in a way, scientific research is bearing out what we’ve always
known -- keeping busy, “finding meaning” and being socially engaged are all
part of attaining lasting happiness and keeping healthy. So, whether it’s freezing blueberries for
your loved ones, volunteering for a non-profit, or pursuing a hobby that allows
you to meet others with similar interests, you are improving your health.
Until next time, stay connected, get busy, and be well,
Lori
