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newlenoxpatriot.com Sound Off<br />

the New Lenox Patriot | September 28, 2017 | 17<br />

Social snapshot<br />

Top Web Stories<br />

From NewLenoxPatriot.com as of Monday,<br />

Sept. 25<br />

1. New Lenox man suffers ‘life-threatening<br />

injuries’ from crash<br />

2. Boys soccer: Willner, Knights defense<br />

down Griffins<br />

3. Football: Warriors score three TDs in two<br />

minutes to thrash Falcons<br />

4. Football: ‘We had to get revenge’<br />

5. <strong>NL</strong> family takes on Hurricane Irma<br />

Become a member: NewLenoxPatriot.com/plus<br />

New Lenox School District 122 posted this<br />

Sept. 19:<br />

“Fourth grade students at Caroline Bentley<br />

School took part in our annual Walk<br />

for Diabetes on September 15, 2017. This<br />

educational fundraising school walk helps<br />

to support the research, education and advocacy<br />

programs of the American Diabetes<br />

Association (ADA). This year the students<br />

collected over $1,000 to support the ADA’s<br />

mission to prevent and cure diabetes and<br />

improve the lives of all people living with<br />

diabetes.”<br />

Like The New Lenox Patriot: facebook.com/TheNewLenoxPatriot<br />

“Congrats to the Boys Golf team as they<br />

defeated Stagg tonight to maintain their<br />

undefeated record!”<br />

@LWCKnights on Sept. 19<br />

Follow The New Lenox Patriot: @The<strong>NL</strong>Patriot<br />

From the Assistant Edtior<br />

The benefits of being outside<br />

Amanda Stoll<br />

a.stoll@22ndcenturymedia.com<br />

NFYN<br />

From Page 16<br />

FROM THE TI<strong>NL</strong>EY JUNCTION<br />

Practical Magic opts for<br />

alternative healing<br />

There is something intriguing<br />

about the way that Tara<br />

Lewis talks about the act of<br />

healing.<br />

She gravitates toward words<br />

like “purpose” and “intention,”<br />

as she walks around her newly<br />

opened shop in downtown Tinley<br />

Park and picks apart a few<br />

of her favorite things.<br />

Handmade candy-colored<br />

soaps, candles and jewelry<br />

are displayed on small tables<br />

and short shelves outlining<br />

“Go play outside,”<br />

is something<br />

I’m sure many<br />

of us heard time and time<br />

again when we were children.<br />

But, studies throughout<br />

the years have shown that<br />

outdoor play has been declining<br />

for children — and<br />

I’d venture to say the same<br />

is probably true for adults.<br />

The decline has been<br />

linked to a rise in anxiety,<br />

depression, sensory issues<br />

and mental health problems<br />

among children under 18.<br />

I can’t speak from experience<br />

on that aspect, because<br />

as a child I was always outside<br />

playing, but as an adult<br />

I know I feel a decrease in<br />

stress and anxiety when I<br />

spend time outside.<br />

Anyone who knows me,<br />

or has read some of my<br />

editorials, knows that I<br />

try to spend as much time<br />

outdoors as I can. Even just<br />

eating my lunch outside or<br />

taking a quick break in the<br />

afternoon to walk around<br />

the block makes me feel<br />

better.<br />

In a society where<br />

electronics, stress and tight<br />

schedules are the norm, I<br />

think it’s important.<br />

When was the last time<br />

you or your children went<br />

and hiked a trail, collected<br />

leaves or just sat in a park<br />

and paid some real attention<br />

to nature?<br />

Recently, I attended a<br />

Tinkergarten class in New<br />

Lenox with Instructor<br />

Amanda Herman, a Mokena<br />

resident, and it was wonderful.<br />

I loved seeing the push<br />

to get children outside and<br />

learning again through the<br />

group, which has classes in<br />

the perimeter of her store.<br />

A collection of crystals and<br />

sage complete the mix.<br />

These items, Lewis said,<br />

are packed with herbs and<br />

oils, and they are built with<br />

sincerity, an aim to help people<br />

find comfort or clarity.<br />

