Take Time For Yourself

Remember to take of yourself. In the hustle and bustle of life, work, family and friends we often get too busy helping others to take care of ourselves. Don’t forget that you are important too! Make taking care of yourself a priority. It can be a simple as morning or evening yoga or meditation or more extravagant like indulging in a massage or something that makes you feel good. Here are a few DIY at home spa ideas that you can do on your own at home: do a facial, take a bath, try a hair mask, give yourself a manicure, take a nap, light a candle and take deep breaths, try an eye mask or read a book. The best project you will ever work on is yourself.

Have Screen Free Time

Electronics are a part of everyone’s life — but what are the negative effects of screen time for adults and children?  9 out of 10 employed adults use a computer to work. Outside of work hours, it’s important to limit your screen time! Too much screen time can lead to obesity, sleep problems, chronic neck and back problems, depression, anxiety and lower test scores in children. To help limit your family’s screen time, you can promote healthy electronic use, encourage other activities and keep bedrooms screen-free. To swap out the screen, enjoy activities like exercising, going outside for a walk, looking up at the night sky, stretching, reading a book, start a garden and encourage new activities with your family that does not include a screen.

Plan A Trip To Exuma

Everyone deserves a vacation and a break from the real world responsibilities, am I right? Plan a trip of a lifetime to Exuma, Bahamas if it’s your first trip or your fifth trip, there is always something new to explore. Just 1 hour off the coast of Florida lands you in untouched paradise! Spend a Sunday at Chat ‘N’ Chill® for our famous Pig Roast, every Sunday starting at 12 pm.

Practice Gratitude

Take time each day to reflect on thing you are grateful for. This can help shift  your focus from what’s wrong in your life to what’s going well. Gratitude is the most powerful form of magic. Remember, everyday is a gift. Here are 5 tips to practice gratitude:

• Spend 5 minutes in peace, breathing into your heart and think of why you are grateful
• Start a gratitude journal – write down what you a grateful for everyday
• Give back, be of service or volunteer
• Always say thank you and genuinely mean it
• Write a positive review

Get Outside

For a majority of people, sitting and working inside all day, 5 days a week is the norm. Remember to take a break, step outside and get your daily dose of Vitamin D. This is especially important in the winter months when daylight is shortened and you are unable to go outside in the sun when work is over. It can be as simple as stepping outside for a quick walk during your lunch break or more detailed like planning a weekend trip in the outdoors.

Benefits of getting outside:

• Boosts energy
• Makes exercising easier
• Mental health remedy
• Vitamin D
• Restores Focus
• Boosts Immune System
• Enhances Creativity
• Improves Sleep Quality

Cordell Thompson, local Exuma Historian and Director of the Pompey Center for Studies in Traditional Art, Music, Food and the Unresolved Mysteries, describes the origins and components of the Bahamian Junkanoo festival.

Q: What exactly is Junkanoo?

A: Junkanoo is the colorful, energetic, and breath-taking Bahamian festival that takes place every year on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Starting at 2:00 a.m. and coming to an end only when the sun rises (around 9:00 a.m.), hundreds of people dressed in bright, extravagant costumes parade through the streets playing authentic Bahamian instruments, performing choreographed dance routines, and celebrating their culture. The influence of Junkanoo is seen in all aspects of Bahamian society, in the fine arts, in music and dance, and particularly the personality and attitudes of the Bahamian people who understand the necessity for taking time out to celebrate life.

Q: When and how did it start? 

A: Around the 16^th or 17^th century, Bahamian slaves were given several days off around Christmas time, during which they would celebrate by spending time with their families. In their three days of freedom, they would dance, play music, and create costumes as a way to enjoy the holiday. Even after slavery was abolished, this tradition continued in the Bahamas and eventually transformed into the spectacular festival it is today.

Q: Where does Junkanoo take place?

A: Junkanoo has its roots in harvest festivals in the African countries of Ghana and Nigeria. Most Africans who came to the Americas came from these two countries and Junkanoo is celebrated in some shape or form from the Southern United States to as far south as Belize in Central America. It is still celebrated in the town of New Berne in South Carolina, in the town of Leon in Puerto Rico, in Jamaica, but nowhere is it observed with as much vigor and vitality as in The Bahamas today. Although the largest parade takes place in the Bahamian capital of Nassau, Junaknoo is also preformed in the Exumas, The Abacos, Bimini, Harbour Island, and Grand Bahama Island.

Q: Who participates in Junkanoo? 

A: In The Bahamas, Junkanoo has evolved to something closer to Carnival in Brazil, where groups of two thousand members or more, drawn from social clubs and close knit communities, take to the streets as organized “gangs”, to compete for the honor of simply being named and recognized as the best group on the island. The rivalry is friendly and gangs are judged on best music, best costumes, best dancing, with the accumulation of the most points in each category determining the winners. Groups spend almost half the year selecting, and executing their themes which are usually drawn from mythology, history or contemporary events, and which are executed with almost life like depiction from cardboard and fringed paper. Among the most famous Junkaroo groups include The Valley Boys, The Saxons, The Roots and One Family.

Q: What kinds of musical instruments are used in the festival?

A: During the procession, groups play traditional Bahamian instruments, such as cowbells, horns, scrapers, whistles, and drums made of sheep or goat skin. In addition, many participants use brass instruments (like trombones and flutes), which allow them to include famous pop songs and create a wider array of sounds in their music

Q: What about the costumes?

A: The exquisite costumes worn during the parade take groups anywhere from 6 months to a year to create. The design is carefully drawn out on cardboard before aluminum rods are used to fashion the frame. Afterwards, groups meticulously layer crepe paper over the cardboard and add finishing touches with beads, glitter, and feathers. The costumes reflect the group’s chosen theme and often include headdresses, can be up to 15 feet tall, and weigh over 100 pounds.

Found at ExpressionsByAnn

 

© 1998-2013 Kate Zhukova and Kenneth Bowe, Chat ‘N’ Chill® Ltd.

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© 1998-2013 Kate Zhukova and Kenneth Bowe, Chat ‘N’ Chill® Ltd. Kenneth Bowe, is creator and owner of Chat ‘N’ Chill®, an Exuma, Bahamas based destination wedding venue, event planning and design company serving The Central Bahamas.

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The Exuma sky is captured with a beautiful blend of purples, oranges and blues.  This photo is an intro to a huge library of photos from Chat ‘N’ Chill guest and Exuma fan, Laura Michell Mullen.  She has promised to share her extensive catalog of Exuma photographs with us.  I am hoping that she will guest post and give words and life to some of the images that she has captured (yes, that is an invitation, Laura).  Thanks for sharing!