“Everything is 100 percent<br />

natural,” she said of the products<br />

inside Practical Magic<br />

All Natural Bath & Body Essentials,<br />

which was birthed<br />

out of a simple anecdote.<br />

“We call it ‘Practical Magic’<br />

because it’s practical, and<br />

it works like magic. It’s not<br />

cooked with anything; you<br />

know what I mean?”<br />

For the past five years,<br />

Lewis and her daughter,<br />

Taniyah Meyers, have spent<br />

time perfecting the recipes of<br />

their soap creations.<br />

“Everything here we formulated<br />

ourselves,” Lewis<br />

noted, which are held “under<br />

lock and key.”<br />

But one thing is for certain.<br />

The scents from the mother-daughter<br />

duo’s bath supplies<br />

reveal a blend of fruits,<br />

vegetables, mints, milk, honey<br />

and more.<br />

“This is the place where<br />

you find what it is that you<br />

need to rejuvenate your life<br />

and situation,” Lewis said.<br />

Reporting by F. Amanda<br />

Tugade, Editor. For more, visit<br />

TinleyJunction.com.<br />

48 states and estimates they<br />

have reached more than<br />

70,000 children through<br />

their outdoor, child-led<br />

learning initiative.<br />

An article published in<br />

June by National Geographic<br />

titled “Doctors Are Prescribing<br />

Park Visits to Booth<br />

Patient Health” outlined<br />

what doctors in places such<br />

as South Dakota, Baltimore<br />

and Albuquerque are doing<br />

to combat the decrease in<br />

outdoor time for adults.<br />

It’s exactly as you’d expect<br />

from the title: They’re<br />

literally prescribing people a<br />

day at the park and handing<br />

out prescriptions that give<br />

the patient a free entry to a<br />

state park.<br />

Now, don’t get me wrong.<br />

I love the idea. Historically,<br />

doctors prescribed patients<br />

to sit in their garden or to<br />

go on a holiday to get some<br />

fresh air. Now, that has<br />

scientifically been shown to<br />

improve people’s lives.<br />

I do think it’s a bit sad<br />

that a doctor has to tell<br />

people to go outside for<br />

their health. I’m not a doctor,<br />

but I would recommend<br />

some serious outdoor time<br />

to anyone feeling down,<br />

lonely or stressed.<br />

If everyone was already<br />

spending time in nature,<br />

then maybe we wouldn’t<br />

have so many problems in<br />

our society. Being in nature<br />

is cheap therapy that can<br />

help with a lot of things.<br />

I would be amiss if I<br />

didn’t say that going outside<br />

can’t cure everything, so if<br />

you are experiencing serious<br />

mental illness please go to<br />

your doctor.<br />

In other cases, maybe<br />

consider taking a long walk<br />

in the park or a weekend<br />

camping trip without being<br />

connected to the internet<br />

and see how you feel afterwards.<br />

And, for goodness sake,<br />

send the little ones outside<br />

to play in the great outdoors,<br />

too.<br />

Sound Off Policy<br />

Editorials and columns are the<br />

opinions of the author. Pieces<br />

from 22nd Century Media are<br />

the thoughts of the company as<br />

a whole. The New Lenox Patriot<br />

encourages readers to write letters<br />

to Sound Off. All letters<br />

must be signed, and names and<br />

hometowns will be published.<br />

We also ask that writers include<br />

their address and phone number<br />

for verification, not publication.<br />

Letters should be limited to 400<br />

words. The New Lenox Patriot<br />

reserves the right to edit letters.<br />

Letters become property of The<br />

New Lenox Patriot. Letters that<br />

are published do not reflect the<br />

thoughts and views of The New<br />

Lenox Patriot. Letters can be<br />

mailed to: The New Lenox Patriot,<br />

11516 West 183rd Street, Unit<br />

SW Office Condo #3, Orland<br />

Park, Illinois, 60467. Fax letters<br />

to (708) 326-9179 or e-mail to<br />

james@newlenoxpatriot.com.<br />

www.newlenoxpatriot.com.

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